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This week's episode of WWE SmackDown was honestly quite entertaining. I liked a lot of stuff from the episode, and I have very few complaints from the show overall.
In this article, I shall touch upon everything that I enjoyed about the show and also highlight the areas that can be improved. As good as the show was, it wasn't perfect, and I'll list out everything that can be improved on WWE SmackDown.
With that in mind, I present the Best and Worst of SmackDown this week. Feel free to leave a comment in the section below and let me know what you thought of this week's show overall.
What did you think were the 'best' and 'worst' aspects of the show, dear reader?
#1 Best: Mandy, Otis, and Dolph
We saw Otis receive a hug and a kiss in an endearing segment with Mandy Rose last week but it seems like there's going to be a new player involved in the mix, in the coming weeks. Dolph Ziggler has also entered the conversation and somehow, this storyline is a lot more entertaining than Lashley, Rusev, and Lana.
The best thing about a storyline of this nature is that it's a throwback to the time when wrestling was about getting fans invested in characters and not merely having match after match after match. I do believe that because of the nature of today's wrestling product which is dedicated only to the NXT crowd, that a lot of the casual audience has trickled out.
It gives both Mandy Rose and Dolph Ziggler something to do, instead of being sidelined as not-so-important characters. Otis will come out of this storyline as the star that he is meant to be, considering how over he already is.
#1 Worst: The New Day sidelined
The New Day may be the SmackDown Tag Team Champions at the moment, but there's practically nobody in the horizon for them. It just seems like they are coasting along in meaningless matches where they have no role except in getting others over.
And because they are not doing anything significant, the whole tag team division is stale. It would have been interesting to see them work with some team that they have not worked with until now, but thanks to the brand split I doubt that will be possible.
Maybe in due course of time, The Hardy Boyz can return (once Jeff Hardy is cleared) to take them on and maybe even take the titles from Kofi Kingston and Big E. It's a shame to see two Superstars as gifted as Big E and Kofi Kingston have nothing to do when they could be having exceptional tag team matches, every single week.
#2 Best: Daniel Bryan wins the triple threat match
I just think that there are a whole bunch of stories still to be told between The Fiend and Daniel Bryan. The Miz has already had a shot against Wyatt and as entertaining as it was, would we ever buy into the idea of The Miz as the next Universal Champion? And because Baron Corbin is a heel, he would have made Bray Wyatt a babyface, had he won the match.
Daniel Bryan needs retribution for Bray Wyatt chopping his hair off. He has completely tapped into the Yes Movement now, unlike their last encounter, so in a sense, it's a different Daniel Bryan taking on The Fiend at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Plus, he has a famous wife and a famous daughter, who could also be involved in this storyline.
Here are my thoughts on the feud between Bryan and The Fiend. Give it a read when you can!
#2 Worst: Continuing Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
One would naturally assume that the feud between King Corbin and Roman Reigns had ended with the former picking up a victory. Such is certainly not the case, and as we've seen several times in WWE already, Roman Reigns always gets the last laugh. I'm not sure that continuing the feud is necessarily entertaining for fans.
Reigns could have been involved in elevating new heels in the roster and we all know how desperately WWE needs strong heels. Especially with Robert Roode gone, the heel side of the roster is especially weak at the moment. Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns would have been a fun new feud.
Corbin could have also entered the Universal Championship fray but it was only a distraction to stretch the storyline out for two hours. Roman Reigns vs. Corbin will stretch all the way to the Royal Rumble, and I'm not a fan.
#3 Best: Sami Zayn returns to the ring
For a while, we were afraid that Sami Zayn will not get back into the ring again. I'm glad to see that such is not the case as he was part of a 6-man tag team match this week.
Sami Zayn is exceptionally good on the microphone and that is why he was first paired with Shinsuke Nakamura, considering that English isn't the Intercontinental Champion's first language. And then it seemed like he would also be paired with Mojo Rawley, although that pairing lasted just a week and was ended without any ceremony.
But now, I'm glad to see that he's back in the ring at last. Sami Zayn deserves to be in the ring because he's one of the best in the current roster.
Maybe, in due course of time, Sami Zayn can turn on Nakamura and make him a babyface in the process!
#3 Worst: Braun Strowman dancing
The New Day is an entertaining act and they are great at what they do. And because they are so good at shaking their hips and channeling the comedy inside them, they are so over with the WWE Universe.
But Braun Strowman is over because he's an unstoppable beast who can topple over vehicles with his bare hands and perform incredible feats of strength. This is a once-in-a-generation athlete quite aptly described as a 'Monster Among Men'.
I just don't think that Braun Strowman should have dipped his toes into the unforgiving waters of WWE comedy because nobody swims in these waters and comes out any better. Braun Strowman is someone who should have been the Universal Champion by now, but instead, he is shaking his hips with The New Day.
Keep comedy far, far away from Braun Strowman...I really beg of you WWE Creative!
#4 Best/worst: Rift between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville
I don't know whether to be happy that the cracks are showing in Fire & Desire or be upset about it. I mean they were quite a cool act, and are obviously really good friends too.
I would have liked for them to have enjoyed another shot at the Tag Team Champions, but I'm guessing that is out of the window, for the time being. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville can certainly elevate one another if they work against each other and that seems to be the course of action, in the days that follow.
So is it better for them to stay allied or feud with one another? I don't really have a very clear answer for you guys right now.
What I do know is that it was great to see 'A Moment of Bliss' return with the Goddess of WWE, Alexa Bliss!
