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Riju Dasgupta won't be available for "Best & Worst" for SmackDown, so I'll be taking over for today instead. We witnessed what was essentially a 1-hour episode - as the first half of the show was entirely dedicated to The Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles.
Without dragging it much further, let's jump right into the best and worst of SmackDown!
#3 Best: A big win for an underutilized star in an underutilized team on SmackDown
Backstage, the only four teams on SmackDown (or at least it feels that way now) got into a bit of a scuffle. On the babyface side, we have the SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day and in our opinion, the criminally underrated Lucha House Party. On the heel side, we had The Miz and John Morrison and Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura - the latter two who have seemingly replaced The Forgotten Sons.
It was a solid tag team match as one would expect, but we were pleasantly surprised when we saw Gran Metalik pick up the win for his team after pinning The Miz. It was a great sequence and finish from an incredibly talented wrestler.
Metalik is truly one of the most underutilized Superstars on the roster and we hope that such matches help him get his due. There's no denying that Metalik and Lince Dorado have somewhat benefited creatively from the empty arena shows and limited roster.
Hopefully, this secures their place as a legitimate tag team that can compete for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships frequently. We could even argue that they're deserving of a title run right now. While The New Day is always great, they don't need the titles right now, nor do The Miz and John Morrison.
It seems like the perfect time for either Lucha House Party or Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura to have a run with the titles.
#2 Worst: WWE's constant mistake with Jeff Hardy
While we understand that the storyline wouldn't be happening without Jeff Hardy's consent, is there any real need to constantly bring up his past battles in his personal life? It was the central theme upon his return and his feud against Sheamus on SmackDown.
While we thought that he was going to start a feud with King Corbin, his interruption and attack on Corbin was to establish himself as the hero fighting in the honor of The Undertaker on SmackDown. All that is well and good, but WWE can build a hero's arc for him without repeatedly bringing up his issues - which is what Corbin did in a promo.
While it's fine once, using it constantly for storylines and his character progression just doesn't feel right. Let Jeff Hardy be The Charismatic Enigma and he's going to stay over no matter what - even when the crowds return.
He ended up winning against King Corbin in the main event on SmackDown in what was a feel-good moment, but the fact that WWE keeps using this angle can rub fans the wrong way.
#2. Best: A fresh challenge for Bayley
Sasha Banks is set to face Asuka at WWE Extreme Rules 2020 and will be heading to RAW this Monday to sign a contract. This left Bayley without a challenger, which prompted WWE to book a good Fatal-4-Way match on SmackDown between Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, and Dana Brooke.
It was a fun match as most Fatal-4-Ways are and we fully expected Lacey Evans or Alexa Bliss to pick up the victory. Instead, WWE took us by surprise and Nikki Cross was the one who walked out victorious in a solid finish.
We like the fact that Nikki Cross is challenging for the SmackDown Women's Championship even though we don't expect her to win it at all. She's been a title contender in NXT on multiple occasions and even challenged Bayley as well for the title sometime back. Cross has proven that she can hang with the best.
Of course, SmackDown and NXT are two different worlds but she's ready and we hope that she can bring the best out of Bayley. It was a good pick. Dana Brooke would have been a good one as well.
#1 Worst: Centering the episode around The Undertaker
While the rumors have indicated that the reason for the Boneyard match being replayed was the high number of COVID-19 positive tests, it didn't feel necessary to center an entire episode of SmackDown around The Undertaker and his retirement.
While it's always nice to honor a legend of his caliber, The Undertaker never needed anyone to fight for his honor. It seemed to be WWE's way of getting out of a full two hours of programming. Weirdly, they slightly benefited off The Undertaker supposedly retiring after The Last Ride documentary.
It would have been better to just honor him at the start of the show and then move on. While we may not be seeing The Undertaker around anymore, the reality is that the show must go on. There was a lack of build to multiple storylines on the show and the exemption of Matt Riddle and AJ Styles was one of them.
Styles and Daniel Bryan were perhaps the two most notable names missing from SmackDown.
#1 Best: Braun Strowman's promo and character work
Braun Strowman has never been strong on promos. His character work normally centered around the aura of his size and dominance - which has worked wonders for years. However, being good on the mic always helps and the Universal Champion seems to be gaining confidence in that department with no crowd to rile him or chant "What?" after every sentence on SmackDown.
He invited Bray Wyatt back to "the swamp" and the two will officially be facing off in a "Swamp Match" which will not be for the Universal Championship. I indicated on "things WWE subtly told us" that this could be a possible confirmation of Bray Wyatt winning. After all, there's no consequence or title change.
Strowman teased bringing out an entirely new side to his character on SmackDown and we loved watching that. We only wish Bray Wyatt was there on SmackDown to add to the interaction, but it looks like we're going to see The Eater of Worlds return for the first time in two years to take on The Monster Among Men Braun Strowman.
