Best and Worst of SmackDown: 7-time champion getting a big title push, Main event feud continues to disappoint

It was the penultimate episode of SmackDown this week, and things certainly improved from the previous week. Brock Lesnar was the star of the show as he laid a path of destruction to remember.

All the main feuds seem to be happening on SmackDown, and this week, there was a lot of good storyline progression. Next week is the WrestleMania special edition of SmackDown, meaning that the annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will take place.

Here were the ups and downs of a great episode this week:

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#3. Best: The Shinsuke Nakamura-Jimmy Uso opening match on SmackDown

The first match of SmackDown this week saw Shinsuke Nakamura take on Jimmy Uso. Both Nakamura and Boogs are looking to end the run of the longest-reigning SmackDown Tag Team Champions of all time at WrestleMania.

Ahead of their big clash, the two-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time US Champion, two-time NXT Champion, and former tag team champion picked up a win over Jimmy Uso.

Seven championships in his WWE run isn't a bad stretch by any means, although it doesn't reflect how poorly many of those runs were handled. Either way, alongside Boogs, he could be in line for his second tag team title win and eighth overall win in WWE.

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#2. Worst: The SmackDown Women's Title feud

Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey is expected to be the final match of WrestleMania Saturday. It won't technically close the show, as the KO Show with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin is expected to do so.

However, for a main event feud, this has been nothing short of disappointing. We know that we have been taking shots at this rivalry for a while now, but apart from the fact that the two women are big superstars, there has been nothing about it that has given fans the incentive to be excited about it.

WWE should have stuck with Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair as the direction instead. There is a much better story to be told with both those matches.

This week saw another boring back-and-forth promo between the two women that did nothing to add any hype to their match.

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#2. Best: Another great women's match

Sasha Banks should be the most accomplished woman in WWE history, and it's not a far stretch to say that she is the best in-ring talent among all the women on the roster.

The Boss simply has the "it" factor when she steps into the ring and she proved that once again on SmackDown this week as she defeated Shayna Baszler, Rhea Ripley, and Queen Zelina in an epic fatal-four-way match.

It will be interesting to see if Naomi and Banks can pick up the win at WrestleMania. They look like the most "unified" team, and there's no doubt that Naomi deserves the gold as well.

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#1. Worst: Intercontinental Champion Ricochet losing twice in a row

Intercontinental Champion Ricochet faced Angel in a championship contender's match and lost thanks to the ringside assistance of Humberto. While that was fine in itself, Ricochet called the latter to the ring for a match.

It led to an impromptu second match for the champion, who was in cruise control and looked to be on the verge of a victory. However, when the referee started counting loud, it became obvious what was going to happen.

Ricochet rolled Humberto into the ring and before he could get in, Angel held his legs to prevent him from doing so. It led to a count-out win for Humberto.

As a result, next week on SmackDown, Ricochet will defend the title against both members of Los Lotharios in a triple threat match. It represented the inconsistent booking of a premiere talent like Ricochet. Hopefully, he gets the win next week.

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#1. Best: Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar's run from August 2021 up till now has been nothing short of outstanding. His babyface run has been a breath of fresh air, and there hasn't been anybody on his level as a babyface in WWE.

Everything he has touched has turned to gold, and this week, his path of destruction continued. How many babyfaces are going to go up to Roman Reigns' locker room to start the show? Lesnar went in and trashed it around, infuriating the Universal Champion.

The final segment saw Reigns call out Lesnar, who came out through the crowd like a true hero. He laid waste to anybody who tried to stop him, and it was another incredibly strong showing for The Beast Incarnate this week.