Best and Worst of SmackDown: Top star to make PPV return after 1 year, Big mistake made with Title feud? 

Roman Reigns on SmackDown
Roman Reigns on SmackDown

SmackDown was excellent this week in the fallout of WrestleMania Backlash. They were consistent before the pay-per-view and they're planning to keep the momentum going on Friday nights. With two months still left before crowds return full time, there's a lot of build and excitement on the blue brand.

The road to Hell in a Cell 2021 began, and SmackDown laid the foundation on the May 21st episode. Here are the best and worst bits from the show this week.


#3 Best: The return of Aleister Black on SmackDown

He's back! After more than half a year away from WWE, Aleister Black has finally made his return. Even when The Dutch Destroyer was away, he was drafted to SmackDown. However, Black wasn't given any TV time.

The timing and placement of it all was interesting. The main event of SmackDown was a Fatal Four-Way match where Apollo Crews put the Intercontinental Championship on the line.

He faced Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Big E. While the bout was great and explosive, it ended with a shocker.

Aleister Black, whose impending return has been teased on SmackDown for a month now, finally made his way to the ring and took out Big E for some reason.

This is where it's all a bit odd. Why Big E? What was the motivation behind attacking a man with whom he had no history whatsoever? Perhaps it's WWE simply using the former IC Champion as a babyface for Aleister Black's return feud rather than him helping Apollo Crews.

Either way, it means Crews will move forward, with Kevin Owens presumably being his next title challenger. As for Big E and Aleister Black, they could be set for a match at Hell in a Cell 2021.

It would mark Aleister Black's first pay-per-view match in a year, as he hasn't competed in one since Money in the Bank 2020. It's a long streak, and it's finally set to end soon.

#2 Worst: The vicious cycle of the Women's Tag Team Titles on RAW and SmackDown

The Women's Tag Team division seems to have seen more action on SmackDown in recent months, but it's the only title where the Champions can jump from brand to brand.

The lack of established women's tag teams doesn't help the cause, and this week, the Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina teamed up with SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair to face Bayley and Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax.

We'll have a WrestleMania 37 rematch for the Women's Tag Team Titles on RAW, and the repetitive nature of the feud is a clear sign that WWE still has no plans whatsoever to expand the division.


#2 Best: Dominik Mysterio vs Robert Roode

Dominik Mysterio faced Robert Roode after the latter insisted that he didn't belong in WWE. Fresh off a SmackDown Tag Team Title victory, Dominik jumped right back into the mix.

He had a short but simple and effective match against Roode where he had a good babyface victory. It wasn't a significant part of SmackDown, but it was a huge win for the young 24-year-old.

#1 Worst: Not making Cesaro look good on SmackDown

Cesaro interrupted Roman Reigns on SmackDown when the Universal Champion only wanted to call out his cousin, Jimmy Uso. Cesaro asked for another title shot at Hell in a Cell, and before Reigns could even properly respond, Seth Rollins came out and attacked him from behind. Rollins brutalized the Swiss Cyborg and ensured he left the ThunderDome on a stretcher.

The Messiah then confronted Cesaro as he was being taken away from the building and went psychotic, which was a good bit of character work. But the fact that Cesaro has to look bad all the time is negative, and there's still a lot of work left to be done with him.


#1 Best: The Shinsuke Nakamura-King Corbin feud

Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin have low-key been having a great feud on SmackDown. It's a simple storyline, one based on Nakamura taking Corbin's crown. It seems as though King Nakamura is inevitable, and Rik Bugez played a big part in hyping the Japanese star up this week.

Nakamura finally got his win over King Corbin as well. Despite getting less screen time, this is an enjoyable mid-card feud and could help elevate the Japanese star on SmackDown.

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