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Welcome to this week's edition of Best and Worst of SmackDown! We felt that this was one of the best episodes of the Blue brand in the pandemic era. This was even though so many big names were missing from the show, including the Universal Champion Braun Strowman!
Even so, WWE started off the show in a big way and ended it with fireworks as well. It was probably the best episode of RAW and SmackDown put together in the build to Backlash 2020. Although Backlash has often been treated as a forgettable PPV, the card is being built as one much superior to Money in the Bank 2020 - which we thought was an overall average PPV.
The show had a good and consistent flow to it, but it wasn't without its faults. Let's jump right into it and look at the best and worst of SmackDown this week!
#3 Best: Sonya Deville in a prime position
Sonya Deville has finally started to benefit from her split with Mandy Rose. While she debuted in late 2017, not much has been done since in her tag team with Rose and they didn't enjoy any Championship success either.
Most people looked at Deville and believed that she had what it took to become a future women's champion. While she hasn't realized that potential yet, it's clear that the wheel is starting to spin in her favor.
Deville makes a mark on SmackDown
In the WWE women's division, things often take time, and not every woman gets a push the same way that Alexa Bliss or Charlotte Flair would. It's going to take a bit longer for Deville but a feud against Lacey Evans is the perfect way to go about. It appears as though this rivalry is going to be a title eliminator and even if Deville doesn't win now, she finally has momentum on her side.
Her match against Evans on SmackDown this week ended in a double contour, protecting both stars. Deville simply declared that when they meet next, it'll be on her terms.
#3 Worst: The Boss N' Hug connection challenging for the Tag Team Championship on next week's SmackDown
While we thought that this would end up happening at Backlash, it's set to take place next week on SmackDown. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross hosted a Tag Team Championship summit along with The New Day - a segment that was designed to bring out SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley and her best friend Sasha Banks.
It led to a solid match between Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss, proving that they have a natural in-ring chemistry together even if they've had personal differences in the past. Next week, The Boss 'n' Hug Connection will be making another attempt to capture the gold and become 2-time Tag Team Champions as they face Bliss and Cross.
While it isn't bad for television, we feel it's the wrong title match. For one, it seems as though The IIconics have already been swept aside as title challengers even though they just returned. They should be the ones getting another title shot since their last match ended inconclusively. It isn't a good look for them.
#2 Best: Shorty G right back in the mix
Another name we're happy to see back on television is Shorty G, who was backstage during the second segment of SmackDown tonight before the Battle Royal. While he was closing in on a victory, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura cheated to ensure that if they didn't win, Gable wouldn't either.
It even led to a confrontation backstage, where Cesaro made fun of Shorty G and his height. he got smacked immediately after and was held back by Shinsuke Nakamura. In their match, Shorty G ended up getting a big win over The Swiss Superman on SmackDown, cementing his place back on TV.
What it also confirms is that he isn't behind the mystery hacker storyline, possibly confirming Mustafa Ali's involvement. That aside, it's always good to see Gable back in the mix on SmackDown. He has only been on the receiving end of small pushes over the years, so we hope that he can finally start getting a sustained one. He's still one of the most underrated and underutilized Superstars on the roster.
#2 Worst: Nothing major for Braun Strowman on SmackDown?
Braun Strowman did not have a major involvement on SmackDown this week. He only appeared in the parking lot at the beginning of the show. It's a bit surprising that they opted not to use their top Superstar and champion significantly on the weekly show, but to their credit, they managed to pull it off without him.
Even so, it doesn't send a good message to fans because of how lightly Braun Strowman's Backlash 2020 match is being taken. He is set to face The Miz and John Morrison in a Handicap Match for the Universal Championship and it's safe to assume that if Bray Wyatt didn't beat him for the title, The Miz and Morrison won't either.
This week showed that WWE isn't taking the feud seriously at all, but perhaps in their minds, they don't need to. After all, the marquee headlining match is going to be Edge vs Randy Orton - dubbed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever".
While we thought that Wyatt would continue his feud with Strowman, that doesn't appear to be the case. We're not fond of how lightly WWE is taking Strowman's next Universal title defense.
#1 Best: Matt Riddle on SmackDown
The King of Bros Matt Riddle is set to make his arrival on Friday Night SmackDown. It was Kurt Angle who made the big reveal, just two days after Riddle lost to Timothy Thatcher on NXT in a "Fight pit" match (where Angle was the special guest referee).
It turned out to be Riddle's swansong on the Black and Gold brand as he's now officially set to join the Friday Night SmackDown roster. Kurt Angle also made an interesting declaration - that he believes Riddle can be the face of the brand.
It's certainly some big shoes to fill, but with Roman Reigns' WWE status and return date not known right now, the company needs to start investing in another top babyface long-term. Riddle fits the bill for that and the best announcement to come out of his show was his impending arrival.
While a date hasn't been announced, we're glad to see that Riddle is heading to the Blue brand. We've had a few theories as to why he went to SmackDown and not RAW and Brock Lesnar could be one of the reasons.
#1 Worst: Jeff Hardy's personal issues as a storyline on SmackDown..again?
The biggest story of tonight's SmackDown was the beginning, where Renee Young was seen outside with Elias passed out on the ground and on a stretcher. He was involved in a car accident and the car turned out to be that of Jeff Hardy's - insinuating that it was another DUI for him (an issue he's faced multiple times in real life).
Hardy was arrested on DUI charges and Sheamus was the first to take a shot at him for that, using it as a premise to re-enter himself into the Intercontinental Championship tournament. While AJ Styles opted to take a pass to the finals (as Elias was unable to compete), Daniel Bryan wanted to earn that spot and it was Sheamus he faced in the main event after The Celtic Warrior won a battle royal in the opening match of the night.
Hardy came out at the end to distract Sheamus and help Bryan win, after which he attacked the 4-time WWE World Champion. While the ending indicated that Sheamus framed him (and we expect that to be the story), we aren't too happy about WWE using Hardy's personal issues as a part of the storyline, even if he agreed to it himself.
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