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This was the go-home episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania Backlash, and it cemented an excellent build to the pay-per-view from the blue brand. SmackDown has had been filled with twists and turns and has helped in hyping up the upcoming event.
There were a lot of big steps taken on SmackDown that progressed storylines and set things up for post-Backlash as well. Here are the best and worst parts of the 14th May episode of SmackDown:
#3 Best: The Fatal Four-Way direction on SmackDown
Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews appeared on SmackDown to give a medal of honor to Commander Azeez. He mentioned how he's now the target of multiple superstars ever since winning the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania.
Since Big E was the man that Apollo Crews won the Intercontinental Title from, it makes sense that he's still in the picture on SmackDown. Two extra additions, however, are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens - both of whom made their presence known on the blue brand.
Backstage, a furious Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez confronted authority figures, Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. The latter suggested that Crews must the Intercontinental Championship against all interested participants, and Pearce agreed. He booked a Fatal Four-Way Intercontinental Championship match for next week's SmackDown.
The big question is why the match is on SmackDown and not the pay-per-view that will be happening this weekend. SmackDown's broadcasting deal with FOX offers a lot more money than what WWE makes through PPVs.
While pay-per-views are the standard attraction, SmackDown is worth a lot more and that's why we're seeing an increasing number of Title matches on the show. Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan, the Women's Tag Team Match from the latest episode, and the Intercontinental Title bout next week are big examples of that.
It should be a fun match and hopefully, Apollo Crews wins to cement his status on the show and moves on to bigger things on SmackDown.
#2 Worst: Extensive opening segment on SmackDown
SmackDown opened with Jey Uso introducing Jimmy Uso. The latter stood in the same position as last week, telling his brother not to be Roman Reigns b**ch while sporting a shirt that said "Nobody's B**ch".
Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns had the same argument from last week, with the former claiming that The Tribal Chief couldn't beat Cesaro without Jey Uso's help. Ultimately, it set up the main event between Jimmy and the Swiss star. But there was one big problem - the segment went on for too long.
From advertisements to general video packages in between, it felt like the segment was 10 minutes longer than it needed to be. This isn't to say that the main rivalry on SmackDown has been bad, but having such segments makes no sense, unless there is a sense of continuity.
In this case, the first segment on SmackDown seemed to drag on forever, which was a big mistake that WWE made despite putting on a great show.
#2 Best: Tamina's first major gold on SmackDown
Tamina, a WWE veteran on SmackDown, finally won her first major title. While her 24/7 Championship victory seems to have been conveniently forgotten about, we don't blame WWE since it was insignificant.
This title win, on the other hand, wasn't. We're aware that Tamina and Nia Jax aren't the best workers in the ring, but it was a great feel-good moment on SmackDown with Tamina officially winning her first major Championship in WWE.
It's hard to say that she doesn't deserve it, especially since gold in WWE has eluded her for so long. The company seems to have finally given Tamina a chance to shine and she has grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
At WrestleMania 37, Natalya and Tamina were presented as the biggest threat to the Tag Team Champions. Though they lost on Night 2, they remained together and won the Titles on SmackDown.
It was a great and wholesome moment for a veteran who put everything into the company and hardly got back much in return. While it is uncertain if this title reign will be a long one, we can say that it is one that Tamina has deserved for her service to WWE.
#1 Worst: The basis of the Nakamura-Corbin feud on SmackDown
While we will admit that Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin have surprisingly good chemistry on SmackDown, the storyline that began on the show was a bit weird. Once again, King Corbin defeated Shinsuke Nakamura. It was a clean victory, but the Japanese superstar didn't take long to attack Corbin from behind and take his crown.
The era of King Corbin could be over and Nakamura might emerge to the throne. It's been nearly two years since Corbin won the King of the Ring and started that gimmick, so it's safe to say that it's run its course.
Although we're not sure why WWE had Corbin win clean and then proceeded to book Nakamura as a bitter babyface, the match was fun. But other than that, the entire basis of the storyline is silly and childish.
It's good to see both men getting utilized on SmackDown one way or the other, but WWE's presentation of Shinsuke Nakamura has never lived up to expectations. Will the King Of Strong Style get the ultimate payoff on SmackDown soon?
#1 Best: Cesaro made to look great on SmackDown
As long as the first segment was on SmackDown, Roman Reigns was at his best playing the heel. He mentioned how Cesaro is getting his first singles opportunity for the World Title, whereas The Tribal Chief had been in 39 World Championship matches up to that point.
It was a great way to set up Cesaro as a Universal Title challenger, and he faced Jimmy Uso in the main event of SmackDown. The match itself was great until it ended with a DQ thanks to Roman Reigns.
It seems like WWE wanted to protect both Jimmy Uso and Cesaro, which is why the finish took place. The Swiss Cyborg ended the night by taking out The Usos, perfectly setting him up for his first singles World Title shot this Sunday.
It also makes sense that The Usos were taken out while Roman Reigns walked away. Cesaro won't probably be winning the Universal Championship, but he's sure to get a great match out of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Backlash this Sunday.
Or will Cesaro pull off a shocker? Guess we will have to wait until Sunday to find out!
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