Best & Worst of WWE SmackDown: Cody Rhodes returns, Sami Zayn continues to impress

Last night's SmackDown kept up the solid momentum it had built with the previous week's episode, which had featured the return of WWE icon AJ Lee.

Emanating from Norfolk, Virginia, last night's show featured some major stars: Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, United States Champion Sami Zayn, and the returning WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes.

In this article, we shall delve into the best and worst from this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

Best: The Sami Zayn United States Champion Open Challenge

Sami Zayn has done a phenomenal job as the United States Champion so far, and his presence and role on the show already seem to be working wonders for the blue brand. Tonight's open challenge was answered by Rey Fenix, with both men putting on a banger title match, with Sami retaining.

Sami Zayn has already had fantastic matches with Solo Sikoa and John Cena over the past two weeks, and the United States Championship open challenge can elevate Zayn, his challengers, the title, and the SmackDown brand and show to great heights in the weeks to follow. It is an absolute win-win.

Next up for Sami Zayn will be Carmelo Hayes, who will be his first heel challenger. It is a program that could certainly extend past next week, while also advancing The Miz's dynamic with HIM. Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa also still has his eyes on regaining the championship, and so does a familiar face in Shinsuke Nakamura.

Worst: The opening segment featuring Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar arrived on SmackDown this week for some particular reason we will probably never know. The Beast opened the show, and before he could say anything, he was interrupted by R-Truth. That was the high point: surprise and the anticipation of comedy gold. Unfortunately, it all went downhill once Truth entered the ring.

Lesnar kept asking Truth why the latter was there, but ironically, fans probably wanted to ask that of the former instead. The two engaged in meaningless banter, which was not even entertaining, and failed to advance the Cena/Lesnar feud, since Cena, of course, made his last SmackDown appearance last week itself.

The worst part was that Brock Lesnar kept asking R-Truth if he knew where John Cena was. Mr. Lesnar... you ought to know that Cena wouldn't be in Norfolk for SmackDown due to the aforementioned reason. You didn't even have to tune in to SmackDown (which can be a task) to know that last week was his final appearance, because you were right there with him last week to ruin it for him.

Best: Cody Rhodes is back!

Last night's main event featured Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre in the main event, and as the voices began to get to The Viper, he lined up for the devastating punt kick. This prompted the referee to hinder him, allowing McIntyre to escape the predicament and eventually take advantage of the situation, pinning Randy Orton 1-2-3 for the win.

Following the match, McIntyre looked to take Randy Orton out with a Claymore Kick to Randy Orton, much like he did to Cody Rhodes last month, only for The American Nightmare to return as he appeared on SmackDown for the first time in five weeks to save his mentor and challenge Drew McIntyre to a title match at Wrestlepalooza.

The WWE Champion had been sorely missed these past few weeks, having been busy filming the upcoming Street Fighter movie in Australia while also welcoming his second child with Brandi Rhodes very recently. As the QB1, his absence was felt and then some, and his hiatus came at an unfortunate time as well, beginning just days after he regained his title from John Cena at SummerSlam.

Worst: The sad state of the SmackDown Women's Division

One gets tired of complaining about the same things every week, but perhaps still not as much as having to suffer through watching the same regurgitated bore that the SmackDown Women's Division offers every week. The WWE Women's Championship match was alright, right up until the point it ended in a Double DQ.

What happened next was worse: Nia Jax attacked both Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton. A Triple Threat title match seems to be the most obvious next step, but it still does not excite any interest, because characters are thin, motivations are unclear, conflicts feel forced, acting ability is, well, non-existent, and as for the story being told, there is none.

Absolutely nothing clicks vis-à-vis the WWE Women's Championship picture, and the same may be said of the Women's United States Championship. Giulia is, at least, now being featured on SmackDown TV, although one can perfectly understand why she wasn't for several weeks.

It has nothing to do with her talent or potential, and everything to do with the lack of depth in the division and storytelling nuance that a seemingly utterly incapable creative team on SmackDown has to offer.