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From Jey Uso's passionate promo before Clash of Champions to a major advancement in Alexa Bliss and The Fiend's equation, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
SmackDown would have been a fine show this week if it wasn't for the last two segments from last night's episode. Those excellent segments singlehandedly elevated the show to a must-see category.
It's bizarre to think how SmackDown features some of the best storytelling we have seen from WWE in years, and the RETRIBUTION storyline is the exact opposite of that on RAW at the same time.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (September 25, 2020).
#5: Otis and Tucker attacked The Dirt Sheet duo after The Miz took some personal shots towards Otis
Last week, The Miz kickstarted a feud over the MITB briefcase by serving Otis with a lawsuit after Mr MITB humiliated The A-Lister on WWE SmackDown.
Otis isn't exactly a person who can tackle down all the legal details of a lawsuit, and he lost his cool when The Miz and John Morrison arrived backstage to poke fun at Otis.
The Miz took some shots at Mr MITB's mother as well as Mandy Rose, which riled up Otis. However, Tucker looked busy going through a legal document, and he revealed that it was only Miz's name on the lawsuit.
Otis laid out John Morrison as a result. It appears as if Morrison himself wasn't aware of only The Miz's name being involved on the lawsuit, which further adds to The A-Lister's selfish tendencies in WWE.
It's very likely at this point that Otis and The Miz may settle the ownership of the MITB briefcase inside the ring.
#4: Sami Zayn reigned over AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy in an impromptu triple threat match on WWE SmackDown
This week's WWE SmackDown kicked-off with an in-ring interview with AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, and Sami Zayn. Both Hardy and Styles agreed on one thing, which was Sami Zayn's unnecessary presence in the Intercontinental Title scenario.
To make their triple threat ladder match at WWE Clash of Champions even more legitimate, both Zayn and Hardy's Intercontinental titles were hung over the ring. Zayn pushed a ladder on Styles and Hardy before leaving.
Adam Pearce booked an impromptu triple threat match as a result of Zayn's actions, where ladders couldn't be used as a prop on WWE SmackDown. Towards the end of the bout, Styles laid out Hardy with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Zayn pushed The Phenomenal One out of the ring to steal the pinfall victory. Sami Zayn looked good within the confines of a cheating antagonist heading into WWE Clash of Champions.
After the match was over, AJ Styles beat up Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn. The Phenomenal One got the last laugh by posing with both titles above the ring.
Since Styles and Zayn earned some momentum just 48 hours before WWE Clash of Champions, The Charismatic Enigma could retain his Intercontinental Championship at this Sunday's pay-per-view.
#3: King Corbin surprisingly earned a clean victory over Matt Riddle in a one-on-one match
Matt Riddle and King Corbin's rivalry has been a staple mid-card feud on WWE SmackDown for a while now.
The Original Bro is one of the Blue brand's latest acquisitions, so it was assumed that his feud with King Corbin would be a stepping stone for Matt Riddle on WWE SmackDown. Usually, that's how the way it goes for King Corbin's feuds with up-and-coming stars.
However, after a long and solid match between both of these Superstars, it was King Corbin who earned a clean victory over Matt Riddle. After the match, Matt Riddle revealed that 'losing' wasn't the best feeling in the world, but this loss won't stop his pursuits of turning WWE SmackDown into The Bro Show.
This feud may or may not continue in the long run, but it's a mystery why Riddle was booked to lose here. Riddle has been involved in controversy recently, or perhaps some backstage heat could have led WWE to put Corbin over Riddle on SmackDown.
Whatever the case may be, Matt Riddle has a lot left to prove on the main roster, and let's hope this one loss doesn't affect his onscreen portrayal in the near future.
#2: Alexa Bliss channelled her inner-Fiend in a more effective way during her match against Lacey Evans
As the biggest fan of 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, this writer couldn't be any happier to say that Alexa Bliss has done a fantastic job in her storyline with The Fiend, and it became evident during this week's WWE SmackDown.
Bliss faced Lacey Evans after the former laid out Evans with a Sister Abigail's Kiss last week. The match itself was great from a character's standpoint. Bliss seemed normal in the beginning, but things changed after Wyatt's trademark laugh echoed throughout the arena.
Alexa didn't fully snap into a more aggressive state until the red lights started flickering during this match, after which, the referee was left with no choice but to call for the bell.
Evans technically won via disqualification, but she got laid out with another Sister Abigail's Kiss, thanks to Alexa Bliss. The Fiend's graphic even appeared in the ThunderDome for a bit, which was engaging in terms of the overall presentation.
Alexa Bliss walked down the ramp, which is when Roman Reigns' theme music blared throughout the ThunderDome's sound system.
WWE fans know that Roman Reigns and The Fiend's rivalry is far from over, so Bliss staring down Reigns behind his back was the icing on the cake during this week's WWE SmackDown.
#1: Roman Reigns finally attacked Jey Uso at the end of this episode
No one is disputing the fact that Roman Reigns will most likely retain the Universal Championship at WWE Clash of Champions, but Jey Uso cut an excellent promo on this week's edition of SmackDown.
The storytelling involved here has been fantastic as well. Reigns politely said that even though the Anoaʻi family is proud of The Usos for representing the best of WWE's tag team division in the modern era, everyone looks up to Roman Reigns to hold down the fort as the top Champion in WWE.
Roman Reigns is The Tribal Chief of the Anoaʻi family, and he went on to say that Jey Uso wouldn't know what to do with the title even if Reigns were to hand it to him immediately.
As Reigns was about to leave, Jey cut a passionate promo and said that everyone knows who Reigns is, but people are confused as to which twin brother Jey is when The Usos are brought up in any conversation. So WWE Clash of Champions will certainly be a star-making moment for Jey Uso.
Jey's passionate speech was topped when The Big Dog attacked his own cousin from behind to end this week's WWE SmackDown. Not only was the production great in the final two segments from this episode, but Reigns turning on Uso is definitely the main reason for fans to tune in during Clash of Champions.
