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From The Fiend's first-ever bout on the Blue brand against Kevin Owens to Sheamus and Big E's brutal opening match, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
Draft-centric episodes are always engaging, and last night's SmackDown was no exception. For the most part, the Blue brand showcased yet another good episode in terms of quality, and the show also built towards Hell in a Cell 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 (October 9, 2020).
#5: Seth Rollins got drafted to WWE SmackDown while AJ Styles was picked by RAW
In the first round of this year's WWE Draft, Seth Rollins was picked by the Blue brand. It looks like The Monday Night Messiah will now become SmackDown's savior on FOX.
Full Round 1 WWE Draft results from last night's episode can be read here.
Rollins did say that his feud with The Mysterio Family may have come to an end, but to everyone's surprise, Dominik and Rey Mysterio were drafted to the Blue brand in Round 3 as well. The Mysterio Family and Seth Rollins' feud probably won't end anytime soon.
Meanwhile, AJ Styles was drafted back to RAW in Round 2. The Phenomenal One's involvement in the Intercontinental Championship scenario had recently come to an end, and his real-life bitterness towards Paul Heyman might have prompted Styles to go back to Monday Night RAW.
In the context of the show, AJ Styles was disappointed that he wasn't chosen as a number one pick for either brand last night, but The Phenomenal One's experience will certainly benefit the overall landscape of WWE RAW moving forwards.
#4: Lars Sullivan returned on WWE SmackDown and made a huge impact
Lars Sullivan's return to WWE SmackDown was certainly a controversial decision to make, given that his initial run was riddled with controversy as well. However, Lars did apologize for his past behavior, and this might be his second and only chance in WWE to prove that he can be a good fit within the company.
Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy teamed up against The Miz and John Morrison on WWE SmackDown, and the former team surprisingly triumphed over the pre-established unit of Miz and Morrison. The Dirt Sheet duo was drafted to the Red brand in Round 3 of last night's Draft.
It was after the match that Lars came out and wreaked havoc by beating up Hardy and Riddle. He also dominated Miz and Morrison soon after, and Lars stood alone in the ring at the end of this segment.
WWE fans on Twitter aren't exactly happy about his return, which is understandable. But this is Lars Sullivan's only chance to prove everybody wrong both in and out of the ring.
#3: Roman Reigns announced an "I Quit Match" stipulation inside Hell in a Cell for his WWE Universal Championship rematch against Jey Uso
On this week's WWE SmackDown, Jey Uso came out to the ring and demanded The Tribal Chief to reveal the stipulation for their Hell in a Cell rematch.
Paul Heyman appeared on the TitanTron and begged Uso not to embarrass himself and the Anoa'i family by forcing Roman Reigns to adjust to everyone else's schedule.
Reigns then appeared on screen and cut a promo saying that all Uso needed to do was acknowledge him as The Tribal Chief in their last match. After revealing the "I Quit" stipulation inside Hell in a Cell, the Universal Champion also said there will be huge "consequences" for their upcoming bout.
Due to the WWE Draft, Reigns and Uso's feud took a minimalistic approach this week. It was still quite effective in terms of storytelling.
Reigns once said in an interview that his new attitude in WWE resembled that of a 'mafia boss', and this particular writer couldn't help but notice the similarities between Marlon Brando and Al Pacino's characters from The Godfather to The Tribal Chief version of Roman Reigns, sitting at the head of a table last night.
#2: The New Day members were forcibly separated due to the WWE Draft
In Round 4 of the first night of this year's WWE Draft, Kofi and Xavier Woods were drafted to RAW, while Big E was retained by SmackDown. The expression on all three Superstars' faces perfectly encapsulated the emotional weight of their split.
Up until this point, The New Day members had every reason to celebrate, thanks to their reunion. At the beginning of last night's WWE SmackDown, Big E and Sheamus wrestled in a Falls Count Anywhere Match that was very creative, and the former star came out on top in this encounter.
Kofi and Xavier also became the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions after defeating Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura for those titles.
Interestingly, there was a similar idea pitched regarding New Day's split by WWE officials in the past, but it finally came to fruition during this week's SmackDown.
Some may think that The Street Profits will be drafted to SmackDown as a result, but it could also be possible that the RAW Tag Team Champions are retained by the Red brand, which will give WWE officials no choice but to book a match to unify both brand-specific tag team titles.
#1: The Fiend Bray Wyatt defeated Kevin Owens in a hard-hitting main event on WWE SmackDown
The Fiend's in-ring debut on WWE SmackDown was a success. Kevin Owens and The Fiend wrestled in a slugfest this week. Owens had a fair amount of offense in this match, and The Prizefighter came close to putting down The Fiend for good during several instances in the main event.
But The Fiend was actually in control this whole time. Bray Wyatt's evil alter-ego seemed unfazed from The Prizefighter's in-ring moves in the long run. Kevin Owens couldn't overcome the Mandible Claw hold towards the end, and The Fiend emerged victorious via pinfall as a result.
After the bout, The Fiend and Alexa Bliss reunited on the ramp to end the episode.
If Bray Wyatt gets drafted to RAW on Night 2, Alexa Bliss may end up on the Red brand as well.
The demonic duo's business with Kevin Owens may not be over yet. Both of them stared right at Owens lying unconscious in the ring towards the end of last night's WWE SmackDown. Bliss and Fiend locked eyes in a sadistic manner right after that, as if to convey a subtle message to the WWE Universe.
Kevin Owens will most likely be "changed" by The Fiend after this encounter, and perhaps the most bizarre outcome for all parties involved in this situation would be to form a new Wyatt Family in WWE.
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