5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Roman Reigns goes missing; Shotzi Blackheart shines

WWE SmackDown had a few surprises in store for fans this week. While Roman Reigns was missing this week, Charlotte Flair stepped in to fill the void. She delivered a promo, followed by a good match to get things started.

A Halloween-themed Trick or Street Fight took place between Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs against Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza arrived in the match to take Boogs out, helping the heels pick up the win.

An angry and vengeful Adam Pearce made a prominent announcement on Friday night. He revealed that in addition to his indefinite suspension, Brock Lesnar would be fined $1 million for his actions on SmackDown last week.

Paul Heyman was questioned about Brock's possible response to the fine, but he chose to dodge the question. Drew McIntyre showed off his superiority on SmackDown once again, while New Day hosted another significant segment.

Take a look at the five things WWE got right on Friday Night SmackDown this week.

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#5. Roman Reigns took a break from WWE SmackDown

Roman Reigns was absent from this Friday's SmackDown, which came as a big surprise to many fans. WWE Universal Champion has been a top performer and pillar of SmackDown for over a year now.

Reigns' absence showed just how much the entire brand depends on its Tribal Chief. Without his promo segment and a possible showdown later in the night, a huge void needed to be filled.

However, his absence allowed the roster to step up and get more screen time. SmackDown built other rivalries without the presence of The Head of the Table.

It was the right call to have him step back for a week. There is no need to build a challenger for Reigns at this point with Survivor Series coming up.

He will likely face Big E at the pay-per-view, and the creative team could look to build a challenger for him after the event.

#4. Shotzi Blackheart delivered a breakthrough performance on WWE SmackDown

Last week on WWE SmackDown, Charlotte Flair went off-script to turn a few heads. While reports and rumors were circulating online regarding her status with the company, she decided to kick off this week’s SmackDown.

Her promo regarding last week’s drama brought out Sasha Banks. Soon after, Shotzi Blackheart entered her tank. She challenged The Queen to a match, and Flair accepted.

The match kicked off with Shotzi taking down The Queen. Flair tripped her up and went on the offense against the Ballsy Badass.

Late in the match, Flair missed a moonsault attempt. However, she recovered to hit another soon after and delivered Natural Selection for the win. After the match, Shotzi lost her cool and attacked The Boss for costing her the match on SmackDown.

The action allowed the former NXT Superstar to go up against the measuring stick of WWE. It was a great way to give Shotzi a push and possibly turn her heel. WWE could book a program between Banks and Shotzi before one of them enters the SmackDown Women’s Championship picture.

#3. Drew McIntyre earned another win on WWE SmackDown

Drew McIntyre made his way out to the WWE SmackDown ring for another segment this week. Last week, he ran through the longest-tenured loudmouth of SmackDown, Sami Zayn.

The Scottish Warrior did not waste much time and issued an open challenge. Mustafa Ali answered McIntyre’s call for a match.

The Scottish Warrior started well and showcased his strength by throwing Ali around the ring. He missed the Claymore on the first attempt but kept the pressure on his opponent.

After the two men traded some more blows, McIntyre locked in the Kimura Lock to pick up an easy win. After the match, Ali blamed the WWE Universe for his loss. He blatantly accused the fans of rooting against him because of his name.

The match could have been much more had Ali been given a chance to pull off more moves. WWE is building McIntyre nicely only to sacrifice him to The Tribal Chief later.

McIntyre used the Kimura Lock to pick up a somewhat surprising submission victory. Is WWE going to let him build a submission finisher to counter Roman Reigns’ Guillotine?

#2. WWE SmackDown is finally building Naomi for good

Sonya Deville and Naomi wrote another chapter in their ongoing rivalry on WWE SmackDown. Naomi was ready to take on Shayna Baszler, and Deville decided to book herself as the special guest referee.

The Glow tried to get one over the former NXT Women's Champion, but she was disadvantaged. Baszler took control thanks to an early distraction.

Even when Naomi tried to pin The Queen of Spades, Deville did not count. However, when the opposite happened, Sonya executed a lightning-fast count to cost her the match.

After the match, the former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion tried to get her hands on Deville. However, Baszler choked her out with the Kirifuda Clutch to make a statement.

WWE is building the rivalry between Naomi and Sonya Deville. The latter is drunk with power, and that will likely lead to her downfall soon. Hopefully, the creative team will go all the way with this rivalry and award Naomi with a big push.

#1. The New Day defeated The Usos on WWE SmackDown

King Woods entered the SmackDown ring with Kofi Kingston for a special Knighting Ceremony. The King named the latter as The Hand of the King.

The Usos came out to interrupt their longtime rivals, which led to a back-and-forth between the two teams. Woods called for a trial by combat between the two teams for later in the show.

The teams battled in the main event of SmackDown. The Usos kept the pressure on King Woods and Sir Kofi for some time. They isolated the King and made him pay for his words earlier in the show.

A hot tag to Kingston sparked a comeback for the faces. Jimmy Uso then rocked him with a Superkick, but Woods got the tag. He came in the ring and rolled his opponent for the win.

It looks like New Day is back in contention for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. It did not take Woods and Kingston long to move into a rivalry with The Usos. It was an excellent way to end SmackDown, especially in the absence of Roman Reigns.