WWE SmackDown delivered an explosive episode this week with just the kind of developments that will keep the fans talking about the show till its next installment. It's abundantly clear that SmackDown is functioning at a better creative level than WWE RAW. The characters are well-defined, storylines are simple yet intriguing, and importantly, the wrestling is top-notch. There's hardly anything negative to be pointed out on SmackDown these days. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode became the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions after defeating The Street Profits in a terrific bout. Now that a heel duo is the champions, we could see the team of Gable and Otis stepping up to lay down a challenge for the titledBig E retained his Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews in a match that was controversial at best. It felt like Crews had won the title a few minutes into the bout. However, the replays showed that both the men's shoulders were on the mat. Though the referee ended the match on a draw, it was restarted on the insistence of Big E, who would then go on to win the match convincingly. The former US Champion may soon turn heel, and it might be the exact boost he needs to propel his career on to the next level. The Women's division was largely ignored this week on SmackDown, except for a few backstage segments. Bayley and Bianca Belair have officially announced that they will be a part of this year's Women's Rumble match, while Sonya Deville has seemingly taken up the role of being an assistant to Adam Pearce to help him manage weekly proceedings on the show.Adam Pearce wins the gauntlet match on SmackDown to face Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2021The most talked-about development from this week's SmackDown was Adam Pearce walking (or maybe crawling) away as the challenger for Roman Reigns' Universal Championship at Royal Rumble 2021. Though it was a well laid out plan by The Tribal Chief, Jey Uso, and Paul Heyman, it would be exciting to see if WWE really goes ahead with this match on a massive PPV like the Royal Rumble. Apart from this, Shinsuke Nakamura has seemingly turned face after a tremendous performance in the gauntlet match. The King Of Strong Style came up on top against Rey Mysterio, King Corbin, and Daniel Bryan before falling to Adam Pearce in controversial fashion. It might just be the beginning of a career resurgence for the Japanese Superstar. Let's take a look at what the Twitterati had to say about the memorable developments on this week's SmackDown.Congrats suit. Enjoy your quick trip to the Island of Relevancy.But remember this...You’re only safe when I allow you to be. #RoyalRumble#MatchMaker https://t.co/EDYMRJpaBr— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) January 9, 2021Was the wind blowing on me?#SDLive #kingofstrongstyle pic.twitter.com/TsazFQxUYU— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) January 9, 2021Regardless of the finish take note, all it took was a half hour to make Nakamura into a wrecking machine again.That's why it's dumb to claim anyone is ever "buried". #SmackDown #GauntletMatch pic.twitter.com/Iphz3Y74Sl— Will Mahoney (@HeelWillMahoney) January 9, 2021She knows! She’s the greatest. #SmackDown @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/k0IxWPvkAo— Ryan Pappolla (@BodieIsRyan) January 9, 2021This is highly enjoyable. #SmackDown @wwe pic.twitter.com/f6z6gYZTTs— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) January 9, 2021Sonya Deville is such an inspiration. Seriously. She’s been through hell and back, and here she is standing tall. A true show of inner strength and resilience. #Smackdown— Jessi Davin (@jessithebuckeye) January 9, 2021Smackdown is a damn good weekly wrestling show.Great wrestling.Interesting characters. Simple yet intriguing storytelling.#SmackDown— Mark (@WrestlingJebus) January 9, 2021That promo segment was 20 minutes and I enjoyed every minute. Roman was in full mob boss mode, it’s crazy how much he’s improved on the mic over the years. #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/Hgz4U4ai4U— Fiending For Followers ‼️ (@Fiend4FolIows) January 9, 2021Adam Pearce is going to be in the Gauntlet match.HE'S WINNING LMAOOOO#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/DbiZRbMQKC— IBeast (@x_Beast17_x) January 9, 2021Adam Pearce is a former wrestler in his own right, a former NWA World Champion. Not going to act like this’ll be better than Nakamura/Reigns, but it might be a surprise that we’re all not expecting.— Arthur (@OGKrushz) January 9, 2021I’m so down for babyface nakamura to come back pic.twitter.com/Kb2vdIQJOL— Dan 🐐 (@Becky_Blueprint) January 9, 2021We kept tweeting we turned wrestlemania into kofimania Let’s keep tweeting and hoping we can turn wrestlemania into NakaMania #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/TYJ8JRPVMM— 👑Adam Goldberg👑 (@adamgoldberg28) January 9, 2021