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WWE SmackDown had an exciting show lined-up for the fans, and the Blue brand didn’t disappoint. Between Roman Reigns’ relationship with Jey Uso and the Mysterio family’s struggles with the relationship between Aalyah and Murphy, the show had a lot of family drama involved this week.
In addition to that, we saw Sasha Banks break her title curse. However, she was attacked by a returning Superstar on WWE SmackDown. We also found out new members who would be joining the Blue brand’s Survivor Series teams.
In this article, we will take a look at WWE Superstars who flopped on SmackDown this week and those who impressed us on the show. So without further ado, let's begin.
#3 Impressed on SmackDown: Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks put her SmackDown Women's Championship in her title rematch against Bayley. Both Superstars locked horns in a brilliant match that accounted for a great opening of this week's show. These two best-friends-turned-arch-enemies went on to engage in a brutal encounter once again, merely two weeks after their epic battle at Hell in a Cell.
One of the spots in this title match on SmackDown saw Bayley send Banks quite high in the air. The champion hit the turnbuckle and the apron on her way down before she fell flat on the floor. This allowed Bayley to gain complete control of the match and she continued to subject Banks to a brutal beating. Following that, Bayley used Backstabber and Bayley to Belly to try and win the match, but Banks kicked out.
An agitated Bayley would then try to use Bank Statement, but Sasha Banks managed to get the better of her opponent. She sent Bayley crashing into the ring post and then used her opportunity to establish dominance. Finally, Bayley succumbed to the Bank Statment, and Sasha Banks broke her title curse by retaining her SmackDown Women's Championship.
Unfortunately for Sasha Banks, that was not all for the champion. Following the match, Banks was attacked by a returning Carmella who attacked Banks right when the champion was heading backstage. Carmella blindsided Banks with a kick and then put her face-first onto the ramp in order to make a statement on WWE SmackDown. Other than that, Banks looked extremely strong on tonight's show, and she is now expected to engage in a rivalry with Carmella over the coming weeks.
#2 Flopped on SmackDown: Rey Mysterio
Frankly, he deserves no blame for what happened tonight. This week on WWE SmackDown, Rey Mysterio locked horns with King Corbin in a qualifier to determine the next member of the Blue brand's Survivor Series team. But the greatest masked wrestler in WWE history fell prey to his emotions which ended up having an adverse effect on Rey Mysterio.
Rey Mysterio and King Corbin were engaged in a rather dull match on SmackDown while Seth Rollins looked from a distance. Right when Rey Mysterio started to gain momentum, Rollins walked down the ramp and started brawling with Dominik Mysterio who was present on the ringside. They were then interrupted by Aalyah and Murphy, the sight of whom made Rey Mysterio very angry.
The latter was distracted due to several interruptions during the match, and King Corbin did not shy away from making the most of this opportunity. He then went on to beat Rey Mysterio to win the match and booked a spot for himself in the Survivor Series team. We know the long-running history of this feud, but it is becoming more and more complex with each passing week. Making Rey Mysterio look weak on consecutive episodes of SmackDown might not be the best creative decision at the moment.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Kevin Owens
Right at the beginning of SmackDown, we saw Kevin Owens take a dig at Jey Uso for getting a coffee for Roman Reigns. While it was evident that KO was just joking around with Jey Uso with an intention to gel along well with his Survivor Series partner, Roman Reigns and co didn’t find it funny. Reigns pulled a few strings backstage and booked a match between Jey Uso and KO.
An agitated KO then said that he is going to subject Jey Uso to a brutal beatdown – something that he did for the most part of the match. Owens looked great inside the ring, and he made Jey Uso look even better inside the ring. Both Superstars delivered several good spots. Owens also managed to dominate Uso on several occasions in the main event.
Even though Owens couldn’t win the match, he looked like his usual aggressive self and reminded the WWE Universe of how entertaining he can be inside the ring. If anything, this match helped in establishing Owens as one of the strongest performers ahead of Survivor Series. We hope that WWE will continue to book him in a similar fashion on SmackDown following the pay-per-view.
#1 Flopped on SmackDown: Otis
It is evident that Otis is no longer the same since he lost his Money in the Bank contract. He has been booked in a weak light for a long time now, but the contract was still somewhat helpful in maintaining his push. But after he was defeated by The Miz for the Money in the Bank contract, Otis has been pushed further down the roster as was clear on this week’s episode of SmackDown.
He faced Seth Rollins in the second qualifier of the night for a spot in the SmackDown’s men’s team for Survivor Series. But he was easily distracted by Murphy who was present on the ringside. Seth Rollins made the best of this small window of opportunity and pinned Otis to earn a spot for himself in the SmackDown’s team.
It is unclear why Murphy went and helped Rollins during this match. Rollins asked if he can trust what he saw to which the latter replied by saying that Rollins is a Messiah and he is a disciple. But moments later, he told Aalyah to trust him with a plan. As of this writing, we don’t know what game Murphy is playing, but we are certain that it has nothing to do with Otis. Instead, the latter seems like it is sadly being pushed into the oblivion.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Jey Uso
Jey Uso has already pledged his alliance to Roman Reigns, and on tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown, we saw how The Tribal Chief controls every decision surrounding his family members. He didn't like when Jey Uso was giving an interview and asked Paul Heyman to stop it. He also made Uso fight Kevin Owens for 'disrespecting their family' even though Jey Uso felt that KO was only joking. Nonetheless, he faced Owens in the main event.
Jey Uso looked great inside the ring and carried himself as one of the top stars in the promotion. His demeanour got even more aggressive when Paul Heyman reached the ringside. The closing moments of SmackDown's main event saw Jey Uso hit KO with a low blow while the latter was distracted. He then went on to pin Owens and win the match, following which he went and stood behind Roman Reigns.
While Roman Reigns' heel turn has made him the hottest entity in pro wrestling today, it is Jey Uso who has benefitted the most from this storyline. He has been incredible on SmackDown ever since he was booked in a storyline with Reigns and he is expected to get even better with each passing week. It is safe to say that if he is booked accordingly for the next couple of months, Jey Uso will become the breakout WWE singles Superstar from this year.
