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This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown had its fair share of highs and lows. While there were a handful of good segments, a lot of other events were quite underwhelming. The biggest talking point of the show was the confirmation of another Elimination Chamber match. The winner of this bout will get an opportunity to challenge Roman Reigns at the same pay-per-view.
In the opening segment of WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce confirmed that Jey Uso and Kevin Owens would be the first two participants in the Elimination Chamber match. Later in the show, King Corbin and Sami Zayn defeated Rey and Dominik Mysterio to book their spots in the Elimination Chamber match. The show later confirmed the final entrants in its last match.
In this article, we will look at Superstars who impressed us on WWE SmackDown and those who did not.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Cesaro
In the main event of WWE SmackDown, Cesaro and Daniel Bryan teamed up to take on Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Despite their match last week, Cesaro and Daniel Bryan were in complete sync as they fought for the final two spots in the Elimination Chamber match. The match was entertaining as all four Superstars worked hard to deliver a short yet exciting match.
The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions also looked strong inside the ring. However, Cesaro came across as the strongest competitor as he managed to dominate both his opponents despite being attacked earlier in the show. His in-ring maneuvers accounted for a spectacular display, and Cesaro looked more dangerous than ever.
The closing moments of the match saw Ziggler tapping out to Cesaro’s submission move. With this victory, Cesaro and Bryan sealed their respective spots in the Elimination Chamber match that will determine the next challenger for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship. It was great to see Cesaro in the limelight on WWE SmackDown as he has deserved a world title push for a long time.
Following the match, Jey Uso attacked Cesaro with a steel chair. Soon, King Corbin and Sami Zayn also laid an attack on Bryan and Cesaro. While all the competitors were brawling on WWE SmackDown, Kevin Owens walked out and delivered a Stunner to everyone inside the ring while Roman Reigns watched the chaos unfold back in his room. After everyone rolled out of the ring, KO sat on a chair and sent a stern message to the Universal Champion claiming that he would not go anywhere.
#1 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Seth Rollins
The news about Seth Rollins’ return on WWE SmackDown ruled the headlines for this week’s show. The fans had high expectations from his arrival on the Blue brand after making an appearance during Royal Rumble. The excitement peaked when he walked out to his old music, and we heard the phrase ‘Burn it Down’ as The Architect made his way to the ring.
His black suit and red tie prompted the onlookers to believe that he may have reverted to his previous heel gimmick, which is valid to an extent. But that was the only good thing about his segment. All he did was walk inside the ring and unconvincingly claimed that is a ‘changed man’ before saying how he is the locker-room leader.
At this point, all the WWE SmackDown Superstars left the ringside except Cesaro. Rollins thought that Cesaro would stay and listen to him, but the latter also walked away. Rollins then attacked Cesaro from behind before leaving the ThunderDome. To put it mildly, this was the most uneventful return that could have been booked, especially when it involved Seth Rollins.
Seth Rollins is excellent as a heel – not the Rollins that played The Messiah, but the Rollins who betrayed The Shield. Tonight, we saw a slight glimpse of that Rollins, but it was ruined with poor writing. As a villain, he could have challenged Big E for the title. As a self-proclaimed ‘leader’, he could have crossed paths with Roman Reigns. The possibilities are limitless, and we hope that the creative team will make up for this underwhelming return on WWE SmackDown.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Daniel Bryan
After facing Cesaro in a brutal match on WWE SmackDown last week, Daniel Bryan teamed up to deliver an exciting main event. Although it was evident that this match was booked to make Cesaro look like a star, Daniel Bryan also put up a commendable performance. He needed this kind of booking after taking several losses on SmackDown over the last few weeks.
Bryan worked well against both Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. He comfortably dominated the Champions on several occasions during the match without eclipsing Cesaro’s performance. Although it was not Bryan who won the match for his team, it certainly looked like that a right tag team partner will allow him to pose a serious threat to the WWE SmackDown tag team titles in the future.
Bryan’s recent run on WWE SmackDown has seen go above and beyond to put over other talents. Although he claimed that he wants to win a title soon, Bryan has extensively focused on ensuring that other talents get a fair chance to showcase their mettle inside the ring. Hence, his efforts reflect in all his matches make him seem as impressive as it can get.
#2 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Liv Morgan
As harsh as it may seem, this is now one of the most boringly predictable things on WWE SmackDown. Ruby Riott or Liv Morgan compete in a match and are then interrupted by Billie Kay, leading to their loss. The story was not different this week. Liv Morgan faced Bayley in a singles match that did little to nothing to benefit the two Superstars involved.
Liv Morgan and Bayley’s match on WWE SmackDown started well. Bayley struggled to gain control initially, but Morgan could not hold onto her dominance. She did take a couple of hard-hitting bumps and was close to picking momentum. Soon after that, Billie Kay walked out to show an ‘updated’ resume to Ruby Riott. Despite what has happened week after week, Riott allowed that to distract her that proved lethal for her tag team partner.
While the match official was busy looking at the commotion, Bayley scratched Morgan’s eyes and used that opportunity to pin her. This series of booking is harming The Riott Squad, pushing them further down the barrel. The two Superstars should be billed as the next big challengers for the Women’s tag team titles, but their current booking on WWE SmackDown is not doing them any favors. The only good thing that can come out of the match is a potential alliance between Billie Kay and Bayley in the future.
#3 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Shinsuke Nakamura
This week on WWE SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura got an opportunity to challenge Big E for the Intercontinental Championship. Unfortunately, this match ended in a disqualification, but Nakamura looked like his old self on the Blue brand. It all started with Big E issuing an open challenge to the rest of the roster.
Unsurprisingly, Apollo Crews was the first to answer, and he insisted that he get another shot at Big E’s title. However, the champion did not agree with that claim and the two Superstars were involved in a heated exchange of words on WWE SmackDown. Soon after that, Big E demanded his ‘actual’ challenger to walk out, and Nakamura obliged.
Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E then locked horns in an entertaining bout with Crews lurking at the ringside. Despite being a face now, Nakamura looked vicious with his hard-hitting signature kicks as he asserted his dominance over the champion on WWE SmackDown. Big E also got his fair chance to look like a strong champion during this title defense.
The match was then cut short on WWE SmackDown following interference from Crews. The end was underwhelming, but it was great to see Nakamura in his classic form. It reminded us of his performance in the recent Gauntlet Match. We wonder why he was not included in the Elimination Chamber match, but he will be the perfect challenger for Big E at the upcoming pay-per-view.
