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This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown had a lot of interesting segments for the fans. We saw an entertaining obstacle course race between Bayley and Bianca Belair. In addition to that, we saw Paul Heyman being booked for a match. Most importantly, Roman Reigns was bullied on the show, and Kevin Owens managed to stand tall.
In this article, we will take a look at Superstars who impressed us on WWE SmackDown and those who did not. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens made a strong statement during the main event of WWE SmackDown by annihilating Roman Reigns. He brutalized The Tribal Chief in the show's closing moments and made a strong case for himself ahead of his upcoming Universal Championship match at Royal Rumble.
It all started in the opening segment of WWE SmackDown when Adam Pearce shared the ring with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Reigns was quick to question Pearce’s authority, and Heyman couldn’t help but see the funny side of that exchange. This irked Pearce who stated that he wouldn’t tolerate that kind of insult which led to a match booked between Pearce and Heyman.
Later in the show, Reigns denied helping Heyman and urged the latter to man up and handle his own fights. It appeared that Reigns would not help his advisor, but they were actually planning to borrow a page from Pearce’s book. Right before their match on WWE SmackDown, Heyman pretended to be injured, and Roman Reigns replaced him.
The Universal Champion then laid a brutal attack on Adam Pearce before Kevin Owens came out of shadows and turned the tables. He continued to manhandle Roman Reigns all around the ThunderDome before getting inside the ring. Owens then delivered a brutal Stunner before officials walked out to separate the two Superstars on WWE SmackDown.
Roman Reigns struggled to catch his breath while Owens continued to assert his dominance. He put Roman Reigns through the announce desk and the latter stayed flat on the ground. Their interaction on WWE SmackDown showed us that fans can still expect a lot from a third title match between them. Moreover, it solidified the claim that Reigns needs Jey Uso by his side to dominate his opponents.
#1 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Dominik Mysterio
One WWE SmackDown match had this author exclaim, “Oh look, how they massacred my boy.” I would have used this expression for Sami Zayn, but he managed to end a title match in disqualification. But there’s another Superstar on WWE SmackDown who can be a perfect subject for this statement – Dominik Mysterio. The young talent faced King Corbin in a forgettable match.
Dominik Mysterio struggled against Corbin throughout this match. He looked far from his usual self while battling The King which came across as a huge disappointment following their brief confrontation on WWE SmackDown last week. There were very brief moments during which Dominik Mysterio looked promising, but they didn’t do anything to make his case due to the short duration.
We have seen the creative use King Corbin to push other Superstars on WWE SmackDown. Due to his reputation, Corbin ends up putting every single Superstar who feuds with him. This is a perfect opportunity for the creative to let Dominik Mysterio get back his momentum that he lost following his promising debut. Hopefully, the coming weeks will have a few interesting storylines in store for him, and we are not discounting a plausible heel turn.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks has been feuding with Carmella ever since the latter returned on WWE SmackDown. While Banks has had the upper hand in this rivalry, Carmella has a couple of wins under her belt against the women’s champion, thanks to Reginald's interferences.
Recently, an irked Sasha Banks challenged Reginald to a match, and the two locked horns on WWE SmackDown this week. This match was far from the usual (relatively rare) matches that feature opponents from opposite genders. Reginald was booked strongly in a welcome surprise, which made Banks’ performance look much more impressive inside the ring.
Sasha Banks was outsmarted by Reginald several times as the latter relied on sneaky moves to get out of trouble. This allowed Banks to deal with a whole new level of challenges, and she did very well in holding off on her own against Reginald. In the end, Banks won the match via submission in a memorable match on WWE SmackDown.
It is expected that Sasha Banks will continue her feud with Carmella, who was upset about Reginald’s loss. In the meantime, Reginald has shown his potential while Sasha Banks proved that she deserves to be on the top of the women’s roster and dominate the division. It will be interesting to see how the result of this match will influence this storyline on WWE SmackDown as we move forward.
#2 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Dolph Ziggler
This week on WWE SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler locked horns with Cesaro in a singles match. The latter picked a dominant victory over one-half of WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, and it didn't reflect well on The Showoff. It would be fair to say that the creative deserves more of the blame instead of the Superstar in question.
It was evident that this match was booked to make Cesaro look strong. However, it is important to note that Cesaro delivered arguably the best of the match of the night against Daniel Bryan last week. Hence, he doesn't need his opponent to look extremely weak inside the ring in order to establish himself as a dominant Superstar on WWE SmackDown.
Having Dolph Ziggler lose to Cesaro in such an underwhelming fashion was entirely unnecessary. After all, he is a titleholder on WWE SmackDown and shouldn't be an easy target for his rivals, at least for as long as he has the gold on his shoulder. The creative should refrain from booking Ziggler in such light, or it will end up having an adverse effect on the tag team division of the Blue brand.
#3 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: The Riott Squad
This week on WWE SmackDown, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott took on the Women's Tag Team Champions, Charlotte Flair and Asuka. This match was rather impressive and allowed The Riott Squad to assert themselves as credible challengers for tag team gold. Both Superstars were good inside the ring as they battled against two of the best in-ring workers in the entire promotion.
Their match on WWE SmackDown was well-balanced right from the start. Both teams sought their moments to dominate the encounter and worked well inside the squared circle. The short to-and-fro of hard-hitting blows between Charlotte Flair and Ruby Riott was particularly interesting to watch. It appeared as though the champion is actually being tested inside the ring, and that led us into believing that we could see the Riott Squad emerge as strong contenders for the tag team titles in the coming weeks.
At one point in the match, Ruby Riott got the better of Asuka, and the latter could have been pinned. However, the official was distracted by Billie Kay, and Asuka got enough time to turn things around. This, of course, led to The Riott Squad parting ways with Kay on a backstage segment after she cost them a possible title opportunity.
This match also showed that Charlotte Flair and Asuka's chemistry has improved a lot since the two got their hands on the Tag Team Championships. It would be interesting to see what's in store for these champions. As for Riott Squad, they made a strong case for themselves on WWE SmackDown and are expected to find themselves in the title picture sooner than later.
