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This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown featured few big surprises. Between interesting matches and last-minute returns, there was a lot that unfolded on the show and kept things interesting throughout its duration. For a change, tonight we saw the good guys play the best mind games while the heels struggled to find their ground. In addition to that, Bayley also got her own talk show.
In this article, we will take a look at Superstars who flopped on WWE SmackDown this week and those who impressed. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Adam Pearce (with Kevin Owens)
This week on WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce pulled off the ultimate UNO reverse card and embarrassed Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman in their own game. Last week, Reigns and Jey Uso bullied their way into making Pearce the next challenger for Reigns’ Universal Championship. Tonight, they were both set to sign the contract.
At first, we saw Paul Heyman is trying to tell Roman Reigns that ‘all of the WWE contracts are the same’. As a result, he wanted to take care of that contract signing while Reigns focuses on other things. Over the course of the episode, Pearce showed that he was extremely reluctant to put his name on the dotted line.
In the closing moments of WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce walked to the ring where Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, and Paul Heyman were waiting for him. He portrayed himself as a victim that led Reigns to sign the contract arrogantly - something that he has managed to avoid in his last few title defenses until the last minute.
As soon as Reigns signed the contract, Pearce collected the file and started walking back. Mid-way on the ramp, he started limping that got everyone onlooker concerned. It turns out, Pearce always wanted Reigns to sign the contract so that he can use the fine print to replace himself with none other than Kevin Owens in the upcoming match.
Pearce stated he had an ‘injury’ and can’t compete inside the ring against Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble. As a result, Owens got his spot at the upcoming pay-per-view. Reigns and Owens have all been involved in a brutal rivalry on WWE SmackDown since last year, and it now appears that we are heading closer to the final battle between both these Superstars.
#1 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Liv Morgan
This week’s WWE SmackDown featured a singles match between Liv Morgan and Natalya. It would be safe to say that it was the most boring encounter of the night, barring Billie Kay’s presence who wasn’t involved in the match. The latter assumed her friendship with The Riott Squad and accompanied them to the ring.
Her humorous antics on the ringside were the only saving grace of this match on WWE SmackDown. Eventually, Kay found herself standing in front of Tamina and was not confident about saving herself. Their little exchange ended up distracting Liv Morgan, and Natalya made the full use of this opportunity.
She rolled up Morgan from behind and end up pinning her to win her match on WWE SmackDown. The only reason why Morgan is here and Natalya isn’t is because the latter has a victory to her name. This was an extremely underwhelming encounter that did little to nothing to push either of the Superstars involved as strong contenders.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Apollo Crews
In the last match of WWE SmackDown this week, Apollo Crews locked horns with Sami Zayn in a singles match. On the ringside, Big E joined the commentary team as he wanted to keep a close look on two potential challengers for this Intercontinental Championship. It would be safe to say that Crews was impressive inside the ring when he locked horns with Zayn.
Surprisingly, Zayn was not booked in a weaker light this week. Instead, he was allowed to look like a strong contender – something that a Superstar of his caliber deserves on the show. Thus, Crews’ battle against Zayn and his eventual victory made him look stronger on WWE SmackDown. Even their match was good that ended up showing Crews as a serious contender for the title.
Following the match, Crews got his hands on the IC title that irked Big E. The two had a staredown, and it appeared that Crews might finally turn into a complete heel on WWE SmackDown. That said, WWE might end up doing the same as we inch closer to an inevitable title match between Crews and Big E, possibly at Royal Rumble.
#2 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Dominik Mysterio
Tonight, on WWE SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was scheduled to lock horns with King Corbin. The latter had laid a brutal attack on both Rey and Dominik Mysterio last week. Thus, Rey Mysterio wanted to seek his revenge tonight with Dominik Mysterio in his corner. Unfortunately, the latter looked far from his promising self during this appearance.
Dominik Mysterio was sitting with the commentary team during this match on WWE SmackDown. He was involved in a brief altercation with Corbin and struggled to help his father, who was losing his battle inside the ring. On the other hand, Corbin dominated Rey Mysterio and continued to take cheap shots at Dominik Mysterio until he ended up winning the match.
As harsh as it may seem, Dominik Mysterio is hardly showing any personality on the Blue brand. Since his last good booking at SummerSlam, his presence seemingly makes no difference on WWE SmackDown. That becomes quite a concern if someone is as talented as Dominik Mysterio. Hopefully, he will be booked into better angles over the coming months.
#3 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Cesaro
On WWE SmackDown this week, Cesaro returned to action as he faced none other than Daniel Bryan in a highly-engaging singles match. Both Superstars looked great inside the ring as they took turns to assert dominance throughout their encounter. After a long time, Cesaro looked like his old self when he used both his power and technical abilities to overcome Bryan.
From high-flying maneuvers to the closely contested battles on the mat, this match showed us why Cesaro and Bryan should be booked to fight each other more often. In fact, Cesaro also managed to arrogantly toy with Bryan a couple of times before he ended up winning his match on WWE SmackDown.
It would be fair to say that fans would love to see both these Superstars engage in an extended rivalry on WWE SmackDown. The Blue brand needs more Superstars like him to gain momentum to make the title picture interesting on the brand. Hopefully, we will see Cesaro involved in more good matches as we move closer to Royal Rumble.
