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The final episode of WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania 37 accounted for an exciting episode. The Blue brand didn’t feature many matches this week. However, it did host a successful title defense and a grueling Battle Royal. The rest of the show saw top superstars have their final say before WrestleMania.
In this article, we will take a look at top superstars who impressed us SmackDown this week and those who didn’t.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns delivered one of his best promos on SmackDown this week. He is set to defend his Universal Championship in a triple-threat match against Daniel Bryan and Edge at WrestleMania 37. All three superstars had their solo segments in which they addressed the WWE Universe and spoke about their intentions ahead of the much-anticipated title bout.
Roman Reigns stepped into the spot in the closing moments of SmackDown after Jey Uso had won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Staying true to his heel self, Reigns directly took a dig at his challengers. He dismissed Edge and Bryan’s claims about possibly winning the title by calling them "dreamers".
Reigns looked in complete control throughout this segment. He sold himself with purpose and had the viewers pay attention to his words. Roman Reigns openly accepted that he snatched the top spot from several WWE Superstars, and he is now in a league of his own. This helped make him look like a heel who can stand across a top babyface and a believed anti-hero and still look dominant.
Even though Roman Reigns has featured in a WrestleMania main event on multiple occasions, things would be different this year. This would be the first time he steps into the pay-per-view, having won over his fans and critics. Reigns has a huge task ahead of him, and he has been preparing for this WWE moment for close to a year now.
A few years ago, no one would have believed that Roman Reigns managed to steal the show with the help of a mere promo. However, he deserves credit for massively improving on the mic. It also helps that now he is in more control of his gimmick. While there’s a chance that Reigns will lose his title at WrestleMania, The Tribal Chief won’t be an easy task to conquer.
#1 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Elias
Elias was one of the WWE Superstars who competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Unfortunately for him, the RAW Superstar looked far from compelling inside the ring. He hasn’t had a good run in a long time, and this week’s SmackDown didn’t do him any favors. The only highlights of his appearance during this match came when he joined forces with Ryker to eliminate Erik and Slapjack.
The second elimination led to the duo’s confrontation with T-Bar and Mace. They all rushed to engage in a brawl, following which Ryker and Elias were easily eliminated from the match. The WWE Superstar was painfully underwhelming inside the ring. The creative could have at least booked a couple of spots where he comes across as his true brutal self.
Elias has recently found a part in the feud between Braun Strowman and Shane McMahon on WWE RAW. However, his role was limited to laughing at McMahon’s ridiculous jokes, making songs, and being chased around the ring by The Monster Among Men. He undoubtedly deserves to be a part of more engaging and intense feuds where he can have good matches with other underused superstars.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Jey Uso
This year, WWE SmackDown hosted the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal instead of WrestleMania. The prestigious competition main evented the show, and in the end, Jey Uso emerged as the winner. He was one of the most dominant superstars inside the ring right from the beginning of the Battle Royal.
Towards the end, five WWE Superstars were left inside the ring – Mustafa Ali and Ricochet from RAW and Jey Uso, Shinsuke Nakamura, and King Corbin from SmackDown. Ricochet and Ali first started brawling, and the latter was eliminated. Ricochet barely got any time to celebrate because Uso immediately threw him over the top ring.
Following that, Corbin and Jey Uso teamed up to take on Nakamura. They brutalized The King of Strong Style together before Uso turned and attacked King Corbin. Nakamura got some time to recover, and he fired back by eliminating Corbin, who was tied up in the ropes. Jey Uso and Nakamura then battled inside the ring on WWE SmackDown.
In the end, Uso managed to grab Nakamura and throw him over the top rope to win the tournament. Once again, he proved that he is indeed the main event material. Jey Uso has emerged as one of the best heels in WWE over the past year. The creative should make the most of his current momentum by booking him in exciting feuds on WWE SmackDown.
#2 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Tucker
WWE Superstar Tucker returned to in-ring action this week when he competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He made a blink-and-miss appearance in the match, and hardly had a noteworthy moment. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin targeted him immediately after the match started and eliminated him within the first couple of minutes.
Tucker shocked the WWE Universe when he betrayed his former tag team partner Otis at Hell in a Cell last year. The latter lost his Money in the Bank contract to The Miz after Tucker interfered in the match. The WWE Superstar cemented his heel turn by hitting Otis with the MITB briefcase and confirmed Heavy Machinery's split.
Right after they parted ways, both Otis and Tucker struggled for a while on SmackDown and RAW, respectively. However, Otis redeemed himself after allying with Chad Gable. In fact, they have emerged as a big threat in the SmackDown tag team division over the last few weeks. On the other hand, Tucker is barely on WWE RAW, and bookings like these won’t help him.
#3 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
This week on WWE SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode successfully defended their tag team championships in an engaging Fatal Four-Way match. They faced Dominik and Rey Mysterio, The Street Profits, and The Alpha Academy in the title match. The creative did well in booking the champions as brutal and opportunistic.
Ziggler and Roode established their dominance right at the beginning of the match when they isolated Dominik Mysterio. Following that, they continued to assault the young superstar while ensuring that Rey Mysterio remains busy with The Alpha Academy. Ziggler and Roode also did well in navigating their way around The Street Profits. The two WWE SmackDown tag teams have feuded before and are aware of each other’s weaknesses.
In the closing moments of the match, Ford delivered a Frog Splash on Chad Gable from the top rope. Roode took the opportunity to tag himself into the match while Ziggler took out Ford with a Superkick. Roode then pinned a motionless Gable to retain the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. It was an entertaining match and proved that other tag teams are now ready to raise the standards of the division.
