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From Roman Reigns revealing the consequences of his 'I Quit' Hell in a Cell Match against Jey Uso to Seth Rollins and Murphy's clash, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
The Blue brand has delivered some entertaining episodes consistently, and last night's go-home show before Hell in a Cell was no different. An additional match for Hell in a Cell was also made official during this episode.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (October 23, 2020).
#5: Sasha Banks forced Bayley to sign their WWE Hell in a Cell match contract by sticking the champion's head between a chair
Although fans pretty much figured out that Bayley vs. Sasha Banks was going to go down at WWE Hell in a Cell, either way, last week's edition of SmackDown introduced a twist with Bayley refusing to sign the contract for their upcoming clash.
Bayley appeared in the ThunderDome this week and made it clear that she wasn't afraid of Sasha Banks at all. But that wouldn't appear to be the case when The Legit Boss entered the scene with a contract in her hand.
Bayley tried to hit her former best friend with a chair, but tables turned pretty quickly, and the SmackDown Women's Champion was left with no option but to sign the contract. This was because Bayley was left with no means to escape when Banks stuck the former's head in between a chair.
WWE fans have witnessed the amazing chemistry between Bayley and Sasha Banks several times in the past, so the expectations are pretty high for their Hell in a Cell encounter in terms of in-ring quality.
#4: Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan teased a partnership on WWE SmackDown; Intercontinental title feud also teased for Daniel Bryan
This week's edition of WWE SmackDown kicked-off with a special edition of The KO Show featuring Daniel Bryan as the main guest.
The Prizefighter briefly mentioned that the tag team titles have eluded him so far, which is why he pitched a possible idea of teaming up with Daniel Bryan on WWE SmackDown.
Their conversation was interrupted by Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, followed by The Street Profits. Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro interrupted, at last, leading to an impromptu brawl and tag team match between all personalities involved.
Bryan and Owens teamed up with The Street Profits, and this team was able to conquer the opposing unit consisting of Ziggler, Roode, Nakamura, and Cesaro.
The possibility of Bryan and Owens moving forward as a team sounds delightful, but it's unclear what Daniel Bryan's long-term role is going to be on WWE SmackDown. WWE Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn, met with Daniel Bryan later backstage. Bryan had earlier stated that the Intercontinental title should be defended weekly, and Zayn approached the 'YES' Man to say that he wasn't on the same page about this idea.
With a potential partnership alongside Owens, an Intercontinental Championship feud, as well as a future feud against Seth Rollins that was teased in the Season Premiere episode of WWE SmackDown, Daniel Bryan has several options to choose from at the moment.
#3: 'Law and Otis' concluded with The Miz winning his court battle against Otis on WWE SmackDown
Silly segments have divided WWE and pro wrestling fans for years now, with Chris Jericho and MJF's 'Le Dinner Debonair' segment being one of the latest examples of the same over at AEW Dynamite.
This particular writer stands in favor with silly premises more often than not, so the 'Law and Otis' segment from last night's WWE SmackDown felt quite enjoyable, even if all of Sportskeeda's readers may not be on the same page here.
The courtroom segments were divided into parts and they also featured Ron Simmons as the bailiff and Teddy Long as the stenographer. JBL presided as the judge for Otis and The Miz's court battle, while stars like Asuka, Tucker, and Rey Mysterio also made some cameos as witnesses.
Ironically, being a WWE Superstar entails physical violence as a part of the job, so The Miz's emotional distress claim against Otis and his physicality was always going to go in the latter's favour.
Just when JBL was going to announce the case in Otis' favour, The Miz secretly bribed the judge, which led JBL to immediately hand the verdict in The A-Lister's favour.
The subtler aspects of 'Law and Otis' were a nice touch, but it's clear at this point that Otis isn't going to abstain from comedy segments as the MITB briefcase holder anytime soon, for better or for worse. The Miz and Otis will battle for the ownership of the Money in the Bank contract at WWE Hell in a Cell.
In contrast to this segment, Shorty G actually ditched his silly name and brought back the era of Chad Gable on WWE SmackDown.
#2: Aalyah Mysterio arrived to prevent Seth Rollins from assaulting Murphy on WWE SmackDown
Murphy is a great athlete inside the ring, and Seth Rollins has been a consistent in-ring performer in WWE over the years. So the main event contest between The Messiah and his former disciple was a solid match, without question.
Rollins inevitably won this clash because he was the more experienced WWE Superstar compared to Murphy. Aalyah was watching this match from the backstage area even though Rey and Dominik Mysterio tried to prevent her from getting involved.
But Aalyah would defy her family and go out to make sure that Rollins wouldn't hurt Murphy after their clash was over. Dominik Mysterio arrived after Aalyah and tried to talk his sister out of getting involved in Rollins and Murphy's business.
Rollins was able to blindside Dominik, although SmackDown's Saviour had to make his exit when Rey Mysterio's theme music played inside WWE's ThunderDome.
The main event contest on this week's WWE SmackDown was a treat for fans who like their pro wrestling grounded in the sport, but Aalyah's involvement as well as her affection for Murphy - to Rey and Dominik's dismay - specifically caters to the audience that tunes in solely for the entertainment.
#1: The Usos and their families will be exiled from the Anoa'i family if Jey Uso loses at WWE Hell in a Cell; Roman Reigns will no longer be The Tribal Chief if he loses
The dramatic stakes in Roman Reigns and Jey Uso's family feud have only increased in the weeks that have followed since the inception of their WWE rivalry.
The consequences for Roman and Jey's 'I Quit' Match inside WWE Hell in a Cell were revealed, as mentioned above. It's safe to say that the Anoa'i family will never be the same despite the outcome of the Universal title Match at WWE's upcoming pay-per-view.
Jimmy and Jey Uso confused Reigns with their twin magic this week, which allowed Jey Uso to pick up an advantage during his brawl against The Tribal Chief on WWE SmackDown.
From a production standpoint, lowering the Hell in a Cell structure with Reigns inside and Jey Uso climbing up the cage from outside was a great touch to end the final episode of SmackDown before the pay-per-view.
Only a couple of hours remain until the aforementioned pay-per-view airs across the world, and the Anoa'i family feud has been the most engaging and consistent storyline heading into Hell in a Cell.
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