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From Jey Uso and Kevin Owens' main event match to an unexpected return, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
The previous episode from the Blue brand gave WWE fans a lot of reasons to celebrate, as the episode was critically acclaimed and it also gained huge television ratings in today's era. The first WWE SmackDown show of 2021 may not have followed up last week's hype in the most efficient way possible, as a few booking decisions felt repetitive in this particular episode.
That being said, the show didn't feature any overwhelmingly bad booking decisions for the most part, and it was a fine episode with all things considered. The Blue brand has a relatively consistent track record, and it is likely that the show will bounce back in a major way on the road to WrestleMania 37.
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 (January 1, 2021).
#5: Sonya Deville unexpectedly returned on the first WWE SmackDown episode of 2021
Before this episode, the last time viewers saw Sonya Deville on WWE television was at SummerSlam 2020, where Deville lost against Mandy Rose in a 'Loser Leaves WWE' match.
Deville was announced as having been reinstated in this episode, as she walked backstage with a few surprising glances from other WWE Superstars around her.
Deville returned in a very simple manner, but it was still an effective moment that managed to topple other segments from the same episode in terms of newsworthiness.
Sonya Deville was at the top of her game right around the time the unfortunate stalking incident occurred. She had become one of the most intriguing characters on the Blue brand in 2020, so it is definitely a major victory for the SmackDown women's division now that Deville is back on the show.
WWE may or may not explain how exactly she was reinstated despite the 'Loser Leaves WWE' stipulation. Either way, Sonya Deville should be a major factor amongst the women on the Blue brand.
#4: Carmella's sommelier pulled off some acrobatic stunts as Carmella pinned Sasha Banks in a tag team match on WWE SmackDown
Carmella and Bayley teamed up against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair following the aftermath of last week's WWE SmackDown.
It was Carmella's sommelier - Reginald - who made the difference in this particular match. He pulled Carmella from the ring when Banks had locked in her WWE TLC opponent in a Bank Statement. Reginald also executed some flippy stunts to distract the WWE SmackDown Women's Champion.
The shenanigans allowed Carmella to hit a facebuster on Banks, for the victory.
It doesn't look like Carmella and Banks' feud is over yet. Reginald's presence in Carmella's bouts may be addressed by The Legit Boss in the next few episodes. It also seems like Bayley and Bianca Belair will continue their feud, as The EST of WWE is yet to pick up a singles victory against Bayley in their current feud, in order to move up ranks.
Both of these storylines could also tie-in to the women's Rumble match or in separate bouts during the Royal Rumble event this year.
#3: The Street Profits' New Year's Day Smoke-Tacular WWE segment was crashed by Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
The state of WWE's tag team divisions is something that was brought on by their own booking decisions, in the first place. They broke up established tag teams in the year that was 2020, and it seems like those decisions haven't paid off in the long run.
This directly connects to the WWE SmackDown tag team division, where Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode are involved in a storyline with The Street Profits that seems to be running in circles.
Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford offered their predictions for 2021 by mocking WWE Superstars like Sami Zayn, Robert Roode, and Dolph Ziggler. Roode and Ziggler crashed the party and laid out the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Later backstage, Roode and Ziggler made their intentions loud and clear, which is that they want to win the tag team titles on the Blue brand.
One could see that WWE put in some effort with the set and the in-ring segment as a whole, but it only masked the truth that there isn't much left to tell in Ziggler and Roode's program against The Street Profits. Their eventual clash will most likely be a good match, but the story will always remain the same unless the heel team wins the aforementioned titles soon.
#2: Big E's Intercontinental title open challenge for next week's WWE SmackDown was accepted by Apollo Crews after their tag team battle
Big E won the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn on the previous episode of WWE SmackDown to much acclaim. This week, Big E faced King Corbin in a one-on-one match with Zayn on commentary.
Zayn talked about the injustice done against him on the Blue brand, and he even went so far as to say that a documentary crew is on this case as well. The documentary comment may have been a slight exaggeration on Zayn's part, but it would certainly be an entertaining idea to see what comes out of the kayfabe doc if someone approves it for the WWE Network.
Just when Big E was about to win, Sami Zayn interrupted to cause a disqualification, followed by an assault at the hands of Zayn and Corbin's Knights of the Lone Wolf - Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake. Apollo Crews made the save which led to a tag team match with Big E and Crews facing Zayn and Corbin.
It was Crews who successfully pinned Zayn for the victory, thanks to an argument that broke out between Zayn and Corbin during the match. Later backstage, Big E paid tribute to Brodie Lee by name-dropping Brodie’s hometown Rochester, his wife Amanda, and his youngest son Nolan. The current WWE Intercontinental Champion then chose to offer an open challenge to anyone next week, which Crews accepted.
Apollo Crews was quick to grab the opportunity in what seemed like a desperate move, which may hint towards a potential heel turn. Their match on next week's WWE SmackDown should be a good one, even though Big E will most likely retain his Intercontinental Championship.
On a side note, Big E wore a 'Brodie' armband this week in memory of the great man that was Brodie Lee. Sasha Banks, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, and Bayley all wore 'Brodie' armbands during their respective matches as well.
#1: Roman Reigns and Jey Uso outsmarted and brutalized Kevin Owens on WWE SmackDown, once again
Roman Reigns and his WWE segments have frequently delivered since SummerSlam, but his arc on this week's episode led to a slightly mixed reaction from the fans.
The performers involved - Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Jey Uso - delivered as always, but it was the repetitive booking that may have been a problem this week.
Kevin Owens can't let go of The Tribal Chief and his cousin, Jey Uso, on WWE SmackDown. The Prizefighter has lost against Reigns at WWE TLC, as well as last week's episode from the Blue brand. Uso was a common factor in both of these instances. Despite that, Owens didn't change his approach at all on this week's WWE SmackDown.
KO advocated for the main event match against Jey Uso, which Owens won.
After the bout was over, Owens tried to lure Reigns by using the handcuffs and brutalizing Jey Uso at the same time. KO made a mistake when he took Jey Uso to the ThunderDome's LED panel area near the entrance ramp. It gave Reigns the perfect opportunity to ambush The Prizefighter. The Anoa'i family cousins outsmarted Owens, as Reigns threw his rival from the LED panel area onto the tables set below.
Introducing the handcuffs as a callback to their recent Steel Cage match, and the creative inclusion of the ThunderDome setting were both excellent aspects from Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens' arc during this week's episode.
However, one has to wonder if there is any scope left in this well-executed WWE storyline if Owens continues to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Do catch SK Wrestling experts Rick Ucchino and Denise Salcedo as they share their thoughts on all that went down during last night's WWE SmackDown in the video linked above.
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