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From a number one contender's gauntlet match for the Universal Title to new champions being crowned, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
Objectively speaking, this particular episode was a very consistent affair from start-to-finish. The show's format also felt a bit different this week, thanks to the inclusion of a gauntlet match towards the end. Apart from the fact that there were no women's bouts featured on the card, SmackDown ended up being a very solid show last night.
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 8, 2021).
#5: The WWE Intercontinental Championship match brought up an edginess to Apollo Crews' personality
One of the biggest problems with Apollo Crews has been the uninteresting approach towards his onscreen persona in WWE. Apollo Crews has got it all inside the squared circle, which became evident during his match against Big E for the Intercontinental Title.
However, their match initially ended when the referee made a three count with both competitors' shoulders touching the mat. This led to a tie. Big E wanted to congratulate Crews on his effort, even though it was Big E who retained in the process.
However, Crews demanded the match to be restarted, slapping Big E at the same time. He also seemed a bit desperate while jumping on Big E's Intercontinental Title open challenge last week. Therefore, it was completely in line for him to challenge Big E once again until a clear outcome was determined on this week's WWE SmackDown.
The champion eventually retained his title, but it was still a good night for Apollo Crews, whose onscreen character slightly stepped out from the generic babyface role on this week's WWE SmackDown.
#4: Sonya Deville secured a new role as a WWE official on SmackDown
When Sonya Deville returned to WWE SmackDown last week, many fans had hoped to see her back in action sooner rather than later. However, people were also intrigued to find out how WWE would explain Sonya's return to the Blue brand after she clearly lost in a Loser Leaves WWE stipulation match last year.
The fans received their answer on this week's episode of SmackDown, as it was revealed that Sonya Deville had picked up the role of a certain kind of WWE official instead of returning as a full-fledged Superstar. She claimed to have put the past behind her, directly referencing her popular feud with Mandy Rose that led to her temporary exile from the promotion.
Adam Pearce had mentioned a personal assistant position a few weeks ago, and it seems like Billie Kay's resume didn't help her get the job. Sonya Deville may deputize for Pearce in the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble event.
It would make up for an interesting scenario if Sonya Deville were to influence a couple of decisions on WWE RAW, as well.
#3: Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode became the new WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode's WWE feud against The Street Profits proceeded in a pretty standard fashion over the past few weeks. Their storyline didn't have anything new to offer when The Street Profits won against the heel Superstars over and over again.
So it was inevitable that Roode and Ziggler would eventually win the titles from Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to shake up the tag team division on WWE SamackDown.
Montez Ford's leg was an important factor in this match. Both teams fought in a back-and-forth bout until Ziggler and Roode hit a combination of Zig Zag and a spinebuster for the win and the WWE SmackDown tag team titles.
Ziggler and Roode may not be the most interesting champions at the moment. But in a pretty ordinary tag team division scenario, it is always better to have heel champions so that the protagonists can build some steam while chasing the tag team titles.
If The Street Profits won't be able to dethrone Roode and Ziggler in the near future, this could be the perfect opportunity for WWE to build Rey and Dominik Mysterio as formidable challengers.
#2: Shinsuke Nakamura earned a big moment and turned babyface on WWE SmackDown
A gauntlet match took place on this week's WWE SmackDown to determine a challenger for Roman Reigns' Universal title at the WWE Royal Rumble event.
Rey Mysterio and Sami Zayn kickstarted the aforementioned match. Despite Zayn's conspiracy theories against WWE, Mysterio was able to eliminate Zayn first quickly. It was Shinsuke Nakamura who came next. The King of Strong Style was able to eliminate Mysterio with the help of an armbar submission.
Nakamura was also able to eliminate the next competitor, King Corbin, with a Kinshasa. This is when things escalated for the Japanese WWE Superstar, as he went on to face Daniel Bryan next. Bryan was the favorite to win here because of all the rumors which indicated that Bryan would face Roman Reigns around WrestleMania season.
However, Nakamura even managed to defeat Daniel Bryan via pinfall. Bryan and Nakamura shook hands after their back-and-forth encounter, which conveyed the message that The King of Strong Style has now turned babyface.
Nakamura had become a sideshow on the main roster over the past few years, even though he was one of the hottest commodities in WWE at one point. Not a lot of people expected Nakamura to be pushed on the Road to WrestleMania 37.
Even though he didn't win the gauntlet match because of reasons that will be covered in the next slide, the stage has been set for a future encounter between Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE.
#1: WWE official Adam Pearce unexpectedly won the gauntlet match to face Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2021
Just like all the dominant mob bosses throughout history, the new version of Roman Reigns doesn't like authority being imposed upon him on WWE SmackDown.
Adam Pearce was the one who allowed Kevin Owens to face Jey Uso in the main event last week, even after Reigns had stated that he was done feuding with The Prizefighter. The consequences were harsh, as Owens was demolished by Reigns and Uso at the end of last week's WWE SmackDown.
This week, Reigns would impose his own authority upon Adam Pearce through the course of the episode. Paul Heyman pulled a few strings backstage to insert Adam Pearce into the gauntlet match. Pearce was conveniently placed as the final entrant in the gauntlet match.
After Shinsuke Nakamura survived till the end to defeat Daniel Bryan, Reigns and Uso arrived to lay a beating on The King of Strong Style. The stage was set for Adam Pearce to win the match, even though he was reluctant to get involved in the main event.
Despite Pearce's reluctance, Uso laid out the WWE official with a superkick and placed him on top of Nakamura for a successful three count. Now, Adam Pearce has all the odds stacked against him, as he is set to face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble event.
Adam Pearce was a solid performer as a pro wrestler back in the day, being a former five-time NWA champion as well as a former PWG champion. He hasn't had a match since 2014, but this current storyline with Roman Reigns is the perfect stage for him to make a comeback.
It made all the sense for an authoritarian figure like Roman Reigns to control the authority by effectively manipulating the decision-maker, Adam Pearce. One can understand now why Sonya Deville was also inserted as a WWE official on SmackDown, as Pearce will be engaged in matters pertaining to his own fight on the road to WWE Royal Rumble 2021.
As a whole, Adam Pearce's inclusion in the Roman Reigns storyline was a surprising turn from a creative standpoint. As stated earlier, the gauntlet match also established Shinsuke Nakamura as a future opponent for Reigns, so it was a win-win scenario for all parties involved.
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.
