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This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown was full of several twists and turns. Roman Reigns was brilliant on the Blue brand, and he has now made his Universal Championship seem out of the reach of everyone else’s hands. Not to forget, his ongoing storyline with Jey Uso featured a few epic moments during the show.
We also saw a love story accelerate way too fast on SmackDown after Murphy and Aalyah professed their feelings for each other. Well, that was not all but more on that later. In addition to that, the Blue brand also confirmed a few members of SmackDown’s men and women’s teams for Survivor Series.
Later in the show, Bayley challenged Sasha Banks for a title rematch. The two former best friends are now set to lock horns next week with the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line.
Tonight, there was no WWE Superstar who ‘flopped’ per se. Hence, this list only comprises of those who managed to impress us instead. So, without further ado, let’s check out all those who stole the show during this week’s episode of SmackDown.
#5 Impressed on SmackDown: Kevin Owens
The opening match of the night was a qualifier battle to determine the first member of SmackDown’s men’s Survivor Series team. In this match, Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler locked horns in a rather exciting encounter. It was good to see Owens back in action inside the ring, and he delivered a promising performance tonight.
Both KO and Ziggler squared off in a well-balanced match. They took turns to dominate their battle inside the squared circle. Their exchange started getting more and more intense as the match progressed, allowing KO to get more comfortable with his brutal side. Following that, Owens ended the match by hitting a well-executed Stunner to pick up the victory.
It would be unfair to not credit Dolph Ziggler who went above and beyond to make sure that this match looks good on every front. He also had Robert Roode with him, but the latter was ejected from the ringside after he attacked Owens. That being said, Ziggler was great at selling the moves like he always does. Thus, he ensured that the first member of WWE SmackDown’s Survivor Series team looked strong.
Not to forget, last week KO had proposed the idea of forming a tag team with Daniel Bryan. The latter was skeptical since Owens has a track record of betraying his friends. However, it could still be something that WWE creative will pursue after the next pay-per-view – especially after the manner in which Bryan was brutalized during the closing moments of the show.
#4 Impressed on SmackDown: Bianca Belair
WWE SmackDown featured a triple-threat match in which Natalya, Bianca Belair, and Billie Kay were looking to qualify for the women’s Survivor Series team. Unsurprisingly, Belair came out of this encounter looking as the strongest competitor and booked a spot for herself in the five-woman team that will represent the Blue brand at the upcoming pay-per-view.
The match started with all three SmackDown Superstars looking good. However, as the match progressed, it was only Belair who looked like she posed an actual threat to her opponents. Natalya started looking extremely weak midway into the match, and Billie Kay seemed to have lost her focus after a while. However, the latter at least deserves some credit for taking enough punishment and making Belair look strong.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Bianca Belair has looked incredible ever since she made her SmackDown debut. WWE invested a lot in building her up, and Belair’s in-ring appearances so far have done a lot of justice to everything that was promoted about her. Hopefully, she will prove her mettle at Survivor Series and will soon find herself hunting for the Women’s Championship on SmackDown.
#3 Impressed on SmackDown: Murphy (with Aalyah Mysterio)
This particular segment on WWE SmackDown resembled a soap opera, and it had every bit of drama that you would expect from such narration. First, Murphy told Aalyah that he would like to speak with Rey and Dominik Mysterio and explain his side of the story. While he was trying to do that, it was Seth Rollins who interrupted.
The Messiah took it upon himself to make Murphy understand that whatever he was trying to do with Aalyah wouldn’t happen. But he was interrupted by Dominik Mysterio who straight away attacked Rollins. He then went on to attack Murphy and Rey Mysterio had to walk out to separate them both. Dominik Mysterio then set Murphy up for a 619, but Aalyah saved him (are you still following?).
Following this, Rey Mysterio asked his daughter to come backstage with him, but Aalyah responded by saying that she ‘loves’ Murphy and then topped it by kissing him. While the rest of the Mysterio family as well as the entire WWE Universe struggled to come to terms with everything that just happened on SmackDown, it was Seth Rollins who delivered the most epic reaction.
The Messiah left for backstage, grinning like his sadistic self while Rey and Dominik Mysterio reluctantly walked away. As far as Murphy is concerned, it looks like he will be in a full-blown relationship with Aalyah on SmackDown. It will be interesting to see what the creative have in store for each of the Superstars involved as this storyline proceeds further.
#2 Impressed on SmackDown: Roman Reigns
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns kickstarted this week’s episode of SmackDown with a segment involving Jey Uso. Both the cousins came face to face after their brutal Hell in a Cell match in which Jey Uso was forced to say ‘I Quit’. Tonight, on SmackDown, Reigns walked out to make sure that his cousin and one half of The Usos is prepared to face the consequences of his actions.
Reigns looked extremely intimidating inside the ring when he gave the ultimatum to Jey Uso. Reigns asserted himself by saying that either his cousin has to get behind him on SmackDown or he will have to walk out of the family. Both brothers shared a compelling moment and did their best in making this family feud look as authentic as it possibly could.
Reigns also made an appearance during the main event of the show when Jey Uso was squaring off against Daniel Bryan in a qualifier match for a spot in the men's Survivor Series team. Following that, Reigns ordered Uso to attack Bryan, and he obliged. Roman Reigns didn’t raise his voice, nor did he attack someone. Yet, he walked out of WWE SmackDown looking as the most powerful Superstar on the Blue brand.
#1 Impressed on SmackDown: Jey Uso
There are three huge reasons why Jey Uso tops this list for us tonight. Firstly, it was the opening segment on WWE SmackDown during which he was seen pleading his case in front of Roman Reigns. He was emotional and was trying his best to tell Reigns that the latter didn’t fight him quite fair and square.
That being said, he also accepted that he only had two choices left now – either he joins his cousin, or he will have to leave his family. Jey Uso’s performance during this segment was very moving, and he looked persuasive as an individual who is torn between two decisions, thereby keeping the spectators hooked.
Secondly, Jey Uso went on to lock horns with Daniel Bryan in the main event of SmackDown in what would turn out to be the best match of the night. He looked extremely dominant inside the ring and picked a deserving victory for himself. It was great to see him finalize his place in SmackDown’s Survivor Series team.
And last but not least, tonight we saw Jey Uso finally make his decision. After his match with Bryan, Jey Uso told Reigns that he is ready to join him and he was instructed to attack his opponent. Jey Uso obliged and turned heel in the process to mark the beginning of a new chapter for himself on SmackDown.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
