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This will be the penultimate episode of SmackDown to Fastlane 2021, and there are only four episodes left until WrestleMania 37. The build-up to Fastlane 2021 has been a bit odd, but SmackDown has the only two official matches on the card so far.
We expect a few more to be announced on SmackDown tonight, and there could be a few twists in-store as well. Let's begin:
#5. A contract signing will happen on SmackDown, but what awaits Daniel Bryan?
Daniel Bryan has been the focal point of SmackDown for the last two weeks. After winning the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match, he was promptly defeated in less than two minutes by Roman Reigns.
Five days later, he tried to claim a legitimate match but had to get through Jey Uso first. It was only last week when it finally came to fruition, as Bryan defeated Uso inside a steel cage in the main event of SmackDown.
As a result, Daniel Bryan will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship in the main event of Fastlane. It's one of the only two matches announced for Fastlane so far, and the other happens to be from SmackDown as well.
Tonight on SmackDown, we will see a contract signing between 'The Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns and the multi-time World Champion Daniel Bryan. As we know, in WWE, contract signings never go according to plan. Things always break down one way or the other, and we fully expect the same.
Surprisingly enough, Edge's presence has been minimal recently, and we're not sure if he will make any appearance heading into Fastlane 2021. One Superstar who we could see returning, however, is the other half of The Usos - Jimmy Uso.
While Jimmy Uso was seen in September and October at Clash of Champions and Hell in a Cell respectively, it wasn't his official return. He has been out of action for 11 months now, and we expect him to make his return to SmackDown soon. Jey Uso revealed in December that he felt the timeline of his brother's return would be January-February.
Jimmy Uso has likely been ready, but WWE has been holding back on his return to SmackDown. What better time to re-introduce him than now?
#4. What does Carmella firing Reginald mean for SmackDown?
Last week on SmackDown, Carmella was up to her neck with Reginald and officially fired him. After that, Reginald was seen backstage, and while Shayna Baszler tried to bully him, Nia Jax stopped her and said that "he's cute".
Surely enough, Reginald started appearing with the Women's Tag Team Champions on RAW. But why has he had such a major presence in the women's division?
Two women with who he has been directly involved are Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. Banks and Belair will compete for the SmackDown Women's title at WrestleMania 37 and will appear on The Kevin Owens Show this week.
The big twist here could be Reginald's involvement. Sasha Banks has been less than pleased with him despite all the advances, and the "break-up" angle between Carmella and Reginald could simply be a ploy to get her in the SmackDown Women's title match at WrestleMania.
We would be surprised, but it would be a pleasant one.
#3. Bayley's Ding-Dong-Hello! leads to something bigger on SmackDown
Last week on SmackDown, we got the shortest version of the Ding Dong Hello! show to date. It was Bayley reading tweets that were praising her, and it lasted all but a minute until she got a card that flustered her.
Before she could even read what it said, she ripped it apart and exited, ending a brief appearance on SmackDown. While we wish that she had a bigger role on SmackDown heading into WrestleMania 37, some believe that the segment could have been to serve that exact purpose.
Could it be leading to the return of a Superstar? While we can't be sure of who, it ideally should be a big name - big enough to set up a WrestleMania 37 match. The only two names we can think of are Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey.
But with the recent news of Becky Lynch's father passing away, it seems a bit unlikely now. Even Ronda Rousey seems a bit unlikely, though WWE needs some big marquee names for WrestleMania.
#2. Apollo Crews' character has another alteration on SmackDown
SmackDown Superstar Apollo Crews has undergone the first actual character change in his five-and-a-half-year WWE career. While he was always a great in-ring talent, his overall lack of character and ability on the mic seemed to hold him back.
He finally got his opportunity on RAW last year, and he has another big one this year on SmackDown. Apollo Crews recently debuted his new character on SmackDown - one where he is embracing his heritage of being from Nigerian Royalty.
He has even started using a Nigerian accent as well and has two bodyguards by his side. As you may know, Intercontinental Champion Big E returns this week. There's going to be a surefire confrontation between the two men, as Crews assaulted Big E a few weeks ago on SmackDown.
A twist would be if Apollo Crews revealed himself to be a coward in the face of Big E. It would add another element to his new heel character, and perhaps one that gives fans more of a reason to hate him.
#1. What will be Murphy's fate on SmackDown?
Last week, we saw the Australian Superstar Murphy return to SmackDown for the first time since early December 2020. It's been three months and when he returned, it was to confront his old mentor Seth Rollins.
He told Rollins that he could "take care" of the Cesaro problem, but the former Universal Champion told the Australian to get out of his sight. Rollins was an interested observer in the commentary table when Murphy took on Cesaro on SmackDown.
Cesaro, who arguably has more momentum than 99% of the SmackDown roster, defeated Murphy impressively and received a standing ovation from Seth Rollins. Again, the news of Becky Lynch's father passing away could mean that Seth Rollins is understandably absent from SmackDown.
If so, we could see Murphy continuing to try to weasel his way back to an alliance with Seth Rollins. It could be a blindsided attack on Cesaro, or something more controversial. Murphy explained the reason why he turned heel again, revealing that the Mysterio family "used him" to get forward.
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