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Travel issues proved to be a blessing in disguise as the company turned the entire script for the night on its head and surprised the WWE Universe with some really interesting segments and matches during the night.
With the events of Crown Jewel done and dusted, the company was focused on building towards the next pay-per-view, Survivor Series. As the company had already announced that NXT would also be part of this year’s event for the first time, the travel issues allowed the company to immediately start investing in the Survivor Series storylines.
Throughout the night we saw some great matches and segments that showed the WWE Universe what the company is able to pull-off even under pressure.
In this article, we will look at the 4 things WWE got right on Friday Night SmackDown.
#4 Baszler’s wrath
Who makes a statement better than the NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler?
The NXT Women’s Champion is in her second reign and has held the NXT Women’s Championship since WWE Evolution last year.
This shows how dominant she has been over the past couple of years, and there seems to be no force as effective as Baszler when she’s in the ring.
This week on SmackDown, Bayley took on Nikki Cross in their scheduled SmackDown Women’s Championship match. Bayley was able to connect the Bayley-to-Belly on Cross to pick up the victory and retain her Championship.
However, she was not aware that Baszler was in the arena, and after Bayley pinned Cross, Baszler walked out to make a huge statement to the entire women’s division and the WWE Universe.
She took out Sasha Banks at ringside and then attacked Bayley, leaving her almost knocked out after receiving a running high knee. Baszler’s appearance without her entourage was the right call to make, as she was able to dominate without requiring any assistance.
#3 Sami Zayn’s mouth
Don’t you just love it when a heel’s mouth gets them into trouble? Well, Sami Zayn has been getting in trouble since the day he stepped into the ring and picked up a mic.
Zayn was interviewed regarding the events leading to a weaker SmackDown locker room and NXT trying to take advantage of the situation. In reply, Zayn challenged all NXT Superstars to step up to him.
This brought out Matt Riddle and Keith Lee who teamed up on NXT just a couple of days back. The two heavyweights chased Zayn to the center of the ring and used him as their mean to send a message to the SmackDown audience.
The Original Bro connected with a BroDerek to The Critic of the Critics, while The Limitless One hit a moonsault on the former NXT Champion.
While Zayn is a much bigger Superstar than the way he is treated, it was an excellent way to bring out more NXT Superstars to the middle to send a message to the entire SmackDown locker room and the WWE Universe. Lee’s moonsault would have surely earned him a few more fans by the end of the night.
#2 Brock Lesnar’s move
Brock Lesnar proved his dominance at Crown Jewel as he defeated the man who scarred his face in the ring in just over two minutes via submission.
The win frustrated some fans, but everyone now knows who the Undisputed Champion of the world is and how much value he has.
The week on SmackDown, Lesnar appeared with Paul Heyman as the two men managed to make it back in time for the show. They first aired the footage of Lesnar’s victory and then spoke about Mysterio’s attack on Lesnar after the match.
Surprisingly, Heyman revealed that since Vince McMahon refused his demand to send Rey Mysterio to SmackDown, he was quitting the Blue brand to go over to RAW and prey on The Master of the 619.
While the story did not make as much sense as it would have to the creatives, especially considering that Lesnar has the power to move brands himself but not get a mid-carder drafted to his own brand, it was enough to give them a reason to move Lesnar.
With The Fiend holding the Universal Championship on SmackDown, it was essential to move one of the two Champions to RAW to restore the balance.
Sending Lesnar out of the arena before NXT took over was the right thing to do and raised far lesser questions at the end of the night than would have.
#1 The main event
Before the travel issues “spoilt” the party, Roman Reigns and King Corbin seemed to be scheduled to feature in the night’s main event. While fans wouldn’t have had much to complain about from that main event, they got something so good that we might see them complaining about future main events on social media for weeks to come!
Adam Cole defended his NXT Championship against Daniel Bryan in a match that almost no one saw coming. The two men are regarded as the best in the business, and the dream match materialized out of thin air.
The match was amazing and gave fans something to talk about for days to come. Bryan was at his absolute best and gave what seemed like his best performance since his return from retirement.
Just like he’s done in the past for many other Superstars, Bryan put Cole over in a big way by getting pinned clean by the NXT Champion. It was particularly interesting to watch the company give Cole a clean victory over the former WWE Champion. This somewhat confirms that the NXT Champion is at par with the RAW and SmackDown Champions, and will continue to make greater impacts in the weeks to come.
Consider the system shocked!
