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Expectations were high on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown, as we head towards the Crown Jewel event which will see some of the top male Superstars of the brand get the most high profile matches of the night.
The company had already made the huge announcement that Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez would be face to face in the ring, while Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan were also scheduled to appear on this week’s show.
Apart from that, we saw some female matches take place on the main roster for the first time this week, as RAW went dry without any on Monday night.
To build towards the weeks to come, the company made many correct decisions, matches, and segments this week.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 Further built Nikki Cross
Last week, Nikki Cross did the unthinkable and defeated five other women in a six-pack challenge to book a spot to contend for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Cross ended the match by pinning Mandy Rose last week.
This week on the blue brand, Cross met Rose again in the ring to try and pick up another victory to show her dominance on the main roster. Even though Sonya Deville was present at ringside to provide all possible distractions, Cross stayed focused and hit The Purge to take the victory while SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and her friend Sasha Banks watched from the announce table.
This was a good way to further build Cross on SmackDown as the blue brand seems to be lacking some top talent who can prove to be dominating in the long run. Having a roster led by Bayley, Banks, Alexa Bliss, and Cross could prove to be beneficial for the company in the long run.
#4 Brought in Nakamura’s potential contender
Shinsuke Nakamura has proven to be a legitimate heel in the past few months, and the inclusion of Sami Zayn to his storylines has upped his value along with the Intercontinental Championship.
Nakamura is currently running free and easy without any real threat to his Championship belt, and it’s time that the company starts building a competitor for his title post-Crown Jewel.
This week on SmackDown, the company brought out his biggest possible competitor yet, as Michael Cole interviewed Daniel Bryan about his future in the ring. This prompted Sami Zayn to interrupt the leader of the “Yes Movement” ,who offered him an opportunity to save the world by joining him and Nakamura.
The result saw The Planet’s Champion seeking some time to mull over it, giving the impression that he could join the dark side again. However, it is possible that Bryan could bring back the Yes Movement and take on Nakamura for his Intercontinental Champion in the weeks to come.
If that’s the path the creatives are planning to take involving these two men, then fans could get one of the best rivalries of the year which could spill over to the next year!
#3 The return of Ramblin’ Rabbit
Who said the Firefly Fun House was over? What did you think the kids would want to watch this week?
This week, Wyatt brought back the most entertaining show of WWE after Seth Rollins burnt it down a few days ago. The show started with the funeral of one of our favorite members of SmackDown, Ramblin’ Rabbit.
As Wyatt kissed the unfortunate rabbit, it came back from the dead to the excitement of the fans. Wyatt then revealed that everything can come back if you just believe.
While it seemed like the company could not come up with enough material for this week’s Firefly Fun House, they did well enough this week to put the point across.
Wyatt got a chance to show to the world that anything is possible in the Firefly Fun House, and all the things in his head can come to life there. Similarly, even The Fiend is indestructible, keeping in mind the hellish beatdown he took at Hell in a Cell, and that it will be impossible for Rollins to keep him down once again at Crown Jewel.
Thank you, Ramblin’ Rabbit, for helping deliver the message perfectly!
#2 The backstage beatdown
Fans were excited for the advertised face-off between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez inside the squared circle. As Rey Mysterio accompanied Velasquez to the middle and called out The Beast, Lesnar and Paul Heyman decided to appear on the titantron instead.
Things got ugly when Heyman revealed that they were too busy to walk into the arena as Lesnar was beating down Mysterio’s son Dominic backstage.
Mysterio and Velasquez rushed backstage to help the youngster, but The Beast struck once again by slamming Mysterio into a wall and then delivering his finisher to Velasquez onto Dominic.
The segment did much more damage than anyone could have believed, and it seems like The Beast has truly been unleashed by the company. However, Lesnar's actions may prove to be his undoing once he actually steps into the ring with his arch-nemesis Velasquez at Crown Jewel.
WWE has done a great job at building this rivalry, and we can easily say that this is one of the most indulging storylines involving Lesnar and a Championship we’ve seen in years.
Velasquez screaming in Spanish at the end of the segment is what was really needed to show the fans what Lesnar was really up against.
#1 The main event
Roman Reigns, Ali, and Shorty G were scheduled to take on King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro in a tag team match in what was supposed to be a showcase of what fans should expect from these top Superstars at Crown Jewel.
Corbin ensured that Reigns could not get involved in the match, but The Big Dog was too determined to keep away from the match.
All six men delivered a great performance, and Shorty G and Cesaro, in particular, got some top spots to shine. This could result in some good matches between the two men in the future.
The creatives booked the match right, and Ali scored the pinfall victory over Cesaro to emerge victoriously for his team. As Cesaro is not part of the 5-on-5 match for the event and will be battling Mansoor instead, it was the right call to make him take the pin for the greater good.
Ali’s rise should begin once again, and we could see him score the final pin for his team at Crown Jewel in front of a familiar crowd.
The entire match worked well with the top Superstars of SmackDown in the main event.
