'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Even though WWE SmackDown has been the better of the two shows over the last few months, by a fair margin, one has to believe that this episode was even better than the usual fare that the company treats us to.
There were hardly any weak moments across WWE SmackDown and yes, while RAW had its fair share of legends, its two-hour contemporary put on a better show without the help of anyone but members of the active roster.
There was hardly a 'Worst' in this week's edition of WWE SmackDown. It's a show that revolves around an indestructible bad guy, but so have great franchises such as The Boys (Homelander) and The Avengers (Thanos).
Whoever eventually dethrones Roman Reigns, in his current avatar, will get the biggest rub ever.
#1 Best: Major face turn for WWE SmackDown Superstar, Shinsuke Nakamura
Let's look at everything that was achieved on WWE SmackDown with Roman Reigns as the primary antagonist on this week's episode. Not only was a match between him and Adam Pearce, who comes into the contest as the clear underdog set up on this week's show; but another feud was also set up for the future.
Shinsuke Nakamura had an iron-man performance during the Gauntlet match in the main event. But what's more important is that he turned babyface during the course of the contest, and can potentially go up against Roman Reigns at a later date, when the time is right.
Fans of WWE SmackDown have wanted this version of Shinsuke Nakamura to emerge for the longest time. As good as his tag team with Cesaro was, one has to believe that this is the best way forward for the talented WWE SmackDown Superstar.
Could he be the man to eventually dethrone Reigns?
#1 Worst: No women's matches on WWE SmackDown this week
Even though there was a pretty cool promo from Carmella on WWE SmackDown, it was pretty strange that there was no women's match at all during the show.
One has to understand that there is a time restraint when it comes to a two-hour long show as opposed to a three-hour one, but not having women competing at all on the card just feels very surprising. It just speaks volumes about the lack of depth in the WWE SmackDown Women's Division right now.
Carmella and Sasha Banks are facing each other again, in the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship picture, and one assumes that Bianca Belair and Bayley are the only ones waiting in the wings.
WWE SmackDown desperately needs some fresh blood and one has to believe that Rhea Ripley's arrival, whenever it happens, could be the missing ingredient. From Natalya to Billie Kay to Liv Morgan to Ruby Riott, nobody else has been booked to look like a top star in quite some time.
#2 Best: Apollo Crews loses on WWE SmackDown, but still looks like a major star
Something about the presentation on WWE SmackDown just felt different all through the night. It was definitely a lot more dramatic than usual, with a lot of classic television tricks. One such example is when it seemed, for a split second that Apollo Crews had become the brand new WWE Intercontinental Champion, as WWE SmackDown went into a break.
One of the major issues with Apollo Crews has always been his lack of personality. Everyone knows the incredible ability of the WWE SmackDown star in the ring, but that's all he has been, through his WWE tenure. Thankfully, this week, Crews showed a whole bunch of personality when he slapped Big E across the face during the match.
Yes, this was the episode when Shinsuke Nakamura reminded us what he can do, but it was also a great week for Apollo Crews, who showed more personality this one match than he has through his entire feud with The Hurt Business.
#2 Worst: Sami Zayn's fall from grace in the WWE SmackDown pecking order is unfortunate
It is impossible to dispute that Sami Zayn has been one of WWE SmackDown's MVPs, doing comedy when it is required of him and also becoming deadly serious when it is necessary.
Even though it's very easy to say that Sami Zayn got buried during the WWE SmackDown gauntlet match, if you consider the way that he was eliminated, we know that this is not the case at all. Losing to Rey Mysterio doesn't mean that he is buried, and yet every Sami Zayn fan must feel a sense of discontentment. There is just something about the way in which the young man is booked, that just screams 'injustice'.
Maybe the good folks in the WWE SmackDown creative team do it deliberately, especially if you consider that a persecution complex is part of Zayn's gimmick. However, once he takes far too many pins, he will not be taken seriously anymore. There's a big chance of that happening with Zayn.
#3 Best/Worst: Brand new WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions are crowned this week
Even though there was a change in the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships during the course of this week's show, this reviewer feels absolutely nothing about the same.
And this is the consequence of the lack of storytelling that has existed in the WWE SmackDown Tag Team division for a really long time now. Sure, the Dirty Dawgs won the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships, but why should we hate them when they haven't done anything dastardly like Roman Reigns has?
Maybe a babyface team like Otis and Chad Gable can now get involved in the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture. Or maybe The Street Profits have to figure out a way to get back in the hunt once again.
Do check out what Rick and Denise have to say about WWE SmackDown this week, by clicking on the link above.
Feel free to leave a comment in this article or in the YouTube chat and let us know what you thought about this week's show.
