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I have been accused, by many of those who choose to comment on my articles, of being far too negative about the current wrestling landscape, be it WWE RAW, SmackDown, or even AEW, for that matter. I have to say that I will have to continue in the same vein this week because it was hard to find anything positive at all to say about this week's episode of SmackDown.
It just seemed like WWE phoned it in on this week's show and it was also marred by the lack of top WWE stars from the SmackDown roster like Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt, who weren't on the show. AJ Styles did appear but only in a backstage segment, and it did not really do much for the entire episode.
So, let's dive straight into the heart of the action and talk about the 'Best and Worst' of WWE SmackDown this week.
#1 Best: Lacey Evans turns heel on WWE SmackDown
Honestly, this was the only real development on this week's episode of WWE SmackDown. Lacey Evans has become a heel once again, and while I thought that she was fantastic as a babyface in the glimpses that we saw of her on WWE SmackDown, it is likely that she will be just as good as a heel, going forward.
There are two real options for her, from taking Asuka on for the RAW Women's Championship to taking on Nikki Cross if she becomes the SmackDown Women's Champion at Extreme Rules. The clear sign at the moment is that WWE is high on her and this is why there has been a change in her character. She has the look that WWE is known to like and so, her future in the company could certainly be bright.
#1 Worst: The current Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy feud on WWE SmackDown - A possible AEW recreation?
Listen, I am not the only one to have drawn the parallels between the bar fight that was announced between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus at WWE Extreme Rules and the one that happened between Jake Hager and Hangman Page during the Stadium Stampede match in AEW. While there may be no more to it than mere fan speculation following SmackDown, I can't help but wonder if WWE did the right thing in booking a bar fight so soon after that memorable match.
There is a major overlap in the fans that watch WWE, be it RAW, SmackDown, or NXT and AEW and it is only natural that they would draw such a parallel. So whether it was intentional or not, I don't necessarily think that it was the wisest move. More worryingly, the Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy feud seems to be going nowhere at all, and I have to think that fans would much prefer to see these two fine Superstars in other feuds on SmackDown.
#2 Best: Sasha Banks and Bayley steal the show again on WWE SmackDown
Many had wondered if the women's division was doomed on WWE RAW and SmackDown with the departure of Becky Lynch and the injury to Charlotte Flair.
I have to say that it is stronger than ever because both brands have benefited from the presence of Sasha Banks and Bayley, who had another great showing on WWE SmackDown. The thing is that everything these two women do seems like a big deal because they are just that good and anyone who works with them, benefits, as a result of the same.
Nikki Cross seems more important than ever, even though she suffered a defeat on WWE SmackDown because she has been feuding with Sasha and Bayley, which only bodes well for the company in the long run.
And the same can be said for Asuka (yes, I know that this is a SmackDown review and that she's on the other WWE brand) who just seems a lot more relevant than ever while battling these two women.
#2 Worst: Replaying an entire match on WWE SmackDown from start to finish
How do you kill an already unexciting episode of WWE SmackDown? You replay an entire match from another pay-per-view, instead of building the participants in a big upcoming pay-per-view match at Extreme Rules in an interesting manner is how. The think tank at SmackDown could have chosen to extend the feud by telling interesting stories or even taken the effort to tease a cash-in from Otis, but those in the WWE creative team chose not to do so.
I really wonder if there is anyone at all in the current WWE SmackDown fanbase that likes to watch these pay-per-view match reruns because I think that chances are that anyone who has followed the Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman storyline until this point has already watched it.
If I was watching this week's edition of SmackDown as a fan, and if my job didn't depend on it, this would have been the point where I switched to another channel or even watched an old match on the WWE Network, that the company didn't handpick for me.
#3 Best/Worst: The WWE SmackDown main event
I genuinely thought that the match between The New Day and Cesaro/Nakamura on this week's edition of WWE SmackDown was a solid affair at the start. The New Day has worked with Cesaro on so many occasions now, that there is no chance that they can have a bad match at this point, and to our relief, it was a good contest on WWE SmackDown, all said and done.
The finish left a lot to be desired, in my opinion, at least. It is clear that the match only happened on SmackDown so that WWE could set up a title match with a stipulation at Extreme Rules, based on the gif that you can see above.
So, yeah, I had no issues with how the match began but how it eventually ended was questionable. How could WWE close out a SmackDown main event after an uneventful show in such a manner?
I'll tell you what wasn't uneventful, however...this Muhammad Hassan interview with Sportskeeda's Chris Featherstone, that you must check out.
