'%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)
This week's edition of WWE SmackDown was okay at best. Considering that it was the go-home episode of WWE SmackDown before Extreme Rules, I have to say that it was a pretty weak effort, and such has been the case for a long time now.
It would be unfair to say that there was nothing good on the show, but I'll be honest...I had a tough time finding two 'bests' for this week's episode of SmackDown. And when this is the case right before a WWE pay-per-view, I wonder if the company has become a little complacent hoping that they have a captive audience on the WWE Network.
WWE SmackDown has been the better of the two shows since the pandemic began but this week's episode wasn't good at all, honestly.
#1 Best: Sasha Banks grabs a hold of the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
Sasha Banks and Bayley are the best things going on WWE SmackDown at the moment and second place isn't even close, to be quite honest with you. But, we all know that the ultimate dream match is one between Sasha Banks and Bayley, and the two dropped several hints of that in a very subtle manner on this week's episode of SmackDown.
Also, here's a shoutout to my colleague Alan Jose John, who pointed out that when the whole scuffle between Bayley and Nikki Cross happened in the backstage area and Alexa Bliss arrived with Sasha Banks to break the whole thing up, the latter held the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship tight.
If this isn't a clear indication that we are in for a fight between these two talented young women, I don't know what is, honestly.
I am torn as to whether I like Sasha Banks and Bayley together or want them to face each other.
#1 Worst: John Morrison has become an enhancement talent on WWE SmackDown right now
I get that every match needs a winner and a loser and also, that Braun Strowman needs to look strong on WWE SmackDown, heading into his big Extreme Rules match. I just don't think that John Morrison, who has not been treated like the star that he is since his return to WWE should be someone who's put into this role on SmackDown.
This has also been the case with his partner, The Miz, on WWE SmackDown. It is okay for them to lose, in my opinion at least, but at least put them in important SmackDown segments, WWE creative.
John Morrison was a World Champion in Impact Wrestling and a top star wherever else he was before he arrived in WWE, and honestly, proved with The Miz, that he can go in the ring or on the microphone when required to be entertaining in a 'sports entertainment' way.
We never even got the fallout of the miscommunication between Morrison and Miz on WWE SmackDown, when they teamed up to face Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship.
#2 Best: The push for Lacey Evans on WWE SmackDown
It is nice to see WWE actually invest time and energy into building a heel on SmackDown and this is precisely what they are doing with Lacey Evans right now. I thought that Lacey is also coming into her own in a brilliant way, using Naomi's hair to pick up a massive win on WWE SmackDown this week. If people were curious about whether or not she is a full-blown heel, this week she proved how nasty she can be.
In the rare case that WWE needs an opponent for Nikki Cross if she becomes WWE SmackDown Women's Champion at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, Lacey Evans is ready, willing, and gable.
Evans was totally unprepared for the spotlight when she was thrust into it with the feud against Becky Lynch, but she has grown exponentially since then and in the absence of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, is perhaps the third most interesting superstar in the women's division of WWE SmackDown right now, after Sasha Banks and Bayley.
#2 Worst: Alexa Bliss brings the most disappointing mystery guest out on WWE SmackDown
There was a lot of hype with regard to who Alexa Bliss' mystery guest could be on WWE SmackDown and a lot of names were thrown about. In the following tweets, you can see two of my finest colleagues Gary Cassidy and Danny Hart pondering as to who the big mystery WWE guest could be. These two gentlemen were disappointed, of course, with how the action played out on SmackDown.
When Asuka came out, so much work that WWE had done to build her up in the right manner came undone on SmackDown in a matter of mere seconds. I mean here is a woman who got over on her own, regained her footing after losing her streak and her momentum, with the help of her immense charisma and she was greeted with groans from people across the world when the big reveal was shown to be her.
I have to say that this was one of the more disappointing WWE SmackDown segments I remember watching recently.
#3 Best/Worst: The main event match for the Intercontinental Championship on WWE SmackDown
Matt Riddle and AJ Styles are two of the best in the world and they had a solid match in the main event of WWE SmackDown this week. There was nothing wrong with it and one can even call it a good match, but somehow the whole idea of putting Matt Riddle in the spotlight did not sit well with me, considering that he lost clean on WWE SmackDown via rollup.
Again, I would have been okay with a rematch between the two men at the pay-per-view, but inserting King Corbin into the mix is not the best idea, in my view. No disrespect to the man, but King Corbin isn't the most exciting worker in the SmackDown roster and WWE should have chosen a different opponent, I believe.
Here's hoping that the two men prove me wrong. Also, to gear up for Extreme Rules, we have two fine men, Gary Cassidy and Jon Alba previewing the show for you, in the video linked above.
