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The go-home episode of WWE SmackDown concluded by perfectly wrapping up the build to Clash at the Castle. It spotlighted stars who are booked on the card and delivered plenty of talking points heading to Cardiff, Wales.
Due to multiple superstars touching down in Europe this week, this week's episode of WWE SmackDown was pre-taped. But that didn't stop everyone involved from putting on a good show.
As always, the episode had some superstars who majorly won out and some who took a hit to their credibility. We look at some winners and losers from WWE SmackDown this week and analyze what went down.
#5. Winner from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown: Karrion Kross
WWE continued its fantastic booking of Karrion Kross by having him obliterate Drew Gulak on WWE SmackDown. His pre-match segment saw him send warnings to Gulak, Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns. Once the bell rang, he destroyed his opponent and picked up a dominant win.
Kross is very much a threat at the top of the division heading into Clash at the Castle. He and Scarlett Bordeaux could play a part in the world title match between Reigns and McIntyre. With time, options and momentum on his side, it is hard not to classify the former NXT Champion as a winner this week.
#4 Loser: Happy Corbin
Happy Corbin's downward spiral over the last couple of weeks has been an interesting watch. He has racked up many losses in that time and looks more and more frustrated in the ring. This week on WWE SmackDown, he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in a relatively quick match, continuing his run of embarrassing defeats.
Corbin is a quality heel who is extremely reliable. We are sure these losses are part of some bigger storyline. Until then, however, The Lone Wolf will probably continue to grace this 'loser' section. Guess he won't be too happy about that.
#3. Winner: Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey's feud with Adam Pearce kicked into another gear this week on WWE SmackDown. The two traded verbal barbs in a heated confrontation, and the ending saw her trap her boss in an armbar.
Rousey looked like a certified star in this segment, and that alone makes her worthy of our 'winner' tag. The only reason we are not putting Pearce into the 'loser' category is because his rant was brilliant and hit all the right notes.
The exclamation point of the whole thing was the authority figure calling The Baddest Woman on the Planet a "b***h," prompting her to attack him. Great stuff all around, and we hope the former UFC star is booked this way for a long time to come.
#2. Loser: The Bloodline
If you call yourself the greatest faction of all time, you arguably cannot be taken out by one man, even if he is Drew McIntyre. However, that's exactly what happened to The Bloodline this week on WWE SmackDown, as they were all on their backs by the end of the episode.
The Usos and Sami Zayn were focused on celebrating the two-year anniversary of Roman Reigns', um, reign as champion. McIntyre crashed the party early by kicking his head off the second he arrived.
He then annihilated Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and Zayn and declared The Bloodline torn apart and God Mode deactivated. Nothing but facts there, and that means this week, they were far from The Ones.
#1. Winner: Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre looks like a million bucks heading into WWE Clash at the Castle. Anyone who doubted his credibility as the No. 1 Contender was perhaps silenced by his actions on WWE SmackDown. He took out the entire Bloodline all by himself and strapped a rocket of momentum to his back ahead of his European conquest.
McIntyre began his night by kicking Roman Reigns' head into a car before he could even make his way to the ring. He then attacked his cronies and landed a huge dive onto them. The show came to an end as he vowed to be champion, which means he ticked all the boxes to become a 'winner' this week.
What did you make of SmackDown this week? Let us know in the comments section below.
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