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From The Undertaker's tribute, to a creepy promo from the Universal Champion, Braun Strowman, this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
I don't really think you can rank this particular episode among WWE's normal weekly content, since last night's SmackDown wasn't really a two-hour show when it came to storylines heading into Extreme Rules.
As you may have heard, a lot of airtime was dedicated to WWE paying tribute to The Undertaker, and as a result, a lot of major stars were missing from this episode.
Which show did you like better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (June 26, 2020).
#5: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura broke into an impromptu brawl with The New Day during 8-Man Tag Team action
With The Forgotten Sons being "forgotten" from WWE TV, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura have received a unique opportunity here.
Last week, Cesaro expressed his frustrations of being overlooked in WWE for far too long. That is somewhat true, as you hear stories about Cesaro being one of the strongest men in WWE today. However, The Swiss Cyborg's physical attributes haven't landed him a huge storyline in recent memory.
This week, an 8-Man Tag Team match saw The New Day and Lucha House Party teaming up to fight The Miz, John Morrison, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura. Lucha House Party picked up an unexpected win when they wiped out Miz & Morrison for the victory.
Meanwhile, Kofi & Big E's brawl against Cesaro & Nakamura escalated to a point where their mid-match brawl headed backstage immediately. If The Lucha House Party are in for a push, then it makes things interesting for Cesaro & Nakamura's current feud with The New Day.
Whatever the case may be, we all know that Johnny Drip Drip & MC MIZ are the most charismatic duo on WWE SmackDown.
#4: The Undertaker's tribute show stretched over the night as WWE replayed The Boneyard Match
By now, its public knowledge that The Boneyard Match ended up being an amazing feat which was showered with unanimous praise from WWE critics.
If you have been following WWE over recent months, then one of the biggest news stories has been revolving around The Last Ride documentary, which for the time being, will go down in history as the final chapter of The Undertaker's WWE career.
With major stars like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Otis & Mandy Rose missing from this week's WWE SmackDown, the show was centred around The Undertaker's legacy.
Legends and Hall-of-Famers chimed in with their thoughts on what makes The Undertaker a unique icon, and The Boneyard Match was played in parts throughout the first half of this episode.
You would think that this tribute should have been the biggest news story from last night's SmackDown, but it only amplified the things we already know about The Undertaker from WWE Network's The Last Ride docuseries.
So, go ahead and watch that amazing show on WWE Network, as we move forward to more current angles from this week's SmackDown episode.
#3: Jeff Hardy and King Corbin fought over The Undertaker's legacy
It was inevitable that a heel would riot over The Undertaker's tribute on last night's WWE SmackDown, and that person just happened to King Corbin.
He is the perfect candidate for this job since everything about Corbin is the very definition of being unlikeable, and that objective is very easy for him to accomplish as well. In short, King Corbin is quite good at his job.
However, calling The Undertaker someone who has been stealing the spotlight from younger, faster, and more athletic big men surely cost him later in the night. Jeff Hardy then, successfully defended The Phenom's legacy against one King Corbin.
The ending to this week's WWE SmackDown encapsulated the meaning of paying tribute to one of the biggest icons of this industry. After Hardy defeated Corbin, several other WWE Superstars joined in and attacked Corbin, as The Charismatic Enigma posed in front of a picture of The Undertaker to close out the show.
This felt like a "one night only" situation, where an impromptu match grew out of the main premise of this week's WWE SmackDown.
#2: Nikki Cross became the #1 contender for Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship
Bayley and Sasha Banks joined the commentary team this week, and it continues to be one of the best aspects of WWE SmackDown at the moment.
It is a unique feat when a duo of heels are able to shut up a fellow heel commentator like Corey Graves.
The Role Models take over commentary whenever they are scheduled to do so, and that leaves Graves without anything to say, as Michael Cole tries to come back with unsuccessful jabs towards Bayley & Sasha every week.
Meanwhile, Nikki Cross, Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, and Dana Brooke wrestled in a fun and decent Fatal-4-Way match to determine the #1 contender for Bayley's SmackDown Women's Title at WWE Extreme Rules.
Cross prevailed as the victor, which added more to her impromptu push on WWE SmackDown. Yes, Cross isn't a new opponent for Bayley, but as I've said countless times before, all of these mini-feuds are most likely warmup storylines leading up to Sasha Banks' betrayal against Bayley.
With that being said, it's hard to believe that Nikki Cross will defeat Bayley for her title, but it should still be an engaging program on WWE Extreme Rules.
#1: Braun Strowman challenged Bray Wyatt to a Wyatt Swamp Fight at "WWE Extreme Rules: Horror Show"
I don't know what are your thoughts on WWE branding Extreme Rules as a "Horror Show" this year, but it has become apparent that pay-per-view taglines, just like Backlash's "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" ad may become the new norm for WWE in 2020.
Unlike Backlash though, the tagline for Extreme Rules makes relatively better sense, as it looks like Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt are set to clash in a "Wyatt Swamp Fight" at WWE's upcoming pay-per-view.
To be clear, the Universal Title won't be on the line during this potential cinematic match, and that is exactly why Wyatt has a better chance at winning this contest.
We saw what happened to John Cena at WrestleMania 36, and Strowman may suffer the same fate at WWE Extreme Rules.
Apart from that, Strowman cut a creepy promo this week. Not only did he challenge Wyatt to the aforementioned fight, but WWE fans may have gotten a glimpse of what Strowman's character could be if Wyatt "changes" his personality in their upcoming clash.
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