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This week's edition of SmackDown saw one of the all-time great returns - the WWE Universe. In the first show post-Thunderdome era, WWE came out with all guns blazing, starting with a six-man tag team match and ending with an incredible Fatal Four-way.
There was a lot in between, but we had to give a special shoutout to "downward spiraling" Baron Corbin, who has somehow been putting on the best character work of his career. Corbin is now in debt, completely broke, and could lose his house.
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While we're not sure if it's an attempt to make him a sympathetic babyface, the SmackDown crowd loved the sight of Kevin Owens giving him a stunner before the main event.
Here's what WWE subtly told us on SmackDown before Money in the Bank 2021.
#6 The Men's Money in the Bank build yielded some interesting results on SmackDown
This year's Men's Money in the Bank ladder match is stacked. Some argue this has been the best field since 2016. It's a nice mix of veterans and young superstars, and very few of the men competing have a legitimate chance of winning.
While Seth Rollins, a former Money in the Bank winner, could be a favorite, that may not be the case anymore. We're not just talking about his future rivalry with Edge, but we will get back to that later.
The main premise this week with the Men's Money in the Bank competitors was a match between the four participants from SmackDown. The Fatal-4-Way match headlined SmackDown, featuring Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens vs King Nakamura vs Big E.
That's a pay-per-view level main event, if any, and it delivered in a short but entertaining match. But before we get to the bout, we have to address a particular backstage segment on SmackDown this week.
When Paul Heyman was being interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton, it was none other than Big E who interfered, making a mockery out of the Special Counsel and Roman Reigns.
Now, Big E's separation from The New Day last year had intent behind it. It's been clear from the start that WWE wants to establish him as a future top superstar and he is currently on a good trajectory.
In this backstage segment, Big E confronted Paul Heyman and seemingly teased a future match with Roman Reigns.
Big E is expected to be a significant opponent for Roman Reigns in the future. But that's down the line. What isn't, is the Money in the Bank ladder match.
The main event was relatively short, but Seth Rollins emerged victorious after stomping Big E on a ladder. It was a brutal finish, seemingly confirming that Seth Rollins won't walk out as Mr. Money in the Bank again, while Big E's chances of winning have amplified significantly.
#5 Is a Cesaro-Otis feud necessary on SmackDown?
One of the unfortunate occurrences recently was Cesaro's quick loss of momentum on SmackDown. Cesaro has been one of SmackDown's best stars in 2021, going on a roll and even defeating Daniel Bryan numerous times.
It led to him finally headlining a pay-per-view and challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship - a match that he was never going to win. That's alright because it was viewed as a stepping stone for the Swiss Cyborg on SmackDown.
After the Edge-Seth Rollins rumors began to emerge, Cesaro's push on SmackDown was quickly withdrawn and he found himself on the losing end more often than not.
On the first SmackDown back with fans, Cesaro seemingly began a feud with Alpha Academy's Chad Gable and Otis. He was attacked backstage before his match with Otis - and even that ended in a disqualification. While Cesaro was mid-swing on SmackDown at Chad Gable's expense, Otis interfered once again.
Cesaro seems to have officially lost his big push on SmackDown after Edge's return and it's a bit unfortunate since he has been amazing this year. Hopefully, he can reinvigorate that momentum on SmackDown post-SummerSlam when part-time superstars like Edge presumably take a backseat.
#4 Finn Balor being on SmackDown is a great sign
Finn Balor is back on SmackDown and the WWE main roster after nearly two years. After the summer of 2019, when NXT officially became the third brand of WWE with its show on the USA Network, Finn Balor moved back to the black and gold brand.
Success was inevitable, with Finn Balor enjoying a solid second reign as the NXT Champion before Karrion Kross won back the title he never lost. But now that the crowds are back, so is Balor.
Sami Zayn expected the SmackDown crowd to be on his side, citing all the "conspiracies" against him. What he was met with wasn't just boos, but the returning Finn Balor.
Balor came back and took him out, making a big splash on SmackDown. It's a great first feud to have and we expect them to begin imminently next week on SmackDown. This could be the start of a big journey for the former Universal Champion.
Finn Balor being on SmackDown might even be better than a move to RAW. Why? Because the blue brand is the A-Show for WWE right now, which is why stars such as Roman Reigns, Edge, and Seth Rollins are on it.
WWE needs top-tier babyfaces on SmackDown and Finn Balor could be a legitimate challenger for Roman Reigns by the end of the year if the Tribal Chief hold on to the Universal Championship.
#3 Bianca Belair reigns supreme on SmackDown, but who's next?
SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair is a star and if you don't believe it, listen to the reaction she got on SmackDown last night. She has all the makings of a top athlete and in the first show back with crowds, she impressed.
Her SmackDown Women's title defense at Money in the Bank was canceled because of Bayley's injury. The Role Model is expected to be out for close to nine months.
Instead, WWE advanced the match to two days before Money in the Bank and former SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella competed for the title.
Carmella was never going to win and Bianca Belair disposed of her in an enjoyable match. But the big question is as to who is next for Belair heading into SummerSlam?
Although Sasha Banks was advertised for this week's SmackDown earlier, she didn't turn up. We expect her to return to restart her feud with Bianca Belair on SmackDown.
#2 The Women's Tag Team title picture picks up while Liv Morgan gains momentum on SmackDown
It looks like Shotzi Blackhart and Tegan Nox, the two newest SmackDown stars, will now simply go by the names "Shotzi" and "Nox". We're not sure why WWE does this, but they seem to shorten names for no reason.
Either way, the two fresh faces gained momentum on SmackDown with another big victory over the Women's Tag Team Champions. Of course, it should be mentioned that Zelina Vega and Liv Morgan were ringside sitting by the SmackDown announcer's desk.
Vega and Morgan got into a brawl ringside that directly impacted the outcome of the match, helping the babyfaces win. While we're not sure if SmackDown's Liv Morgan will win the Money in the Bank briefcase, she certainly is a favorite to get the job done on Sunday.
#1 Is Roman Reigns going to retain the Universal title after his humiliation on SmackDown?
This week on SmackDown, the opening match saw Edge, Rey Mysterio, and Dominik Mysterio team up to face Roman Reigns and The Usos. It was a short match when discounting the commercial breaks and the heels were victorious.
Jey Uso picked up the win after holding Rey Mysterio's tights. It was a bit of an underwhelming finish for the first SmackDown match with the live crowd, but the post-match chaos was more notable.
Edge managed to spear Roman Reigns outside the ring towards the end of the match. When Roman Reigns took a part of the steel chair to try and humiliate Edge, he received another spear and Edge put the rod in his mouth, making Roman Reigns tap out to his crossface submission.
The big question is as to whether he will be able to make Roman Reigns tap out again at Money in the Bank. The answer is most probably no. Given that WWE teased another Edge-Seth Rollins confrontation on SmackDown, it seems clear where the direction is headed.
Edge, as legendary as he is, won't be the man to carry SmackDown. That torch is rightfully being held by Roman Reigns, who continues to dominate the blue brand.
With Big E in the distant future and perhaps Finn Balor as a possible challenger, Roman Reigns' Universal Championship run continues to get more exciting on Smackdown.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
