5 things WWE SmackDown got right before Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns targets Seth Rollins; Sasha Banks returns

The final episode of WWE SmackDown before Royal Rumble had a few promising segments. Charlotte Flair came out to kick off the show, hyping the Women's Royal Rumble match.

Meanwhile, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins closed the show with an electric promo segment that took their rivalry to another level. Ridge Holland returned to the ring and teamed up with Sheamus.

Sonya Deville and Naomi finally took their rivalry to the ring and delivered a good match. The Usos had a verbal altercation with The Viking Raiders to elevate the SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs were victorious once again as they defeated the team of Jinder Mahal and Shanky. It looks like Nakamura and Sami Zayn will be kept away for some time before going head-to-head for the Intercontinental Championship.

Royal Rumble will likely be one of the biggest Premium Live Events of the year. Let's take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.

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#5. Sasha Banks returned to put the WWE SmackDown women's division on notice

Charlotte Flair kicked off WWE SmackDown and taunted fans right away. She bragged about her women's championship before turning her attention to the upcoming Royal Rumble match.

Shayna Baszler interrupted her and came face-to-face with The Queen. She threatened to snap the latter like a twig at the Premium Live Event.

Aliyah came out next to make her case, followed by Shotzi. All four women in the ring spoke about their chances in the match before Sasha Banks made her return to the show.

The Boss said she was ready to Rumble and take on all the women in the match to win it. She slapped the WWE SmackDown Women's Champion across the face before a brawl broke out between the women in the ring. Eliminations ensued, culminating with The Boss sending Flair to the floor.

WWE could have kept Banks' return a secret until the Rumble match. However, with Flair entering the contest as the champion, it's good to see someone who can realistically defeat her for the title back in the mix.

The Boss has a good chance of winning the 30-woman match on Saturday. She's now amongst the favorites to challenge Flair for the SmackDown Women's title next.

#4. Sheamus and Ridge Holland picked up a win on WWE SmackDown

Cesaro and Ricochet teamed up on WWE SmackDown to take on Ridge Holland and Sheamus again. The babyfaces got off to a good start, but the latter team bounced back soon after.

Cesaro went on a roll in the middle of the contest and took the fight to Sheamus. He teased a Cesaro Swing to his former tag team partner, but Holland entered the ring and headbutted the babyface.

The Bothercauser finished off Cesaro with the Northern Grit for the victory. Holland is a good competitor who is working well with Sheamus. The pairing can become a major threat in the tag team division.

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#3. Naomi finally got the better of Sonya Deville

Sonya Deville tried to order the referee to help her in the match against Naomi on the show. The two women finally got their match going, and the former didn’t show too much ring rust as she took the fight to the former SmackDown Women’s Champion.

The Pridefighter hit some excellent moves as she continued to roll ahead in the contest. The Glow finally delivered the Rear View and added a split-legged moonsault for the pinfall victory.

Deville did not seem too pleased with the referee’s refusal to help her and Naomi’s victory. She reappeared and entered herself in the Royal Rumble match.

It was good to see the two female superstars finally have a proper match. Deville looked good in the ring after a long time away. She will likely have a good spot with Naomi in the Rumble which will lead to more matches between the two superstars.

#2. Big E and Kofi Kingston teamed up again on WWE SmackDown

Big E and Kofi Kingston got together for a match against Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin on WWE SmackDown. The heels got the better of Kingston and worked him over for some time.

Big E got the hot tag and exploded into the match. He took down the heels before they made a comeback. New Day took back control late in the match and delivered some excellent spots. They ended the contest with the Midnight Hour for the win.

It was great to see Kofi and Big E team up again after a long time. They worked like clockwork and gave fans something great on Friday night. Xavier Woods is out with an injury, and WWE could look to keep Kofi and Big E together to take New Day forward.

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#1. Seth Rollins got the upper hand on WWE SmackDown

The Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his challenger Seth Rollins came face-to-face in an in-ring segment before WWE Royal Rumble. The latter took a shot at Reigns by bringing up their previous record.

From there, he brought up the chair shot that ended The Shield, to which The Tribal Chief's demeanor changed. Reigns brought up his hatred for Rollins for ending The Shield.

The Visionary got under Reigns' skin, after which The Head of the Table tried for the Superman Punch. Rollins evaded and laughed maniacally as the show came to an end.

No one has gotten to Reigns the way his former tag team partner has. The segment helped elevate the rivalry, and their match at Royal Rumble will be surely electric.