5 Things WWE Subtly told us on SmackDown: Two-time world champion to return sooner than expected, Popular heel to become champion soon?

Welcome to the things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown during the January 7 edition. It was the first episode of SmackDown in 2022 and the first since the Day 1 pay-per-view.

The most highly-anticipated part of the night was the confrontation between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and newly-crowned WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

While that started the episode, it ended with an epic street fight with a title on the line. Here's what WWE subtly told us in a great episode of SmackDown:

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#5. Is WWE putting too much emphasis on Drew McIntyre's injury on SmackDown?

Drew McIntyre started the year well with a victory over Madcap Moss at WWE Day 1. Following that, it seemed like Baron Corbin would be his next target, but that wasn't the case.

Instead, both Moss and Corbin attacked Drew McIntyre and wrote him out of WWE TV, with the company revealing that he suffered a "cervical neck strain with severe contusions."

Mike Johnson of PWInsider then reported that Drew McIntyre has been dealing with legitimate neck issues:

"The word backstage is that the angle was brought about by some legitimate neck issues McIntyre has been dealing with of late (at least several weeks), necessitating him needing to undergo medical testing. So, WWE wrote him out of storylines with the attack to be proactive about the situation."

WWE put a lot of emphasis on the injury on SmackDown, where Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss mocked him in an episode of Happy Talk. While the former teased McIntyre's presence on SmackDown, Moss came out dressed as The Scotsman, taunting him with an accent imitation.

The amount of emphasis that WWE put on McIntyre's injury leads us to believe that it is, in fact, a short-term injury. While there were reports that the company hoped McIntyre would be back on time for WrestleMania, he could be back even sooner - hopefully, to conclude his feud with Happy Corbin and then move on to bigger things.

#4. The bizarre handling of Sami Zayn on SmackDown and the possibly even-more bizarre aftermath

Sami Zayn faced Rick Boogs on WWE SmackDown this week. Given that Sami Zayn is the new number one contender to the Intercontinental Championship, it makes sense that WWE wanted to extend the feud by having Zayn face the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura's sidekick.

While the expected result was a win for Sami Zayn, the outcome turned out to be the complete opposite. The Great Liberator lost to Rick Boogs, who seems to be getting protected for some reason.

Either way, this would lead many to conclude that WWE has no intention of Sami Zayn winning the title. However, given that he reportedly re-signed with the company recently and has been doing great work, he might just get rewarded with a third Intercontinental championship reign.

The loss to Rick Boogs was perhaps WWE's way of throwing fans off. We can only hope that Sami Zayn wins the Intercontinental Championship and defends it on pay-per-view (or premium live events) for the first time since WrestleMania 37.

#3. What is the status of Charlotte Flair and the SmackDown Women's Championship?

SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair came out proud after her successful title defense against now-former WWE Superstar Toni Storm.

The Queen showed the women's Royal Rumble video package, featuring seven returning stars, including the Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James.

What was also surprising was that Flair declared herself into the match despite being the SmackDown Women's Champion herself. For those who are unaware, in this particular scenario, if Flair wins the Rumble, then she will get to choose who challenges her at WrestleMania.

Naomi came out to confront her, leading to a match that she should have won by count-out. However, to no surprise, Sonya Deville said that it was a no count-out, no disqualification match and put every obstacle possible to ensure that the former champion lost.

Naomi's loss doesn't mark the end of her SmackDown Women's title pursuits. However, it means that she will likely keep challenging on the road to WrestleMania. For the 2-time SmackDown Women's Champion, all roads will lead to a bout against Sonya Deville.

#2. The Usos to move on after retaining the SmackDown Tag Team titles again

The Usos and The New Day faced off in a street fight match for the SmackDown Tag Team titles. It looks like WWE had nothing else going on because they repeated The Usos vs. The New Day again and again.

Many fans are getting tired of the repetitive nature of the feud between The Usos and The New Day. They still don't have bad matches, but even with their epic street fight to headline SmackDown, it felt as though WWE was overdoing the rivalry.

However, The Usos' victory means that the rivalry is now done for good. We're not sure when they will face off next, but hopefully, it doesn't happen until 2024, at the very least.

WWE should ideally keep the two teams apart by brand, although they couldn't this year because they needed The Usos to be with Roman Reigns on SmackDown, and they required Big E to be separate from The New Day on RAW.

#1. Roman Reigns' road to WrestleMania on SmackDown is filled with twists and turns

Less than a week after Day 1, where he pulled out, Roman Reigns returned to SmackDown. Earlier this week, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar refused to acknowledge Bobby Lashley on RAW, simply stating that he would meet Roman Reigns on SmackDown.

Roman Reigns opened the show and was soon confronted by Brock Lesnar, who demanded an acknowledgment. Interestingly, during the back-and-forth between them, Paul Heyman told Lesnar not to talk to Reigns the way he was, and the latter did the same, telling him, "don't talk to him [Heyman] like that."

This instantly cast doubts over Paul Heyman's loyalty - something that was constantly in question during his time with Roman Reigns. He still seems to remain grateful for what The Tribal Chief provided him. Ultimately, this was an unintentional distraction as Roman Reigns hit the Superman punch to get one up on The Beast Incarnate.

All roads seem to be heading towards a champion vs. champion match at WrestleMania. Unless Bobby Lashley dethrones Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, this is the way things stand.

Speaking of the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns heard a familiar knock on his door at the end of the show. It was RAW's Seth Rollins, indicating that he was the man Adam Pearce selected to be his challenger at the upcoming event.