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WWE's legacy is built upon larger-than-life moments, and this week's SmackDown reinforced that mentality towards the end of the episode.
Thanks to Roman Reigns' and Daniel Bryan's much-awaited high-stakes clash, WWE fans knew that this particular show had to be entertaining. This week's episode lived up to those expectations, even if its success can be mostly attributed to the main event.
While WWE SmackDown wasn't perfect from start to finish, it featured one of the best conclusions fans have seen in a while.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE SmackDown (April 30, 2021).
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#5 Roman Reigns banished Daniel Bryan from WWE SmackDown
Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan's saga came to an end, for now, on the latest edition of WWE SmackDown.
Reigns willingly put his Universal Championship on the line against Bryan, with the latter putting his entire SmackDown career at stake. Heading into this bout, Reigns seemed like the clear favorite. It's almost as if their latest clash was an inevitable descent into a hero's downfall.
Bryan's character shows a lot of heart, but The Tribal Chief has always been one step ahead of him in recent memory. This week, Paul Heyman encapsulated Bryan's achievements in an exhilarating manner, adding more anticipation to the main event contest.
Roman Reigns also debuted new entrance music, which captured The Tribal Chief's prideful nature as a top WWE star.
The Universal Championship match ended up being an excellent showcase of storytelling through action. Bryan just couldn't overcome Reigns' power and intensity, as Goliath (Reigns) beat David (Bryan) in this scenario — a realistic outcome.
According to the stipulation, Daniel Bryan will no longer be part of SmackDown. Although this opens several interesting possibilities for him, including a move to WWE RAW or NXT, Bryan had been a staple of the Blue brand for years. He certainly made an impact while being on SmackDown, and his departure from the show truly marks the end of an era.
Even in defeat, Bryan indirectly opened a new door for a deserving talent like Cesaro. After the main event, Roman Reigns attempted to brutalize his opponent, but Cesaro arrived to stop this from happening.
Unfortunately for The Swiss Superman, Jey Uso held him back and even forced him to witness Reigns hitting Bryan with a conchairto to end the episode.
Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns has to happen soon, and WWE seems to be building up to that encounter already. But first, The Swiss Superman must overcome Seth Rollins in singles action on next week's SmackDown.
Judging by recent events, Cesaro will likely defeat Rollins in their upcoming clash to solely focus on being Reigns' next challenger.
#4 Natalya and Tamina scored an important victory over the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
Natalya and Tamina have been pushed as the top contenders for Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler's WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. This week, Tamina and Natalya ambushed Jax and Baszler backstage to set up a non-title tag clash between the two teams for the first time since WrestleMania 37.
Despite Reginald's presence, the champions came up short in this encounter. Interestingly, Baszler recently urged Jax to get her head in the game and ignore all distractions. However, Baszler herself was pinned to a loss on behalf of her team during this week's WWE SmackDown.
Tamina and Natalya fall into the category of veteran teams similar to Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. It's always good to have them around, but WWE hasn't invested a lot of time to make audiences care for them. This is also a recurring problem across WWE's tag team divisions.
So even if Tamina and Natalya become the new champions one day, will they add anything new to the division as compared to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler?
#3 Bayley and Bianca Belair clashed in a mixed tag team match on WWE SmackDown
This week's WWE SmackDown kicked off with a promo from Bianca Belair. But she was cut off by SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode), followed by The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins).
Roode and Ziggler's feud with The Street Profits is still going on for some reason, and it has now become quite repetitive. To shake things up, Bayley entered the scene, which set up a six-person tag team contest.
Bayley teamed up with Roode and Ziggler, but the trio could not overcome Belair and The Street Profits. The match itself turned out to be an entertaining opener, as Roode was successfully pinned at the end of the match.
Clearly, this decision was made to build towards another SmackDown Tag Team Championship contest pitting Roode and Ziggler against The Street Profits. At this point, WWE fans want to see a fresh feud for The Dirty Dawgs.
Later in the episode, Rey Mysterio mentioned the possibility of him and Dominik possibly becoming the first father-son duo to win the tag team titles. WWE could be saving this outcome for a bigger stage in the future.
Meanwhile, Bayley and Bianca Belair's feud was not the main focus of this week's show. However, Bayley's strengths as a character are truly showcased in segments, which should be the direction for her current feud with Belair on WWE SmackDown.
#2 Aleister Black delivered another cryptic promo on WWE SmackDown
Aleister Black returned to WWE last week and read the first chapter from a storybook titled "Tales of the Dark Father." During the latest edition of WWE SmackDown, Black narrated the second chapter from the book.
"Chapter Two: Reality" revolved around how people look at him and make assumptions because that is the true nature of man. The story once again connected to Aleister Black's father and the character's general dislike for WWE fans.
While these cryptic vignettes are certainly intriguing, there is a hint of vagueness to Black's promos. In comparison, Bray Wyatt's Firefly Fun House segments also include abstract elements, but viewers have a good idea of what he is trying to suggest on WWE television.
But at this stage, it's unclear how Aleister Black's "tales" will eventually connect to his in-ring return. His new approach in WWE hasn't lost its charm yet. But then again, Black has only delivered two promos since resurfacing in WWE, so it's too early to judge his gimmick at the moment.
#1 The WWE Intercontinental Championship scenario could lead to a Fatal-Four-Way showdown
In addition to Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan's Universal Championship clash, WWE SmackDown also included an Intercontinental Championship match between Big E and Apollo Crews.
But their hard-hitting WrestleMania rematch ended unceremoniously, thanks to Crews' bodyguard, Commander Azeez. Just when Big E was about to potentially win the bout, Azeez interfered to cause a disqualification. Additionally, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn got involved in this situation to kickstart a brawl.
There was a moment when Zayn teased to pursue the Intercontinental Championship once again, but Azeez eventually knocked him down.
Perhaps this particular booking decision could pay off in the form of a Fatal-Four-Way contest between Apollo Crews, Big E, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. After all, Owens now has a problem with Azeez, and Zayn would want another shot at the Intercontinental Championship, judging by what happened on WWE SmackDown.
This seems like an efficient way to combine pre-existing feuds into one big melee revolving around the Intercontinental title.
Do catch the latest edition of 'Smack Talk' in the video linked above, as the legendary Dutch Mantell joins Rick Ucchino and Sid Pullar III (SP3) to recap this week's WWE SmackDown.
