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This week's SmackDown was fun for the most part, though certain developments were underwhelming. Daniel Bryan squared off against Jey Uso in a Steel Cage match with consequences for Fastlane. Royal Rumble 2021 winner Bianca Belair sparred against her former NXT rival Shayna Baszler.
Murphy unexpectedly returned to SmackDown this week, though his booking was puzzling. Apollo Crews continued to impress with his Nigerian Prince gimmick, while the new tag team of Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin struggled to work in cohesion.
Let's see the developments from this week's WWE SmackDown that got the WWE universe buzzing. Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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#5 Daniel Bryan defeats Jey Uso on SmackDown, will face Roman Reigns at Fastlane
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In the opening segment, Daniel Bryan delivered a fantastic promo. Bryan said the thought of Edge and Roman Reigns - who wrestled three matches combined in 2021 - main eventing WrestleMania and not him, is driving him insane.
Out came Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who said Bryan doesn't love wrestling but needs it as he has nothing else in his life. Before The Yes Man could retaliate, Jey Uso interrupted him to take some cheap shots. However, a re-energized Bryan took him down and had a staredown with Reigns to end the segment.
In the main event, Daniel Bryan won the grueling Steel Cage match against Jey Uso to get a shot at The Tribal Chief's title at Fastlane 2021. The bout was shorter than previous cage matches but was entertaining nonetheless.
It's hard to imagine WWE going ahead with a massive title change just before WrestleMania 37. But to Bryan's credit, he has made this rivalry feel big. With more than two weeks to go before Fastlane 2021, we can see Bryan confront Edge as well on SmackDown.
If nothing else, the interactions between The Rated-R Superstar and Bryan can set up a match between the two that can go down sometime after WrestleMania 37. Also, the Ultimate Opportunist Edge could interfere at Fastlane to cost Bryan the match so that the WrestleMania 37 match doesn't become a Triple Threat clash.
#4 Murphy returns to SmackDown, loses to Cesaro
Seth Rollins was being interviewed backstage about Cesaro's attack last week. However, he was soon distracted by his former disciple Murphy, who offered his help to The Messiah with his 'Cesaro Situation'.
Rollins was visibly angry after seeing Murphy and asked him to leave. It makes sense for Rollins to be hesitant with Murphy as the latter had betrayed him by aligning with the Mysterio Family a few months ago on SmackDown. However, was it necessary to revisit this association?
As fun as their team was back then, it ran out of steam, after which WWE pitted the two against each other. Later in the night, Cesaro defeated Murphy with relative ease. It was head-scratching to see his big return result in something like this.
After defeating The Messiah back in November 2020, Murphy returned here to be just a minor cog in the wheel in the main rivalry between Rollins and Cesaro. Though he might do better in weeks to come, today's developments were disappointing.
#3 Reginald is abandoned by both Sasha Banks and Carmella on SmackDown
Reginald had his worst night since arriving at SmackDown. First, he was fired by Carmella from being her Sommelier. Later, during the Bianca Belair vs Shayna Baszler match, his unnecessary involvement didn't please the SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks.
The Boss slapped him after the match in which Bianca came up victorious. Reginald went to apologize to Banks, but the champion was in no mood to forgive him. While walking out, he was stopped by Baszler and Nia Jax. While Baszler bullied him, Jax called him cute and walked away.
While this story on SmackDown is intriguing, the focal point of the show's women's division should be Banks and Bianca at the moment. Just last week, The EST made a huge announcement challenging Banks at WrestleMania 37, and today both she and The Boss were relegated to mere tools in Reginald's story.
Hopefully, this will culminate with him helping the tag team champions retain their titles at Fastlane. He should then take a backseat to let the women take center stage on the Road to WrestleMania 37.
#2 Apollo Crews is the best rising heel on SmackDown
Apollo Crews took his new gimmick on SmackDown a notch higher by carrying a spear and being accompanied by two soldiers. The former United States Champion again spoke about his Nigerian heritage and growing up in the USA. He came across as a true-blue military general with his cohorts standing behind him.
Crews is looking comfortable in his new character, and it seems like he has finally found his edge. After struggling to stand out due to a lack of a distinct character for years, Crews is now destined to succeed as the Nigerian Prince.
He also made his intentions clear of getting a shot at the Intercontinental Championship next week. While it's hard to imagine WWE halting Big E's push in favor of Crews, it wouldn't be ideal for the latter to lose when he has so much momentum on his side. It's a tricky situation, and it would be intriguing to see how things unfold on SmackDown next week.
#1 Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, and The Street Profits fall to 50-50 booking trope on SmackDown
In the case of a 50-50 booking trope on SmackDown, Baron Corbin first defeated Montez Ford, and then Angelo Dawkins defeated Sami Zayn. Corbin and Zayn had formed a tag team last week, after which they were defeated by The Street Profits in their first outing itself.
It was surprising to see Ford go down to The Lone Wolf in a matter of minutes, as he's pegged by many to be the eventual breakout star of the team, who's bound to have a fruitful singles career.
Zayn and Corbin are still struggling to be on the same page, as The Lone Wolf abandoned The Great Liberator midway through the match due to a misunderstanding. Post-match, Zayn took down one of his documentary cameramen in anger. WWE is taking a steady approach with Corbin and Zayn finding their touch together, and there's nothing wrong with it.
At a time when random tag teams are formed with zero explanation and start working as an experienced duo, it's good to see this new tandem slowly finding its groove on SmackDown.
