5 things WWE got right on Smackdown Live this week

The rivalry between Raw and Smackdown Live may not be as intense as it was when WWE first introduced the brand split back in the day, but it never stops fans from comparing each brand to one another. As the performances of superstars, the freshness of the matches booked, and the entertainment factor in each brand is still important to the WWE Universe out there.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Smackdown Live may have edged out Raw this week for the brand that booked the best go home show, as the booking of this episode was explosive enough to keep fans guessing for the matches at the pay-per-view.

And while Raw brought the firepower this week with some really risky decisions like replacing Becky Lynch in the Raw Women's Title match, Dean Ambrose essentially turning babyface and the decision to put the Raw Tag Team Titles on The Revival, there was still cracks in their episode.

Smackdown Live's creative team, on the other hand, had scaled down their show to the foundation, which allowed them to present a program that didn't have to rely on big booking decisions, but it gave fans what they just want to see, and that is wrestling with all its weekly spectacle.

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#1 Charlotte Shuts Down The WWE Universe

She is the best for a reason.

People hate Charlotte Flair for her position in the company, for her push over other 'deserving' superstars, and they hate her for the number of title shots she gets without earning it.

And you know what, that is what makes Charlotte the best heel in the company, and while that might anger certain fans, that is the truth. Charlotte Flair is the best wrestler in the women's division, the best at being a heel and possibly the best champion in the new era of women's wrestling.

And after WWE announced that Charlotte would replace Becky Lynch in the Raw Women's Title picture on Raw, fans all over the world have rebelled against that decision, as they wanted this to be Becky's time to shine.

While the truth is that the Raw Women's Title match should have just been between Becky and Ronda Rousey, Charlotte's insertion is just genius as it is a wonderful misdirection which will make Becky eventual triumph much more entertaining to watch.

And this week on Smackdown Live, Charlotte made sure to rub it in fans faces that their hero Becky won't be able to fulfil her dream as she is just not Wrestlemania main event worthy, which is why Mr. McMahon replaced her with Charlotte.

This promo was excellent follow up to the announcement on Raw, as Charlotte really showed her ability as a top tier superstar by destroying the fans. And if you think the fans aren't that angry at Flair's remarks, just take a look at the likes/dislike ratio on YouTube, and then realize that Charlotte is doing her job right, and WWE is booking this programme with a plan in mind.

#2 The Usos Still Got It

The Usos still spit fire on the mic.

The entire Shane McMahon/Miz storyline is the worst thing on Smackdown Live, and while there is a lot of fans that love the Miz being a babyface and Shane being his partner that supports him to gain his father's respect, it's all just too much of an unnecessary narrative that WWE has crafted.

This narrative with Shane McMahon and The Miz has destroyed the years of heat Miz has worked so hard to build, and why WWE would do something like that, well, who knows?

But one thing positive that came out fo this feud was the insertion of The Usos in the Smackdown Live Tag Team Title picture, as Jimmy and Jey are too good to be sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. In fact, WWE should have drafted them to Raw a long time ago; maybe they could have saved that tag team division.

Nevertheless, The Usos are back in action, and one of the things they do so well is build up a narrative in one segment, as the mic skills of Jimmy and Jey are just immaculate at this point in their career, and on Smackdown Live they brought the heat.

While this segment was not anything classic, it did hype up the match between The Usos and the team of Miz and McMahon. Even when this segment went off the rails at a few times as these two teams were bickering nonstop, it was during a few times in this segment The Usos really touched on some crucial points that created a narrative for this match.

And that was the claim of Shane and Miz calling themselves the best tag team in the world, The Usos took offence to that claim by the new Tag Team Champions, and laid them out with two huge superkicks. This was not intricate booking by any means, but it was effective in getting the job done.

#3 Mustafa Ali Is The New Ultimate Underdog

This man plays his role perfectly.

The most unfortunate thing happened last week on Smackdown Live when Mustafa Ali was injured in his match with Randy Orton. It all occurred when Orton's patterned kicks mistakenly caught him in the eye, this was terrible news for Ali fans and wrestling fans in general, as we all wanted to see the highflyer inside the Elimination Chamber.

But some things are not meant to be, as Ali was pulled from the match by WWE due to this injury, and was replaced by veteran Kofi Kingston. While this may seem like a significant detour on Ali's push, it could be positive in some shape or form for him.

Ali is one of the best pure babyfaces on Smackdown Live right now, no wrestling fan out there can hate this man, as there is seriously no reason to. Ali is an excellent in-ring worker, exciting to watch and a man that bears his emotion to the world in promos at times. Ali is a babyface miracle at a time when WWE can't get fans to cheer anyone without someone being cynical, and that makes him a real star in the making.

Ali's promo on Smackdown Live this week showed fans his disappointment, but also his determination to get back in the ring and fight for the opportunities that have eluded him. WWE has something special here with Ali, and hopefully, they don't mess it up, cause so far they have done a splendid job.

#4 Kofi At His Peak

This man is just exceptional.

Say what you want about the silliness of The New Day, and how pathetic they are portrayed these days, but one can't argue with the ability, presence, charisma of one man in that group and that is Kofi Kingston. Now just because Kofi lasted one hour in the gauntlet match to determine who would enter last in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match, means that he is 'now' a great competitor.

No, the truth is that Kofi was ALWAYS an exceptional wrestler, from his days as a surfing loving Jamaican to his days in makeshift tag teams, this is a man that is possibly the most underrated star in the WWE for such a long time. And while we see WWE use him properly on certain occasions, he should be getting a push that could see him ascend the ranks of WWE.

Moreover, Kingston performance in this match was really entertaining, as some the battles he had in there with Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles showcased his ability as a performer to sell emotion to a crowd. While he may not win the WWE TItle at the Elimination Chamber, at least we got to see the best Kofi this week on Smackdown Live.

#5 The Perfect Finish

Just give us an RKO and wrap up the show.

Randy Orton will undoubtedly go down as one the greatest wrestlers to ever step into a ring, as everything Orton did during his career is regarded as legendary to fans right now, as the viper has entered a stage in his career where he is too respected to be hated.

Even though Orton had done some outstanding work as a heel when he battled Jeff Hardy, fans just enjoyed Orton for his perfect characterization than actually hating the man. That is why when Orton won the right to enter the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match last; fans weren't angry that he did very little achieve that, cause it fit his character perfectly.

Orton literally came out of nowhere to RKO the hell out of AJ Styles to pick up the easiest victory of the year; this was the perfect ending to the well-structured match. And while some fans out there would that this match was just a carbon copy of the gauntlet match on Raw last year, the truth is that Smackdown did it better.

The main issue with Raw's famous gauntlet match was that it was pointless, as there was no real goal to be achieved in that two-hour long bout, while Smackdown Live's version solved that issue by creating stakes for this match. So from Kofi's exceptional performance to Orton using his intelligence to pick up an easy win, WWE did a great job with this finish, which capped off a rather good episode of Smackdown Live.