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After a week filled with some great stories and matches on RAW and NXT, SmackDown delivered a rather good episode that built towards the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
This week’s show looked to crown two final members from the Blue brand who would compete in the Money in the Ladder matches next Sunday, as Otis took on Dolph Ziggler while Mandy Rose competed against Carmella.
Sheamus was out in the middle to make another big impact and teased a massive feud following his match. However, it was The Forgotten Sons who made the biggest impact of the night as they left a huge mark on the SmackDown tag team division by defeating the reigning Champions, The New Day, in a non-title match.
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Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt also engaged in a nice little segment that helped put their match over for the MITB pay-per-view.
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In this article, we will look at the 5 things that WWE got right on this week’s SmackDown.
#5 Sonya Deville’s build
Mandy Rose was looking to make an impact this week as she was set to take on Carmella for a chance to make it to the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match on 10th May.
Both women got a chance to show their skills and take the lead in the match before Carmella took the advantage with a big kick to the face.
Once Rose earned back the control of the match, her nemesis Sonya Deville arrived to make a big impact on the match. She reminded Rose and the WWE Universe that she had handed over her spot in last year’s match to Rose and even helped her out during the match but she still went on to lose.
Deville was ready to unload on Rose, but Carmella took the opportunity and picked up the victory over the distracted Superstar.
After the match was over, Deville finally hit the ring and beat down her former best friend. She threw her around the ringside area and into the announce table, finally flattening her out with the running knee.
This was the intense segment that was necessary to put over Deville as we’d been focusing on Rose for some time now. Deville has proven to be excellent on the mic and she is among the most improved Superstars in the ring. This storyline could finally help her get to the top of the SmackDown women’s division by the end of the year.
#4 A possible Sheamus vs Jeff Hardy program
Leon Ruff was Sheamus’ brand new unfortunate opponent as The Celtic Warrior continued his reign of terror over the enhancement talent of SmackDown. After he was done delivering the Brogue Kick to Ruff and picked up the victory, he once again made his way to the announce table where Michael Cole was seated.
Just then, a video package recapping Jeff Hardy’s career aired and pointed at the Superstar’s various achievements over the years. With Hardy’s return back to the ring imminent, Sheamus did not waste any time to remind Cole that he would be there once Hardy makes his return to the ring next week.
Sheamus has been stuck in squash matches much like Aleister Black was on RAW not too long ago. He needs to take on a prominent face on the Blue brand to come across as a real threat, and the returning Hardy could prove to be the perfect opponent for the Irish Superstar.
The two men will be looking to make their impact on the Blue brand as prominent veterans who could get in contention for the top title down the line, and this rivalry could do both men a world of good.
#3 Daniel Brayn’s strong showing
The night was kicked off by SmackDown’s biggest star, Daniel Bryan. Bryan was set to compete against King Corbin later on but first spoke about his love for wrestling and how it has enabled him to do things he has never done before.
He then took it upon himself to put over the unique Money in the Bank Ladder Match that will be held inside WWE’s Corporate Headquarters on May 10. The Planet’s Champion even took a dig at Vince McMahon for having dinosaur bones in his office, taking the fans on a whole new journey.
Afterward, Bryan spoke about how Drew Gulak was robbed of his opportunity by King Corbin, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Before the match between Bryan and Corbin could begin, The King arrived to verbally attack Bryan. Corbin also alluded to the fact that he was among those Superstars who failed to successfully cash-in the Money in the Bank contract.
The two had a good match in which we saw both men show their strengths. Bryan finally got the upper hand in the match and locked the Yes Lock on Corbin on top of a ladder. Corbin was closing in on tapping out but Nakamura and Cesaro arrived from nowhere to attack The Planet’s Champion to end the match and protect both Superstars from a clean loss.
This helped build both Superstars up for next Sunday’s big match and managed to put Bryan over big time as a favorite to win the match.
#2 The Firefly Fun House segment
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman made his way to the ring to cut a promo last night on SmackDown but he couldn’t say too much before he was interrupted. The latest edition of the Firefly Fun House, hosted by our very own Bray Wyatt, surprised Strowman during his promo.
Wyatt once again stated that Strowman was the Black Sheep who was brought into this world by Wyatt who considered himself to be the shepherd. Wyatt spoke about how his Black Sheep left him without any notice, and then all his other animals left him too.
The master of mind games claimed that he would come up with a happier ending this time around, and that would come after he defeats The Monster Among Men for the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank.
The mammoth Strowman did not seem afraid by Wyatt’s threats and called him out to the ring to face him. Instead, Wyatt waved goodbye and promised to see him soon.
This was another fantastic segment of The Firefly Fun House that built towards another major match with ample story.
Not only was it a great way to build up towards the match, but it also allowed the company to bring out Braun Strowman and make him speak as little as possible while making a case for him.
#1 The Forgotten Sons rise to the top
One of the biggest matches of the night saw the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The New Day compete in a non-title match against The Forgotten Sons. The Forgotten Sons recently moved from NXT to SmackDown, and their luck seems to have taken a turn as they’ve gotten much better bookings recently.
Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler from the faction took to the ring, while their leader Jaxson Ryker was present at ringside. The Miz and John Morrison, who were the previous Tag Team Champions, decided to join the commentary table.
Big E managed to take control of the match early as Blake and Cutler tried to find their footing against SmackDown’s best tag team. While the action was evenly matched, an attack on Big E from Ryker outside the ring proved to be the turning point. Cutler and Blake put away Kofi Kingston in the ring and picked up arguably the biggest win of their careers.
This was a good match that put the new team in the Tag Team titles contention straight away. Ryker sitting out another one was an interesting choice, as the company may be looking to push Ryker as a solo star while Cutler and Blake could take on the tag teams.
Michael Cole creating some differences between The A-Lister and the Shaman of Sexy was the most intriguing thing to have come out of the segment.
