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This week’s episode of SmackDown Live was different from previous ones, as the brand marked its final show on Tuesday nights and the USA Network. The Blue Brand has been a Tuesday night staple since moving to the USA Network in 2016, but will move to Friday nights on FOX.
With all that in mind, this week’s edition of SmackDown Live seemed to serve as a developmental episode more than anything else. This is due to the show building toward several storylines that will be heavily featured in SmackDown's new Friday night on FOX era.
With Chad Gable proving why he’s getting a big push, to creative adding Becky Lynch to the top women’s storyline, to the continuation of the Roman Reigns/Erick Rowan feud, there was a lot WWE achieved on SmackDown this week.
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In this slideshow, we will take a look at the five things the company got right on this week’s episode and how it could impact the Blue Brand's top Superstars.
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#1 Gave Shinsuke Nakamura and Ali a good run
On last week’s SmackDown Live, the scheduled match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Ali never actually happened, as Nakamura delivered a Kinshasa to the babyface, knocking him out before a referee could make his way to the ring.
This week, the two came face to face once again and the match finally took place. After a great effort from both Superstars, Nakamura was able to pick up another victory over Ali. However, it was Sami Zayn who provided the distraction from ringside and pulled the WWE Intercontinental Champion out of the ring to avoid a 450 splash.
While Ali came up just short in the match, he may prove to be the biggest threat to the Intercontinental Championship in the weeks to come.
#2 Brought back the Kabuki Warriors
With such a talented women’s roster, it’s a shame that women like Asuka and Kairi Sane have been missing from weekly action. Sane and Asuka are arguably the company's greatest International stars and have teamed up as The Kabuki Warriors.
This week on SmackDown, the duo finally made their return against the team of Fire & Desire in a tag team match. After a good showing from the babyfaces, Asuka delivered a Codebreaker. 'The Pirate Princess' capitalized on the devastating maneuver to deliver the InSane Elbow for the win.
Since Fire & Desire were the only real threat to the Women’s Tag Team Championships, the comeback win for The Kabuki Warriors could finally give the team a legitimate chance to get more television time and compete for the gold.
#3 Allowed Carmella to submit and make a run for it
One of the biggest matches scheduled for USA Network's final SmackDown Live saw Charlotte Flair and Carmella team up to take on Sasha Banks and Bayley.
While the action was tight, the match wasn’t long enough to give all four women the spotlight they deserve on the Blue Brand. Carmella seemed more focused on her 24/7 Championship than the mega match and eventually submitted to the Banks Statement.
Right after the match, the 24/7 Champion escaped with assistance from R-Truth. With Carmella absent, the heels beat down Charlotte. This provided the perfect opportunity to bring back Becky Lynch to Charlotte’s aide.
The 24/7 Championship has allowed Carmella to avoid challenging for the SmackDown Women's Championship. This will work in Charlotte Flair's favor, as 'The Queen' may challenge for the title again at Hell in a Cell.
#4 Kept Chad Gable in the picture
It’s a pleasant surprise that Vince McMahon has started seeing promise in the young Chad Gable. Unlike most Superstars he pushes, Gable is not a large man. He is, however big on talent.
Gable’s great showing during the King of the Ring tournament took him to new heights as a solo competitor. His rivalry with Baron Corbin can make him a top Superstar in the coming months ahead.
What WWE did right on this week’s SmackDown Live is that they gave Gable another match on the Blue Brand, after his match against Corbin on RAW. This will continue his momentum and keep him relevant with the WWE Universe. That will make all the difference in the world with a big push coming his way.
The focus on Gable has been just right and he has managed to contend with so many different heels this past month that his potential as a babyface shines brightly.
#5 Gave the top non-title rivalry a great mouthpiece
WWE’s top non-title rivalry has been boiling over since Erick Rowan revealed himself as Roman Reigns’ mystery attacker. The two men fought in the only non-title match during Clash of Champions, which shows how much the rivalry means to creative.
With the addition of Luke Harper, the possibilities officially became endless with one caveat. Reigns, Harper, and Rowan are not known as top tier mic-men in the wrestling business and their inability to cut an inspiring and believable promo is limited.
Enter Daniel Bryan, who is not only one of the best wrestlers WWE has ever seen, but also one of the best talkers on television. Bryan emerged this week as a true babyface and although he came up short against Erick Rowan, proved to cut the perfect promo to take this storyline to the next level.
With a tag team match between the teams of Harper & Rowan and Roman & Bryan set for Hell in a Cell, all that’s missing is an all-out backstage brawl on FOX next week. Will it happen? Sound off in the comment section below.
