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Beck Lesnar was scheduled to show up on WWE SmackDown this week. The Beast Incarnate returned at SummerSlam to confront Roman Reigns after his Universal Championship match. Fans could not wait to see what Lesnar would do on Friday night.
Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair were also scheduled for a major segment on the show. The two women were set to come face-to-face for a contract signing segment before their SmackDown Women’s Championship match at WWE Extreme Rules.
Sami Zayn introduced a special guest, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, to a chorus of boos on Friday night. Fans watched a 10-man tag team match take place soon after where Young tried to interfere.
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The biggest match scheduled for the night took place between Edge and Seth Rollins. Meanwhile, The Usos were also ready to face The Street Profits at the Madison Square Garden.
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The night did not end too well for Roman Reigns as he came face-to-face with a different kind of opponent. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5. Brock Lesnar wrecked The Bloodline on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown kicked off with the arrival of Paul Heyman, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, and Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Reigns targeted the WWE Universe right away and demanded that New York City acknowledge him.
NYC erupted into chants of “Roman!” before Brock Lesnar’s music hit the PA. The Beast Incarnate made his first appearance since WWE SummerSlam and immediately got in Roman Reigns’ face again.
He cut Paul Heyman off and asked him why he didn’t tell Roman that The Beast Incarnate was going to appear at SummerSlam. Heyman was shellshocked when Reigns decided to leave his special counsel and exit the ring.
Lesnar backed Heyman into the ropes and demanded him to accept his challenge before getting fired by the Universal Champion. Heyman hesitated and came close to taking an F-5 from The Beast Incarnate.
Reigns made the save with a Superman Punch but Brock caught him in midflight. The Usos tried to make the save but Lesnar flattened them. The segment ended with Lesnar standing tall in the middle of the ring.
SmackDown did a phenomenal job with the opening segment this Friday night. Lesnar played his role perfectly well, and it looks like he will be a babyface going forward.
Meanwhile, tension and drama will help form cracks between The Bloodline. No one was able to undo Brock Lesnar on SmackDown, and he has already left a mark on the Universal Champion.
#4. Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair signed on the dotted line on WWE SmackDown
Bianca Belair came out to Madison Square Garden to sign a contract for her WWE Extreme Rules match against SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.
Lynch came out to a huge pop wearing a rather flashy coat for the segment. The Man targeted Belair and asked what would happen if she did not sign the contract. She built more heat towards her character before reminding fans that they wanted her to return when she was at home.
The Man said she left her baby girl to come back for them before signing on the dotted line. She threw the contract back at The EST and left the ring with her SmackDown Women’s Championship.
The segment was short and to the point. There were no brawls or anything of that sort to make things predictable. Lynch played her heel character well and was great on the mic again.
She hasn’t lost her touch even though she was away from the ring for over a year. Meanwhile, Belair seemed unfazed. The Man’s heel turn could open the doors to some interesting rivalries on the Blue brand.
#3. Seth Rollins snapped against Edge on WWE SmackDown
Edge entered Madison Square Garden on WWE SmackDown for a match against Seth Rollins. Edge believed it could be his final time wrestling at MSG.
Rollins was looking to avenge his loss to Edge at WWE SummerSlam and went right at the Hall of Famer. Edge fought back and tried to pick up another victory over The Drip King. He hit a Pedigree for a two-count.
Soon after, Edge trapped Rollins in a cross-face but he made it to the ropes to force a break. Rollins tried for the stomp but Edge countered with a sit-out powerbomb but could not put him away. A Spear followed but yielded the same result.
The Drip King caught Edge with a low bow, followed by a Superkick. He kept hitting the WWE Hall of Famer and earned the victory with a Stomp. Paramedics had to take The Rated-R Superstar away on a stretcher following the contest.
The match was good and the outcome could lead to another match between the two SmackDown Superstars at Extreme Rules. However, it looks like Edge will be going away for some time as he was stretchered out of the arena.
It’ll be interesting to see what Rollins plans to do next since the Universal Championship scene is already very crowded on SmackDown.
#2. Roman Reigns’ protected The Usos from a loss on WWE SmackDown
The Usos defended their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Street Profits at the Madison Square Garden. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins started off well, but Jimmy and Jey fought back with ease.
The Street Profits wiped out their opponents and started gaining some momentum. Montez Ford lost his shoe in the chaos but continued to fight on. He hit a beautiful neckbreaker against Jimmy but could only earn a two-count.
Chants of “one shoe” filled the arena as The Street Profits began to rally. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship halted their momentum after Jey hit Dawkins with a Superkick.
A couple more Superkicks, followed by a Uso splash, could still not earn the brothers a victory. Roman Reigns did not seem pleased at how things were going down and watched on from ringside.
Jimmy missed a Uso splash, allowing Ford to hit a mile-high frog splash of his own. The Street Profits nearly picked up the win before Reigns broke up the pin, applying the guillotine to Ford as the referee called for the bell.
The match was good and the ending was superb. WWE did well to show that Reigns had to save his cousins from losing the title. Fans expect to see Ford become a breakout singles star on SmackDown soon, and the ending could spark a solo run for the former tag team champion.
#1. “The Demon King” Finn Balor confronted Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown
After interfering in the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship match, Roman Reigns grabbed a microphone. The infuriated Universal Champion accepted Brock Lesnar’s challenge from earlier in the night.
Right then, the arena darkened, and “The Demon” Finn Balor made his iconic entry at Madison Square Garden. The SmackDown Superstar looked like a million dollars and entered the ring to confront Roman Reigns.
Reigns and Balor had a stare-down as the show came to a close. Balor lost his match against Reigns last week after The Usos attacked him. SmackDown had already hinted towards the return of The Demon King following the match.
Interestingly, the WWE creative team has decided to bring back Balor’s alter-ego. The SmackDown Superstar has never lost on the main roster while wearing face paint.
It will be interesting to see how the match between Balor and Reigns at WWE Extreme Rules turns out. After all, The Tribal Chief has to face Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel for the title.
Nonetheless, fans will have to wait and see if Roman Reigns will be able to defeat The Demon King without any help.
