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WWE SmackDown kicked off after a successful Clash at the Castle event. Roman Reigns retained his title after some help from Karrion Kross and Solo Sikoa. Fans were waiting to see how Drew McIntyre would react after his loss at the Premium Live Event.
Liv Morgan outsmarted Shayna Baszler to retain her SmackDown Women’s Title at the event. A Fatal-5 Way Elimination Match was scheduled to take place at the show to determine Liv’s next challenger.
Meanwhile, Gunther retained his Intercontinental Championship after pinning Sheamus in the middle of the ring. The Ring General was looking to extend his dominance after the reunion of Imperium.
Braun Strowman’s return also shook up the WWE landscape, and he was advertised to make an appearance on the Blue brand. The creative team had a few surprises in store for its fans on Friday night.
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Check out the five things WWE SmackDown got right on this week’s show.
#5. Imperium and The Brawling Brutes put on a great show
Gunther and Sheamus put on an incredible show at Clash at the Castle. This week’s WWE SmackDown saw Imperium and The Brawling Brutes compete in a six-man tag team match.
Ridge Holland was isolated by Imperium early on, but he managed to tag in Butch. The former NXT UK Champion worked on Vinci’s small joints before Gunther made his way into the ring.
Butch was unable to make an impact on the Intercontinental Champion and took a few chops from The Ring General. Holland found himself isolated once again as he tried to keep control of the contest for his team.
Sheamus and Gunther had an entertaining exchange and it was clear that fans wanted to see them compete against each other once more.
The Celtic Warrior missed the Brogue Kick before getting into a brawl with Gunther. The match devolved into chaos and Butch took a brainbuster from Vinci in the ring. Vinci and Kaiser hit the Imperium Bomb on the superstar to pick up the win for their team.
It was great to see Imperium back together on SmackDown. The trio is among the best in the world, and fans can hope to see them take on The Bloodline in the months to come. Gunther is proving to be a dominant force on the Blue brand and the creative team should keep Imperium together for some time.
#4. Solo Sikoa officially joined The Bloodline on WWE SmackDown
The Usos and Sami Zayn came out on WWE SmackDown to address the fans. Zayn tried to speak but Jey Uso cut him off immediately. They talked about Roman Reigns’ monumental victory at Clash in the Castle.
Jimmy and Jey wasted little time in introducing Solo Sikoa to the WWE Universe. The former NXT superstar joined them in the ring and said that he was there to stay.
Drew McIntyre made his way to the middle with a steel chair in hand. He was about to take revenge on the man who cost him the match at Clash at the Castle, but Sami Zayn took the shot for him. The Usos made their way out as The Scottish Warrior sent a warning to them.
The new addition to The Bloodline will make things better for the faction and provide more cover to Roman Reigns. McIntyre got a match against Solo Sikoa later on the show. Meanwhile, The Master Strategist was great in his role.
#3. Ronda Rousey became Liv Morgan’s challenger for WWE Extreme Rules
A Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match to determine the #1 contender to SmackDown Women's Championship took place this week. Lacey Evans, Xia Li, Natalya, Sonya Deville, and Ronda Rousey took part in the contest.
The heels went after Rousey early and tried to take her out of the contest. Natalya locked Li in a Sharpshooter before taking the Women’s Right from Lacey Evans.
Ronda returned to the ring and locked Natalya in an armbar to make her tap out. She did the same to Lacey, while Deville locked Li in a sleeper hold. Both women eliminated their victims.
Sonya and Ronda were the final two left in the match, and they looked to get the better of each other. Deville tried to get Ronda to tap out, but The Baddest Woman on the Planet powered out of it.
She destroyed her with a few top moves before hitting Piper's Pit on Sonya and locking in the Ankle lock, making Sonya tap out.
The match was good and showed that Ronda Rousey was back to performing at the top level. She made her opponents pay and sent a warning to Liv Morgan in the process. Rousey has a good chance of winning the title back at Extreme Rules.
#2. Braun Strowman ran through Alpha Academy to make a statement
Alpha Academy made its way to the ring on WWE SmackDown. Otis and Chad Gable said they were ready to ruin Braun Strowman’s return to the company on Friday night.
The Monster Among Men came out and took down Otis before Gable tried to take a cheap shot at Strowman but failed. Braun bulldozed Otis with a shoulder tackle before hitting a couple of powerbombs to lay out Alpha Academy.
The segment ended with Strowman standing tall over the former tag team champions. The former Universal Champion will surely make a big impact on the bookings in the coming weeks. WWE will need to split the two top titles so there can be more competition up top, especially on RAW.
Strowman, however, could have been used to destroy some other tag team. Otis and Gable have been doing a good job and deserve much better than being rolled out by the former champion.
#1. Drew McIntyre met his match during his contest against Solo Sikoa
Solo Sikoa was ready for his debut match on WWE SmackDown. His antics at Clash at the Castle earned him the main event spot on SmackDown against Drew McIntyre.
The Street Champion tried to take out McIntyre with some big kicks. The Usos got involved from the outside and took a cheap shot at Drew before Solo continued to beat him down in the corner.
The former WWE Champion returned with some big moves and sent Sikoa outside the ring. He tried to hit a dive, but Sami Zayn got in the way. Solo Sikoa connected with a Superkick before The Usos took some more shots at McIntyre.
The Street Profits came out to make the save. Drew McIntyre connected with a Claymore to Sikoa but could not get the pin. Karrion Kross showed up and locked The Scottish Warrior in the Kross Jacket.
McIntyre could not break the hold and passed out as SmackDown came to an end. It was great to see Solo Sikoa get the top spot in his first match. The company values The Bloodline and continues to give it some top storylines.
Meanwhile, Kross’ arrival has changed the entire game. He will likely go through McIntyre to get to Roman Reigns in the months to come. It will be one of the greatest rivalries of the year for the company.
