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This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown was very special as the company delivered its first live event in front of a full capacity crowd since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also the go-home edition of SmackDown before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
Vince McMahon delivered a short and sweet promo to get the fans going before the action kicked off in the ring. Edge teamed up with the SmackDown Tag Team Champions to take on Roman Reigns and The Usos in the first match of the night.
Bianca Belair defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella to mark another great moment in her main roster career. There were a few other big matches and segments during the night along with the main event Fatal 4-Way match that ended things on a high.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown before Money in the Bank.
#5 Edge forced Roman Reigns to tap out on WWE SmackDown
After Mr. McMahon hyped up the WWE Universe, WWE SmackDown’s biggest star came out to kick off the show. Roman Reigns walked out to a thunderous reaction from the fans. He was joined by The Usos and Paul Heyman for a six-man tag team match.
Edge came out next to monstrous applause from the WWE Universe along with Rey and Dominik Mysterio. It was abundantly clear which team SmackDown viewers were backing in the contest.
The two teams had a good exchange early on before the babyfaces wore down The Usos. Dominik became the weak link in the babyface camp as The Head of the Table targeted him with ease.
Edge came into the match and unloaded on everyone before spearing Reigns to the floor. In the ring, a cheap shot from Jimmy allowed Jey to pin Rey to pick up a tainted victory.
The Usos beat down The Mysterios after the match before The Ultimate Opportunist made the save with a steel chair. Reigns returned to take the fight to his Money in the Bank opponent but soon fell prey to a Spear.
The Rated R Superstar seized the opportunity and used a part of the steel chair to lock Reigns in a crossface and made him tap out.
The match was decent and gave fans something to cheer about right away. Many will argue that Reigns should not have tapped out on SmackDown. However, the ending of the segment suggests The Head of the Table will retain Sunday and that is the right call.
#4 Bianca Belair retained her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair became the first WWE Superstar to defend her title after the return of fans on SmackDown. She was supposed to face Bayley at WWE Money in the Bank for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but an injury to her opponent forced a change of plan.
Belair took on Carmella on SmackDown to defend her title. The EST used her strength to control the bout early before Carmella made a comeback.
The action went to-and-fro before Carmella delivered a hurricanrana followed by a guillotine choke. She nearly pinned the SmackDown Women’s Champion before Belair made a comeback.
The EST used her ponytail to whip her challenger before delivering the KOD for the win. It was a good match that allowed Belair to have another big moment. She is one of the finest female superstars in WWE today.
SmackDown now needs to invest more in the women’s roster and build a better rivalry between Belair and her future challenger post-Money in the Bank. Bayley’s injury has affected the company’s plans, but Sasha Banks’ return could help strengthen the women’s division.
#3 The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship scene picked up; Liv Morgan left a mark on SmackDown
Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox made their WWE SmackDown debut last week. The two women immediately made an impact by defeating the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions in a non-title match.
Natalya and Tamina looked more prepared this time around as they took on Nox and Blackheart again. Zelina Vega and Liv Morgan watched from commentary as the match got underway.
The two teams exchanged some standard moves before Nox and Blackheart kicked things up a notch. They delivered some good tag team moves before Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter on Nox.
Vega and Morgan fought outside the ring and distracted the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. The distraction allowed Nox to roll up Natalya to pick up another big victory.
After the match, Tamina and Natalya beat down Vega and Morgan. Liv turned the tides and took everyone out before standing tall to end the segment.
The match wasn’t too great but it gave the new team another chance to shine on SmackDown. Tamina and Natalya have been decent tag team champions, but they will likely be losing the titles soon.
Meanwhile, Liv Morgan is one of the favorites to win the briefcase on Sunday. The segment allowed her to come out on top and stand tall before the big pay-per-view.
#2 Finn Balor returned to make WWE SmackDown sweeter
Seth Rollins and Edge had an intense moment backstage on WWE SmackDown. Rollins vowed to win the Money in the Bank briefcase and cash it in on whoever won at Money in the Bank.
Back in the arena, Sami Zayn entered the SmackDown ring to a mixed response from the WWE Universe. The presence of a heel in the ring for the segment signaled the return of a major babyface superstar.
It wasn’t Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, or Goldberg who returned to SmackDown to take down Zayn. Instead, Finn Balor made his much-anticipated return to the Blue brand, to a monstrous reaction from the WWE Universe.
After his signature entrance, Balor came face to face with his fellow former NXT Champion. He countered an attack from The Conspiracy Theorist and took him down with a dropkick. He delivered the Coup de Grace to seal the deal before standing tall and absorbing the crowd’s reaction.
The Prince finally made his way back to SmackDown after a great time on the NXT roster. The WWE creative team needs to book him better this time around and there is no going back for Balor.
It was great to see him return and confront one of his best friends. A rivalry between the two men could help The Prince climb up the SmackDown roster quickly.
#1 A big Fatal 4-Way match ended WWE SmackDown
Baron Corbin made his way to the WWE SmackDown ring before the final match of the night. The former King of the Ring winner begged the WWE Universe to help him financially.
He introduced a Corbin FundMe site for SmackDown fans to help him out. As he got down knees to beg, Kevin Owens’ music hit, and The Prizefighter made his way down to the ring.
The babyface confronted the heel in front of the live crowd. Corbin talked down KO before being hit by a Stunner. Big E made his entrance, followed by Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth Rollins for the Fatal 4-Way main event soon after.
All four men delivered some top moves and took some big bumps in front of the WWE Universe. KO hit some of the biggest moves of the night. He positioned Nakamura on the announcers table and delivered an elbow drop from the top of the ladder.
The Messiah kept the action ticking in the ring and picked up the victory with a Stomp to Big E into a ladder. He stood tall atop a ladder to end the night.
The match was great and gave all four men a chance to shine ahead of Money in the Bank. The match had some of the top names in WWE today and could have easily headlined a pay-per-view.
Rollins is among the favorites from SmackDown to win the briefcase on Sunday. However, he will have tough competition from Big E and Drew McIntyre.
