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The Road to WrestleMania got even clearer on WWE SmackDown this week. Many fans wanted to know what the future holds for Daniel Bryan after his loss to Roman Reigns at Fastlane.
Bryan opened the show to address the situation, after which things quickly escalated. Roman Reigns called for Adam Pearce before being confronted by Edge backstage on SmackDown.
Bianca Belair defeated Natalya in a match before being taken down by ‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks. The storyline for the SmackDown Women’s Championship hasn’t developed too well, however, the action at WrestleMania will likely be A-grade.
Apollo Crews pinned Big E in a six-man tag team match to earn another shot at the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania. Will Crews finally get his hands on the title after a controversial finish at Fastlane?
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Let’s take a look at the five things WWE SmackDown got right this week.
#5 Daniel Bryan’s proposal brought out Edge’s real side on WWE SmackDown
Daniel Bryan kicked off WWE SmackDown this week. He immediately reminded the WWE Universe that he made the Universal Champion tap out at Fastlane. Even though Roman Reigns had said he would rather die than tap out, he had no option but to do so.
Bryan spoke about the match and the opportunity before coming to the main point. He blamed Edge for hitting him across the back with a steel chair and costing him the match. The Yes Man then demanded a match against Reigns later in the night to earn a shot at WrestleMania.
Bryan took a seat in the ring and refused to leave until he got what he wanted. Adam Pearce then made his way out and revealed he could not give Bryan a match against The Tribal Chief.
Bryan then asked for a match against the winner of the Universal Championship contest at WrestleMania, but Pearce turned him down again.
The Yes Man had another brilliant idea in mind, but Edge arrived to interrupt proceedings. He reminded Bryan that he’s already lost to Reigns twice before telling him that he does not deserve a match at WrestleMania.
A brawl broke out between the two with Edge taking Bryan down before beating him with a steel chair. The segment was well done and allowed both Edge to continue teasing a turn and Bryan to aim high again.
The Yes Man has added a great dimension to this rivalry. It will be interesting to see if SmackDown decides to add him to the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania.
#4 Seth Rollins once again defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE SmackDown
Seth Rollins arrived on WWE SmackDown for a match against Shinsuke Nakamura. Rollins and Nakamura competed at WWE Fastlane where The Messiah was able to pick up the win.
Nakamura came into the match with a lot of energy, trying to keep Rollins on the backfoot. Rollins fought back and the two men traded some good moves.
The Artist looked to hit the Kinshasa on Rollins but The Messiah was able to counter the move. After a knee strike, he hit Nakamura with a beautiful Falcon Arrow for a near fall.
The Japanese Superstar was able to lock in a triangle choke on Rollins but could not put him away. Rollins fought back and hit the Curbstomp for the victory. The match was good and allowed both veterans to entertain the SmackDown fans.
After the match, Rollins beat down The Artist until Cesaro arrived. The Swiss Superman took down Rollins with a series of blows before hitting a great uppercut. Cesaro set up for the Cesaro Swing, but Rollins managed to escape the ring.
The two men will meet at WrestleMania in one of the event's most high-profile non-title matches. This will be a big opportunity for Cesaro to prove himself on The Show of Shows.
#3 Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler on WWE SmackDown
The WWE SmackDown tag team division has been flexing its strength lately. After Rey Mysterio and Dominik defeated The Street Profits last week, they were taken down by Otis and Chad Gable.
One half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Dolph Ziggler, competed in a match against Rey on this week’s episode. Ziggler controlled the match early and took it outside the ring where he powerbombed Mysterio over the guardrail.
Ziggler kept control for most of the match before the babyface made a comeback into the match.
Mysterio attempted to hit a high-flying move, but Ziggler caught him with a Zig-Zag. Rey kicked out and recovered enough to hit a 619 followed by a splash off the top rope to pick up the victory.
Rey finally picked up a good hard-fought victory on SmackDown. This will help the father-son duo get into contention for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the road to WrestleMania. Will Rey and Dominik finally win gold as a team before The Master of the 619 calls it a day?
#2 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn got their opportunity on WWE SmackDown
Kevin Owens came out for another edition of The KO Show this week on WWE SmackDown. Owens attempted to open up the show but was interrupted by Sami Zayn.
Zayn had blasted Owens with a Helluva Kick when he least expected it, and he looked to apologize for his actions last week. The Master Strategist then announced a red carpet premiere for his documentary. Zayn revealed that YouTube content creator Logan Paul would be a special guest for the premiere.
KO wasn’t too pleased with Zayn taking over his show after attacking him last week. Zayn tried to run his mouth again, but The Prizefighter shut him up.
Owens then issued a challenge to Zayn for a match at WrestleMania which Zayn accepted. KO beat his former friend down before hitting a Stunner and exiting the ring.
While this match does not have too much storyline, many fans of WWE are well aware of Zayn and Owens’ history.
The two SmackDown Superstars will likely put on a great performance at WrestleMania when they have the match they’ve been dreaming of for years.
#1 Edge lost his mind at the end of WWE SmackDown
The final segment of WWE SmackDown saw Adam Pearce come out for the main event promo. Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Edge and Daniel Bryan then made their way to the SmackDown ring too.
Pearce said every man’s points were valid and that The Tribal Chief would only have to defend his title once at WrestleMania. Pearce had no other choice but to make the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania a Triple Threat Match. Pearce officially inserted Bryan into the match, much to the delight of The Yes Man.
Reigns confronted Pearce as he was unhappy with the decision. He delivered a Superman Punch to Bryan, and a brawl broke out between the three competitors. Edge delivered a Spear to Reigns and then beat both the superstars down with a steel chair.
Edge tried to do more damage, but some WWE Officials came out to stop The Rated-R Superstar. Edge took out the officials with a steel chair before taking a seat in the ring and staring into the camera.
WWE has done a good job at building this rivalry over the past few months. It has made the SmackDown main event scene even grander. It’ll be great to see who comes out on top at The Show of Shows.
