5 things WWE SmackDown got right (11th June 2021): New challenger for Roman Reigns; Cesaro returns

Dominik took a free ride on WWE SmackDown
Dominik took a free ride on WWE SmackDown

Last week, Rey and Dominik Mysterio took a severe beating at the hands of Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown. Reigns choked out Dominik in front of his father while Jimmy Uso walked away. Fans wanted to see what Rey Mysterio would do on this week's show.

Also, the rivalry between Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin continued this week. The two men have been fighting over the King of the Ring crown for several weeks. Adam Pearce finally booked a match between the two men for the crown in the coming week.

Otis came out with a new look and left his mark on one of SmackDown’s biggest tag teams. Bayley hosted Seth Rollins on her talk show. The two had a bizarre exchange before a returning superstar took out The King of Drip.

Liv Morgan picked up a much-needed victory on SmackDown, while Kevin Owens and Big E teamed up to take on Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn.

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Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.


#5 The Bloodline’s story unfolds on WWE SmackDown

This week’s show recapped how Roman Reigns interfered in The Usos' tag team title match last week. Then, Reigns asked whether Jimmy Uso knew that he would not stand anyone who embarrasses the family.

Jimmy hit the ring to call out The Tribal Chief for being jealous of The Usos’s desire to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles. He blamed Reigns for intentionally getting The Usos disqualified last week, and said he would do something later in the night that he would not regret.

Last week’s show ended with a cliffhanger, and WWE did well to pick up the story right away this week. The drama surrounding The Head of the Table is by far the most interesting part of the show.

The SmackDown creative is doing well to keep the issues between The Bloodline alive while protecting the Universal Champion.

#4 Cesaro burst Seth Rollins’ bubble on WWE SmackDown

The "Ding Dong, Hello" Show returned to WWE SmackDown this week. Host Bayley introduced the fans to The King of Drip, Seth Rollins. Bayley and Rollins laughed out loud as they recapped the last few episodes of SmackDown.

Rollins seemed proud of his actions before the doorbell rang. The King of Drip decided to be a gentleman and answered the door on the host’s behalf. He was shocked to see Cesaro on the other side.

The Swiss Superman attacked Rollins before ripping his pants off. He pummeled Rollins and humiliated him in front of the WWE Universe, and sent the former Universal Champion running for dear life.

Then Bianca Belair appeared and laughed at Bayley’s misfortune to pay back what Bayley did to her last week. Cesaro’s return will elevate SmackDown's mid-card and allow the rivalry between him and Rollins to continue.

Cesaro needs to come out on top in this rivalry once again and get back into the hunt for the Universal Championship. Bayley played her role extremely well, and will get a shot at Belair at WWE Hell in a Cell. The segment allowed SmackDown to quickly build two big rivalries at once.

#3 Kevin Owens and Big E defeated Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn on WWE SmackDown

Big E and Kevin Owens teamed up to take on Sami Zayn and Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews on this week’s WWE SmackDown.

Owens and Crews kicked off the action before Big E tagged himself into the match. Big E was on a roll early before he missed a Spear and crashed into the ringpost.

KO and Zayn came into the ring and had a good exchange soon after. The action kept ticking as all four men delivered some of their finest moves. Big E and Crews fought outside the ring while KO took control of the action inside. He dropped Zayn with a Stunner and pinned him to pick up the victory for his team.

After the match, Crews challenged Big E and KO to fight him and Commander Azeez in a tag team match next week.

WWE needs to book a couple of more matches between Zayn and Owens before ending their rivalry. Big E has once again become a part of this storyline after Aleister Black’s sudden release. It will be interesting to see what the SmackDown creative has in store for him now.

It’s also unclear who the next challenger for Crews’s title will be. However, the prospect of seeing Azeez in the SmackDown ring is exciting.

#2 Otis destroyed The Street Profits on WWE SmackDown

Chad Gable and Montez Ford had a match on WWE SmackDown. The match was originally slated to be a tag team match between Alpha Academy and The Street Profits. However, a backstage confrontation led to a change taking place in the match.

Gable impressed from the start and took his opponent down with some big moves. He caught a flying Ford with a suplex before applying the Ankle Lock. Ford managed to counter and tried to gain the upper hand in the contest.

Just as Ford was getting on a roll, Otis attacked Angelo Dawkins backstage. Ford kept the pressure on in the ring and appeared to be closing in on a victory before Otis attacked him, leading to Gable's disqualification.

Otis continued to pummel the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion. Dawkins and WWE Officials hit the ring to save Ford, but the damage had already been done.

Gable is in a league of his own as a performer. He has shown time and time again that he is among the top wrestlers in the world. Ford is a star and will go to great heights in the company.

Both men put on a good show, and Otis’s new attitude will help The Alpha Academy win the SmackDown Tag Team titles sooner or later.

#1 Rey Mysterio challenged Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown

Rey Mysterio was furious about what Roman Reigns did to his son on WWE SmackDown last week. Jey Uso and Roman Reigns had a fall-out backstage, and Jey stormed off before Jimmy Uso went after him.

Inside the ring, Rey addressed Reigns’ assault on Dominik. The emotional father chided Reigns and told The Head of the Table that he wanted to face him inside Hell in a Cell.

Reigns was amused at the idea, but before he could respond, Mysterio attacked him with a kendo stick. However, a Superman Punch was enough for the Universal Champion to gain control of the situation.

As Reigns set himself up for the Spear, Dominik attacked him out of nowhere with a kendo stick of his own. However, he was no match for The Tribal Chief, and was powerbombed outside the ring.

WWE has done a good job at building another underdog rivalry for Rey on SmackDown. It's quite similar to the one between Brock Lesnar and The Mysterios a couple of years ago. The veteran could have something up his sleeve for Hell in a Cell.

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Edited by Vishal Kataria
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