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WWE SmackDown opened up with another big segment to set up the Universal Championship scene before WrestleMania Backlash. Roman Reigns will defend his title against Cesaro at the pay-per-view. However, Jimmy Uso’s return has not worked out in The Tribal Chief’s favor, and it will be interesting to see how he holds out on Sunday.
Aleister Black returned with another cryptic message for the WWE Universe on SmackDown. The superstar delivered a message from his father about being forged with steel against a man made of ash.
Two veterans struck gold on SmackDown as they managed to win their first titles together. The change could help the division improve in the weeks to come. Apollo Crews found himself in a tough spot after multiple challengers came out to eye his Intercontinental Championship.
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With so much on the line, take a look at the 5 things WWE got right on SmackDown before WrestleMania Backlash.
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#5 Roman Reigns tried to take care of some family business on WWE SmackDown
Last week’s WWE SmackDown welcomed back Jimmy Uso. Roman Reigns was convinced that his counsel had been strengthened with the return of his cousin. However, he got a bitter reality check later on in the night when Jimmy made it clear that he wasn’t going to blindly follow The Head of the Table.
This week, Jey Uso kicked off SmackDown and spoke about how his brother disrespected Reigns. He made it clear that they had to settle some family business before Reigns made his way out.
The Tribal Chief spoke about last week’s events and admitted that Cesaro is a good wrestler. However, he mocked his challenger for never having received a singles world championship match before.
Jimmy Uso appeared and talked down the two men in the ring again. He insinuated that the champion would not retain his title against The Swiss Superman at WrestleMania Backlash.
Reigns wasn’t too pleased with his cousin’s comments and told him to face Cesaro later in the night to prove himself. The Swiss Superman emerged soon after to accept the match against Jimmy.
This was a great segment to kick off SmackDown. Creative have done well to put some hurdles in the way of the biggest heel in WWE. Cesaro’s story was well used in this segment without his involvement, and he will likely benefit from being in the spotlight.
#4 Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler on WWE SmackDown
Dominik Mysterio picked up an incredible victory over Dolph Ziggler on the Throwback edition of WWE SmackDown. This week, Rey Mysterio went up against The Show Off just hours before their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships match.
The two veterans started well and Ziggler took control of the match. The two men exchanged some moves before Mysterio caught Ziggler with a DDT.
A powerslam brought The Show Off back into the match as he looked to avenge his loss from last week. Ziggler kept countering Mysterio’s moves and stayed on top of the action for some time.
While both superstars could have had a much longer match, Rey caught Ziggler with an inside cradle for the pinfall victory. Both superstars were able to deliver before the big pay-per-view.
However, the roll-up victories don’t make The Mysterios look too good even though it appears they’ll be picking up the victory on Sunday.
After the match, Ziggler and Robert Roode issued a warning to Rey and his son. The Dirty Dawgs told their opponents not to get too excited as they will be retaining their titles at WrestleMania Backlash.
#3 King Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura started a new rivalry on WWE SmackDown
King Corbin pinned Shinsuke Nakamura in a 10-Man Tag Team Match on the Throwback edition of WWE SmackDown. The two superstars were put in a match on this week’s show.
Both superstars struggled to gain control of the match early as they outdid each other with some good offense. The King of Strong Style caught Corbin with an armbar and worked him over.
Corbin managed to shift his weight and pinned Nakamura for the three-count to pick up the win. Nakamura wasn’t too happy with the result and unleashed on The King.
He rocked him with a kick to the head followed by a Kinshasa. The Artist ended the segment by grabbing Corbin’s crown and putting it on his own head.
Corbin and Nakamura are too talented to not be involved in any rivalry on SmackDown. It’s good to see that both superstars will be competing against each other for some time.
The final moments of the segment signal towards a possible match for the King of the Ring crown in the coming weeks.
#2 Natalya and Tamina became the new Women’s Tag Team Champions on WWE SmackDown
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax were ready for another title defense on SmackDown. The two superstars were ready to retain their titles with the help of Reginald, but he was booted from ringside by the referee.
Natalya and Tamina took full advantage of the situation and tried to stay over the two dominant superstars. They made tags at the right moments to keep the action ticking and blocked some big moves from their opponents.
At the end of the match, Tamina delivered a Superfly Splash to Jax to pick up the win on SmackDown. This was a big victory for Natalya and Tamina who’ve been in several rivalries in the past that did not help them.
It was also Tamina’s first title victory in WWE. The SmackDown Superstar has waited long enough for this moment, and her hard work finally paid off. Jax and Baszler held the titles for a long time, but their recent reign wasn’t too great.
Hopefully, the new champions will be able to have a much better reign and elevate the value of the titles.
#1 Cesaro stood tall on WWE SmackDown just before WrestleMania Backlash
Cesaro and Jimmy Uso headlined WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania Backlash. Jimmy returned to the ring for the first time since WrestleMania 36.
Cesaro showed off his incredible strength in the Thunderdome with a massive suplex to Jimmy. He dodged a Superkick from Jimmy and took him down with a big European Uppercut.
However, a blind charge into the corner saw Cesaro crash shoulder-first. The Swiss Superman’s shoulder had already been damaged by Seth Rollins last week.
Jimmy tried to keep the pressure on, but Cesaro was just too focused in this contest. He tried to hit the Neutralizer after a few big moves, but Jimmy managed to fight out of it.
Jimmy rocked Cesaro with a Superkick when he went for a springboard. Roman Reigns arrived to attack Cesaro and draw a disqualification.
Jimmy wasn’t too happy with his cousin and started arguing with him. Cesaro recovered to attack Jey Uso in the ring and nearly got the better of Reigns before Jey made the save.
Cesaro hit Jey with the Neutralizer and then stared down the Universal Champion as SmackDown came to an end. The creative team has done well to put Cesaro over in such a short amount of time. While The Swiss Superman may not win on Sunday, the angle will help push the superstar on SmackDown to a future title run.
