5 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown: Rumors of backstage heat confirmed, Former Champion to make men's team lose at Survivor Series?

Welcome to the penultimate edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown before Survivor Series 2021. Next week will see the final build-up to the pay-per-view - one that hasn't been done with the best effort.

However, the show was incredible this week, with a blockbuster first-time-ever match for Roman Reigns. We can't go further without acknowledging "Real Slim" Shanky, who had some hilariously entertaining Hindi rap to showcase, while Jinder Mahal called Hit Row "Cringe Row".

Ridge Holland once again spoke about his admiration for Sheamus, and when confronted by the latter's former partner Cesaro, Holland said that he will make a better team with The Celtic Warrior than The Bar ever was, hinting at a feud with The Swiss Superman.

Apart from that, let's look at what went down in this week's episode of SmackDown:

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#5. WWE acknowledges the Charlotte Flair-Becky Lynch fight on SmackDown?

Charlotte Flair came out on SmackDown to promote her Champion vs. Champion match against Becky Lynch at Survivor Series. When she was walking to the ring, Pat McAfee made an interesting comment. He said that the last time that Flair and Lynch met, it made the headlines all over the internet.

This is a very obvious reference to the rumors (and now news) about the supposed real-life backstage altercation between the two superstars. It happened last month, and you can read all about it here.

It was interesting that WWE chose to indirectly acknowledge what happened backstage - something they usually don't do. Either way, Charlotte Flair's promo went into slightly cringe territory as she tried to make the crowd go "Uh Oh!".

It didn't fit at all, but what did was the appearance of Toni Storm. She hasn't gotten the best start on the Blue brand, but Storm confronted the women's champion by reminding her that she hasn't defended the title since it was exchanged.

She challenged Flair to put the title on the line, but the champion simply refused and walked away. It's surprising to see Storm enter potential title contention, even if she isn't going to win.

It makes just about as much sense as Liv Morgan challenging for the RAW Women's title after losing back-to-back matches against Carmella. With that said, we're not complaining. Toni Storm is in a great spot, even if she isn't going to win.

Charlotte Flair called herself the star-maker, but what she wasn't on SmackDown this week was a match taker.

#4. Could Sami Zayn being removed from Team SmackDown prove costly?

Sami Zayn wasn't the leader of Team SmackDown, but he certainly was the most vocal one. He was preparing a speech in front of the mirror in the locker room, and Jeff Hardy, his fellow team member, was seen looking at him.

Adam Pearce, next to NXT Superstar Von Wagner, told the two men that either one of them was going to get removed from the Blue brand's Survivor Series team.

It was Jeff Hardy vs. Sami Zayn to preserve the spot, and the WWE legend walked out with the victory. Zayn watched in disbelief as his face was removed from the Team SmackDown graphic.

We're not sure we understand this logic of removing people from the Survivor Series team and having matches with this kind of a stipulation. It's almost like reverse qualification in a way, and it makes little to no sense.

Either way, Sami Zayn losing out on the Survivor Series spot means that he could come back to cost the team during the match. It could be a decision that comes back to bite the team at the pay-per-view.

#3. Sonya Deville is drunk in power, but where is it leading to on SmackDown?

This week's edition of SmackDown opened with authority figure Sonya Deville in the ring alongside four of the five women in the Survivor Series team - Shayna Baszler, Natalya, Shotzi, and newcomer Aliyah.

It seemed absurd that Naomi wasn't on the team, but Deville being drunk on power and her abuse of authority was the reason behind it. We had yet another "Can they coexist?" type of storyline within the team, as the former came out and the chaos began.

It led to a six-woman tag team match where Naomi, Sasha Banks, and Aliyah faced Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, and Natalya. Thanks to a small assist from Naomi, Aliyah picked up the win by pinning Natalya.

However, it was only moments later backstage when Deville sucked all the joy away from Natalya. First, she asked her how long she knew Naomi, and second, she removed Aliyah from the SmackDown Survivor Series team upon getting "advised" to do so by an unknown person.

It's definitely leading to a match on SmackDown between Sonya Deville and Naomi, where the latter will presumably strip Deville from her power. As of now, her tyrannical reign continues.

#2. Los Lotharios' ascent on SmackDown seems inevitable

The team of Angel and Humberto, now named Los Lotharios, had a big match on SmackDown. They faced Rick Boogs and Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, picking up the victory in the process.

It was a huge victory for the team of Los Lotharios. While they got started on RAW, the Blue brand seemed to be the best move for them. It seems inevitable that the duo will get a title push, simply because of the lack of overall teams in the SmackDown Tag Team division.

As of now, it's The Usos who sit on top of the division, dominating recent months and potentially the foreseeable future. It will be interesting to see what happens when they eventually cross paths with Los Lotharios.

It's going to be a while before that happens, primarily because of The Usos' association with Roman Reigns. With that said, a heel vs. heel match is still possible. Otherwise, WWE could always turn Los Lotharios face at some point, and give them a big title push against Jey and Jimmy Uso.

The positive of this is that they're being presented as the next big team on the Friday night show.

#1. Roman Reigns becomes the fraudulent king on SmackDown

Roman Reigns vs. King Woods was the advertised main event of SmackDown. Like last week, it was a "bend the knee" match, and it never seemed for a minute like Reigns was ever going to bend the knee. Woods was all by himself.

After Sir Kofi Kingston was assaulted last week, he suffered a sprained MCL (storyline injury) and was out of SmackDown. Following Kevin Owens' assault on Big E, King Woods knew that the responsibility of keeping The New Day on track was on him.

He was hoping to do what no one has done since December 2019 - pin Roman Reigns. Woods brought the fight to Reigns and seemed to be one count away from becoming the first man in nearly two years to pin the Universal Champion.

The Usos interrupted and attacked King Woods, giving him the DQ win, and handing The Tribal Chief his first loss in a very long time. Despite Woods officially winning the match, Reigns bent the knee only so that Jey and Jimmy Uso could put the crown on his head.

Roman Reigns is now the fraudulent king of WWE, and this is likely meant to drag their storyline on throughout the end of the year. Also, Michael Cole used the line "Brock Lesnar is always looming", hinting at his return soon and the renewal of his feud with Reigns.