Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It was the penultimate episode before Extreme Rules 2022, so we were slightly surprised that only one match was added to the upcoming premium live event from the Friday Night Show.
It looks like it will be a short-but-interesting event, especially if Extreme Rules has six matches or fewer. Either way, it was an interesting episode with a solid main event. Here's what WWE subtly told us on SmackDown.
#5. The Sami Zayn story and his future in the Bloodline
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Sami Zayn's storyline is the best thing going on in WWE right now. There was a tense moment on SmackDown this week when he acknowledged Roman Reigns, only for the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion to question what he was doing there.
When he demanded that Zayn remove his Bloodline t-shirt, to much shock. Jey Uso, who has often been frustrated with Sami Zayn, even ripped his t-shirt.
It was a little twist where Roman Reigns revealed that Zayn was officially the "Honorary Uce." Solo Sikoa, on the other hand, became the enforcer of The Bloodline - his new role.
The crowd loves Sami Zayn and the storyline, and it's just a matter of time before he turns face, making it the biggest character change of 2022.
#4. The truth about The White Rabbit on SmackDown
There was another White Rabbit reference on SmackDown this week. This time, the QR code led to a small game that pointed out the coordinates for RAW next week at the Rogers Center in Edmonton.
Nothing else happened apart from using the word 'patricide,' which was quite interesting. Patricide means to kill one's father. This was WWE's subtle way of telling us that we would be strung along for weeks on end on this ride. Hence, we have to wait a while to see if Bray Wyatt is behind all these references.
#3. Liv Morgan goes extreme, but is it enough?
This week, SmackDown Women's Champion Liv Morgan defeated Lacey Evans in a solid match. After the match, she unleashed her "extreme side" to send a clear-cut message to Ronda Rousey.
This was essentially WWE trying to make Morgan look as ruthless as possible, although it didn't necessarily deliver. Just screaming isn't enough to bring out a wild side. We still see Ronda Rousey winning at Extreme Rules 2022.
#2. Braun Strowman's role on SmackDown disclosed
Braun Strowman had a decent match against Otis on SmackDown. While one side of the argument could be that the latter looked good in defeat, we believe that the match was simply too competitive for the likes of Strowman, who had his first match back.
This was just WWE's way of slowly building Strowman back up. During his epic 2016-17 run, Strowman essentially got over by squashing enhancement talent. Otis isn't an enhancement talent, but we can see the pattern that WWE is taking. He is being carefully built up again.
#1. Who will walk out as the winner of the Strap match at Extreme Rules?
One of the better parts of SmackDown this week was the epic segment between Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross.
The Scottish Warrior challenged Kross to a strap match, and Scarlett made her presence known. While McIntyre seemed to be squashing Kross initially, things quickly changed when Scarlett stepped in.
The question is this - who can afford to take the loss at Extreme Rules? The match will undoubtedly be an epic one. However, with WWE wanting to build Kross as a potential universal title challenger, it wouldn't be surprising to see him walk out with the win.