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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown! It was the go-home show to Extreme Rules 2020 and while it wasn't as good as RAW, there was some decent storyline progression.
We'll be skipping the Jeff Hardy-Sheamus bit of the show since it was just a small backstage segment, but it's going to be interesting to see how their story plays out, even if we're not fans of the storyline, as a whole.
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Either way, there were quite a few points to note from the Men's, Women's, and Tag Team divisions. Let's jump right into it!
#5. Will New Day's SmackDown tag team title reign go crashing through a table?
Cesaro faced Big E in a solid opener on SmackDown. The story between The New Day and Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura has been that the latter has had their number for a while now. They've picked up wins over The New Day and this week, Cesaro defeated Big E to earn the right to choose the stipulation for their SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at Extreme Rules.
They revealed backstage after the match that they're going to have a tables match for the SmackDown Tag Team titles. It's an interesting stipulation and Michael Cole pointed out to the fact that Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura have The New Day's number.
While a win for Cesaro would normally guarantee The New Day a win, we could see the story of Cesaro & Nakamura's dominance continuing. With John Morrison and The Miz out of the picture and The Usos out for the foreseeable future, WWE needs to establish another top team on SmackDown.
With rumors of Vince McMahon not being convinced about Cesaro and Nakamura as singles stars, the makeshift tag team could benefit from the lack of names on SmackDown.
#4. Braun Strowman's character change
After the Bray Wyatt promo, Braun Strowman was out for a match against John Morrison. Poor John Morrison seemed like a babyface given the way he was handled by the Universal Champion on SmackDown.
He was completely squashed and decimated by an aggressive Strowman, whose mannerisms, facial expression, and promo seemed to suggest that he was adding an edge to his character ahead of the Swamp match at Extreme Rules 2020.
Post-match, he cut a promo telling Bray Wyatt that he's "coming home" and gave a maniacal expression. Since it's a non-title match, we expect Bray Wyatt to win, even though we doubt there will be an official pinfall.
However, this could lead to a major character change. It may not be an outright heel turn, but the roles seemed to be reversed today as Braun Strowman came across as a heel while John Morrison took a beating like a babyface.
The Miz stared on helplessly. It's going to be a fun match to watch and we expect it to be the main event of the PPV on Sunday.
#3. Lacey Evans knocking her way back into contendership?
Remember last week when Lacey Evans turned heel after losing a karaoke competition to Naomi? It was a bit weird but at least it set up a match between the two.
Due to the lack of women on the roster as a whole during the pandemic, WWE knows that they have limited names to work with and they have to do well to establish both Lacey Evans and Naomi as title contenders.
It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out. Lacey Evans defeated Naomi after tying her hair to the ropes and then hitting her with the Woman's Right to pick up the victory.
At this point with Bayley as the heel Champion for the foreseeable future, one would think that Naomi should have picked up the win to establish herself as the next title contender.
However, it seems like Lacey Evans could get back in the title picture for the first time since WrestleMania 36. But we would rather see a trilogy between Evans and Naomi - one that helps establish both Superstars.
#2. Is Sasha Banks going to become Sasha 2 Belts at Extreme Rules?
RAW Women's Champion Asuka made a surprise appearance on SmackDown to team with a former rival of hers in Nikki Cross against Sasha Banks and Bayley. If you watched NXT during Asuka's time, you might remember the incredible Last Woman Standing Match they had in 2017 (in a unique week where RAW, SmackDown, and NXT were headlined by women).
Their chemistry against each other translated well when teaming together as well, but it wasn't enough as Sasha Banks and Bayley's dominance continued. As you know, Nikki Cross faces Bayley for the SmackDown Women's title at Extreme Rules while Sasha Banks will challenge Asuka for the RAW Women's title in what we consider to be the most exciting match of the PPV.
Sasha Banks and Bayley picked up the win as usual, but only one of the two will walk out of Extreme Rules as a Double Champion. We can't see a scenario where SmackDown's Sasha Banks wins the RAW Women's title. It doesn't make any sense at this point.
#1. Matt Riddle vs AJ Styles isn't over just yet
The main event featured Matt Riddle challenging AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship. It was a good and long match with the right outcome as AJ Styles narrowly defeated Matt Riddle with a counter-pin.
It was a great way to protect Matt Riddle, who was close to winning against AJ Styles again. He couldn't do it with the Intercontinental Championship on the line, but that doesn't mean the story is over.
They shook hands in a moment of respect, but King Corbin instantly attacked Matt Riddle, indicating that this is the direction going forward. Unfortunately, it means no title defense for AJ Styles at Extreme Rules, but it seems like WWE has purposely left out a few good matches from the PPV.
Either way, King Corbin is Matt Riddle's essential 'introduction' feud and they will be expected to face off after Extreme Rules on SmackDown. It goes without saying that Matt Riddle should win the contest before proceeding to face AJ Styles at SummerSlam 2020.
