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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. The Blue brand has been levels above RAW, and the same was the case this week. The central feud, of course, was the Universal Championship feud, but all the other title pictures have contenders lined up and several matches were made official.
Let's start with the main event feud on SmackDown involving the likes of Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, and Jey Uso!
#6. Cesaro and the incredible fallout from SmackDown
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There's a lot to unpack from the main event feud on SmackDown. Right now, the direction seems to be Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro as the main event of WrestleMania Backlash.
It's the perfect match, and with all the momentum that The Swiss Superman has, it makes sense. On the latest episode of SmackDown, Cesaro teamed up with Daniel Bryan to defeat Jey Uso and Seth Rollins.
Bryan was actively pushing for Cesaro to get the Universal Championship shot - reflecting a lot about what reportedly happens behind the scenes. The rumors stated that the big difference between Edge and Daniel Bryan is that the former pushed for himself to headline WrestleMania, while the latter constantly pushed to get other superstars over.
Daniel Bryan's 2021 losses to Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are a reflection of that. What happened on SmackDown this week was simply what goes on behind the scenes - which means that Bryan might have a big part to play in Cesaro's current Universal Title feud.
In the final SmackDown segment, Roman Reigns brushed Cesaro aside and told Daniel Bryan that he would offer him a title shot next week instead. Since Reigns never liked Bryan, he told him that when he wins, The Leader of the Yes Movement should leave SmackDown.
While it isn't a "loser leaves SmackDown" match, it's likely WWE's way of writing Daniel Bryan off for a few months. With his contract reportedly expiring in September this year, it could mean that he is officially transitioning into a part-time superstar after next week's episode of SmackDown.
Also, it could be a way of getting heat on Roman Reigns for his feud against Cesaro. Unfortunately, The Swiss Superman didn't get a good look when Roman Reigns brushed him off as easily as he did.
#5. The Mysterios take a step closer to SmackDown Tag Title glory
In a backstage segment on SmackDown, the Tag Team Champions The Dirty Dawgs were asked about who is next. The Street Profits responded and challenged them despite losing in their title shot last week on SmackDown.
A bit of importance was given to the Mysterios vs. Alpha Academy match on SmackDown, with the winner unofficially set to become the No. 1 contenders. If you recall, last week on SmackDown, Rey Mysterio defeated Otis.
This week, Dominik Mysterio took out Otis as Rey Mysterio pinned Chad Gable to get another victory. What was interesting was the fact that Michael Cole repeatedly mentioned "No father-son duo has ever won Tag Team Titles in WWE." It's a clear-cut set-up for Rey and Dominik Mysterio to be the first.
The history-making title change seems inevitable, and as of this writing, The Mysterios have more of a claim to a SmackDown Tag Team Title shot than The Street Profits do. Also, we liked the little moment that The Mysterios shared with Cesaro and Daniel Bryan before the final segment on SmackDown.
#4. Aleister Black's big return to SmackDown
Many thought SmackDown star Aleister Black's future was outside of WWE. After being put on the sidelines for over half a year, a promo finally aired, revealing that Black will return to SmackDown soon.
It was an interesting promo - one where he sat in a room with a big pair of glasses on. Given how he berated the viewers, it is clear that he is still a heel. We say "still", because it's easy to forget that Aleister Black had turned heel before his abrupt hiatus last year.
It was a great promo and effective in hyping up Black's return. While we're not sure who he is going to feud with, it was a sign from WWE that no matter how underutilized Aleister Black has been for half a year, he is still viewed as a valuable asset.
We're curious about what direction WWE plans to go with him as a heel. What will they do to help his momentum and who will he feud with next?
#3. The Women's Tag Team Title picture continues to heat up on SmackDown
We had a less-than-average match on SmackDown featuring Nia Jax and Tamina. It was a powerhouse match that WWE tried to hype up as much as possible. With all due respect to Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, no amount of hype was going to make this match good.
It was a sloppy affair, but Tamina walked out with the victory. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler seem to lose every week except when the titles are on the line. Atleast it wasn't Baszler who lost. Either way, the Tag Team Title rematch could take place any week now - either on SmackDown or WrestleMania Backlash.
#2. The SmackDown Women's Title picture
The Street Profits and The Dirty Dawgs' promo had a nice transition, as Bayley played the role of separating them before getting interviewed herself. Bayley vowed to take back the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania Backlash - where she will face Bianca Belair.
Montez Ford, who was still around, called Belair and told her that Bayley was talking trash - which led to the SmackDown Women's Champion coming out and confronting The Role Model. While it looked like the latter had a change of heart, she fooled Belair and walked away laughing.
#1. Two feuds collide on SmackDown
It came as a bit of a surprise on SmackDown when we learned that it wasn't Big E who was getting an Intercontinental Championship shot this week, but Kevin Owens.
It felt a bit random, since there were two different feuds involved. As it turns out, that was done by design. Apollo Crews and Kevin Owens had a fun match on SmackDown, with the former retaining the Intercontinental Championship while Sami Zayn was at ringside.
While Owens still got a stunner on Crews, Commander Azeez hit him with what looked like the Samoan Spike - a tribute to the late, great Umaga. Post-match, Zayn danced over Owens.
Backstage, Big E was furious about getting passed over a title shot. He will get his opportunity next week on SmackDown, and in a heel move, he attacked Crews from behind.
The use of two feuds and four men crossing paths was a good idea by WWE, and these are two rivalries that are far from over.
