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Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It was the first SmackDown of 2021, and it was largely met with mixed reviews. It certainly wasn't a pointless episode of the blue brand, but it wasn't the best one to start the year either.
However, a lot happened on SmackDown, and here's what WWE subtly told us as we build towards Royal Rumble 2021.
#6 What major mistake is being made with Roman Reigns on SmackDown?
Roman Reigns has been the best part of SmackDown since he returned in late August 2020, but he didn't have a great start to the year. His 2020 ended with him defeating Kevin Owens for the second time in six days - with the second bout being inside a steel cage.
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Since Jey Uso assisted him by chaining Kevin Owens to help him win, this week's SmackDown was about revenge for the Prizefighter. KOstated that the night wasn't about getting back at Roman Reigns, but Jey Uso.
While he asked for the match at first, it wasn't one that Roman Reigns wanted. Adam Pearce, WWE's authority figure, was reluctant to make the match, seemingly scared of The Tribal Chief.
However, after much convincing, the match was booked. In the main event, Kevin Owens defeated Jey Uso with relative ease and was blindsided by Roman Reigns when he intended to take out the former Tag Team Champion.
SmackDown ended with a shot of Roman Reigns standing tall after beating down Kevin Owens...again. That's where the big mistake is being made. While Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens is a solid Universal title feud, it's time for The Tribal Chief to move on. How many weeks are we going to see him beat down Kevin Owens with no payoff? It won't help either man on SmackDown in the long run.
#5 Carmella pins SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks - the implications
We saw a tag team match this week featuring teams that performed last week on SmackDown - Bianca Belair and SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks vs Bayley and Carmella.
While Bianca Belair and Bayley have been feuding on the side, Sasha Banks vs Carmella was the main title feud. It seems as though the objective of the match is to drag the feud on - and that could be until the Royal Rumble at least.
While its' hard to make a case for Carmella getting a title shot after getting finished at TLC 2020, WWE has their ways - and one is to have the Champion pinned in a non-title match
It appears as though they got to this objective, with Carmella pinning Sasha Banks thanks to a little help from her assistant Reginald (who was impressive in his own right).
It looks as though Sasha Banks vs Carmella will be the program heading into Royal Rumble 2021. While it isn't as overdone as the previously-mentioned feud between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns, it isn't as exciting the second time.
#4 What is Daniel Bryan's current role on SmackDown?
Daniel Bryan was seen before SmackDown backstage with Chad Gable and Otis. They were training while Chad Gable had resumed his coaching role. While what they were doing was admittedly funny, the trio got belittled by the former SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
It led to a tag team match later that night, where Daniel Bryan and Otis faced Cesaro and Nakamura. Of course, Bryan and Otis ended up winning with Gable in their corner.
While it had no significance on any storyline on SmackDown, it appears to be WWE's way of warming Daniel Bryan up for the Royal Rumble 2020. He has been largely inactive on SmackDown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he's entering a different stage of his career.
While we certainly can't expect him to win the Royal Rumble 2021, he will still hold an important role on SmackDown. It will be interesting to see how things play out. Also, we noticed that WWE is still making a big effort to put Otis on regular TV on SmackDown.
#3 The Street Profits and the (lack of) SmackDown Tag Team title feuds
The Street Profits had a comedy segment on SmackDown that wasn't that funny. They have been Champions for 11 months now, and while most of that was as the RAW Tag Team Champions, they never had to lose the championships to gain the SmackDown Tag Team titles.
In any normal year, The Street Profits wouldn't have enjoyed such a lengthy run. However, the overall lack of tag teams has benefited them greatly. Still, not all the feuds involving Ford and Dawkins have been entertaining.
They had a comedy skit at Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode's expense, only to face an attack. We know what the next SmackDown Tag Team title program is, but it isn't exciting.
#2 What is Apollo Crews' place as a title challenger?
Big E's match against King Corbin ended in a DQ and he found himself getting attacked by Sami Zayn as well as Corbin's bodyguards, Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake.
Apollo Crews came out for the save and they stood tall, after which Big E asked to face him for the Intercontinental Championship. The match is made for next week, and while Apollo Crews is unlikely to win, he can have a solid showing.
#1 Sonya Deville is back on SmackDown - what will her role be?
She's back! After a quarter of a year away, Sonya Deville is back on SmackDown. It was a shame that she left when she did because Deville was one of the few people from SmackDown benefiting from having a lack of fans.
Sonya Deville had even gained considerable momentum on SmackDown, but all of that came to a halt when the invasion of her house happened in real life and she had to press charges in court while also handling the fallout of it on a personal level.
Thankfully, WWE gave her time off and Deville looks ready to regain her momentum. She didn't have a significant appearance on SmackDown, but a simple cameo did the job and had people talking about her.
Another positive is that Mandy Rose is now on RAW, meaning that they won't have to cross paths again at each others' expense on SmackDown. We imagine that Sonya Deville will eventually work her way up. For now, a good winning streak on SmackDown would get her back in the mix and potentially even the title picture.
