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Welcome to this week's edition of the best and worst of SmackDown. It was the penultimate episode before Extreme Rules 2022, and not much had been done to build up the card. So far, only three matches have been announced for the show.
The Friday Night Show had its ups and downs this week, but it had a great start and finish. Let's begin with the best storyline in all of WWE right now:
#3. The Sami Zayn story and his alliance with Solo Sikoa
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SmackDown opened this week with The Bloodline and Sami Zayn. While Roman Reigns questioned Zayn's presence and made it seem like he was turning on him, that wasn't the case.
Sami Zayn was recognized as an "Honorary Uce" of The Bloodline, while Solo Sikoa was named as the official enforcer - giving him a new role. The dynamic between Zayn and Sikoa and the tension between Zayn and Jey Uso have been fantastic.
The story of a face turn and betrayal is eventually coming. But hopefully, when it does, it will be well executed like this storyline.
#2. Worst: Not the right way to handle Braun Strowman's first match back
While we get why WWE would want to make Otis look good in defeat, we felt this was the incorrect way to handle Braun Strowman's first match back.
Looking back at his rise in 2016-17, it was clear that WWE was going with the old-school way of having The Monster squash enhancement talents. It's a tried and tested formula, and that's how fans got to love Strowman.
We feel that Otis got too much offense in for Strowman's first match back, and that's why this is under the "worst" category on this list.
#2. Best: The Karrion Kross-Drew McIntyre segment
Karrion Kross and Drew McIntyre's chemistry translates well on screen. In what became only the third match to be made official for Extreme Rules, the former WWE Champion will face Kross in a strap match.
While McIntyre initially got the better of Kross, Scarlett helped her husband get the upper hand, leading him to choke The Scotsman out. It was a solid segment that built up genuine hype for the match. It should be a good one.
#1. Worst: The execution of the Liv Morgan match and story on SmackDown
When looking at the Extreme Rules stipulation, it's hard to take Liv Morgan seriously against an opponent like Ronda Rousey.
Perhaps that's why WWE went out of their way to make sure that the SmackDown Women's Champion was the one to challenge Rousey at Extreme Rules, and they also gave her a big win against Lacey Evans.
Post-match, she was able to showcase her ruthless side against Evans, who took a beating. However, this wasn't well executed. Morgan's screaming wasn't enough to add intensity to put her up as a legitimate challenger to Rousey, who can reclaim the title in two weeks.
#1. Best: The main event of SmackDown
The main event of SmackDown saw The Usos successfully defend the Undisputed Tag Team Championship against The Brawling Brutes. It was an excellent bout, and there was a lot of hype around it, with WWE reminding us that only Demolition and The New Day have had longer reigns with the tag team titles than The Usos.
The Usos have already entered the elite territory, and this reign will be considered a defining one. It will be interesting to see how it plays out and whether Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens will truly be the ones to dethrone them.
