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Next week will be the penultimate episode of SmackDown to Fastlane 2021. We're just over a month away from WrestleMania 37, and there are a lot of questions about how things are shaping up.
This wasn't the strongest episode of SmackDown this year by any means, but as with every week, there are positives and negatives. Daniel Bryan's main event match against Jey Uso was the focal point, with a potential opportunity of headlining the final PPV before WrestleMania 37.
#3. Best: Apollo Crews' new character change on SmackDown
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Apollo Crews has had an impressive run in WWE since his time post-WrestleMania 36. While he spent the first six months on RAW, he was drafted to SmackDown - where many fans felt that he would return to catering.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case. While Apollo Crews added a bit more to his character on RAW last April-May, he was still a babyface. The biggest criticism that he had received was his lack of character and promo ability. He ended up becoming one of the Superstars to benefit greatly from his lack of fans, and his promo on SmackDown was a reflection of that.
Last week, Apollo Crews not only cemented his heel turn but debuted a new character as well. This week, we got to see more of that side of Apollo Crews.
Now touting a Nigerian accent, Apollo Crews has embraced his past royal heritage - something that he said he was ashamed of before. Crews walked in wearing gear representing Nigeria while also holding a spear. Not just that, but he has two bodyguards as well.
Big E returns to SmackDown next week, and we imagine that Apollo Crews' demand for an Intercontinental Championship match will be agreed upon. It adds an edge to the feud between Big E and Apollo Crews - two bright, young, rising Superstars.
This heel turn could lead to a title change if WWE is planning to have Big E step up post-WrestleMania. While Big E could admittedly retain given his momentum, it seems like a win-win situation.
Ultimately, it all depends on how WWE chooses to handle Apollo Crews after the feud. Looking at it now, Crews would indeed have made a great addition to The Hurt Business had there not been a storyline in place where he actively refused MVP's offer.
#3. Worst: That Ding-Dong, Hello! segment on SmackDown
This was a weirdly interesting segment on SmackDown, but the delivery of it wasn't good at all. Bayley had another Ding Dong, Hello! segment, but this time, it was backstage in a different setting.
Not that it mattered, but the segment seemed to last all but a minute. Bayley had a parody of "Mean Tweets" with "Sweet Tweets" - posts on Twitter dedicated to praising her while also taking shots at Superstars like Sasha Banks.
It was all going well before Bayley was about to read a tweet from a user named "wwesuperfan". She stopped in her tracks and seemed flustered. She crumbled the paper and exited the segment on SmackDown - putting an abrupt end to it.
While we assume that it was teasing some kind of a return to SmackDown, the way it was executed wasn't good. It seemed all too abrupt, and we hope that the follow-up of it will be better next week. However, it could still be the case that there are no WrestleMania plans in place for the Grand Slam Women's Champion Bayley.
We're curious, but this wasn't a good part of the show.
#2. Best: Dominik Mysterio finally getting some momentum on SmackDown
The lightest "background" feud on SmackDown is the Mysterios vs. the Alpha Academy. Otis and Chad Gable, who recently turned heel, have been getting the better of Rey Mysterio and Dominik.
This week, there was a good singles match between Dominik Mysterio and Chad Gable. Although it wasn't a significant one, we found it to be the most enjoyable match on SmackDown.
It was a good back-and-forth between two solid athletes, and it was the 23-year-old Dominik who picked up the victory. This seemed long overdue because the Mysterio family had lost a lot of momentum with their mixed success.
We hope that the win adds more fuel to the feud, and while establishing Otis and Gable as a tag team is important, the ultimate objective of this rivalry should be to further push Dominik Mysterio. WWE got it right on SmackDown with them tonight.
We hope that their momentum carries forward while Alpha Academy also gets protected. Given the lack of tag teams on the Blue brand, WWE desperately needs to establish title contenders.
#2. Worst: Overcrowding the SmackDown Women's Title feud
The SmackDown Women's Championship match at WrestleMania will see Sasha Banks defending the title against Women's Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair.
While it should be a relatively straightforward rivalry, that isn't the case. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair have been more like allies, and the duo will team up to challenge Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for the Women's Tag Team Championship at Fastlane.
We don't expect them to win it, but on SmackDown this week, Bianca Belair defeated Shayna Baszler. Sasha Banks was at ringside, and Reginald had to make his presence known - even after telling Carmella that what he was doing was to help her.
Sasha Banks gave Reginald a big slap, and Bianca Belair told the SmackDown Women's Champion that he was Banks' problem. She rejected him once again backstage before Shayna Baszler started bullying him. Her partner Nia Jax stopped that and said that "he's kinda cute".
The feud seems overcrowded and unnecessarily complicated. We hope that clears out a bit in the coming weeks since a straightforward feud would be better for the build.
#1. Best: Daniel Bryan's role on SmackDown
Daniel Bryan reminded us once again on SmackDown why he is one of the best in the world - whether it's as a babyface or a heel. He was set to challenge Jey Uso in the main event, but given the circumstances of last week, he demanded a Steel Cage match as the stipulation.
If he lost, not only would he have to forgo an opportunity to compete for the Universal Championship at Fastlane, but he would also have to declare Roman Reigns as the head of the table.
A lot was at stake, and Daniel Bryan was the central character on SmackDown this week. He opened the show and had a tense exchange with Roman Reigns before disposing Jey Uso from the ring. He even attacked Jey Uso from behind later before their match, giving him a slight advantage.
Ultimately, Daniel Bryan triumphed over Jey Uso inside the Steel Cage, and he will be facing Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at Fastlane - presumably in the main event.
While we're sure that Daniel Bryan won't win, his role on SmackDown was nothing short of phenomenal.
#1. Worst: Murphy trying to get back with Seth Rollins on SmackDown
Murphy was absent from SmackDown since early December 2020. He concluded his rivalry with Seth Rollins and face turn when he aligned with the Mysterio family and started a romantic angle with Rey Mysterio's daughter Aalyah.
That was abruptly ended after Murphy beat Seth Rollins, which is why his role on SmackDown was so bizarre. Seth Rollins cut a promo backstage, and Murphy came to him and offered to help him with his "Cesaro situation".
Seth Rollins immediately told Murphy to get out of his sight, but he was a close spectator on the commentary booth as Cesaro took on the Australian. It was an impressive and dominant display by Cesaro, who made Murphy tap out in front of Rollins.
The four-time World Champion seemed impressed and gave him an ovation. But the idea of Murphy trying to get back with Rollins is a bad idea, and it will hurt the former Cruiserweight Champion in the long run.
It's time for Murphy to move past his time with Seth Rollins, though he definitely benefited from the alliance in his own way.
