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This week's episode of WWE SmackDown was a throwback to the earlier days of the show. It showcased a few matches that ended up making it quite interesting.
With the returns of Jimmy Uso and Teddy Long also appearing as a one-off, the event helped to build towards the next pay-per-view — WrestleMania Backlash.
The show opened with Cesaro facing Seth Rollins in an incredible match. Later, Dominik Mysterio was forced to prove that he belonged on WWE SmackDown as well. The show also had an intergender match as Reginald faced Tamina in a singles match.
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There was also a multi-person tag team match which saw King Corbin hit the winning End of Days to put away Shinsuke Nakamura.
Overall, the night was a good one for wrestling and storylines. There were some names, however, that stood out and drew the attention of the WWE Universe.
The following are the five best wrestlers from the night on this week's WWE SmackDown.
#5 Carmella returned to SmackDown
Carmella had her first match in a month on SmackDown. The pressure was on her to create an immediate impact as she faced Ruby Riott, with Liv Morgan at ringside.
Carmella had been trying to build herself by teaming up with Billie Kay. But following Kay's release from WWE, she was not seen on television for some time.
In her match against Ruby Riott, Carmella looked to make a point about her place on the roster. Riott dominated in the early proceedings, but Carmella soon changed things around by locking Riott in the Code of Silence. That was all she needed to make Riott submit and got the win.
With her victory, she appears to be building herself up on the SmackDown women's roster.
#4 Dominik Mysterio proved his mettle on SmackDown
On this week's episode of SmackDown, Rey Mysterio was set to face one-half of the Dirty Dogs — Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler mocked Dominik ahead of the match, saying that he didn't belong on SmackDown, unlike the other stars present.
Dominik was not having it, and he challenged Ziggler to a match instead, and the Show Off agreed.
Early on, Ziggler showcased his experience and wrestling knowledge by dominating proceedings during the match. Dominik was hard-pressed to get any offense in at the beginning. Ziggler dropped him on the apron, stopping his attack, before slamming him on the outside. He continued to punish the younger Mysterio while also mocking him. He hit the neckbreaker and slammed him on the mat.
Unfortunately for Ziggler, he took Dominik too lightly. Dominik took advantage of Ziggler's taunts to roll him up instead into a pinfall.
Since arriving in WWE, Dominik has shown he can hang with the best. The win on this week's episode of SmackDown saw him take a leaf out of his own father's book as the ultimate underdog. What happens next is unclear, but Dominik made it apparent that he belongs on the roster as much as anyone else.
#3 Bayley made a statement on SmackDown
This week, Bayley made her way out to talk about previous women's champions who were part of the Blue brand. When she arrived at Bianca Belair, she decided to poke fun at the current SmackDown Women's Champion.
Belair took exception and made her way out to confront her critic.
Since losing the SmackDown Women's title to Sasha Banks, Bayley has not had the best of luck. While she has asserted her dominance, she has lost a lot of matches as well. Confronted by the current champion, Bayley held nothing back.
After some verbal jousting, Bayley attacked Belair. Belair seemed to get the better of the encounter until Bayley turned the tables on her yet again. She tugged at the SmackDown Women's Champion's earrings, taking her by surprise. She also stepped on Belair's long hair before slamming her onto the mat.
Bayley is set to face Bianca Belair at WrestleMania Backlash, and is determined to prove what she can do before that. This week's episode saw her get the upper hand over the current champion.
#2 King Corbin helped his team to a victory on SmackDown
It was a big night for King Corbin on SmackDown as he teamed up with Sami Zayn, Alpha Academy, and Apollo Crews in an enormous ten-man tag team match. They were facing the team of Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E, Kevin Owens, and The Street Profits. All teams tried their best to get along with each other despite their unfamiliarity.
SmackDown's babyfaces dominated most of the match and it looked like they would win. An excellent combination by the face team saw Big E slam down Crews, following which Owens hit the Intercontinental Champion with the Stunner, before hitting a superkick on Otis. Ford hit the major splash on Otis and Nakamura hit Zayn with the Kinshasa. Unfortunately, Corbin got the tag, and he came in fresh.
With the others distracted, Corbin hit Nakamura with the End of Days to pick up the win.
King Corbin saw to it that the heels stood tall at the end of their match. Corbin's End of Days finisher looked more powerful than ever, taking out Nakamura.
#1 Cesaro is the biggest challenger on WWE SmackDown
Since the start of 2021, there has been something different about Cesaro. No longer content to sit by the sidelines, the Swiss Superman has been staking his claim by taking on every challenge.
At WrestleMania 37, Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins in an impressive match. With Rollins refusing to let go of the situation, Cesaro had to face him again on this week's SmackDown.
Following an assault before the match by Rollins, Cesaro was initially in trouble. However, he found his feet and took out Seth Rollins with his incredible wrestling skills. Rollins was also attacked by Jimmy Uso at ringside, which led to his defeat.
Later in the night, Roman Reigns was trying to put his house in order by confronting the returning Jimmy Uso. Cesaro attacked them all and stood tall at the end of SmackDown. He will now face Reigns for the WWE Universal title at WrestleMania Backlash.
