WWE veteran reportedly played a key role in uplifting SmackDown this week

This week's WWE SmackDown emanated from the Allstate Arena in Chicago. A fired-up Chicago crowd backed the returning CM Punk with all their heart, booed Drew McIntyre out of the building for assaulting Punk, and, were stunned by the debut of Jacob Fatu, among other things.

The show was lauded for exceeding expectations as RAW had put on a great show last week with the arrival of The Wyatt Sicks. According to the latest reports, the lead writer of the blue brand has changed. As per Fightful Select, WWE creative writer, John Swikata has been promoted to lead writer on Smackdown, at least as of earlier this week.

Swikata replaced Ryan Callahan in the role, who parted ways with WWE. There is very little known about Swikata or publicly available, other than the fact that he is listed as a senior writer with the Stamford-based company. One source said that the veteran writer had already made a huge impact with the latest episode this past Friday night.

Nick Aldis asked fans following the show what they felt about all that transpired. He also reminded them that next week SmackDown would air live from the Madison Square Garden in New York.

---

Solo Sikoa informed something detrimental to Paul Heyman on WWE SmackDown

As so many buzzworthy moments happened on SmackDown, some of them could get lost in the shuffle. However, perhaps Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman's backstage segment right before the main event was a very crucial detail in the ongoing Bloodline Saga.

The Enforcer informed Heyman that Roman Reigns was not coming back. This broke The Wiseman while Sikoa continued to march to the ring. Ultimately, the announced main event between Cody Rhodes and Solo did not really take off and was interrupted by multiple superstars before Jacob Fatu made his debut and cleaned house.

There is also the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event fast approaching. So far, Jey Uso, Carmelo Hayes, and Andrade have qualified among the men, while IYO SKY and Chelsea Green picked up wins in the women's contest.

On the upcoming episode of RAW, Braun Strowman, Chad Gable or Bronson Reed will join the men, while Lyra Valkyria, Shayna Baszler, or Kairi Sane will also be competing in a qualifying match to secure their spot.