5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Roman Reigns kneels; Toni Storm makes an impact

WWE SmackDown advertised a big contest between King Woods and Universal Champion Roman Reigns for Friday night. Sasha Banks was also advertised to make her return after suffering a brutal beatdown at the hands of Shotzi a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Sami Zayn and Jeff Hardy were booked to compete in a high-stakes match on this week’s show. Both men found themselves on the SmackDown team for Survivor Series, but Adam Pearce had other plans.

Ridge Holland appeared in a backstage segment and came face to face with Cesaro. The two men discussed Sheamus’ loyalty before Holland revealed that The Celtic Warrior would return next week.

WWE booked a few high-stakes matches for this week’s show. A couple of changes were also made to Team SmackDown on Friday Night. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.

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#5. Aliyah made her mark on WWE SmackDown

Instead of Roman Reigns, Sonya Deville kicked off Friday’s WWE SmackDown. She introduced the participants of the SmackDown women’s Survivor Series team: Natalya, Shotzi, Aliyah, and Shayna Baszler. She also introduced Sasha Banks, who made her return to SmackDown after two weeks.

Banks immediately went after Shotzi, and a brawl broke out. Naomi also came out to get in Deville’s face. This led to a six-woman tag team match.

The Boss teamed up with Naomi and Aliyah to take on Shotzi, Baszler, and Natalya. The heels isolated Aliyah and Baszler looked to end things early with the Kirifuda Clutch.

A tag to Naomi allowed the babyfaces to make a comeback. Both teams kept the action ticking before Naomi was isolated.

Aliyah tagged in soon after and went after Natalya. The former RAW Women’s Champion applied the Sharpshooter to the newcomer before Naomi helped her out. The sequence allowed Aliyah to roll up Natalya for the win on SmackDown.

After the match, Deville congratulated Aliyah before telling her that she had been removed from Team SmackDown. It was a good way to get SmackDown started. Instead of using the same formula week after week, WWE did well to bring in the women to kick things off.

Banks turning face will be beneficial for SmackDown. Meanwhile, the creative team did well to give Aliyah a strong start on SmackDown after an ordinary NXT career. WWE could look to team up a bunch of babyfaces to take down Deville in the weeks to come.

#4. Los Lotharios picked up another win on WWE SmackDown

Angel and Humberto of Los Lotharios came out for another big tag team match on WWE SmackDown this week. The two men took on Rick Boogs and Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

Boogs showcased his power against the heels before they mounted a comeback. They double-teamed on Boogs to weaken him. The Artist came into the match and unloaded on the heels to take back control for his team.

Nakamura’s momentum was halted when Angel grabbed his ankle from the outside. The distraction allowed Angel and Humberto to hit their double-team finisher on Nakamura for the win.

It was a good match for Los Lotharios, who are slowly picking up momentum on SmackDown. Angel and Humberto work well together and deserve to rise in the division and become the SmackDown Tag Team Champions one day.

However, it was odd to see Nakamura take the fall in the match. WWE should be looking for the next challenger for his title. Instead, he is being used to protect Boogs in tag team matches that won’t help their cause.

#3. Sami Zayn lost his spot on Team SmackDown for WWE Survivor Series

Backstage on WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce appeared with Von Wagner by his side. Pearce informed Sami Zayn that he will battle Survivor Series teammate Jeff Hardy tonight, and the loser is off the team.

Later on, the two men took to the ring for the contest. The Conspiracy Theorist took control and fired away at the WWE veteran. The fight spilled to the floor where Hardy tried to take control.

He launched himself at Zayn, who moved out of the way and sent Hardy crashing into the guardrail. Back inside the ring, Hardy caught Zayn with a Whisper in the Wind.

The Conspiracy Theorist tried to stack up Hardy for the pin and grabbed hold of the ropes. The referee caught him in the act and an argument broke out between the two.

The distraction allowed The Charismatic Enigma to capitalize and deliver a Twist of Fate followed by the Swanton Bomb for the win.

Zayn has played his part on SmackDown perfectly over the past several years. This was another good show by him in a match he didn’t need to win. It will be interesting to see what Sami Zayn comes up with next following his exit from Survivor Series.

#2. Toni Storm stepped up to Charlotte Flair on WWE SmackDown

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair addressed her Survivor Series opponent. She didn’t waste time and took multiple shots at RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.

The Queen did some trash-talking and reminded fans that she was the star-maker in WWE who gave women several opportunities. Flair wasn’t finished when former NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm interrupted her.

Storm reminded Flair that she is yet to defend the SmackDown Women’s title since moving to the brand. She followed it up with a challenge to The Queen for the title on SmackDown.

Charlotte Flair turned down the challenge and left the ring to a chorus of boos.

The segment was solid, to say the least. Flair has been a heel for a long time and WWE knows that she works best that way. Strom’s entry into the SmackDown Women’s Championship scene is a welcome move.

She is a great in-ring worker and someone the fans can get behind. WWE could look to hand her the top title of SmackDown soon.

#1. The Bloodline walked all over King Woods on WWE SmackDown

Early on WWE SmackDown, Paul Heyman said that Roman Reigns would take a knee if King Woods picked up the victory. He said that WWE could strip Roman of his Universal Championship if he did not do so.

The Tribal Chief took to the ring for the main event of the night. He dominated Woods early in the match and delivered an uranage onto the table. He continued to pummel Woods inside the ring before the babyface hit a tornado DDT and created some separation.

The King continued to fight back and give the Universal Champion a taste of his own medicine. Reigns took back control and started punishing his opponent.

The Universal Champion stayed on top before he collided with the turnbuckle. Woods took advantage and hit a springboard elbow drop to nearly pick up the win before The Usos hit the ring to make the save.

The Bloodline rocked The King and hit him with the steel steps outside the ring. Reigns took a knee in the ring, and The Usos placed Woods’ crown over his head. Reigns and his cousins stood tall once again to end SmackDown.

WWE did well to push Woods to the brink of victory before ending the match in a disqualification. Woods has been outstanding in the ring for years, and the SmackDown creatives gave him a competitive match rather than allowing Reigns to squash him.

The overall angel will help build towards the big match between Big E and Roman Reigns at Survivor Series.