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Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown featured a brutal exchange between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens and a title match between Sasha Banks and Carmella. It confirmed a tag team title match between The Street Profits and Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode for next week. The episode was average in terms of entertainment, but it helped in adding interesting developments to a couple of ongoing storylines.
In this article, we will take a look at Superstars who impressed us on WWE SmackDown this week and those who didn’t. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
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#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Kevin Owens
On this week’s episode of SmackDown, we saw yet another showdown between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. Both Superstars spent the entire week taking digs at each other. Tonight, KO headed to the ring and addressed the Universal Champion ahead of their title match at TLC. He went on to reveal how he will rely on his friends ‘tables ladders, and chairs’ help him win the match.
Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, and Paul Heyman were watching this segment backstage. It was surprising to see Jey Uso stand next to Roman Reigns and follow all the orders - especially after The Head of the Table’ brutally attacked him with multiple chair shots last week. As a result, Jey Uso snuck up on Owens while the latter was cutting his promo on SmackDown.
He started hitting KO with a chair and left him with an injured leg. However, Owens turned things around quickly during this SmackDown segment. He was relentlessly attacking Jey Uso when Roman Reigns decided to interfere. However, he backed off after Paul Heyman advised him to do so. This allowed KO to show how selfish the Universal Champion really is despite all his talk about family.
Later, Owen went backstage to hunt for Reigns, but the latter got the better off of him. KO started bleeding profusely after sustaining a cut on the cheek. On the other hand, Reigns took the chance to send a warning to KO’s wife during SmackDown. He insisted that Kevin Owens should be at home or he will end things for good – a sentence that won’t sit well with Owens.
This feud has finally brought out the most compelling version of Kevin Owens. He is a great talker and adds a lot to any storyline by adding elements of reality. After spending months on the sideline, Owens’ return to the main title picture is extremely refreshing. The WWE Universe is extremely excited to see the creative will book KO on SmackDown in the coming months.
#1 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Natalya
This week on SmackDown Natalya teamed up with Billie Kay to take on Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan. Their match was extremely short and unexpectedly sloppy throughout its duration. The in-ring encounter between all the four Superstars had no redeeming qualities, and Natalya came out looking as the weakest Superstar inside the ring.
She struggled to get on the same page as Billie Kay, and The Riott Squad easily dominated them. Even though Natalya is being booked as a heel, she is far from coming across as a considerable threat on SmackDown. With a below-average performance over the last few weeks, labeling her as The Best of All Time seems sarcastic at this point.
Natalya may not be one of the best performers in WWE today, but she is certainly one of the finest Superstars when it comes to technical wrestling. He can use her in-ring talent to put over other Superstars, but that won’t work if she herself looks lost inside the squared circle. More than anything, this appears to be a missed opportunity as WWE can use her presence on SmackDown to try and build more women’s tag teams.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Carmella
After making short appearances on WWE SmackDown for weeks, Carmella finally made a return to the ring tonight. The beginning of the show saw a contract signing segment for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. While Sasha Banks was present inside the squared circle, Carmella decided to stay backstage and send a signed contract with the signed contract via a new ‘friend’.
An irritated Banks then went on to say that she will put her title on the line tonight itself. As a result, we saw Banks and Carmella lock horns inside the ring for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. It is safe to say that Carmella looked a lot better inside the ring with much more polished moves. In fact, she came across as someone who has the potential to deliver a memorable match along with Banks.
The closing moments of the match saw Carmella’s new ally running an interference. As a result, Banks snapped and ended up attacking both Carmella and her friend. The match ended in disqualification with Carmella picking a victory. Banks lost, but she retained her title. Following the match, Carmella went on to brutalize Banks on the ringside, and he even smashed a bottle of Champagne onto her spine.
This match made Carmella look like a legit threat on SmackDown, and she seems ready to challenge for the women’s championship at TLC. Moreover, we know that her friend can run a crucial interference during this match. Will Banks successfully fight her way out of this rivalry without losing her gold?
#2 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Billie Kay
Before anything, allow this author to say that Billie Kay is one of the most entertaining Superstars in the WWE women’s division today. Her backstage antics are genuinely hilarious, which sets her apart from the rest of the performers. That said, the entertainment quotient takes a serious hit on SmackDown when the in-ring performance isn’t that appealing.
Her tag team match against The Riott Squad was extremely short for a filler match and ended on a disappointing note. Given that she has held the women’s tag team championship before, one can’t be blamed for expecting better performances from her inside the ring. She desperately needs to reinvent herself on SmackDown because the creative will regret not capitalizing on the unique personality of this Superstar.
It is safe to say that Billie Kay is a talented performer who deserves to be a part of better booking decisions on WWE SmackDown. If she still has to rely on a tag team partner in the women’s division, then there would be absolutely no justification for splitting up The IIconics in the first place. Hopefully, we will see her involved in better matches and storylines on SmackDown in the following weeks.
#3 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Big E
Big E’s split from The New Day marked the beginning of his solo run on WWE SmackDown. He had a promising feud with Sheamus, following which he went missing from the television. Then, a couple of weeks ago, his backstage altercation with Sami Zayn hinted at a possible feud between the two Superstars for the Intercontinental Championship.
Tonight, we saw Big E lock horns with Sami Zayn in a rather interesting match. The latter relied extensively on his brain to save him. On the other hand, Big E showed his raw power inside the ring. He managed to bounce back from every single trick that Zayn would pull off until the very end of the match. Zayn tricked him into going under the ring which resulted in champion picking up a sneaky victory on SmackDown, thanks to the countout.
This match confirmed that any match between both these Superstars in the future would be highly entertaining. Big E should be the one to challenge Zayn for the IC title, and he might end up taking the gold away from the latter. It will be interesting to see how WWE will move ahead with this storyline on SmackDown.
