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The final episode of WWE SmackDown before Fastlane had a decent show lined up for fans. The Blue brand witnessed Edge fighting inside the circle for the first time in 10 years. He also picked a huge victory that could have a big impact on Roman Reigns’ immediate future. We also saw a champion vs. champion match with the SmackDown Women’s title on the line.
In this article, we will take a look at three superstars who impressed us on WWE SmackDown and two who didn’t.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Sami Zayn
It has been a while since a big talking point on WWE SmackDown involved Sami Zayn. Fortunately, that changed this week as the creative teased a long-term booking on the show. Ever since Zayn lost the Intercontinental Championship, he has talked about being a victim of a conspiracy. This week, his old friend Kevin Owens tried to confront him about these excuses.
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During a backstage segment on WWE SmackDown, Zayn asked Owens to stay at ringside during his match against King Corbin. KO agreed to do that to see if he could spot anything suspicious. Once again, Sami Zayn started well in the match but right before he could capitalize, Zayn was stopped midway.
A replay clip showed that the match referee’s subtle intervention delayed Zayn’s attack. This ultimately favored Corbin, and he eventually pinned Zayn once again on WWE SmackDown. Zayn desperately asked Owens to take a closer look at everything that happened inside the ring. Owens couldn’t see anything bizarre, and Zayn walked away.
However, KO could not have been prepared for what was coming next. Zayn returned and attacked Owens, who was still seated at the announcement desk. Zayn hit him with a devastating Helluva kick before begging Owens to understand things that he can’t say aloud. It is clear that the two superstars will now engage in a feud on WWE SmackDown.
Interestingly, this also means that we could see a whole other person exposed as the culprit that Zayn is trying to talk about. The stage is finally set for a storyline involving two superstars who can turn any storyline into gold. Their rivalry and an eventual alliance is something that Zayn desperately needed on WWE SmackDown. He needs to remind the WWE Universe of his caliber, and Owens is the best person to ensure that the job gets done.
#1 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Nia Jax
Tonight, Sasha Banks successfully defended her WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match against Nia Jax. The latter was good in the first half of the match, but somehow, things started to look very awkward in the final moments. Despite being built and pushed as a monster, Jax looked like an easy victim against Banks' brutal blows.
Fortunately for her, Jax was at least protected during the loss. Her tag team partner Shayna Baszler saw that the referee was distracted and went for a kick. Unfortunately, she hit her partner, allowing Banks to go for a pin and defend her WWE SmackDown Women's Championship.
It wasn’t the best of nights for Jax. No one expected her to win the title, but she could have still been booked a little strongly in the match. The result of this match on WWE SmackDown likely means that Jax and Baszler will pick up a win at Fastlane. That might prompt Banks and Belair to kickstart their feud.
Interestingly, Jax walked away from her tag team partner when Baszler was competing in her match later on WWE SmackDown. As a result, Baszler was left alone when Natalya and Tamina attacked her. This turn of events indicated a possible split. Thus, when Jax and Baszler eventually drop their titles, the latter is expected to start a singles run and feud with Asuka on RAW.
#2 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Edge
Edge returned for a match on WWE SmackDown for the first time in 10 years. The nostalgia attached to him standing at the center of a squared circle wrapped in blue ropes was enough to get the fans excited about his match against Jey Uso. They competed to become the special enforcer for the Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan at Fastlane.
Jey Uso dominated most of the match, allowing the creative to show Edge as a resilient competitor. The Rated-R Superstar took a lot of punishment and finally managed to turn things around in the match's closing moments. As confirmed on WWE SmackDown, Edge will now be the special guest enforcer during Bryan and Reigns’ match at Fastlane after his victory over Uso.
Edge did not get to celebrate his first match on WWE SmackDown in over a decade. He was quickly attacked by Reigns, who delivered a picture-perfect Spear to silence The Rated-R Superstar. The segment ended with Reigns standing tall over Bryan and Edge. Being one of the few Superstars who desperately need to win at Fastlane, Reigns did well in making a strong statement in front of two superstars who have their eyes set on the Universal Championship.
#2 Flopped on WWE SmackDown: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins didn’t have a lot to do on WWE SmackDown this week. He entered the ring and boasted about his vicious attack on Cesaro last week. The Architect had used a chair to assault Cesato, and the latter was forced to take time off while dealing with the aftermath. That said, Rollins’ praises for himself were cut short by Shinsuke Nakamura, who has an alliance with Cesaro.
Nakamura entered the ring and attacked Rollins. The latter was taken aback by Nakamura, and he didn’t do much to retaliate. While the segment indeed showed Nakamura in strong light, Rollins could have also been booked like the best version of his heel self. He is yet to re-establish himself as a significant threat on WWE SmackDown. Few segments have helped this cause since his return on the Blue brand, but others not so much.
Rollins is now scheduled to face Nakamura at Fastlane on Sunday. It would be great to see him back at a pay-per-view, but we expect interferences in this match. Superstars like Cesaro and Murphy could come to the aid of Nakamura and Rollins, respectively. It will be interesting to see how this match will fuel the ongoing feud between Rollins and Cesaro on WWE SmackDown.
#3 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: The Alpha Academy
This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown blew new life into the brand’s tag team division. Over the last few weeks, we saw superstars like Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Chad Gable, and Otis competing as tag teams. The Mysterios have been booked as the babyface team while Gable and Otis are doing great as heels.
This week, we saw three tag teams compete in consecutive matches on WWE SmackDown. First, Rey and Dominik Mysterio defeated The Street Profits. Following that, Otis and Gable delivered a brilliant performance to beat the Mysterios and establish themselves as a credible threat. SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were also present at ringside. All four teams had a staredown before the segment came to an end.
This may lead to a WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships match between all these teams at Fastlane. Otis has started to look much different inside the ring. He takes more risks and prioritizes his attacks over his theatrics. Gable also looks promising as a heel, especially when he is entirely in the position to manipulate situations in his favor.
Dominik Mysterio also deserves a special mention as well. He looked great in the match against The Street Profits, and it seemed like he has a promising run ahead of him. It was good to see the WWE SmackDown tag team division get this intense after such a long time.
