WWE SmackDown - Best and Worst - AEW star referenced ahead of Rampage, Why Shinsuke Nakamura became the Intercontinental Champion 

WWE SmackDown was a very good show this week. Whether that was the result of John Cena being a part of the show to kick things off, or because the company wanted to make a statement ahead of Rampage, remains to be seen.

There was a lot on WWE SmackDown that was absolutely awesome. As far as the 'worsts' go, this wasn't a 10/10 show, but it was probably a pretty solid 8.

Of course, if you believe otherwise, you're welcome to sound off about WWE SmackDown, SummerSlam, or even AEW Rampage in the comments.

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#3 Best/worst: WWE SmackDown peaked at the very start!

That is promo of the year by John Cena

— Nick (@NickCorste) August 14, 2021

Of course, John Cena has his share of critics and detractors, but at the same time, there's a reason why he's been at the mountaintop for so very long. The promo that he delivered at the very start of the show was a masterclass by arguably the greatest superstar of the modern era.

Roman Reigns could not hang with John Cena when they went to battle the last time around, but this time, he looked like a star who was at John Cena's level. Their exchange made you want to see the two top-tier WWE Superstars tear it up at SummerSlam in a high-stakes contest!

Like Cena acting as Peacemaker from "The Suicide Squad", he shall destroy the villain and save us all!

— Cristian Cruz (@cruzcristian413) August 14, 2021

And these two men went for the jugular. There were references to Dean Ambrose and CM Punk!

Of course, nothing on WWE SmackDown (or AEW Rampage) came close to what we saw in the opening minutes of the three-hour sprint, even though both shows were fun. Should this segment have closed the show?

AEW Rampage had the same issue as WWE SmackDown, to be fair, with the best moment, Christian Cage's win coming at the top of the show. The sequencing was off.

#2 Best: A brand new Champion is crowned

🎸👑🎸#AndNEWWWWWW #SmackDown #ICTitle @ShinsukeN pic.twitter.com/OrBmbxMFHI

— WWE (@WWE) August 14, 2021

Did you guys expect the WWE SmackDown title change? It was unexpected, it was sudden, and it came out of the blue. And that's what made it so, so special.

Shinsuke Nakamura now has a chance to work with heels like Otis, Chad Gable, and even Baron Corbin to elevate the prestige of the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

If Sami Zayn makes a return to WWE SmackDown soon, these two men could definitely tear it up too.

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#2 Worst: The whole current WWE SmackDown tag team championship picture

I tuned in tonight for the first time in about 15 years. What in the blue hell is this trash?

— Angry Anakin (@AngrySithVader) August 14, 2021

Somehow the whole WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture is not very interesting at all. It has also made Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode sideshow players, which is a little unfair to two extremely competent performers.

The idea may be to create a new star in Dominik Mysterio but it's coming at the cost of two men who could infuse life into the tag team division. At least the RAW Tag Team Championship picture has the whole Randy Orton and Riddle situation, making things very interesting indeed.

#1 Best: Big E's contract is stolen

The funniest moment of WWE SmackDown had to be when Baron Corbin suddenly swooped in and stole the Money in the Bank contract. Did you check out our SmackDown predictions article, where we called this a week ago?

It just makes sense for someone who needs money to go after the Money in the Bank contract. Yes, it's a terrible attempt at wordplay, but this is WWE SmackDown, not art cinema or Westworld!

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#1 Worst: Where are the rest of the WWE SmackDown women?

But where are Liv Morgan, Toni Storm & Naomi why is the same Women on the show

— Zachary Adams (@Zack276Iron) August 14, 2021

On paper, the women of WWE SmackDown were booked in the main event segment, but somehow everything just felt underwhelming! It was awkward enough that Zelina Vega and Carmella, who were Sasha Banks' enemies until recently, were now her 'witnesses.'

It was even weirder to see them getting so much screen time when Shotzi, Nox, and Toni Storm, all of whom had impressive WWE SmackDown outings not so long ago, were nowhere to be seen. Out of sight is out of mind!

Have we even forgotten that Liv Morgan exists, creative team?