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Tonight's edition of WWE SmackDown emanated from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans and had its fair share of highs and lows.
WWE Elimination Chamber is mere days away, and the card for the event looks quite promising. Tonight's SmackDown did a fine job of advancing the top storylines heading into the Saudi Arabia event, though nothing of note happened during the show.
Were you impressed? Were you left underwhelmed by how things played out? Did it raise your level of excitement for the upcoming Elimination Chamber event? Do let us know your thoughts on tonight's WWE SmackDown in the comments section below!
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#3 Best/Worst: The major issue with Roman Reigns' feud with Goldberg on WWE SmackDown
Michael Cole interviewed both Roman Reigns and Goldberg on tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown to hype up their Universal title match at Elimination Chamber.
Goldberg was his usual confident self. He made it clear that he will take the Universal title off Reigns and head towards WrestleMania to face Brock Lesnar.
He assured that he would bring back the "old Goldberg" that everyone remembers. The problem? The aura has long gone after how WWE has presented Goldberg over the past few years, and fan reactions to his presence are nowhere near what they once used to be.
Goldberg's backstage interview with Cole wasn't anything special and wasn't something fans haven't seen on various occasions in the recent past.
The only silver lining here is Roman Reigns cutting top-notch promos like the one from tonight's SmackDown. As is usually the case, The Tribal Chief delivered a couple of great lines.
Reigns nailed the delivery when he said that if he were in WCW, the promotion would still be in business. He then finished off with another epic line, stating that he's going to "Goldberg," Goldberg.
#2 Best: WWE's treatment of Aliyah has been impressive so far
When a young gun is promoted to WWE SmackDown/RAW, fans are always skeptical about how they would be handled by Vince McMahon & company.
In the past, fans have seen several big names from NXT getting butchered on the main roster. Thankfully, the same can't be said about Aliyah's run on WWE SmackDown so far. She debuted against Natalya earlier this year and has been doing fine for herself on the blue brand ever since.
Aliyah's feud with The Queen of Harts is steadily putting her over in front of the WWE Universe as a credible name. She has previously defeated Natalya in three straight singles bouts. One of those wins came in 3:17 seconds, which is now the fastest WWE win in history.
Aliyah lost to Natalya in their Dungeon-Style match tonight but had a strong showing during the outing. Here's hoping Aliyah fares well on the main roster in the coming months, as the division could undoubtedly use another promising female star.
#2 Worst: Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair's rivalry isn't exactly lighting the world on fire
Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair had another confrontation on tonight's WWE SmackDown.
The two women are scheduled to face off in a SmackDown Women's title match at WrestleMania 38. Rousey saved Naomi from a beatdown at the hands of Flair and Sonya Deville after the main event, and the villains eventually retreated.
It was a standard angle-advancement segment and wasn't remotely close to a must-see affair. At Elimination Chamber 2022, Rousey will team up with Naomi to take on Flair and Deville.
Rousey vs. Flair just doesn't give off that 'big-time' vibe, especially after one looks back at what happened at Survivor Series 2018. The latter was a heel at the time but was cheered by fans when she brutally beat Rousey up.
The WWE Universe hoped to see a singles showdown between Rousey and Becky Lynch for over two years now, but WWE decided to go with the current plan.
It would be pretty interesting to see how the crowd reacts this time around when Rousey and Flair engage in battle.
#1 Best: Naomi gave one of the best performances of her career on WWE SmackDown
In the show's main event, Naomi met Charlotte Flair for the latter's WWE SmackDown Women's title tonight.
Both performers hit all cylinders, and the 20-minute outing left fans wanting more. Naomi proved once again that she needs a legit push and that she's more than capable of hanging with the very best on the roster.
A Natural Selection from Flair ended things for Naomi, but she certainly gained the respect of her detractors. Naomi has previously won the WWE SmackDown Women's title on two separate occasions, and her fans would love to see her win the belt again.
For the time being, though, it looks like Naomi and Sonya Deville's feud is bound to continue, all the way to WrestleMania 38.
#1 Worst: The usual shenanigans with Drew McIntyre, Madcap Moss, and King Corbin
The feud between Drew McIntyre and King Corbin/Madcap Moss has been going on for a while now. This has been quite a fall for The Scottish Warrior after being a top name in the main event scene for a long time.
McIntyre and Moss are set to collide at Elimination Chamber 2022. The latter tried to get out of the scheduled match by telling the trainer that his eyesight was bad. However, Drew interrupted the eye test and put his sword in Madcap's face, pressuring him to tell the trainer that his eye was fine. Their bout at Elimination Chamber is now a "Falls Count Anywhere" match as well.
This feud has been quite underwhelming so far. It seems like it's leading to a singles encounter between McIntyre and Corbin at WrestleMania, and that's quite the demotion for the former WWE Champion.
