WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Big E and Finn Balor stun Roman Reigns and The Usos, Big mistake with Kevin Owens (17th September, 2021)

#1 Hit/Flop on WWE SmackDown: Rick Boogs goes over, Apollo Crews back into the Intercontinental Championship picture

This segment is bound to have left WWE SmackDown viewers with mixed feelings. Rick Boogs faced Robert Roode in a singles match. He delivered an impressive performance that showed equal parts of his strength and technique inside the squared circle. Roode, to his credit, did exceptionally well in putting over Boogs throughout their bout.

He looked dominant in the match and did well in working alongside the crowd. He eventually hit the Boogs Cruise to seal his victory on WWE SmackDown. Soon after that, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs headed to the announcement desk to celebrate with Pat McAfee, but Commander Azeez soon interrupted them, who kicked Boogs off the table.

Apollo Crews then turned his attention towards Nakamura and attacked the Intercontinental Champion before demanding a title rematch at Extreme Rules. But the Japanese star has hardly faced anyone else, and it seems that Crews is once again back in the Intercontinental Championship picture.

It would have been better if WWE SmackDown used a better narrative to bring him back as Nakamura’s challenger, and probably after the King of the Ring had faced a few more superstars. We have had Crews on the IC Championship scene for a long time, and it will be a difficult, albeit doable, job to keep the fans excited about his title hunt once again.