WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Brock Lesnar suspended after destroying Roman Reigns and half the roster, real-life tension between current champions? (22nd October 2021)

WWE SmackDown had a decent show planned for this week. While the good parts of the show deserve accolades, the dull and confusing segments deserve equal, if not more, criticism. The Blue brand has also introduced a plethora of new talents that have been drafted into SmackDown. Additionally, we saw several WWE Superstars return to their old brand.

Here, we look at some of the biggest hits and flops from WWE SmackDown this week. So, without further ado, let's begin.

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#5 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Brock Lesnar unleashes the Beast

WWE SmackDown orchestrated an epic opening segment for this week's show. It all started with Roman Reigns boasting about his successful title defense against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel 2021.

Interestingly, The Beast Incarnate was heard saying that he would beat Reigns 'senseless' when he returns on SmackDown. The words didn't sit well with The Tribal Chief, who was adamant about seeing Brock Lesnar walk out and stay true to his words on the show.

Reigns even questioned Paul Heyman's decision to throw in the title and demanded to know if the championship was truly meant to help him in the match. He further verbally attacked Lesnar until the latter walked out to a massive pop. He ran into the ring and launched a brutal attack on Roman Reigns, pushing the Universal Champion to the ringside.

Lesnar continued the vicious beatdown, crashing Reigns against the ring post. He even came close to putting Roman Reigns through the announcement desk but was interrupted by The Usos. Brock Lesnar wasted no time in subjecting Jey and Jimmy Uso to similar acts on WWE SmackDown. He then turned his attention towards Reigns once again and almost hit him with a camera.

By this time, half the roster and multiple officials had walked out to stop Lesnar, but no one could cage The Beast Incarnate. Reigns escaped with The Usos and Heyman while Lesnar picked up the title and raised it high for all to see his intentions.

Soon after that, Adam Pearce came out and said that he would have to indefinitely suspend Lesnar for his actions on the show.

This prompted Lesnar to walk out again and confront Pearce as the arena erupted with "Suplex City" chants. He obliged and attacked Adam Pearce as well before walking out with the suspension order.

While fans can expect Brock Lesnar to make a big return in a few weeks, one can't deny that he made a massive statement by causing absolute carnage on WWE SmackDown. It was a great way to make him look strong after his loss at the recently concluded pay-per-view.

Lesnar has always been a superstar who owns an extremely commanding personality. He is expected to engage in a long feud with Roman Reigns and will come back once The Tribal Chief has dealt with the persistent threats at Survivor Series as well as a couple of other credible opponents.

Brock Lesnar has been highly entertaining as a babyface in all his recent appearances on WWE SmackDown, and we will see him back on the Blue brand sooner rather than later.

#4 Flop on WWE SmackDown: “Title exchange” between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

While WWE SmackDown’s opening segment was one for the ages, its main event was equally forgetful. As per a prior announcement, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch were scheduled to exchange their respective women’s championships, much like The Street Profits and The New Day did last year with their tag team titles.

It looked pretty promising on paper, but as Thanos philosophically puts it, the reality is often disappointing.

Lynch and Flair shared the ring with Sonya Deville, who overlooked the title exchange. Both champions were evidently confused about what actually needed to be done, and the segment fell flat. These are the two biggest superstars in the women’s division, and the most conflicting spot in this part was them dropping and throwing the titles.

The only saving grace was Sasha Banks’ arrival, who went immediately after Charlotte Flair. But her minute-long presence still didn’t make up for the fact that Flair and Lynch didn’t even throw punches to hype up a potential encounter at Survivor Series.

It was a fairly underwhelming way to conclude WWE SmackDown, especially when it was the only segment involving female superstars on the Blue brand.

Their chemistry was unusually off, and there have been reports of a heated backstage exchange between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. However, nothing has been confirmed as of this writing. Until we have further details, it would be hard to excuse such a weak end to an otherwise good show.

#3 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Drew McIntyre makes a statement

Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre finally arrived on SmackDown after being drafted to the Blue brand as part of the 2021 Draft. Instead of his long signature promos, The Scottish Warrior issued an open challenge that Sami Zayn answered. The latter described himself as the locker room leader of WWE SmackDown and faced McIntyre in a singles match.

It was a good bout that allowed both superstars to play to their respective strengths. Zayn’s decision to mock his opponent throughout the match was very entertaining, but it ultimately proved costly for him.

He tried to imitate the countdown before Claymore only to be on the receiving end of the finisher. Drew McIntyre picked up a good victory without compromising Sami Zayn’s credibility. With the correct booking, he has the potential to turn into one of the biggest names on the Friday night show.

It is an excellent decision to have McIntyre wait and engage in other feuds for a while before going after Roman Reigns and his Universal Championship. He won’t be dethroning The Tribal Chief, and thus he might as well use some time to build momentum, especially after his final months on RAW.

As for Zayn, he once again worked hard to put another talent over with the crowd and certainly deserves to be a part of an engaging storyline. The only question is, did WWE really need to change his theme song?

#2 Flop on WWE SmackDown: Shinsuke Nakamura's uneventful Intercontinental Champion reign despite good matches

Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the most talented superstars on the entire WWE roster. The King of Strong Style has an envious resume and is the reigning Intercontinental Champion. Unfortunately, all his accomplishments are played down by his awful booking on the Blue brand. It is hard to remember when he was involved in a good storyline.

Following an extended feud with Apollo Crews, Nakamura went back to fighting Happy Corbin. The two former kings faced each other in a singles battle this week. It was a good match that ended with Corbin picking up a sneaky victory. However, this now means that the latter will soon get a shot at Shinsuke Nakamura's IC title.

While Corbin isn't a bad choice, one can't help but wonder if he was the only contender for the Japanese star. The Blue brand now has a lot of new talents that can account for fresh title feuds. Someone as talented and over as Nakamura should not be struggling because of stale storylines.

The WWE creative team should do better in booking other champions on the show to avoid making the rest of their talent pool look weak.

#1 Honourable mention: King Woods' uninterrupted coronation on WWE SmackDown

Xavier Woods achieved his childhood dream when he defeated Finn Balor at WWE Crown Jewel to win the King of the Ring Tournament. The New Day member's coronation accounted for a beautiful segment that was met with appreciative "You Deserve it" chants from fans in the audience.

Kofi Kingston took it upon himself to introduce the King and carry out the ceremony, giving us a new chant, "Hail King Woods," to the tune of "The New Day Rocks."

Woods was thrilled to have the crown placed on his head and assured the WWE Universe that he would not disappoint his kingdom. He is determined to remain competitive despite being the King and said he would hand out opportunities to other talented superstars on WWE SmackDown.

It's been a while since we saw the King of the Ring involved in memorable feuds, and Woods is expected to restore the glory that was once associated with the prestigious label. The excellent part is that no one was there to interrupt this segment, and King Woods got his much-deserved celebration in peace.

While chaos is synonymous with celebrations in WWE, there are times when the lines between reality and kayfabe are blurry. This was one of those occasions when a dream of over two decades finally came to reality. Woods deserved this uninterrupted moment with the fans. It will now be exciting to see how he stands out after getting his hands on the royal title.

Moreover, Woods and Kingston are also expected to eventually feud with The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. It is fair to say that King Woods will have a busy time ahead, and he has undoubtedly earned every bit of fame coming his way.