WWE SmackDown Preview: Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar return; four-time champion under scrutiny (7th January, 2022)

#4 Shinsuke Nakamura’s Intercontinental Championship reign on WWE SmackDown

WWE SmackDown superstar Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the most talented names in the entire pro-wrestling business. However, his current run as the Intercontinental Champion is equally underwhelming. His last notable match as the titleholder was at Survivor Series last year when he faced United States Champion Damian Priest and won via disqualification.

Two weeks ago, Sami Zayn won a Gauntlet Match on WWE SmackDown to win a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. He is expected to challenge Nakamura for the title soon, and he might dethrone the King of Strong Style. The creative team has not done anything significant with Nakamura’s title reign, and it would be unfortunate to see him lose in his first legitimate defense in the last five months.

---

#3 WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos move on to the next challengers

The Usos successfully defended their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships against King Woods and Sir Kofi Kingston at Day 1. The two teams rekindled their rivalry and delivered the best match of the night. However, Jey and Jimmy Uso now have enough reasons to move on to their next challengers.

As much as we love the chemistry between New Day and The Usos, it is high time for the champions to look beyond repetitive fixtures. The new championship feuds will also help revive the otherwise stagnant WWE SmackDown tag team division. It will be exciting to see who will next step up and challenge the members of The Bloodline for their gold.