WWE SmackDown before Survivor Series - Best and Worst - Roman Reigns has a huge problem; issue with Cody Rhodes' match
The final episode of WWE SmackDown before Survivor Series: WarGames was taped last week. The competitors in the women's WarGames match kicked off the show while the Bloodline WarGames advantage match closed the show.
Tommaso Ciampa gave teammate Johnny Gargano a week to decide if he wanted to change things or stay loyal to his mentor, Alex Shelley. LA Knight fell victim to the notorious mist used by stars like Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura.
What landed and what missed the mark on the go-home episode of SmackDown? Here's the best and worst of SmackDown on the eve of Survivor Series: WarGames.
#3. Best - Shinsuke Nakamura shines in first match since April
Shinsuke Nakamura only returned to SmackDown a few weeks ago. He competed in his first WWE match since April on tonight's show. Nakamura has always been a dependable performer who can seamlessly transition between heel and face as needed.
When he entered for his match with Andrade, his presentation was noticeably different. His theme was altered with a drumbeat but fit the new character. The King of Strong Style walked through fog on his way to the ring. The Titantron had a huge red sun juxtaposed against a blue background.
It's great to see that his return was backed up with some nice new details. If bookers didn't care about him, he would have probably just walked out to the ring without any fanfare. LA Knight also looked foolish when he was sprayed with mist after trying to blindside Nakamura.
#3. Best/Worst - Women's WarGames match opener on SmackDown
The segment started off nice, with each star on Ripley and Belair's team getting their own entrance and time to speak. When the heels came out, however, the dynamics were much different.
After coming out together, Liv Morgan and Nia Jax were the only two to speak. It was a stark contrast from the heroic team but that is part of the point - the teams operate differently and have different power structures.
Morgan's promo work sort of dragged the segment down until she and Nia reminded Bayley that she was battling half her team at one point. The logic was good to point out but the typical brawl on the eve of the premium live event is overdone.
#2. Best - Kevin Owens has video proof to justify his actions
When heels have logical reasons for their actions, it's hard for some fans to boo them. When they bring video footage backing up why they did what they did, it further justifies those actions.
Kevin Owens appeared in a pre-taped backstage promo, recounting several instances of Roman Reigns attacking him. He mentioned getting tossed onto a table below from 15 feet high and also being run over by a golf cart.
The final video he showed was of him handcuffed to the ring ropes as the Bloodline repeatedly Superkicked him. These are logical reasons for not being happy with a friend's quick decision to team up with a long-time enemy.
It doesn't matter if "it was the right thing to do," as Rhodes put it. He seems to care more about that than his actual friend and doesn't look very heroic for not hearing his friend out.
#2. Best/Worst - Minimal impact of Cody Rhodes/Carmelo Hayes 2
While nothing was wrong with the actual match on SmackDown, Rhodes' entire demeanor seemed like nothing had happened with Kevin Owens. Owens plead his case last week and Rhodes simply brushed it off by calling him delusional.
The Prizefighter had plenty of video proof of why he isn't delusional. Rhodes came out his usual way for his match with Carmelo Hayes. He was smiling as if nothing happened over the last few months and didn't react much when Hayes claimed Owens was right.
The match showed that both men learned from their first encounter, but Cody's entire smiling persona just devalues Owens' reasons for lashing out. Perhaps it's how he deals with his problems.
#1. Worst - One mediocre women's match on SmackDown
When Jade Cargill was attacked last week, it was announced she'd be replaced in her qualifier for the United States title tournament. While her in-ring game is still a work in progress, her star power would have at least helped sell the match better.
NXT's Lash Legend replaced Cargill against Michin and Piper Niven. Niven is imposing but has lost most of her recent matches. Michin only appeared in a backstage segment on last week's SmackDown but picked up the victory tonight.
Had WWE built her up a bit more over the last few weeks, fans would have been more invested in the match. The contest lost all of its heat once B-Fab chased away Chelsea Green. It was also interrupted by a commercial.
#1. Best - Roman Reigns still doesn't get that things have changed
A huge talking point since Roman Reigns' return at SummerSlam is that he doesn't understand how the climate has changed on SmackDown and WWE. He still expects to get everything he wants and for people to do his bidding.
Sami Zayn and The Usos fell right back into that line, doing the recruiting for their team. Reigns did nothing to add members to his team. Instead, he balked at suggestions like Rhodes or Seth Rollins.
He also forgets that Paul Heyman was CM Punk's Advocate first. Punk even reminded The Head of the Table three times that he was only doing this for Heyman, his friend.
Roman expected everything to freeze while he was away but life went on. While he needs to adapt to the current situation, he did agree to trust Punk for one night. That trust, however, came at a cost when Punk said The Wiseman owes him a favor.
#1. Best/Worst - The anticlimactic Bloodline WarGames Advantage match
Jey Uso fell to Jacob Fatu in the WarGames advantage match in SmackDown's main event. The two wrestled a clean match that was great in spots. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis banned everyone else from ringside earlier in the night.
It was nice to see Fatu get a big singles win over a former Intercontinental Champion. The faces won the advantage in the women's WarGames match, so the heels needed to win on SmackDown to offset it.
WWE has booked the angle as if the OG Bloodline has long odds of winning, even with Punk and Reigns. It makes it a bit hard to believe Solo Sikoa's team would win with two super faces on the OG side.
Since outside interference didn't play into the finish, it hurt the drama a bit. Roman Reigns also didn't seem too concerned with the advantage match as he continued his trend of showing up sporadically with the rest of the team. Solo's entire team seems more of a unit and works in cohesion.
