3 Top WWE Superstars who were missing from this week's episode of SmackDown
This week's episode of SmackDown was dominated by the news that The Usos would be fighting RK-Bro at WrestleMania Backlash next month for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships.
Orton and Riddle invaded SmackDown to accept The Uso's challenge from RAW before Riddle took on Jimmy Uso in the main event. Several other storylines were also pushed forward as the card for WrestleMania Backlash slowly began to take shape.
The appearance of Riddle and Randy Orton on SmackDown meant that several other stars were not used this week, including three of the company's main talents.
#3. Sonya Deville wasn't backstage with Adam Pearce this week
Following the announcement that Sonya Deville would be challenging Bianca Belair for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania Backlash, the WWE official was an interesting absentee this week on SmackDown. Adam Pearce was spotted backstage several times with RK-Bro, Sami Zayn, and Charlotte, but Deville wasn't in the office with Pearce or part of the show in any capacity.
Pearce didn't even reveal where Deville was this week, but it's thought that she could be off preparing for her match. She will likely be back in her role for RAW on Monday night in order to continue her feud with Bianca Belair.
#2. Shinsuke Namakura wasn't part of SmackDown
Shinsuke Nakamura lost his partner to injury at WrestleMania after Rick Boogs was sidelined following a knee issue in the opening bout. The former champion stepped up to Roman Reigns last week but was hit with a double superkick from The Usos for his efforts.
Interestingly, despite having a bone to pick with the Usos following this treatment, Nakamura wasn't featured on this week's episode. Instead, The Usos continued their current storyline with RK-Bro.
It's likely that last week's beatdown was a way to write Nakamura off TV whilst Rock Boogs recovered, or it was a way for the Japanese star to be added to the story so that he could cost The Usos the Championships at Backlash instead.
#1. Roman Reigns didn't appear alongside The Usos
Roman Reigns has had a hectic few weeks after main eventing WrestleMania and becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The Tribal Chief has appeared on both RAW and SmackDown as he navigates holding the top titles of both shows.
He sent The Usos to RAW this past week to lay down the challenge for the Tag Team Championships against RK-Bro. The Usos were on RAW without Roman and were able to make a statement on his behalf.
The feud continued this week on SmackDown with Riddle and Randy Orton invading the show, but Roman Reigns wasn't needed. With WrestleMania Backlash just over three weeks away, Reigns doesn't have a challenger for his Championship at present and it seems unlikely that he will be wrestling on the show.