5 things SmackDown got right on the final episode before WrestleMania 36
The final episode of weekly shows before WrestleMania 36 was better than most of us would have expected it to be as the company gave the rivalries that will unfold at WrestleMania more fuel to burn.
The women of SmackDown got a chance to show their skills in the ring before the big fatal five-way match at The Show of Shows, while Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura put on the match of the night for the fans at home.
Dolph Ziggler’s world was turned upside down during the night, and he will face an even more angry Otis at WrestleMania, making his task just that much more difficult.
The main event saw The Greatest Sports Entertainer, and R-Truth’s hero, John Cena, take it to the ring to talk about his match against The Fiend in the Firefly Fun House.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things WWE got right on the Blue brand before the only show that is too big for just one night, WrestleMania 36.
#5 Roman Reigns’ replacement
This week on SmackDown, the creative team were met with a huge task of revealing that Roman Reigns would be unable to compete at WrestleMania 36 and that a replacement will be required for the Universal Championship match with Goldberg.
While a lot of expectations were attached to the switch, the company did not work too much and simply announced that Strowman would be taking Reigns' place in the match at The Grandest Stage of Them All.
This was a bit odd as there were several ways WWE could have written off Reigns or could have used his real-life condition to inform the fans why the switch was taking place.
However, the good thing in this was giving a deserving Superstar a shot that he so rightfully deserves. Strowman has had many starts and stops in his career and has competed in several Universal Championship matches.
The man who was once seen as the potential face of the company became a mid-carder in no time, and even his Intercontinental Championship reign was cut short by the company.
A Universal Championship match against Goldberg could help him get back on his feet, and a victory could catapult him to the top where he could repair the damage caused to his character and come out as a bigger, better Superstar.