5 Things WWE SmackDown got right before Royal Rumble - Former Universal Champion returns; Kevin Owens loses his cool
The final episode of WWE SmackDown before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was as big as fans expected it to be. SmackDown has been leading WWE’s programming for the past several weeks, and the creative allowed Daniel Bryan to kick things off on this week’s show.
Several RAW Superstars were also seen on SmackDown both backstage and in the ring, and fans got to see Sonya Deville use her authoritative powers pretty well.
Dominik Mysterio competed in a match against Baron Corbin on SmackDown but failed to impress the WWE Universe once again. Rey Mysterio also almost got in the line of fire, but he managed to make his way out smartly. How far will the Mysterios’ rivalry against Corbin last?
Bayley and Bianca Belair competed in the only female match of the night after Belair defeated The Role Model in a contest last week on SmackDown. Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns, on the other hand, had a very heated exchange without trading any blows.
A few top underutilized Superstars were given a chance to shine during the show just before Royal Rumble. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at five things WWE SmackDown got right just before Royal Rumble 2021.
#5 Daniel Byran opened up WWE SmackDown before Royal Rumble with a promise
Roman Reigns has been on top of his game on WWE SmackDown and the creative have trusted him to kick off the show more often than anyone else. However, this week’s SmackDown was kicked off by The Planet’s Champion, Daniel Bryan.
Bryan appeared in his usual face character and spoke about wanting to change his life once again at WrestleMania. He spoke about Superstars like Otis and Chad Gable and put them over by thanking him for getting him in shape.
AJ Styles interrupted Bryan to surprise the WWE Universe. He appeared on SmackDown from RAW as part of the Brand-to-Brand Invitational. Bryan challenged Styles to a match which The Phenomenal One gladly accepted.
Styles pushed Bryan to the mat, and Omos got in the way when Bryan tried to get back at the former WWE Champion. The Planet’s Champion mocked Styles for standing behind the big man too often to end the segment.
Bryan is a phenomenal Superstar who got the chance to make an impact early on. The SmackDown Superstar stands a good chance of winning on Sunday and possibly challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship.
Setting up a match between Styles and Bryan early in the show was the right call as it allowed the viewers to stick around for a great contest.