5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Shinsuke Nakamura wins championship; Big E loses his MITB briefcase
Roman Reigns and John Cena were scheduled to come face-to-face on WWE SmackDown this week. The company wasted little time in bringing the two giants out on Friday night’s episode.
The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Edge was also expected to get more intense after The Ultimate Opportunist called his future opponent “Edge Lite.” Meanwhile, a contract signing segment was booked between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair for WWE SummerSlam.
One of the biggest matches of the night saw King Nakamura challenge Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship. Additionally, a couple of tag team matches also took place on this week’s SmackDown.
Baron Corbin’s misfortunes continued this week, while Big E lost his Money in the Bank briefcase on the show. The creative team could build a great storyline around that angle.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 John Cena and Roman Reigns traded some hot words to kick off WWE SmackDown
The Summer of Cena continued on WWE SmackDown as the number one contender for the Universal Championship made his way out to a huge pop. John Cena was ready to build hype around his WWE SummerSlam match against Roman Reigns. He immediately targeted the champion after entering the ring.
Cena labeled Reigns a failure and admitted that Reigns would beat the hell out of him at SummerSlam before saying that he also knew that Reigns would lose all the same.
Soon after, the Universal Champion made his way out to the middle with Paul Heyman by his side. The Tribal Chief mocked Cena’s character and even brought his past with Nikki Bella into the conversation.
Cena returned the favor by targeting Reigns’ run in WWE, suggesting he ruined Seth Rollins and ran Dean Ambrose off. The Champ kept reminding The Head of the Table that all he needed to do at SummerSlam was to pin the Universal Champion.
The segment ended with Cena reminding Reigns that he could put him down and leave with the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. SmackDown did exceptionally well at building up the match with a big promo early on.
Unfortunately, Finn Balor wasn’t part of the Universal Championship scene this week. However, Cena and Reigns were great on the mic and ensured that the match between them remains the most hyped match ahead of SummerSlam.