5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week - Daniel Bryan eyes the Universal Championship; Bianca Belair defeats an old foe
With WWE Fastlane just over two weeks away, events from SmackDown led to some big matches for the pay-per-view. This prompted WWE creative to book a Steel Cage match between Jey Uso and Daniel Bryan for this week. With a Universal Championship opportunity on the line, Bryan was ready to go to any extent to earn a shot at Roman Reigns’ title.
Meanwhile, Apollo Crews worked on his new character and built towards a Championship match for himself. Crews has impressed the WWE Universe with his performances over the past year, and he’s doing well to remain in the limelight.
Bianca Belair tried to carry on with her momentum en route to her big match at WrestleMania. Sami Zayn and King Corbin failed to get on the same page again, and it was good to watch two heels struggle to find common ground.
Carmella fired Reginald during SmackDown, while Seth Rollins' old recruit resurfaced on the Blue brand. Let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 Daniel Bryan’s passionate promo kickstarted WWE SmackDown; Apollo Crews further built his character
WWE SmackDown has revolved around the Universal Championship over the past several months. Once again, the opening segment of the show was regarding the title. Daniel Bryan came out and cut a passionate promo to hype up the Steel Cage match later in the night.
The Yes Man spoke about what a shot at the Universal Championship meant to him. Roman Reigns came out soon after and told Bryan that he did not have the drive to deserve a shot at his title.
The Tribal Chief and Bryan traded some words and Jey Uso tried to take a shot at his opponent for Friday. However, Bryan threw him out of the ring, and Reigns did not bother to help his cousin out.
This was a good way to kick off another episode of SmackDown. Both these men are good on the mic, and Bryan has the WWE Universe behind him thanks to the work he’s done in the past.
Later on, Apollo Crews also cut another passionate promo while embracing his Nigerian heritage. The SmackDown Superstar came out with a couple of guards and demanded another shot at Big E’s Intercontinental Championship.
It’s great to see the difference in Crews’ attitude over the past year. While he was used as an undercard talent for a long time, he has now become a convincing Superstar who can headline weekly shows.