5 Things WWE SmackDown got right this week (June 12, 2020)
This week’s SmackDown had an eye on the WWE Backlash pay-per-view, but most of the fans tuned in to treat themselves to the finals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament set for this week’s show.
The night began with a bizarre yet hilarious contract signing segment between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus and then progressed into a non-title match between SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day and the heel team of Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions had something to celebrate this week, but they were rudely interrupted by their challengers for WWE Backlash, The IIconics, who spoiled their party.
Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles put on a wrestling clinic for the Intercontinental Championship that stole the show, while the main event saw three top babyfaces team up to compete against SmackDown’s three biggest heels.
With so much crammed into two hours of television, fans got what they were looking for from this week’s SmackDown.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things WWE got right on this week’s SmackDown just in time for WWE Backlash.
#5 Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura's victory over The New Day
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Big E arrived at ringside took a knee before preparing to take on Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match.
The two heels seemed fresh and determined to pick up a win and controlled the early stages of the match, as Kingston and Big E tried to regain control of the match. Big E found himself on the ropes, but a belly-to-belly suplex allowed him to bring Kingston back into the match.
Kingston took the fight to The Artist and The Swiss Cyborg, but he fell prey to Nakamura’s tactics as he countered a big splash from Kingston with his knees and rolled up the former WWE Champion to pick up the victory.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura need to get back on top of WWE SmackDown
While this was an average match, it feels that SmackDown is trying to build Cesaro and Nakamura into a tag team worthy of a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
The Miz and John Morrison have already won the titles and are in a rivalry against the United States Champions. The Heavy Machinery, on the other hand, have taken a bit of a backseat after Otis’ Money in the Bank victory. The Forgotten Sons are still rebuilding.
Considering all of this, it could be good to push Cesaro and Nakamura as legitimate threats to the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.