5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week - Roman Reigns stands tall, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair remain on the same page
WWE Fastlane is just a couple of days away, and some rivalries on SmackDown became intense just before the pay-per-view. Sasha Banks and Nia Jax were scheduled for a SmackDown Women’s Championship match just before Sunday's WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship contest.
Big E and Apollo Crews were interviewed from separate locations before their Intercontinental Championship match at Fastlane. Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler also competed in a match that ended in a no-contest.
Plus, a couple of tag team matches took place during the show to build up towards the next SmackDown Tag Team Championship bout. Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura also had a face-off that led to an important development for Fastlane.
Lastly, Edge entered the SmackDown ring for the first time in a decade for a match against Jey Uso. Let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on SmackDown this week.
#5 Sasha Banks retained her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
This week's show began with Sasha Banks and Nia Jax's match with the SmackDown Women's Championship at stake. Before the match, Bianca Belair confronted Banks backstage and questioned her decision to defend her title just weeks before WrestleMania.
Belair made it clear she would not help Banks before the SmackDown Women’s Champion walked out for her match.
As Jax arrived on the scene with Shayna Baszler by her side, The Irresistible Force faced the wrath of the champion early on and was forced into a corner. Banks landed some moves before locking Jax into the Bank Statement. Jax fought back and delivered a Gorilla Press for a near fall. Jax took control from there on and kept Banks off her feet.
The EST’s music hit as she came out to check on Banks, despite her backstage warning minutes earlier.
The Irresistible Force targeted the SmackDown Women’s Champion’s leg and nearly snapped it into two. Banks fought back and hit a reverse Meteora. Soon after, Baszler tried to interfere in the match but ended up striking her own partner by mistake. This allowed Banks to pick up the victory.
The match was decent and allowed Banks a good title defense ahead of her tag team match alongside Belair at WWE Fastlane.
Despite her conflicted demeanor before the opening match, The EST eventually came out during the bout. As a result, it looks like both women are on the same page for now. However, things can get very ugly on the Road to WrestleMania 37.