5 things WWE SmackDown got right after WrestleMania 38: Roman Reigns unveils his plan; NXT stars debut
Roman Reigns promised to reveal his next move in this week's WWE SmackDown after WrestleMania 38. The Head of the Table defeated Brock Lesnar to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at The Show of Shows.
Before Reigns could take center stage, there were a few more segments and matches waiting in line on SmackDown. Ronda Rousey came out for a promo following her defeat at the hands of Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
Raquel Rodriguez (f.k.a. Raquel Gonzalez) made her SmackDown debut on Friday night. She wasn't the only one to show up from NXT on this week's SmackDown, as GUNTHER also made his debut.
Sami Zayn came out for a match against Drew McIntyre after his loss to Johnny Knoxville on The Show of Shows. After enduring some punishment, Zayn decided to walk out of the match and get counted out rather than continue. It will be interesting to see whether this was just a one-off match between the two superstars or if WWE plans to turn it into something more.
Lacy Evans also made her return to the blue brand after a lengthy hiatus. Meanwhile, Liv Morgan picked up a big win over Sasha Banks.
It was a good episode of the show that helped build towards future contests. Take a look at the five things WWE SmackDown got right this Friday night.
#5. Ronda Rousey addressed her loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38
After a controversial loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38, Ronda Rousey opened up this week's WWE SmackDown. She came out to deliver a promo and talked about her loss at the hands of The Queen.
She placed the blame on herself and said that she wanted to fight Flair in an 'I Quit' match. The SmackDown Women's Champion appeared on the titantron and laughed off the challenge.
Flair told her rival that she wasn't The Baddest Woman on the Planet and that she should get back in line after losing at The Show of Shows. Rousey promised to get her match for WrestleMania Backlash one way or the other.
It wasn't the best of promos, but it did set up the next chapter in Flair and Rousey's rivalry. Both women had a decent match on Saturday night, and it was expected that the feud would continue.
An 'I Quit' match seems like the perfect way to bring the rivalry to an end. It would give Ronda a chance to redeem herself and take home the SmackDown Women's Championship.
#4. WWE SmackDown tried to build Butch's persona
Butch finally took to the ring on WWE SmackDown as he took on Xavier Woods in a one-on-one match. The brawler unleashed on Woods early on and immediately put him on the backfoot.
Woods' experience came in handy in the contest as the King of the Ring winner got the better of Butch at a crucial stage in the contest. He rolled up the NXT export with a small package and picked up a rather quick win.
Butch wasn't too happy with the result and attacked his teammates after the match. He threw chops and punches at Sheamus and Ridge Holland before perching himself on the top rope and pouting to end the segment.
The match helped to build Butch's on-screen character. The former Bruiserweight needed some screentime for himself to build his new character on SmackDown.
#3. Gunther picked up a statement victory on WWE SmackDown
Ludwig Kaiser (f.k.a. Marcel Barthel in NXT) and GUNTHER made their WWE SmackDown debuts this week. Kaiser introduced GUNTHER ahead of his match against Joe Alonzo.
The enhancement match wasn't anything special as the former NXT United Kingdom Champion showcased his ruthlessness. The former Imperium member decimated his opponent to leave a mark on the main roster. He finished off Alonzo with a vicious powerbomb.
GUNTHER and Kaiser celebrated their win in signature fashion after the match. It was a decent way to introduce The Ring General to the main roster.
Fans saw Fabian Aichner walk out on Kaiser during a tag team match on NXT this week. Aichner will likely stick around in NXT while The Ring General and Kaiser will push forward on SmackDown.
WWE must ensure that it doesn't give the former NXT UK Champion too many squash matches to build him up. He deserves to get into a meaningful rivalry sooner rather than later.
#2. Madcap Moss finally turned on Happy Corbin
Happy Corbin made his way to the ring for another episode of Happy Talk after his loss to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 38. While Madcap Moss seemed to be in a good mood, Corbin was distraught.
The host blamed his loss to McIntyre on Moss and claimed that he was too busy making WrestleMania all about him. The crowd erupted in chants of 'Madcap Moss' as Corbin berated his partner.
Moss continued with his jokes on the mic and then attacked Corbin, to the delight of the fans. The two men brawled before Moss got the better of Corbin and destroyed the Happy Talk set.
Corbin has done a fantastic job at being one of the most despicable characters in WWE over the past few years. Fans were overjoyed at seeing Moss attack his former partner, and the segment helped him turn babyface and get over with the crowd immediately.
Moss will likely be pushed coming out of the storyline with Happy Corbin against The Scottish Warrior. He could become one of the company's top babyfaces in the coming months.
#1. Roman Reigns spoke about the next step on the Island of Relevancy before meeting his potential future challenger
Roman Reigns became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 38 after defeating Brock Lesnar. The Tribal Chief appeared on WWE RAW and promised to unveil the next step on the Island of Relevancy on SmackDown.
He walked out in the final moments of the show with The Usos and Paul Heyman by his side. Reigns said that he wanted The Usos to go to RAW and challenge for the tag team championships and win it. The Head of the Table was hungry to get all the gold and put it on The Bloodline.
Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted The Tribal Chief and teased a feud with him. The heel tricked him before The Usos laid him out with a pair of superkicks. WWE looks to have found Reigns' challenger for the titles at WrestleMania Backlash in the form of The Artist.
The segment did not disappoint as it set up a massive match between The Usos and RK-Bro. The two teams have battled in the past, and this could lead to another title being unified in WWE.
Additionally, Nakamura feels like a good first challenger for Reigns post-WrestleMania. The Artist has been regaining his momentum on the brand since pairing with Rick Boogs.
He could put on a couple of good matches against Reigns even if he fails to defeat him on a premium live event. It will be interesting to see how WWE builds The Artist in the coming weeks to give him a fighting chance in their big matchup.
We suggest you check out this video covering the highs and lows of Roman Reigns career so far!