5 Things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown: Huge spoiler for Royal Rumble possibly revealed, 20-year veteran set to win Intercontinental title next?
Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It was the penultimate edition before the Royal Rumble 2022, and things amped up with some big stakes and big matches.
Seth Rollins even mentioned Jon Moxley fka Dean Ambrose, which was a nice moment given that he just made his incredible return to AEW TV. But that aside, it was an important episode that flew by with quality segments and stories. Here is what WWE subtly told us on SmackDown this week:
#5. Seth Rollins' character arc and the aftermath of the SmackDown main event
The @WWEUsos are barred from ringside at #RoyalRumble!
#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @WWERollins https://t.co/HtgppUGTut
Seth Rollins was in the first and last part of SmackDown this week. He brought Kevin Owens over from RAW, and it immediately led to a main event match-up. Of course, we're talking about the tag team main event as Rollins and Owens teamed up to face the longest-reigning SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.
However, it wasn't any regular tag team bout, as there were big stakes involved. The match stipulated that if Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens won, then The Usos would be barred from ringside for the Universal title match at Royal Rumble. If Rollins and Owens lost, then the former would have had to forfeit his title opportunity at the upcoming premium live event.
The second situation was never happening. Given that WWE had to get a RAW Superstar to compete for the world title on SmackDown, it's clear that there is an overall lack of contenders for Roman Reigns.
Luckily for the company, Reigns has officially crossed Brock Lesnar to become the longest-reigning Universal Champion of all time, and the longest-reigning WWE World Champion of the 21st century.
The Architect and KO won, but it happened via a disqualification. Rollin was on the verge of a victory as he had just landed a stomp, but he would get taken out by Roman Reigns right before he could secure the pin.
The Head of the Table is keeping a close eye on this one.
#SmackDown @WWERollins @WWERomanReigns @FightOwensFight @WWEUsos https://t.co/IpthJL6IvG
For Seth Rollins, it made little difference as he still walked out victoriously, meaning that The Tribal Chief will have zero assistance at ringside for his title defense at the Royal Rumble. He laughed as Reigns walked away furiously, and the aftermath of all this is going to be interesting. Here are a few things WWE subtly hinted at:
1) Seth Rollins is essentially a babyface on SmackDown and a heel on RAW.
2) Seth Rollins' incredible record against Roman Reigns in world title matches could play into this.
3) Brock Lesnar could beat Bobby Lashley to retain the WWE title, while Seth Rollins could be the man to dethrone Roman Reigns.
The third one might seem a bit shocking, but usually, when the company crosses a record-breaking point, they don't wait too long to pull the switch. The New Day lost their RAW Tag Team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus in 2016 not long after they broke Demolition's record. AJ Styles lost the WWE title to Daniel Bryan in 2018 not long after he crossed the year-long mark.
A lot of things indicate that Reigns' incredible Universal title run is coming to an end soon.