7 things WWE SmackDown got right before Hell in a Cell: Roman Reigns dominates; New King crowned
Hell in a Cell came early on WWE SmackDown this week as Rey Mysterio decided to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship on Friday. Reigns brutalized Dominik last week, and Rey wasn’t ready to just sit back and do nothing about the attack.
The other big match scheduled for SmackDown was held between two teams, as Big E and Kevin Owens fought Commander Azeez and Apollo Crews. Azeez was looking to pick up a big victory during his first match on the SmackDown brand.
King Corbin was set to defend his crown against Shinsuke Nakamura. Apart from that, Bianca Belair made an appearance to lay down a big challenge for Bayley.
Cesaro and Seth Rollins were seen in a backstage segment that ended with the former pushing The Messiah off his chair. The two superstars will compete in a match at Hell in a Cell on Sunday.
Let's take a look at the seven things WWE got right on SmackDown before Hell in a Cell.
#7 Rey Mysterio set the tone of WWE SmackDown with an intense promo
Rey Mysterio asked to fight Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown rather than on Sunday, and WWE granted him his request. It was a big decision as WWE effectively removed one of their biggest draws from a pay-per-view match on short notice.
Mysterio kicked off SmackDown with an emotional promo, stating that he’d warned his son Dominik of what life was like competing inside the ring.
He demanded Reigns come out and accept the match in person, and The Tribal Chief obliged. Mysterio has never been the best on the mic, but he’s great when he has to cut an emotional promo. As a result, the main event of the night felt even grander.
#6 Jimmy Uso showed his loyalty to Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown
Later on SmackDown, Jimmy Uso approached The Head of the Table and admitted that he had his back because they were family. Roman Reigns then told his cousin to find Jey Uso, who was surprisingly missing from the show.
SmackDown did well to continue last week’s storyline, where Jey got sick of Reigns and Jimmy's conflict and decided to walk out.
This week's Anoa'i family-related segment was great once again and helped The Tribal Chief prove that he’s working on a completely different level. Reigns could end up getting both Jey and Jimmy on the same page and use them for his benefit in the weeks to come.