Best and Worst of SmackDown: Big mistake from 2020 to be avoided, 2 popular babyfaces lose their push?
It was an interesting episode of SmackDown this week. There were a mix of ups and downs, and some worsts in the bests, and vice versa. However, it served the purpose of building towards Elimination Chamber 2022 in Saudi Arabia, and the road to WrestleMania keeps getting more interesting.
Perhaps the most intriguing happenings of the show this week took place in the beginning and right at the end. Here are the bests and worst of SmackDown:
#3. Best: Goldberg on SmackDown
"YOU'RE NEXT!" - @Goldberg to #UniversalChampion @WWERomanReigns
#SmackDown @HeymanHustle https://t.co/fznPi5uDNU
We're not the biggest advocates for Goldberg getting a world title shot, but in this context, it seems to be a good idea. He revealed earlier that he only has one match left on his WWE contract, which makes it appropriate for the last one to be against Roman Reigns.
It also seems to confirm that unless a sudden contract is offered, Goldberg will not be appearing at WrestleMania 38. For the second year in a row, he is being utilized on the road to WrestleMania, but not at The Grandest Stage of Them All itself.
The Paul Heyman promo on SmackDown was a lot longer than it needed to be, and it seemed to hint at the possibility of a 'Title vs. Title' winner take all match at WrestleMania 38 between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. This part, we can't count under "best".
It essentially means that Lesnar could regain the WWE title at Elimination Chamber, making his Royal Rumble victory and the title loss to Lashley completely pointless.
That aside, the Goldberg appearance was a pleasant surprise. It seems to be a throwback to 2020, where Roman Reigns was originally going to face him and win the Universal title from him at WrestleMania 36.
As you know, that didn't happen as The Tribal Chief pulled out of the event - a decision that would change the course of WWE as he returned and turned heel at last.
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#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @Goldberg @HeymanHustle https://t.co/Sef2u9qUDT
Braun Strowman got his spot instead, but the plan was always for Reigns to return and dominate. This time around, we don't expect the company to make the same mistake as they did in Super ShowDown 2020.
The mistake in question is when Goldberg defeated the popular 'Fiend' character to capture the Universal title. In this case, he is simply another hurdle for Roman Reigns to jump over, and one that The Tribal Chief is guaranteed to walk out of with his title intact.