Best and Worst of SmackDown: Possible plans for Roman Reigns after title unification, Last-minute plans for 5-time Champion at WrestleMania revealed
It was the final SmackDown of February this week, which means that there is only one more month left on the road to WrestleMania. The main event of WrestleMania Sunday will be from the blue brand, and presumably for Saturday as well.
RAW has been great, but SmackDown has become the must-watch show on the road to WrestleMania. Here are the best and worst aspects of the show this week:
#3. Best: The main event segment on SmackDown
LIVE: @BrockLesnar and @WWERomanReigns sign the contract for the Biggest #WrestleMania Match of All-Time!
#SmackDown @HeymanHustle @SonySportsNetwk @SonyLIV https://t.co/By0DDIu6LS
The main event of SmackDown this week featured a contract signing between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Ahead of the show, it was officially announced that the Champion vs Champion, Title for Title, winner take all match would be a unification bout. This means that it won't be a Becky Lynch situation from 2019, where she won both titles and proceeded to lose one of them not long after.
It's interesting, but it won't be a popular decision. It seems clear that the plan is to give Roman Reigns his ultimate coronation in his sixth WrestleMania main event — and his third against Brock Lesnar.
It's clear that WWE is trying to build up this rivalry as the biggest of this generation, on par with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and The Rock. However, the true star power of both men will likely never compare to that of the two Attitude Era stars.
Either way, WWE has given this match the highest stakes imaginable to make it the biggest of their numerous bouts so far. It goes without saying that the biggest beneficiary will be Roman Reigns rather than Brock Lesnar.
Winner Take All. Championship Unification.
The Biggest #WrestleMania Match of All-Time is set for @WrestleMania Sunday! @BrockLesnar @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle
#SmackDown https://t.co/WGiJfhbPVW
But what will WWE do after unifying the titles? It seems to be a bad move on paper because of the two lucrative broadcasting deals that WWE has with the USA Network for RAW and FOX for SmackDown. The network executives would likely prefer exclusive rosters and each brand having its own world champion.
While it may not necessarily be the end of the brand split, we're more likely to see Roman Reigns defend the unified World Championship across both brands. We're not sure how long it will last, or whether it will be a good idea in the first place.
An alternate solution would be to elevate the United States and Intercontinental Championship. WWE has treated Damian Priest as the best US Champion in the last few years but not enough to make the title a substitute.
Either way, the segment on SmackDown was great and built a lot of anticipation for the match at WrestleMania.