Best and Worst of WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns suffers first loss in 11 months, big mistake made for Survivor Series 2021?
Welcome to this week's edition of the best and worst of SmackDown. I'll be covering for Riju Dasgupta this week as we witnessed an incredible penultimate episode of SmackDown before Survivor Series.
This week, the women got the biggest spotlight, with over nine female stars on the roster getting screentime. Apart from that, the build to Survivor Series wasn't emphasized, but it will be next week in the go-home episode of SmackDown.
Here were the best and worst parts of the show. A shoutout to the real slim Shanky for his rap dissing Hit Row, or "Cringe Row" as Jinder Mahal called them:
#2. Best: Roman Reigns vs. King Woods and the aftermath on SmackDown
His show. His island. His kingdom.
#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @WWEUsos @HeymanHustle https://t.co/kU3qBIQSJ2
The main event of SmackDown saw Roman Reigns vs. King Woods in a first-time-ever singles match. King Woods has been on the receiving end of a big push lately following his King of the Ring victory.
Kofi Kingston is a former WWE Champion, and Big E is the current WWE Champion. While King Woods has been dubbed as somebody who won't reach that level, nobody would have pictured him being a legitimate challenger to Roman Reigns.
We use the word legitimate strongly because that's how King Woods has been presented. Last week on SmackDown, Sir Kofi Kingston was assaulted and suffered a (storyline) injury where his MCL was sprained. As a result, it was King Woods, fighting the odds in the main event of SmackDown.
It was yet another "bend the knee" match like last week, but the involvement of Roman Reigns made it all the more interesting. King Woods almost became the first man to pin Roman Reigns since December 2019.
However, The Usos cost him the match, and it ended in a disqualification victory to Woods. After the match, Roman Reigns bent the knee, but not to acknowledge King Woods. It was to put on the crown.
Got eeeeemmmm
#SmackDown #KingWoods @AustinCreedWins @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle https://t.co/w75nQLknN9
King Woods became the first man in 11 months to pick up a win over Roman Reigns. The last time it happened on TV (and not dark matches) was when Otis and Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns and Jey Uso by disqualification.
The finish was a good one. While fans usually want a clean finish, this was the best course of action to keep their rivalry going. We assume that next week, the focus for Roman Reigns will be WWE Champion Big E. After that, a feud with King Woods is definitely on the cards.