WWE SmackDown: 2 Superstars who flopped and 3 who impressed – Roman Reigns’ next feud, big heel turn teased on the show (Jan 8th, 2021)
This week’s WWE SmackDown had quite a few surprises in store for the fans. The Intercontinental title almost changed hands while we got ourselves new tag team champions. In addition to that, Roman Reigns’ next challenger was determined in a huge Gauntlet Match that also marked Adam Pearce's return to the ring.
In this article, we will take a quick look at the WWE Superstars who impressed us on SmackDown this week and those who did not. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Impressed on WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns
This shouldn’t be a surprise, but it isn’t Roman Reigns' in-ring performance on WWE SmackDown that earned him a spot in this list. Instead, it is his antics that made him the most impressive performer in WWE this week. From issuing an open threat to Adam Pearce to manipulating the situation that would decide his next challenger, The Tribal Chief truly acted like a dominant heel on the show.
In the opening segment of WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns summoned Adam Pearce. The Universal Champion expressed his disappointment with the WWE official for sanctioning the match between Kevin Owens and Jey Uso last week. However, Reigns quickly pulled himself back from attacking Pearce as he had something else planned.
Later in the episode, Paul Heyman met up with Pearce and informed him that they had pulled the strings backstage, and now, the former NWA World Champion was also added to the Gauntlet Match. It was quite shocking to see the latter make his way to the ring on WWE SmackDown, especially after claiming that he has no intention of fighting inside the squared circle again.
At the end of the Gauntlet Match, Shinsuke Nakamura had defeated Daniel Bryan and prepared for Pearce. That was until Reigns’ music hit, and the Universal Champion walked out with Jey Uso and Paul Heyman. Both Reigns and Uso then viciously attacked Nakamura and laid him out.
Following that, Jey Uso attacked Pearce as well and then put him over Nakamura while Reigns demanded the match official to count to three. As a result, Pearce won the match on WWE SmackDown, and he will now challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship.
Even though he wasn’t booked strongly tonight, let’s not forget that he has an impressive past that speaks volumes about his talent. It will be interesting to see what the creative has in store for this feud over the coming weeks.