WWE SmackDown: 5 Biggest news stories - Surprising opponent for Roman Reigns, Sonya Deville's new role revealed (January 8, 2021)
From a number one contender's gauntlet match for the Universal Title to new champions being crowned, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
Objectively speaking, this particular episode was a very consistent affair from start-to-finish. The show's format also felt a bit different this week, thanks to the inclusion of a gauntlet match towards the end. Apart from the fact that there were no women's bouts featured on the card, SmackDown ended up being a very solid show last night.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (January 8, 2021).
#5: The WWE Intercontinental Championship match brought up an edginess to Apollo Crews' personality
One of the biggest problems with Apollo Crews has been the uninteresting approach towards his onscreen persona in WWE. Apollo Crews has got it all inside the squared circle, which became evident during his match against Big E for the Intercontinental Title.
However, their match initially ended when the referee made a three count with both competitors' shoulders touching the mat. This led to a tie. Big E wanted to congratulate Crews on his effort, even though it was Big E who retained in the process.
However, Crews demanded the match to be restarted, slapping Big E at the same time. He also seemed a bit desperate while jumping on Big E's Intercontinental Title open challenge last week. Therefore, it was completely in line for him to challenge Big E once again until a clear outcome was determined on this week's WWE SmackDown.
The champion eventually retained his title, but it was still a good night for Apollo Crews, whose onscreen character slightly stepped out from the generic babyface role on this week's WWE SmackDown.