WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: - 5-time champion set to put career on the line, Zelina Vega returns, big mistake with the main event (July 2nd, 2021)
WWE SmackDown delivered a solid show this week. The Blue brand featured great matches that delivered beyond expectations. Edge attacked Jimmy Uso in the main event and sent a strong statement to the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Interestingly, The Tribal Chief was nowhere to be seen.
Other than that, we saw an epic Money in the Bank qualifier, a huge return, and a title match being added to the WWE MITB pay-per-view. In this article, we will look at the flops and hits from WWE SmackDown this week.
#3 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Bayley
This week on WWE SmackDown, Bayley and Bianca Belair came face to face once again. They acknowledged that their feud had been going on for far too long and mutually came to a bold decision. Belair stated that she wants to put her WWE SmackDown Women's Championship on the line against Bayley at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in an "I Quit" match.
Bayley took it a step further and said that if she loses, she won't just quit the title feud. She added that if she loses again at MITB, she will leave WWE SmackDown and will stop competing. This segment started off on a usual note but the twist was very well planted in their conversation.
WWE SmackDown was at risk of drawing criticism for booking another title match between Bianca Belair and Bayley. While both superstars have delivered a brutal feud, their extended rivalry has run its course.
However, WWE has found the perfect way to counter all accusations of repetitive bookings. Bayley is headed for a rematch but this time, the most successful WWE SmackDown Women's Champion in history might be forced to leave the show.
She has thrived in the WWE ThunderDome era and has low-key grown into one of the most entertaining heels on the Blue brand. If you dislike her currently, she is doing her job well.
She doesn't deserve the blame for falling victim to lazy writing at times. Even then, Bayley was one of the best performers on WWE SmackDown when the shows were restricted to the Performance Center and the ThunderDome. She deserves to have a big match when the crowd comes back.
Bayley has admitted that she used to be nervous while working as a heel in front of the live crowd. But now, she is more confident and has worked hard to improve every detail of her gimmick. Her interactions with Michael Cole have led to genuinely engaging segments.
She recently teamed up with Seth Rollins on WWE SmackDown and they were both brilliant together. It speaks volumes about Bayley’s transformation since she ditched her good girl gimmick.
It was a smart move by WWE to have one of its best superstars put her career on the line against a top babyface at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Although we have seen this match before, the higher risks involved this time will ensure that fans remain invested in their feud.
It will be exciting to see what’s in store for both Bayley and Belair on WWE SmackDown in the weeks leading up to Money in the Bank 2021.