WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Finn Balor pulls off a Prince move, Roman Reigns refuses to face John Cena at SummerSlam 2021
WWE SmackDown delivered yet another solid show this week that had only a couple of drawbacks. John Cena returned to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2021, but he was met with Paul Heyman’s cruel mockery instead. Other than that, we saw crucial developments in new feuds as the creative team turned their attention towards SummerSlam.
In this article, we look at the flops and hits of WWE SmackDown this week.
#1 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Finn Balor makes a huge statement
Finn Balor faced Sami Zayn in a brilliant match on WWE SmackDown this week. The two former NXT Champions were given a lot of time, and they both made full use of the same. From their in-ring maneuvers to their brief story-telling, everything was on point during this match. For a change, both Balor and Zayn were booked strongly, and it accounted for an entertaining match.
Sami Zayn was equally dominant in most of the match, but Finn Balor eventually managed to take complete control over the match. Balor hit Zayn with multiple dropkicks into the corners before nailing a picturesque Coup de Grace to seal his victory. Throughout the match, The Prince’s subtle antics convinced us that he would continue his run as an anti-hero on WWE SmackDown.
However, this was not all for Balor this week. He returned in the show’s final moments and interrupted Roman Reigns’ segment. The Tribal Chief thought that Balor was there to “acknowledge him,” but The Prince had plans of his own. He decided to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship to a loud pop on WWE SmackDown.
Reigns’ initial hesitance led to the entire crowd chanting, “Roman’s scared.” This, of course, didn’t sit well with the Universal Champion, who then accepted Balor’s challenge. Thus, we now have a big title match ahead of us that will allow Finn Balor to fight for the title that he never lost.
Both Reigns and Balor were forced to relinquish the same title in the past, which could be the right motivation to build up a well-balanced feud on WWE SmackDown.
Balor made a bold statement by going for Roman Reigns and his Universal Championship immediately after his return. He doesn’t need to turn into a complete babyface in this feud to keep the crowd in his favor. Balor’s current gimmick is perfect as it is, and he only needs a couple of opportunities to assert his dominance on the WWE SmackDown roster.