WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Roman Reigns gets a blast from the past, big mistake with former champion (7th January, 2022)

Here are the biggest highlights from WWE SmackDown this week

WWE SmackDown had a solid show this week. The blue brand kicked things off on a promising note in 2022 with a good title match, epic confrontations, and a brilliant surprise.

WWE finally made their statement about the "forbidden door" when they announced that Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James would compete in the Women's Royal Rumble this year.

Let's look at some of the biggest flops and hits on WWE SmackDown from this week.

#1. Hit on WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns gets the better off Brock Lesnar

acKNoWledGE mEEe

#SmackDown @BrockLesnar @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle https://t.co/RmQx7XXmjC

This week, Roman Reigns returned on WWE SmackDown after missing Day 1 premium live event. He came face-to-face with newly-crowned WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and his former Special Counsel Paul Heyman.

All three men came together for an incredible opening segment, and the two biggest champions once again quarreled over their respective relationships with Paul Heyman.

Brock Lesnar mocking Roman Reigns' "acknowledge me" catchphrase and being shocked over Paul Heyman's "loving" the Universal Champion made for entertaining television. The Beast Incarnate even teased the idea of a WWE Champion vs. Universal Champion match.

Reigns liked the proposal but said that it was his show and things would happen at the time of his choosing. The Tribal Chief then said that he doesn't want to do business with someone who is in a business with a "trash" like Paul Heyman.

Round 1️⃣ goes to @WWERomanReigns...

#SmackDown @BrockLesnar @HeymanHustle https://t.co/4I2hD0oVzX

This led to an interesting sequence of events that saw Roman Reigns asking Lesnar not to disrespect Heyman and the latter doing the same. Talk about a triangle! The Universal Champion took advantage of the dialog between Heyman and Lesnar and hit the WWE Champion with a sneaky Superman Punch.

Reigns finally got the upper hand over Brock Lesnar and it was great. Reigns has been nothing short of brilliant over the last year. He is only a few days away from becoming the longest-reigning champion in WWE history, and deserves to be booked as one of the strongest characters of all time.

😮

#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @WWERollins https://t.co/luRLozWoPt

Later, Adam Pearce said he had to pick Roman Reigns' Royal Rumble opponent by the end of the night. Once the Head of the Table saw his cousins defend their titles in the main event, he realized that Brock Lesnar was not the only visitor he had this week. He came face-to-face with Seth Rollins in the show's closing moments.

The Architect burst out laughing while Reigns looked confused. All signs indicate towards a potential match between the two superstars. Given their history dating back to The Shield, it would be great to see how this WWE booking will progress this month.