WWE SmackDown Flops and Hits: Roman Reigns steals King Woods’ crown, big twists planned for Survivor Series (12th November, 2021)
WWE SmackDown had a solid show planned for this week. The Blue brand featured excellent matches and quite a few surprises. The show also teased a couple of last-minute changes before the upcoming battle of WWE brands when they removed one member each from both the men's and women's teams.
However, it is admittedly strange to see no build-up towards the Survivor Series pay-per-view other than the confirmed matches and a couple of digs.
Here, we look at some of the biggest flops and hits from WWE SmackDown this week. So, without further ado, let's begin.
#5 Hit on WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns takes the crown
His show. His island. His kingdom.
#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns @WWEUsos @HeymanHustle https://t.co/kU3qBIQSJ2
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman first featured in an interesting backstage segment early on in the show. Kayla Braxton approached them, but the Universal Champion believed that she could be there for one of the two reasons: she wanted to acknowledge the Tribal Chief or flirt with his Wiseman.
Reigns authorized Heyman to confirm later that they want to up the stakes of the match against King Woods.
Paul Heyman then brought back the "bend the knee" stipulation, this time for Roman Reigns. He said that Woods would have to bend the knee if he loses against Reigns, and the latter would do the same if he loses. A confident Heyman even said that The Tribal Chief could be stripped of his championship if he loses against the New Day member.
Reigns and Woods met in the main event of WWE SmackDown. Both superstars were determined to unleash hell inside the squared circle and worked hard throughout their battle on the show.
It was a well-balanced encounter between a Tribal Chief and a King that made both the titles look equally credible. Woods was particularly impressive with his speed and offense that took him close to victory on multiple occasions.
Towards the end of the match, King Woods managed to hit Reigns with a Coast to Coast elbow drop and went for a pinfall. However, The Usos made a timely interference and pulled Woods out of the ring.
The New Day member ended up winning the match via DQ, but that was not all. Jey and Jimmy Uso launched a vicious attack on King Woods to make a big statement on WWE SmackDown before taking away his crown.
King Woods connects!
#SmackDown @AustinCreedWins https://t.co/XiMt6kPJnC
Following that, The Usos took the crown to the ring and placed it on Roman Reigns' head. The latter had no regrets about stealing the King of the Ring's signature piece of gold on WWE SmackDown despite losing his first match on television in almost a year.
It was an excellent way to draw more heat towards Reigns before he is involved in a confrontation with WWE Champion Big E, whom he will face at Survivor Series next weekend.
Moreover, King Woods will take this as a sign of disrespect, and he will have enough reasons to continue the feud with The Bloodline even after the next pay-per-view. We have seen Roman reigns dominate the Universal Championship picture for more than a year. Thus, the remote prospect of him pursuing something new on WWE SmackDown could account for an exciting storyline.