WWE SmackDown Preview: Roman Reigns’ next title feud with 8-time champion, former world champion gets a warning (April 16, 2021)
The expectations are high from this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, especially since RAW after WrestleMania was uncharacteristically average. The possibilities are endless on the Friday night show as we prepare for the beginning of several interesting storylines. From highly-anticipated title feuds to heated rivalries, a lot can transpire on the Blue brand this week.
Let’s take a quick look at the most prominent segments that can unfold on WWE SmackDown this week.
#1 Cesaro to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown Superstar Roman Reigns picked up a monumental victory in the main event of WrestleMania 37 after pinning both Daniel Bryan and Edge for the Universal Championship. Following a successful title defense at the pay-per-view with the help of Jey Uso, The Tribal Chief will turn his attention towards the next superstar, who will step up and challenge him for the gold.
The recently concluded event also witnessed an excellent match between Cesaro and Seth Rollins that ended in The Swiss Cyborg’s impressive victory. Before WrestleMania, Paul Heyman had stated that the winner of the match between Rollins and Cesaro could be Reigns' next challenger. The latest reports have also revealed that Heyman is heavily invested in Reigns’ storylines on SmackDown.
Thus, we could see Cesaro make his much-deserved entry into the world title picture by kickstarting a feud with Roman Reigns. He has enjoyed great momentum on the Blue brand for a few months now and even looked prepared for The Tribal Chief back at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Since then, the creative has had more time to make Cesaro look as threatening as possible.
He has delivered great matches on the Blue brand in the recent past. Cesaro has held eight championships in WWE, including the tag team titles and the United States title. However, he has never held a world title in the company. For one reason or the other, his push would often meet an unexpected block, and he would be forced to start all over again.
This time, the creative appears to have a better plan in place for Cesaro. An intense feud with Roman Reigns will help elevate his position in the WWE SmackDown locker room. Even if Cesaro doesn’t win the title at the end of their rivalry, it will at least allow him to prove that he belongs in the top feuds of the Blue brand. He is being booked as a tough babyface, and it will eventually help WWE add a more notable feud to Reigns’ current title reign.