Reverse Hipster's What Mattered

5. Hit Row

I don't know much about Hit Row. However, they impressed me in their debut. They walked out to the ring and freestyled their entrance, and I loved their style. They really do seem like four new stars. Then, they backed it up in the ring against some enhancement talent. This is definitely a team to watch.

4. Rematches

I think it was a bad call to have Ali and Mansoor have a rematch a day after they knocked it out of the park at Crown Jewel. However, they had a good match once again, so they deserve credit. Mansoor beat Ali with a victory roll and goes up 2-0 on him. Corbin and Nakamura also fought again, but the match was still pretty good, so they also deserve credit. Also, Corbin beating Nakamura means we will have this match again for the title.

3. Sami vs. Drew

Sami Zayn answered Drew's open challenge, and Drew beat him and looked dominant. I think Drew needed that win to establish himself as a big dog on Smackdown. However, nobody could have thrived like Sami Zayn did. He made that loss so entertaining. First, he comes out and says he is the most tenured member of Smackdown and Drew is a rookie. Then, he proclaims he is the best superstar in WWE. Pat McAfee hilariously adds that you have to believe you are the best before reaching it, and that's certainly where Sami is right now. Also, Sami had a hilarious ending to the match. He had Drew set up for the Helluva Kick, did Drew's countdown, and then ran face-first into a Claymore.

2. King Xavier

The first segment was a success. I was one hundred and ten percent here for King Xavier's coronation. I loved that Kofi was there to hype up Woods, who has done it for him so many times. I loved that they treated the crown like a title and that you can see how much it means to Woods. I cannot wait to hear more of King Woods's Gospel each week.

1. Brock vs. Roman

This segment was everything it should have been. Roman came out cocky and confident, and called himself the best in the world. Honestly, he might be the best in the world right now. Roman had the crowd eating out of his hand. He took over the ring and said he would not leave until Brock came out. The crowd even forgot to boo Roman and cheered for him to beat up Brock. However, when Brock arrived, he went wild. He wrecked the Usos, he wrecked officials, he wrecked Roman, and he wrecked Adam Pearce after he suspended Brock indefinitely. This is the Brock I wanted to see. This segment was easily the best thing on Smackdown.

Rob’s What Mattered

3. Xavier Woods’s Coronation

I was curious to see how they would move forward with Xavier Woods in the king gimmick. I thought the way they did it was perfect: parts classic New Day and parts over-the-top goofy king gimmick. I’m excited to see what they’ll do moving forward.

2. It’s Boss Time

At the end of the title swap ceremony, Sasha Banks came out and saved the abysmal energy between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. She called Flair out and told her not to just expect to take over SmackDown without resistance. Banks’s promos are sort of gimmicky, but I was rooting for her every second here. It should be easy for Banks to transition fully back to being a babyface if her opponent is Flair.

1. Brock Lesnar Takes Over SmackDown

Roman Reigns claimed victory over Brock Lesnar, calling him out, and that was a big mistake. Lesnar came out, and the crowd ate it up. Lesnar took it to Reigns, the Usos, and any other WWE official that got in his way. In the next segment, Adam Pearce suspended Lesnar indefinitely, so he went out and got his money’s worth with two F-5’s. The crowd went crazy for that too. Lesnar is super over as a babyface after his two-year break. My guess is that Lesnar will reappear at the Royal Rumble, win, and challenge Reigns to a rematch. Usually, I would think that sounds like an awful idea, but this segment is making me think about it twice. Reigns and Lesnar have the hottest program on WWE right now.

Rob’s What Didn’t Matter

4. Sami Zayn Has a New Theme

I thought the purge of themes from WWE’s old composer CFO$ was done, but we got an awful surprise when Sami Zayn’s theme hit the same opening notes and a remixed breakdown. I love Zayn’s old theme. Even though I admit it doesn’t fit his character now, all of the new WWE themes have been sort of awful.

3. Happy Corbin vs. Nakamura

To kick off a fresh new season of SmackDown with new talent and matchup opportunities, WWE decided the best way to reciprocate that excitement was to send Happy Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura out there for the tenth time. After their eons-long fight over the crown, neither guy made an attempt to reclaim it in the King of the Ring tournament. Corbin’s latest evolution of the gimmick isn’t really resonating with audiences, and Nakamura’s act with Rick Boogs is fun but his reign is in danger of losing its relevancy. With all the talent on SmackDown, I definitely don’t think this is the best way to revitalize either guy’s runs.

2. No Development on Paul Heyman’s Allegiance

The biggest story for me coming out of Crown Jewel was where is Paul Heyman’s allegiance? He threw the title perfectly between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Was it a dog whistle for Lesnar and his fans? Or was it a genuinely bad throw and he’s still on the big dog’s side? SmackDown gave us no answers, and I’m not confident we’ll get them soon with Lesnar’s indefinite suspension.

1. Title Swap Ceremony

There were so many other ways they could have done this. It wasn’t entertaining, and it was cringy to watch. If the word on the dirt sheets is true, Charlotte Flair was not supposed to throw her title and Becky Lynch wasn’t supposed to throw her title back. If that’s the case, it was immature on both of their part, and it showed. For some reason, Flair thinks she needs to be kept strong, even though she is the most protected women booking-wise in WWE. If for some reason the rumor’s not true, maybe Flair and Lynch are geniuses for planting this rumor, making a hard-to-watch segment that will add to the heat of their future feud assuming they face off at Survivor Series. In kayfabe, maybe the belt throwing serves as a reminder of how much they hate each other, but it was hard to watch. Either way, it was bad booking to end the night with a segment where the champions are just handing titles to each other.

Reverse Hipster What Didn't Matter

1.The Championship Exchange

It's been reported that Charlotte went into business for herself and threw the title on the ground instead of giving it to Becky, which caused Becky to be rightfully pissed and throw her title at Charlotte. This was such a bad look. Charlotte is the most protected superstar in WWE. Why is she worried that getting a new world title would make her look weak? While this pissing contest was going on, what suffered was the women's division. The titles look like toys thrown on the ground and unimportant. Also, this messed up the main event of Smackdown. Sasha was the saving grace of the segment she came in and proclaimed that Smackdown is her show, and it is. I would love to see her take the title from Charlotte.