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Credit: WWE.com
Happy New Year and welcome to the coverage of the first WWE SmackDown of 2021.
WWE was looking to start the year on the right foot after a difficult 2020, while preparing for the annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 31.
Roman Reigns won some victories over Kevin Owens in a TLC and a Cage Match. This week, The Tribal Chief made a request to management regarding KO.
We also saw Big E’s battle against Baron Corbin in an untitled fight just a week after he defeated Sami Zayn to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair teamed up to face Bayley and Carmella after both teams lost to Asuka and Charlotte last week.
Let’s take a look at everything that happened on this week’s SmackDown.
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After WWE honored Jon Huber with a graphic and recapped last week’s Steel Cage fight, Reigns went into the ring with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso.
The universal champion talked about how his golden glove is a reference to how everything he touches turns into greatness. He says that Heyman was discarded and saved him. He said Use had the best year of his career because of what he learned from The Tribal Chief.
Owens left and Reigns yelled at him that he had his chance and failed. KO said that despite everything Reigns tried to do to him, he is still standing. He told Reigns that he should be ashamed because he needed to use Usage to win.
Owens said he will request a match with Jey to give him some feedback before leaving.
Degree: B +
Analyze
Reigns has been at the top of the game for a long time and this promotion was another example of how he has progressed since making the jump.
As always, KO gave a good showing on the microphone too. These guys work well with each other because their images are so different. Reigns is the poster boy, while KO is the worker’s hero. It’s a great combination.
This was a decent way to start the first show, but a real match could have been a better choice.
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Big E’s first game after winning the IC title was also the first game of 2020. King Corbin was his opponent while Sami Zayn worked with the commentary team.
The two powers locked up and exchanged a few drops to get things going. After a few minutes, Corbin took control and landed his opponent.
Wesley Blake and Brandon Cutler watched their boss dominate the action. The King counterattacked Big E’s apron spear, but ended up going straight to Big Ending.
Zayn, Cutler and Blake attacked E to cause a disqualification. The big guy fought hard, but Apollo Crews ended up defending and taking everyone out. After the break, it became Crews and E vs. Zayn and Corbin.
The hot brand took Big E playing Corbin around the ring with a belly-to-belly trio suplex followed by a running splash. After a fall with a Helluva kick, Corbin and his riders abandoned Zayn. Crews hit him with an energy bomb for victory.
Degree: B
Analyze
This was a fun couple of fights, even though it would have been more satisfying to have a long fight in both segments. However, anything that puts Crews on TV is acceptable.
Zayn is one of the best leaps in the WWE right now. Every little thing he does is perfect for his character and he elevates everyone around him.
It was a little surprising to see Crews get the pin instead of Big E, but if that leads to some kind of push, it makes sense.
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Billie Kay accompanied Natalya and Tamina to the ring for the match against Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott. Kay tried to shout words of encouragement, but Tamina told her to be quiet.
After Nattie and Morgan’s opening salvo, Tamina took control of Riott and put her in the corner. The green-haired grappler rolled over and marked his partner for a flurry of attacks.
Riott Squad worked together to take down Tamina with a double sweep of the Russian leg. For some reason, Kay decided to switch sides and root for Riott and Morgan.
Thanks to Kay’s distraction, Morgan was able to immobilize Tamina. Kay celebrated as if she had done something special, but Riott Squad acted as if they wanted nothing to do with her.
Degree: C +
Analyze
This was a quick game that could have been much better if they had had five more minutes. Morgan looked especially well with some of his attacks on Tamina.
The strange things with Kay were funny, but they didn’t make sense. Does she want to win or join The Riott Squad? We do not know yet. Should we care?
Riott and Morgan continue to accumulate victories to take a chance on the tag titles soon. They have momentum. They just need the final push.
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Belair and Carmella started the action. EST forced Mella to the mat and started working on her arm. Bayley took the tag and dropped Belair.
Banks and Belair worked together in the ring to get the two opponents out with some double team attack. We came back from a break to see Bayley and Mella controlling the pace.
The Boss desperately achieved a tag while The EST struggled to free itself from Bayley’s clutches. She hit a beautiful vertical suplex, but Carmella scored and stopped her from making the mark.
Banks finally came in and went crazy with Carmella. Corey Graves made a Mandalorian joke while watching the true love of his life taking a beating from the female champion of SmackDown.
Belair eliminated Bayley next to the ring while The Boss managed to block Mella’s bank statement. Reginald took her out of the ring and Banks made him pay. This allowed Mella to hit her finisher to get the pin.
Degree: B +
Analyze
This was a very good match that everyone should have time to watch. All four women performed as if they were working on a large PPV.
Mella getting the pin will prepare her for a rematch with Banks for the title in the future, but the real bright star in this fight was Belair.
EST always looks so sharp with every move. It hits a book suplex that makes it obvious how many people don’t know how to do it properly in comparison.
Bayley and Banks are two of the best in the WWE and show these skills. One of the best things about The Role Model is its ability to bring others to its level and we saw it in this fight.
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Daniel Bryan and Otis teamed up to face Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. Cesaro took control early and brought Bryan into the corner so Nakamura could score.
We came back from the break to see Cesaro and Nakamura still dominating The Yes Man. The Swiss Superman took a count of two with a slingshot elbow.
Bryan was able to catch up with Otis and The Dozer started running over Cesaro. Chad Gable encouraged him when he played Cesaro and hit the Caterpillar.
Bryan jumped back at sunset from the top rope for a count of two. Nakamura kicked him in the face before almost hitting him with an armbar. Otis broke off, but was removed in the process. Bryan put Nakamura on Yes Lock to win.
Degree: B +
Analyze
Once again, WWE delivered a solid tag team fight. This was the fourth consecutive on this show, but each one felt different in their own way.
Otis and Gable’s team can be great or a joke. It depends on how WWE records them in the future. The pre-game video showing Otis and Bryan working on the hip technique was not a big sign.
Cesaro and Nakamura remain two of the best and most underutilized stars on the list. Hopefully they will be more successful in 2021.
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As soon as the bell rang, Owens approached Uso and began to unload it with right and left. He stepped on the Uce on the carpet and hit his head against the upper tensioner.
No matter what Uso tried to do, Owens maintained the advantage. I told Uso that none of this was his fault and that he should blame Reigns while continuing to defeat him.
We came back from a commercial to see Usage prevent Owens from hitting a superplex. KO avoided the splash and hit a Stunner for the win. This happened about 30 seconds after we got back.
Owens did not stop there. He continued to beat Uce while trying to get Reigns out. He attached Uso to the upper rope and continued to punish him while the Tribal Chief remained behind the scenes.
He put Uso in some boxes near the stage and climbed part of the set. He was about to jump on him when Reigns appeared out of nowhere to attack him. Usage recovered and helped his cousin knock down KO with chairs.
The beating lasted several minutes and ended with Owen being thrown at a table about 3 meters high. The show came to an end with Reigns rising over his fallen enemy.
Degree: B
Analyze
The fight with Uso and the ensuing defeat made Owens look like a badass, but it wasn’t exactly a real wrestling competition. It was still very pleasant.
Usage is so good at selling and Owens is amazing in the verbal aspect of the game. Together, they kept everyone’s eyes on them until Reigns appeared to clean the bat.
The table seat at the end looked great. This rivalry has been incredible and it’s not surprising that WWE wants them to stay that way. They will likely have a rematch at The Royal Rumble.
Overall, this was a good show. WWE recorded some solid matches and advanced some stories. Deville’s first promotion after his return will be interesting.