Best and Worst of WWE SmackDown: Roman Reigns suffers first loss in 11 months, big mistake made for Survivor Series 2021?

Welcome to this week's edition of the best and worst of SmackDown. I'll be covering for Riju Dasgupta this week as we witnessed an incredible penultimate episode of SmackDown before Survivor Series.

This week, the women got the biggest spotlight, with over nine female stars on the roster getting screentime. Apart from that, the build to Survivor Series wasn't emphasized, but it will be next week in the go-home episode of SmackDown.

Here were the best and worst parts of the show. A shoutout to the real slim Shanky for his rap dissing Hit Row, or "Cringe Row" as Jinder Mahal called them:

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#2. Best: Roman Reigns vs. King Woods and the aftermath on SmackDown

The main event of SmackDown saw Roman Reigns vs. King Woods in a first-time-ever singles match. King Woods has been on the receiving end of a big push lately following his King of the Ring victory.

Kofi Kingston is a former WWE Champion, and Big E is the current WWE Champion. While King Woods has been dubbed as somebody who won't reach that level, nobody would have pictured him being a legitimate challenger to Roman Reigns.

We use the word legitimate strongly because that's how King Woods has been presented. Last week on SmackDown, Sir Kofi Kingston was assaulted and suffered a (storyline) injury where his MCL was sprained. As a result, it was King Woods, fighting the odds in the main event of SmackDown.

It was yet another "bend the knee" match like last week, but the involvement of Roman Reigns made it all the more interesting. King Woods almost became the first man to pin Roman Reigns since December 2019.

However, The Usos cost him the match, and it ended in a disqualification victory to Woods. After the match, Roman Reigns bent the knee, but not to acknowledge King Woods. It was to put on the crown.

King Woods became the first man in 11 months to pick up a win over Roman Reigns. The last time it happened on TV (and not dark matches) was when Otis and Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns and Jey Uso by disqualification.

The finish was a good one. While fans usually want a clean finish, this was the best course of action to keep their rivalry going. We assume that next week, the focus for Roman Reigns will be WWE Champion Big E. After that, a feud with King Woods is definitely on the cards.

#2. Worst: Removing Sami Zayn from Team SmackDown

This week on SmackDown, the self-proclaimed team leader Sami Zayn was giving a pep talk to himself. Later, authority figure Adam Pearce informed him that his Survivor Series spot would be on the line against Jeff Hardy, his fellow team member. Zayn lost the match and his place on the team.

With WWE having already removed Aliyah from the women's team earlier on SmackDown, what was the point in having another member removed? We also saw something similar happen to Dominik Mysterio on RAW.

Sami Zayn was a great addition to the team and played his role perfectly - the annoying know-it-all. We don't understand why WWE felt the need to replace either one. And even then, why was Sami Zayn the one replaced over Jeff Hardy?

We've seen Hardy in Survivor Series matches in recent years, making little to no impact. Sami Zayn would have been a much better addition to the team. WWE made a mistake by removing a superstar in the first place, let alone Sami Zayn.

#1. Best: A showcase for Los Lotharios on SmackDown

Los Lotharios took on the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogz on SmackDown. The match was meant to showcase the former as the hottest new team on SmackDown.

Humberto is doing better as a heel alongside Angel (Garza). They defeated Boogz and the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

It was a fun match, but the only problem is the lack of teams on the Blue Brand. The Usos seem to hold on to the Tag Team titles for a while, which is why it's wise for WWE to build other teams in the meantime.

It seems that Los Luthario will enjoy championship success in WWE. Hopefully, they aren't just a temporary tag team that breaks up next year. Given that WWE utilized neither man while singles stars, they should be paired together and evolve.

Will Angel and Humberto be the ones to dethrone The Usos on SmackDown?

#1. Worst: Another "Can they coexist?" storyline on SmackDown?

SmackDown began with Sonya Deville alongside four of the five members of the Women's Survivor Series team. Sasha Banks was announced as the team captain. As soon as she came out, chaos began. Naomi ran out, furious that she wasn't selected for the team even though she should have been.

It led to to a six-woman tag team match between babyfaces Sasha Banks and Naomi and newcomers Aliyah against Natalya, Shayna Baszler, and Shotzi.

Surprisingly, it was Aliyah who picked up the pinfall over Natalya after a little help from Naomi. Perhaps the only silver lining about this match was Aliyah getting the spotlight.

After the match, Aliyah was being interviewed, and she was overjoyed. Sonya Deville asked her how long she had known Naomi and informed her that she had been "advised" to remove Aliyah from Team Smackdown, causing instant heartbreak to the newcomer.

Best/Worst: Charlotte Flair vs. Toni Storm on SmackDown

SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair talked about Becky Lynch. Commentator Pat McAfee surprisingly acknowledged the rumors about the backstage confrontation between the two women.

The "worst" in this segment refers to the cringe promo that Charlotte Flair cut, trying to get the crowd to chant "Uh-Oh" and give Becky Lynch strange nicknames.

The best part of this segment was the appearance of Toni Storm. The Australian sensation hasn't gotten off to the best start on SmackDown. It was a pleasant surprise to see her confront Champion Charlotte Flair.

Although Sasha Banks was in contention before the build-up to Survivor Series, Toni Storm threw her hat in as the new potential challenger to Charlotte Flair as well.

Storm has been on the losing end lately, similar to Liv Morgan. The latter eventually earned a RAW Women's title match after Survivor Series 2021. Hopefully Toni will also get equal opportunities soon.