5 Things WWE Subtly told us on SmackDown: Surprising star to be revealed as "Uncle Howdy," Current Champion finally forms alliance with real-life friend (October 28, 2022)

Welcome to this week's edition of things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown. It was an interesting episode this week, with a great start and an intriguing finish that left more questions than answers.

We are mere days away from Crown Jewel 2022, and this week's episode held a lot of importance. This is because next week's show will be pre-taped and may not be as anticipated as this week's.

It will be interesting to see how things play out, but until then, this is what WWE subtly told us on an interesting episode of SmackDown:

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#5. Uncle Howdy's appearance on SmackDown and the man who could be behind it

Uncle Howdy made his second appearance on SmackDown, but it was the first time that we saw his full face. While our first impression of him was that of a demented Colonel Sanders, it appears to be a tribute to Bray Wyatt's uncle, the legendary Barry Windham.

The question that has left fans gasping for answers is who could be behind the mask? While it probably isn't Wyatt himself, the best speculation is that the person could be Bo Dallas, as there is a familial connection.

Perhaps WWE have already subtly hinted at Dallas' return without fans even realizing it.

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#4. Ronda Rousey's newly formed alliance on SmackDown

Ronda Rousey's match against the returning Emma was perhaps her sloppiest performance since joining WWE in 2018. That being said, it takes two to tango, and neither star looked great. Emma also did not garner the same reaction as one might have hoped for following her return to the company after five years.

Either way, the match did nothing storyline-wise. But what we saw backstage was encouraging.

Shayna Baszler took out Natalya on behalf of the SmackDown Women's Champion, with the two real-life friends finally forming an alliance. It remains to be seen what the two women will be up to in the weeks to come.

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#3. Keeping Liv Morgan away from the SmackDown Women's Title picture in the best way possible

WWE is doing the best they can with Liv Morgan's following her title loss to Ronda Rousey. If this character change of hers works out, then losing the title may have been the best thing to happen to her.

Morgan once again brutally assaulted Sonya Deville on SmackDown, leading to a No Disqualification match between them. The only way the match should play out is a one-sided squash in favor of Morgan to cement her character change.

While the former SmackDown Women's Champion isn't a heel, she is hardly a babyface anymore, either. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, as WWE is intentionally keeping her away from the title picture.

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#2. Ricochet is all set for his next big feud on SmackDown

The LA Knight promo on SmackDown was cut short thanks to former Intercontinental Champion Ricochet. They had a tense standoff, and while no match was made official, it seems that the two are set to feud.

It's a good way to utilize talent and feature them on the show. It is also a good feud between two talented men, but we expect LA Knight to get the better of Ricochet.

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#1. Jey Uso and The Bloodline tensions

In what was easily the best part of SmackDown, the tensions between Sami Zayn and Jey Uso came to a boil. Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn lost to The Brawling Brutes' Ridge Holland and Butch, who got a measure of revenge on behalf of Sheamus.

It all happened because of a miscommunication between Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. Sikoa tried to be the voice of reason, while Jimmy Uso even had a momentary standoff against his own brother.

Roman Reigns eventually came down to sort out the situation, and that led to Jey Uso saying that he didn't care what the Tribal Chief had to say. Everything about it was done to perfection. Sami Zayn even made Jey Uso and Roman Reigns break character on live TV, with the two cracking up to break a tense moment.

Reigns finally ordered the two men to resolve their differences. He even warned Jey that he will make Sami Zayn a permanent member of the faction if their differences continue.

It was seemingly apparent from the segment that perhaps Jey Uso could be dropped in a heartbeat. However, Jey being pushed against the wall is likely where the swerve will eventually happen, and Zayn will be betrayed instead.

Either way, we are looking forward to how this story plays out.

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What did you make of the blue brand this week? Let us know in the comments section below.