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From qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber to Seth Rollins' much-awaited return on the Blue brand, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
SmackDown has delivered some excellent episodes in the past, even though the Blue brand's latest offering could have been better in various departments. As usual, a two-hour show is always easier to watch than a three-hour Monday Night RAW, and SmackDown was still an entertaining show during various instances this week.
Which show was better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (February 12, 2021).
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#5 The WWE Women's Tag Team Champions were humiliated by Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in a confrontation
Nia Jax has become an internet sensation after her Tables match with Lana on RAW. Alongside Shayna Baszler, she appeared on SmackDown this week.
The segment initially began when Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks discussed a potential WrestleMania match between themselves. The duo were interrupted by the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately for Nia and Shayna, their consecutive losses on the latest edition of RAW were highlighted for the audience's entertainment.
A brawl broke out between both parties. Sasha and Bianca were able to stand dominant in this scenario.
The aforementioned segment was probably booked to delay the inevitable feud between Sasha and Bianca, as it seems very likely that the two will collide at WrestleMania 37.
With the babyface dynamic that exists between the two women, perhaps this potential storyline with the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions could lead to a heel turn for either Sasha or Bianca.
On the other hand, WWE could make Sasha and Bianca the Tag Team Champions to add more conflict if they were to face each other at WrestleMania.
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura answered Big E's WWE Intercontinental Championship open challenge; Apollo Crews' feud with the Intercontinental Champion isn't over yet
As a fighting Champion, Big E laid down an Intercontinental Title open challenge on this week's WWE SmackDown.
The challenge was meant for anyone apart from Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn, as Big E thought that it was time to give other stars an opportunity as well. While Zayn may not be a part of the Intercontinental Championship scene as of this moment, Apollo Crews has made it clear that he isn't done feuding with Big E yet.
Crews and Big E had an intense confrontation on WWE SmackDown, but the Intercontinental Champion did not allow his rival to face him once again. Shinsuke Nakamura came out and challenged Big E for the prestigious title instead, while Crews paced back-and-forth near the ringside area throughout the entirety of their bout.
Before a clear winner could be determined, Crews attacked Big E to cause a disqualification. Apollo has shined in his role as an opportunistic heel against Big E, and there will most likely be another match between the two stars.
Meanwhile, Shinsuke Nakamura may want to get involved in the Intercontinental Title scene from this point onwards, as a clear winner wasn't determined between himself and Big E this week.
#3 Adam Pearce wanted Roman Reigns to defend the WWE Universal Title inside Elimination Chamber, but Paul Heyman manipulated the circumstances on SmackDown
This week's WWE SmackDown kicked-off with another power struggle segment between Roman Reigns and Adam Pearce.
Just like Drew McIntyre, Pearce wanted Reigns to defend his World Title inside the Elimination Chamber. As expected, The Tribal Chief did not want to be ordered by another authority figure, which is when Paul Heyman stepped in and worked his magic as the special counsel.
Roman Reigns' WWE contract states that he has to defend the Universal Championship at the Elimination Chamber event, and not specifically inside the Elimination Chamber structure. Heyman said that instead of directly taking part in SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match, Reigns would face whoever wins the multi-man contest on the same night.
But Pearce didn't go down without a fight, as he revealed that two of the Chamber match's participants would be Kevin Owens and Jey Uso.
It was a smart move on Heyman's part not to overexpose Roman Reigns in a volatile contest like the Elimination Chamber match. Owens was expected to be a part of the match, but Uso's addition turned out to be the more interesting angle.
Will Jey Uso do his cousin's dirty work, or will he genuinely try to step up against The Tribal Chief at Elimination Chamber?
#2 Seth Rollins returned to WWE SmackDown with a brand new vision
Seth Rollins' WWE SmackDown return was billed as a major moment, as several members of the locker room gathered around the ring to hear what the man had to say.
Rollins returned with his old 'Burn It Down' theme music. When he talked about being a changed man after recently becoming a father, it felt as if he had turned babyface during this week's WWE SmackDown.
But the idea of a babyface turn was quickly tarnished as Rollins advocated for himself as SmackDown's new leader with a grand vision, once again. This was similar to how his Monday Night Messiah stint had begun in the first place.
Everyone gradually left the ringside area as Rollins rambled on about pushing the Blue brand to greatness. However, Cesaro was the only one left standing. Even The Swiss Superman disagreed with Rollins' new vision. As a result, Cesaro was attacked by Rollins in a fit of anger.
Even at this stage, no one knows exactly what Seth Rollins' grand vision for the 'greater good' is all about. Like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, Rollins' vision could be a MacGuffin, in the sense that it is used as a plot device to move the plot forward, even though the 'vision' itself doesn't have much of a significance in WWE.
#1 King Corbin, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Daniel Bryan qualified as the remaining participants for WWE SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match
Apart from Kevin Owens and Jey Uso, other participants for WWE SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match were decided through two separate tag team matches.
In the first case, King Corbin and Sami Zayn teamed up against Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Corbin and Zayn qualified for the Elimination Chamber as Dominik proved to be the weak link in the babyface team.
In the main event of this week's WWE SmackDown, Cesaro and Daniel Bryan faced Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode for the two remaining spots in the Chamber match. After being attacked by Seth Rollins earlier in the night, Cesaro's ability to perform in the main event was questioned.
However, Cesaro was able to co-exist with his recent rival, Bryan, and pick up the victory for his team as well. One has to wonder if putting Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in the losing spot was a good idea.
Ziggler and Roode are currently the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, and their credibility was affected after losing to a makeshift babyface duo this week. But at the same time, Cesaro and Bryan were the more compelling picks for the Elimination Chamber match.
After the match was over, Jey Uso, King Corbin, and Sami Zayn attacked the babyfaces. Kevin Owens came to Bryan and Cesaro's rescue and executed Stunners on whoever crossed paths with him.
As The Prizefighter stood dominant, Reigns watched the whole scenario unfold from the backstage area, and it became clear that the current WWE Universal Champion wasn't too happy about Owens' resurgence on the Blue brand.
Since there are exactly three babyfaces and three heel stars in SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match, it won't be surprising if WWE pits them against each other in a six-man tag team contest next week.
Do catch Jose G and Sid Pullar III (SP3) as they share their thoughts on all that went down during last night's WWE SmackDown in the video linked above.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
