WWE SmackDown Top 5 Segments: The Usos Still Have Teams On Lock

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Jobbers

I enjoy a good enhancement match, and this one didn’t disappoint. Harper and Rowan looked impressive once again. Even though their gimmick has hokey elements to it (prop hammers, imitation Kane attire), both men have great chemistry with one another and make a formidable team. Kudos to the enhancement talent as well for bumping around and making the former Wyatt Family members look strong.

After rag-dolling two jobbers, the Bludgeon Brothers appear destined for a future clash with SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos. WWE has done a nice job protecting Harper and Rowan up to this point. The team doesn’t get used in a bunch of pointless skits that curtail their credibility. They come out, beat their opponents in quick fashion and retreat to the back.

I’m curious to see if WWE decides to eventually put the titles on them. The SmackDown tag team division needs strong heels and Harper and Rowan could have good feuds with the Usos, New Day, and Rusev Day (whenever WWE gives in and turns them face). They would fit well in the unbeatable powerhouse champions role. The squash win on last night combined with the subtle tease with the Usos was a good first chapter in what should be a long rivalry.

KO/Zayn dissension?

WWE began teasing a possible Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn breakup on Tuesday’s show. After the best friends campaigned to general manager Daniel Bryan for another WWE Championship match, Bryan granted them another opportunity, sort of. Bryan didn’t book another championship handicap match. Instead, he scheduled a number one contender’s match between Owens and Zayn for next weeks show.  The match announcement created a schism between the two Canadians, which led to further issues in their main event tag match later in the night (more on that later).

All of this seems to be leading to a possible swerve next week. Watching these backstage skits and the main event evoked memories of an angle Shawn Michaels and Triple H ran during D-Generation X’s infancy in 1997. Then-WWF Commisioner Sgt. Slaughter forced Helmsley and Michaels to wrestle one another for the European Championship on an episode of RAW. Both men spent the entire show pretending to snipe at one another to build up the bout. Once the bell rang, Michaels and Helmsley treated the match as a farce, with HBK more or less handing the belt to “The Game”.

I think WWE intends to go this route for two reasons. First, it makes the most sense given the current storyline. Second, it’s way too early to break up Owens and Zayn. Both men can produce classic matches against one another, but WWE has ran Owens vs. Zayn into the ground over the past couple of years. The creative team should let both men team together for a couple of years before they even think about splitting them up. Nevertheless, these quick segments built up some subtle disagreements between Owens and Zayn. They added some intrigue to next weeks presumptive main event.