 The Usos Confronted Jacob FatuAmazingly, everything with Fatu and Roman Reigns on Raw has been interesting to me, whereas everything with Fatu and The Usos on SmackDown in recent weeks has been the exact opposite. They're definitely trying to plant the seeds for something (possibly The Usos aligning with Fatu), but I wish they'd just keep this stuff exclusive to Raw since it has no business on SmackDown at the moment. They had a solid segment here, but it didn't seem to progress anything in my opinion. Women's United States Champion Tiffany Stratton def. Kiana JamesStratton's matches have been hit or miss as of late, but I thought this one with James was decent. James is obviously someone officials are high on and will continue to give opportunities to going forward. I fear for Giulia, though, who feels completely lost at this point. Does Giulia get her rematch for the Women's United States Championship in her home country at Clash in Italy or does it get left off the card because WWE clearly doesn't give a shit about that title? Talla Tonga def. WWE Tag Team Champion Damian PriestI'm sorry but The MFTs going back after the WWE Tag Team Championship doesn't do anything for me, but I guess I shouldn't be shocked since the rest of SmackDown's tag team division is depleted. Tonga pinning Priest should mean something with Priest being a former World Heavyweight Champion, but it really doesn't. The match itself was fine, but the crowd being so quiet spoke volumes. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Attacked GuntherIt was made official here that Gunther is now a member of the SmackDown brand. My question is, how much does that actually matter when we see Superstars switch shows all the time without explanation? Hell, a SmackDown star is challenging a Raw star for a Raw world title at Backlash! It makes no sense, but I do like Gunther going to Friday nights. This was an effective segment to set up Rhodes defending against Gunther at Clash in Italy. Ricky Saints def. Matt CardonaSaints losing in his SmackDown debut last week wasn't ideal, but it was against the Undisputed WWE Champion, so it could've been much worse. Plus, he was able to bounce back here with a win over Cardona. They had an acceptable outing and it was pretty much what it needed to be. It's unfortunate that Cardona has basically been enhancement fodder since returning to WWE, so fingers crossed he finds something he can sink his teeth into eventually. Fatal Influence and The Irresistible Forces Confronted and Attacked WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and PaigeThe women's tag team scene has a lot less steam than it did a few months ago, and Paige and Bella being a makeshift team doesn't help, but I'm all for them dropping the belts to Fatal Influence imminently. This segment planted the seeds for that, but not until we get a rematch between Paige and Bella and Irresistible Forces first. This wasn't great, but I'm glad Fatal Influence are already setting their sights on the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jane, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid) def. Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and WWE Women's Champion Rhea RipleyThis was the third week of Fatal Influence on the main roster and they were once again handled perfectly. The six-woman tag team match was well worked and Fatal Influence were made to look like equals to the stacked babyface squad. Jane pinning Bliss was the right call as well. Jade Cargill returning and attacking Ripley indicates she'll be getting the next shot at the WWE Women's Championship. Royce Keys def. Tama TongaWWE is doing a nice job building up Keys. He's racking up wins while also appearing in multiple segments on the show. Him being recruited into The MFTs would be terrible, so hopefully that isn't where we're headed. This was a good match. Tonga splitting from The MFTs has to be the endgame, but they need to get to that soon since they've been teasing it for many months. United States Champion Trick Williams and Lil Yachty Attacked Sami Zayn at the Gingerbread Man's FuneralI've seen a lot of love for this on social media, but I've also seen plenty of hate. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. It was mildly amusing at first, but WWE shoved it down the throats of viewers throughout the three hours and I just wanted it to be over by the time this segment started. It certainly didn't make me any more excited for Williams vs. Zayn at Backlash, which should have been the point. Overall ShowThe heavy focus on the Gingerbread Man's funeral wasn't my cup of tea and made the three hours feel even longer. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a terrible show, but it didn't add to my excitement for Backlash at all and SmackDown is still a chore to get through every week. Going back to the two hour format will help, but a creative overhaul in general is needed. The direction of some storylines feels half-assed. By the way, where the hell are Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov?!
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