SmackDown In A Nutshell: Does Blue Brand Have The Edge Now?

It’s our first Friday nigh on the road to WrestleMania, which gives us SmackDown In A Nutshell. Tonight, we ask: does the blue brand have the Edge now?

No, not that guy from that Irish band.

As in, does the blue brand have Edge now. You know, Edge, the winner of the 2021 Royal Rumble.

Yes, does the blue brand have the Edge now is a serious question. After all, we’ve seen the Rated R Superstar on every other WWE show, teasing every other champion, and yet…no announcement.

So will Edge challenge Roman Reigns? Will the blue brand have Edge now?

Time will tell, of course. And there is plenty of other fun to get into on the show this week.

With the Rumble over and done with, all the pieces will start gradually falling in to place for WrestleMania. Of course, there’s a good chunk of time between now and then.

What next for Big E and his Intercontinental Championship? How about Kevin Owens, having lost his Last Man Standing match?

Let’s not forget Sasha Banks and her Women’s Championship…will Bianca Belair be her next foe?

That all leads us up to this….

SmackDown In A Nutshell: Does Blue Brand Have The Edge Now?

Let’s crack open this Nutshell and find out!

Best Match of the night:

Not a match-though the Intercontinental Championship match would be the best of those.

For me, the best of anything for the evening was the teases of who the Rumble winners would choose.

Belair was good. Edge and Roman Reigns was better.

Worst match of the night:

I want more from Otis and Chad Gable. I mean…Otis was Mr. Money In The Bank (whether that was a botch or not is not the point).

Chad Gable, American Alpha…great but brief run, right?

Put those two together and get behind them…it’s not hard, right?

Star of the Night

Major compliments to Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman, again. They continue to deliver, and it’s fun to watch.

I love the Cesaro momentum, especially on the heels of his new contract. Wasn’t that long ago that we were confirming his contract was set to expire, and wondering if he’d jump to AEW.

Having him get a serious push again would be nice, singles is preferred but I would not be devastated to see a revival of The Bar, either.

Spot of the Night:

That Owens Stunner to close the show. That did it for me…

Only way that would have been better? If we’d at least had a teased cash-in.

Jobber of the Night:

Could go a few ways.

I’d say Apollo Crews for one…he had a good match, but he took the fall in the triple threat match.

Otherwise, maybe Ruby Riott, or Otis and Chad Gable. Both of those matches were crazy short.

Heck, even Daniel Bryan…but I think he almost enjoys putting guys over more than anything else now.

Upset of the Night:

Matches, no.

Wrestlers? Roman Reigns maybe wasn’t upset, but he was incensed that Edge was playing games with him.

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

While I don’t love the idea of Edge versus Roman Reigns, the tension built up between the two tonight was good.

Leading up to their main event segment…which finished with Kevin Owens coming in from behind and dropping the champ with a stunner.

Yep, that’s my holy sh#$ of the night.

Noteworthy Moment:

Rest in peace, Butch Reed. WWE confirmed the former Superstar’s passing.

While most current fans might not be familiar with Reed, they should know his much more well-known former partner-Ron Simmons.

In honor of Reed’s unfortunate passing, I can say just one thing…”DAMN!”

Overall lowlights:

I really don’t have a lot to be down about. I mean, I’d rather see better from guys like Otis and Chad Gable…and I’d be fine with some matches getting cut in order to give Cesaro and Daniel Bryan twice or three times the run time.

Overall highlights:

I am enjoying how WWE is dragging out Edge making his decision.

Part of why they are dragging it out, of course, is that there’s no abundantly clear and obvious choice for where Edge should go. He and Drew are faces…Roman Reigns and Edge seems an odd fit…Finn Balor is a little intriguing though.

Dragging it out lets them build anticipation. Plus, it could mean we get a little more of Owens and Reigns…and THAT is not a bad thing.

After the final bell:

I think the best of the evening is the lingering Royal Rumble decision process.

Surely, some expected we’d know by now. Instead, we have just had lots of teasing and innuendo.