7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 14)
4. Making His Presence Felt
Check out Sami's face in that freeze-frame above.
The Bloodline's "Honorary Uce" knew he'd landed Jey Uso in hot water by handing over his phone. Roman Reigns was on the other side of the line, and he instructed Jey to help Zayn win his match with Kofi Kingston or incur his wrath. The plot thickens, and all that.
This simple pre-match segment was a clever way to keep Roman involved even when he wasn't there in person. It also furthered the ongoing tension between Sami and Jey without things having to bubble over physically - the way Uso stared a hole through a borderline-giggling Zayn was funny as f*ck.
WWE really do deserve praise for the way they've scripted these bits. Everyone, including newcomer Solo Sikoa, plays their part to the hilt (his blank facial expressions throughout were priceless), and it's impressive that the writers keep finding new ways to keep things rolling.