WWE SmackDown World Cup Ends with a Bang and More Friday Takes

Friday's episode of WWE SmackDown featured quite a bit across multiple divisions, but the main event is what will have people talking for days.

Emma got a chance to compete against Shayna Baszler, but her budding romance with Riddick Moss was also highlighted during a brief backstage segment.

Kofi Kingston and Gunther had a hard-hitting encounter, and Sami Zayn opened the show with a fantastic performance against Sheamus.

However, the match of the night was definitely the finals for the SmackDown World Cup between Santos Escobar and Ricochet.

We have some thoughts about all of these moments from Friday's show.

While the title of this section may be mild hyperbole, there is no denying how beloved Zayn is among the WWE Universe.

The Honorary Uce has been one of the MVPs of WWE programming for a long time, but his alliance with Roman Reigns, The Usos and Solo Sikoa has arguably been the most enjoyable run of his WWE career thus far.

Seeing him finally being accepted by everyone in the group is great, but it's going to make the eventual breakup that much more heartbreaking.

Nothing lasts forever, and it feels like Zayn's time in The Bloodline is closer to the end than the beginning. When the family eventually turns on him and beats him out of the stable, the crowd is going to side with Zayn even more than it already has.

His sense of humor has been highlighted heavily in recent months, but Zayn has also had the opportunity to put on some great matches like this week's showdown against Sheamus. The WWE Universe knows how good he is and is finally giving him his due.

The most satisfying conclusion to all of this would be Zayn dethroning The Head of the Table to win the Undisputed Universal Championship, but even if that doesn't happen, he is going to come away from this story as one of the biggest babyfaces we have seen in years.

For the past couple of months, WWE has been reintroducing Emma to the crowd with backstage segments and matches, but that is not all she has been up to.

We have also seen a romance develop between her and Moss. They have been in a relationship in real life for a little while, so management decided to bring that to television.

But the awkwardness comes from the fact that they are pretending to be courting each other instead of just acting like they were already a couple. It makes sense to start their journey at the beginning for the sake of the storyline, but it's coming off as weird instead of charming.

There is something strange about their chemistry in the few interactions we have seen. You can tell they have real affection for each other, but neither one of them can convincingly portray themselves as new to all of this. It's easy to tell they have been together for a while.

It's like watching two people you know are dating but are trying to keep it a secret. There is just something off about how they speak to each other because they are hiding something.

This is a very minor complaint that will likely be irrelevant once they get into the groove, but for now, it feels forced.

This week's SmackDown featured a fun and competitive match between Kingston and Gunther, and it proved that management can push the former WWE champion as a singles star again any time it wants.

The New Day has been integral to the tag team division for many years, but each member has been able to go off and have short singles runs.

Big E and Kingston both won the WWE Championship, and Xavier Woods won the King of the Ring tournament. And they did all of that without ever turning on each other or breaking up.

With the main event scene sometimes feeling a little repetitive, someone reliable like Kingston can be slotted back into the chase for a major title at any time.

The crowd loves him and he can work with Superstars of any size to put on great matches. It would be awesome if he got another run in 2023 that put the spotlight solely on him for a bit.

When the SmackDown World Cup tournament was announced, it didn't seem like much at first, mostly because the previous World Cup tourney left a bad taste in the WWE Universe's mouth when Shane McMahon won four years ago.

WWE also has a complicated history with tournaments. They haven't been utilized on a regular basis in about 20 years, so they always feel random and never carry much prestige.

However, the SD World Cup delivered some great matches before getting to this week's final bout between Escobar and Ricochet.

As expected, they knocked it out of the park. Both men are known for their precision and skill, so there was never any doubt that this would be amazing.

Ending the tournament with a match like this was a smart booking decision, but now WWE needs to make sure Ricochet gets more out of it than a simple trophy and Intercontinental Championship match.

Winning this trophy needs to feel like a big deal because, if the trend continues, it will only be possible to win it every four years. That would make it one of the rarest prizes in pro wrestling. He should be carrying it to the ring with him for at least a few months.