Uncle Howdy Is Amazingly Creepy, Heel Swerve Rules, More Friday WWE and AEW Takes

Most weeks, SmackDown and Rampage feel like business as usual. This week, however, there were a couple of standout moments.

Over on the blue brand, Sami Zayn continued his quest to make every member of The Bloodline laugh at inappropriate times, Emma made her return to WWE after almost exactly five years away, and Bray Wyatt ended the show with another intriguing and terrifying video package.

Rampage saw Wardlow defend the TNT title against Matt Taven, and Swerve Strickland showed us a new side of himself when he took matters into his own hands with The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn.

Let's look at some of the things that stood out this week.

For a few months following WrestleMania, The Bloodline was starting to feel stale. It wasn't the fault of anyone in the group. That is just what happens when an angle runs for this long.

However, during those few months, Sami Zayn also entered the picture. At first, all he wanted was for Roman Reigns to take him seriously. Eventually, he earned so much favor with The Tribal Chief that he was named an Honorary Uce.

Ever since then, Zayn has not only been the best part of the group, but he has been one of the best acts in all of pro wrestling. Even when the segments are supposed to be serious, the former NXT champion makes them fun.

This week was a great example of how great he is. As he and Jey Uso were arguing and looking like they might end up fighting, Zayn managed to make the entire stable break with one quick line. He said Jey wasn't being very Ucey lately, and that set in motion a tidal wave.

The crowd began chanting "Ucey" over and over, and you could see every single person in the ring struggling not to laugh despite the serious nature of the conversation. It's yet another instance of Zayn being so funny that the people around him can't keep their composure.

When all of this implodes and Zayn is left out to dry, it might be one of the most heartbreaking segments in WWE history because he is going to sell the hell out of it.

After almost exactly five years to the day since her release, Emma made her return to WWE to take on Ronda Rousey in an open challenge issued by the SmackDown women's champion.

She received a positive reaction from the crowd and on social media during her entrance, but one thing stood out as an odd decision by WWE.

In the five years since she was released, Emma has been working consistently as Tenille Dashwood and carved out a nice career for herself in Ring of Honor, Impact and other indie promotions.

Management has reason to use the name she originally had in WWE, but it would have been easy to reintroduce her under the name she has been using while still acknowledging her history with the company.

It's awesome to see her back, and hopefully this run goes more smoothly than her last one. She can be a great addition to the women's division as long as she is allowed to do what she does best, which is wrestle.

Wyatt returned to SmackDown this week to give another promo that seemed like it would be from the heart, but this segment was about a lot more than him expressing his gratitude to the fans.

As the show was about to end, Wyatt was interrupted by a video featuring a character who called himself Uncle Howdy. He had a creepy mask with a weird moustache, and he seemed intent on teaching the former Fiend a lesson of some kind.

What immediately stuck out to a lot of people is the resemblance this character bears to the man who inspired Wyatt's real first name, Barry Windham.

The legend is only 62 years old, so if WWE wanted to bring him in for this angle and he was willing, it could make for some great television.

But what really stands out about this whole thing is how creepy Uncle Howdy is. The Fiend and Eater of Worlds personas were certainly unsettling, but something about this new character makes him even more disturbing. Maybe it's the stache?

Whatever it is, it's going to be a lot of fun to see how this unfolds. Let's just hope WWE doesn't wait too long to put Wyatt into his first real feud since his return.

Wardlow and Samoa Joe have been allies and tag team partners in recent weeks, and their alliance has been good for both men. However, one has to wonder if this team is even necessary for AEW or either man involved.

Joe is the ROH TV champion and Wardlow holds the AEW TNT title, which he successfully defended against Taven this week. It's not like either guy is struggling for a push, so this pairing feels random and in many ways, unnecessary.

For one thing, the AEW tag team division does not need anyone else right now. There might even be too many teams as it is, so adding another one made up of two guys who already hold singles titles is an odd choice.

Granted, there is a good chance this is just a short-term partnership and they either go their separate ways or end up feuding with each other, but it looks like the plan is for them to remain associated with each other.

Thankfully, Wardlow also appears to be getting a renewed singles push, so let's hope he is able to make his TNT Championship reign feel special before someone eventually screws him out of the title.

Following Keith Lee's one-move victory over Serpentico, Max Caster and Anthony Bowens confronted him about his partner, Swerve, and the missing Billy Gunn.

Lee said he did not know where his teammate was and was under the impression that Gunn had a family emergency to take care of this week, but he was quickly proved wrong.

Swerve appeared on the video screen with Daddy Ass tied to a chair. After some taunting from both men, it became clear that the former AEW tag team champion was no longer playing Mr. Nice Guy.

After he tortured Gunn with a pair of pliers, The Limitless One looked speechless for the first time in his eloquent life. He just watched the man he trusted as his partner not only betray his trust but do something that most people would call unspeakable.

This is great news because it means the gloves are finally off. Swerve is going to be unleashed upon the AEW roster in all of his vicious glory, and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Anyone who saw him as a villain in NXT knows how good he can be at this.