Hardy backed up his status as champion with a victory over Shinsuke Nakamura in an open challenge.It was the return of Sami Zayn, though, that elevated the Intercontinental Championship picture.The former champion, stripped of his title while he sat out for months because of COVID-19 concerns, exploded back on to the scene Friday night and wasted little time wiping out Hardy with a Helluva Kick.Zayn's return and claim to being the real champion only further elevated it.The Intercontinental Championship had been so woefully underutilized and underappreciated for so long that to see the sheer amount of star power battling over it is a welcome change for long-time fans who remember how prestigious a prize it was for guys like Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, Tito Santana, Greg Valentine and Rick Rude.That there are so many competitors with real arguments for why they should be champion will almost certainly culminate in a specialty match of some sort to determine the undisputed champion—perhaps a ladder match, a la Ramon and Shawn Michaels when they had the same argument 26 years ago?No one who encounters The Fiend is ever the same after.We got our first taste of the effect Bray Wyatt's alter ego had on Alexa Bliss on Friday as the five-time women's champion reintroduced her signature pigtails and snapped at Nikki Cross, shattering her coffee cup and stomping off at the mere mention of The Fiend's name.While it is entirely too early to say for sure where this is headed, it appears as though we may be on our way to a Bliss heel turn and, maybe, the manifestation of the Harley Quinn-style personality she has teased so often via her ring gear.One thing is for certain: Her partnership with Cross is not long for this world. "That's not a prediction." I'm glad to see Paul E back. Heyman, arguably the best ever on the mic, can now safely guide one of the most-requested character turns of all time into guaranteed success. Paul Heyman Net Worth 2019, Bio, Wiki, Height, Weight, Awards, and Instagram. And for the second time in the span of five days, WWE delivered a shocking conclusion to a show that left the audience reeling.Reigns' relationship with Heyman was undisputedly the biggest, most important and unforgettable takeaway from Friday's SmackDown, a show tasked with drumming up interest in a second-pay-per-view in as many weekends from Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire.And drum up interest it did, thanks to that exclamation point but also to the continuation of ongoing stories and the return of a former champion.On the heels of a blockbuster broadcast, relive these moments and angles that left the greatest impression and find out what they mean for the men and women involved with this recap of Friday's episode of SmackDown.WWE made good on its promise that "you'll never see it coming" for a second time this week with the shocking, unexpected revelation of an alliance between Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman that wrapped up Friday's episode of SmackDown.The ballsy creative move pushes Reigns one step closer to a heel turn, which began with the edgy trash-talking and brutal beatdown of The Fiend and Braun Strowman at the conclusion of SummerSlam.Reigns big-timing Adam Pearce and refusing to sign the contract for his Payback Triple Threat No Holds Barred Match against the aforementioned competitors, only to reveal Heyman sitting next to him, was the sort of jaw-dropping and buzzworthy conclusion to a show WWE has not necessarily been synonymous with in recent years.It was a huge storyline development that gives the audience a peek into the mindset of WWE Creative at a time when it is desperately trying to revitalize television ratings across the board.Giving the fans the long-awaited Reigns heel turn is a strong start.The key will be following up the huge storyline development appropriately. The endgame is Lesnar himself, of course. To the point, even, that Banks snapped back, clearly annoyed and frustrated by her partner's braggadocio.Banks' intense rebuttal to Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, a promise that she will retain the Women's Tag Team Championships on Sunday at Payback, only further hinted at the impending demise of her partnership with Bayley.The tag team champions have enjoyed a hell of a run in 2020 but it is most definitely time for them to go their separate ways and deliver on the teased feud from earlier this year. Just seven days removed from his stunning return at SummerSlam and only two days after revealing his alliance with the man formerly serving as It doesn't matter that Sunday's proceedings were about as predictable as pro wrestling gets. The casual low blow, weapon usage and cussing at the ref Sunday night felt like a guy finally fighting at full power.