Best & worst of WWE SmackDown: Cody Rhodes-Seth Rollins, massive turn, absent & terribly booked champions 

Following last night's episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we are now just one week away from Crown Jewel: Perth, with next week's edition of the blue brand also set to emanate from the capital of Western Australia.

This week's SmackDown continued to build upon the steady momentum it has generated over the past few weeks, with the brand and the overall quality and pacing of the show trending in a positive direction. Yet, there remain several issues with individual episodes every week, and last night was no different.

In this article, we shall discuss the best and worst from this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown on the USA Network:

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Best: Sami Zayn - The savior of SmackDown

A show and brand that was dead in the water began its revival when Sami Zayn was transferred from RAW to SmackDown, and winning the United States Championship marked a turning point in this quest. No histrionics: Zayn has been the biggest reason behind the blue brand's steady revitalisation.

Zayn has since had stellar matches with John Cena, Je'Von Evans, Rey Fenix, and Carmelo Hayes, and just when it seemed that a rematch with Melo was set for tonight, he was attacked by now-former tag team partner The Miz, allowing Aleister Black to answer the US Title Open Challenge instead.

Zayn and Black had a barnburner of a match, and in the end, Black's chief rival, Damian Priest, ended up costing him. The Underdog from the Underground consistently gives fans the very best of matches every week, and his engaging mic and character work keep fans interested, but most curiously, everything that happens around his interactions is woven into an engaging program that elevates the SmackDown mid-card.

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Worst: Where are the Tag Team Champions?

The WWE Tag Team Champions (exclusive to SmackDown) and the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions were not in action last night, and they have had a fleeting presence for quite a while now.

While Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, despite being one of the only bright spots on the blue brand until a few weeks ago, were only present for a short backstage segment last night, none of The Wyatt Sicks were featured in person on SmackDown, with just a vignette of them playing.

Even if the champions are not set to be featured at Crown Jewel, they ought to be showcased in a prominent way on the Friday night show. These just show how unimaginative and uninspired SmackDown's creative team really is.

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Best: The Miz turns on Carmelo Hayes

As already mentioned earlier, The Miz turned on Carmelo Hayes right before Melo could make his way to the ring to get another shot at Sami Zayn's United States Championship this week on SmackDown. This incident occurred after a backstage argument between the former tag team partners that stemmed from the events of last week.

The turn had been a long time coming, and with fans having waited to finally see Melo being pushed to the next level. Hayes should have no problem getting the crowds behind him and becoming one of the most popular babyfaces on SmackDown as we advance.

Carmelo Hayes has the charisma, the talent, and the potential in spades — it is now time for HIM to realise it. His first feud will be with The Miz, and as long as WWE gives them the time and space, there is a compelling and entertaining story to be told in Hayes' first feud as a babyface on the main roster.

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Worst: Tiffany Stratton's presentation and booking

This week's SmackDown featured a contract signing between Stephanie Vaquer and Tiffany Stratton ahead of the Women's Crown Jewel Championship match in Perth next Saturday. Curiously, Vaquer, who is still learning English, managed to get her point across better and more convincingly than Stratton did.

The Women's Championship reign has been a mess, and with nothing clicking, it is a shame that it has gone on this long, and the promotion somehow has no alternatives on SmackDown and refuses to work around a self-imposed brand split. Stratton's character has nothing redeeming and has no heat, and neither do the stories she is involved in, because WWE insists on portraying her as a babyface despite every instinct and logical stance pointing to the contrary.

The contract signing followed that pattern, and the fact that Stratton continues to be paired with stars who are also inexperienced in WWE and lack mic skills makes everything worse. The match itself is expected to be awesome, but WHY should a fan be intrigued by it? Why would someone in the U.S. turn on their television sets at 8 A.M. on a Saturday to watch Crown Jewel for this?

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Best: The build to Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel

Building upon an epic past, Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are set to do a battle for what Rollins describes as the determining factor of the future of the industry. Both men clash after over three years, with the Men's Crown Jewel Championship on the line. Rhodes' presence has unravelled Rollins' mental state in twisted ways, and what seems like a final chance at redemption continues to be overpowered by another sort of redemptive quest: one likely fuelled by anger, insecurity, revenge, disillusionment, and ultimate power.

Last night's show saw Seth Rollins cost Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes against Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker after he Stomped The Viper into the mat when the referee was distracted by Paul Heyman. But when Rollins tried to do the same to a recovering Cody in the ring after the match, despite repeated pleas by Paul Heyman not to do so, the Undisputed WWE Champion anticipated and countered with the Cross-Rhodes in one of the smoothest counters you will see.

Amidst all the various interrelationships being explored here: Rhodes/Orton, Breakker & Reed/Rollins, Heyman/Rollins, the key idea does not lose the spotlight: Seth Rollins NEEDS to prove himself the better man against Cody Rhodes, and that, perhaps, surpasses the need to win the Crown Jewel Championship, too.

That is ironic, but what is more ironic is the man who could have saved him from himself is driving him crazier, for Rollins will now seemingly go to any lengths to beat the man who has always had his number.