Becky Lynch Is Back, Preston Vance's Heel Turn Was Needed, More WWE and AEW Takes

This week's SmackDown was the go-home show before Saturday's Survivor Series pay-per-view, and as such was arguably the focus of wrestling's Friday action, but Rampage was not without its own interesting moments.

The Dark Order took on the trio of Rush, The Butcher and The Blade in the main event of the evening, but one member of the longstanding stable decided to turn on his allies.

Over on SmackDown, Becky Lynch made her return after being out of action since SummerSlam to join Bianca Belair's WarGames team.

We also saw the semifinals of the SmackDown World Cup tournament, and LA Knight is finally being allowed to be himself.

Let's look at these moments and what they mean for the future.

Preston Vance Needed This Heel Turn

This week's Rampage featured The Dark Order taking on Rush, The Butcher and The Blade in the main event, but one member of The Dark Order was missing until the end.

Preston "10" Vance waited until the last minute to make his way to the ring, but just when it looked like he was going to turn the tables on Rush and his partners, Vance turned around and knocked John Silver out with a clothesline.

If this didn't immediately cement him as a heel, taking off his mask and throwing it down on the ground in front of Brodie Lee Jr. did.

As Negative-1 kneeled on the stage holding the mask of someone he looked up to, Vance and his new allies posed and celebrated behind him.

Not only is this the first time in quite a while that Vance has felt important, but getting him away from The Dark Order is going to allow him to finally shine on his own.

We will likely see some follow-up to this next week with The Dark Order looking for answers, but regardless of what Vance says, he is better off than he was a week ago.

Becky Lynch Was the Perfect Choice for Team Belair

Up until Friday night, the final member of Bianca Belair's WarGames team was a mystery. Names ranging from newcomers like Raquel Rodriguez to veterans like Candice LeRae and Charlotte Flair were thrown around as possibilities, but those guesses were wrong.

The EST, Asuka, Alexa Bliss and Mia Yim brought out a returning Lynch as the surprise final member of their team, and The Man wasted no time getting physical.

Not only does Lynch's return make this match feel more important, but it gives Team Belair a serious edge against Team Damage CTRL.

While Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai would certainly benefit from a win in this bout, it's unlikely Lynch would return in such a high-profile spot just to lose.

With the former Becky 2 Belts back in WWE, it's only a matter of time before she sets her sights on a title again. Will she choose to go after Belair and Ronda Rousey? Time will tell.

LA Knight Is Finally Being Used Properly

When LA Knight was called up to the main roster, he was renamed Max Dupri and given the gimmick of a modeling agent for ma.çé and mån.sôör. Needless to say, it was awful.

Thankfully, Triple H quickly set aside the modeling character after taking over creative so Knight could return to the personality that got him over in Impact Wrestling and NXT.

Whether you like him or not, there is no denying the level of charisma he possesses. He is arguably one of the most charismatic characters on SmackDown, but he is also a generous worker who knows exactly how to make his opponents look good.

Knight's character may seem like a vain, snobby egomaniac at times, but the man behind the gimmick always does what's best for the story. If that means he has to put somebody over, he is going to look good while he does it.

Once this feud with Bray Wyatt is over, WWE needs to push Knight toward one of the midcard titles and let him shine as a singles competitor again. If he is given a chance to succeed, he will seize the opportunity.

The SmackDown World Cup Final Is Going to Be Awesome

The two semifinal matches for the SmackDown World Cup aired this week. The first bout saw Santos Escobar defeat Butch, but it was the result of the second bout that shocked people.

Ricochet picked up what many would call an upset victory over Braun Strowman to advance to the finals against Escobar, which means the last match in this tournament is going to be terrific.

Not only is Ricochet one of the best high-flyers in the world, but Escobar is a gifted aerial athlete and an amazing technician. Putting these two in the ring together is practically a guaranteed recipe for success.

The previous World Cup tournament in 2018 ended with Shane McMahon winning the tournament after inserting himself into the final match, so hopefully the WWE Universe gets a more satisfying result this time around.