Erick Rowan Turns on Daniel Bryan, Chad Gable Wins, More WWE SmackDown Fallout

WWE set out to prove that the product is far from predictable over this Labor Day week, and the September 3 edition of SmackDown Live certainly delivered on that front.

While everyone expected a major reveal for the Roman Reigns storyline, Erick Rowan instead admitted to all that he did and abandoned Daniel Bryan. He laid out his intellectual peer as well as The Big Dog with ease, coming off like a star for the first time in years.

Chad Gable also shocked everyone by pulling off an improbable second-round victory over King of the Ring favorite Andrade to advance to face Elias in the semifinals. Suddenly, he has emerged as an unlikely favorite in the tournament.

In the aftermath of his heel turn on Monday Night Raw, Bayley continued to wreak havoc with Sasha Banks. She and The Boss laid out Charlotte Flair in what ultimately may be the first step in a questionable face turn for The Queen.

Another title contender was crowned for Clash of Champions as Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville defeated Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross clean. This victory was one more chance for the team to show why they deserve more opportunities.

These moments defined a surprising night of action that has led the blue brand into unfamiliar territory. New stars are getting a chance to sink or swim, and it will be up to them to show their merit.

Erick Rowan Shocks Everyone by Becoming Relevant on His Own

Daniel Bryan demanded an apology once again from Roman Reigns, but Erick Rowan attacked The Big Dog on his way to the ring. The Planet's Champion attempted to stop the big man, but Rowan sent him right through the announce table.

This was a shocking turn of events because WWE committed to Rowan, who has not been a truly reliable singles competitor in years. He came off as a big deal in an instant by taking out two former world champions with ease.

It is still hard to get excited about him as a monster heel, and his match with Reigns feels unremarkable. However, even if there are no more twists to this story, it was nice of WWE to do something out of left field rather than taking the easy approach.

This story has been a mess to follow, but there's finally a reason to get invested. Hopefully, that should continue for the coming weeks. It's time to stop rehashing the same video package on every show.

This will be the biggest test of Rowan's career. If he succeeds, he will finally get a chance to prove he is more than a stock tag team wrestler. If he fails, he'll be looking for someone else to team with by the end of the year.

Turning Charlotte Flair Would Be a Massive Mistake

Bayley explained that she showed loyalty to her true friend by laying out Becky Lynch. Charlotte Flair arrived to call Bayley an inconsistent fake. Sasha Banks interrupted, and the two laid out The Queen then hit her with steel chair shots to the back.

The Hugger had never gotten a chance to this point to play the heel, so it's nice to give her a fresh angle to explore. However, it would be a mistake to turn Charlotte face just because Bayley needed to turn heel.

The Queen has never been good in a babyface role. It feels disingenuous. Even if she tries to play it closer to a tweener much like Lynch, it's hard to believe fans will buy into her act. They may "woo" with her, but will they cheer?

It would be best to simply take a different approach. Ember Moon could be added to the title contest. The Man might even be thrown into the mix. Bayley vs. Charlotte was a fantastic match last week, but now it just doesn't work.

It is possible WWE simply jumped the gun and should have waited on this heel turn until after Clash of Champions. Bayley could have picked up a definitive victory before changing direction entirely as a champion. It would have been easy to separate Banks from Bayley for two more weeks.

Fire and Desire Have Earned a Real Run as a Tag Team

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville taunted Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross into giving them an opportunity. After Rose distracted The Goddess on the top, Deville caught her with double knees on a Twisted attempt to set up a bicycle knee/leg sweep combination for the win.

The latest performance of Fire and Desire proved once again the two deserve much better than they have been given. God's Greatest Creation occasionally finds her way on to TV to taunt wrestlers in awkward segments while Deville watches in the background, but when the two actually get to wrestle with time, they deliver.

This same booking frustration could be applied to many women's tag teams, especially Asuka and Kairi Sane, but at least one could escape the muck with a legitimate feud against Bliss and Cross.

Fire and Desire could help push the WWE women's tag team champions into a babyface role. Bliss and Cross have felt far more natural as the underdogs in their matches and need to escape the ambiguous middle ground of playing whatever role suits their opponents.

This tag title feud could turn quite a few heads at Clash of Champions. All the teams need is a solid story and time to work.

Chad Gable Has Outlasted All the Favorites to Set Up Improbable Win

Credit: WWE.com

Samoa Joe laughed at the idea of Chad Gable winning King of the Ring backstage. Zelina Vega continued the taunts before the match. However, once the bell rang, Gable took Andrade's best and kept swinging. The incredible athlete caught El Idolo with a surprise roll up for the win.

From Drew McIntyre and Andrade to Kevin Owens and Ali, so many wrestlers could have been considered favorites going into the King of the Ring tournament. Gable has outlasted them all with a particularly shocking victory this time around.

It is possible at this point one of the most outstanding underdogs in this tournament could ride a wave of momentum straight to the finals. No one would get a bigger push forward from this spotlight than Gable, who was close to switching brands to 205 Live a few weeks back.

While it is easier to see Ricochet or Joe walking out with the crown, Gable has the most compelling story. With each poorly conceived short joke, he shows more and more that he belongs by beating the best in the business.

The 5'8" Olympic athlete has deserved an opportunity like this for years. It's great to see him finally venturing out on his own.