Missing Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan vs. Sami Zayn, More WWE SmackDown Fallout

The March 27 edition of Friday Night SmackDown needed to refocus on the exciting events set to happen at WrestleMania 36.

Roman Reigns may have pulled out of competing on The Grandest Stage of Them All this year too suddenly for WWE to handle as the company was still hyping The Big Dog vs. Goldberg awkwardly on the show.

By defeating Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew Gulak earned his protege Daniel Bryan an opportunity at the WWE Intercontinental Championship, fighting Sami Zayn.

Tamina made a surprise impact by taking out Naomi and Lacey Evans before scaring off Bayley and Sasha Banks ahead of an important elimination Fatal 5-Way match.

WWE also continued to fail to build forward by recycling old rivalries. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross earned a likely opportunity at Asuka and Kairi Sane, while The New Day and The Usos have another triple threat tag title match at 'Mania coming.

This week may not have raised the bar, but it set the stage for several important 'Mania matches.

WWE Still Has Not Recovered from the Loss of Roman Reigns at WM

Per Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, Roman Reigns made a last-minute decision to pull out of his WrestleMania 36 match against Goldberg because of fears over his compromised immune system amid the coronavirus pandemic. Reigns has twice undergone treatment for leukemia, putting him at more risk of serious health problems should he contract COVID-19. 

This has left WWE in an odd situation as the company has already taped these final few weeks of SmackDown. This week, WWE replayed The Big Dog vs. Triple H, after which The Game hyped Reigns as having the advantage at 'Mania.

It was an awkward stretch of the show that likely was unavoidable given the situation, but it emphasized how much Reigns' absence is felt. The looming reminder that he will not be competing leaves the blue brand with much less of a spotlight.

Moments like this show why it might have been best for WWE to postpone The Show of Shows. Everyone is in danger, and wrestlers have already been pulled from the event.

What will come of 'Mania is a sloppily pieced together and pre-taped event that is lacking major star power and storytelling.

Tamina Is Most Interesting Part of Fatal 5-Way but Also the Weakest Link

As the odd woman out in the elimination Fatal 5-Way match at WrestleMania, Tamina had a lot to prove in her first real segment back in months. She stole the show by taking out everyone in her path and scaring off Bayley and Sasha Banks.

It was a nice moment for the Samoan veteran. Tamina has been in this business for a long time and rarely gotten any credit. She is, however, now far past her prime.

WWE needs women to fill out this match, especially given Carmella and Dana Brooke cannot compete. Tamina will need to step up. She adds an interesting twist to the match, playing the role of heavyweight in a cruiserweight fight.

However, she could easily be the weakest link and find herself quickly eliminated. It is all a matter of the story being told.

If the focus is on The Role Model and The Legit Boss, Naomi and Lacey Evans are more likely to play a major role in the match as their rivals.

Daniel Bryan vs. Sami Zayn Is Perfect Match to Quietly Steal the Show

Sami Zayn accepted Daniel Bryan's challenge at WrestleMania only if Drew Gulak could defeat Shinsuke Nakamura. He managed that in four minutes flat thanks to a well-timed cradle.

This was obviously the right move. While 'Mania has been mashed together, Bryan and Zayn have a ton of storytelling behind their rivalry, stretching back to last year at least for their current personas.

It will not the first time the two have fought at WrestleMania, as Zayn and Kevin Owens battled Shane McMahon and The Planet's Champion in Bryan's return from retirement match.

This will be much different. This does not have to be slowed down by tag team partners. Bryan and Zayn can just go off together. For the first time in years, The Critic of the Critics will wrestle again.

No match has a higher ceiling to steal the show. Even if other matches have more story and build, this one has two of the best wrestlers in the world. They also both have so much to prove.

Recycled Tag Team Feuds Do Not Land

Every tag team division is falling apart on the Road to WrestleMania. It certainly shows with SmackDown. The New Day and The Usos fought to a no-contest after The Miz and John Morrison interfered, setting up a triple threat match.

Alexa Bliss defeated Asuka with a DDT to likely set up a match between The Kabuki Warriors and her and Nikki Cross. These are familiar matches that lack impact.

This time last year, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships had just been established, and the hype was massive for the new titles. It barely feels like they matter anymore, and the same team The Kabuki Warriors defeated to become champions in October are the only challengers.

The New Day and The Usos have fought so many times, including in a triple threat at WrestleMania 34. The only difference is the third team. Miz and Morrison are good, but the story feels too stale. Kofi Kingston at least deserves better given he stole the show at WrestleMania 35.

The men's match will likely not matter either because, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider, The A-Lister is ill and likely not competing in this triple threat. The women's match is most likely still on but not likely to turn many heads.