The show began with a new intro, complete with new song and new logo. Michael Cole welcomed everyone into the show and sent things to the ring, where Paul Levesque was introduced. Levesque soaked up cheers and walked to the ring.
Levesque said it seemed like just yesterday, he went one-on-one with The Rock on the first SmackDown, and now it’s hard to believe they are where they are, 25 years later. Levesque said there was no better place to be than in Seattle, Washington, and there was no better way to start it off than a match for the Undisputed WWE Champion. Levesque asked the crowd if they were ready and welcomed everyone to SmackDown. Drew McIntyre-level pyro shot off and the steel cage was lowered.
A video package setting up the Cody/Solo match aired. Both wrestlers made their entrances and Alicia Taylor made formal in-ring introductions. The bell rang about 15 minutes into the show.
Cody Rhodes defeated Solo Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship in a steel cage match [16:19]
The expected outcome with, to be honest, a somewhat-expected appearance from Roman Reigns. I was – and still am – curious to see what the final segment of the show will be because they made such a big deal out of the steel cage match leading the show. With Reigns on hand tonight, you have to think this won’t be the last time we see any of these wrestlers tonight. As for the match, it was fine. Pretty tame. Uneventful. Again that dreaded “E” word – “expected.” Solo Sikoa deserves some credit, though, because he’s been thrusted into this position and you can see him get better and grow up in the ring in real time. Is this the same guy we saw two years ago? Not at all. He’s much more refined now and has learned the WWE Big Match style well. I can’t imagine a third match between him and Rhodes at this point – and if it does happen, it should be a very long time from now – but in the meantime, what happens with Sikoa and Reigns post-War Games unless The Rock shows up soon?
Cody had control early and hit his drop-punch twice. The two traded strikes and Rhodes hit a bulldog before running Sikoa into the cage four times. Cody ran at Sikoa and Sikoa back-dropped Cody into the cage. Sikoa followed that up with a hip-attack into the cage. Sikoa took control and put the boots to Rhodes. Sikoa landed a flying headbutt as Cody was draped upside down in a corner. Sikoa went for another one, but Cody moved and tried climbing the cage, but Sikoa cut him off. Cody was busted open on the forehead.
Sikoa threw Cody into a side of the cage. Sikoa followed that up with a bunch of headbutts. Cody went for a Disaster Kick, but Sikoa caught Cody and rammed Cody into the cage a couple times. Sikoa lifted Cody for a powerbomb, but Cody climbed up the cage and hit a Cody Cutter from near the top of the cage and got a two-count out of it. Cody tried to climb the cage again, but Sikoa grabbed Cody’s boot. Sikoa pulled Cody back to the canvas and started climbing the cage himself. Cody started climbing, too, and the wrestlers fought on the top of the cage.
Cody rammed Sikoa’s head on top of the cage and tried to climb over the top, but Sikoa stopped Cody and vertical-suplexed Cody. Neither guy appeared to land great. Sikoa covered Cody but only got a two-count. Cody slapped Sikoa and Sikoa came back with a pair of Rock Bottoms for a near-fall. Sikoa set up for a Samoan Spike, but Cody blocked it and fired up, eventually hitting a Disaster Kick and a Cody Cutter for a near-fall.
Cody set up for a Cross-Rhodes, but Sikoa countered and hit a Hip Attack, a Samoan Drop and a Splash from the top rope for a good near-fall. Sikoa followed up with another Hip Attack, but it was in the corner where the cage door was and Cody almost escaped. Sikoa lifted Cody, but Cody countered into a Cross-Rhodes for a good near-fall. Cody climbed the cage, got to the top and hit a cross-body on Sikoa for another good near-fall. Cody asked the official to open the cage door and made his way towards the door, but Sikoa slammed the door in Cody’s face. Sikoa went for a Samoan Spike, but Cody thwarted it and hit another Cross-Rhodes, this time for the win.
After the match, the Bloodline surrounded the cage and they all climbed into the ring. Sikoa landed that Samoan Spike on Cody and the Bloodline worked Cody over, complete with a moonsault from Jaco Fatu – both from the top rope and from the top of the cage … except when Fatu got to the top of the cage, Roman Reigns’s music hit and Fatu didn’t jump. Instead, Reigns walked out and walked into the ring, closing the door behind him. Reigns beat the hell out of Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa until Sikoa stopped Reigns.
Ultimately, Sikoa ran into a Superman Punch and Fatu pulled Sikoa out of the cage. Reigns invited Fatu to get in the ring and Fatu slowly walked up the steps. Fatu shut the door behind him, but as Fatu fired up, Sikoa pulled Fatu out of the cage. From there, Loa and Tonga beat down Reigns until Cody got back to his feet and gave a Cross-Rhodes to Tonga and Reigns gave a spear to Loa. Cody and Reigns had a brief moment until Reigns turned his attention back to Sikoa. Reigns and Cody stood awkwardly together in the ring as Cody’s music played to end the segment.
Cathy Kelley interviewed GM Nick Aldis backstage and Aldis said everyone has been sequestered in their dressing rooms. Sikoa asked Aldis for a match, but Aldis wasn’t sure what the match would be. Aldis said he was going to try and find some answers.
Michin defeated Piper Niven [2:02]
Thumbs In The Middle Pointing Up
Welp, it appears that first match and subsequent nonsense ran a bit too long because this was a lot of nothing (but everything crammed into about three minutes). Hey, at least they didn’t get cut entirely from the show. My guess is this leads to Michin vs. Green sooner than later, but it is kind of tough to see Niven take so many easy losses.
Niven ran at Michin, but Michin moved and Niven went to the outside. Michin then hit a suicide dive. Michin then kicked Chelsea Green in the head and looked for something under the ring. Michin eventually pulled out a kendo stick and hit Green with it. Niven then hit a dive on Michin and rolled Michin back into the ring. Niven went to the second rope, but Michin cut Niven off and hit a belly-to-back suplex from the second rope on Niven. Michin followed that up with an Eat Defeat for the win.
After the match, Green attacked Michin and the heels and Green hit an Un-Pretty-Her on Michin, onto a trashcan. Green’s music hit and Green waved to the crowd.
Photos profiling memorable SmackDown moments aired. Rob Van Dam was then shown in the front row. Vickie Guerrero was also shown. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser were also in the crowd and Gunther smirked as the crowd booed. It turned out Kevin Owens’s mystery partner was someone who Waller and Theory laughed at. Owens said his real partner couldn’t make it, so “That’s Ricky (one half of Midnight Heat, in case you are familiar with their independent work) and that’s my partner.” The crowd chanted “Ricky!” A producer called Owens over and told Owens his partner actually did make it, Owens Stunned “Ricky” and Randy Orton’s music hit. Orton then walked to the ring to be Owens’s tag partner.
Randy Orton & Kevin Owens defeated A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller & Austin Theory) [9:22]
Pure fun. Nothing more. Nothing less. That’s never a bad thing. The Orton appearance was all but promised, so it would have been a lot more fun if they would have stuck with “Ricky” as Owens’s partner, but the go-home sequence with Owens mimicking Orton was a good visual. Those two are due for a program together soon, right? Who do you think turns on whom?
The match opened with a lot of brawling on the outside, with Waller back-suplexing Owens onto the commentary table a la Randy Orton. The show cut to a picture-in-picture at one point. When it returned, the heels had the advantage, but ultimately, Owens got the hot tag to Orton, who hit his back suplex onto the commentary table on both Theory and Waller. Owens and Orton did all of Orton’s moves together as we went to the home stretch and that concluded with Orton hitting an RKO on Waller and Owens hitting a Stunner on Theory. Orton then covered Waller for the win.
Nick Aldis announced that Sikoa challenged Cody and Roman to a tag match at Bad Blood between those two and Sikoa and Fatu. Cody walked in and said he’s done with The Bloodline and The Bloodline is Roman Reigns’s problem. As a result, Cody said he wouldn’t sign the contract for the tag match.
More photos from more SmackDowns aired. Booker T and Sharmell were shown in the crowd. Ditto for Sheamus and Michael P.S. Hayes.
A video of Tiffany Stratton, Pretty Deadly and Nia Jax catching fish at the Seattle market earlier in the day aired.
The Nia Jax/Bayley segment
I like the stip for this because a lot of things are in play. Who has to leave SmackDown? Will someone actually be forced to leave SmackDown? The stip doesn’t apply to Stratton if she loses for her team, does it? Whatever it is, count me among those who thing, as an immediate reaction, that we’ll get the rematch between Bayley and Jax, but I’ll be happy to be wrong. I get a kick out of snotty Bayley, so it was nice to hear her lean into that for the first time in a while, despite her being in a babyface role.
Jax was in the ring alone with a microphone and talked about how she’s unstoppable. Jax listed off all her accomplishments and said all of them were easy. Jax said everyone in the locker room fears her and the crowd gave her the “What?” treatment. Jax said Aldis told her she will defend her Women’s Championship at Bad Blood, but she didn’t know who the opponent was. She also didn’t care who her opponent would be. Bayley’s music hit and Bayley walked out.
Bayley had a microphone and said, “Ding dong, you idiot,” and it was kind of funny. The crowd chanted Bayley’s name. Bayley said Jax has had the greatest year of her career, but it wasn’t like Jax set the bar really high for herself. Bayley got into the ring and walked up to Jax, saying she wants her rematch. Jax, I think, said no, but the sound went out. The two exchanged verbal jabs, I think, and Tiffany Stratton’s music hit. Stratton walked out and said Bayley is pathetic and is jealous that Stratton has the MITB briefcase.
Bayley said something that made Jax and Stratton appear to be at odds. Jax said Bayley wouldn’t have a prayer if she ever faced Jax again. Naomi’s music then hit and Naomi walked out with a microphone. Naomi said if they wanted a fight, they could fight. Naomi said it’s been a while since she’s held a title, and she wants to do it again. Naomi challenged Bayley. Jax noted how both Bayley and Naomi wants Jax’s title. Jax challenged Bayley and Naomi to a tag match next week against Jax and Stratton. Whomever gets the win, Jax said, will get the title shot at Bad Blood. Whomever loses, though, will be forced to leave SmackDown permanently. Naomi hit a hip attack on Stratton to end the segment.
Aldis was shown walking backstage and Aldis told Kelley he talked to Roman Reigns and Reigns wants to address the situation in the ring at the end of the show.
Ron Simmons and Teddy Long were shown in the crowd after stills of more photos aired. William Regal was also on hand. Bobby Roode was shown. And Damian Priest was just hanging out in the crowd, too.
Andrade defeated Carmelo Hayes [9:51]
That Spanish Fly looked gnarly early in the match. Good for Andrade getting back up from that. No way all this leads to Andrade losing to Knight clean without Hayes having anything to do with anything, right? Plus, there’s no way Andrade/Melo ends as a five-game series, right? Or, well, please? They’ve had five matches against each other and in each match, they pulled out different spots, kept everyone guessing who might win and developed a believability in their disdain for each other based almost solely on them simply just having a match one week. Knight can’t lose that U.S. title anytime soon, one would think, so perhaps this is just another chapter in the Andrade/Hayes feud and we’ve got a lot more to come from it because a nine minute deciding match just ain’t enough for this viewer. Fingers crossed.
Hayes attacked Andrade before the bell rang. But then the bell rang and Hayes immediately had the upper hand until Andrade just pushed Hayes off the top rope to the outside. Andrade followed that up with a moonsault on Hayes on the outside. Hayes came back and chopped Andrade, but Andrade responded with a big boot and rolled back inside the ring to break the count and then roll back outside to go to work on Hayes. By that, I mean he stood on the barriade, but Hayes popped up there with him and a Spanish Fly went down. It looked like Andrade landed on his face. The show then went to a second picture-in-picture and I feel like I’m covering Rampage again.
Back from the PIP, Andrade went for a double-knees, but missed. Hayes tried to capitalize, but the two traded move and pin attempts. Andrade tried to lift Hayes, but couldn’t quite get there and Hayes hit a First 48, but Andrade came back with a spinning back elbow for a good near-fall. Andrade went to the top and did the missed-moonsault-into-another-moonsault spot, but Hayes got the knees up to counter the second moonsault. Hayes went to the top, but missed Nothing But Net. Andrade then hit a wild Destroyer and Hayes sold fantastically.
Andrade fired the crowd up and landed the double knees in a corner, but Hayes reached for the bottom rope to stop the pin. Andrade went to the top, but missed a split-legged moonsault. Hayes kicked Andrade’s head while the two were on the top, but Andrade caught Hayes and kicked Hayes in the head. All of this led to a The Message from the top on Hayes, which made for a neat visual. That was enough for Andrade to get the three count. LA Knight’s music hit immediately and Knight walked out with a microphone. Knight did the “Let me talk to ya!” bit and congratulated Andrade for being the next contestant for the U.S. title. Knight said Andrade hit the “hit it and quit it sweepstakes.” Knight said he’ll drop Andrade on his head next week and that everybody is saying “LA Knight … Yeah!” Knight’s music hit to end the segment.
Byron Saxton interviewed Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair backstage. Belair said they were excited to be there and they were excited to have their titles back. Cargill said they won’t let their titles go and if anyone wants them, they can come get them (oh, so this is how the Motor City Machine Guns will debut in WWE!). Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton walked in the frame and Jax threatened to do something bad to Naomi. Jax reminded Cargill and Belair that she beat both of them on her way to winning Queen Of The Ring.
The Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes segment
I’ve got to be in the minority, but the Seattle crowd kind of compromised all this for me. In a different room and a different town, a hotter crowd might have existed and turned all this up to 11. That didn’t happen here. To be fair, I’m not sure if that was because it wasn’t a great, fired up crowd, or if they really didn’t quite know who to side with when it came to Reigns and Rhodes. Either way, this was a star-powered final segment and all told, the show simply feels bigger whenever Roman decides to show up. SmackDown needs it, too, because Raw has quietly turned into the better weekly show over the last several months. I was into Cody actually being done with the Bloodline when he said he was earlier in the episode, but alas, a tag match awaits and while it might not be what we all prefer, that’s what we’re all going to get.
Reigns stuck up his finger and the crowd had his back as they mirrored him. Nick Aldis was in the ring with Reigns. Reigns soaked in cheers as the crowd chanted “OTC!” Aldis started talking, but Reigns put out his hand. Aldis gave Reigns the contract, but Reigns made a face and put out his hand again. Aldis then handed over the microphone. The crowd started another loud “OTC!” chant.
Reigns said he didn’t want to confuse anybody and said that some things change, but not him. Reigns said he didn’t need Aldis, he didn’t need a contract and he reiterated Bloodline business is family business. Reigns said he definitely didn’t need the help of Cody Rhodes and he got a mixed reaction. Reigns said no matter if he has the Ula Fala or not, he is the Tribal Chief – the only Tribal Chief. Reigns this is his ring, his show and his WWE. On cue, Cody’s music hit and Cody walked out in street clothes.
At this point, we were past the 10 p.m. EST mark, so welcome back to USA, SmackDown. Cody took his time getting into the ring. Once in the ring, Cody asked for a microphone. Dueling “OTC!” and “Cody!” chants broke out. Cody had an issue with Roman calling it his ring and his WWE. Cody said, “Well … it was, but it hasn’t been since WrestleMania.” The crowd felt a little confused as to what they should do. Cody dropped his microphone. Reigns did the same. The two stared at each other, but Sikoa’s music hit and Sikoa appeared with Fatu. The two walked to the ring.
Sikoa and Fatu stood outside the ring, but Tonga and Loa attacked Reigns and Cody from behind. Cody hit a Cody Cutter on Loa and Reigns hit a Rock Bottom on Tonga. Reigns then picked up the contract and signed it. Cody put his title down and put out his hand for the contract, too. Reigns handed over the contract to Cody and Cody signed it, too. So the tag match for Bad Blood is on. Cody’s music hit and neither Cody or Roman looked particularly happy. An “Executive Producers” credit hit the screen and they were Paul Heyman and Lee Fitting, which was sort of shocking to see. The show then ended.
Overall: A Mild Thumbs Up
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