WWE SmackDown from Capital One Arena in Washington DC, brought their A-game from opening to close and from bell to bell tonight. A bonus main event was added for the end of the night, in addition to two championship matches. The Bloodline displayed their dominance in a usual but impressive fashion, but they were not the only group to dominate the ring.
The Grayson Waller…Effect
WWE SmackDown opened with a Bloodline recap video of the decimation of Roman Reigns last week as the group arrived at Capital One Arena in their sauntering style. Immediately The Grayson Waller Effect began while A-Town Down Under’s music hit. Cody Rhodes, tonight’s guest, was interrupted by Waller, who was quick on the mic to complain about Kevin Owens getting a shot at the Undisputed Title. Waller and Austin Theory parlayed this into the obvious distrust fomenting effort by showing a series of Owen’s prior betrayals on the jumbotron. Owens comes out to a loud pop and tries to explain to Rhodes that those in the video deserved it, except for Kofi Kingston. The situation broke down and hinted at the beginning of tension for Rhodes after Owens was pushed into him. This set up a tag team match between the four men for later in the night per Nick Aldis’s approval.
LA Knight Retains in WWE United States Championship Fashion
Next up is the United States Championship match live on. Legado del Phantasma attacked Knight before the bell even rang. The referee rejects Alberto and Angel and sends them to the back. Knight was beaten up and not doing so great from these cheap shots, which allowed Santos Escobar to take advantage. A beautiful frog splash had Knight’s shoulders down for the two-and-a-half early. Knight utilized his speed, his “yeah elbow” from the top rope, and a BFT to get the win…as a champion should.
The Bloodline Defend, Retain and Seek More Gold
Solo Sikoa held the usual Bloodline ceremonies in the ring before the match for the tag team titles. Notable, however, is that Sikoa took the title away from Jacob Fatu and made him give it to Tonga Loa. Freebird rules, indeed. He talked about how he’s next in line for the Undisputed WWE Championship after the winner of Bash in Berlin. Fatu is now Sikoa’s official personal enforcer. Sikoa is trying to expand all dimensions of The Bloodline, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Fatu goes for the US Title to complete the group.
The tag action allowed Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford to highlight their athleticism, however, it was the typical numbers game of The Bloodline, and especially Fatu’s walking boot, that proved to be too much. The additional attack on The Bloodline members by DIY post-match makes it feel like the tag team division is kicking up again, at least on SmackDown.
Bianca, Jade, and Naomi Feel the Glow
Naomi was the one to eventually get the pinfall in this fantastic six-woman tag team action. Not surprising that Naomi pinned Blair Davenport since WWE would likely not have wanted either of the tag champions to be pinned, just yet. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn performed great, however, it was amazing how over Jade Cargill is anytime that she is the focus of the action. The crowd lets her know. All competitors were great, just Cargill was…greater.
Owens Pounds A-Town Down
WWE SmackDown’s main event had some great wrestling, but the primary purpose was to build drama for the premium live event in Germany between Owens and Rhodes next week. Rhodes, Waller, and Theory were all satisfactory, but Owens performed at an “I am going to take Cody’s title” level. He was back to form from the prizefighter days and hit a commanding pop-up-powerbomb for the win. Post-match zoomed in on Owens holding the title and running at Cody but played it off like he was still going after Theory and Waller. Was he? He handed Rhodes the belt, but we know. Owens looked better than he has in some time.
Additional Highlights
Andrade and Carmelo Hayes to continue their feud: Hayes was shown in a barber shop talking his talk, and Andrade busted in to challenge Hayes to a match next week. This feud could be longer in the works than we thought since Andrade is already up in the series with Hayes.
Escobar has words with Baron Corbin: A quick backstage setup for next week to feature Escobar and his crew against Corbin and Apollo Crews.
Michin vs Nia Jax in a streetfight next week: Michin was on video, and she wants Jax’s title. A streetfight was advertised for next week’s episode.
SmackDown Review
The Grayson Waller Effect: B
The opening segment provided the setup for both the main event of the night and Bash in Berlin tensions between Rhodes and Owens. Funny to see Jericho during Owens ‘betrayal video’.
LA Knight vs Santos Escobar: A-
Even with Legado del Phantasma attacking Knight before the bell rang, the US Champion overcame the initial beatdown. Escobar looked great as well. Knight again showed his speed at different points, and Escobar hit that beautiful frog splash. Kudos to both wrestlers for this performance. It almost felt that Escobar had a chance to beat Knight, which is what we want from championship matches.
The Bloodline vs The Street Profits: B+
The Street Profits were on fire on a few different occasions for this match. The Bloodline hit devastating moves on both the inside and outside of the ring in this contest. Formulaic but great action. Let’s see what WWE does with The Street Profits in the coming weeks. DIY added the plus.
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs The Unholy Union and Blair Davenport: A
This match was what you wanted it to be. Cargill exercised almost superhuman strength, and her dominance over the opponents was obvious. Bianca brought her great energy after enduring The Unholy Union’s punishment and isolation early in the match. Naomi got to shine…and got the pin!
Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens vs A-Town Down Under: A-
This match was exactly what we thought we were going to get. Theory doesn’t get enough credit for his athleticism, as he shined at moments. The post-match scare of Owens hitting Rhodes with the title belt was pulled off perfectly. You know that Owens was thinking about it!
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