Undisputed WWE Championship Steel Cage Match: Cody Rhodes VS Solo Sikoa
After Triple H welcomed in SmackDown’s new era on the USA Network, Friday Night SmackDown properly began with Cody Rhodes putting his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against Solo Sikoa inside of a Steel Cage! This was a good match, the action was strong, Solo looked pretty dominant to begin with before Cody fought back as the match went on. The Champion did manage to hit a really good Cody Cutter off of the Steel Cage, and yeah, this was good! The only negative was there weren’t really any times when it felt like a Championship challenge could take place, but that’s not really a surprise. In the end, a second Cross Rhodes was enough for The American Nightmare to pick up the win before The Bloodline jumped into the cage and started to attack the Champ. However, Roman Reigns then made his return to take out his family members as Sikoa and Jacob Fatu escaped!
Grade: B
Michin VS Piper Niven, A-Town Down Under VS Kevin Owens and ?, Bayley Interrupts Nia Jax, Andrade VS Carmelo Hayes – Part 5
Nick Aldis told Cathy Kelley that he had something to sort out before Michin was in the ring to go one-on-one with Piper Niven. This wasn’t very good, not because the wrestlers aren’t capable of performing, but because this was super short and ended pretty abruptly following a Michin Eat Defeat. Oh, and Chelsea Green then attacked Michin after the match as the Heels stood tall!
Grade: C-
It was then time for a Tag Team match as Kevin Owens and a mystery partner clashed with A-Town Down Under. After KO originally teased teaming up with a guy called “Ricky”, his actual partner was revealed to be Randy Orton which wasn’t a surprise at all! This was a sort of house show match as the good guys just beat up the Heels as Austin Theory and Grayson Waller sold well for them. I mean, this was alright, but it wouldn’t have been missed had it not appeared on the show. Owens and Orton eventually scored the win after both guys delivered their finishers.
Grade: C+
Nick Aldis confirmed that The Bloodline had signed a contract for a Tag Team Match at Bad Blood, but Cody Rhodes wouldn’t sign it as he didn’t want to team up with Roman Reigns. Nia Jax was then out next as she cut a promo about needing to find an opponent for Bad Blood which is when Bayley arrived to ask for her rematch. Tiffany Stratton was then out next as she accidentally blamed Nia for her loss last week before Naomi appeared as she too wanted her shot at Championship Gold. This is when Nia Jax pitched a Tag Team match for next week where the person who picks up the pinfall victory will get a shot at the WWE Women’s Championship at Bad Blood. However, if (and when) Jax and Stratton win, the person who gets pinned will be forced to leave SmackDown permanently! Interesting, but I can’t say the same for this segment as a whole!
Grade: C
After Nick Aldis confirmed that Roman Reigns would cut a promo before the end of the night, it was time for the Main Event match of the evening as Andrade took on Carmelo Hayes in what looked to be the finale! This was another good match between these two, not their best, but the wrestling was still clean! I mean, we got a crazy Spanish Fly on the outside which was insane, and the ending was also really good as a super Messenger was enough for Andrade to win the series 3-2! After the match was over, LA Knight arrived to confirm that El Idolo will get a shot at the United States Championship on next week’s show!
Grade: B-
Roman Reigns Closes the Show
After Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill cut a backstage promo, the final thing to happen on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown was Roman Reigns came out to a cut promo. Roman made it clear that he’s still the same guy he was, he’s still The Tribal Chief, he’s still the Number 1 guy, and this is still his company! Cody Rhodes then arrived to say that whilst that was true, that’s not the case anymore! Before anything could go any further, The Bloodline arrived as Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa failed at their attempt to take out Reigns and Rhodes! In the end, the show went off the air with Roman and Cody signing the contract for Bad Blood, but you could tell they weren’t happy about it! This was a really good promo segment, especially from Roman Reigns who proved why he is still the best guy in this whole damn company!
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