After last week's exciting Season Premiere, WWE SmackDown came from Sacramento, CA by way of Bad Blood. LA Knight opened the show with a successful title defense Over Andrade, he rekindled his long-running rivalry with Carmelo Hayes later in a backstage brawl. Confusion reigned as Naomi and Bayley both claimed victories over Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton, resulting in the two being placed in a Number One Contenders match on next week's show.
The night was all about Roman Reigns and Cody RhodesGeorgia Tech's stadium face-to-face for centuries. This is a 'must see' promo for the ages. The main event pitted Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens and The Street Profits (after eliminating Bloodline KO's original partners DIY) to a no contest. It's been quite a week for the Canadian as Kevin Owens continues to feud over the newly formed partnership of Reigns and Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns
Eight minutes of awesomeness from the game's biggest stars
WWE's production value and storylines have been described as “cinematic” in wrestling circles (especially when it comes to Roman Reigns). This segment is must-see television for anyone interested in WWE during this renaissance. The big budget feel gave the whole promo a sense of opportunity, with a fleet of SUVs, an empty football field under floodlights at Georgia Tech, two of WWE's biggest stars, and plenty of tension.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is the segment that will be talked about for years. Roman Reigns shows an emotional range that ranks among his best work to date. This is not hyperbole. This is exceptional. Cody Rhodes has proven that he is equal to everything. Unabashedly boastful, Cody had no trouble letting Reigns know whose year it was so far and that Georgia was his home. WWE's storytelling continues to plateau. It's incredible to see.
LA Knight v. Andrade
Elevating the United States Championship by one week
LA Knight's win over Logan Paul at SummerSlam felt like a huge moment For Mega Star and the US Championship. After months of moaning about Logan's inaction when it came to defending his title, something had to give. LA Knight has successfully defended more US championships in 48 days than the social media guru did in 273. This really sets SmackDown's midcard apart, as both tonight's opponent Andrade and the looming figure of Carmelo Hayes have something tangible to chase.
Andrade may have come up short, but his performance was fantastic. It's been a great summer to rebuild his reputation. El Idalo was greeted by Hayes in a backstage segment and the pair feuded again. We've already played five matches, which would be considered excessive if it wasn't so big. Is a best-of-seven series a realistic possibility?
Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline
A dominant night for Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline
In the absence of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu was released on this week's SmackDown. Along with his blood brothers Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga, Fatu eliminated DIY before starring in the Main Event against Kevin Owens and The Street Profits. Its flexibility is amazing and it has the rare quality of being truly naked.
Watching him KO felt huge. She has yet to compete solo, but her singles competition will be a spectacle worth waiting for. While Roman and Cody need to keep one eye on each other and half on Kevin Owens before their Bad Blood match, Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline are locked on the same page.
Apollo Crews and Giovanni Vinci
Where is this going?
One of the most comforting things about Paul Levesque's WWE is that even when things don't seem to make sense as they happen, faith is restored in the long run. It's hard to believe what happened between Apollo Crews and Giovani Vinci. After Crews won a stupid match against Giovanni Vinci on Smackdown two weeks ago, it didn't feel like a win that did anything for either side. The sneaky win and loss felt divisive for the returning superstar.
The crews also won this competition again with a show of creativity, It's hard to see what that does for either person. Vinci destroyed Apollo after the bell with a devastating brainbuster, but it feels like an awkward way to go on an incredible SmackDown.
Bayley and Naomi
A winner, but not a winner
The tag team match between Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton and Naomi and Bayley was felt overcomplicated with unnecessarily complicated terms. Whoever gets the pin from Bayley and Naomi will face Nia's WWE Women's Champion, but if either of them gets pinned, they'll have to leave SmackDown. Instead, Naomi and Bayley claimed the victory as the pair pinned Nia Jax at the same time. So none of them were titled and the duo will take part in the number one contender's match on next week's show.
While Nia is a convincingly dominant champion and Tiffany's Money In The Bank briefcase is a constant source of intrigue, The build-up to the Women's Championship on the road to Bad Blood has yet to fully ignite. There are two more SmackDown episodes between now and PLE. You have to make them count.
- Jacob Fatu steps up security next to the venue's metal detectors. It must be a nightmare at airports.
- Roman Reigns has 12 sacks and 90 tackles in 39 career games for Georgia Tech.
- The sounds of Tama Tonga are what every child dreads hearing under their bed.
- Big pop for the man in the shirt in the front row saying make Nia Jax shirts better.
- Andrade became the last United States Champion for 63 days on December 26, 2019, after defeating Rey Mysterio for the title.
- Chelsea Green vs. Michin in a dumpster match has been confirmed for the October 4 episode of SmackDown. This is the first women's Dumpster Match in WWE history.
- In the last Dumpster Match in WWE, The Street Profits defeated Alpha Academy on August 1, 2022.
- Kevin Owens and DIY never got along. Owens last tagged with Johnny Gargano in September 2022 to defeat Alpha Academy.
- Kevin Owens last worked as a heel in April 2022 on a program with Stone Cold Steve Austin.