This week episode of Friday Night SmackDown opened with “The Grayson Waller Effect,” complete with a new set that doesn’t look that much different than the old one, with special guest WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. I went in expecting they would do something to add some intrigue in the Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens title match at Bash in Berlin.
Sure enough, Waller tried to drive a wedge by bringing up how often Owens and Randy Orton have been beaten up thanks to their association with him. Rhodes took the opportunity to put KO over, saying he can and probably already has beaten everyone on the SmackDown roster, therefore he deserves the title shot.
Naturally, Cody then completely turned the tide, targeting Austin Theory — who he called “Magic Mike” — and telling him everyone in the back has been waiting for him to grow a pair and do away with the guy holding him back.
So Grayson cut to a video they had prepared that showed Owens turning on everyone he has ever called a friend in WWE. This was, of course, compelling because he has, of course, done all of those things. You saw right there in the video!
That brought Owens out, and he defended himself by saying that everyone in the video had it coming except for Kofi Kingston, who he then apologized too. He promised not to turn on Rhodes and instead got right to the formalities of having SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis come out to book a tag match for the main event.
A brief brawl broke out and Owens inadvertently hit Rhodes. A tease for later?
A backstage segment led to Owens again appealing to Rhodes, with the hope that Cody believes he’s not that way anymore and those guys really did deserve it (except for Kofi, of course). The champ said he was taking him at his word and just trying to be ready for what comes next.
Hmmm.
They made sure to do a few teases of dissent in the ensuing match but Owens was there for Rhodes each time. Then he pinned Waller clean with the Pop Up Powerbomb, giving the babyface squad the victory.
After the win, there were still a couple of minutes left until the top of the hour, leaving me wondering if they were going to do some kind of turn here anyway. They teased it once again, with Owens taking the WWE championship and holding it like he was going to put it upside Cody’s head. The crowd got up and ready for it, but at the last second Owens just passed it off to him and taunted A-Town Down Under.
Rhodes saw enough to feel strange about it.
We’re all left to believe it’s only a matter of time.
Hey, anything to add intrigue to this match, right? I’m here for it!
Solo Sikoa told Washington DC he had a lot to talk about.
Item number one: The OTC is d-o-n-e.
Item number two: Whether it’s Kevin Owens or Cody Rhodes who wins the WWE championship, he’s got next. He is going to bring that title back to his family.
Item number three: Since he will be the Undisputed WWE champion, there’s something wrong with the tag team titles. He asked Jacob Fatu to step up, and he did so. Then he demanded his enforcer give him the title. No, actually, give it to Tonga Loa.
Fatu did exactly as he was asked. Sikoa said he can’t be the tag team champion if he’s going to be Solo’s own personal enforcer. It would seem this is their way of moving the title back to Loa, who has dropped the eye patch.
But would it mean dropping the titles to The Street Profits?
It sure looked that way for much of the match, as Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford were having their way with Loa and Tama Tonga for large portions of it. It wasn’t until late when Solo distracted the referee to allow Fatu to superkick both Profits that it was clear how this was going to go.
The Bloodline retains.
DIY hit the scene after to try to help the Profits avoid a post-match beatdown and they were also taken out. The tag team division looks woefully unprepared for what is still the top stable in the land.
All the rest
- LA Knight’s first defense of the United States championship came against Santos Escobar, who tried to use an ambush from his Legado del Fantasma stablemates before the bell rang to get enough of an edge to steal the strap for himself. It didn’t work, and instead the referee sent the entire group packing, leaving Escobar all by his lonesome. He wasn’t good enough to survive the Blunt Force Trauma and Knight’s first defense was a successful one. I did love that Escobar was good and pissed about his crew screwing up so bad, telling them they’re no use to him if they aren’t out there. It led to Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews showing up laughing at them and a match being made for next week. Later still, LA Knight mentioned doing a US title open challenge in Berlin.
- Carmelo Hayes cut a promo from a barbershop and Andrade walked in to tell him he disrespected him last week, so they’ll meet up for another match next week. They didn’t end up fighting, and instead Hayes got mad at everyone around him for letting Andrade step to him like that. This was weak, but worth it for next week.
- A six woman tag match saw Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, and Naomi take care of business against The Unholy Union and Blair Davenport, with Cargill in particular looking spectacular after a hot tag. Ultimately, Naomi pinned Davenport, leaving the others brawling on the outside as a preview of sorts of their title match at Bash in Berlin. The babyfaces still look much stronger than the heels but at least they didn’t pin the champs just yet.
- They showed a pretty great vignette of Michin, telling a story of an underdog who was told she isn’t enough finally breaking through with a title match against Nia Jax. They cut to Jax upset about the situation. Tiffany Stratton wanted to know what she could do for her and Jax had her fixing the crown. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven were heard talking trash about Stratton, sowing even more seeds of doubt about a cash-in, which could come next week because Jax vs. Michin will be a Street Fight.
A decent show.
Grade: C+
Your turn.