SmackDownhad a major reveal on the road toWWESurvivor Series, asBronson Reed has joined The Bloodline for their upcoming WarGames matchagainst the OG Bloodline. After The Usos and Sami Zayn have spent this week’s Raw and SmackDown trying unsuccessfully to find a fifth member of their team, the big reveal came in a thrilling brawl, with Roman being the latest victim of Reed’s Tsunami. An emotional Roman Reignstried to call Paul Heyman for advicefor the first time since returning but his number is no longer in service.
Bayley advanced in the Women’s US Championship tournament, and Nia Jax retained her Women’s Championship in a fiery main event against Naomi. The Tag Team Championship match between Motor City Machine Guns and Street Profits was interrupted by a rampaging Tommaso Ciampa, and Shinsuke Nakamura returned by laying out LA Knight. Finally,Cody Rhodes will come face-to-face with Kevin Owenson next week’s episode of SmackDown.
Bronson Reed and The Bloodline
The Bloodline Finds Its Fifth Man
The clearest indication that the WWE creative team believes in a star is to have them interact with The Bloodline storyline. Look at the whole last eighteen months and everyone who has been part of The Bloodline saga has elevated their status. Whilethe OG Bloodline are struggling to find their fifth member, it appearsthe new Bloodline and Bronson Reed will team together for WarGames at Survivor Seriesafter the Australian destroyer created hell on this week’s SmackDown.
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Chaos erupted as Roman, Sami and The Usos made their first entrance as a team since 2023 to step into the ring to face Solo’s Bloodline for a face-to-face, four-on-four face-off. With Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns both in ferocious form, Bronson Reed appeared from the crowd to join forces with The Bloodline. Fatu and Reed were animalistic while teaming, asReed landed a rib-shattering tsunami on Roman Reignsin his biggest statement of intent of the year so far. It’s a mouth-watering prospect for WarGames, with Solo Sikoa again in spectacular, meme-generating form as The Bloodline’s uncaged and wild leader.
Bayley
The Women’s US Championship Tournament Is Underway
After the title was revealed on last week’s SmackDown, this week’s show revealed thatthe first Women’s United States Champion will be crowned at Saturday Night’s Main Event. A series of triple-threat qualifiers have been set for the next few weeks, with Bayley seeing off Candice LeRae and B-Fab this week to book a spot in the semi-finals against the winner of Bianca Belair vs Chelsea Green vs Blair Davenport.
The field of potential champions is stacked with Jade Cargill, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Michin among them. Assuming that WWE puts a brand-new championship on someone of prestige,future Hall Of FamerBayley is one of the favorites to win the belt. It’s been a strange year for one of WWE’s most beloved performers, but this could be just what she needs heading intothe Netflix era.
LA Knight
Shinsuke Nakamura Spoils The Champ’s Victory Party
This was a very convincing week for The Megastar.LA Knight reopened his beef with Santos Escobarand Legado Del Fantasma, adopting a little more of that devilish side of his, and hitting on Elektra Lopez with a lil extra “yeah!”. It was good mic work from Knight who was also carrying a new United States Championship that has his logo plastered all over the strap.
Issuing an open challenge, it would be Berto of Legado Del Fantasma who would answer the call. The match was fun and the crowd was hot. LA Knight retained his championship (as would be expected), and the beaten opponent left with his comrades in tow. Out of absolutely nowhere,Shinsuke Nakamura returned to WWE to attack LA Knightafter the bell. Having a new look that aesthetically recalls Star Wars and Ghost Of Tsushima, there was no fanfare or rock star histrionics from Nakamura. His Kinshasa was as cold as his entrance, as he left Knight looking at the lights and made his somber exit.
SmackDown’s Post-Credits Scene
WWE Channels The MCU For A Classic Moment
SmackDown had a solid Main Event, whereNaomi came up short against WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax. As the closing stages of the match involved Candice LeRae, Bayley, and Tiffany Stratton causing carnage, before The Queen emerged victorious with her title raised high, the credits began to roll.Only the show didn’t end.
A lone Roman Reigns held his phone in his dressing room, before saying “Call the Wise Man”. The crowd cheered, expectant of the reunion between Reigns and Paul Heyman for the first time since WrestleMania, only for the number to no longer be in service in a gut-wrenching end to this week’s SmackDown. A brilliant swerve in its own right that will be spoken about for some time to come, butthis post-credit scene feels like a device that WWE can and will usemore in the future.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
A WWE Misfire Is Confirmed
WWE fans have not had very much to be upset about in 2024. When it comes to creative decisions and overall mood within the fanbase, this has been an exceptional year, with good booking being rewarded by good faith from fans. One of the few notable exceptions came when an appearance fromDwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson hijacked the Main Event of Bad Blood, with the payoff of CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre’s sensational nine-month feud being bumped from the spot in the process.
The arrival of Bronson Reed on this week’s SmackDownended any feint hope of The Final Boss being the fifth man at WarGames. It confirms thatThe Rock’s Bad Blood cameostill has no context or meaning, and he is now unlikely to be seen in WWE again this year, unless he’s going to make a surprise run-in during War Games. This leaves a curious cloud hanging over The Rock and his big return. His Final Boss run this year wrote another world-conquering chapter in his decades-long WWE journey. He will need to be as good or better to make people forget this legitimate grievance.
Kevin Owens' Suspension
A Minimalist Appearance After Last Week’s Major Beatdown
After last week’s sickening attack, we learnedRandy Orton is injured indefinitely with cervical issuesdue to Kevin Owens' piledriver. It was an amazing segment that blurred the lines of reality by utilizing the real-life injury that jeopardized Orton’s career anda move that wrestling fans know is banned in WWE. Further to that, Kevin Owens' justified rage over Roman Reigns is one of the year’s best storylines. Snapping on Orton and sneering at Cody Rhodes, every second he’s currently on-screen is captivating.
This week saw Rhodes demand a match with Owens, only to be told by Nick Aldis that the off-the-rails superstar was suspended while internal investigations were ongoing. Rhodes demanded to speak with Randy’s assailant, and it was revealed that Cody and Kevin Owens would meet on next week’s SmackDown, but there was to be no appearance from Owens in Milwaukee. His promo from his car was electric, incandescent, and fair, butconsistently removing Kevin Owens from TV feels weakand like it isn’t capitalizing on his deviant actions.
Heel Tag Teams
Two Of SmackDown’s Leading Teams Are Turning To The Dark Side
Following on from his unusually gratuitous attack on Pretty Deadly last week, DIY’sTommaso Ciampa single-handedly wrecked this week’s Tag Team title matchbetween Motor City Machine Guns and The Street Profits. Arriving to throw fists, kicks, and elbows at anyone who crossed his eye-line, this was another feral attack so dizzying that Ciampa left his DIY partner Johnny Gargano on the mat too. It remains to be seen whether this will lead to a DIY heel turn or the friends turning to rivals once again.
However, while it’s true that this story may be new for the main roster, many fans have seen it unfold on NXT years ago, and it delivered some of the best matches and storytelling in the brand’s history. It will be hard to top it or add something new it, if they go for it again. Gargano and Ciampa are two incredibly talented competitors, but they seem locked in this friends-to-enemies-to-friends dynamic that has done little to further their careers outside of NXT.
Meanwhile, the Street Profits have been outspoken about their lack of opportunities, and with the champions protesting their innocence at Ciampa’s assault,Angelo Dawkins sowed the initial seeds for a heel turn by striking Alex Shelley. Montez Ford cut a figure of disdain for the champions and the live crowd as the pair made their way to the back. It’s yet another week of SmackDown’s tag team division building intrigue and new stories.
