Following up on their season premiere last week, WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown travelled to the Golden1 Center in Sacramento, California. This week’s episode featured a WWE United States Championship match, a meeting between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, and a main event featuring Kevin Owens and The Bloodline. Here’s what went down:
Quick results
- LA Knight def. Andrade (WWE United States Championship) (17:09)
- Apollo Crews def. Giovanni Vinci (1:37)
- Bayley & Naomi def. Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton (11:06)
- Kevin Owens & The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) def. The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (DQ) (14:47)
LA Knight goes 17 minutes to remain title
This week’s episode of Smackdown started with a recap of the alliance between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns which emerged on the show’s season premiere seven days ago.
Much like how last week’s episode of Smackdown kicked off with a title match, Friday’s show started with a clash for the WWE United States Championship. Attempting to defend his title for the second time, LA Knight met Andrade.
For those not in the loop, Andrade was given a shot against Knight after closing out a five-match series against Carmelo Hayes last week.
Knight looked to end the match early, searching for a roll-up pin in the opening minute. Andrade rolled out of the ring after escaping a BFT attempt from Knight, queuing up a commercial break.
After a three-minute break, the duo traded strikes in what the commentary called a “see-saw battle.” Andrade came off the top with a crossbody, generating a two-count from a follow-up pin.
The match went to the ringside roughly a minute later. Knight reversed a move from Andrade, allowing him to throw the challenger’s head onto the commentary table numerous times. Back in the ring, Knight got a near fall following a slingshot shoulder tackle off the ropes.
The battle found its way to the ring apron roughly a minute later. Andrade escaped a move from Knight, then sent the champ running into the ringpost. Andrade climbed to the top rope and did an impressive moonsault over the ringpost, onto Knight outside of the ring, leading into a second commercial break.
The broadcast returned as the U.S. title bout crossed past the 12-minute mark. Andrade put Knight in the corner and tried for a flying double knees, but came up empty. After avoiding the high-risk move, Knight scored a DDT for a two-count. Knight landed a series of kicks to Andrade in the corner then scored a running knee to Andrade’s head.
Knight picked up another close pin attempt after scoring with a neckbreaker. The duo went to the top rope. Knight tried for a superplex, but was knocked off the top by an elbow. Andrade missed with a moonsault off the top but landed on his feet tried for another moonsault off the canvas that connected on Knight. Andrade then hit a double knees in the corner of the ring, but still wasn’t able to put the champ away.
Andrade came charging off the ropes but was caught by Knight, who slammed him down. Knight then climbed to the top rope for an elbow drop.
Knight called for the BFT, but Andrade reversed it into a roll-up for a two-count. Andrade scored a spinning back elbow, but that earned a kickout from Knight. Andrade came off the top for a dropkick, but Knight avoided it. Knight then connected with the BFT, giving him the pinfall win in 17 minutes. This match, while it had some slight errors including Knight slipping on the ropes twice, really had a hold on the live crowd near the end.
Backstage, a frustrated Andrade ran into rival Carmelo Hayes. “I didn’t see you choke like that since the Kings against the Lakers,” said Hayes, aiming for cheap heat. “I’ll tell you this, just put the fries in the bag bro, you’re washed.”
The comments from Hayes sent Andrade over the edge, causing a brawl that had to be separated by many others.
Reigns and Rhodes meet in Atlanta
Before they team up at Bad Blood, rivals turned one-night tag partners Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns met in a face-to-face. This pre-taped clip took place at the home field of NCAA football team Georgia Tech, which the broadcast explained was a past team of Reigns and the hometown of Rhodes.
Reigns made it established early that there is still animosity between them, even though they will be teaming up at Bad Blood.
“You see the ground you stand on? Everything you put your eyes on in here, it’s mine. Years ago, I shed blood, sweat and tears on this field many times. So that means this is my field. And if this is my field, that means this is my stadium. And if this is my stadium, you better believe this is my city. What have you done for my city?”
Rhodes replied:
“Multiple generations of my family have bled for my city … You played football here, thank you. Then you went back to the beach. This is your field, but this is my home.”
Reigns questioned why Rhodes wanted to team up to face The Bloodline.
“That’s very good. This is your home. Why don’t we just cut to the chase … You signed yourself into a lose-lose situation. You have everything to lose, and you’re dealing with a whole situation with people who have nothing to lose. Take me for example. They took Jimmy [Uso] from me. They took my Wise Man. They took my Bloodline, and they took my Ula Fala. I don’t have anything to lose. For the first time in a long time, there’s no weight on my neck. It’s on yours.”
Rhodes struck a nerve with what he said next:
“You’re telling me this like I’m supposed to be surprised? I told you before Wrestlemania, the first go-around that you’d be standing here just like you’re standing here now: A chief without a tribe. They took Jimmy, they took your Wise Man, they took the Ula Fala … Take a look around WWE. We already have a Tribal Chief, it’s not you. And we have a WWE Champion, it’s not you. So if you can’t even beat your own Bloodline, who is standing here right now? I can tell you, it’s not the biggest box office attraction in the history of WWE. It’s not that guaranteed Wrestlemania main eventer, no. It’s the guy they used to call Roman Reigns.”
“What do you want? Just tell me what you want,” Reigns asked. “What do I want? I want your word, Rhodes replied. “I want your word that you will have my back so that I can have yours.”
“I give you my word,” Reigns said. “I’ll have your back. But just understand this: When it’s all done, I’m takin’ back what’s mine.”
“It’s not yours to take,” Rhodes replied. “You’re in my way,” Reigns said. “You’re in my way in life.”
“I’ll have your back.”
Will @WWERomanReigns stay true to his word at #WWEBadBlood?#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/AdA2X7W6n7
— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2024
After the segment aired, Kevin Owens was seen backstage looking troubled. He refused to comment on the video when questioned by Byron Saxton.
Giovanni Vinci loses to Apollo Crews… Again
In a rematch from the September 6 episode of Smackdown, Giovanni Vinci faced Apollo Crews. Vinci notably lost in just four seconds to Crews the first time around, spoiling what was his return after being kicked out of Imperium five months back.
Vinci, who was out for revenge, unloaded hard chops to open the match. Vinci scored a trio of slams, with the legs of Crews hitting the ropes each time. He tried for a move in the middle of the ring, but Crews reversed into a roll-up to win in a minute and a half. That’s better than four seconds, I guess.
An enraged Vinci attacked Crews after the match, throwing him into a barricade and then tossing him back into the ring. Vinci landed a brainbuster to end the segment.
Smackdown finds a main event
Kevin Owens felt ready to address the face-to-face that Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns had and decided the best way to do so was inside the ring.
Just as Owens was about to admit how he felt about the meeting between the two, he was interrupted by Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa of The Bloodline.
“Last week, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes embarrassed our Tribal Chief. Big mistake! They’re gonna get what’s coming to them at Bad Blood. But you, Kevin Owens, you’re gonna get what’s coming to you by orders of the real Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa.”
Owens asked to cut the chase and just begin the brawl. Owens tried taking out the trio but, of course, was outnumbered. Tag team #DIY came in for the save, hitting a Shatter Machine to Tama Tonga before The Bloodline escaped.
After the brawl finished, general manager Nick Aldis came to the ring. He called for #DIY and Owens to team up and face The Bloodline in the main event.
Bayley and Naomi beat Nia Jax, but neither immediately earn title shot yet
Up next, a tornado tag match with title implications took place. WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton teamed up to face Naomi and Bayley in a match that has special rules. The wrestler who scored a pinfall in the match would be guaranteed a title shot. Also, if Bayley and Naomi lost, they would be removed from the Smackdown roster.
Due to the match’s tornado rules, all four wrestlers brawled in the ring until the first commercial break. The teams were battling at ringside as the show returned. After they took Jax out with a dive, Naomi and Bayley brought Stratton into the ring for a two-on-one situation.
The title shot stipulation of this match caused issues for one of the teams, as Naomi pulled Bayley off a pin attempt onto Stratton. Jax hit the ring, causing the team of Naomi and Bayley to regroup and focus on her. The duo scored a double-team backdrop onto her.
After hitting Bayley and Naomi with a move, Jax climbed onto the ropes. She was stopped by the babyface duo, who tried to join her at the top. Stratton took Bayley off the ropes, causing them to fight on the opposite corner of the ring. Bayley scored a below drop onto Stratton on one side of the ring, while Jax scored a leg drop onto Naomi. They both went for pin attempts that got reversed.
Jax tried to powerbomb Naomi but had the attempt countered by Naomi into an X-Factor. Stratton came off the ropes with a moonsault in attempt to break up a pin from Naomi. The move was dodged by Naomi, causing Stratton to land solely on Jax.
Stratton was taken out with a 3-D. Jax hit a Samoan Drop onto Bayley but was rolled into a pin attempt by Naomi right after. Bayley joined into this pin attempt, making it two wrestlers pinning Jax at once.
This finish caused confusion, making it unclear who would truly get a shot at Jax. Later in the program, Smackdown’s Nick Aldis declared that they would meet in a #1 contender match on next week’s episode of Smackdown.
A video package showed Chelsea Green taking out the garbage to train for a dumpster match against Michin. After the video, it was announced that they would face off in a dumpster match at Smackdown’s show in two weeks.
It was also revealed that Andrade and Carmelo Hayes will battle for the sixth time on next week’s episode.
The Bloodline face a last-minute team, main event ends in brawl
It was time for the main event next. After Kevin Owens made his entrance, cameras backstage showed that The Bloodline jumped #DIY before they could get to the ring.
Owens marched toward the stage, where The Bloodline attacked him in a three-versus-one situation. As he was being picked apart, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins of the Street Profits came to the ring. A brawl involving the teams came to an end after Owens scored a Swanton Bomb off the top rope and to the outside.
After a commercial break, it became official that The Street Profits stepped in and replaced #DIY in the main event.
Owens started the match against Loa. The babyface trio had quick tags to isolate Loa in the corner, keeping control of him for a couple of minutes. Loa eventually broke out of the beatdown, tagging Fatu into the match. Similar to what happened with Loa to begin the match, Ford was kept in The Bloodline’s side of the ring.
Ford tagged Dawkins in after avoiding a massive corner spot from Fatu. Dawkins took out The Bloodline but was hit with a superkick after trying to land a splash in the onto Fatu. Fatu came off the top rope with a massive moonsault before the broadcast went to a break.
Bloodline continued to have control of the match as they returned, with Dawkins still the babyface wrestler in the ring. A hot tag for Dawkins was teased but delayed by Fatu.
Dawkins caught an advancing Fatu with a kick and then dodged a splash in the corner, finally allowing him to get to his team’s corner and tag in Ford.
Ford came off the top with a crossbody onto Tonga, who had also just tagged in. He scored with a hard clothesline, a knee to the head, and a standing moonsault for a near fall.
Ford tagged in Owens, who hit Fatu and Loa with moves before getting into the ring against Tonga. He scored a cannonball in the corner, then a Swanton Bomb off the top rope. Fatu hit the ring to break up the pin, but was sent out of the ring by Dawkins right after.
Tonga and Owens went to the top, with Owens scoring a superplex. He tried again for a pin but was pulled off Tonga by Loa. Owens kicked Loa away, then tried for a Stunner against Tonga in the ring.
Tonga avoided the first stunner but ate the second attempt. Loa pulled Owens out of the ring again, this time sending him into the steel stairs at ringside. This caused the referee to end the match with a disqualification. The teams brawled at ringside, with Ford delivering a dive over the ropes onto Fatu.
The Bloodline gained control of the brawl. In the ring, Fatu landed a frogsplash off the top rope and onto Ford. They looked to do a triple powerbomb onto the announce table with Owens but got distracted as #DIY came to the ring.
After taking out #DIY, The Bloodline focused on Owens once again. They brought Owens into the ring and seemingly was setting up for a move, but this time were interrupted by Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes emerged from the stage with a steel chair, taking out Loa and Tonga at ringside. He scored a Cody Cutter onto Fatu, causing the trio to retreat. Rhodes turned around and saw Owens, who was holding the steel chair he brought to the ring. After a moment of them facing off, they shook hands and hugged as the show went off air.
