Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns returned to SmackDown Friday night, his first appearance since SummerSlam. He wasted little time addressing the recent turmoil within The Bloodline and the success of John Cena and LA Knight.
Announced in advance of Friday’s show was:
- The return of Roman Reigns
- An appearance from John Cena
- An appearance from Triple H
- The Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly
- Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller
1. John Cena Kicked Off The Show
WWE wasted little time kicking off the SmackDown Season Premiere, trotting out John Cena, Roman Reigns, The Bloodline, and LA Knight. The crowd was electric for the megastars, reacting loudly to the tease of Cena potentially challenging Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The segment built anticipation for the advertised main event of the night: Knight vs. Solo Sikoa.
The crowd was red-hot for all involved and, more importantly, treated Knight as an equal to Cena and Reigns.
The company booked its top two stars of the last 20 years, and in one night, any questions or concerns that the crowd was not invested were erased.
Knight vs. Sikoa is a logical next step in the former’s journey to the top prize on Friday nights, and while he may not ultimately win the gold, the idea that he went from trapped in a male model gimmick to the hottest, most revered guy on the roster is extraordinary.
I. Top Moments
- Enormous pop for Cena on his entrance. The dude can go away, come back, and appear every week, and he still brings unbridled energy to the show. Cena was undoubtedly the perfect choice to kick off the season premiere.
- And then Reigns entered to up the star power and received the same ovation, though there were boos involved too.
- “I’m not here to challenge you tonight because I haven’t earned it, but I know someone who has…” Cena said. Cue another monster pop, this one for Knight.
- “You pissing your pants yet?” Knight unflinchingly asked. “You’re Roman, right?”
2. Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly
Back in July, Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince suffered a shoulder injury during a match with Ridge Holland. And here we are again; he and partner Kit Wilson battled Holland and Butch of The Brawling Brutes on Friday.
It was a great reintroduction for one of the best acts on Friday night. Wilson and Prince are great, have been for a long time, and are perfect for the main roster because they can work and understand the significance of character work.
I. Result
Pretty Deadly defeated the Brawling Brutes
II. Top Moments
- Corey Graves selling Prince’s “inspirational” return from a shoulder injury suffered at the hands of Holland was great.
- Prince being mocked by Michael Cole for being in a wheelchair while suffering from an upper-body injury was even better.
- Cole referring to Pretty Deadly’s gear as a “super crop top” and being applauded by Graves for doing his research continued the fun interactions between the commentary team, including Kevin Patrick.
- Prince faked a knee injury, which referee Jessika Carr bit on, and Wilson delivered an undetected cheap shot to Holland. Prince scored the rollup for the win.
3. Zelina Vega vs. Bayley
Hold up! Bayley won the match.
After an eternity of defeats, The Role Model and leader of Damage CTRL defeated Zelina Vega Friday night, scoring a win in a game she needed.
After weeks of losses to the likes of Shotzi, Asuka, and Charlotte Flair, she finally earned a victory, and it came in a fun little sprint of a match.
Flair interjected after the bell, saving Vega from a beatdown at the hands of the victor and WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky, seemingly pointing to a tag team match if booking trends in these parts are any indication.
The Queen is still in the hunt for Sky’s title, and based on how she can rightly stake a claim to a title opportunity based on the controversial conclusion of last week’s title, her involvement here made sense.
I. Result
Bayley defeated Vega
II. Top Moments
- Backstage, we saw Carlito make his Smackdown comeback after 14 years, only to be beaten down by The Street Profits after challenging Bobby Lashley to a match.
- Adam Pearce was frustrated due to a confrontation between Bayley and Zelina Vega. He ended up announcing a match-up between them.
- Elsewhere, Roman Reigns asked Jimmy Uso what he’s been doing. After telling Uso not to call any more audibles, he told him to fix The Bloodline’s biggest problem: Jey and Cody Rhodes as tag team champs.
- “It really would have made your day to see Bayley beaten by a Meteora, wouldn’t it, Cole?” Graves asked. There’s an obvious wink and nudge there.
4. Triple H’s Big Announcement
Triple H revealed on Friday that he not only granted the hard-working Adam Pearce a promotion to that of Raw General Manager, but he had hired an individual to take over SmackDown: former Impact Wrestling and NWA world champion Nick Aldis.
As if that was not newsworthy enough, Kevin Owens was revealed as the Superstar the blue brand received in exchange for Jey Uso. The Prizefighter wasted little time establishing his presence, dropping NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio with beauty and putting an end to his whining and complaining.
This was a noteworthy segment that could shape months of SmackDown programming.
Owens is an extensive get, even if it feels like he is shuffled back and forth between shows, and Aldis could freshen up the authority figure role on Friday nights.
5. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso vs. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory
Earlier Friday, Cody Rhodes issued an open challenge for an Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match.
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory accepted and, despite a strong effort, could not wrest the gold away from The American Nightmare and Jey Uso.
The match was intense, had great heat, and featured some of the best work out of Waller on the main roster. The theory is grand: a professional wrestler advanced well beyond his years, and both went toe-to-toe with two of the top stars in the company and never looked out of place.
As important as the match was the face-to-face confrontation between Rhodes and Roman Reigns that occurred afterward.
It suggested that there are definite plans for those two to run it back again, with Rhodes having the opportunity to finish his story and dethrone The Tribal Chief. It also brought Rhodes face-to-face with the one big failure of his WWE run to this point. It was a reminder, whether he needed it or not, that there is one big hurdle he still has to overcome.
Nick Aldis broke it up tonight, but there will undoubtedly be a time when the two do business in a rematch of their WrestleMania 39 classic.
I. Result
Rhodes and Uso defeated Theory and Waller to retain the titles.
II. Top Moments
- Aldis’ first bit of business was to announce Charlotte Flair vs. Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s Championship on next week’s show. As The Queen exited his office, though, she came face-to-face with Jade Cargill in a moment with fans salivating at the possibility of a match between them.
- Does anyone find it at all silly, even taking into consideration the tag title stipulation, that we just found out SmackDown received Kevin Owens in return for Jey Uso, only for Uso to come out in the very next segment to defend his tag titles on the show he was traded away from?
- “You’re never allowed to headbutt a Samoan. That’s a law, and he did it anyway,” Graves said of Waller, who tried the unthinkable with Uso.
- The pop for Rhodes’ hot tag is unbelievable.
6. LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa
LA Knight continued his rise up the ranks in WWE, defeating Solo Sikoa in Friday’s main event.
The match was perfectly acceptable pro wrestling, with an excellent finish that saw Jimmy Uso flub up again, leading to a rare pinfall loss for The Bloodline’s enforcer.
The involvement of Cena suggests he will remain in this storyline, an asset to Knight as he looks to cement his status as a top-tier star in WWE firmly, and potentially set up one more main event between him and Roman Reigns, depending on what the timing of Knight’s title opportunity looks like.
Speaking of Reigns, he laid out Knight to close the show and add further credence to the idea that The Megastar is a leading event, championship-worthy competitor.
I. Result
Knight defeated Sikoa
II. Top Moments
- Knight was calling portions of the match, something he will be expected to do more as he continues his climb to the top of WWE.
- Sikoa and Knight set up an excellent power slam spot throughout the match, with the babyface repeatedly trying to slam his more prominent opponent but failing to do so. Returning to it in the comeback portion of the game was a great decision.
7. About WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., doing business as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and various other business ventures.
WWE shows are sports entertainment, featuring story line-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches; though including moves that can put performers at risk of injury, even death, if not performed correctly. It was founded in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation and is the largest wrestling promotion in the world. It is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
No Comments on WWE Smackdown October 13 Results: Winners, Segments and Highlights