Not sure why “At Last” by Etta James came to mind when we typed that headline, because despite its classic status, it doesn’t have much to do with WWE SmackDown.
Or wait … could it actually be “a thrill that I have never known” to see Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his WrestleMania challenger Cody Rhodes in the ring together for the first time? It just might.
With some assistance from Paul Heyman, Rhodes has been able to carry selling their upcoming battle alone so far. It’s worked because Reigns has also been embroiled in the hottest WWE story in years trying to keep the Bloodline from coming apart at the seams.
But of course the fans need to see the two of them face off, and with WrestleMania 39 less than 30 days away (really!), this is it. Assuming they actually stare each other down, the reaction should be electric, even if they don’t throw hands for now.
A big part of Reigns’ preoccupation will be in action on this same show in D.C. Sami Zayn, he of the former Honorary Uce title, will take on Solo Sikoa. The two of them used to be cool, but seeing as Solo is more a “follow orders” type, he’s certainly going to be looking to spike Sami’s head into the mat at Reigns’ request.
In the women’s division, Rhea Ripley is looking ahead to her big WrestleMania match against SmackDown champ Charlotte Flair. She may not want to look past Liv Morgan, however, even though you’d expect Ripley to win to keep things on track for L.A.
So that should be plenty of reason for you to want to keep tabs on what’s going on at the Capital One Arena this evening. Let’s see what’s in store.
WWE SmackDown results in 60 seconds:
- Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, in the same ring at the same time, level with each other
- Rhea Ripley def. Liv Morgan by submission
- Jimmy Uso tells Reigns that Jey Uso just needs some time, but Roman says he’s running out of patience … with Jimmy
- As Rhea and Dominik Mysterio walk backstage, Santos Escobar tells Dom he’s going to teach him a lesson about respect before blowing a kiss to Ripley
- Dominik Mysterio def. Santos Escobar by pinfall and takes a cheap shot at his dad afterward
- Sami Zayn draws power from the crowd in a TikTok-esque video out among the fans
- Drew McIntyre calls his WrestleMania shot, or tries to before Sheamus, LA Knight, The New Day and Karrion Kross all get involved
- Michael Cole says there was supposed to be a women’s tag team match on tonight’s show, but Ronda Rousey was injured in a backstage brawl and it’s not a singles match
- Shayna Baszler def. Tegan Nox by submission
- Gunther is upset that Adam Pearce hasn’t found him a worthy WrestleMania opponent yet
- Bobby Lashley pays a visit and he isn’t running, even when attacked by Uncle Howdy
- Reigns tells Jimmy to accompany Solo and “get rid of Sami Zayn,” reasoning that Jey will “come home” if they take care of Zayn; Roman also confirms to Paul Heyman that if Jey isn’t back in one week, he’s blaming Jimmy, not Sami
- Solo Sikoa def. Sami Zayn by pinfall
- After the match, Jimmy Uso and Sikoa beat up Zayn some more, but he escapes doom via steel chair and heads up into the crowd
Please scroll down for more details on every match and major non-match segment.