Tag: bianca belair

WWE SmackDown results 07/28/23: Roman Reigns proves his point to Jey Uso

Also on WWE SmackDown this week, who will win the battle of LWO teammates and secure a U.S. title shot?

Considering we all were just introduced to the concept of Tribal Combat last week, it’s understandable that Roman Reigns and Jey Uso may need some time to prepare for such a monumental matchup. WWE says some of that prep time may take place tonight on SmackDown in New Orleans.

On the surface, Tribal Combat is simply another name among many for WWE to describe a match where weapons are allowed and anything goes. Certainly, Jey hinted as much a week ago when he described things he may use or at least would consider using to beat his cousin down.

But there also appears to be a deeper, almost spiritual aspect to Tribal Combat. Maybe that’s where one of the men could gain an advantage tonight at the Smoothie King Center, where WWE assures us both will be on hand.

Another centerpiece of tonight’s show will be the United States Championship Invitational Finals between LWO teammates Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar. Will a legend and surefire future WWE Hall of Famer get one more shot at glory? Or will Escobar put himself more firmly on the map and earn a U.S. title opportunity? More importantly, will they still be friends when it’s over?

Plus we’ll see Karrion Kross take on Karl Anderson as Kross continues his ongoing issues with The O.C. He already defeated AJ Styles, but we suppose there’s value in proving your superiority over the entire group.

In any case, we’ll be making our own mental preparations for Tribal Combat while watching WWE SmackDown tonight. Let’s get into it.

WWE SmackDown results from New Orleans:

Main Event Jey Uso is now in your city … but so are Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman, who quickly make their way out. Reigns says the only reason people like The Usos is because of him, and that if the Tribal Chief is scheduled to appear, he gets to open up the show.

“Because I made you that,” is what Reigns says about most of what Jey is or has been, and he questions whether Uso believes he is now the Tribal Chief. However, Jey says he didn’t want any of that, and only supported Roman with no questions asked.

Jey accuses Roman of breaking everything, forcing him to do what he has to do. Reigns fires back that once Jey loses, he’s done, as he’ll be erased from everything.

And what if Jey wins? That means he takes everything from Roman … except he’ll always be Roman Reigns, and can do anything he wants to do. Mostly, he’s incredulous that Jey thinks he can win.

Before he leaves the ring, Jey simply says he beat Roman once — and he’s going to do it again.

Jey Uso seems to be feeling good after that segment, but his smile disappears when he runs into Grayson Waller. He doesn’t laugh but smacks Waller instead.

Santos Escobar def. Rey Mysterio by referee stoppage in the United States Championship Invitational Finals

The LWO teammates shake hands before they start locking up, so there’s every reason to think they’ll keep this respectful. United States Champion Austin Theory is shown watching from a skybox high above the action.

Wade Barrett thinks it behooves Santos to slow the pace, utilizing his size and power advantages. Escobar also knows Mysterio very well, which makes for fun framing for this bout. He hits a nice tope suicida right before a commercial break, but Theory continues to look unimpressed.

When the broadcast returns, however, a replay of that dive and the hard hit that Rey took is shown, and the ringside physician is checking on Rey. The ref is informed that Mysterio can’t continue, and Escobar gets a big but bittersweet victory.

Bianca Belair wants to talk about the Triple Threat match at SummerSlam, but Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville crash the interview to complain about their lack of a championship celebration. They also talk smack about Charlotte Flair, who offers to join forces with Belair to take on the tag champs. Bianca isn’t with it, but Charlotte says that makes her want to do it even more, and heads off to find Adam Pearce.

LA Knight def. Ashante Thee Adonis by pinfall

If you guessed Knight’s mic time might be about as long as the actual match, you got it. Blunt Force Trauma seals it up.

Pearce tells Jey Uso that Waller has been bugging him for a match against Jey tonight. Uso says since Waller was running his mouth, it’ll be over nice and quick.

Bobby Lashley is still wining and dining the Street Profits, who he says should be treated like and dress like stars. Angelo Dawkins is in sweats, but he seems cool with wearing dressier clothes after Lashley says he’ll pick up the bill.

Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair def. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville by pinfall

Barrett questions how well Belair and Flair will work as a team, but they actually function fairly well as a unit. Charlotte may smirk seeing Bianca take a thrust kick to the face, but she’s right there when Belair needs a hot tag out.

Belair tags herself in when things start going south for Flair, and now Green is in trouble. And then the faces start squabbling: Belair has Green up for a KOD, but Flair tags herself in, kicks Green and gets the pin.

Bayley tries to explain leaving IYO SKY behind last week, but she gets freaked out finding another note from Shotzi. As they try to depart in a hurry again, Asuka stops by to warn SKY not to cash in at SummerSlam, but she seems to be suggesting that’s exactly what she’s planning to do.

After hearing about the SummerSlam Battle Royal, both Knight and Sheamus exchange pleasantries in front of Pearce. Adam ends up putting both of them in the match and sounds like he wants them to go head to head next week to see who might go into the Battle Royal with some momentum.

Waller says Uso is so consumed with Reigns that he should be easy pickings tonight for the Grayson Waller Effect.

Even though Karl Anderson is appreciative of the fact that The O.C. has his back, he tells his teammates that he needs to do things alone tonight, and they reluctantly agree.

Karrion Kross def. Karl Anderson by pinfall

Anderson gets off to a quick start, but unlike him, Kross made no vows to do this alone, and that means Scarlett is there to provide assistance and encouragement from the outside.

A Kross Hammer knocks Anderson for a loop, then the Final Prayer closes the show as Kross gets the dub.

After the bell, the Kross Jacket has Anderson in agony until The O.C. rushes down and Karrion retreats.

Jey Uso def. Grayson Waller by pinfall

Interesting to hear the announcers mention Waller going back and forth a little on social media with The Rock, but no real reason not to mention it, really. Just as Jey has things rolling, Roman’s music hits and the Bloodline wanders down the ramp.

Waller capitalizes and lays out Uso heading into a commercial break. He tries his own twist on The People’s Elbow when he has Uso down, but his theatrics take too long and give Jey a foothold to get back into the match.

After hitting a spear on Waller, Jey stares down Roman and takes flight with an Uso Splash and the pinfall.

Right after the bell, Sikoa attacks Uso, and when that doesn’t work, Reigns invades the ring himself. Uso ends up spearing Reigns, but when he goes up top, Solo pushes Jey off the turnbuckles.

Now the Bloodline is in control, and Uso ends up taking a spear/Samoan spike combo. As the fans give it to Reigns, he gets upset and they hit the combo move on Jey again. Roman poses in the corner with both the title belt and the necklace as the show comes to a close.

WWE SmackDown results 07/14/23: Jey Uso stands tall, Asuka barely escapes

The WWE Women’s Championship match ended in hijinks in Raleigh, likely surprising no one.

Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind, go for it and worry about the consequences later. That’s what Jey Uso did last week on WWE SmackDown, getting some revenge for what happened to his brother Jimmy with the help of a steel chair.

The problem is the consequences might only be coming tonight in Raleigh. Jey naming himself the “judge, jury and executioner” made for a tasty sound bite, but surely Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa won’t be cool with him feeling like he’s got the upper hand. The world will be watching considering the Bloodline drama remains the biggest attraction on WWE TV at the moment.

The women’s division should have stakes just as high if not higher tonight. Asuka is ready to put her WWE Women’s Championship on the line against Bianca Belair after the latter worked for weeks for a chance to get a shot at the title again,

Will the two women actually be able to settle things just among themselves, though? That’s far from certain, what with IYO SKY poised to potentially cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase without warning and Charlotte Flair also waiting in the wings for her own title match. Expect fireworks, and potential hijinks as well.

We’ll also see Sheamus and Ridge Holland look for some payback against Pretty Deadly. And there’s a Fatal 4-Way scheduled that will lead the winner to be one match away from a United States Championship bout.

We’re set to dive in for all the action.

WWE SmackDown results from Raleigh:

Jey Uso is shown walking backstage as Michael Cole describes him as being “on the warpath.”

Bianca Belair hits the ring ahead of her title match and gets a very warm reaction from the fans in Raleigh. Though she knows people say patience is a virtue, Bianca reminds us how long she’s been waiting and all the hoops she’s had to jump through to get what should have been hers all along.

She promises to give Asuka exactly what she deserves but is interrupted to absolutely no one’s surprise by Charlotte Flair. The Queen says she believes Belair will win tonight and makes it very clear she’s first in line. If Belair does indeed win, it’s on for SummerSlam.

Sheamus gives his Brawling Brutes teammates a pep talk since all of them have big things going on tonight. Speaking of which …

Pretty Deadly def. Sheamus and Ridge Holland by pinfall

A strong start for the Brutes includes tandem 10 Beats of the Bodhran that actually goes well past 10. Things change during a commercial break, however, as Pretty Deadly is able to smother Sheamus with the help of some quick tags. Interestingly, Holland is portrayed as the one Pretty Deadly wants no part of.

Holland does his best to live up to that billing, suplexing one of his foes into the other. Sheamus also goes off the top rope to the floor, something you don’t see every day.

Alas, it doesn’t help, as an exposed steel turnbuckle proves to be enough to knock Ridge woozy, and a leg drop off the top puts him away.

Cathy Kelley catches up with Grayson Waller backstage, who seems really pleased that The Rock has been watching him. He also can’t wait to have his hand raised in the Fatal 4-Way.

The Tribal Court of Roman Reigns segment from last week’s SmackDown is replayed to build up anticipation for the Bloodline business tonight.

Flair tells Adam Pearce she feels so good about Bianca’s chances against Asuka tonight that she’s leaving the arena, but she changes her mind when she sees Damage CTRL is lurking.

Bayley def. Zelina Vega by pinfall

Poor Zelina feels like she’s been getting more of a push lately, but she loses in very quick fashion here.

Shotzi appears on the big screen and asks whether she looks scared just because Damage CTRL cut off some of her hair. She says she’ll show them she’s in control and unafraid and proves it by cutting off a lot more of her hair. Needless to say, she doesn’t sound very in control.

The crowd decides to “what” Jey as he talks about how he and Jimmy were inseparable growing up. He says twins are special, as they know how the other feels and end up feeling that too. When Jimmy is hurt, he’s hurt too, and he just can’t believe their current hurt was caused by a family member.

Jey has venom for Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa and even Paul Heyman, but it’s the last name on the list who interrupts him. Heyman introduces himself and Sikoa even though they need no introduction, and declares that Solo is there to “enforce the peace.”

In the great spirit of Bloodline gaslighting, Heyman says that what happened to Jimmy is all Jey’s fault. He was the one who rose up against Reigns and wanted to be the Tribal Chief, after all.

Heyman continues by suggesting that Jey’s family members will never forgive him. And wow, even Solo asks for the mic. He insists he won’t forgive Jey either, and now they quickly progress to throwing hands.

Jey wins their brief exchange, however, sending Sikoa to the floor and leaving Heyman alone in the ring. The fans like that, but of course, Solo is back in time to keep Paul out of danger … but only for a little, as Heyman does end up eating a superkick before Jey launches himself into a suicide dive at Solo on the floor.

Oh, forgot to mention a chair is in the ring too, and Solo ends up eating some shots from it that otherwise would have been labeled for the Wiseman. This round goes to Jey, no question.

Santos Escobar def. Butch, Grayson Waller and AJ Styles

Austin Theory joins the announcers to check this one out since the winner will be one step closer to challenging for his title. He talks a lot about beating John Cena and seems to be especially irritated by Waller, which is odd since they’re both heels.

There’s a cool triple powerbomb spot that sees Escobar sunset flip over all three of the other combatants to set it in motion. Just when it appears Styles might be in position to win, Karrion Kross is shown on the big screen beating on The O.C. Styles leaves the match as a result, and Escobar takes advantage, pinning Butch to advance to face the winner of a second Fatal 4-Way next week.

The Street Profits are outside as a limo pulls up … and Bobby Lashley gets out. He invites Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins inside for a talk, and the car rolls out of there.

Rey Mysterio, Cameron Grimes and Sheamus all cut short promos about being in the second Fatal 4-Way next week. But in the actual arena, LA Knight talks to the fans live, getting a huge reaction and making it clear he’s going to win that match next Friday.

Bianca Belair def. Asuka by DQ in a WWE Women’s Championship match; Asuka retains

The bell hasn’t even rung before Bayley and IYO SKY make their way down to the first row of the crowd, with Bayley proudly displaying the tickets that mean they belong there. Flair has her own ticket and marches down in the same direction.

It should come as no surprise that when the action moves to the floor, with Bianca hitting a KOD on the announce table, both Bayley and Flair get involved. SKY sends Flair into the ringpost, and when Charlotte tries to get some payback with a spear, she hits Bianca instead.

SKY clobbers Charlotte from behind with the briefcase, and it looks like Damage CTRL wants to cash the briefcase in. Asuka hits Bayley with the mist to the face, however, and hightails it out of there since IYO never officially cashed in. So close for IYO, but not this week,

WWE SmackDown preview 07/14/23: Is Bianca Belair ready for Asuka?

We’ll also see what’s next for Jey Uso after he promised to be “judge, jury and executioner” for the Bloodline last week on WWE SmackDown.

Bianca Belair is about to get the opportunity she’s been stumping for ever since losing her championship tonight on WWE SmackDown from Raleigh — but that doesn’t mean it’s going to go the way she hoped.

One issue is that she imply might not beat Asuka, who has the WWE Women’s Championship and isn’t going to let it go easily. The Empress of Tomorrow has proven as crafty as ever during her current title run, mixing in-ring prowess with mind games.

But on top of that, there are others swirling around the title situation as well, and they might not sit back and just let Asuka and Belair find out who’s the better wrestler. One is IYO SKY, who is a threat to cash in her Money in the Bank contract at any time.

The other is Charlotte Flair, who’s made it known she has no intention of waiting in line for a championship opportunity. It feels like we’re headed toward a triple threat match at SummerSlam, and tonight’s SmackDown may clear things up on that front.

Also, what would a SmackDown be at the moment without the latest in the ongoing saga of the Bloodline? Jey Uso didn’t take kindly to seeing brother Jimmy take an ambulance ride last week, returning with a steel chair and taking his anger out on Solo Sikoa.

(Who, yes, is also his brother, but hey.)

There are almost certain to be repercussions coming Jey’s way, but what they might be, only the Tribal Chief knows for sure. We’ll see what Roman Reigns has in mind for his former right hand man tonight.

As always, the action kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Tune in then or join us here at Wrestling Junkie for live SmackDown updates from Raleigh as it sounds like a fun show.

WWE SmackDown results 07/07/23: Jey, Roman on collision course

Jimmy Uso ended up in an ambulance Friday night at MSG, but Jey Uso ended SmackDown with a clear message for Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns remains the Tribal Chief, but that doesn’t mean everything is settled between him and the other past and present members of the Bloodline.

Friday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Reigns did what he does best. While he appeared to accept the loss in the Bloodline Civil War in stride, it was just a ploy to be able to go low (literally) on The Usos and open the door for an attack.

When he and Solo Sikoa were done, Jimmy Uso was on his way to a medical facility in the back of an ambulance.

But that wasn’t the end of this chapter on SmackDown.

Jey Uso returned as Reigns was trying to get MSG to acknowledge him properly in the final segment, doling out justice to Sikoa with a steel chair. Calling himself the “judge, jury and executioner,” Jey made it clear he wants a piece of Roman by any means necessary.

SummerSlam, anyone?

Here’s everything that happened Friday night at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

WWE SmackDown results from New York City:

  • Despite Reigns making it clear he wasn’t feeling a Tribal Court since he didn’t order it, The Usos held one anyway, complete with video evidence; that led to Roman pretending to see the error of his ways before hitting a low blow on Jey, and amidst the chaos that ensued, Jimmy got splashed through the announce table and ended up on his ambulance ride
  • Austin Theory def. Sheamus by pinfall to retain the WWE United States Championship – this match also involved Pretty Deadly and the other Brawling Brutes, with Theory winning in the end by taking a shortcut, as he is wont to do
  • Edge appears as the guest on The Grayson Waller Effect and teases a retirement announcement … but of course he’s not retiring and has arranged for a match tonight against Waller
  • AJ Styles def. Karrion Kross by pinfall
  • Asuka wants to cut a promo but is interrupted by Bianca Belair, then Charlotte Flair; while they are brawling, IYO SKY gets help from Bayley to potentially cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase, but Belair and Flair prevent that and Asuka manages to make it to safety
  • Edge def. Grayson Waller by pinfall
  • Reigns makes his attempt at a return to normalcy, but Jey comes through the crowd with a chair, gets some payback on Solo, and delivers his warning to Roman who has fled before getting what’s coming to him

WWE SmackDown results 06/30/23: Bloodline members throw hands ahead of MITB

The stars of WWE get their final say the night before Money in the Bank.

WWE SmackDown rolls into London tonight, with only 24 hours to go before Money in the Bank.

OK, not really tonight, and definitely not live in North America, because time zones. But you get the drift.

Because talent is already in town for Money in the Bank, we’ll see big names on this edition of SmackDown. Roman Reigns, for one, and the Tribal Chief will not be in a good mood ahead of the Bloodline Civil War.

Logan Paul is also scheduled to appear as a guest on The Grayson Waller Effect. And lord only knows what will happen when those two share the ring together.

Oh, and we’ve got a pair of title matches as well. Hard to beat that for tape-delayed TV.

It looks like an insanely packed house for this show, so let’s get right to it.

WWE SmackDown results from London:

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Pretty Deadly by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship

Almost completely forgot that this is a home game for Pretty Deadly. That should help them stay competitive even if it would be a big surprise if they won the titles.

KO sells damage to his left leg, giving the challengers somewhere to focus their attack. He eats several signature moves in a row but manages to kick out each time.

Alas, all it takes is one big flurry from the champs to turn the tide and retain their gold.

The Brawling Brutes want some payback against Solo Sikoa, but Adam Pearce says he’s got other business tonight. Instead, Ridge Holland has a match against Austin Theory, and if he wins it, will be “firmly in contention” for the United States Championship.

Austin Theory def. Ridge Holland by pinfall

The announcers doing some nice work putting over Holland. Meanwhile, we had sort of forgotten about Theory, which is no diss to him but merely an observation about how out of sight, out of mind he’s been lately. But he wins here, so sorry about that, Ridge.

Perhaps teasing a program, Theory tries to beat up on Holland after his victory and is chased away by a Brogue Kick from Sheamus.

Karrion Kross brags that he beat AJ Styles in only three moves in a game of chess and challenges him to a match next week.

A video package replays some of the recent twists and turns in the Bloodline saga.

Bayley def. Shotzi by pinfall to retain her spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match is on the line

There’s a quick review of how we got here, meaning how IYO SKY “helped” Bayley by accepting Shotzi’s challenge on her behalf. SKY actually provides some real help early during the match, putting Bayley’s foot on the ropes to help Bayley escape a pin, and a Rose Plant shortly after secures a victory for the Role Model. Not sure what the point of this was, but here we are.

Shotzi storms backstage and says she isn’t done with Bayley but ends up getting thrashed by Damage CTRL and also has some of her hair cut off.

Logan Paul is welcomed as the guest on The Grayson Waller Effect. After he boasts a little about what he might do after winning the briefcase, he’s joined unexpectedly by LA Knight … who kind of cuts a face promo.

Paul disses Knight by saying he was supposed to be a manager in WWE after a 20-year career, but LA gets the fans on his side. Santos Escobar joins the fun as well, followed by Butch, who quickly turns this conversation into violence.

Paul and Butch end up brawling over the announce table into a commercial break.

It turns into a match during said break …

Butch def. LA Knight and Santos Escobar by pinning Escobar

Paul isn’t competing in this one but is hanging around ringside to keep a close eye on it. He gets in Knight’s face when the battle goes to the outside, but soon pays for it thanks to Escobar.

Alas, Santos is pinned shortly after by Butch. After the match, Paul takes out Knight but is thrown from the ring in turn by Butch, who does the climb the ladder and pose with the briefcase thing.

Styles accepts Kross’ challenge and says Michin will keep Scarlett on her leash if Karrion does not.

Asuka def. Charlotte Flair by DQ to retain the WWE Women’s Championship after she is attacked by Bianca Belair

There’s a very interested onlooker in the front row: Bianca Belair, who appears to have purchased a front row ticket since Pearce told her to stay away.

Charlotte mostly misses a moonsault to the floor but lands just fine, but her running boot to Asuka ends up smashing into Belair when the champ moves. Bianca decides to attack Asuka, which means that Flair loses due to disqualification.

An angry Flair confronts Belair, who then smashes Charlotte in the face as well. Asuka ends up getting the KOD onto the announce table, so she probably should have just left well enough alone, and Flair soon joins her. Ouch.

The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, heads to the ring with Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. Reigns says “we ain’t the ones, I’m the one, I’m the only one.” He clarifies by saying he’s the only one who loves The Usos and allowed them into the promised land.

When the fans start chanting that he sucks, Reigns says no, it’s family who betrays you who suck. Roman says he’ll give his cousins an unlimited number of chances after screwing up, but they need to come out, bow down and acknowledge him so they can all move on.

Jimmy and Jey come out and are incredulous that Roman thinks they want to get back in. Now it’s all about consequences: What happens if Reigns loses? Jey says when Roman loses, he’s the only one out.

The Usos also suggest that Solo would make a great next Tribal Chief. That appears to throw Reigns just a tad, and he gets in the face of Jey on the apron. A superkick is the answer, and now all four men are brawling.

Pearce and a host of officials try to separate the warring Bloodline members, but Reigns is able to land a Superman punch and Jey ends up flying out to the floor as the show fades out for tonight.

WWE SmackDown results: The Usos deliver a message to Solo, Roman

See what’s going down in the Bloodline saga and who wins the women’s tag team title unification match on WWE SmackDown.

Perhaps this was inevitable, as Thanos might say. Even with the family bonds between The Bloodline, it was always likely the WWE wasn’t big enough for all of their ambitions. Now, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa are preparing to do physical battle with The Usos at Money in the Bank, and before that, it appears all four men will be in the house for WWE SmackDown tonight.

Bloodline Civil War? We’d say so.

The Bloodline segments have been the biggest draws on SmackDown for some time, and there’s no reason to think anything will change for tonight’s show from Lafayette, Louisiana.

That’s not to say there’s nothing else of interest on the schedule for this particular June Friday. The women’s tag team titles will be unified as Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler (the WWE champs) take on Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (who still hold the NXT titles despite their recent call-up). Shotzi will attempt to get into the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match if she can knock off Bayley, whose spot in said match is on the line — or at least that was the plan, because that match is no longer listed on WWE’s official site as of the time of this post.

But heck, it’s OK if there is a little bit of mystery for this SmackDown, because people would tune in to see what’s going on with the Bloodline alone. The whole second hour could be drama with the Tribal Chief and his subjects and it would do big ratings.

(Note to Vince McMahon in case you’re reading this: Please don’t actually do this, we’re exaggerating for effect.)

Let’s dive right in, because we hear The Usos’ music …

WWE SmackDown results from Lafayette:

  • The Usos come to the ring to a huge ovation from the crowd, and explain that they still love Roman Reigns but that he messed up by disrespecting them; they also call Paul Heyman the biggest snake of them all and remind everyone that they’re the best tag team in the game, with plans on taking it back to the Uso Penitentiary mind set in London

  • LA Knight def. Rey Mysterio by pinfall, though Santos Escobar hustles down to keep him from unmasking or beating down Rey after the bell
  • Solo Sikoa nails Ridge Holland with a Samoan Spike backstage and says he’s not in the mood tonight; Heyman makes a phone call to Reigns
  • Sheamus tells Adam Pearce to “give me Solo now,” but AP has sent for Heyman and says he’ll handle it; Sheamus does the opposite and briefly pops out on stage to call for Sikoa to meet him in the ring tonight
  • Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler def. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn by pinfall to become the new Unified WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions; Rousey calls out Raquel Rodriguez afterward, who was watching the match from ringside, and Raquel says “we” want a rematch for the titles we never lost — meaning her and the returning Liv Morgan

  • Yes boy! The Grayson Waller Effect welcomes Pretty Deadly, who don’t feel like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are giving them the proper respect; they also get a visit from the Street Profits, who are anxious to introduce them to the smoke
  • Pretty Deadly def. Street Profits by pinfall, cheating a bit to do so
  • Charlotte Flair def. Lacey Evans by submission, but gets attacked by Asuka right after the bell
  • Pearce summons Bianca Belair to discuss the Flair-Asuka title match and says she’ll be barred from ringside, but she doesn’t seem to trust that he’ll be true to his word and give her the chance to challenge the winner
  • Solo Sikoa def. Sheamus by referee stoppage, then fights off officials who come to check on the Celtic Warrior; The Usos come to the ring to attack Sikoa, however, delivering a series of superkicks that leave Heyman’s mouth open in astonishment before they also hit an Uso Splash

WWE SmackDown results: The Usos stand together, fracturing Bloodline for good

This week’s WWE SmackDown from Lexington had a finale that left The Bloodline changed forever.

By the end of tonight’s WWE SmackDown in Lexington, we might know a lot more about what The Bloodline will look like going forward.

Though the drama within the group has been simmering for weeks, last Friday saw it inch closer to the point of no return. After being buttered up all night by Paul Heyman, Jey Uso had a title opportunity that slipped through his fingers, due in part to attempted assistance by Jimmy Uso that backfired.

(Which, you know, wrestling. These things happen.)

Jey left his brother hanging as he was obviously upset, but he didn’t commit to joining the other side of this divide. That’s the one headed up by Roman Reigns, a.ka. the Tribal Chief. Will Jey really turn his back on his twin and stand with Reigns and his other brother, Solo Sikoa? Reigns will be in the house tonight, likely demanding an answer.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have left the Bloodline drama pretty much behind them, but while they have been occupied with a new beef with Imperium, they also need proper No. 1 contenders to their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. They’ll get those in Lexington thanks to a Gauntlet match where five teams will compete for a title opportunity.

Charlotte Flair made return just a week ago, and she’s already made it clear she plans to reassume her spot atop the women’s division. She’ll be the guest tonight on The Grayson Waller Effect, and while we’re not saying for sure that hijinks will ensue, there seems like a high likelihood of that.

WWE SmackDown results from Lexington:

  • Kayla Braxton asks for an update on where Jey Uso stands within The Bloodline, but Paul Heyman looks irritated and blows her off

  • Pretty Deadly wins a Gauntlet match to become the No. 1 contenders for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, def. Brawling Brutes by pinfall after the Brutes had def. the Street Profits, The O.C., The LWO and Hit Row (in a matter of seconds) by pinfall
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come to the ramp to confront Pretty Deadly, who promise to celebrate “even longer” after winning the tag team titles, but when Sami gives an irritated KO permission to run down to the ring to beat them up, they find the heel duo has fled

  • Roman Reigns tells Heyman he hasn’t spoken to Jey Uso and that Jey should have reached out to him, then orders Heyman to talk to Jey … NOW

  • Zelina Vega def. IYO SKY after SKY got upset with Bayley’s attempted assistance and was distracted while arguing with her teammate
  • Bianca Belair confronts Adam Pearce about the rematch he promised her, but she’s not willing to wait patiently for him to come through on it since Charlotte Flair seems to have jumped the line
  • Shotzi finds Damage CTRL still squabbling and challenges Bayley for her spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder match, and SKY slyly accepts on Bayley’s behalf

  • The Grayson Waller welcomes a “living legend,” Charlotte Flair, but they are soon joined by Belair, who airs her grievances about not getting her rematch and accuses the Queen of “running away” for three months; Flair takes exception to that, but Belair says she’ll be waiting for the Charlotte-Asuka winner to call her own shot and take her title back
  • Heyman finds Jey Uso and insists that Jimmy intended to kick him last week due to jealousy, but Jey reiterates that if he’s in the Bloodline, Paul is still out
  • Karrion Kross and Scarlett def. AJ Styles and Michin by pinfall
  • Solo Sikoa asks Reigns if he needs to handle the situation since Heyman clearly failed, but Roman says there’s still plenty of time
  • Cameron Grimes gets jumped backstage by Baron Corbin

  • Rey Mysterio says of all his accomplishments, one he is especially proud of is reforming the LWO, and he feels like teammate Santos Escobar can become the new Mr. Money in the Bank; Escobar thanks Mysterio but is soon confronted by LA Knight, who starts some beef ahead of a match with Escobar
  • Santos Escobar def. LA Knight by pinfall; Knight tries to get in more shots after the bell but is chased away by Mysterio
  • Jey runs into Sami on his way to the ring, but Zayn simply nods to him before moving on
  • “I know what they want. They want answers, Jey. So what’s it gonna be: Are you in, or are you out?” Jey turns the question back around on Roman by saying it’s either him or Heyman, to which Reigns claims they’ve been grooming Jey to be the next Tribal Chief for three years … but his time to lead is just not yet …

  • … but when Jimmy comes out to tell Jey Roman is using him, Reigns is able to drive a wedge further between them … or so it seems until Jey says Jimmy is out and he’s out too; the Usos dish out superkicks to Reigns and Sikoa, ending the show with a double superkick to Roman and lifting their 1s in the air

WWE SmackDown results, live blog 06/09/23: Jey Uso, on the spot

WWE SmackDown from Des Moines is slated for the latest chapter in the ongoing Bloodline drama that has gripped fans for more than a year.

For most of the Bloodline saga, Jimmy Uso has been a supporting cast member while the juiciest subplots swirled around Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and even Solo Sikoa. That’s changed in recent weeks and directly affects what is going to go down on WWE SmackDown tonight in Des Moines.

As the group has started to unravel in earnest over the last month or so, it’s been Jimmy, not Jey, who has been most emphatic that something about Reigns’ leadership has to change. Oh yeah, there was also that small bit about blasting the Tribal Chief in the face with a superkick, that probably didn’t help.

But while The Usos tried to broker some kind of peace last week, Reigns turned them down. He also made it very clear that he expects Jey Uso to get his twin brother back in the fold. Can he do that? More importantly, does he even want to? The pressure just keeps flipping back and forth between The Usos as this story progresses.

Elsewhere, it’s time for Money in the Bank qualifying matches to really kick it into high gear. A total of three men and three women have already punched their proverbial tickets for the Ladder matches in London, but that leaves three spots each still to be filled. SmackDown will take care of four more, two each for the men and women, thanks to four qualifiers in Des Moines.

Finally, WWE has added a new twist to one of its sillier talking points from the last few weeks: the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champions serving on the “wrong” shows. But Asuka is supposedly being presented with “a WWE Women’s Championship” tonight, meaning the light at the end of this nonsensical tunnel might be in sight.

WWE SmackDown results from Des Moines:

  • Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman are IMMEDIATELY interrupted by Jey Uso, who is told the whole situation is Jimmy’s fault because he is jealous of Jey’s destiny as a singles champ and future Tribal Chief; Jey says he will take Heyman up on an offer to challenge for the United States Championship but keeps him hanging on the question of whether he will stand with the Bloodline

  • Santos Escobar def. Mustafa Ali by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, with LA Knight watching on guest commentary
  • “You listen to what’s in your heart, not what’s being put into your ear.” Sami Zayn gives an impassioned speech to Jey about how the Tribal Chief side of Reigns causes so many problems and that he hopes Jey can see the consequences of pursuing that for himself
  • NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn come to the ring and are quickly interrupted by Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, who challenge them for a title unification match and get a quick and violent acceptance

  • A tribute video package is shown to honor The Iron Sheik, who died this week
  • Bayley def. Michin by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, irritating AJ Styles who was on guest commentary; Scarlett approached Styles after the match and sprayed him with red dust in the face, allowing Karrion Kross to apply the Kross Jacket from the first row of the crowd

  • Bianca Belair wants another piece of Asuka, but Adam Pearce asks her not to attack the champ tonight, and she agrees since Pearce says she’s in line for a rematch
  • The O.C. promises an angry and blinded Styles that they will make Kross and Scarlett pay
  • Asuka hands over her Raw Women’s Championship and receives the new WWE Women’s Championship … and she is confronted not by Belair, but by Charlotte Flair, who makes a challenge for the title that is quickly accepted; Asuka tries to hit Flair with the mist, but Charlotte is too quick for her

  • Heyman visits Jey to promise him a ride on Reigns’ private jet to Money in the Bank and a title celebration with Roman next week — and a public acknowledgement of Reigns grooming Jey to be the next Tribal Chief; Jey tells Paul if he’s in the Bloodline, it means Heyman is out
  • Pearce is on the phone with Vince Triple H, probably, when an angry Belair shows up
  • Butch def. Baron Corbin by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, with Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes watching from the crowd and distracting Corbin somewhat; Corbin, Williams and Hayes get into a post-match scrap and have to be separated by referees and security
  • Butch celebrates his win with the Brawling Brutes, while Corbin gets attacked by Cameron Grimes
  • IYO SKY def. Shotzi by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match, with an assist from Bayley
  • Austin Theory is upset about being the last person to find out about his title defense against Jey Uso, but he promises to send Jey back to the Bloodline like the failure he is; Theory also invites Heyman to check out Austin Theory Live if he needs a new client after next week
  • Kevin Owens talks to Zayn about his discussion with Jey, then the champs get a visit from Pretty Deadly, the Brawling Brutes, the Good Brothers and the Street Profits, infuriating KO and leaving Pearce with little option but to say they can settle the question of who should be No. 1 contenders in a Gauntlet match next week

  • A short vignette promotes The Grayson Waller Effect and informs us that Charlotte Flair will be his guest next week
  • Austin Theory def. Jey Uso by pinfall to retain the WWE United States Championship match, in a match that also saw Pretty Deadly, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa get involved and Jimmy accidentally superkick Jey
  • With Solo and Heyman watching from the aisle, Jey shoves Jimmy and rolls out of the ring; Heyman says “I’m sorry” and calls Reigns, but the show ends without Jey making a decision

WWE SmackDown results 06/02/23: Solo picks Tribal Chief over brothers … for now

See if the Bloodline held together long enough to celebrate 1,000 days of Roman Reigns as Universal Champion on WWE SmackDown.

Tonight should be a joyous occasion for Roman Reigns. With WWE promoting a celebration of his 1,000 days (and counting) as Universal Champion, it should be a time for the Tribal Chief to take a well-deserved victory lap, secure in his dominance.

And it would be … if everything was alright with The Bloodline. Instead, it’s the exact opposite, as things have arguably never been more turbulent. After being pushed past their limits by Roman’s gaslighting, The Usos erupted into the family stable version of open revolt, with Jimmy, not Jey, as the ringleader.

There’s almost zero chance The Usos will be beside Reigns tonight, leaving him with just Solo Sikoa as the loyal but silent lieutenant, and his wise man, Paul Heyman. That makes you wonder if Reigns will be in any mood to appreciate his accomplishments, even if WWE gives him a shiny new belt to mark the occasion.

What else is on tap for Wilkes-Barre? Oh not much, just qualifying for the potentially career-altering experience called Money in the Bank. So far two men are in and zero women, but we’re going to increase those numbers tonight. Montez Ford will take on LA Knight (kind of a shame since both men deserve to be in the Ladder match), while Zelina Vega goes up against Lacey Evans.

With a few other surprises bound to be part of the show as well, it should be a fun two hours.

WWE SmackDown results from Wilkes-Barre:

  • Austin Theory claims he’ll have a 1,000-day celebration and more since he’s probably going to be United States Champion forever; he also brings out Pretty Deadly, who says they were glad to take care of the Brawling Brutes and won’t mind doing it again
  • Austin Theory and Pretty Deadly def. Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch and Ridge Holland) by pinfall
  • A video package replays the problems in the Bloodline that erupted at Night of Champions
  • Paul Heyman tells Solo Sikoa that they need to make the night special for the Tribal Chief, especially after what just happened, and says he’s going to talk to Adam Pearce to ensure the Usos go nowhere near the celebration tonight
  • The O.C. wishes AJ Styles a happy birthday, and the Good Brothers say they’ll take out Hit Row tonight
  • Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows def. Hit Row by pinfall, Styles gives Top Dolla a Phenomenal Forearm, and Michael Cole makes some poor efforts at rapping
  • Pearce tells Heyman the Usos have been told they aren’t needed tonight and that he’s doubled security to keep them out
  • Raw Women’s Champion Asuka drops by The Grayson Waller Effect, but IYO SKY pays a visit as well, followed by Bayley, Shotzi, Lacey Evans and Zelina Vega; when Asuka tries slipping away, Bianca Belair shows up and they brawl until officials can separate them
  • Cameron Grimes tells Pearce that the next time Baron Corbin shows his face on SmackDown, he’ll handle it
  • Zelina Vega def. Lacey Evans by pinfall in a Money in the Bank qualifying match
  • The LWO is fired up by Vega’s win, and Santos Escobar says he’s going to win his qualifier next week too
  • LA Knight def. Montez Ford by pinfall (grabbing the ropes to ensure he gets the three count) in a Money in the Bank qualifying match
  • A spooky vignette promotes the “Unholy Union” of Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre
  • Triple H gives Reigns an introduction comparing him to athletes who redefined domination of their respective sports, then presents him with a brand new (very gold) Undisputed WWE Universal Championship title belt …

  • … but his speech is quickly interrupted by The Usos, with Jimmy Uso saying he did what he did because he’s being a good brother, and after Solo Sikoa stands with his brothers, Jey tries to broker peace; Jimmy makes a plea to reunite the family, but even after a hug, Reigns says no, and Sikoa hits Jimmy with a Samoan Spike and walks out with Roman

WWE Night of Champions: Top takeaways include Roman Reigns still closing the show

The top WWE Night of Champions takeaways include a new World champ, a surprise Raw women’s title change, and turmoil within the Bloodline.

The 2023 edition of Night of Champions turned into a night of change, as two new champions were crowned and a family was torn apart.

Here are my takeaways from Saturday’s event.

Jimmy Uso says “Enough is ENOUGH!”

Guys, Jimmy Uso is in so much trouble.

Not only did he embarrass Roman Reigns, he did so by superkicking the Tribal Chief — not once but twice.

The superkicks were preceded by Jimmy and his brother Jey mistakenly superkicking Solo Sikoa during the tag team title match against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.

Reigns saw this and basically disowned his cousins as a result. That was enough for Jimmy Uso to kick the daylights out of him … twice.

Jey Uso witnessed his brother’s defiant act, and was once again asking, “Why you do that?” It was very reminiscent of the scene that played out back at the Royal Rumble, when Zayn hit Reigns in the back with a steel chair.

Speaking of Zayn, he and Owens took advantage of the Bloodline family strife to pick up the win and retain their titles.

Obviously, this makes things pretty complicated within the Bloodline. As much as Jimmy Uso seemed dead set on leaving the group, Jey Uso still seems very reluctant. Will Sikoa have feelings about this? Will he begin to defy the Head of the Table?

Regardless, it will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

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Seth Rollins is your new World Heavyweight Champion

Yes, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles were vying for a consolation prize known as the World Heavyweight Championship. But at least the fans could look forward to watching them do what they do best: Tear the house down.

On Saturday afternoon, they did just that.

Great match aside, though, it is hard for me to be fully invested in what happens with this title. I am happy that Rollins won and is the first champion of this particular chapter in the title’s lineage, but it feels hollow in some ways when you know it is not the top prize. To make a sports comparison, it felt like Rollins won the NFC East. No, not the NFC. The NFC East. The champion of the NFC gets to challenge for the ultimate prize two weeks later. The champion of the NFC East, or any of the NFL’s divisions, do not.

This feels more like a division title because it is nice, and you get a hat and a t-shirt (or in this case a nice-looking belt), but everyone knows there’s more to accomplish. Unfortunately for Rollins, he will have to work extremely hard to make me — and many others — feel differently.

Roman Reigns STILL closes the show

In case you needed any more evidence as to who the real world champion in WWE is, look no further than Night of Champions, when the World Heavyweight title match opened the show, but the “Undisputed” champion still ended the show … in a tag team title match, no less.

Cody Rhodes passed out, but doesn’t tap out

The story coming into the match was that Cody Rhodes was going to face Brock Lesnar with a broken arm, which sounds wild but it kind of fits Rhodes given he wrestled with a torn bicep last year.

As far as we know, this is just a storyline injury, and it played into the finish Saturday when Rhodes passed out from the pain while Lesnar had a kimura on the broken arm.

Rhodes gave it his all — he even hit the Cross Rhodes three times — but the pain eventually became too much to bear, and instead of tapping out, Rhodes passed out.

For what this was, it was well done. Passing out instead of tapping probably won’t have the same impact for Rhodes as it did for Steve Austin back in 1997, but I really liked that WWE went back to that particular well in this story.

Also, because Lesnar won, we’re going to get a third match in this rivalry, and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to it.

[lawrence-related id=30675]

Asuka dethrones Bianca Belair

In a bit of a surprise outcome, Asuka defeated Bianca Belair Saturday to become the new Raw Women’s Champion. Belair’s historic reign ends at 416 days.

I am not totally surprised that Bianca lost the title at this point, but I am surprised that it came after a pretty lackluster story.

The match itself was pretty good considering the fans in Saudi Arabia didn’t seem to be all that interested in this match — or any other women’s match for that matter, which is an entirely different discussion.

I thought the finish was pretty unique with Asuka spitting the mist on her hand so she could just smear the mist on Belair’s face instead of spitting it, which she missed earlier in the match.

Belair sold it like her eyes were melting out of her head, which allowed Asuka to kick her in the head twice to become the new champion.

It will be interesting to see where this narrative goes, as it feels like an unfinished story, and Belair is entitled to a rematch.

Zoey Stark helps Trish Stratus pick up a win

On paper, Trish Stratus going against Becky Lynch is a dream match. In reality, it was kind of … meh. I don’t take joy in saying that because I believe Stratus and Lynch are capable of better.

But the biggest takeaway coming out of the match, for me, was Zoey Stark helping Stratus pick up the victory. Stark was stationed under the ring and put a swift hurting on Lynch while the referee wasn’t looking, which allowed Stratus to hit the Stratusfaction for the 1-2-3.

The match was a little underwhelming, but at the very least we got a new wrinkle in a story that sorely needed one. Pairing Stark up with Stratus is a positive on multiple fronts. First, it gives Stark the proverbial rub of being associated with a WWE Hall of Famer in Stratus. Stratus may not be in her prime, but there is still some cache to her name.

Second, it gives Lynch someone to beat up on when Stratus is not around. There’s definitely something to be said for that.