Tag: jimmy uso

WWE SmackDown preview 09/08/23: Main Event Jimmy Uso?

Also tonight on WWE SmackDown from Boston, Bayley gets some teammate help to face Shotzi and Charlotte Flair.

There’s only one Uso left on WWE SmackDown, and his name is Jimmy Uso.

With Jey off to Raw, Jimmy is holding it down on Friday nights. But his actions last week confused the heck out of many, including Solo Sikoa, so the question of where his loyalties lie is still an open one.

In the meantime, he certainly didn’t make any friends with AJ Styles by interfering in AJ’s match with Solo, so now they’re going to settle their differences in the most-time honored way, inside the ring in Boston. Keep an eye on whether Sikoa repays the “favor” Jimmy did him or simply wanders down to ringside with Paul Heyman to keep an eye on things.

(On a related note, might the person who was “traded” for Jey arrive on SmackDown tonight?)

There’s drama unfolding in the women’s division as well. Bayley is still being haunted by Shotzi, though it appeared the Role Model had the Ballsy Badass exactly where she wanted her last week until the arrival of Charlotte Flair to prevent the rest of Damage CTRL from lending a hand.

Bayley will have to face both Shotzi and Flair tonight in Boston, but at least she’ll have the WWE Women’s Champion, IYO SKY, as a partner. That’s about as good as it gets.

This feels like the type of show for which WWE may announce more matches or segments during the day on Friday, but for now it’s just these two. It’s possible that having some of the roster in India for Superstar Spectacle is affecting plans somewhat, but we’ll update this post with whatever else might be revealed ahead of the show.

Update: What do you know? We were right about WWE adding more matches as the day went on, as new tag team champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor of The Judgment Day will take on Butch and Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes.

SmackDown is live from TD Garden in Boston at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, and we’ll be bringing you live results and updates as it happens tonight.

WWE SmackDown results 09/01/23: John Cena is back, Jimmy Uso’s loyalties still in question

WWE SmackDown in Hershey ended without solid answers on where Jimmy Uso fits into the Bloodline going forward.

Are you a little bummed out because WWE is between big premium live events right now and Payback isn’t really floating your boat? Maybe you’re feeling a bit blah since the Bloodline hasn’t been appearing as often? If that’s the case, maybe a WWE SmackDown from the wrestler the company now seems to be officially pushing as the Greatest of All Time will help.

You’ve probably heard before now since WWE has been making a big deal of it, but John Cena will be on hand tonight from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. He hasn’t wrestled since SummerSlam, and probably won’t tonight, but the buzz is that he will be sticking around for a bit this time (and definitely will be taking part in the India show later this month).

Could Cena find himself in the middle of something that leads to a match — maybe even one this weekend at Payback? That’s one reason this show is worth watching.

Another is that the Bloodline saga seems like it might be roaring back to life after taking a brief break the last two weeks. Specifically, Jimmy Uso will be in the house to give his two cents on what’s been going through his head since Jey Uso gave his famous “Deuces, Uces!” line. It’s hard to see that not being interesting.

And the night wouldn’t be complete without a Megastar, so we’re getting one of those too. LA Knight is set to go one-on-one with The Miz tomorrow night at Payback, but both men will be in Hershey to get the final word before their match. Also they might throw hands, you never know.

Hit the trumpets, here we go.

WWE SmackDown results from Hershey:

(scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • John Cena’s return is interrupted by Jimmy Uso, and after they say what they think about each other, Cena ends up hitting Jimmy with an Attitude Adjustment
  • Grayson Waller and Austin Theory laugh about Cena and brag about how they’re about to beat Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar
  • Jimmy Uso threatens a poor staffer or intern or someone bckstage
  • Austin Theory and Grayson Waller def. Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar by pinfall
  • Adam Pearce dresses down Jimmy Uso for his behavior and apologizes to Michin as they were having a conversation first
  • AJ Styles agrees that the way Jimmy Uso disrespected Michin was not OK, even if the Good Brothers are less receptive
  • Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are coming for everything
  • Perhaps foreshadowing something, Lashley and the Profits are still on their way out and give Kevin Owns and Sami Zayn some mock applause on their way in
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde by pinfall
  • Styles steps to Jimmy Uso backstage, but then Solo Sikoa arrives to throw his muscle into the situation and floors AJ; Solo tells Jimmy he is only out of the Bloodline when he’s told he’s out, but Jimmy responds that no one can tell him what to do, and it looks like he’s out of there for the night
  •  A fired up Styles wants Sikoa tonight, and while the Good Brothers try to talk him out of it, he’s got his mind made up
  • The Miz and LA Knight go at each other pretty hard verbally, then end things with a bit of violence
  • Shotzi def. Bayley by pinfall, with an assist going to Charlotte Flair
  • A hype video is shown for the Seth Rollins-Shinsuke Nakamura title match at Payback
  • Solo Sikoa def. AJ Styles by pinfall, though Solo is in no mood to celebrate Jimmy Uso’s help, and Jimmy beats up on AJ to end the show

WWE SmackDown preview 09/01/23: John Cena returns, Jimmy Uso speaks

Hershey can also expect to see Jimmy Uso as the Bloodline saga cranks back up on WWE SmackDown this week.

There are sooooooo many “you can’t see me” puns we could make here, but we’re skipping all of them since we’re excited that John Cena is making his return to WWE SmackDown tonight in the home of chocolate, Hershey, Pa.

Cena quietly bowed back out to resume his film and TV career after losing to Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 back in the spring. He’s strictly a part-time attraction at this point given his Hollywood success — hey, he was in the most successful movie so far this year, “Barbie.”

But perhaps the most intriguing thing about this particular Cena appearance is that he’s already been promoted for WWE’s upcoming show in India and could be around for more than that. There’s even buzz about him being involved at Payback tomorrow night, so you’ll definitely want to be watching to see how he figures into SmackDown tonight.

Another superstar making a return, albeit from a much shorter absence, is Jimmy Uso. We’ve now had a break of several weeks (for several reasons) from the most recent plot advancement in the story of the Bloodline, which is unusual, to say the least. That ends in Hershey, as Jimmy Uso should have something to say about brother Jey giving the whole company the deuces and what else is going on with his family.

Oh yeah, this is a wrestling show, so there’s some of that as well. Grayson Waller tried his best to sow dissension between Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar, but so far he’s had no luck. Maybe he’ll have more luck with a more hands on approach, as he teams with Austin Theory to take on the two LWO teammates.

That and more should make this trip to Hershey a sweet one. We said we’d avoid Cena puns, not puns altogether. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET, and you can catch it as always in the U.S. on FOX.

Did Jey Uso just quit WWE?

Jey Uso leaving WWE is just a storyline, but wow is it a good one.

WWE SmackDown this Friday in Calgary was a show promoted with a segment that said it would explore the future of the Bloodline. Instead, it turned out to be one that saw one member say goodbye to everything.

Jey Uso had clearly had enough by the time he saw Roman Reigns offering his twin brother Jimmy anything he wanted in exchange for his assistance at SummerSlam, where he cost Jey a chance to win Tribal Combat. He demanded an explanation, and the one Jimmy gave was a doozy.

Jimmy claims he attacked Jey not out of jealousy, but out of love and fear — the fear being that if Jey became Tribal Chief, he’d be corrupted by the power just like Roman was. Jey seemed to accept that, passing up on a chance to superkick his twin when it was offered to him.

But after Jimmy left the ring, Jey ended up in a scuffle with the rest of the Bloodline, superkicking both Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Even after it looked like the Tribal Chief had gained the upper hand, Jey laid him out with a superkick and a spear.

Jey called for Jimmy to wait for him on the ramp … then superkicked him as well. Before SmackDown went off the air, Jey turned to the camera and said he was out of the Bloodline, SmackDown and WWE.

Has Jey Uso really quit WWE? Uh, probably not. This is almost certainly another twist in the ever engrossing Bloodline saga, one that Paul Heyman estimated was only in the “bottom of the third” when asked what inning it was in after SummerSlam.

But it’s certainly got everyone’s attention, and now Jey can capitalize on that by laying low for a few weeks. When he returns, he’s likely going to be even more popular than he is right now. And that’s the true genius of this story, once again.

WWE SmackDown preview 08/11/23: Jimmy Uso has some explaining to do

Also on WWE SmackDown tonight, Santos Escobar attempts to win the United States Championship from Austin Theory.

In retrospect, maybe we shouldn’t have been that surprised when Jimmy Uso turned on his own twin brother at SummerSlam. After all, if there’s any place where family members routinely stab each other in the back in the most dramatic ways, it’s pro wrestling.

Still, it was shocking in the moment at Ford Field in Detroit, and now what’s left is the repercussions. Some of those will surely be felt tonight on WWE SmackDown in Calgary.

WWE is promoting a segment that promises to tell us what’s next for The Bloodline. We know Roman Reigns is scheduled to be there and is still Tribal Chief. Jimmy Uso will hopefully tell the world why he did what he did. And Jey Uso is unlikely to just sit back and accept it all peacefully.

While that segment is guaranteed to be the big draw, there’s plenty more in store for Calgary. Asuka and Charlotte Flair, neither of whom left Detroit as champion, will nevertheless renew their rivalry in the ring. Santos Escobar will get his shot at Austin Theory and the United States Championship. And AJ Styles will take on the man who continues to hound him at every turn, Karrion Kross.

Where’s that leave us? Just sitting back and taking it all in, just like the rest of you. The action kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on FOX here in the U.S., and we’re told on Sportsnet in Canada. We’ll also have live SmackDown results and updates here on Wrestling Junkie during the show because we’re nice like that.

WWE SummerSlam 2023: Top takeaways from all the happenings in Detroit

SummerSlam was a good show that elevated several wrestlers, but did it live up to sky high expectations overall?

Fans having high expectations for an event is usually a good thing, as that means people are engaged with the product.

But in the case of SummerSlam, it turned out to be kind of a detriment for WWE.

On the surface, SummerSlam wasn’t a bad show. In fact, I think it was a pretty good one. A couple of years ago, that would have been good enough by WWE standards.

But the bar has been raised throughout 2023, making SummerSlam, at least for me, only a decent show that had potential to be a lot more.

As usual, I have takeaways from the night in Detroit.

Jimmy Uso betrays his own brother

I had a feeling that this could happen. I had a feeling it could go down like this. I didn’t really want to entertain the idea that Jimmy Uso could turn on Jey Uso. But when someone as integral to a story as Jimmy Uso goes missing, wrestling fans can assume that they will resurface during the ensuing major encounter. 

That is exactly what happened Saturday night, as Jimmy Uso thwarted his brother’s chances of defeating Roman Reigns by pulling him out of the ring during a pin attempt. After a shocking reveal, Jimmy Uso delivered a gut-wrenching superkick to his twin brother.

While it may be hard to believe for some that not one but two of Jey Uso’s blood brothers have turned on him in favor of their narcissistic yet insecure cousin, it didn’t make it any less heartbreaking to see the Usos essentially break up after years of being one of the best tag teams in the world.

It is professional wrestling, though, which means they will surely reunite one day. But for now, it is just kind of sad.

So where do we go from here?

I can only assume this means we will see the Usos face each other in a one-on-one match at some point. Will WWE save that for next year’s WrestleMania? Time will tell, but it seems like the logical direction either way.

Where does Reigns go from here? In the immediate future, I honestly have no idea. Outside of Cody Rhodes, who we’ll discuss more in a little bit, I don’t see a long line of credible challengers for Reigns. 

Does that mean Reigns is in line for an extended break? Reigns has had a busy summer, so much so that you almost forget that he has essentially risen to the level of a part-time wrestler, and we may not see him for a while after this.

IYO SKY cashes in and cashes out

As I predicted earlier in the week, IYO SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and won the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.

I must admit, though, that my prediction had SKY cashing in on Charlotte moments into her 15th title reign. Instead, it was Bianca Belair who pulled off a triumphant victory, only for SKY to come down and rain on her parade.

Unlike Reigns, there are a slew of credible challengers for SKY to go up against. First on the list is Belair, who will probably enact an automatic rematch clause to set up their next encounter.

However, I feel like this will eventually lead to jealousy amongst Damage CTRL and eventually end with the group dissolving right before our very eyes.

Brock Lesnar endorses Cody Rhodes

Brock Lesnar has been involved with professional wrestling for more than 20 years, and I don’t think I have ever seen him put someone over the way he did for Rhodes Saturday night.

Not only did Rhodes defeat Lesnar clean as a sheet in the middle of the ring, Lesnar shook Rhodes’ hand, gave him a hug, and raised his arm after the match, essentially endorsing Rhodes as “that guy.”

Receiving such an endorsement from Lesnar of all people should mean a lot. And if WWE follows through on that, it should mean Rhodes is the person to dethrone Reigns. Right? Why else would you have Lesnar single him out like that? 

If that is the case, when does this happen? Is WWE pushing this all the way until WrestleMania? I guess it could happen, especially if Reigns takes an extended break. 

But what do you do with Rhodes in the meantime? He’s already slayed the biggest threat in the promotion outside of Reigns. Who else would pose a credible threat at this point?

Could we see that match before the end of 2023? I’m of the opinion that WWE should save a second match between Reigns and Rhodes for WrestleMania, but I also understand how that is easier said than done.

LA Knight has finally his moment

It may have occurred in a sponsored battle royal with virtually nothing at stake, but LA Knight finally had his moment to shine, winning said battle royal and getting a lot of love from the fans in Detroit in the process.

At this point, WWE needs to stop messing around and get fully on board with Knight being a potential top guy. It’s not often that WWE has someone on the roster as over as Knight currently is. And the times it has happened, the company has often been late to the party and failed to capitalize on the momentum.

Hopefully, that is not the case with Knight, who has earned at least a chance to show that he can run with the ball. He has to prove that he actually can in the long run, but he has definitely earned the opportunity.

A worked MMA match?

If there is one lesson I have taken away from my multiple decades of watching professional wrestling, it’s that simulating anything other than pro wrestling is usually a mistake.

Roddy Piper and Mr. T tried to put on a worked boxing match at WrestleMania 2, and it ended up being one of the worst matches in the event’s illustrious history.

Almost 20 years later, WWE put Big Show into a worked sumo match with sumo legend Akebono. That turned out to be an abomination as well.

With the rise of mixed martial arts, I should have known that it was only a matter of time until WWE tried to simulate an MMA fight. And no, not in the way of NXT’s Fight Pit or Raw/NXT Underground, or even Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Den matches, which still largely resembled professional wrestling contests.

This was Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler doing their best to make it seem like they were back in UFC, which unsurprisingly, did not turn out well.

If this is indeed the end of Rousey’s run with WWE, what an anticlimactic way to go out. Her run started out with so much promise. WWE immediately slotted her into big matches and into the main event of the biggest show of the year. The company basically promoted the one and only all-women’s pay-per-view around the fact that she was going to be on it.

But there she was Saturday night, being choked out by Baszler in the middle of Ford Field. 

In theory, this should be a springboard for Baszler to ascend to bigger and better things as a single. In reality, however, I’m not sure it will be. That is how far Rousey’s stock has fallen as of late.

Who’s to blame for that? Oh, there is plenty to go around. Regardless of who you place the blame upon, Rousey’s run in WWE was not the cash register the company was hoping it would be. It also didn’t make any real progress in putting women’s wrestling on equal footing with the men. 

To be fair, the latter is not Rousey’s fault, but it is just another aspect of a run that did not reach its full potential.

SummerSlam results: Brotherly betrayal — Jimmy Uso foils Jey Uso’s attempt to win Tribal Combat

Did Roman Reigns hold onto his championship and his role as Tribal Chief at WWE SummerSlam 2023?

The fans in Ford Field are on their feet for Jey Uso, who is bouncing around as he faces his potential date with destiny. In contrast, Roman Reigns is much, much more deliberate making his walk, as he always is. Jey is dressed in white and Roman in black, so it’s clear where the lines of good and evil are drawn. Paul Heyman accompanies Reigns, but Solo Sikoa is not with him.

Reigns gets a chance to speak before the ring intros, demanding that SummerSlam acknowledge him. The ring announcer reminds us this is Tribal Combat for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The fans immediately launch into a loud “Uso” chant before the bell rings.

Reigns talks to Uso before removing his ceremonial necklace and handing it to Heyman, and we are underway. Neither man is quick to make the first move, building up even more tension.

Reigns powers Uso back into a corner, then cracks a smile as Jey fights out. Some dueling chants are going for Roman, but the “Roman sucks” chant is louder.

A shoulder tackle sends Jey to the mat, and he takes his time before rushing back in. Uso grabs a side headlock but is sent right back to the canvas. Roman steps on Jey’s neck and flashes a sarcastic “We the Ones” pointer finger to the crowd.

Jey finally gets in some offense with a barrage of right hands. A kick to the chest and his theatrical uppercut send Reigns to the floor, where Uso finds him with a dive. Roman is sent careening into the steel steps, giving Jey time to plan his next move. The fans call for tables, emphatically, and Uso obliges by pulling one out from beneath the ring.

Heyman seems to be begging Jey not to use it, and Roman recovers and slams his cousin’s head off the steel steps. Back in the ring, Jey is introduced forcefully to the turnbuckles, and he is thrown back into them as he tries to leap out of danger.

Reigns shakes his head at the loud “Uso” chants that once again ring out. He heads around the side for his drive-by kick, then covers for two. Roman looks very much in control and the fans express their collective displeasure.

His delaying costs him, as Uso battles back with an enzuigiri. Uso tries another suicide dive but is met by a kendo stick, and more shots follow back between the ropes.

Roman talks to his cousin before lifting him back to his feet, but Jey strikes before the kendo stick can find him again. They battle in the corner, where Reigns simply overpowers Uso until Jey can roll free.

That gives Reigns time to look like he is communing with the elders, but he’s met with a flurry of kendo stick shots from Jey. With Roman knocked to the floor, Uso connects with a tope con hilo, a different look from him.

Jey rolls Roman back into the ring, but it’s the challenger who has to kick out as Reigns hammers him first. Reigns looks like he has designs on a spear, but Jey evades it and uses a schoolboy for a near fall. Another two count follows as the fans feel an upset potentially in the making.

Jey is close to the table on the floor but grabs a steel chair instead. Heyman again looks like he is bargaining with Jey, who smacks Roman in the back multiple times. The crowd asks for more, so Jey chucks a bunch of chairs into the ring.

Will it be a superplex into the pile of steel? Reigns tries to fight his way free only to be caught with an enzuigiri, but he wills his way forward and powerbombs Jey onto the chairs for a near fall.

It’s now Roman’s turn to dig under the ring, pulling out a second table and sliding it into the ring. It’s set up in one corner, but Jey is now teetering on the apron over the first table. He tries to springboard in but is caught with a big right hand.

Reigns points to the sky but Jey is ready for him. He hoists Roman up and falls back with a Samoan drop, crashing through the table on the floor. Both men are unsurprisingly slow to get moving after that fall.

While Reigns crawls away, Jey gets out a leather strap and snaps it twice across the champ, and the battle goes into the crowd. That’s where Sikoa finally emerges, beating an already weakened Jey and sending him through … something well out into the crowd.

Solo drags his brother by one arm as they gradually head back toward the ring. Sikoa rolls Jey into the ring as Roman orders a Spike from him. How about Spinning Solo instead?

They line Jey up for the combo Spike and Spear, but Jey moves and the Spear hits Sikoa. Jey tries to take advantage of the error but only gets a two count.

The fans believed that was it, but they also enjoy Reigns getting nailed with more chair shots. Jey drives the top of the chair repeatedly into his midsection as the crowd roars.

Jey stalks Roman again on the outside, but Solo is waiting with a superkick. Sikoa looks furious at Reigns, but their argument allows Jey to recover and spear Roman through the barricade.

Solo still wants to punish Jey, but his brother escapes and splashes him through the announce table. Back in the ring, Jey spears Roman and heads up top. He hits the splash but is pulled out of the cover by a masked and hooded figure … who reveals himself as Jimmy Uso.

Jey wears a look of anguished disbelief as his twin stands glaring at him and the fans toss an obscene chant in Jimmy’s direction. Jimmy throws Jey back in the ring, where Roman spears him through the corner table. Reigns covers for three and that’s that.

 

Updated WWE SummerSlam 2023 card: Two rematches announced

The first two matches announced for the WWE SummerSlam 2023 card are rematches of running feuds.

WWE will host SummerSlam 2023, its next premium live event, on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit. This event will be WWE’s biggest summer party, featuring a full match card of title bouts and feuds reaching their respective climaxes.

Monday night, after weeks of buildup, Brock Lesnar accepted Cody Rhodes‘ challenge for a match, making the first official bout of the SummerSlam card.

Rhodes had demanded a third match from Lesnar, who responded by suckering the American Nightmare into an attack with a steel chair. The Beast Incarnate then proceeded to deliver a massive beatdown in front of Rhodes’ family before finally accepting the challenge for SummerSlam.

Additionally, Ronda Rousey challenged Shayna Baszler to a SummerSlam match when she appeared in the crowd in Atlanta to call out her former friend. Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, it looks like the match will take place.

As for title matches, a Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will take place after their face-to-face on Raw. Given these two just faced off at Money in the Bank, perhaps a stipulation comes into play as SummerSlam nears. Otherwise, Damian Priest’s Money in the Bank contract looms large over this.

Although it has not been officially accepted yet, Jey Uso has posed a challenge to Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. This match has been building for months, if not years, since Sami Zayn’s defection and The Usos’ departure in 2023. To add fuel to the fire, Reigns attacked Jimmy Uso on SmackDown, making it almost certain that Jey vs. Reigns will headline SummerSlam to settle the score.

We’ll update this post if more matches are made official. For now, here’s what has been revealed for Ford Field next month.

Last update: July 21, 2023, 11:25 p.m. ET

WWE SummerSlam 2023 card:

  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso – Tribal Combat match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and the title of Tribal Chief
  • Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor – WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
  • Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair – Triple Threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

The Bloodline just might be the best storytelling WWE has ever produced

For three years now, The Bloodline story has made every little moment and detail matter. It has wasted none of our time.

Once upon a time, Bryan Danielson, then known as Daniel Bryan, stood in the middle of a ring on live television and called wrestling fans around the world “fickle.”

Truer words have never been spoken. And that fickle nature has often derailed various stories and even a wrestlers’ push to the top of the card — all because the fans became bored and turned on it.

But here we are, three years into The Bloodline story, and fans are still fully invested.

Sure, there have been fans here and there who were mad online and expressed how they were over the long-running story. Those cries grew even louder when Roman Reigns defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania.

But then you watch the July 7 edition of Smackdown, and you hear the fans in Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena, get swept up in every single moment of the Tribal Court of the Tribal Chief, and you can plainly see that there is nothing fickle about how these fans feel about this story. They are still very much with it.

How many stories in WWE history can say that? How many stories in the history of professional wrestling can that? 

How many people can say they were part of an angle that went strong for three years, with no dips in quality? The Bloodline can.

Sure, the New World Order lasted from 1996 until World Championship Wrestling closed its doors in 2001, and even had a brief run in 2002 in WWE, but the quality took a sharp turn in the wrong direction by 1998. And by 2002, the group was a mere shell of its former self.

Not The Bloodline. Not right now.

How many stories can have people frothing at the mouth for a segment that involves sending people to court?

Granted, Vince McMahon sent Steve Austin to jail multiple times in 1998 and ’99, but by 2001 we had been there and done that. At least that’s what Austin thought, which is why he wanted to turn heel and align himself with McMahon to begin with. Even he felt like it was getting a bit stale.

So far, The Bloodline has endured no such missteps. And those lack of mistakes have come as the group itself has shifted and changed over time – but not in a way where you would lose track of who is even in the group, which is how it was with the New World Order. Each addition or subtraction to The Bloodline has carried a lot of weight.

At first, you just had Reigns and Paul Heyman. But then Jey Uso fell in line. Not long after, Jimmy Uso fell in line. Eventually, The Bloodline took in Sami Zayn, which sparked its own arc that had fans yearning for Zayn to headline WrestleMania against Reigns.

At Clash at the Castle, Solo Sikoa made his main-roster debut. And with perfect timing, WWE began to unveil the cracks in the group’s seemingly impenetrable armor. 

Out the door went Zayn, and The Usos soon followed. And despite the group being down to only three members, the story is still as enthralling as it was at its full strength.

The only story that can stack up against this is Austin vs. McMahon, which had fans buying into the fact that the world champ could headline the pay-per-views against a middle-aged non-wrestler.

And while that story was basically a license to print money and made a massive cultural impact, the quality wasn’t always tremendous. For as many hits Austin and McMahon produced together, they produced some misses, too, most notable their infamous handshake at WrestleMania 17.

But for The Bloodline, I see no misses. If this story was an album, there would be no skips. From the matches to the segments that lead up to them, the drama and emotion that has been on display throughout these last three years is all worth reliving.

Everyone has played their part. Reigns has elevated his game to a degree some didn’t think he was capable of. His work as the Tribal Chief has made his work prior to the pandemic as “The Big Dog” feel like child’s play.

“The Big Dog” had no depth. It was a very one-dimensional character. What was his character? He was just good at what he did.

The Tribal Chief? Not only is he good at what he does, he’s the very best, which comes with an extremely toxic ego.

However, Reigns adds an extra layer of complexity by making the Tribal Chief highly insecure, and his ability to convey that confidence and fragility at the same time is sheer brilliance.

The Usos have never been hotter. They compel fans to empathize with them because a lot of people have been bullied and manipulated, and a lot of times, a close family member was the culprit.

Even Solo Sikoa has displayed his conflicted emotions at various points, which is saying something for someone whose main directive is to be as stoic as possible on television.

And then there’s Paul Heyman, who always conveys the importance and gravity of every situation. The look on his face when Reigns threw down his title belt this past Friday night was classic. And it only added to the moment of Reigns bending a knee before Jey Uso, which garnered a massive reaction from the fans.

The people have bought in hook, line, and sinker. Why? Because we believe everyone that is involved. We have met them. We have met a master manipulator with a fragile ego like Reigns. We’ve become fed up with our relatives like The Usos. We’ve also been Sikoa, who would love for everyone to just get along, but is still willing to do what he believes is best for the family – for now.

We even know someone like Heyman, who is so willing to kiss the ring of the person that would happily use the same hand to keep them in line if they saw fit.

The Bloodline story has made every little moment and detail matter. It has wasted none of our time. And while I was also wondering where they would go next after WrestleMania, WWE managed to keep me and many others invested.

And here we are, three years after Reigns returned to WWE after a pandemic-induced hiatus, he is set to defend his title against Jey Uso. Three years ago, that match would not have meant all that much.

Today it will be the most anticipated WWE match since WrestleMania. And those usually fickle wrestling fans will be there for every single moment.

It has been pro wrestling storytelling at its finest, and outside of Austin-McMahon, I don’t think anything else WWE has ever produced can measure up.

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.

[lawrence-related id=30697]

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.