Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins aren’t usually on WWE SmackDown. But they’re needed in Dallas tonight to solidify an important part of the WrestleMania picture.
As you may have heard, The Rock turned down Rhodes’ request for a singles match last week on this very show. But being the businessman that he is, he made a counteroffer, albeit it one that he and Roman Reigns made it clear that they expected an answer to in seven days’ time.
That sounds like something from an old timey movie, but we digress.
Since this is WrestleMania SZN pacing we’re talking about here, Rhodes and Seth Rollins took Monday on Raw to deliberate. The deal is this: a tag team match on night 1 of Mania pitting Rhodes and Rollins against Rock and Reigns. If the former team wins, Rhodes vs. Reigns on night 2 will be blissfully free of Bloodline interference, allowing Cody the chance to “this time we mean it” finish his story solo.
If they lose, then it’s all Bloodline, all the time during the rematch, with The Rock pretty much guaranteeing he’d interfere himself.
That sounds like it’s a no-brainer, as in they should take him up on the offer just to give Rhodes the best chance. But that’s also asking a lot from Seth, who has his own match against Drew McIntyre to consider.
Anyway, we should probably get an answer tonight, though The Rock also said he’ll be on SmackDown next week, so it could possibly get dragged out another seven days. There’s other fun stuff in store too, including an appearance from Logan Paul, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens taking on Grayson Waller and Austin Theory (and those two things might overlap, just saying) and Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross.
Let’s find out what this night has in store.
WWE SmackDown results from Dallas:
(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
- The cold open recaps The Rock and Roman Reigns’ counteroffer and the threat to “end your story tragically” if they don’t accept
- The Rock is shown getting out of a pickup truck and putting on a cowboy hat about two hours before the show, while Roman Reigns looks and laughs at the extra security following him at the behest of GM Nick Aldis; Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are also here
- Logan Paul unveils some Prime sponsorship with KSI, who ends up on the wrong side of a Randy Orton RKO
- Triple H shows off the Red Diamond Award WWE received from YouTube for having 100 million subscribers
- Randy Orton and Kevin Owens def. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller by pinfall, but both men are attacked by Paul after the bell and narrowly escape a brass knuckles attack
- Kayla Braxton talks to Bayley about Dakota Kai becoming the final member of Damage CTRL to turn on her, questioning if any of her time with the group was ever what it seemed; while Bayley admits that she’s done plenty of stuff for attention, she says much of it was done for the benefit of IYO SKY and Kai, and she also says they are underestimating her ability and drive to break them
- Bianca Belair and Naomi disagree about whether Bayley is someone to feel sorry for
- A ton of security is shown posted up outside the Bloodline dressing room
- Bobby Lashley def. Karrion Kross by DQ after an attack by the Authors of Pain that soon draws in the Street Profits and B-Fab; The Final Testament wins the brawl and Lashley is flattened by The Final Prayer
- Legado Del Fantasma mocks Dragon Lee and tries to bully him as well
- Tiffany Stratton def. Michin by pinfall
- AJ Styles cuts a taped promo laying out his issues with LA Knight (yeah!), who reacts angrily backstage
- Tyler Bate is busy playing WWE 2K24 but Pete Dunne looks unenthused, though he changes his mind and takes over the sticks once Bate leaves to check on the tag team title situation with Aldis
- Dragon Lee def. Angel by pinfall, but he takes a brief but hellacious beatdown by Legado Del Fantasma after the bell
- Damage CTRL mocks Bayley and says they’ll see her in the ring next wee
- Aldis is ticked at security when they find the locker room for Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins empty
- What will Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins tell The Bloodline? Well they accept the challenge, and Cody slaps The Rock right as the show goes off the air
Logan Paul is thinking Prime, while Randy Orton just sees a prime opportunity for payback
Addressing the crowd, Paul calls Dallas a city of firsts. He wrestled in his first WrestleMania there and also vows he’ll make more history there tonight.
Working right through the “what?” chants, Paul says everything he touches turns to gold and no one can garner attention like he does. Logan says he’s not talking about his podcast or even his wrestling matches, but WWE. He claims a lot of credit for helping the company to its recent string of huge successes, calling himself the “secret sauce.”
Paul makes a pun about prime and unveils the Prime energy drink logo, which he says will be center ring starting at WrestleMania for all premium live events. He summons his partner KSI to the ring and they prepare to pose for a pic.
Something needs to interrupt, and in this case that something is Randy Orton’s music. Paul senses the Viper coming but KSI is not so lucky, receiving an RKO that is very popular with the fans, especially after Orton drags his body across the Prime logo.
After taking a sip of the Prime KSI was carrying and declaring it “very good,” Orton pours it on his crotch so it looks like he wet himself. As one does.
Randy Orton and Kevin Owens team well together but have to watch out for Logan Paul
The announcers put over Theory and Waller, and particularly Theory, as a threat to our heroes. Waller doesn’t seem to want any part of Orton, which only makes KO want to tag him in more.
Orton backs Waller into the corner and wails away as the crowd counts along with his right hands. He saves one for Theory too, knocking the former U.S. champ off the apron.
The heels try a two-man assault, but Owens tags back in and goes to work on Theory. A rolling dropkick makes for a good rally by Theory, and Waller lands a cheap shot on Owens so the bad guys are looking good for the commercial break.
Owens is badly in need of a tag, having worked during the entire time away. Waller mocks Orton’s theatrics prior to the RKO but immediately thinks better of it when Orton tags in and unleashes clotheslines and his snap powerslam.
Waller looks like he’s in trouble on the apron but is saved by Theory. KO get laid our by the barricade but Waller is too close to the ring and pulled in by Orton for the draping DDT.
The crowd erupts as the Viper coils, but Orton is rolled up when distracted by Theory. It’s a kickout at two, of course, but the heels now have Orton two on one … though for only a moment. KO comes back fighting with a Stunner for Waller, and Theory eats an RKO that ends this one.
While the good guys are celebrating, Paul attacks both of them from behind, pulling out the brass knux and zeroing in on Orton. Randy sees him coming, kicks Logan in the stomach and puts on the knux, but Paul ducks out of the ring and almost causes Orton to clock Owens.
Bobby Lashley wins his match against Karrion Kross but hardly feels like a winner afterward
This should be a straight ahead slugfest, to say the least. Scarlett enjoys Kross’ early success, but Lashley hits a big suplex to swing the momentum in his favor.
The All Mighty pursues Kross to the floor, but Scarlett puts herself in the line of fire to prevent Lashley from swinging her man into the post. Karrion takes advantage with several hard shots prior to a commercial break.
Kross is still bossing the action when the broadcast returns, hurling Lashley around in impressive fashion. But Lashley battles back when they return to the floor, and there’s nothing Scarlett can do this time.
Lashley wants the Hurt Lock but is hurled away toward a corner, and Kross’ Death Valley Driver earns him a near fall. As Lashley fights back, the Authors of Pain enter the battle, and even though the ref has called for the bell, the Street Profits run down to even the odds.
Just as Lashley looks like he might get the Hurt Lock applied, Scarlett interrupts, only to be violently interrupted by B-Fab. The two women chase each other to the back while the men continue to brawl in the ring, but The Final Testament prevails, and Kross smashes Lashley down with The Final Prayer.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins accept the challenge, and Cody slaps The Rock
Roman Reigns heads to the ring, flanked as always by Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. The announcers remind us that Reigns will face Rhodes again in the main event on night 2, as if we can ever forget.
The Rock has an amazing new entrance video with a lightning theme now as well.
The Rock says greatness stands before you now and hands the mic to Reigns, who says “acknowledge us.” Someone who might not is Cody Rhodes, who comes down through the crowd instead of from the stage. Seth Rollins is with him as well, but we cut to commercial.
After the break, everyone leaves the ring but the four most important players in this drama. Rhodes says it’s a little tense but he feels very lucky to be standing in the ring and thinks the four of them should take a moment to feel this.
Cody says he understands the tag team challenge but teases The Rock by questioning whether he has the authority after acknowledging Reigns as his Tribal Chief. He’s about to give their answer when The Rock angrily interrupts, explaining it’s what family does.
The Rock reiterates the stakes, which everyone already knows. A “diarrhea” chant breaks out after Rollins made it a thing on Raw, which he loves. So much that he has the balls to remind The Rock that they already knows the stakes and he passionately says they accept.
Reigns starts laughing at Rhodes, wondering why he’d let Rollins answer for him. Roman says when he wins on WrestleMania Sunday, it’s over for Cody, his story is over.
The Rock reminds both our heroes he’s technically their boss, clarifying that if Rhodes doesn’t win, he’ll never get a shot at this championship again. He starts talking about Cody’s siblings and calls Cody “a mistake,: which earns him an angry slap in return, just as the show goes off the air.
