Jey Uso is going to take part in the biggest match of his career Saturday when he faces cousin Roman Reigns in Tribal Combat at SummerSlam. But first, he’ll take on someone even closer to him on WWE SmackDown in Dayton: his younger brother.
Adding a bit more spice to what was originally advertised for tonight’s show, Jey will face Solo Sikoa on SmackDown. Solo has proven to be unwaveringly loyal to the Tribal Chief so far, but that title is on the line Saturday, meaning he might be going head to head against the next man to hold that honor.
Surely, Reigns will be watching closely, hoping Sikoa can soften Jey up and make him easier pickings at Ford Field. But the Bloodline saga has had more than its fair share of twists and turns along the way, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see one more in Dayton.
There’s more potential intrigue on tap as well. Sheamus will go one-on-one with LA Knight in a clash between two of the men most likely to win the SummerSlam Battle Royal. And there will be one final faceoff, most likely, between Asuka, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair before all three of them compete for Asuka’s WWE Women’s Championship this weekend.
Still, we’re guessing that the emotional high point of the show, as it has been for weeks and arguably months, will be whatever’s happening with The Bloodline. We’re psyched to see exactly what that is, so let’s dive in.
WWE SmackDown results from Dayton:
A typically huge reaction greets LA Knight before he talks to you. He’s looking ahead to the SummerSlam Battle Royal and doesn’t think much of the field. He does admit that Sheamus has done it all, but he’s about to add one more accomplishment to his list when he’s beaten by the Megastar tonight.
EVERYBODY'S saying… 👈 L 🫵 A 👉 KNIGHT! YEAH!
Can @RealLAKnight win the @SlimJim Battle Royal tomorrow at #SummerSlam?#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/fvuSEXDl6G
— WWE (@WWE) August 5, 2023
LA Knight def. Sheamus by pinfall
Sheamus leans in a little to the fact that the fans are so firmly behind his opponent. He also has his Brawling Brutes teammates at ringside for support.
Here comes someone else: Santos Escobar, followed by The Miz and Grayson Waller. Karrion Kross and AJ Styles are also on hand. Feels like hijinks are going to ensue, but not until after a commercial break.
Knight shows off his power with a DVD for a near fall. Also his “Definitely Not the People’s Elbow” was in there too. He manages to survive the White Noise off the turnbuckles, to the delight of the fans. Knight ends up in the Texas Cloverleaf but makes it to the ropes to break the hold.
With both men trying to go up top, the footing proves perilous, and they end up falling to the floor where the inevitable brawl breaks out among everyone at ringside. Poor Miz gets grabbed for the 10 Beats of the Bodhran and a Brogue, but Knight hits the Blunt Force Trauma and wins it.
Some posturing among the Battle Royal participants breaks out afterward, because ’tis the season.
Adam Pearce has had enough of the Brawling Brutes and The O.C. fighting after the dust-up by the ring and tells them to go settle things in their own match.
The dramatic Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar video from Raw is replayed.
Brawling Brutes vs. The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) ends in no contest after an attack by the new look Street Profits
Butch really looks like he’s having fun torturing Anderson. He might not be enjoying it as much once the Good Brothers are able to join forces to plant him.
Ridge Holland gets to show off his power, however, but the nattily dressed Street Profits invade the ring and attack both teams, making the proverbial statement. Bobby Lashley comes out and cheers on his new BFFs.
Charlotte Flair is on a yacht talking about why she’s the iron woman of this division. She says Asuka and Bianca Belair have to beat her, not the other way around.
Paul Heyman is ready to lead a bit of a history lesson. He leads off by saying this is not what Roman Reigns wanted, and says that it’s really Jey Uso’s fault for everything that’s happened, including the fate of Jimmy Uso.
He then narrates a video that includes Rikishi, Afa and Sika that explains the significance of the beads worn by the Tribal Chief. Also there’s only one rule for Tribal Combat: Don’t talk about Tribal Combat.
Just kidding. It’s that there must be a definitive winner, leaving no doubt about who is Tribal Chief.
Jey Uso picks that time to interrupt, telling Heyman he’s bringing all the passion he’s got tonight to the ring Saturday night too. Solo Sikoa joins them, Heyma tries to calm him down, Solo tells Paul to get out, and Jey blasts his little brother out of the ring with a superkick.
Kayla Braxton talks to Austin Theory, who is typically unimpressed with Escobar. Tonight, however, he faces Cameron Grimes, who will get his dreams crushed tonight.
Austin Theory def. Cameron Grimes by pinfall
Is Theory taking Grimes a little too lightly? Of course. Will it cost him? Probably not, but we’ll see.
It doesn’t, but Escobar comes in and delivers a how do you do to the U.S. champ after the bell.
The Grayson Waller Effect is now on your TV screens. Who’s he giving the rub to today? Not just one wrestler, but two: Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY and Bayley.
Waller has some fun with Bayley, making it seem like Shotzi is coming out, though the Role Model claims she’s not scared. The TCB Tank makes an appearance, but it slowly becomes clear it’s not Shotzi at the wheel.
Shotzi then appears behind Bayley in the ring, chasing her away with clippers. Wait, but then who’s in the tank? It’s Zelina Vega, who is conveniently SKY’s opponent tonight,
Zelina Vega def. IYO SKY by pinfall
The announcers point out that SKY just doesn’t look like herself, possibly shaken up by Shotzi just like Bayley was. She rallies back and looks for a moonsault but stops in her tracks as she sees Shotzi close to shaving Bayley’s head up on stage.
Vega takes full advantage, with a Code Red that proves enough to seal up a win.
Bianca Belair says she was able to overcome every obstacle in front of her until Asuka tried to blind her. She’s not one for excuses, though, but on to get back to work. Belair says she’ll get back what’s rightfully hers at SummerSlam.
Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa
It doesn’t take long for the tempo to get picked up here, with the announce table getting cleared off and both brothers threatening to put each other through it.
No one actually does, however, and they go back and forth in the ring. Jey flies for a high cross body but that’s not enough to win it.
Solo fires right back, planting Jey with Spinning Solo. He misses a Samoan Spike, however, and gets hit with a superkick and a spear. An Uso Splash connects, and Jey has passed this particular test.
Sore loser? Yeah, just a little, as Sikoa wants to make more of it after the bell. His attempt to use a chair backfires, however, as Jey blasts him into the timekeeper’s area.