SmackDowndelivered one of the best segments ofWWETV this year, asPaul Heyman and CM Punk both returned. Punk will be the fifth man at Survivor Series, teaming with Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, and The Usos to take on Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline. It was a night filled with excitement, that also saw Jade Cargill put through a car windscreen by a mystery assailant, with Chelsea Green capitalizing on Bianca Belair rushing to her partner’s aid, by pinning Bianca Davenport and going to the next round of the Women US title tournament.
Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens came face-to-face in an unmissable verbal battle, as their feud continued to escalate. DIY members Tommaso Ciampa and Jonny Gargano drifted further apart, the former being pinned by Montez Ford, as the Street Profits looked set to be the new contenders for the Motor City Machine Guns Tag Team Championships. LA Knight defeated Santos Escobar but was again attacked by Shinsuke Nakamura after the bell. Raw women continued to invade SmackDown as Naomi and Bayley’s DQ match with Tiffany Stratton saw involvement from Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and Nia Jax.
The Paul Heyman Guys
CM Punk and Paul Heyman Return Together
For the first time since being put through a table in Madison Square Garden and afterRoman Reigns' gut-wrenching call to an out-of-service numberat the end of last week’s show,Paul Heyman returned to SmackDown. Solo Sikoa has opened the show, riling up Salt Lake City and demanding that Roman surrender to the new Tribal Chief in front of the world. Unable to find a fifth man, the show’s final shot appeared to be a 5-on-4 staredown until that iconic “ladies and gentlemen…” poured out over the PA.
Not satisfied with the amazing pop he got, Heyman would bring more joy to the world, as he revealedCM Punk will be the fifth man on Roman’s Bloodline team at Survivor Series. It is impressive that, at 46 years old, CM Punk is psychotic enough to follow up Hell In A Cell with WarGames against Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu. Anyone with a long-term memory and an Art Of Wrestling podcast subscription has a lot of questions about this new union between Punk and Roman. Getting some answers on next week’s WWE programming is going to be unmissable.
Kevin Owens
Has A Heel Ever Been So Right?
Kevin Owens is currentlychallenging every wrestling fan with his character’s narrative. If you have followed the four long years that KO referenced in his promos, you will know that no one has gone to war with The Bloodline other than Kevin Owens. With a tremor in his voice and tears in his eyes through sheer emotion,Kevin Owens' feelings shone in a show-stealing promothat pointed at the dubious moves made by WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, and his disgust with what is going on in WWE right now around Roman Reigns.
Listen to KO’s points next time he speaks.Kevin’s every word is laced with justified dismay, as Owens is forced to come to terms with the fans who watched him tied up and beaten for 15 straight minutes at the 2023 Royal Rumble, now cheer for Roman Reigns for literally no reason. His friends have now deserted him, leaving him look like the bad guy. Kevin says he hurt Randy Orton even though he loves him, but he hates Cody Rhodes. God help Sami Zayn when it’s his turn.
Cody Rhodes
More Questions Rain Down On The WWE Champion
One of the more intriguing things that happened with WWE’s booking this year is that it is less reliant on adopting traditional face and heel dynamics. Cody Rhodes may be the company’s de facto, white-meat babyface, but his current situation is fascinating. His decision to team with Roman Reigns at Bad Blood ages like rotten milk as a whole roster, oppressed by the great tyranny of Roman’s long reign as champion, now view him through a different lens.Charges leveled at Cody for being a politician have never been fierceror harder to refute.
Cody’s mic work was as world-class as usual, but this is a difficult spot for him to be in. The truth is that his battles with Roman and The Bloodline are a drop in the ocean next to Owens’s, and teaming with Roman was always going to upset more than a few of the roster. A truth that’s harsher still, is thatsome of the things labeled at Cody by Kevin Owens are going to stick, or at the very least feel like they are going to leave a stain on his so-far unblemished reputation. Cody’s fire in the face of perceived wrongdoing is what makes him such a great face. He will need all that and more for the war that KO is going to bring to his doorstep.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
WWE’s Newest Mystery Leaves The Tag Team Champ Out Cold
In what is SmackDown’s answer to Knives Out,everybody is guessing “who injured Jade Cargill?”. Bianca Belair was in her triple-threat qualifying match for the Women’s United States Championship when tragedy struck. Cameras showed Jade Cargill had been put through a car windscreen, her limp body having been thrown from a platform onto the vehicle below.
Belair abandoned her United States Championship opportunityin the ring to see her fallen partner, leaving Chelsea Green to pin Blair Davenport and advance. There are no current suspects, and WWE Champion Nia Jax refutes any claims against her. Cargill has now been forced out of the US Championship race due to the injuries she sustained, and Survivor Series has also become a lot less clear after this mystery assault.
Nia Jax And The WWE Women’s Championship
A Lack Of Focused Booking Is Hurting The Talent
Currently, there is a feeling of limbo around the SmackDown women’s championship. This is possibly to be expected, due to the Women’s US Championship becoming 12 different wrestlers' focus across one month, and the inconvenience of a meaningless Crown Jewel Championship feud prior. Nevertheless, it feels as thoughsomething is lacking on SmackDown at present.
Bayley and Naomi’s DQ tag victory over Candice LeRae and Tiffany Stratton felt like nothing more than an excuse for a melee with Survivor Series coming up. Rhea Ripley with a kendo stick is always good fun, butthis was another show where it felt like SmackDown didn’t progress anyone’s charactersor motives from the women’s side of the action. Nobody is currently affected by this more than the champion. Whether it’s more from Naomi or Tiffy finally cashing in her Money In The Bank Briefcase, Nia needs a focused opponent in the near future.
