“Main Event” Jey Uso went solo on Friday after his tag team partner Jimmy Uso was hospitalized. Jey Uso looked like a bonafide star on WWE SmackDown, taking out The Bloodline’s Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa en route to a showdown with Roman Reigns next week.
Jey Uso is usually pretty charged up, but emotions were high even by his standards. A fired-up Jey Uso proclaimed himself as “The Tribal Chief” in Reigns’ absence and promised to deliver swift justice to The Bloodline after Reigns and Sikoa hospitalized Jimmy Uso last week. Tensions culminated this week with a satisfying and overdue superkick delivered straight to Heyman’s jaw.
Friday’s show also featured an overdue WWE women’s championship rematch between Asuka and Bianca Belair, plus the start of a United States Championship Invitational to crown a new No. 1 contender for champion Austin Theory.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jey Uso feeds Heyman a juicy superkick, chaos erupts in WWE women’s championship match
A fired-up Jey Uso took the microphone. He talked about he and his twin brother Jimmy Uso were connected at the hip. Jey Uso was outraged by Reigns and Sikoa for hospitalizing their own family member. Jey Uso promised to spank little brother Sikoa and proclaimed himself as the new “Tribal Chief.”
Enter Heyman, who revealed that Reigns and Jey Uso will meet face-to-face next week to discuss “terms of engagement” as done by the Anoa’i family for generations. Heyman said that Jey Uso was sounding more like the “Tribal Chief” every day before accusing Jey Uso of landing his brother in the hospital. Heyman wondered how Jimmy Uso, their father Rikishi and their mother could ever forgive Jey Uso. Heyman continued to pour salt into the wounds, stating that Heyman and Reigns wouldn’t forgive Jey Uso either. The typically silent and stoic Sikoa grabbed the mic, telling his older brother that he too would not forgive.
A brawl broke out with Jey Uso getting the upper hand, but a distraction caused by Heyman gave Sikoa a window of opportunity. Heyman tried to surprise Jey Uso with a steel chair but caught a super kick clean to the jaw. A suicide dive took out Sikoa ringside. Jey Uso snatched the chair and cracked Sikoa, forcing The Bloodline members to retreat.
WWE Women’s Championship — Belair def. Asuka via disqualification after Charlotte Flair inadvertently struck Belair. Championships cannot change hands via DQ. Asuka and Belair competed in a back-and-forth match full of big moves and counters. Belair crushed Asuka with a KOD to the announcer’s table in the closing moments of the match.
Bayley and Money in the Bank winner Iyo Sky jumped the barricade. Flair sprung into action and took out Baley with a big boot to protect a proposed match between Belair and Flair at SummerSlam. Sky dodged an attempted spear by Flair who instead launched into Belair by mistake. The collision between Flair and Belair forced the referee to call a DQ. Sky tried to set up Asuka for a moonsault post-match while Bayley cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on her behalf. Asuka sprung to her feet, blinded Bayley with mist to prevent the cash-in and retreated with her world title.
The levity of “Main Event” Jey Uso was undermined during WWE’s crowd less Thunderdome era during the pandemic. Friday night was another sturdy piece of evidence that supports Jey Uso’s potential as a main event singles star. Jey Uso had the crowd in the palm of his hands, spoke with conviction on the microphone and looked like a complete badass laying out the bruising Sikoa. Heyman excels so much as a snivelling, cowardly manipulator that any bump he takes is worthy of celebration. The main event’s conclusion was very obvious from the get-go, but it at least showcased a healthy women’s division on SmackDown with Asuka, Belair, Flair, Bayley, Sky and the underdog Zelina Vega all looking like believable champions. Grade: A-
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Belair and Flair agreed to a match at SummerSlam if Belair beat Asuka tonight.
- Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) def. Brawling Brutes (Sheamus and Ridge Holland) via pinfall after Holland was pinned due to shenanigans.
- Bayley def. Zelina Vega via pinfall after landing the Rose Plant.
- Shotzi Blackheart shaved her head in an unhinged vignette targeting Damage CTRL, who lopped off a chunk of her hair last week.
- Santos Escobar def. AJ Styles, Butch and Grayson Waller via pinfall after pinning Waller to advance in the U.S. Invitational. Karrion Kross attacked The O.C. backstage during the match.
- Bobby Lashley pulled up in a limousine for a private meeting with the Street Profits.
- LA Knight staked his claim for the U.S. championship, joining next week’s U.S. invitational fatal four-way against Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and Cameron Grimes.
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