Roman Reigns has a shiny new championship belt to stuff in the void of his empty family bonds. In the aftermath of Night of Champions, lines were drawn in the sand between members of The Bloodline. SmackDown planted the seeds for a future showdown pitting Reigns and Solo Sikoa against The Usos.
The latest installment of the blue brand was chock-full of Bloodline drama. Jimmy Uso stood by his decision to kick Reigns in the face at Night of Champions, Jey Uso continued his evolution as peacekeeper and Sikoa was forced to choose between his brothers and his cousin. Friday was all about family drama at its finest.
SmackDown also featured two Money in the Bank qualifier matches, one for the men’s division and one for the women’s division. The four superstars fighting for a spot in the multi-person ladder match were LA Knight, Montez Ford, Zelina Vega, and Lacey Evans.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.
Bloodlines drawn in the sand
Reigns’ special council Paul Heyman expressed to Sikoa the significance of Reigns’ 1,000-day universal title reign. Heyman informed Sikoa that he was going to speak with authority figure Adam Pearce to assure The Usos would not be present during the evening’s celebrations.
Later in the evening, WWE executive Triple H unveiled and presented to Reigns a brand new undisputed WWE universal championship. It appears that the new championship belt will replace the universal and WWE titles. Just as Reigns was about to speak, The Usos’ theme music hit.
Jimmy Uso and Reigns had a long, silent staredown before The Bloodline leader ordered Jey Uso to kick his twin brother in the face. Reigns repeatedly demanded Jey Uso’s compliance, but the command fell on deaf ears. Reigns asserted that kicking Jimmy Uso would set things right, but Jimmy Uso said the only thing that needed fixing was Reigns. Jimmy Uso kicked Reigns at Night of Champions in the name of brotherhood. Jimmy Uso labeled Reigns as manipulative and abusive, warning his little brother Sikoa that he would experience the same fate as The Usos once Reigns was done using him.
Reigns handed the microphone to Sikoa and asked him to choose his allegiance. The stoic Sikoa acknowledged Reigns as the Tribal Chief but insisted that The Usos were his brothers. Sikoa walked over to Jimmy and Jey Uso, leaving Reigns alone on his “Island of Relevancy” with Heyman. Jimmy Uso asked Reigns if he was ready to move forward with respect. Reigns aggressively stepped toward Jimmy Uso and was greeted with the same face wash that Reigns previously dished out to Jimmy Uso.
Jey Uso intervened before a brawl broke out and demanded cohesion. Jimmy Uso agreed, describing Reigns as his brother and extending an olive branch. Reigns appeared conflicted and move to tears before embracing Jimmy Uso with a hug. It was all a ruse. Reigns said “no” into the microphone and subtly motioned to Sikoa. The youngest member of The Bloodline sided with Reigns, laying out Jimmy Uso with a Samoan Spike. Reigns, Heyman and Sikoa left the ring as The Usos looked on. On their way out, Heyman inquired to Reigns about Jey Uso’s status. Reigns said that Jey Uso would fall in line as usual.
This was some great family drama that planted the seed for The Usos vs. Reigns and Sikoa at Money in the Bank. Everyone performed well in the closing segment, particularly Jimmy Uso. He has long been a secondary player in The Bloodline story and he’s shining on the microphone right now. The only thing preventing this story from getting an A+ this week is that the outcome was predictable. Now, predictability isn’t always a bad thing and is sometimes necessary. This was a solid way to move the story along. It just lacked the magic of Evolution’s turn on Randy Orton in 2004. Grade: A
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Austin Theory and Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) def. Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch) via pinfall after Pretty Deadly hit Holland with Spilt Milk and tagged Theory for the pin.
- Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) def. Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante Adonis) via pinfall after hitting a Magic Killer on Adonis. AJ Styles took out Dolla with a Phenomenal Forearm post-match.
- Bianca Belair blindsided Asuka on the rampway after an edition of the “Grayson Waller Effect” that saw Iyo Sky, Bayley, Shotzi Blackheart, Lacey Evans and Zelina Vega brawl.
- Vega def. Evans via pinfall with a Yoshi Tonic to qualify for the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match.
- LA Knight def. Montez Ford via pinfall with an O’Connor Roll to qualify for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
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