This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The Bloodline dominated the show, both in terms of screen time and the quality of the minutes they spent. Roman Reigns sucked us into thinking he was tired of carrying the Bloodlien when it was a ploy to lull the Usos into a fall sense of security. After years of serving as his right-hand man for years, Jey Uso is stepping up to challenge Roman Reigns for the championship. This story was the highlight of the show. The lowlight was the segment involving all the challengers for the women’s title. They were clearly short on time and had to rush through some segments.
The matches were pretty good but none quite reached the level of great. The Bloodline storyline was excellent but much of the middle segments were rushed to leave time for the Bloodline. The atmosphere was pretty good most of the time but lacking in a few spots. The Bloodline was a home run and several other storylines were advanced as well. Production was good but there was no theme to this episode.
Tonight on Friday Night SmackDown: the tribal chief, Roman Reigns, goes to trial! What will be the results of this trial? Sheamus challenges Austin Theory for the United States Championship. Will Theory successfully defend the title against the Celtic Warrior? Edge is the latest guest on the Grayson Waller Effect. What does Waller have to say to the WWE Hall of Famer? And Karrion Kross steps into the ring with AJ Styles.
MUST WATCH the Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman:
After bragging about their victory at Money in the Bank, the Usos were joined in the ring by Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. Heyman tried to list off defenses for Roman’s trial but the Usos told him to shut up and Sikoa tossed the mic out of the ring. The tribal chief made his way to the ring and explained he has only acted this way because that is the price of greatness. Not needing the trouble, Reigns said he was done, placing his ceremonial necklace around Jey’s neck. As Jey moved closer to Roman Reigns, reigns hit him with a low blow. This resulted in a brawl that included a spot where Sikoa hesitated in handing Reigns the tribal necklace. Reigns and Solo Sikoa tied Jey Uso in the ropes and then furiously beat Jimmy with the title belt and the metal steps. Finally, the beating came to an end with Roman Reigns standing over the bodies of the Usos.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 4.5 Stars
GOOD Sheamus vs Austin Theory (champion) for the United States Championship:
Sheamus showed off his skill against the champion by reversing a high attack by Theory and turning it into an Irish Curse Backbreaker. He followed that up by jumping off the turnbuckle onto Theory below. Later, Theory gained the upper hand and attempted to hit Sheamus with his own move, ten beats of the drum. Sheamus countered it, however, clotheslining the champion. Eventually, Pretty Deadly showed up to interfere on Theory’s behalf. While the interference didn’t initially result in a win, the champion was able to steal the victory and retain his title thanks to Pretty Deadly.
Results: Austin Theory by Pinfall via Rollup
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
GOOD Edge on the Grayson Waller Effect:
Edge took a trip down memory lane and remembered all the big moments he had in Madison Square Garden. Waller then interrupted Edge to announce that the rated R superstar was retiring. Edge informed Grayson Waller that he is not retiring but rather he is having a match with Waller.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
GOOD AJ Styles vs Karrion Kross:
Kross went for a Kross Hammer early on and followed that up with a sleeper hold. Styles broke out of it early and gained some offense. He wanted to hit a Phenomenal Forearm but Scarlett grabbed him by the leg. This is where Michin came in as she hit Scarlett with a big boot. This allowed AJ Styles to fight uninhibited and won the match off a Phenomenal Forearm.
Results: AJ Styles by Pinfall via Phenomenal Forearm
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3 Stars
A very short but very chaotic segment happened in which Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka brawled. Also, Iyo Sky tried and failed to cash in the Money in the Bank Contract.
GOOD Edge vs Grayson Waller:
Waller did a little taunting to start the match but Edge got a hold of him and targeted Waller with several attacks to the midsection. The crowd responded with “you still got it” chants directed at Edge but at this point, Grayson Waller turned the match around. Waller yelled back at the crowd that he has it too. After hitting a DDT, Waller stopped an Edge comeback and targeted the neck of Edge. the momentum changed after Edge countered a high spot by getting his knees up. A highlight of the match came when Edge power bombed Waller onto the floor. Grayson Waller later stole a move from Edge and Christian when he landed one of their old moves. In the finish, Edge countered a rolling stunner with a spear to score the win.
Results: Edge by Pinfall via Spear
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
GREAT Roman Reigns and Jey Uso:
After Paul Heyman told Roman that Jey Uso returned to the arena, Reigns made his way back to the ring. After entering through the crowd, Jey Uso fought his way past Solo Sikoa and beat down his younger brother with a chair. To end the show, Jey Uso challenged Roman Reigns to a match.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars
Overall…
This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The Bloodline dominated the show, both in terms of screen time and the quality of the minutes they spent. Roman Reigns sucked us into thinking he was tired of carrying the Bloodlien when it was a ploy to lull the Usos into a fall sense of security. After years of serving as his right-hand man for years, Jey Uso is stepping up to challenge Roman Reigns for the championship. This story was the highlight of the show. The lowlight was the segment involving all the challengers for the women’s title. They were clearly short on time and had to rush through some segments.
The matches were pretty good but none quite reached the level of great. The Bloodline storyline was excellent but much of the middle segments were rushed to leave time for the Bloodline. The atmosphere was pretty good most of the time but lacking in a few spots. The Bloodline was a home run and several other storylines were advanced as well. Production was good but there was no theme to this episode.
Matches: 0.25/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 1/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.5/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
