The Tribal Chief returns to WWE SmackDown tonight in what is sure to be an explosive Friday night. Waiting for him are several combustible elements in the form of John Cena, LA Knight, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and more…
Welcome to eWn’s live coverage of Friday Night SmackDown, brought to you by Tathya. Advertised for tonight’s show…
- Undisputed Champion Roman Reigns makes his highly anticipated return.
- A special appearance by WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H.
- ‘The Greatest of All Time’ John Cena in the house.
- Pretty Deadly vs. The Brawling Brutes.
- WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso to issue open challenge
Tonight promises to be a blockbuster episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Stay tuned for our updates…
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John Cena is here to kick off Friday Night SmackDown! And the crowd is going absoutely nuts! Cena settles down in the ring and welcomes Tulsa to the Season Premiere of SmackDown. Oh boy…
We hear Roman Reigns’ music, and the Tribal Chief makes his way to the ring, flanked by Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. As Reigns settles down, the crowd begins chanting for Cena! By gawd, are they hot for our teletubby…
Reigns requests the mic and accuses John Cena of disrespecting him by starting the show. He asks Tulsa to acknowledge him before he calls Cena a coward for only choosing to return when he was gone, further calling him out for having the audacity to get referred to as the ‘Greatest of All Time.’ He says that it is pretty obvious who the GOAT really is and asks Cena to leave the ring before he’s made to.
Cena says that he is not here to challenge the Undisputed Champion, he’s here to acknowledge him. Reigns’ 1,139 days as Universal Champion, in his eyes, is the greatest accomplishment of all-time. He’s not here to challenge Reigns, because he has not earned it. But he knows someone who has… music…
L.A. Knight (YEAH!) arrives in Tulsa to a thunderous pop. He gets in the ring as the crowd chants for him and starts addressing Roman Reigns. He does his thang and the crowd eats it up. Reigns is a guy standing in his way, says Knight. And when he cuts Knight off momentarily, Knight says that the landscape has changed while Reigns has been gone. He is the fastest rising star in SmackDown history. Before he can proceed much further, Jimmy Uso blindsides him. Reigns has a confused look on his face. Knight fights back by himself and sends Jimmy out.
Reigns gets in Knight’s face, but Heyman pleads with him to back off. He does, and so does Solo. Reigns asks Solo to take care of LA, and Solo has some words for him. For those who don’t speak moron, it’s my job to translate and transcribe that it’s Solo and LA Knight tonight (YEAH!).
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#1. Pretty Deadly vs. The Brawling Brutes – Winner: Pretty Deadly
Elton Prince faked an injury mid-match and capitalized for the cheap 1-2-3.
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Backstage in an interview, Carlito describes his return as “cool.” He is confronted by Bobby Lashley, who makes some snide comments. Carlito challenges Lashley to a match, before The Street Profits blindside him. Adam Pearce appears to calm things down.
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Backstage, LWO is checking on Carlito in the trainer’s room. Damage CTRL enters, making demands and insisting their business is a priority over Carlito. Zelina Vega and Bayley argue, and Pearce eventually orders them out, directing them to the ring if they want to fight. The impromptu match is next…
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#2. Bayley vs. Zelina Vega – Winner: Bayley
Following the match, they Damage CTRL attack Vega until Charlotte Flair rushes in to chase them away.
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WWE Hall of Famer & CCO, Triple H, arrives to the ring for a massive ovation. He settles down to the ring and discusses missing this part of the job, being in front of the WWE Universe, before hyping up Survivor Series and Crown Jewel.
He then commends Adam Pearce, who is in the ring, for his work running Raw and SmackDown. He announces Pearce’s promotion to General Manager of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Before he can introduce the new SmackDown GM, Dominik Mysterio interrupts to loud boos. I MEAN LOUDDD!! WOW! He complains about The Judgment Day losing their tag titles and questions Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso’s match tonight. Triple H teases the crowd’s booing, and Dominik continues to protest, but it’s inaudible. HHH even says that he always thought the boos were piped in.
The booing continues for a while, before Triple H reveals Nick Aldis as the new GM of SmackDown. Aldis expresses his gratitude for the opportunity and says that looks forward to fostering healthy competition between the two brands. Addressing Dominik, he says, “Im’m a big fan… of your dad.”
As his first order of business, announces that due to the trade of “Main Event” Jey Uso to Raw, Kevin Owens will be SmackDown’s latest addition. KO swiftly arrives to the ring and Stuns Dominik Mysterio.
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#3. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships:
Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. Austin Theory & Grayson Waller – Winners: Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso
As Cody and Jey head up the ramp, Roman Reigns’ music hits. The expression on both men’s faces changes drastically. However, it is just Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso that make their way out at first. They face off, signaling a possible tag team title showdown in the future.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns, alongside Paul Heyman, also exchanges looks with Rhodes and Jey. We cut to the break on that note… following the break is our main event.
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#4: LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa – Winner: LA Knight
The climax of the match saw Jimmy Uso appear to take out LA Knight, only for John Cena to run down and anticipate the attack. As Cena took care of Jimmy, Solo ‘Samoan Spiked’ him, only for Knight to sneak up and hit the BFT for the 1-2-3.
As he was celebrating, Roman Reigns delivered a hellacious spear, prompting a chorus of boos. The Undisputed Champion stood tall to end the show.
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A hell of a show all the way through. It was a brilliant start to my Saturday morning, and I hope you enjoyed tonight’s episode of SmackDown as well. Until next time… tally-ho!
