Here we are for another episode of SmackDown! Right off the bat, we kick things off with the hottest story in wrestling, as Jimmy Uso makes his way to the SmackDown ring for the first time in six months. He introduces himself and the show, and amidst a loud “welcome back” chant, he reflects on his time away. He blames his little bro, Solo Sikoa, for his absence, saying he didn’t even have the guts to face him in person.
But before he can finish his speech, out comes none other than the “Original Tribal Chief,” Roman Reigns. This guy doesn’t waste any time; he snatches the mic from Uso and lets the crowd chant “OTC” before he even speaks. Reigns says he usually likes to handle things smoothly, but tonight he’s making an exception. He then asks the crowd to acknowledge… Jimmy Uso. Reigns admits he doesn’t get what kind of revenge Uso is after and, not being a wise man, he has no clue how to come up with creative or manipulative plans.
Hey, did you catch that OTC?
Instead, Reigns emphasizes that he’s the tribal chief, which means he takes what’s his. For four years, that’s how it’s been. They’ve had it all—money, titles, respect, you name it. But right now, Reigns isn’t feeling good about where he’s at and doesn’t like being out of control. When they step into the arena, Reigns wants everyone to know the GOATs are here and they’re still “the ones.”
But Jimmy Uso disagrees. He doesn’t see a chief with a tribe; he sees a little chief with no followers. Uso says he came back to Reigns at Bad Blood because he needed help, and now they need it too, and he knows just the person who can help. Despite the crowd chanting “Yeet,” Reigns quickly shuts it down with a “no yeet.” Jimmy wraps up by saying Reigns will always be his tribal chief, but he’s the only one in the family who still acknowledges him, leaving Reigns looking confused in the ring.
**“NO YEET”**
What a fantastic opening segment! Especially with the mic scene! Let’s be real, when Roman Reigns is around, it’s an easy win!
### Time for the WWE U.S. Title – LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes
It’s time for the U.S. Championship! Knight is looking to keep his winning streak going and defend his title against Hayes, who got a controversial shot last week. With Andrade watching from ringside, the match kicks off and both superstars immediately take things outside the ring. Hayes drops Knight with a heavy clothesline before posing on the steel steps, then brings the fight back into the ring with a leg drop and a quick near fall.
Hayes surprisingly takes control of the match and isn’t shy about letting Knight know it. After hitting him with another big punch, Hayes starts mocking the crowd with Knight’s signature pointing gesture, but Knight fights back and starts landing some punches to regain momentum. Another near fall from Hayes gets the crowd hyped, chanting for Knight, who rises up and delivers a series of punches followed by an inverted atomic drop into a clothesline.
Hayes looks ready to finish things with his finisher, but Knight flips the script and hits a neckbreaker. He then climbs up for a flying elbow drop, but Hayes kicks out. Knight goes for the BFT, but Hayes counters it with a scissor kick into a big DDT, only for Knight to kick out at the last second. As Hayes prepares to climb the ropes, he shares a glance with Andrade, but Knight counters Hayes’ attack, and they start trading moves off the ropes. Eventually, Knight lands a hit on Hayes and nails his BFT, winning the match and retaining his title. After the match, a distraught Hayes gets mocked by Andrade.
**Winner and still WWE United States Champion – LA Knight!**
The match was decent, but honestly, both Carmelo Hayes and LA Knight deserve better! We’re expecting another match between Andrade and Hayes! I’m not super excited about it, though; enough already, right? Let’s move on!
### Chaos Before the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles Match
Right before the Women’s Tag Team Championship match kicks off, chaos erupts. Kevin Owens runs through the crowd into the ring, saying he’s been banned from the show. As he tries to explain his shocking attack on Cody Rhodes after WWE Bad Blood, his mic gets cut off. So, he grabs the commentators' mic and claims Rhodes was the one who betrayed him.
Before he can explain further, out comes Rhodes, prompting officials and security to rush in and separate everyone. Randy Orton, a friend to both Rhodes and Owens, steps in to try and settle things down, but only makes it worse. He ends up in a shoving match with Owens, and after a poorly timed elbow from Owens to Orton, the latter punches Owens square in the face. A shocked Owens exits the ring and the arena through the crowd, while Orton looks disappointed in himself.
**Uh…what?** A surprise moment here, especially since we hadn’t heard from Owens since the attack. It felt like it was only a matter of time before Owens turned on Rhodes, but it was still a shock. I’m curious to see where this goes, especially with Orton now involved and seemingly making Owens even angrier. Is Owens really the bad guy here, or are we in for a heel turn from Cody Rhodes?
### WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles on the Line – Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair vs. Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend
After the chaotic interruption from Owens, the scheduled match officially gets underway. Jackson and Legend nearly steal the titles right away, teaming up for a combo on Belair for a near fall, but Cargill swoops in to save the day. The duo sends Cargill flying over the ropes and Belair out of the ring, but Lash Legend gets distracted by Chelsea Green and Piper Niven at ringside.
Legend kicks Green over the announcer’s table, and in the ensuing chaos, Belair and Cargill regain control. Belair throws Jackson back into the ring, right where Cargill is waiting. The two combine for a finisher that’s enough for Cargill to pin Jackson and win the match.
**Winners and still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair!**
This match was a bit of a snooze, nothing special, honestly! Thankfully, it was short!
### Nia Jax Addresses the WWE Universe
Jax and Tiffany Stratton are in the ring, with Jax talking about her victory over Bayley at Bad Blood to keep her grip on the WWE Women’s Championship. Jax insists she keeps proving that nobody can beat her, not even Liv Morgan. She then declares that after she beats Morgan at WWE Crown Jewel, it’ll be “Tiffy Time,” and promptly locks her friend in a brutal headlock. Then, in a serious tone, she says that Stratton will cash in her title against Liv.
Naomi interrupts, saying Jax is still champion only because Stratton keeps helping her. She calls Stratton a “washed-up Barbie” and says she’s not even a good sidekick since Naomi beat her last week. Jax gets in Naomi’s face, saying she doesn’t need anyone’s help to beat her, to which Naomi replies that she’ll beat her right here and now. Jax tells Nick Aldis to sanction a match immediately, but before it starts, Liv Morgan—along with Raquel Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio—makes her entrance.
The reigning champion says she’ll be watching Jax lose to Naomi at ringside, just like she’ll lose to Morgan at Crown Jewel.
### Nia Jax vs. Naomi
In a non-title match against Jax, Naomi shows off her athleticism, dodging several attacks. But Jax soon takes control, working Naomi over with various submission moves before launching her into the ropes. After slamming Naomi’s head into the post, Jax locks in a sleeper, but Naomi manages to escape, following up with a kick and a spinning move that sends Jax rolling under the bottom rope.
Naomi kicks Jax out of the ring and then drives her into the ring post with a running kick along the apron. Jax wakes up, though, and slams Naomi onto the mat outside, calling her “fat” and “nasty.”
**Coming back from the commercial break, Naomi continues to give it her all to take Jax down. She hits a crossbody for a near fall, then forces Jax to retreat again before taking her out with a flip over the top ropes. While Naomi brings Jax back into the ring, Stratton tries to interfere with her Money in the Bank briefcase, but Raquel Rodriguez stops her, and Naomi lands a big kick to the head. Naomi gets ready for a big splash, but Jax reverses and prepares to attack. Rodriguez and Liv intervene, though, and Morgan knocks Jax off the top ropes with the briefcase, allowing Naomi to score a shocking pinfall win.**
**Winner – Naomi!**
After the match, chaos erupts once again. Rhea Ripley’s music hits, and she storms down the ramp, taking out Rodriguez. Morgan rushes into the ring but runs right into Jax. Ripley doesn’t care, though, and takes Jax down with a superkick before chasing Morgan and Mysterio away.
This was one of the more chaotic segments of the entire show, but incredibly fun. At first, it seemed like Jax was ready to go after Stratton for her near-betrayal at Bad Blood. However, Naomi’s interruption changed everything, and I think Naomi deserves a shot at the women’s title! Plus, the feud between Rhea and Liv is a blast to watch!
### Kevin Owens Attacks Randy Orton
In a shocking twist in the Kevin Owens/Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton saga, Owens has severed yet another friendship. Backstage, amidst a big argument between The Street Profits and #DIY, WWE security called Nick Aldis away just in time to see Owens delivering a series of kicks to a downed Orton. The team pulled Owens off Orton, and he walked away, leaving Orton on the floor and everyone confused about what just happened. This storyline is gonna be wild to watch!
### Main Event Time
It’s main event time, and Solo and Jimmy stare each other down and jaw back and forth. Once things get serious, the two superstars start trading blows. Solo throws Jimmy into the corner, but Uso sends him flying out of the ring before hitting a big splash over the ropes.
Sikoa takes control with a powerful hit, yelling at Uso that he’s not the little baby he used to be. Solo drops Jimmy on the edge of the apron and takes a moment to taunt him, letting Jimmy land a few hits back before Sikoa sends him crashing to the outside, continuing his taunts. As we head to commercial, Sikoa is still in control and looks ready to finish it, but he starts taking his sweet time to mock Jimmy.
Sikoa shouts that Uso better acknowledge him, which fires Uso up and brings him back into the match, dropping Solo with a big kick. The two start trading punches, and Sikoa hits him with a move reminiscent of a Rock Bottom for a near fall. Sikoa throws Jimmy into the corner and starts running into him before throwing up the ones and getting nailed with a massive superkick from Jimmy.
Uso regains momentum with more kicks before going for a near fall. Jimmy tosses Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa out of the ring and counters a Samoan Spike, but Jacob Fatu comes down to distract the ref, and Solo wins with a Samoan Spike. Unfortunately, Solo Sikoa has taken the win—what a fake Tribal Chief!
After the match, the group gears up to attack Uso again, but Roman Reigns rushes in to help, taking out Tonga and Loa with a couple of Superman Punches. He and Solo stare each other down, then go at it, but Reigns gets taken down quickly by Jacob Fatu, who has joined the Bloodline. The group unleashes chaos on Reigns and Jimmy, and Solo lands a massive Samoan Spike on Reigns to send a clear message.
Another fantastic showcase from The Bloodline! These matches are always entertaining, no matter how they end. Seeing Reigns and Uso lose so decisively is a bit surprising, but it adds credibility to what Jimmy said about needing help in the future. And we’re all hoping to see the real Bloodline reunite with Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn!
Aside from a few low points, this episode was super interesting and fun to watch! Plus, having Roman Reigns around makes it an easy win! Catch you on Friday for SmackDown and Saturday for my personal recap of the episode!
Xoxo,
Selena.
"PS: Due to issues with my Wi-Fi connection, I'm unable to upload photos and videos."
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