The Bloodline is back. Not Solo Sikoa’s spin on the group, but the original trio of Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. The estranged family reunited on WWE SmackDown under certain conditions.
Reigns, Jey and Jimmy will join forces at Crown Jewel on Saturday against Sikoa’s Bloodline. Their reconciliation came with certain assurances Jey demanded of his cousin. Now a united front, the group is ready to take on The Bloodline in a six-man tag team match.
Ongoing issues Kevin Owens has with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were explored on SmackDown, as well as Rhodes’ upcoming match against Gunther for the inaugural Crown Jewel championship.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action.
The original Bloodline is back, Owens causes mayhem
Reigns and Jimmy were first to the ring. Jimmy told Reigns he needed to make amends with Jey. Enter “Main Event” Jey. The former intercontinental champion insisted things between him and Reigns were not remedied. Jey said he only agreed to team with Reigns at Crown Jewel to get revenge on Sikoa. Jey reminded Reigns of the physical, emotional and mental damage he’s caused.
Jey was not prepared to move forward unless they operated as equals. The Usos are no longer Reigns’ lackey. Jey assured his cousin he’d leave if Reigns treated him with disrespect. Reigns pondered for a moment, lifted the microphone to his mouth and gave an affirmative, “Yeet!” The original Bloodline members put their ones up in unison.
Elsewhere, WWE played a video message recorded from Owen’s phone. The former universal champion said he looked up to Orton. Owens said he was uncomfortable hurting his former friend, but would do exactly that if Orton insists on moving forward with their Crown Jewel match.
Rhodes and Orton convened in their locker room before Friday’s main event. Rhodes asked Orton to leave a piece of Owens for him after Crown Jewel, but Orton couldn’t promise there’d be anything left once he was done with Owens.
Rhodes and Orton def. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser via pinfall. The Raw superstars weaponized their superior chemistry early in the match, distracting and neutralizing Rhodes. Orton helped turn the tide, leading to a back-and-forth match. Gunther tried to intercept Rhodes’ Cross Rhodes in the closing moments but ran into an RKO. Rhodes cocked back and dropped Kaiser with his finisher for the pinfall.
Post-match, Owens attacked Orton with a steel chair. Gunther slapped a rear-naked choke on Rhodes while the undisputed WWE champion was distracted. SmackDown went off the air as security personnel tried and failed to pry Gunther off Rhodes.
There was a lot to like about SmackDown’s three big storylines. The original Bloodline reunited but it didn’t come easily. Unlike many pro wrestling storylines, Jey did not conveniently forget how Reigns wronged him. The family’s healing process worked because Jey asserted boundaries, Reigns showed humility and Jimmy mediated. This was as honest a depiction of real-life family drama on television as you’ll see in wrestling. Owens’ appearance was a clever piece of business. He’s been absent in recent weeks and relegated to pre-recorded videos. Having him send in a phone recording and appear in the final seconds of SmackDown was a fun surprise. Gunther’s post-match attack on Rhodes added some steam to their Crown Jewel match. Grade: A
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Liv Morgan def. Tiffany Stratton via pinfall with a tights-assisted schoolboy pin. The match was preceded by a war of words between Morgan and Nia Jax.
- Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) def. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) via pinfall after hitting a doomsday blockbuster.
- Bayley and Naomi def. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell via pinfall after Naomi hit Rear View on LeRae.
- A-Town Down Under invited Motor City Machine Guns to “The Grayson Waller Effect” next week on SmackDown.
- Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair, Lash Legend and Piper Niven via pinfall after hitting Legend with an Over the Moonsault on Legend in a fatal four-way match.