Erik BeastonDecember 21, 2024
- WWE/Getty Images
- A week after a brutal beating at the hands of The Bloodline left them lying, the team of LA Knight, Apollo Crews, and Andrade sought revenge against Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a six-man tag team battle.
WWE @WWE
The Bloodline is OUT OF CONTROL! <br><br>They just took out <a href=”https://twitter.com/RealLAKnight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@RealLAKNight</a>, <a href=”https://twitter.com/AndradeElIdolo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@AndradeElIdolo</a>, and <a href=”https://twitter.com/WWEApollo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@WWEApollo</a>! 😱<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmackDown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SmackDown</a> <a href=”https://t.co/0mIj5E9G3V”>pic.twitter.com/0mIj5E9G3V</a>
- Did Knight and Co. knock off their oppressive attackers or did The Bloodline continue its road to the Raw debut on Netflix and Sikoa’s match-up against Roman Reigns with another high-profile victory?
- Find out in this recap of a show that also saw the women’s tag team titles at stake, the continuation of the rivalry between the Motor City Machine Guns and DIY, and another edition of The Grayson Waller Effect.
- Announced in advance of Friday’s show were:
- Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Bianca Belair and Naomi* (c) vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae (*stepping in for Jade Cargill)
- LA Knight, Andrade, and Apollo Crews vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga)
- Alex Shelley vs. Johnny Gargano
- The fallout from Saturday Night’s Main Event
- WWE/Getty Images
- Drew McIntyre does not forgive, nor does he forget.
- The Scottish Warrior interrupted Solo Sikoa’s show-opening promo and warning to Roman Reigns, coming face-to-face with him, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu.
- He reminded the world that they have unfinished business as Sikoa was the man who cost him the world title at Clash at the Castle 2022 and encouraged the self-proclaimed Tribal Chief to put an end to The OTC so they can resume their rivalry.
WWE @WWE
.<a href=”https://twitter.com/DMcIntyreWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DMcIntyreWWE</a> is conflicted… <br> <br>Should he jump Solo Sikoa now or later? 🤨 <br> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmackDown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SmackDown</a> <a href=”https://t.co/4LAwopBUPa”>pic.twitter.com/4LAwopBUPa</a>
- A hobbled Jimmy Uso attacked McIntyre, and LA Knight, Apollo Crews, and Andrade rushed the ring to brawl with the Bloodline, to cap off a hot start to Friday’s show.
- McIntyre retaining his disdain for Sikoa is the sort of long-term, sensical booking that fans have begged for and Triple H and his creative team have provided more times than not.
- Top Moments and Takeaways
- “WHAT?!” chants in 2024 are one of the most insufferable elements in professional wrestling. They hampered Sikoa’s promo as he rambled and appeared to be affected by the crowd’s obnoxiousness.
- “I’m gonna make this quick because it makes me physically sick to be those close to you and not beat you within an inch of your life.” McIntyre, holder of grudges, told Sikoa.
- Credit: WWE.com
- Sikoa followed up his warning to Reigns with a victory in the night’s opening contest as he teamed with Fatu and Tonga to defeat LA Knight, Andrade, and Apollo Crews.
- A long match that saw the heels isolate and beat down Andrade, it appeared to shift with El Idolo’s hot tag to Knight. A late appearance by United States champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Kinshasa to The Megastar wiped the popular babyface out at ringside.
WWE @WWE
Message. Sent. <br> <br>Solo Sikoa is READY for Tribal Combat 😤 <br> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmackDown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SmackDown</a> <a href=”https://t.co/TDFfuVPdgl”>pic.twitter.com/TDFfuVPdgl</a>
- Back inside the squared circle, Sikoa downed Crews, delivered the Samoan Spike, and picked up the win for The Bloodline.
- A good match that felt unnecessarily long, it gave the heels a much-needed victory as they bounced back from the Survivor Series loss, and protected Knight in the process by keeping his rivalry with Nakamura alive.
- The Bloodline defeated Knight, Crews, and Andrade
- Top Moments and Takeaways
- Andrade is ridiculously good at this pro wrestling thing and should be in a better position than he is on SmackDown.
- The energy for Knight is off the chart. He is as popular as ever despite losing the US title and his performance feeds off of it.
- Crews took the pin for the babyfaces. Shocker.
- Credit: WWE.com
- “What happened after Saturday Night’s Main Event was…not my fault,” Kevin Owens said in a pre-taped, backstage promo as he held the classic winged-eagle WWE Championship. Discussing his attack on Cody Rhodes after the show went off the air, he warned, “What happens next is on all of you.”
WWE @WWE
“I haven’t snapped yet.” <br> <br>What else does <a href=”https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FightOwensFight</a> have up his sleeve? 😳 <br> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmackDown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SmackDown</a> <a href=”https://t.co/4YlfilCuRV”>pic.twitter.com/4YlfilCuRV</a>
- Up next, a Santa-suited Braun Strowman joined The Grayson Waller Effect.
- The host made fun of Strowman a bit before Carmelo Hayes interrupted the proceedings and challenged the former universal champion for a rematch of last week’s squash defeat.
- Hayes threw his body at his larger opponent, trying to keep him off balance while attacking the neck. He mocked Strowman’s run around the ring and ate a big boot to the face. The Monster Among Men threw his opponent back into the ring, only to be counted out as referee Jessika Carr called for the bell.
- A for the Owens promo, D for the totally useless talk show, and C- for a match that was messy, rushed, and never really hit the next gear
- Top Moments and Takeaways
- “It can all get so much worse,” Owens warned Rhodes and the rest of the WWE Universe.
- “I’m all man. I MADE A KID!” Johnny Gargano told Tommaso Ciampa, taking a mocking approach to Alex Shelley’s promise to teach the former a lesson.
- “That was so nice of you to help the poor people here in Hartford, Connecticut,” Waller sarcastically told Strowman.
- “Newsflash, Nick Aldis, you can’t humble greatness,” Hayes told the SmackDown general manager before challenging Strowman to a rematch of their one-sided showdown a week ago.
- Credit: WWE.com
- Johnny Gargano defeated Alex Shelley Friday night in a match that never evolved into the show-stealer that it should have. Instead, it never left first gear and worse yet, became riddled with the prototypical interference late.
- With Chris Sabin negating Tommaso Ciampa at ringside, Gargano took advantage of the distraction, rolling through a crossbody and hooking the tights for the tainted pinfall victory.
WWE @WWE
Come on, Ciampa 😡 <br> <br>Chris Sabin has his eye on you… <br> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmackDown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SmackDown</a> <a href=”https://t.co/Iigs2gtSb0″>pic.twitter.com/Iigs2gtSb0</a>
- This was what it was, which was slightly disappointing.
- Both teams are absurdly great but on this night, Shelley and Gargano were not able to muster the type of performance that really grasps both longtime and new fans.
- Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Strowman stalked after Hayes, only to be distracted by Legado del Fantasma and Pretty Deadly. The former NXT champion attacked him from behind with a steel, only further infuriating the big man.
- “I will never say a good word about Johnny Gargano as long as I live.” Corey Graves said, committed to his dislike of Johnny Wrestling.
- Graves credited Gargano’s friendship with everyone on the Indies to his dad letting wrestlers sleep over. Ha.
- Gargano absolutely launched Shelley face-first into the middle turnbuckle and it did not look fun for the recipient.
- Credit: WWE.com
- After advising Tiffany Stratton to stay backstage for the night’s main event, WWE women’s champion Nia Jax and Candice LeRae challenged Bianca Belair and Naomi for the Women’s Tag Team Champions.
- The Irresistible Force and Poison Pixie dominated The EST for the majority of the match, isolating her from her partner and cutting the ring off.
- Naomi exploded into the ring off a hot tag from Belair and changed the mood. She put the heels on the defensive and a late appearance by “Miss Money in the Bank” Tiffany Stratton provided just enough of a distraction to sidetrack the WWE women’s champion and allow Naomi to finish off LeRae for the win and successful title defense.
- There were multiple stories at play here, not the least of which was the continued tension between Jax and Stratton. Add to that the possibility that Naomi was behind the attack that took Jade Cargill out of action and you have two storylines presented in one match that highlighted the blue brand’s women’s division.
- Not a bad way to close out the show.
- Belair and Naomi defeated Jax and LeRae
- Top Moments and Takeaways
- This felt like the last match of a double-taping in that the crowd was fine enough but nowhere near as hot as it should have been for the competitors involved.
- Naomi injected energy into the back half of the match.
- Jax suffered a laceration of some sort on the forehead. Not something you see every week, especially in the women’s division.
- The crowd chanted “Cash it in” at Stratton appeared and teased cashing in. She did not, but the fans are ready for Tiffy Time, even if it means betraying her friend and partner.
- This was a typical taped WWE show that highlighted ongoing stories but did not necessarily advance them in any measurable way.
- The best part of the broadcast was McIntyre reiterating his disdain for Sikoa, even as they find themselves with a common enemy. It was loyal to The Scottish Warrior’s crusade against those who did him wrong while also planting the seeds for his involvement in Sikoa’s match with Reigns on January 6.
- Beyond that, this was a status quo episode that was solid yet unspectacular and mostly skippable.
