Cody Rhodes Gets Help From Terence Crawford on WWE Smackdown

Live from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown focused on the events of last week—especially the way that Solo Sikoa and the rest of the Bloodline standing tall as Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton were seen with their backs on the floor as the show faded to black.

Solo’s attempt to usurp everything that was once Roman’s moved one step closer to fruition last week when it was made official that he would challenge for Cody’s WWE world title at SummerSlam.

The Champs Are Here… Cody & ‘Bud’ Crawford Smokin On That A-Town Pack

Cody Rhodes kicked off the show’s first segment off the back of a video package showing the carnage created by the Bloodline. He spoke about his real-life friend, Randy Orton, and how he let him down by leading him into the lion’s den last week, leaving ‘his friend beaten down in a scene that, after months, feels all too familiar.

Oldy enough, A-Town Down came out to complain about Cody putting his friend in a vulnerable situation, which Cody had already admitted, and the harsh but true words made Cody snap. He attacked the former tag team champs, but the numbers game—a game that Cody has not seemed to figure out since leaving the umbrella of The Elite back in AEW—was too much, and Cody was sent outside.

That is when Cody, all out of backup, received help from the greatest welterweight of this era (maybe the very best in boxing today, P4P, certainly top two), who assisted Cody in the form of a steel chair. Terence Crawford could see Cody, who was visibly trying to recoup from the momentary beatdown from A-Town, and that is when he slammed the steel chair on the padded railing, which got Cody’s attention quickly.

Crawford gave Cody a look of encouragement, and Cody snatched up the offering from “Bud” and gave him a look back like he was on the same page with the undisputed champion. You could see a big smile from Bo-Mac, Crawford’s trainer, as he was obviously enjoying seeing the fighter he has cornered for his entire career actually ‘cornering’ the WWE world champion.

The crowd in Omaha, where Crawford is from and enjoys huge crowds whenever he shows out in his hometown, gave the moment a HUGE pop. Seeing champions from other sports endorse Cody like Roman was embraced is important. Since wrestling was shown on a TV set, promoters have used other sports stars to co-sign a champ, and Cody and Crawford on TV at the same time represent the two very best each sport has to offer. Cody wiped Waller and Theory out, putting an exclamation on the segment with a Disaster Kick from Rhodes with a “Van Daminator” twist. WWE commentary acknowledged Crawford and his role, but if something more came from this, I’d be surprised and stoked.

Other than the fact that Jacob Fatu interfered in A-Town’s tag team title rematch challenge against current champs DIY, there was no real reason for them to be out there, and it was clear this was a segment with no real continuity and meant only to get a pop from the Omaha crowd.

Rhodes & Owens vs. A-Town Down

Cody was granted a tag match against Theory and Waller, and KO would end up teaming with him since Orton is hurt. KO recently returned to WWE TV after tending to family matters that have since changed to a more positive tone—Owens gave an update on his mother, who was hospitalized, and commentary relayed the sentiments about her doing better.

There was an additional break before the match and then another during, and it seemed like all four men turned up the heat following every break. In the end, Cody picked up the 1-2-3 pinfall, giving him and Owens the win, but they didn’t even have time to celebrate as The Bloodline came out immediately following the match.

Cody dove out of the ring and was unwilling to wait, allowing him and KO the chance for some sneak attack offense. The numbers got the best of both men yet again. This time, Crawford thought it best to stay in his seat and stay ready for his fight with Israil Madrimov on August 3.

With no other backup, The Bloodline once again closed the show with a beatdown of Cody and anyone willing to stand with him. It felt repetitive in the worst way, and there was no visual difference between this week and last. It will be difficult to continue this booking as fans will want the ante upped, and having Cody get more strategic is the next likely escalation.

WWE does not seem ready to shift this feud to the next level, and maybe that is because “Bad Blood” is not in August. That said, the premier feud of WWE’s premier brand is becoming more and more stale with every ‘strong Solo finish’ on loop.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

This feud started at this summer’s Money in the Bank, but it was fueled when Hayes interrupted Andrade’s pre-recorded interview, giving him his flowers for the performance in the titular ladder match. The match was almost immediately thrown to an add break, but these guys wanted to show everyone in the back that they still may be on the fence about any meaningful future pushes.

Melo countered Andrade’s high-risk maneuver with the “First 48” but could not put his opponent away for the three-count. Melo went for his own high risk, but Andrade avoided the move and hit ‘The Message’ for the win.

The match has more in the tank, and these two have only begun to show what kind of show-stealing performances they’re capable of. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait for a more prestigious place on the card to get the time to make a difference.

Bayley No Mo Kayfabe

Baley and Nia Jax will face off at SummerSlam, and this feud has plenty of continuity. However, that was not enough for Bayley, as she decided to up the ante this week.

The two superstars participated in a backstage interview shot in separate locations to prevent them from getting physical. But that did not stop Bayley from hitting Jax where it hurts. Nia has always received complaints for being too dangerous to work with, and her record of putting other superstars on the shelves is extensive.

So, Bayley decided to throw that aspect of Nia’s real-life criticisms into the fed, which worked very well. Bayley is echoing the sentiments from many fans, and this was the perfect way to set up clear heel and face standings.

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• Bianca Belair squashed Chelsea Green, but Piper Niven did more with nothing, which is the real story. When will Piper be given the opportunity to truly add to storylines?
• LA Knight and Logan Paul did almost nothing to further their feud. Instead, they had a very predictable segment. Still, this match feels very SummerSlam-ish, but Paul will have to pull his weight in a way he has not been doing as the US champ lately.

Mario Mungia

Mario Mungia Jr. has a decade worth of experience as a combat sports journalist and correspondent which began with ThaBoxingVoice (TBV) as a podcast co-host, writer and editor-in-chief. Aside from his online resume, Mario spent a fair portion of his early career working for Spanish/English magazine Premier Round and the Mexican website Izquierdo. Mario has also contributed to NYFights while simultaneously working for MIC Sports Network as part of the broadcast crew covering local high school sports. Since then, he has launched his own podcast/live stream (Infighting/Work In Progress) and is covering pro wrestling for FightsATW.

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