SmackDown Live is in London for the first of their two shows on the WWE programming calendar. Monday’s RAW will also be in London with Cody Rhodes–John Cena facing off for the third week in a row, and while both men have contributed some strong promo work in those two weeks, neither faceoff has done anything to raise the stakes for this match. It will be difficult to squeeze any more meaning out of Cena-Cody, considering the former is threatening to ruin wrestling for every superstar and fan alike.
Tonight, however, it was all about CM Punk–Roman Reigns–Seth Rollins’ contract signing for their triple threat match at WrestleMania. Punk has been cryptic in the past few weeks, but he has had a couple of talking points that remain in his promo. For example, he has been quick to remind both Roman and Seth (and the crowd) that neither man has beaten him without the other’s help.
A ‘Reddit rumor’ has gained steam heading into tonight’s show, and it is based on the idea that WWE wants to insert Punk into the heavyweight title picture with Jey and champion Gunther. It feels like an unlikely move at this point on the ‘Road to WrestleMania.’
Punk-Reigns-Rollins Contract Signing
SmackDown GM Nic Aldis started in the middle of the ring with one table and three chairs prepped for the WM contract signing between Punk, Reigns, and Rollins. Aldis said everyone’s name, and it was Roman who received the loudest pop. If it wasn’t clear, then it was decided after Roman’s music hit, and the crowd lost it.
Reigns was given a solo promo before Punk and Rollins made their entrances, but the actual promo took some time getting to after the crowd fully highjacked the segment with a crowd serenading their Tribal Chief for 80% of Roman’s solo time. As Roman started the promo, Seth’s music hit—“The OTC” was not happy.
Seth started by going down memory lane—recalling the moment that ‘The Shield’ descended from a helicopter onto the roof of the very building they were in tonight. He said the night they put Undertaker through the table in London was when they decided to burn down the company and rebuild it in ‘their image.’
Roman responded by saying ‘they’ were dead and that he alone was responsible for the heights this company has reached, referencing the Netflix deal in the process.
CM Punk made his entrance, finally, and the crowd was just as loud chanting his name. Things were slow played, but Punk eventually signed the contract. However, it was not before Paul Heyman came over to assure Punk that the clause he asked for was put into the contract. The crowd ramped up, not knowing what to expect, and then we found out that the triple threat match would headline WM (likely Night 1). The crowd cheered and chanted, “You deserve it.”
Seth lost his mind, having to acknowledge Punk’s ‘dream’ of headlining Mania to come true, and he had a hand in it coming to fruition. Punk got close up to Roman and thanked him for playing his part, but then he made it clear that the ‘main event clause’ was not the ‘favor’ he was owed. The crowd lit up, but we got no other word on what it could be or whether it would be utilized by Mania.
This was not the ‘stake raising’ contract signing we expected, but it finally set the stage for this feud. It stands to reason that Punk will utilize that favor by Mania, but will he attempt to finesse a title shot somehow?
Cody’s ‘Road’ Continues To Be A Lonely One
Cody Rhodes started the show with a Cena-less promo—the world champ has had to carry much of the WWE programming with Cena reduced to the first 10-15min of RAW for the past couple of weeks. With no Cena, Randy Orton decided to make his entrance and fill the veteran superstar role.
There was a lot of ‘personal friendship’ talk, and he eventually mentioned Cena, but it was not in the context that we had all hoped for. Drew McIntyre came out to complain about the movements of both Cody and Randy as it relates to Punk and Roman—the same schtick he’s been on since returning to action following his long-running feud with Punk last year. Drew made his move, and a match was set between him and Orton (who the crowd produced defining cheers for).
McIntyre-Orton
It was a terrific matchup involving two of the best superstars currently working, but it was never getting a clean finish. Kevin Owens, the other half of Randy Orton’s feud, provided the distraction for which Drew McIntyre was able to take advantage of—landing the Claymore for the win. Owens continued to beat Orton down after the match.
Then, after the commercial break, Drew was caught backstage as he was leaving the arena. He gave a cocky interview before walking out the exit door, but behind the door was Damian Priest—someone Drew referred to as a “Temu Undertaker” earlier in the night. Priest got the jump on Drew and made him pay for it, throwing him through the windshield of a convertible.
Before the segment was over, the cameras caught CM Punk walking past McIntyre, who was being tended to by medical staff. He laughed and shook his head as to say, ‘Drew will never learn.’ It gives the entire show more texture when they do things like this, and not every interaction backstage needs to renew or begin another rivalry.
Naomi-Jade Direction?
We got a video interview from Naomi despite her being in the building. The pre-taped vignette was creepy and showcased a slightly unstable version of Naomi—wearing caution tape as part of her new attire.
She found a moment to attack Jade even after Jade begged Aldis for a match with her. They are holding off on the Jade-Naomi match for whatever reason, but the emotion that has come out of this feud makes it one of the most intriguing storylines in WWE today.
In-Ring Action
- It is official: Rey Fenix will debut for the company under the SmackDown brand next Friday. The news was announced after his video vignette. His opponent is unknown, but it seems like WWE will attempt to make stars out of both Lucha Bros separately across the two brands.
- Jimmy Uso defeated The Miz in singles action, and then he cut a promo on Gunther—his opponent for Monday in London ahead of his brother Jey’s title shot at Mania against the heavyweight champion.
- Charlotte was victorious over Michin in singles action.
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