This week’s edition of SmackDown comes live from Portland, Oregon, five days following RAW’s transition to Netflix. SmackDown is dealing with its own transition, now being three hours long, and the “trade portal” also included commentators as Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett took up the duties for the (once again) B-Show.
Can You Smell What Paul Heyman Is Cookin?
Paul Heyman kicked off the night’s first segment, and he cut a Roman Reigns promo sans Roman Reigns. He said that he would be announcing Roman’s plan for ‘what’s next’ before calling for WWE undisputed world champion Cody Rhodes (Paul mistakenly said “Heavyweight Champ” when hyping up Cody, but, for a moment, the thought of Roman-Gunther was intriguing). It was a tasteful lovefest of the utmost respect as Heyman put over Cody as the build-up for his ‘Roman announcement.’
That’s when Heyman revealed that the “Tribal Chief” wants his belt back now that he has the Ula Fala and has set things straight with Solo (presumably). And he claimed that Roman specifically wanted Cody to know how he ‘plans’ to take back the strap.“This is not a prediction; this is a spoiler,” Paul said, and the crowd along with him. “Roman Reigns here by declares he is entering the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble with full intentions of winning and going on to WrestleMania to fight you once again for the championship.”
Paul, full of confidence, then shot Cody’s “so, what do you want to talk about” catchphrase back at him. But before Cody could respond, Kevin Owens entered through the crowd, screaming on the mic about his disgust for Cody shaking hands with The Rock Monday night (he was not the only one).
Kevin Owens degraded and humiliated Cody by showing receipts of Cody’s naivety in trusting Roman Reigns, The Rock, and now Paul Heyman—claiming Cody and the company would have been better off letting the Solo-led Bloodline ‘tear Roman apart.’ It was all Cody could stand of Kevin’s fiery promo that managed to upstage the ‘Roman in the Rumble’ announcement. The two battled in the crowd, but K.O.’s final line spoke volumes as he claimed that Roman getting the belt back would be the worst thing for the company. This line is telling and could reveal WWE’s belief that Roman no longer needs the title to be the big ticket—it’s just who he is.
Plus, with the Ula Fala, Roman already carries the stakes needed to push The Rock-Roman showdown that is represented in physical form—props are necessary for the dramatic theme, as well as the Mania-moment still shot destined to live on forever. Paul looked on gleefully as Cody and K.O. beat on each other, but his mood changed drastically when he realized that both Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu were in the ring standing behind him. Luckily, Jimmy Uso came out to save ‘The Wiseman’ by taking out Tama and Fatu long enough for Paul to escape. However, when Jimmy tries to put Fatu down with a chair shot across the back, the ‘animal’ eats it up before making Jimmy pay.
Coming back from a commercial following that first segment, Jacob Fatu was shown backstage with WWE staff finding it difficult to remove him from the main arena, as per GM Nic Aldis. That’s when LA Knight entered the frame by quickly shoving Fatu out the door. Knight is scheduled to get his title rematch after being dethroned by Nakamura at the end of last year. Title or no title, Knight-Fatu offers an interesting (and NEW) direction for two superstars on the verge of that next level—it would be better with the belt.
Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga vs. Cody Rhodes & Jimmy Uso
The match was booked before the second hour following the men’s U.S. title match (SEE BELOW), and it was Jacob Fatu who once again came out looking like the monster. The match was solid, but the storyline ended how it began, with Cody and K.O. fighting it out in the crowd after the #1 contender interfered in the match and giving Fatu the chance to pick up the win.
The commentators said that Jimmy was ‘left all alone’ after Cody handled his K.O. business. The champ and challenger destined for a Ladder Match at Royal Rumble ended Smackdown by both going through a table in the audience. It will be interesting to see whether Jimmy, Jey, or Roman takes issue with Cody’s ‘abandonment’ issue.
It’s Time, It’s Time, It’s Tiffy Time!
Tiffy got her flowers in the form of an ‘interview-style’ promo before she took the mic from Byron Saxton to claim that she befriended Nia to get her guard down. It was all a setup to get her hands on what she called Nia’s ‘most prized possession. The crowd reaction was much different than it had been for Tiffy during her ‘chase.’
Nia eventually came out and did not hide her disdain for Tiffy’s ‘moment,’ sarcastically exclaiming, “It’s Tiffy Time.” Despite Tiffy working heel, she was able to gain the crowd reaction she’d become accustomed to, but only after Nia sucked up all the crowd heat. There was a great throwaway line from Nia where she claimed “it was about time” that Tiffy took advantage—slyly commenting on the critics that say Tiffy’s momentum was wasted on swerve cash-ins.
Bayley eventually came out, but things escalated when Naomi and her tag team partner Bianca Belair claimed first dibs on Tiffy’s first title defense. Naomi spoke about how she was moments away from beating Nia for the title last week before Tiffy took her shot. Nia got nasty by face-palming Naomi before claiming nobody cared about her. They all eventually brawled before Aldis came out to book a Fatal Four-Way for number one contender positioning.
Naomi vs. Bayley vs. Nia Jax vs. Bianca Belair—Women’s World Title #1 Contender (Fatal Four-Way)
It was tough to pick a favorite as the match continued, but Nia certainly has a better story with Tiffy. Nia was the only one working heel in the match, but it did not play out repetitively at all and there were terrific spots showcasing all four superstars—Bianca and Naomi power-bombed Nia from the middle turnbuckle with Bayley on her back receiving an incidental Samoan Drop.
One of the biggest pops was both tag team champs facing off before directing their focus elsewhere. Then, Bianca accidentally caught Naomi in the gut after struggling with Candice at ringside. The gut shot was enough to give Bayley the win.
American Gold… It’s True Times Two: Chelsea Green vs. Michin—Women’s U.S. Title
Chelsea made her first title defense since securing the historical first reign of the new women’s division title. It was a rematch of the U.S. title tournament finals as the champ took on Michin. Their first match was solid, and despite being offered less time and a smaller profile, the two superstars put on an entertaining and competitive match. Michin had momentum towards the end of the match, but the champ was able to counter the challenger’s crossbody off the top turnbuckle into a ‘fist-full of tights’ pinfall victory.
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. LA Knight—Men’s U.S. Title
It was another rematch for the U.S. title in the men’s division as former champ LA Knight received his title rematch as promised, and the two men got the opportunity to renew their rivalry. This one was more physical as Knight repeatedly slammed the champ’s head into the table. Knight appeared much more focused and intentional with his offense this time around, and he contributed to the match’s biggest highlights.
Nakamura survived long enough for “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga to interfere—giving Knight the win but Nakamura the title. The pair paid back Knight with a beat down for earlier in the night.
In-Ring Action
Legado Del Fantasma’s Los Garzas defeated Pretty Deadly in a tag team title eliminator after both teams have unscrupulously imposed their way into the title picture in recent weeks.
The other title eliminator of the night pitted A-Town Down Under against Motor City Machine Guns in a match of former tag team champions. MCMG picked up the win and are one step closer to a potential second run as WWE tag team champions (blue-brand edition).
In the back following the match, DIY was seen gaslighting Pretty Deadly after the latter wondered why the champs didn’t return the favor by helping them to secure the titles eliminator earlier in the night. Gargano insisted that the team would get a title shot but that they were being forced to ‘navigate backstage politics. Gargano is so easy to root for as a mat-genius, but his work as a heel is getting interesting—DIY could be like The New Age Outlaws if they wrestled like The Steiners.
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