The OTC Roman Reigns Makes Huge Return On SmackDown

It was the Roman Reigns show tonight, or at least that was the theme for Friday Night SmackDown in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the BOK Center following his cameo in the main event at SummerSlam. Reigns interfered in the New Bloodline’s plan of Solo Sikoa defeating Cody Rhodes for the WWE world title.

Reigns made his feelings on Solo’s hostile takeover of everything the “Original Tribal Chief” built crystal clear by delivering a ‘Superman Punch’ to his family member before hitting with the spear that led to Cody’s victory. What would come of Roman’s official return? With the potential for a family civil war at the heart of this episode, and possibly the entire company, all eyes would be on whatever segments or backstage vignettes The Bloodline (past or present) were a part of tonight.

Roman’s Colosseum

Solo came out for the final segment of the night, the main event if you will, and it had less of an impact because it was his second time coming out after being chased away earlier in the night. However, he wasted no time addressing Roman and telling him that if he wanted the Ula Fala back, and thus the reigns of The Bloodline, he’d have to come and ‘take it from him.’

Roman’s base-filled theme music hit, and the crowd went wild. The “OTC” wasted no time decimating the faction that Solo spent the summer crafting. One by one, Reigns took out Tama Tonga in an epic but wasted image outside the ring, and then Tonga Loa before staring into the ring at Solo as the crowd chanted “OTC.” Roman and Solo stood staring at each other momentarily before Roman punched Solo into the corner. Solo managed to kick Roman off of him, but he was just a sucker for the ‘Superman punch.’ It appeared as though Solo was attempting his own shot, but Roman was much faster and stronger in his strike.

Roman Reigns was setting up Solo for the spear when the Tongas pulled out their Tribal Chief. Roman was nearly in the grips of the Ula Fala when the tag champs began attacking him, though he ultimately bested them both. Solo escaped with the prized Bloodline artifact. That was the end of the segment, but it is undoubtedly the building block for a month-long story that will culminate at Bad Blood in Atlanta. By then, there will certainly be more family members in play and likely a Rhodes… OR TWO?!

All Rhodes Point To KO

Cody Rhodes received his victory lap by opening SmackDown, but it did not take long for Solo to come out harping about a rematch. The dialogue was merely a recap, and it all fizzled out quickly after The Bloodline attempted to circle Cody before Kevin Owens came in through the crowd, toting chairs in hand. Solo and co. scurried off to the back in a big nothing burger as far as BL storytelling goes, but Cody surprisingly stayed in the ring to continue his promo. It was awkward and confusing, but it was worth the clunky setup to get to the fact that Cody was out there to give KO a shot at the title.

KO turned down the title shot like the true babyface he is, insisting he had not done enough to earn a shot at the title—pointing out his win-loss record as evidence to support his stance. Cody, of course, insisted that KO’s sacrifices qualify him for a title shot at ‘Bash in Berlin.’ Then, Cody said he would talk to GM Nick Aldis to book the match as KO continued to protest off-mic. The whole segment was a little clunky, and it is yet another example of the thrown-together challenges that WWE seems adamant about pinning on the champ (no pun intended). As clunky as it was, it got back on track by relying on KO.

Later, backstage, Cody and KO were seen debating the potential title match with Aldis as a judge. Owens persisted in believing he did not earn a title match, but his tune changed when Alids admitted he was getting ready to talk to Roman about a potential title match offer. That comment was enough to set KO off because, in his mind, if he does not deserve then Roman deserves it less.

Owens spoke about automatic title rematches that were supposedly done away with years ago, and then he reminded Aldis that he never received a rematch when he lost the Universal title. KO told Aldis to open the locker room door and that he’d find a worthy challenger amongst ‘the boys.’ That is when Alids confirmed what Cody had already mentioned—that KO is the worthy challenger if for nothing else but his noble attitude and respect for the title. It feels a bit like a mixed message, but it was certainly a quality matchup based on a strong motivation. This program keeps both Rhodes and Owens as faces, but with no clear direction for Owens as a face, maybe a heel turn could be in the forecast.

Tag Team Back Again

There were several #1 contender tag team matches tonight with several more than-suitable teams. The matches were booked well, and the styles meshed well throughout the night.

A-Town Down vs. Street Profits

It was a good TV match, and the Profits won by pinfall as Ford and Dawkins utilized their cohesive team moves against a team that had not seen eye to eye these past few months.

DIY vs. Pretty Deadly

It was a sad realization that DIY were mere transitional champs for the bigger Bloodline story, but perhaps there is a chance at redemption for the heralded former champs. DIY was victorious in a match that was not booked well for TV in that much of the lead-up to the final sequence took place during the ad break. DIY will face Street Profits in what should be a banger of a tag team match in a division that is starting to catch some steam. Hopefully, it will be given the proper time.

Other Tidbits/In-Ring Action

• LA Knight celebrated his US title win over Logan Paul at SummerSlam. He received a “You deserve it” chant from the crowd, who were genuinely happy to see Knight with the championship and new ring entrance.
• Escobar came out soon after, leading to his number-one contender’s match with Andrade. This seemed like the place to elevate Andrade, but Escobar would end up getting the victory after Carmelo Hayes interfered in the match—likely continuing the feud between Hayes and Andrade, which everyone should appreciate.
• Before the match was officially underway, Corbin and Crews did a run to even the odds for Andrade, so the finish felt like a rerun.

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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