- Maroon 5 play it safe and dull
- The layoffs will continue until (investor) morale improves
- Lessons Learned - Denise Ebenhoech Integrating Autonomous Mobile Robots in Manufacturing Environments
- IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore star Glenn Maxwell shares his fitness update
- Sunday Notes: On KC’s Roster Bubble, Matt Duffy Ponders a Front Office Future
5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Big match set-up; Sami Zayn defeated The Bloodline
Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes came face to face in this week’s WWE SmackDown. This was one of the biggest segments set for the night, as the two superstars who will likely main-event WrestleMania 39 used some harsh words on each other.
Meanwhile, Bobby Lashley was not ready to sit back and play the game with Bray Wyatt. He called out The Eater of Worlds on SmackDown, but Uncle Howdy attacked him instead. The All Mighty got the better of the masked figure make a statement on the show.
Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio also moved to SmackDown to get themselves some matches. The Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther at WrestleMania saw several top superstars staking their claim for a shot.
Check out five things WWE SmackDown got right on this week’s show.
#5. Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns face off to kick off WWE SmackDown!
The Bloodline came to the ring on WWE SmackDown without Jay Uso. The fans have already accepted Roman Reigns Cody Rhodes joined him in the middle.
The American Nightmare wanted to talk to Reigns and asked him to send Paul Heyman and the rest of The Bloodline away. The tribal chief obliged, before targeting Rhodes’ relationship with his father. Reign dug deep and said that his father never even mentioned Cody’s name during his time in FCW. He tried to come under cover of Rhodes, but the Royal Rumble winner kept his cool.
Cody said that by defeating Reigns at WrestleMania, he could only get what he always wanted. The American Nightmare promised to finish the storyline at The Show of Shows before Reigns left the ring.
The segment was phenomenal as it pitted both the superstars. The tribal chief showed some anxiety as he left the ring, and it showed that he is not as confident as he usually is when facing his opponents.
WWE has put a lot of effort into this storyline and the creative team will have to build it a little before WrestleMania. Many fans are still dreaming of seeing Sami Zayn defeat Reigns for the title.
#4. Rhea Ripley taps out Liv Morgan for a new move
Rhea Ripley WWE arrives on SmackDown and takes on Liv Morgan. Liv tried to take control of the match early, but she ran into a big boot from the former Raw Women’s Champion.
Liv hits a big dive and tries to stay on top of the match. She stabs him in the back but fails to keep The Nightmare away from him. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion stayed on the attack and got some codebreakers but failed to connect with Oblivion.
Ripley missed Riptide but hit a powerbomb shortly thereafter. He locked Morgan in a cloverleaf submission hold and tapped out for the win. Ripley has used Riptide to finish nearly all of his matches. It was amazing to see a dominant superstar break out of the submission hold to pick up the win.
The new finisher will add to her arsenal ahead of her big match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. Fans could see him reverse the Figure Eight Leg Lock into the Cloverfield Hold to win the match on the show.
#3. Dominic Mysterio defeated Santos Escobar before putting his father down
Santos wanted to face Escobar Dominic Mysterio on WWE Smackdown and teach him a lesson. Escobar started off well, but Dominik came back with some nice moves of his own to claw his way back into the match.
Dominik sent Escobar to the corner before sending him out of the ring for a dive. He went back in the ring for the 619 but hit Escobar with a knee. The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion came back with some moves before Rhea Ripley joined in and tossed her out of the ring. He hit Escobar with a Riptide on the floor before Dom finished him off with a Frog Splash in the ring for the win.
Dominik Mysterio tore off his father’s mask after the victory and Rey Mysterio came out to confront him. Dom continues to put his father down and tries to kill him before the segment ends.
The match was decent and created a storyline that would likely lead to a match between Dominik and Rey at WrestleMania 39. The master of 619 could potentially get a win over his son in a show of shows before bowing out later.
# 2. Drew McIntyre calls out to Gunther; sets up a potential match to crown his challenger
drew mcintyre came to challenge Gunther at WrestleMania 39 for the Intercontinental Championship. He got into an argument with Sheamus over who should challenge The Ring General before L.A. Knight arrived.
Knight said he wanted a match against Gunther as well. He was interrupted by Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of The New Day. Carrion Kross also made an appearance and said that he should get a match for the title.
A got into a fight between the men in the ring, and Knight sent Woods into Sheamus and McIntyre before throwing Woods out of the ring. The Celtic Warrior took care of the former Million Dollar Champion before McIntyre killed his best friend.
Cross landed the final shot on Sheamus and was the last man standing in the ring as the segment came to a close. It looks like WWE is planning a big match between the Superstars for a chance to challenge Gunther at WrestleMania.
Amazingly, The Ring General’s show of shows doesn’t have any concrete rivalries. However, the ladder match to determine who will face Gunther at WrestleMania will be entertaining for the fans.
#1. Solo Sequoia defeats Sami Zayn with help from Jimmy Uso on WWE SmackDown
On WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns set a deadline for Jay Uso to return to The Bloodline. He told Jimmy to make sure his brother was back within a week, or he would be held responsible Not showing for J.
solo sequoia took Sami Zayn in the main event of SmackDown, and Jimmy continued to interfere in the contest. The distraction allowed Solo to take down an agitated Sami and send him into the ring post and barricades.
The master strategist didn’t hold back and hit a DDT before connecting with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Jimmy’s distraction caused him to miss a Helluva Kick, and Sequoia took advantage to connect with a Samoan Spike. to win on Smackdown.
The heels tossed Sami after the match and put a chair around his neck. The master strategist came out and hit Sequoia with a chair before connecting with a helluva kick to Jimmy. He sneaked into the crowd and ran away as the show came to a close.
WWE has had a consistent run with Sami Zayn over the past several months. The loss would not hurt his value, as he was distracted by Jimmy Uso during the contest. They would continue in a rivalry with The Bloodline heading into WrestleMania 39.
Did The WWE Legend Just Take One Shot At Sami Zayn’s Physique?
Read Also: ‘He tried to grab me…’ Rutuja Sawant reveals her terrifying casting couch experience