WWE SmackDown results: Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens set for Night of Champions
The finals of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament were also finalized
Undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns will be the first to tell you that he is not a tag team wrestler, but he will be at Night of Champions. Reigns inserted himself and Solo Sikoa into a tag team title match against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in Saudi Arabia.
Reigns did little to temper growing resentment within his family in the aftermath of Backlash. Sikoa and Jey Uso nearly came to blows in a successful outing against Owens, Zayn and Matt Riddle. Reigns, making his first televised appearance since the night after WrestleMania 39, belittled The Usos. He went so far as to lay his hands on Jimmy Uso. The undisputed champion then took matters into his own hands in an effort to bring the tag team titles back home.
SmackDown also cemented the finals of a tournament to crown a new world heavyweight champion exclusive to Raw. Seth Rollins punched his ticket to the finals on Monday and a SmackDown superstar did the same on Friday night.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Reigns takes the reins on the family's tag team legacy
Reigns proclaimed The Bloodline as the No. 1 royal family of professional wrestling. Reigns noted that his tribe was and will forever be the only family to headline both nights of WrestleMania. The undisputed champ said that even at Backlash, in Reigns' absence, Sikoa stepped up as the group's driving force. Reigns acknowledged his skepticism towards Sikoa's potential in the deep end but said that Sikoa is swimming like a shark.
Reigns said that the problems affecting The Bloodline are no longer Owens and Zayn, but The Usos. Reigns shunned his cousins for losing their tag team titles at WrestleMania and losing the rematch. He chewed out Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso for dedicating their losing efforts to Reigns instead of the extended family's Hall of Fame tag teams. Reigns accused The Usos of embarrassing him and their entire family. The Bloodline leader demanded an apology from The Usos, eliciting uncomfortable laughter from Jimmy Uso and chants of "No" from the live audience.
Reigns encouraged The Usos to ignore the fans and apologize and shoved Jimmy Uso in the face after his continued silence. Jimmy Uso stepped aggressively towards Reigns, but Jey Uso intervened and apologized to Reigns in an effort to keep the peace. Jey Uso promised that they would reclaim the tag team titles, but special counsel Paul Heyman announced that he already pulled strings to get The Bloodline a tag team title match. The catch: Reigns and Sikoa will challenge Owens and Zayn at Night of Champions. Reigns looked The Usos -- the longest reigning tag team champions in the eyes -- while dedicating his impending victory to the greatest tag team in history, his uncles Afa and Sika of The Wild Samoans.
The Usos were visibly upset about the interaction with their cousins, spurring a verbal altercation backstage with the LWO. A verbal face-to-face pitting Reigns and Sikoa against Owens and Zayn was announced for next week's SmackDown.
This was really well done. Reigns vs. Jey Uso was fantastic during the crowd-less, pandemic-induced Thunderdome era of WWE and it looks like we'll be revisiting it. Sikoa has succeeded at every turn and it makes sense that Reigns would take matters into his own hands. It should also serve as overdue comeuppance for Zayn and Owens when they defeat the undisputed WWE universal champion. Jimmy Uso typically serves as the group's glue, so it was an interesting wrinkle for the hot-headed Jey Uso to show humility in an effort to protect his twin brother. Great family dynamics at play, strong acting performances, and a meaningful update in the tumultuous Bloodline story. The Bloodline story has always been Reigns vs. Jey Uso and it's the natural direction for it to eventually conclude. Grade: A
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- AJ Styles def. Edge, Rey Mysterio via pinfall after hitting Edge with a Phenomenal Forearm. Styles advances to the semifinals of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament.
- Bobby Lashley def. Austin Theory, Sheamus via pinfall after Sheamus hit Theory with a Brogue Kick. Lashley advances to the semifinals of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament.
- Cameron Grimes def. Baron Corbin via pinfall in seconds after driving Corbin into the mat with Cave In.
- Women's Tag Team Championships -- Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez def. Damage CTRL (Bayley and Dakota Kai) via pinfall after Morgan caught Bayley with a victory roll. Pre-match Bayley acknowledged Iyo Sky's shortcomings against Bianca Belair at Backlash and compared herself to Reigns.
- Brawling Brutes had a verbal altercation with Pretty Deadly backstage.
- Asuka spat stinging mace in Belair's face, ruining her Knoxville homecoming.
- Brawling Brutes (Butch and Ridge Holland) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) was set for SmackDown next week.
- Styles def. Lashley via pinfall after hitting the Phenomenal Forearm. Styles advances to the finals of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament against Rollins at Night of Champions.