WWE Fastlane live results: John Cena & LA Knight vs. The Bloodline

LA Knight gets his megastar moment as he teams up with John Cena on tonight’s Fastlane pay-per-view from Indianapolis.

Cena & Knight are taking on The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa. Two weeks ago, Knight was revealed as Cena’s Fastlane partner when he saved Cena from a Bloodline attack. AJ Styles was originally aligned with Cena against The Bloodline, but Styles was taken out in a beatdown by Jimmy Uso and Sikoa.

Shinsuke Nakamura gets another chance to become World Heavyweight Champion when he challenges Seth Rollins tonight. Rollins retained the title against Nakamura at Payback last month. Their rematch has a Last Man Standing Stipulation.

IYO SKY defends her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in a triple threat match. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles will also be defended in a match pitting Finn Balor & Damian Priest against Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso.

Plus, Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar will have a mystery partner as they face off against Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits in a six-man tag.

Tonight’s PPV streams live on Peacock/WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There is also an hour-long pre-show leading into the event.

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KICKOFF SHOW

Kayla Braxton welcomed us to the Kickoff show and announced that tonight’s Premium Live Event was sold out with an attendance of 14,529 members of the WWE Universe in Indianapolis, Indiana tonight. Braxton then introduced tonight’s panel of Jackie Redmond, Booker T, Wade Barrett and Peter Rosenberg before the group did a rundown of tonight’s matches.

After they showed a video preview of tonight’s Six-Man Tag Team match, Rey Mysterio was backstage with a concerned Santos Escobar. Escobar wanted to know if Mysterio was able to get through to his contact for tonight’s upcoming match and Rey stated that he knows they read the message but that he hasn’t received a response. Mysterio stated that they would get through this tonight.

Before the panel showed a video preview of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match tonight, Byron Saxton was backstage with Paul Heyman. Saxton referred to LA Knight and John Cena as the “Mega Tandem” and Heyman took immediate offense. Heyman stated that it would be an easy victory for The Bloodline tonight because they’re family. Saxton then asked what if The Bloodline lost and Heyman went ballistic on Saxton, making fun of his attire tonight, calling him a canary and requesting that Kayla Braxton do the interview next time.

After they previewed the tag team title match, in what could be the highlight of the night, Booker T and Wade Barrett competed in what could be called a “Trick Off” as they showed Trick Williams’ entrance from NXT No Mercy last Saturday night. Both Booker and Barrett shared their own lyrics and “dance moves” during a replay of William’s entrance which had both Braxton and Redmond in hysterics.

The panel previewed the tag team match between LA Knight & John Cena against The Bloodline but before they could make their picks, Redmond informed us that Cathy Kelley was backstage with Damage CTRL. After Kelley asked a question, Bayley put her down and asked her if this was her first day on the job. Bayley then started praising IYO SKY  and the game plan for tonight but SKY cut her off. IYO stated that she had her own game plan and that she didn’t need Damage CTRL tonight before walking off. Bayley then stormed off as well as Dakota Kai looked upset.

In the final moments of the Kickoff show, a long white stretch limo arrived into the arena. When the limo door opened, a stunning looking Jade Cargill appeared and was met by Triple H as the panel watched on with excitement.

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MAIN SHOW

Fastlane opened with former Indianapolis Colt and WWE Superstar Pat McAfee providing the Cold Open.

Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso defeated The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest) to become the new Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions

This match was great! I fully didn’t expect a title change but with the way JD McDonagh accidentally nailed Damian Priest with the briefcase, it sets up massive implications for the championship match between Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. If they play up an injury to Priest’s leg then we probably won’t see a cash-in tonight. However, if Priest is out for blood after losing his titles after the misstep by McDonagh, he may not want to leave the arena without a championship in hand. 

Uso and Priest started the match with Damian outpowering the much smaller Jey in the opening moments but Jey would hold his own using his speed and agility before making the tag to Rhodes. Cody came into the match and immediately focused on the leg of Priest before tagging Uso back into the match.

Priest made the tag to Bálor, once again using his size and strength and after Rhodes and Uso had been showing some great tag team chemistry, the champions started connecting making quick tags back and forth.

As Uso was being worn out by both Bálor and Priest for the next several moments, Rhodes was becoming frustrated on the ring apron not being able to tag in. After a misstep by Priest, Uso was able to finally make the hot tag to Cody.

A fired up Rhodes took out Bálor with a Disaster Kick but could only mange a two count. Bálor would attempt a comeback that included him heading to the top rope for his Coup de Grace but Rhodes caught him and nailed a massive delayed vertical suplex.

Rhodes made the tag to Uso and Bálor was able to make the tag to Priest and some back and forth, Priest attempted to land the Razor’s Edge but Jey escaped and nailed both Bálor and Priest on the outside with a dive through the ropes.

Back inside the ring and Priest was down and out in the middle and Uso went up top and landed his Uso Splash but Bálor was able to make the save before Rhodes nailed him with the Cody Cutter.

It was now back to Uso and Priest in the ring and Jey nailed Damiana with a massive spear but couldn’t capitalize as Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley headed to ringside. Uso would lay out Mysterio on the outside and Ripley got in his face.

Back in the ring and Priest nailed Uso with a hurricanrana and Bálor followed up with his Coup de Grace but Rhodes made the save. Both teams then stood toe to toe before going to battle once more. JD McDonagh then arrived ringside and as chaos was taking place everywhere, Ripley nailed Uso with the briefcase but Bálor could only land a two count and was shocked.

Priest and Rhodes battled on the outside of the ring and as Damian attempted to put him through the announce table, McDonagh accidentally nailed Priest with the briefcase and Rhodes followed up with a Cross Rhodes wiping out Priest.

Bálor was now outnumbered and after Rhodes hustled back into the ring, Cody nailed Bálor with the Cross Rhodes and that was all she wrote as we had new tag team champions!

Backstage, Booker T was with Wade Barrett. Xavier Woods interrupted their conversation and talked out ordering pizza. Barrett looked like he was going to chew out Woods but played him instead. Tonight’s event was being sponsored by Pizza Hut.

The LWO (Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar) & Carlito (w/Zelina Vega) defeated Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits

It was interesting to see them start the match as a 2-on-3 but it played out well with establishing Lashley and the Profits and a potential major force with their strength in numbers, almost completely wiping out The LWO in a matter of twenty-four hours. However, Carlito to the rescue and he got a great pop tonight too!

After Escobar made his entrance with Vega, Mysterio made his entrance with nobody by his side with it looking like it was going to be a 2-on-3 match.

Escobar and Montez Ford began the match and both men looked to gain momentum using speed and technical skills but due to the fact that Ford was a little bit too cocky, Escobar found himself with the advantage.

Escobar followed up with a standing hurricanrana where both men were standing on the top turnbuckle that looked absolutely incredible. Ford followed up with a chop block however and Lashley soon made his way into the match to dominate.

Escobar had made the tag to Mysterio and Rey was on the receiving end of the same beating that presumably began last night on SmackDown with the difference being that the Profits were legally allowed to take part tonight as well.

As Mysterio attempted to make a comeback, Ford yanked Escobar off of the ring apron which prompted Vega to get involved and wipe out Ford. As Vega cheered on a down and out Mysterio in the middle of the ring, a familiar music hit the air and Carlito made his way to the ring!

Carlito ran down to the ring and jumped up on the ring apron and reached his arm out to a relieved Mysterio who quickly made the tag.

Mysterio and Escobar played interference while Carlito looked great inside the ring for the first time since Backlash. As Ford was stunned, Carlito nailed his patented Backstabber to pickup the huge win for a grateful LWO.

– Footage was once again shown of Jade Cargill arriving to the arena in a limo and being met by Triple H backstage.

IYO SKY defeated Asuka & Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Women’s Championship

IYO SKY is one of the greatest pure performers, male or female, in the WWE it was great to see her get the pinfall victory over one of the greatest champions in WWE history. It’ll be interesting to see where they take things with Asuka clearly tapping to Charlotte’s Figure Eight but nonetheless, a HUGE victory for “The Genius of the Sky” tonight! 

SKY came down to the ring without Damage CTRL and after alll three women were introduced by Mike Rome, the bell rang and after SKY was sent to the outside, Asuka hit the mist to the face of Flair and it was almost a very quick victory for Asuka but SKY was able to save her title.

As Flair was being tended to by the officials on the outside of the ring, it became a singles match for the time being inside of the ring and SKY almost scored a victory of her own. As both women were down, an irate Flair reentered the match, landing a massive boot and started showing her power game to both women.

SKY would regain control of the match and Flair was soon on the outside once again. As both SKY and Asuka remained focused on one another, Flair climbed to the top rope and landed a great crossbody on both women before motioning the title was coming her way.

Flair followed up with a chop fest on both women and then after failing to land a double suplex on both of her opponents, finally was successful. With Flair looking dominant at this point, you almost got the sense that it was a 2-on-1 match.

After SKY looked to pickup the win after landing a sweet springboard sunset flip, action spilled to the outside. All three women hit high flying moves with the crowd booing Flair when she setup for her top rope moonsault to the floor.

Flair attempted to go to the top successfully once more but she was caught by SKY. Flair managed to get SKY up on her shoulders and as she looked to land an avalanche fallaway slam, Asuka caught up with both women and nailed a massive powerbomb.

Asuka attempted to get pins on both ladies but could only get two counts. Asuka attempted to start using her submission game on Flair but Charlotte countered into a Figure Eight but SKY nailed Flair with the Meteora. Both SKY and Asuka then locked in simultaneous submissions on Flair but Charlotte wouldn’t give up.

Asuka followed up by attacking SKY and when Flair recovered, she nailed Asuka with the Spear but could only get a two count. Bayley then made her way to ringside and as SKY was arguing with her, Flair nailed SKY with a boot to the face. Asuka attempted to capitalize on Flair but couldn’t get the victory and soon found herself trapped in the Figure Eight as SKY was nowhere in sight.

Bayley jumped up onto the ring apron to distract the referee as Asuka was purely tapping out. SKY then out of nowhere nailed Flair with her Over The Moonsault, shoved Asuka out of the way and scored the massive 1-2-3 to retain her title.

After the match, SKY and Bayley hugged to celebrate IYO’s victory.

– It was announced that the new WWE Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso would be part of the Fastlane Press Conference immediately following the event tonight.

– LA Knight was shown arriving to the arena earlier in the day in the Slim Jim car he was awarded with for winning the SummerSlam Battle Royal earlier this year.

John Cena & LA Knight defeated The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa) (w/Paul Heyman)

Awesome to see John Cena still wrestling in 2023 but even more awesome to see just how over LA Knight truly is. I didn’t expect the hot tag to Knight to take as long as it did but Cena knows how to sell and when that tag was made, it was an awesome sight to see. Add the fact that Knight was the one to get the victory for his team and it was a great play on old school tag team matches building Knight up to be an even bigger WWE Superstar than he is already.

Before the match began, legendary Indianapolis Colt and WWE Superstar Pat McAfee came down to the ring wearing a Colts championship title. McAfee put over the city of Indianapolis, the fans in attendance and said Indianapolis deserved a WrestleMania. McAfee then introduced John Cena before making his was over to the announce table to call the match.

Cena began the match with Uso as the crowd paid their respect to Cena with a “Let’s go Cena!” chant. After Uso failed to gain the upper hand in the opening moments, he tagged in Sikoa where Cena was ready and willing to battle the enforcer of The Bloodline.

Sikoa challenged Cena to come at him and it was a bad idea by Cena and Sikoa nailed him with a stiff shot. Uso was tagged back in and as Cena was potentially seeing stars, Jimmy started showboating but still controlled the match.

Knight looked like he was starting to get impatient standing on the ring apron but he could do absolutely nothing at this point as Sikoa was tagged back in to dominate Cena with pure brute force. 

As Uso and Sikoa continued to make tags and make Cena suffer, Sikoa setup Cena in the corner and landed his massive hip attack as Cena looked like he was done for at this point.

Cena attempted a comeback but Sikoa wiped him out with a spinning heel kick. Uso was tagged back in and as Cena looked even more down and out, he nailed Uso with an Attitude Adjustment out of nowhere. Both men now looking to make tags and while Uso was successful, Sikoa cut off Cena as Knight was getting even more impatient.

Sikoa followed up with a Banzai Drop in the corner but Cena kicked out at two. Sikoa failed to follow it up and when he went for the same move again, Cena got his legs up and it was soon a race to both corners. Sikoa made the tag to Uso and finally, Knight got the hot tag!

Knight entered the ring a house of fire before Uso was able to hit a super kick. Uso went to the top for the Uso Splash but missed and Knight countered with his big elbow drop. Sikoa broke things up and Cena landed a flying crossbody off of the top rope (not a typo) on Sikoa. Uso then landed an Uso Splash on Cena as all four men were now down and out.

Cena went for the AA on Sikoa but was super kicked by Uso. Knight would eventually catch Uso on the top rope and landed a running superplex on Jimmy. Sikoa was knocked out of the ring and after Cena hit the Five Knuckle shuffle, Knight nailed Uso with the BFT to pickup the win for the “Mega Tandem”.

After the match, Knight raised Cena’s hand as the crowd cheered for both men.

– Backstage, The Judgment Day was contemplating not leaving Indianapolis without the World Heavyweight Championship as Priest wanted to cash-in. However, Ripley stated that tonight wasn’t the night as Damian handed his briefcase over to Rhea.

– A video promo aired for WWE Crown Jewel 2023 taking place on November 4th as a Premium Live Event.

Seth “Freakin” Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

I’ll be the first to admit, I definitely didn’t predict this one accurately. But wow, what a main event! Nakamura looked like the Nakamura of old in this match and how Rollins won this has me dumbfounded. When Nakamura spit that mist and Rollins went crashing through the announce table, I thought that was it and you could feel it from the crowd. Same thing when Nakamura hit the Kinshasa through a table and many more moments like that in this stellar main event. With that being said, I feel someone in the WWE is a fan of Rocky Balboa movies as if you’ve ever seen Rocky II, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when it came to the finish.

Nakamura began the match playing a cat and mouse game with Rollins before Seth reached under the ring and grabbed a kendo stick but failed to strike Shinsuke. After the match took to the outside, Rollins hit a suplex on Nakamura and attempted to follow up by ripping up the mat surrounding the ring but Nakamura was too quick for Seth.

It was moments after the match began and it was already starting to look like a car wreck at the Indy 500 as tables, chairs, garbage cans and kendo sticks were scattered everywhere. Nakamura managed to land a shot on the ring apron to Rollins before grabbing nunchuku underneath the ring. Nakamura attacked Rollins with the nunchuku and as Seth was trapped in a garbage can, Shinsuke followed up by attacking the can with kendo sticks.

As Nakamura continued his attack and then shifted once again to the champion’s back, Rollins was able to hit a Sling Blade and then follow it up kendo stick shots before landing a plancha through the ropes to the outside.

We’re back in the ring and Rollins nailed a frog splash but Nakamura was quick to make a comeback. As Rollins was setup in the corner against a table, Nakamura flew across the ring but missed and Seth followed up with the Stomp but Shinsuke was able to recover at the count of eight. Rollins took the match back outside the ring and after setting Nakamura on the announce desk, setup a ladder to create even more of a scene but Shinsuke was able to roll off of the desk before Rollins could fully climb the ladder.

Rollins followed Nakamura and the match was now into the stands but before Seth could capitalize, Nakamura managed to save himself by sending Rollins through a stage several feet below. Rollins recovered just before the count of ten and both men then headed back to the ringside area.

Rollins attempted to hit Nakamura with a Pedigree on the exposed concrete but he failed and back body dropped instead. Rollins once again recovered just before the count of ten and as the match headed back inside the ring, Seth successfully nailed Nakamura with the Pedigree. Nakamura recovered with half a second to spare and as the match headed once again to the outside, Nakamura nailed double knees on Rollins through a table.

As the match furiously went back and forth with neither Superstar wanting to give up, Rollins was hellbent on using the ladder. As he climbed it again, Nakamura climbed up the other side, hit him with red mist and sent Rollins crashing through the table below. Again, Rollins recovered at the count of nine!

We’re back inside the ring and Nakamura nailed Rollins with a massive Kinshasa through a table. Rollins at the count of 9.99 rolled out of the ring and landed on his feet to continue the match. What a match!

Both men then headed back up towards the stage area and Rollins nailed Nakamura with a Stomp. Rollins followed up with a huge Falcon Arrow through a table and as the referee got to the count of nine, Rollins rose and Nakamura collapsed and Rollins miraculously somehow walked away with his championship tonight. 

WWE SmackDown video highlights: The Bloodline take out Styles & Cena

AJ Styles and John Cena were left decimated by The Bloodline on last night’s SmackDown.

The episode was supposed to be headline by a contract signing for Cena & Styles vs. Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso at Fastlane. But before Styles could make it out for the signing, he was attacked by Sikoa and Jimmy backstage. The attack included Sikoa jumping off equipment and splashing Styles through a table.

Styles was stretchered out and taken away by ambulance as part of the angle.

Cena was already in the ring and had signed the contract for Fastlane. He tried to fight off Sikoa and Jimmy on his own, but they left him laying too. Sikoa gave Cena two Samoan Spikes and Jimmy hit a splash from the top rope.

Sikoa and Jimmy then signed the contract for Fastlane, meaning that Cena needs to find a partner for the match. It appears that LA Knight was going to be revealed as Cena’s partner, but Knight missed SmackDown last night due to testing positive for COVID-19.

Fastlane is taking place in Indianapolis on Saturday, October 7.

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

John Cena & AJ Styles want a match against The Bloodline

The LWO vs. The Street Profits

Austin Theory doesn’t need The Rock to get 100 million views

Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn are responsible for WWE Women’s Tag Team title curse

Bobby Lashley isn’t happy with The Street Profits

IYO SKY vs. Asuka for the WWE Women’s Championship

Solo Sikoa says AJ Styles and John Cena won’t make it to Fastlane

Elton Prince’s road to recovery, part one

The Brawling Brutes vs. Austin Theory & Grayson Waller

Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa demolish AJ Styles

John Cena gets laid out by Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa

SmackDown fallout: Asuka wasn’t ready for IYO SKY

John Cena tag team match booked for WWE Fastlane

John Cena has a tag match at Fastlane, but doesn’t have a partner.

By the end of Friday’s SmackDown, John Cena had signed a contract pitting himself against Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. AJ Styles had originally agreed to team with Cena. However, Sikoa and Uso attacked Styles backstage prior to the contract signing, sending him out in an ambulance after Sikoa splashed Styles off a platform. Cena confronted both Sikoa and Uso in the ring after Styles’ assault, but was laid out by both men to end the show.

Cena opened SmackDown saying he wanted to wrestle, with Styles coming out saying if The Bloodline wanted some, they could get some. It eventually turned into a show-long storyline where official Adam Pearce looked to sign the tag match. Paul Heyman agreed to the match as long as it wouldn’t take place on Friday’s show. Uso said they’d sign the contract in the ring. Heyman didn’t seem pleased by Uso’s move, saying decisions like that needed approval from the Tribal Chief. 

Since making his return earlier this month, Cena has gotten directly involved with The Bloodline, telling Uso at one point that the wrong brother had left SmackDown.

Wrestling Observer Live: Does The Rock trump the appeal of the Cody (or LA Knight) story?

It’s Saturday and that means it’s time for Wrestling Observer Live — a very newsworthy show based on Friday’s WWE SmackDown.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came back to Denver and WWE, backing up Pat McAfee and laying out Austin Theory, but does he have Roman Reigns in his sights? 

To hear him on McAfee’s show, he passed on WrestleMania 39, but might work WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.

While SmackDown ratings were strong and the crowd in Denver went crazy, will this frenzy maintain all the way until WrestleMania? What does that mean for Cody Rhodes and LA Knight’s stories going into next spring’s big show?

Plus, I talk about John Cena, Jimmy Uso, the late Brett Sawyer and much more.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

WWE SmackDown live results: Jimmy Uso vs. AJ Styles

A match between Jimmy Uso and AJ Styles headlines tonight’s SmackDown from TD Garden in Boston.

Jimmy is apparently looking to get back into The Bloodline after helping Solo Sikoa defeat Styles last week. Issues between Jimmy and Styles began earlier in the episode when Jimmy disrespected O.C. member Michin.

A tag team bout with Charlotte Flair & Shotzi taking on IYO SKY & Bayley has also been announced for tonight. Last Friday, Shotzi defeated Bayley in a singles match after Charlotte assisted her in evening the odds against Damage CTRL.

Tonight is the first SmackDown since Payback. At last Saturday’s PPV, Finn Balor & Damian Priest defeated Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in a Steel City Street Fight to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles. Balor & Priest are facing Ridge Holland & Butch in a non-title match on tonight’s show.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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– The show opened with a video package recapping last Saturday’s Payback event. From there, a new SmackDown opening, complete with a new Smackdown theme song, aired. Kevin Patrick welcomed everyone into the show on commentary. 

Shotzi & Charlotte Flair defeated IYO SKY & Bayley [9:04]

This was fine for what it was. It was a pleasant surprise to see Asuka back and even more of a pleasant development to see Asuka go right after SKY after the match because I think that’s a match we’ve all been waiting to see on the main roster with big time stakes for a long time now. Shotzi is good for one or two spots a match where you kind of/sort of wonder if she actually might have just severely injured herself and this match had a couple of those, but I’m happy to see her get some booking love last week and this week. Sure, they protected the heels here, but until a couple months ago, you could be forgiven if you forgot Shotzi was even hired to wrestle on the main roster in 2023. So, good stuff all around. Shotzi got a win and we started the (hopeful) road toward Asuka vs. IYO SKY. 

Bayley and Charlotte started the match and pushed each other. Charlotte fired up and attacked SKY and Bayley. Shotzi ran in for reinforcements and things broke down. With Shotzi and Charlotte on the outside, SKY landed a springboard moonsault off the second rope. The show then went to commercial break. When the show returned, SKY had control on Shotzi and Bayley tagged in to hit a stereo kick to Shotzi’s head. Bayley got a two count out of it. 

Bayley worked a chin-lock on Shotzi until Shotzi worked out of it … until Bayley kicked Shotzi in the leg. No matter because Shotzi ultimately kicked Bayley in the ear and Shotzi got the hot tag to Charlotte. Charlotte landed a cross body on both Bayley and SKY. Charlotte hit a series of chops on Bayley before landing a fallaway slam. Charlotte followed that up with a walkover clothesline and a fallaway slam on SKY. Charlotte went for a figure-eight, Bayley rolled Charlotte up for a two-count. Charlotte came right back and sunk in a figure-four until SKY broke it up with a Meteora. 

SKY tagged in and hit a top-rope Frankensteiner. Bayley went to the top, but was stopped as she saw Asuka grab the women’s title from Dakota Kai on the outside. Charlotte hit a boot on Bayley and tagged in Shotzi, who hit her finisher on Bayley for the win. AFter the match, Asuka threw the title down in the ring and engage in a stare down with SKY. Asuka then left the ring. 

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– Paul Heyman was backstage and Jimmy Uso came up to tell Heyman that Jimmy is happy to be in the Bloodline. Heyman said both Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa weren’t there. Heyman advised Jimmy to handle AJ Styles business and at the same time, Heyman said if Jimmy does that, Heyman will bring the family back together. Jimmy with for a handshake, but Heyman walked away before shaking it. Heyman ran into AJ Styles as he was walking. Heyman told Styles he has too many problems in his life and Styles grabbed Heyman … until Jimmy saved the day, attacked Styles and threw Styles over some crates. The segment ended with Heyman telling his phone to call Roman Reigns. 

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– Backstage, Bayley yelled about Asuka until SKY chimed in and said she will fight Asuka for the title. 

– LA Knight made his entrance to a massive pop. Knight grabbed a microphone and soaked in a ton of cheers and chants. Knight did his “Ley me talk to ya!” catchphrase. Knight mocked the Miz and the Miz’s song. Knight recalled the Kevin Nash adjective moment from Nitro and corrected it to a verb. Knight talked about Miz fighting invisible John Cena. Knight mocked Miz for crying about Cena. Knight said he has all the respect in the world for Cena, and Cena counted to three at Payback and was about to say Miz can consider his challenge … but Grayson Waller’s music hit and the crowd booed. 

Waller told Knight to hold on. Waller said Miz ran through Cena on Raw and before Knight accepts Miz’s challenge, Waller wanted to bring out Austin Theory. Waller said Waller and Theory are the only tag team on the roster that is undefeated after last week. Knight responded by telling the heels to talk to their mommy … and to say Knight said hi. Theory noted that he beat both Cena and Knight previously. Theory reminded everyone at 26 years old, he’s been a two-time US Champion. Theory told Knight to soak in his 15 minutes of fame. Theory said when he’s done with Knight, the Miz won’t waste his time on Knight. Knight then welcomed Theory and Waller into the ring. Knight said TD Garden stands on Legends Way and Theory can “get his keister kicked tonight.” The match was made for after a commercial break. 

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LA Knight defeated Austin Theory [9:29]

This was a solid television match. The nonsense was fairly useless and even a bit gratuitous by the end. Theory and Waller are supposed to be annoying, but we can talk all day about Theory and still probably never find a way to properly end the conversation. Waller is off to a nice start on the main roster by being a pest, but I fear his association with Theory will hurt more than it helps. Knight, meanwhile, is still very over, though his Kevin Nash callback didn’t seem to land with the live crowd, which disappointed this viewer. Knight isn’t the smoothest performer and Theory isn’t the most refined 20-something-year-old on the roster, but the match made sense and the right guy went over. It was never going to be Omega vs. Ospreay and that’s OK. 

Grayson Waller sat in on commentary and announced that John Cena will be on the Grayson Waller Effect next week on SmackDown. Theory and Knight locked up to start the match and exchanged momentum until Knight landed a European Uppercut and a neck-breaker to gain slight control. Theory eventually came back and hit a snap suplex for a two-count. With Knight on the apron, Knight fought Theory off and hit a shoulder block. The action spilled to the side of the outside where the commentary team was and Knight slammed Theory’s head off the top of it repeatedly. 

Back inside the ring, Knight ran at Theory, but Theory countered and eventually hit a neck-breaker on Knight from the apron to the floor on the outside. The show then went to commercial break. The show returned, Knight fired up inside the ring and landed a DDT before putting the boots to him. Knight lifted Theory, but Theory punched Knight and hit a rolling Blockbuster for a two-count. Theory ran at Knight and Knight dropped Theory over the top. Knight landed a dropkick through the bottom ropes and went for a suplex on the outside, but Theory countered into a suplex of his own. 

With the wrestlers down, Waller ran to a corner and untied a turnbuckle to expose it. Knight and Theory got back into the ring and Knight hit a powerslam before hitting the big elbow drop. Waller got on the apron to distract Knight and Theory rolled Knight up to no avail. It looked like the exposed turnbuckle might come into use, but Knight stopped it and hit the BFT on Theory for the win. 

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– AJ Styles was interviewed by Cathy Kelly backstage. Styles said he’s standing and as long as he’s standing, he can fight. Styles said Jimmy Uso can jump Styles as much as he wants, but nothing is going to stop Styles from tearing Uso’s head off. The Judgment Day’s entrance began back at ringside (sans Rhea Ripley). 

– Backstage, Paul Heyman was talking to Adam Pearce and wanted to know who SmackDown was receiving after Jey Uso was traded to Raw. LA Knight interrupted things and asked Pearce to make the Miz vs. Knight match for next week and Pearce obliged. Heyman told Knight he’s a huge admirer. Heyman did the “Yeah!” catchphrase. Heyman also told Knight to knock on the door the next time he wants to enter a room in which Heyman is doing business. Knight didn’t appear happy about that, but said “Yeah!” when Heyman asked if he was clear. 

– Damian Priest told the crowd to all rise for the crew that holds all the gold, the Judgment Day. Finn Balor introduced himself as “Grand Slam Finn.” Balor introduced Dirty Dom and the crowd booed. Dom tried to talk, but the crowd erupted in boos. It was hard to make out what Dom was saying because of the boos. Priest chimed back in and said he was proud that his group accomplished something not even the Bloodline could do. Priest said not only did they beat Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, but they took the Undisputed Tag Team Championship from Owens and Zayn. Dom called out Jey Uso, but it was still hard to hear Dom because of the boos. Dom (I think) was saying Judgment Day is the most dominate … something until the Brawling Brutes music hit and Butch and Ridge Holland came out with microphones. Holland said they were looking to put on a banger in Bean Town. Holland said it wasn’t him they needed to worry about and rather, it was Butch they had to worry about. Balor laughed until Butch went to snap Balor’s fingers. The Brutes shot Balor off into the ropes, but Balor rolled to the outside and the show went to commercial while the match was set to begin after the break. 

**********

The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) defeated the Brawling Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland) [12:20 of TV time]

Good for the Brutes for getting in a lot of offense and showing a lot of fight, but there was no way anyone could have thought they’d get the win here. The new tag champs aren’t coming out of a PLE and losing the first time the crowd sees them as champs on TV. Still, Holland and Butch worked hard and this was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be – especially considering how the match went through two commercial breaks, which was yet another welcome surprise of the night. I’m more intrigued to see where this Judgment Day vs. Lashley & Profits thing goes. Last I read, Lashley’s new group was internally listed as heels and I can’t imagine WWE is going to run a long-term program between two heel factions. The crowd was up for Lashley, though, so perhaps we actually have a new hot babyface trio that was at first mischaracterized? Time will tell. 

The match was shown in progress when the episode returned. The Brutes had control and worked over Balor. Holland spun Balor around and slammed him, but Balor shot back up and tagged in Priest, who took control with a shoulder-block on Holland. Holland fired up and had both Balor and Priest on separate shoulders before slamming them. Priest came right back with a clothesline and Balor tagged in. Pretty Deadly were shown watching the match on a TV backstage. Balor worked a headlock on Holland until Holland fired up and got the hot tag to Butch. Butch landed a moonsault on both Priest and Balor, who were on the outside, and the show went to another commercial break. 

Coming back from that break, Butch hit a super-plex on Balor inside the ring. Butch went for something, but Balor countered into a falling elbow. Priest and Holland tagged in and traded blows. The exchange ended with Holland hitting a suplex and tagging in Butch, who ran at Priest, but Priest got a boot to the face for a two-count. Priest kicked Holland and landed some version of a bulldog/headlock driver on Butch for a two-count. Balor tagged in and ran at Butch, but Butch countered while Dominik got on the apron. Butch went for 10 Bells on Butch, but Balor interrupted it with a Slingblade. Balor went for a Coup De Gras, but Butch moved and Balor hit an enziguri before tagging in Priest. 

Butch kicked Priest and tagged in Holland. Holland lifted Priest and Butch went to the top, but Balor pushed Butch off the top. Priest landed South of Heaven on both Holland and Butch. Balor went to the top and hit the Coup De Gras on Holland and that was enough for Balor to get the pin. After the match, Bobby Lashley’s music hit and Lashley came out with the Street Profits. Lashley and the Profits entered the ring and engaged in a stare down with Balor, Priest and Dominik. Lashley said the Bloodline is crumbling, but it won’t be the Judgment Day that takes over and instead it will be Lashley and the Profits that will take over. 

**********

– Backstage, Gallows, Anderson and Michin were shown watching a phone. AJ Styles came into the frame and asked the Good Brothers about Jimmy jumping Styles. Styles knocked the phone out of Karl Anderson’s hand and Styles screamed that they always had each other’s back. Styles told them he doesn’t want them anywhere near his match with Jimmy as the segment ended. 

– Kevin Patrick and Michael Cole narrated a highlight package of the Superstar Spectacle in India from earlier Friday. The commentary team ran down what’s booked for next week, which will include LA Knight vs. The Miz and Cena on the Grayson Waller Effect. In two weeks, Asuka will face IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship. 

**********

AJ Styles defeated Jimmy Uso [15:55]

Well, now isn’t that something. I don’t know where WWE is going with the Judgment Day/Bloodline/OC/Lashley group stuff, but color me intrigued. I was happy to see Styles go over because it’s been far too long since he’s earned a meaningful win on WWE TV (no, whatever that was with Karrion Kross doesn’t count), but adding another layer of all these faction wars makes me interested in seeing what happens next week, and if I’m honest, it’s been a little while since I’ve been interested in seeing what happens next week. The match finish was a little flat and the crowd faded during the end, but the question of whatever is next made it worth it for me. Very interesting. 

Styles had control early and kicked Jimmy in the back of the neck. Jimmy came back with a rollup, but Jimmy put his feet on the ropes and the ref stopped counting. Styles followed that up with some chops and a snap suplex. Styles landed a back-breaker. Styles jawed at Jimmy and kicked Jimmy a few times in the mouth. Styles set up a Styles Clash, but Jimmy rolled to the outside. After getting back into the ring, Jimmy hit an elbow to take Styles to the ground. Jimmy ran the ropes and held himself up before rolling to the outside. Styles landed a sliding dropkick and went for a knee, but Jimmy hit a superkick to slow things down. Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa (who Heyman said wasn’t there!?) appeared in the entrance way. Jimmy smiled and slammed Styles’s head off the ring steps. The camera showed Jimmy smiling as the show went to a commercial break. 

Back from the break, Jimmy had control inside the ring and Jimmy kept smiling. Jimmy did the “Uce!” chant with the crowd and landed a hip attack on Styles in a corner, which was good enough to get Jimmy a two-count. Jimmy worked a chin-lock. Styles tried to elbow his way out of it, but Jimmy cut him off with a clothesline. Jimmy went back to the chin-lock. Styles countered with a belly-to-back suplex and both guys were down. On their knees, the wrestlers traded slaps. Styles eventually hit a Pele Kick to slow stuff down again. Styles clotheslined Jimmy over the top rope and followed that up with a leaping forearm. 

Inside the ring, Styles set up for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Jimmy moved. As a result, Styles slammed Jimmy on his neck and got a two-count out of it. Styles landed a clothesline, but Jimmy fought back with a punch, which was enough for a two-count of his own. On their feet, the two traded strikes until Styles hit a DDT, which led to a nice near-fall. Styles went to the apron, but Heyman and Sikoa distracted him. The lull was enough for Jimmy to hit a superkick on Styles. Styles was on the outside and Jimmy rolled out with him. Jimmy tried to talk to Sikoa, but Sikoa turned his back and Styles hit both Sikoa and Jimmy. Styles then confronted Heyman and ran Jimmy into the ring post. From there, Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Jimmy, which was enough for the win. 

After the match, Damian Priest and Finn Balor attacked AJ Styles and threw Styles back into the ring, where Sikoa and Jimmy were. Sikoa hit a Samoan Spike on Styles and stared at Priest and Balor. The show ended as Sikoa stared down the Judgment Day. 

Jimmy Uso vs. AJ Styles announced for WWE SmackDown

Jimmy Uso vs. AJ Styles has been added to the lineup for the Friday, September 8 WWE SmackDown. 

The match was announced during a video on Monday’s Raw promoting this week’s SmackDown show and follows up on last week’s SmackDown.

On last week’s SmackDown episode, Styles and Uso got into a shoving match backstage. Styles laid out Uso, then Solo Sikoa made the save. Styles and Sikoa then faced off in the main event of SmackDown, where Uso interfered to cost Styles the match. 

The video promo for SmackDown also promised fallout from Saturday’s Payback pay-per-view would be felt on this week’s show. A women’s division tag team match with Charlotte Flair & Shotzi taking on IYO SKY & Bayley of Damage CTRL has already been announced for the show. 

The updated lineup for this week’s SmackDown: 

  • Jimmy Uso vs. AJ Styles
  • Charlotte Flair & Shotzi vs. Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY & Bayley
  • Fallout from Payback

Jimmy Uso appearance set for next week’s WWE SmackDown

Jimmy Uso will return to SmackDown next week.

On Friday’s SmackDown, Kayla Braxton interviewed Paul Heyman and asked about the status of The Bloodline. Heyman wouldn’t give any answers and ended up answering a call. When he returned, Heyman said he was informed that Jimmy Uso would be making his return to SmackDown next week.

Last week’s SmackDown saw Jey Uso confront Jimmy over Jimmy turning on Jey at SummerSlam. Jimmy said that he only did it because he didn’t want Jey to become tribal chief and turn into something like Roman Reigns. The segment eventually ended with Jey laying out Jimmy with a superkick and declaring he was out of WWE.

Also added to next Friday’s show is Rey Mysterio facing off against Grayson Waller. On Friday’s SmackDown, Waller accused Mysterio of not being ready to pass the torch to Escobar, something Mysterio denied. Escobar said the only person he’s mad at is Austin Theory for injuring him prior to their US title match.

Here is the updated lineup for next week’s SmackDown:

  • Jimmy Uso appears
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Grayson Waller

Fight Game: An early preview of AEW All In

John LaRocca and I are back with a brand new Fight Game Podcast.

Here are the things we discussed:

  • All of the matches that have been announced for All In
  • MJF and Adam Cole working twice on the show
  • How similar the builds were to big matches
  • How far it seems Tony Khan books in advance
  • How much we’re still enjoying AEW Collision
  • The WWE Payback card having nothing on it yet
  • The Jey and Jimmy Uso storyline
  • The end of this year’s NJPW G1 Climax

Then, we did another “getting to know your host” segment by talking about our favorite movies. 

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Jimmy Uso explains his betrayal

Six days after SummerSlam, Jimmy Uso offered an explanation for why he betrayed his twin brother.

The Usos spoke for the first time since SummerSlam on last night’s episode of SmackDown. Jimmy revealed that he wasn’t trying to help Roman Reigns by costing Jey the Tribal Combat match. Jimmy said it had nothing to do with being jealous of Jey either — he did it because he loves Jey. Jimmy said he was afraid to lose his twin brother. He didn’t want to see Jey take on the role of Tribal Chief and become an “egotistical, lying, manipulative assh*le” like Reigns.

Jimmy said that if Jey wants to kick his face off, that’s fine. Jey looked to be considering it but turned his back to Jimmy instead. Jimmy then left the ring.

After being mocked by Reigns over the situation, Jey responded by rocking the Tribal Chief with a superkick. Jey ended up laying out both Reigns and Solo Sikoa.

Jey then got on the microphone and told Jimmy to come here. It seemed like The Usos were going to hug and reunite, but Jey laid out Jimmy with a superkick. Jey looked into the camera and said he’s leaving WWE.

“I’m out. I’m out of The Bloodline. I’m out of SmackDown. I’m out of WWE. Deuces, Uces!”

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

IYO SKY interrupts Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka

Video package recaps Tribal Combat

Austin Theory injures Santos Escobar before their title match

AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross

Edge will celebrate his 25th anniversary by facing Sheamus next week

LA Knight vs. Top Dolla

The sky is the limit for Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits

Rey Mysterio defeats Austin Theory to win United States title

Jimmy Uso explains his betrayal

Jey Uso is out of WWE

SmackDown fallout: The O.C. are ready to celebrate AJ Styles’ victory

WWE SummerSlam review: A brother’s betrayal

The Usos are no more, at least for now.

The shocking end of Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam saw Jimmy Uso cost his brother, Jey, his match against Roman Reigns. After the masked man that was Jimmy broke up a pinfall, revealed himself and, after a very lengthy staredown, superkicked his own twin brother. Reigns ultimately won a plodding match that ended what was mostly a good show with a whimper.

Why exactly Jimmy turned on Jey we’ll find out over due time. Or maybe not as WWE storylines are weird like that sometimes. Perhaps it’s a short term feud leading to the two brothers ultimately reuniting to take on Reigns whenever he returns. It’s a weird twist to the ongoing Bloodline storyline that I didn’t really see coming. It was natural to assume that Reigns’ schedule for the rest of the fall would likely involve feuding with Jimmy and eventually Solo Sikoa. But now everything seems up in the air with the turn.

The match itself was not great. A lot of it was either Reigns and Jey staring at each other (creating DRAMA) or Reigns getting heat forever on Jey, neither of which was all that interesting in a show that had already reached the four-hour mark. Of course, Sikoa got involved and it did pick up a little from there, but ultimately the match was a disappointment in the long-running Bloodline feud which had mostly delivered up to this point.

Here’s my thoughts on the rest of the card:

  • Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar in what ended up being an excellent, dramatic match which I thought was the best match on the show in terms of storytelling and execution. The only drawback is that I thought the Lesnar beatdown was maybe a little too long, but it was effective in setting up Rhodes’ eventual comeback and win. The kimura spot toward the end was excellent — callback to their Saudi Arabia match. The question now is what will Rhodes do in the fall before the eventual return to feuding with Reigns. Judgment Day?
  • Logan Paul defeated Ricochet in the opening match. It was good and both came off as athletic, but for all the build, I kind of expected more. There were some cool moves, but I didn’t think anything was “going viral” as the advertising for this match had said. Paul won and probably needed to as he’s lost his last few matches and needs a few wins at this point.
  • There’s not much to say about the battle royal as it was every WWE battle royal you’ve ever seen. LA Knight finally got his big win, last eliminating Sheamus. Knight is a story to watch in the coming weeks as it’s clear he’s getting over despite his push. It may be time to push him like he’s a star and this may have been the start of that.
  • Oh boy, the MMA fight between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. This didn’t work at all. They tried to work an MMA style match, but some of what they did didn’t make sense and the crowd completely turned on it with people visibly leaving the stands as Rousey and Baszler grappled. There was also a weird spot where Baszler got “injured” and they took a minute to send medical in to check on her which does not happen in an MMA fight. Then, Rousey destroyed the doctors which definitely does not happen in an MMA fight. This was a style WWE fans weren’t used to and were turned off by it as a result, and the confusing rules didn’t help much either. The match perfectly encapsulated Rousey’s second run in the WWE where there were a bunch of ideas, but none of them were executed well.
  • Gunther’s run as Intercontinental Champion continued as he downed Drew McIntyre. If you’ve seen these two wrestle, you know exactly what happened here. This was very good while it lasted, but by the end, I was thinking this would have been an excellent match if it had gone on for another few minutes. Still, with what they were given, this was a hard-hitting bout that delivered what you’d expect.
  • Finn Balor did not become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but had a match with Seth Rollins that was significantly better than their match at Money in the Bank and was the best match on the show in terms of in-ring action. This was a hot back and forth affair with some excellent near falls, including one at the end that I thought for sure was the finish when the Judgment Day interfered, distracting Rollins and allowing Balor to hit the sling blade and the Coup de Gras. But it was Damian Priest’s briefcase that cost Balor with Priest putting it on the apron as he distracted the referee, allowing Rollins to stomp Balor onto the briefcase for the win. I thought that they should hold off on a split between Priest and Balor as the act is pretty hot right now, but they seem to be moving forward with it.
  • The WWE Women’s Championship match also ended up being a very good match. I thought the finish was clever with Bianca Belair rolling up Asuka as she was in Charlotte Flair’s Figure Eight to score the surprise win. But that won’t be what people remember as IYO SKY immediately ran down to the ring. With Bayley’s help clearing the field, SKY cashed in, hit the moonsault, and won the title. I feel like the eventual WrestleMania match will be Belair vs. Flair, so there’s plenty of twists and turns left with this title until it’s time to go in that direction.

SummerSlam had its ups and downs, but overall I thought it was good with the Rhodes/Brock match probably being the highlight and Balor/Rollins not too far behind. With most of the spring and summer storylines now wrapped, it’s time to start building for the fall. We saw some glimpses, as it seems like a lock that Jimmy and Jey Uso will meet at Payback next month. We’ll likely be seeing more clues as soon as this week’s Raw and SmackDown.

Jimmy Uso betrays Jey Uso at WWE SummerSlam

The latest twist in the Bloodline saga saw Jimmy Uso betray his twin brother at SummerSlam.

Jey Uso was on the verge of defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of Saturday’s pay-per-view, but Jimmy interfered to cost Jey the match. As Jey was pinning Reigns, Jimmy pulled Jey out of the ring. Jimmy rocked Jey with a superkick and then threw him back in, which allowed Reigns to spear Jey through a table and retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Reigns vs. Jey was billed as Tribal Combat. There were no disqualifications in the match. Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and his title of Tribal Chief were both on the line.

Solo Sikoa helped Reigns throughout the match until Jey finally took him out with a splash through the announce table. Jey then speared Reigns and hit a splash from the top rope. He seemed to have the match won, but that’s when Jimmy interfered.

This was Jimmy’s first appearance on WWE programming since he was stretchered out following an attack by Reigns and Sikoa on the July 7 episode of SmackDown. In a storyline injury update after the attack, WWE stated that Jimmy had suffered ruptured rib cartilage.

An explanation for why Jimmy turned against Jey has yet to be given.

The Usos on having a ‘dream’ WWE WrestleMania singles match, Trinity Fatu, DUI arrest

In a rare interview, Jimmy & Jey Uso opened up to Ariel Helwani ahead of their highly-anticipated match against Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa at Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank, talking about Trinity Fatu leaving, Jimmy’s DUI arrest, and more.

While the two have made tag team wrestling their priority, Jey said his dream is to face Jimmy at WrestleMania “like back in the living room, uce.” He would want his family to be involved like their father, Rikishi, as referee.

Jimmy said they never pitched a split of their team, but would be supportive of each other if that was best for their careers as they could always come back to the team. Earlier in the interview, he said he was inspired by how Jey was performing during the pandemic era while he was recovering from his own injury.

The two agreed the injury was “a blessing in disguise” and weren’t sure where they would be today if that didn’t happen. 

“We’re having the most fun in our careers. We have tapped into something different in our careers…revamped us and we’ve leveled up,” Jimmy said.

Trinity’s departure

Jimmy was asked about last year’s situation that saw his wife, Trinity Fatu, leave WWE along with Mercedes Money (Sasha Banks). He said “it’s been weird” after being on the road together for 12 years and that’s it been an adjustment, but they are making it work as she’s enjoying her time in Impact.

He said the night they left, he had a match and when he came to the back, she left and he knew something was happening. He would like for her to eventually come back in a perfect world so they could end their careers in the place they both started.

Jey joked he wants her back on the road so she can be the middleman between the two brothers so they don’t have to be around each other so much.

The DUI arrest

Asked about his DUI arrest last year, Jimmy said he wasn’t concerned about the situation.

“Everyone has their issues outside work, everyone’s human. everyone makes mistakes and go through it. As long as you face the noise, even if we got in trouble, we always stood right in front of our mess, our noise, we push through it, learn from it, keep it moving” he said. 

Jey said they were initially against having Sami Zayn involved in The Bloodline angle as part of the family but was wrong. Jey joked that he needed to be more professional when he was legitimately cracking up during some of the live promos.

Asked about The Rock being involved, the two joked about it and said there are layers to his Bloodline storyline that they haven’t even got to yet.

The two also talked about Rikishi’s influence in their life, and how their own kids don’t know what’s going on in WWE and think they are “lame.”

Jey Uso to choose sides on WWE SmackDown

Jey Uso will choose sides on Friday’s WWE SmackDown as the collapse of The Bloodline continues to play out. 

As announced by Paul Heyman in a backstage segment on Monday’s Raw, Jey Uso will choose between his twin brother Jimmy and his brother Solo on SmackDown. 

Heyman revealed that Jey will make his “historic choice” on Friday, a week after Solo gave Jimmy a Samoan Spike as ordered by Roman Reigns as the fallout from Night of Champions continued. 

Reigns and Solo challenged Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions, losing after The Usos got involved. Jimmy turned on Reigns during the match, hitting The Bloodline’s leader with two superkicks. 

On last week’s SmackDown, a ceremony was held to celebrate Reigns’s 1000-plus day Universal title reign. Jimmy attempted to reconcile with Reigns, but Reigns ordered an attack from Solo. Reigns, Solo, and Heyman left the ring together as Jey remained in the ring with Jimmy as the show closed. 

The Bloodline drama that played out on SmackDown led to the show’s largest total audience of the year, and the best 18-49 demographic rating for the show since a Christmas Day episode in 2020.

Four Money in the Bank qualifying matches have already been announced for the Friday, June 9 episode. The announced lineup: 

WWE SmackDown, Friday, June 9 —

  • Jey Uso makes his choice
  • Men’s Money in the Bank qualifying match: Santos Escobar vs. Mustafa Ali
  • Men’s Money in the Bank qualifying match: Butch vs. Baron Corbin
  • Women’s Money in the Bank qualifying match: Bayley vs. Michin
  • Women’s Money in the Bank qualifying match: IYO SKY vs. Shotzi

WOR Video: The Bloodline saga continues

The Bloodline saga reached a new point at WWE Night of Champions.

Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed the latest wrinkle in the storyline on Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Radio. The end of Night of Champions saw Jimmy Uso turn on Roman Reigns after Reigns piefaced him and confronted his brother Jey. Although Jey seemed stunned by what Jimmy did, he ultimately left without choosing a side.

“Jey didn’t give which side he’s on,” Meltzer said. “Jimmy and Roman split. Jey is in the middle, and that’s where everything sort of seems to stand…it seems like it first is Roman and Jimmy, then Jey has to make a choice.”

The turn sets up a new match for Roman Reigns, would could be the start of many new matches as the Bloodline continues to implode.

“We got Cody kind of handled for a while, Roman is clearly going to go Roman vs. Jimmy, then Roman vs. Both Usos, then you could go back to Roman vs. Cody…they have a year’s worth of storylines,” Alvarez said.

Meltzer suggested that Reigns should have taken the pin, with Bryan explaining that since Reigns said he was going to win the Tag Team titles, he should have been the one that failed.

Jimmy Uso lays out Roman Reigns at WWE Night of Champions

The breakup of The Bloodline looks to finally be here.

Tensions within The Bloodline boiled over after botched interference by The Usos at Night of Champions. The situation led to Jimmy Uso laying out Roman Reigns with two superkicks.

After a referee bump, The Usos interfered in the main event of Saturday’s pay-per-view and tried to help Reigns & Solo Sikoa win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles from Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. The Usos went to drop Zayn with a double superkick, but he moved out of the way and they accidentally hit Sikoa. That caused a furious Reigns to berate The Usos and pie-face both Jimmy and Jey.

Jimmy responded by hitting a superkick on Reigns. Jey was shocked and told Jimmy that he had to be better than that. But Jimmy said he was just doing what Jey should have done a long time ago. Jimmy then gave Reigns another superkick.

“It’s me and you now,” Jimmy told Jey. “We the ones, not him. I’m your brother, not him. I would never do you like that. I would never treat you like that.”

Though Jey was reluctant, The Usos eventually left together.

Owens then gave Sikoa a stunner and Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles.

Owens & Zayn became Tag Team Champions when they defeated The Usos at WrestleMania 39 this April. The tension between Reigns and The Usos had been rising since Jimmy & Jey lost their titles. On last night’s SmackDown, Reigns was mad at Jimmy for calling himself the “Tribal Chief.”

The Bloodline story will continue on SmackDown next Friday (June 2). The episode is set to feature a celebration for Reigns reaching 1,000 days as Universal Champion. Reigns’ title reign hit the 1,000-day mark today.