Review: WWE Smackdown (11-22-2024)
Smackdown was live from Salt Lake City! That’s a city near Salt Lake!
Bloodlines!: Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline are kicking off the show looking to accept terms of surrender from Roman Reigns’ Bloodline. All five of the lads are here — Solo, Jacob Fatu, the Tongans, Bronson Reed. Reed really is about the greatest hired merc of all time just in vibe shift. Solo is such an incredible wannabe. He’s just gotten better and better at that. Roman isn’t even here yet, but Solo needs to see him by the end of the night, and then all of the Romanline can acknowledge Solo. “Did I just hear that right, Cole?” Yes, Corey. You did. It was exactly as advertised.
Chelsea Green vs Blair Davenport vs Bianca Belair
WWE Women’s United States Championship Tournament
War Chelsea! Look I obviously love Chelsea, and I think Blair has talent even if it has barely shown up in WWE at all, but this is a big ask of Bianca in some ways. A lot of this is presented with Bianca as clearly the best in the match, but the triple threat aspect adds wild card moments for Blair or Chelsea to get stuff in, too, keeping them dangerous.
This is kept pretty fun, doesn’t try to focus on Epic Match stuff and wisely so. It’s more about the timing of everything and what have you. Bianca about has it won, but Chelsea almost steals it from Bianca’s hard work. Moments later, Jade Cargill is shown laid out on a car and fake bloodied backstage, so Bianca leaves the match to remove the obvious favorite. Chelsea hits the Unprettier and advances! It is mother fucking Chelsea Time! She joins Bayley in the semis, and indeed will face Bayley next. ***
Backstage: After the break, Bianca is freaking out by an ambulance, where she arrives. Her emotional acting is pretty bad. Naomi and Bayley are there. Bianca still hates Bayley so much. Bayley is very “what the heck has happened!” You know who’s not in War Games? Bayley. You know who might want to be? Bayley. You know who would mostly logically get called in to replace Jade? Bayley.
Santos Escobar vs LA Knight (c)
WWE United States Championship
Last week, Knight beat “Berto,” then was attacked by Shinsuke Nakamura. Instead of just directly following up with Nakamura, we get another silent entrance for Legado Del Fantasma so that Escobar can also lose to Louisiana Kennedy Kennedy, and then we’ll probably — oh, wait, no, right at the top, it’s Shinsuke Nakamura on a video.
“You are riddled with insecurities. You beg them to chant your name with a growing aura of desperation. You lash out so they don’t see how frightened you are, how you lie at night, consumed with fear that everything you’ve obtained will slip through your fingers. Your fears are justified. This is the beginning of your end.”
Escobar jumps Knight during that. Anyway, seems a little dramatic for Shinsuke’s latest doomed run at the upper-mid tier, and then the match is Escobar controlling before he’ll eventually lose. The crowd are just checked out on Escobar. “Shut up!” he yells to nobody, the clever veteran tactic to engage a crowd saying nothing.1
With Knight finally in control, Nakamura appears in the entrance and distracts Louisiana again. “I guess he’s gonna try to put LA Knight away with his Finishing Maneuver,” Cole says just before Knight counters that with the BFT for the win. They can have better matches than this one, and have, this wasn’t so much about their match.
Post-match: Nakamura immediately storms the ring to attack Knight for a second straight week, repeatedly driving the U.S. champ’s shoulder into the ring post and then kneeing his skull but good, leaving LA laid out. Cole and Graves trying hard to over-explain Nakamura’s new costume.
Backstage: Motor City Machine Guns are speaking with Johnny Gargano, who says “two-vee-two (2v2)” out loud. He wants that rematch for #DIY, but MCMG are a bit less receptive because Tommaso Ciampa is a dick, which Gargano refers to as being “an emotional guy.” They feel Street Profits deserve the next shot because of Ciampa ruining that match last week. Profits towering over these guys like Gandalf and Legolas standing in front of Sam, Frodo, and Merry. They get some digs in on Ciampa being an asshole. Which he is, and Gargano has to pretend he’s so stupid he’s never met Ciampa.
Backstage: Roman Reigns and his Bloodline walk slowly and with purpose.
Backstage: Nick Aldis asks Nia Jax if she knows anything about what happened to Jade Cargill earlier. She does not. Aldis turns to security, then has to rush off to catch up with Cody, who is heading to the ring. Aldis hasn’t heard from Owens and doesn’t think he’s here. Rhodes doesn’t buy it, so he’s going out anyway.
Cody and Kevin: Cody calling for KO to meet up for their face-to-face. Owens is here, and he’s in the crowd wearing a sleeveless tuxedo t-shirt. It’s his “best attire,” and he notes Cody is in his Cody Tracksuit, not his “sleazy, stupid politician’s suit.” Owens psychologically baiting Rhodes, and effectively so. They argue at distance. Security keeping them apart as Owens makes his way down to ringside. “For four years, I fought the Bloodline. … I fought them all, and they tried to end my career.” Specifically, he means Roman Reigns. He lays out the specifics of Rhodes’ betrayal and Cody does register some understanding of what Kevin is saying, but he also doesn’t fully buy it: “Me teaming with Roman Reigns had nothing to do with you. He asked me and I thought it was the right thing, but that doesn’t jibe2 with who Kevin Owens is.” He sees Owens as having a victim mentality and a need to believe he’s being held down by others. Basically, the “your own worst enemy” idea, like Eddie Kingston has had, but Cody is able to point out that Kevin has done everything you can do in WWE and everyone knows how great his run has been besides himself. Now bringing up Owens sabotaging himself in Berlin, and the betrayal of Orton, who believed in Kevin and was his friend. Both guys great on the mic here, honestly, and good promo material, too. Cody wants another match with KO, who says he’ll get it but on Kevin’s terms. “When it does happen, I’m just doing my job. I’m doing what you just asked me to do. And you don’t have to worry about me pulling the trigger this time; you say I crossed the line with Randy Orton, you’re right. But I loved Randy Orton. You? I hate you.” KO leaves and Cody has to get the last, Rhodesian word: “I don’t think you hate me. I think you hate yourself.” Good melodrama.
Backstage: Roman Reigns’ Bloodline sit around and talk. They gotta have Jimmy not talk, man. Even little lines he’s bad. They need a fifth member. Sami’s out of ideas. Jey suggests Cody, but Roman says no, because it’s “old news” to him. Sami again offers to try Seth Rollins again, Roman shuts that down. Well. Here we go for sure. Another box to tick.3 Roman says they go out as they are, and if they die, they die together.
Backstage: Cody Rhodes walks by Carmelo Hayes, who offers a little comment. Cody takes exception, but Melo is “just saying what everybody else is saying,” that Owens is telling the truth. Cody shoves him on his ass, but Melo isn’t taking that lightly and Aldis has to break them up.
Candice LeRae & Tiffany Stratton vs Naomi & Bayley
On the one hand it’s probably sad when your friend gets released, on the other hand it’s probably nice to have your spot upgraded so significantly when they do. The give and take.
House show-y match, Candice and Tiffy actually working together fairly well but bickering all the same. Women! You know how they get. It’s rare to see someone who has been as important as Bayley go this cold while also still being pushed, like, this isn’t a ‘96 Bobby Eaton situation or anything, where time has just passed on by and a former star is hanging around as pure roster filler, Bayley is still important but has zero juice.
Nia Jax interferes and the babyfaces are getting beaten up, then Iyo Sky’s music hits, which just does not have any pop to it, and here she comes! Iyo uppercuts Candice, gets Tiffy, gets dropped by Nia. But Iyo gets a shot ion on her, too. Nia with comical selling of Iyo’s return fire. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan hit the ring, and now we’ve got Rhea Ripley, her Bill Laimbeer mask, and a kendo stick. Everyone else bails, Raquel shoves Liv away and takes a stick shot herself. Candice gets hit, too. The heels scatter.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Montez Ford
Cole theorizes that Ciampa is jealous of MCMG and their “storied relationship” with Johnny Gargano. “Storied” is a stretch. This is an OK showcase sort of match. Another one tonight meant more to further story than actually matter, which is fine, although I might not have done three of them in a row to close a four-match night in the ring. Ford gets the win when he stacks up Ciampa on a little counter.
Post-match: Ciampa attacks Ford, so Angelo Dawkins runs in to make that save. Gargano in. He and Ciampa end up arguing again, and again Ciampa gets in Gargano’s face and shoves him on his ass. MCMG in to break that up and Ciampa bails.
Main event promo: Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline are here to discuss terms of surrender. Roman’s short-handed side are here to fight, we presume. Solo still loves them all, and offers the four of them joining his Bloodline and running the company for decades. “You don’t have a fifth man, you don’t have a Wise Man, you don’t have no choice. … Join my team, or the four of you will die where you stand.” But before Roman can respond, Paul Heyman’s voice booms, and the Wise Man is here. Roman cracks a little smile of surprise. Paul’s got that good tan on and says you just can’t do War Games with 4 vs 5. He drags this out in trademark style, and he has a fifth man, and it IS his old friend CM Punk, who walks out taping his fist and marching to the ring with purpose to start the fight! He’s a guy who makes sense on every level, basically, including a selfish one. Solo’s crew get cleared out fast. Roman and Punk stare it down at the end of the fight and Roman wants to know what he’s doing here. Huge “this is awesome” chant as they continue to square off, and in the background, Paul Heyman looks on. It’s Punk on one side, Roman’s Bloodline on the other, and that’s the team.
GRADE: C-
Great ending with the Bloodlines and the Punk reveal and Heyman return, and a fantastic Cody and Kevin promo, but the rest of the show was pretty forgettable. Still, those things so good that they basically made the show low-end decent, avoiding being truly bad.
Three Stars of the Show
CM Punk: The obvious call. Says nothing, just fights, gets the crowd hyped, and War Games is fully set and intriguing, with layers added that will matter even after it’s over.
Cody Rhodes: Kevin Owens was also great, but Cody standing his ground and returning the psychological analysis and warfare that Owens wants to specialize in was really nice. It’s also not really his game, so you have to think Owens still has Cody about where he wants him. KO is not going to beat Cody for the belt, obviously, but they’ve found a great way to fill some more time in Rhodes’ reign before Dwayne, fresh off the Red One flop, takes the belt at WrestleMania.
Chelsea Green: By hook or crook, she moves on, and I’m guessing she winds up in the final, too. The company clearly appreciate and acknowledge how great she’s been and how deserving she is of a push. Could win the belt!
I really, really like Escobar, but this is a totally dead act at this point.
He said “jive,” like most people do.
