10/28 WWE SMACKDOWN TV RESULTS: McDonald’s “alt perspective” report on Reigns’ return, Rousey open challenge, Brawling Brutes vs. Sikoa/Zayn, Hit Row vs. Legado del Fantasma

WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
OCTOBER 28, 2022
ST. LOUIS, MO AT ENTERPRISE CENTER
AIRED ON FS1
REPORT BY ALEX McDONALD, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

[HOUR ONE]

-Michael Cole welcomed the audience to the show as they showed crowd shots. He said Crown Jewel is next week.

-The Brawling Brutes music played and they made their entrance. Cole mentioned Sheamus’ absence and then threw to a video recap of the Bloodline’s attack on Sheamus last week. They then showed Jey Uso’s interaction with Logan Paul. Cole said that Sheamus is at home in an elbow brace.

-The Bloodline was in the back. Sami Zayn asked for a word with Jey. He told him it’s all hands on deck. Zayn said that Roman Reigns isn’t here yet. He said Reigns needs to see the Bloodline victorious tonight. He asked if Jey could have his back tonight. Jey said yes. Solo Sikoa’s music played and they walked toward the arena and made their entrance.

(1) BRAWLING BRUTES (Butch & Ridge Holland) vs. SAMI ZAYN & SOLO SIKOA (w/ Jey & Jimmy Uso)

Butch started with Zayn. They locked up and Butch backed Zayn into the corner. Zayn hit a low kick. Zayn ran the ropes and then Butch took him down with a clothesline. He then tagged in Holland. Holland hit a hip toss on Zayn and tagged Butch back in. They double teamed with a variation of the Ten Beats. Cole said they were paying homage to Sheamus. Butch shot Zayn off the ropes. Sikoa blind tagged. Zayn fell to the outside. Butch stared at Zayn and Sikoa hit him with a superkick when he turned around. Butch tried to recover against the ropes but Jimmy punched him while the ref;s back was turned. Sikoa took control then tagged Zayn back in. Butch sent Zayn over the top rope and Zayn sold his arm. Butch came off the apron with a big knee. Butch taunted the Usos at ringside. Sikoa attacked Butch from behind. Sikoa then lifted Butch and dropped him face-first on the ring apron. Sikoa stood over the fallen Butch as they cut to break. [c]

Butch and Sikoa traded punches. Sikoa charged Butch in the corner but Butch moved. Butch dragged himself toward Holland but Sikoa cut him off. Sikoa went for a slam but Butch turned in the air and countered with a DDT. Both men went for their corners. Zayn tagged in and stopped Butch. Zayn grabbed Butch’s leg but Butch pushed off and tagged in Holland. Holland hit a series of strikes on Zayn. Zayn started to recover but Holland caught Zayn and hit a big slam for a near fall. Holland went for a powerbomb but Zayn fought out. Sikoa made another blind tag. Holland went for a slam on Zayn but Sikoa hit a superkick. Zayn shoved Holland into a Samoan Drop from Sikoa for a near fall. Sikoa talked trash to Holland. Holland recovered and hit a series of headbutts then a big clothesline that took both men down. Butch and Zayn tagged in. Zayn hit a punch then a big boot. He went for a Blue Thunder Bomb but Butch fought him off. Zayn recovered and went for a second, but Butch landed on his feet. He looked for a Texas Cloverleaf but Zayn kicked him off. Zayn hit a kick and rolled up Butch for a near fall. Zayn hit an exploder suplex on Butch into the corner. Zayn then charged but Butch moved. Butch went to the top but Sikoa tried to grab Butch. Butch kicked Sikoa off. Zayn started to get up, then laid back down. Butch climbed to the top. Jey pulled Zayn out of the ring and they argued on the outside. Sikoa shoved Butch down. Sikoa came around the corner and tried to stop the argument on the outside. Holland came around the corner and took out Sikoa and Jey. Zayn went back into the ring. Butch was waiting and rolled him up for the win.

WINNER: Brawling Brutes (Butch & Ridge Holland) in 12:00

-Jey and Zayn continued the argument in the ring. Sikoa got in between Zayn and Jey. Jimmy then grabbed Jey and they stared each other down. Suddenly, Roman Reigns’ music played. Every member of the Bloodline in the ring looked concerned. Wade Barrett said the kids are in trouble. Cole said that daddy’s here. Reigns emerged with Paul Heyman at his side. He posed at the top of the ramp with the championships and pyro exploded behind him. The Bloodline stayed in the ring and continued to look upset. Reigns stared them down from the outside. Cole said that Reigns looked pissed off and he’s going to make the Bloodline wait to hear what he has to say. [c]

(McDonald’s Analysis: Good opener. It wasn’t anything we haven’t seen, but all four of these guys are talented and can give good matches week in and week out. Zayn was the obvious choice to take the fall. The Brutes needed some measure of revenge after last week’s attack. The real story was the argument between Jey and Zayn and the continuation of the problems after the match. The look on everyone’s face when Reigns’ music hit was priceless. I wish Barrett and Cole hadn’t gone so hard on the moment. They would have been better off not pointing it out as much. Even Sikoa looked concerned in the ring, which was a first for his character. This segment is going to be interesting. How will Reigns react?)

-Back from break, Reigns entered the ring. Cole hyped his match against Logan Paul at Crown Jewel next week. Reigns stood in the center of the ring and the Bloodline stood behind him. He asked for a mic and Heyman handed it to him. The crowd chanted “Roman, Roman”. Reigns smirked and then asked St. Louis to acknowledge him. Reigns said that they usually have a little order to things. He said that they acknowledged him and now he needs to acknowledge the elephant in the room. He said if they all want to act like kids, he’s going to treat them like kids. He said he wants them to put it all on the table and let it all out. Reigns said that he wants the problem fixed right now.

-Zayn said ok and he started to talk. He then said he’ll admit there’s been a communication breakdown as of late. He said it’s been specifically with Jey. Zayn said he doesn’t know what’s going on. He said that he likes Jey and they always got along. Zayn said ever since he started hanging out with the Bloodline, it feels like Jey doesn’t like him. He said he doesn’t know what he did. Zayn said that Jimmy and Sikoa are fine with him, so he doesn’t understand what Jey’s problem is. Zayn apologized for whatever he did and asked Jey to bury the hatchet. Zayn held his hand out.

-Jey said that Zayn has two seconds to get his hand out of his face. Jey then said he doesn’t like Zayn. He said he doesn’t like his hair, his face, or the shirt he’s wearing. Jey said he doesn’t like Zayn hanging around his family. Jey said that Zayn isn’t blood. Jey said that no one likes Zayn, he’s just the only one who will admit it. Jey said he’ll take a bullet for his family.

-Zayn said that he wants to make peace because that’s what Reigns wants. Jey said he doesn’t give a damn what Reigns says. Reigns snapped his head up and looked upset. Reigns stared Jey down. Zayn said that what Jey said was super messed up, but he didn’t mean it. Zayn said that Jey’s been through a lot lately and he hasn’t been very “Uce-y”. Reigns looked amused. He asked if that was what was going on. Reigns asked Jey if he wasn’t feeling “Uce-y”. Reigns put his hand on Jey’s shoulder. Jey held in laughter. Reigns said if he can’t find his inner “Uce-y”, then he’s going to make Zayn a full blown Uce. Reigns said if Jey doesn’t figure it out, they’re going to change Zayn’s name to Sami Uso. The crowd cheered and chanted “Sami Uso”. Zayn looked very pleased.

-Heyman took the mic and said Reigns has called an end to this segment. He said you can see Reigns on Peacock for Crown Jewel when he defends the Undisputed Universal Championship against Logan Paul. Heyman then threw to a word from the sponsors.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Wow. That was excellent. I don’t know if everyone cracking up at the Zayn comment was a good thing or a bad thing, but it sure was fun to watch. Reigns reaction when Jey said he doesn’t care what Reigns says, was the highlight. Zayn begged for forgiveness and Jey wouldn’t accept. I liked that both guys were able to say what we’ve all guessed. The only issue is that this segment didn’t solve anything. How is Jey going to figure it out and feel more “Uce-y”? What could he do that will cause Reigns to make Zayn Sami Uso? Is that inevitable at this point? Lots of questions to answer and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter has in store. For the record, I’m feeling plenty Uce-y.)

-They then showed a graphic for Bray Wyatt later in the show. [c]

-They showed a woman in a mask in a Viking camp surrounded by fire. The woman said that the Gods have opened their eyes and Valhalla awaits.

-Maximum Male Models were in the middle of their entrance. The New Day then made their entrance.

-They then showed a pre-taped interview with New Day. They cracked on MMM then touted their record title run and said they’re gunning for the Usos.

(2) MAXIMUM MALE MODELS (Mace & Mansoor w/ Maxxine Dupri) vs. NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)

Woods started with Mansoor. Mansoor did a cartwheel then posed. Woods looked on. Maxxine cheered him on from ringside. Mansoor put on an armbar and Woods fought out then hit a senton. Woods then posed and tagged in Kingston. New Day hit a double team and Kingston made the cover for a near fall. Woods tagged back in and they hit another double team. Woods shot Mansoor into the corner. Woods charged but Mansoor lifted him to the apron. Woods hit an elbow and then Maxxine distracted the ref. Mace attacked Woods from behind. Mansoor joined then tagged in Mace. They hit a double team then posed. Mansoor tagged back in. Woods took down Mansoor then ducked Mace who fell to the floor. Kingston tagged in and took out Mansoor and Mace. He hit a flying clothesline on Mansoor followed by a Boom Drop. Mansoor charged Kingston in the corner but Kingston hit a kick followed by a splash off the top. He tagged in Woods and they hit the Midnight Hour for the win.

WINNER: New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) in 4:00

(McDonald’s Analysis: I get they have the record, but New Day being treated as a threat to the Usos is laughable at this point. They haven’t done anything of substance in months. For the record, a win over the Models shouldn’t help their cause that much. I haven’t done the math on when the record is up. I assume it’s sometime after Crown Jewel but possibly before Survivor Series? Javier can you check on this please?)

-Kayla Braxton was in the back. She welcomed Sonya Deville. Kayla asked if Deville was going to answer Ronda Rousey’s open challenge. Deville said she wasn’t going to tell Kayla that. Deville said that Liv Morgan won’t be answering the challenge. Deville said that Morgan lost to Rousey and was a joke as champion. Morgan appeared out of nowhere and attacked Deville. Officials came in and pulled Morgan off. [c]

-Braun Strowman was in the back. He said there’s always someone bigger and stronger than you are. He said that Omos is bigger but not stronger. Strowman mentioned all the things he’s destroyed while they showed clips. Strowman said that Omos is going to find out that no giant is too big for the monster of all monsters. They then showed a graphic for their match at Crown Jewel and Cole hyped it.

-Ronda Rousey made her entrance. She got mostly cheers. Rousey took the mic. She got a mixed reaction. She said the belt is back where it belongs. Rousey held the title up. She said the crowd is in luck because she’s in the mood to prove it with the open challenge. She said she doesn’t expect the crowd to appreciate an active champion. Rousey said she doesn’t expect that out of the crowd because only the great can recognize greatness. She said they’re all too mediocre for that. Rousey then called out the locker room.

-Emma’s music played and she made her entrance. Cole said Emma was one of the most popular Superstars in NXT. [c]

-They showed post card shots of St. Louis. Cole said it’s five years tomorrow that Emma was released from WWE.

[HOUR TWO]

(3) RONDA ROUSEY (c) vs. EMMA – Smackdown Women’s Championship Match

They locked up. Rousey grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her down. Cole ran down Emma’s history. Rousey lifted Emma and taunted but Emma rolled Rousey up for a quick near fall. Rousey hit a big kick on Emma and took her down. Emma rolled to the outside. Emma rested against the steps. Rousey charged with a knee but Emma moved and Rousey hit the steps. They got back in the ring and Rousey sold the knee. Emma got the tarantula in the ropes. She then came off the top and took Rousey down for another near fall. Rousey rolled to the outside and attacked Emma with the bottom rope. Rousey rolled back in and then choked Emma with the middle rope. Rousey went to the apron and struck Emma who fell back into the ring. Rousey used Emma’s arm to choke her and pulled at Emma’s leg. Emma fought out and punched at Rousey. Rousey hit a running knee but Emma came off the ropes with a clothesline. Both women were down. They got to their feet and Emma hit some forearms. Emma came off the ropes and hit a Russian leg sweep for a near fall. Emma charged Rousey but Rousey countered into an ankle lock. Rousey pulled Emma to the center of the ring. Emma got up and rolled Rousey into the corner. Rousey went for a kick but missed. Emma grabbed Rousey and delivered a modified German suplex. Emma hit a running splash on Rousey in the corner and covered her for a near fall. Emma went for a suplex but Rousey countered. Rousey went for Piper’s Pit but Emma countered. Rousey used the ropes to rake Emma’s eyes. She then hit Piper’s Pit and followed it with the armbar for the win.

WINNER: Ronda Rousey in 7:00 to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship

(McDonald’s Analysis: I don’t know if Emma was the best choice for this, but it was an unexpected surprise. Part of me thinks this is a one off and we won’t see her again. That wouldn’t be a bad gimmick for the open challenge moving forward. The actual match was ok. It went a little longer than I expected. Nothing terrible.)

-They cut to Cole and Barrett at ringside. Cole said they have breaking news. He announced Bianca Belair against Bayley in a Last Woman Standing match at Crown Jewel. Barrett explained the rules. Cole then announced the Usos against the Brawling Brutes for the Undisputed Tag Team titles at Crown Jewel.

-Jey was in the back with Heyman. Jey tried to get into Reigns’ locker room, but Heyman held him back. Heyman said that sometimes it’s better for Reigns to hear things from him. Jey asked if Heyman had him. Heyman said he always has Jey. Jey walked off. Heyman looked exasperated and leaned against the door.

-Legado del Fantasma made their entrance. Cole asked Barrett to tell him about Fantasma. Barrett started to, but he was cut off by a Wyatt video. Afterwards, Barrett finished talking like nothing happened. Fantasma posed in the ring. [c]

-Rousey was in the back. Shayna Baszler congratulated her. Natalya appeared and said Rousey is lucky. She said had she answered the challenge she would be champion now. Suddenly, Baszler grabbed Natalya from behind and put her in a chokehold. Natalya gasped for air as Baszler and Rousey walked away.

(McDonald’s Analysis: I love the use of Baszler there. I don’t know if she was standing up for Rousey, is nuts, or wants to prove to Rousey she’s still a killer. It could also be all three. Any of the choices is a great step for Baszler moving forward.)

-Cole threw to a video recap of Legado del Fantasma’s attack on Hit Row a couple of weeks ago. They then showed Legado del Fantasma’s win and promo from last week.

-Hit Row made their entrance. B-Fabb rapped and said they have friends in high places. Shinsuke Nakamura’s music played and he made his entrance to join Hit Row in the match.

-All six men brawled in the ring. Top Dolla splashed Wilde then Adonis hit a monkey flip on Wilde. He rolled out of the ring. They did the same to Del Toro. Nakamura attacked Escobar in the corner. Vega entered the ring and told Escobar to focus. B-Fabb kicked Vega who fell to the outside. Hit Row and Nakamura told Escobar to “come on”. He stared at them from the ground in the corner. [c]

(4) LEGADO DEL FANTASMA (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, & Cruz Del Toro w/ Zelina Vega) vs. HIT ROW (Ashante the Adonis & Top Dolla w/ B-Fabb) & SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

Legado del Fantasma was in control. Cole threw to a video of what occurred during the break. Fantasma hit a series of clotheslines and tags in the corner on Adonis. Escobar finished the train with a running double knee. He tagged in Del Toro who hit a big splash off the top tope. He made the cover but Top Dolla broke it up. Del Toro put Adonis in a front facelock. Adonis tried to fight out. Adonis kicked Del Toro off and tagged in Nakamura. Escobar also tagged in. He and Nakamura traded strikes. Nakamura finally took him down with a big kick. Nakamura hit his running German suplex with the ropes. He kicked Wilde on the outside. Nakamura entered the ring and kicked Escobar again. Nakamura made the cover for a near fall. Top Dolla tagged in. Del Toro leaped at Top Dolla but he caught him. Wilde tried the same and also got caught. Top Dolla slammed them both. Escobar hit a kick. Top Dolla took over and hit a version of the Old School. He tagged in Nakamura. Nakamura hit the Kinshasa on Wilde and covered him for the win.

WINNER: Hit Row (Ashante the Adonis & Top Dolla w/ B-Fabb) & Shinsuke Nakamura in 6:00

(McDonald’s Analysis: I don’t know how smart the 50/50 booking was here. You don’t want to risk Hit Row ending up like Maximum Male Models, but Legado del Fantasma should be positioned a level above them. The introduction of Nakamura here was interesting. I would be down for a Nakamura and Escobar feud if that is what comes of this. I almost wish that all the champions on Smackdown weren’t so dominant so there was a real direction for some of these acts. I have high hopes for Escobar and Fantasma, but I don’t know what they could really do right now that’s considered high level.)

-Reigns was in the back. He played on his phones. Heyman asked Reigns to watch footage. He played a tape of men sparring. The tape ended. Reigns asked why they watched it. Heyman said they watched it because it only takes one lucky punch. Heyman said that a doctor who knows a doctor that knows his doctor, said that there’s steel pins in Logan Paul’s hand. Reigns said that Paul has only had two matches. Heyman said this will be Paul’s third match and Brock Lesnar won the UFC title in his third match. Heyman said that Paul is not Lesnar. He then said that Lesnar is not Reigns and Reigns beat Lesnar at Wrestlemania. Heyman then stopped himself and said he’s going to get the jet ready for Reigns. Heyman walked off. [c]

-Kayla was with L.A. Knight. He said the announcer got his hometown wrong last week. Ricochet then appeared and interrupted. He said that when someone’s head gets as big as Knight’s, someone is going to knock it around. Knight said that Ricochet was right and Knight is God’s gift to Smackdown. Knight walked off. Ricochet told Knight to keep running his mouth because someone is going to shut it.

-Karrion Kross made his entrance with Scarlett. Kross posed in the ring. Cole said this is Kross’ return after the car accident caused by Drew McIntyre. Cole also said the attack from McIntyre after the crash put Kross in the hospital.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Yet again, Cole said that McIntyre caused the car accident. When was that revealed? How did he cause it? Why would a babyface do that? Why can’t they take any time to explain any of this?)

-Madcap Moss made his entrance.

(5) KARRION KROSS (w/ Scarlett) vs. MADCAP MOSS

They locked up. Moss went behind Kross, but Kross elbowed him down. Moss was able to hit an atomic drop on Kross. Moss hit a big chop. Kross hit a series of strikes then backed Moss into the corner. Kross continued to attack with strikes. He then hit a big boot. Moss collapsed. Moss tried to fight back but Kross shot him into the opposite corner. Kross charged but Moss hit him with an elbow. Moss then took Kross down and forced him to the outside. Kross was upset as they cut to break. [c]

Moss punched at Kross but Kross grabbed Moss and delivered a throw. Kross stomped at Moss in the corner. Kross hit a Northern Lights suplex and rolled through, then delivered a clothesline. Kross stalked Moss. Kross isolated one of Moss’ arms then punched him in the gut. Kross stomped at Moss then covered him for a near fall. Kross hit a forearm and Moss collapsed. Kross taunted Moss. Kross caught Moss charging with an elbow. He covered Moss again for another near fall. Kross whipped Moss into the corner hard. Kross smiled and then hit Moss with a vertical suplex into a floatover for the cover. Kross then went for an armbar but Moss made it to the ropes. Kross went for a back suplex but Moss elbowed out. Moss then blocked a pair of punches and delivered punches of his own. Moss came off the ropes and hit a big clothesline followed by a big shoulder block. Kross answered with a big forearm. Moss recovered with a spinebuster for a near fall. Moss then hit a fallaway slam. Moss hit a series of running shoulder blocks to the gut of Kross. He went for another but Scarlett distracted Moss. Kross took Moss down. Kross slammed Moss down face first. He then hit a big elbow to the back of Moss’ head. Kross covered him for the win.

WINNER: Karrion Kross in 12:00

-Kross put Moss in a choke. Scarlett gave Kross the mic. He said that Moss put up a better fight then McIntyre. He said that McIntyre is a coward and we’ve all seen his true face. Kross said that when they get in the cage at Crown Jewel, history is going to repeat itself. He then said tick tock and dropped the mic. Kross refused to let go of Moss. A couple of officials tried to pry him off to no avail. Kross choked Moss out then relinquished the hold.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Moss actually got a decent amount of offense there. This is the type of match that defines where people are on the roster and they need to do more of that. I wish they hadn’t done any version of the “distraction” with Scarlett. Based on where these guys are slotted, Kross should be able to beat Moss. They don’t do anything with Moss so there’s no reason for him to be protected. On top of that, bad guys don’t always have to win via nefarious means. In this situation, Moss is a mid card guy and Kross is feuding with McIntyre closer to the main event. Just have him win. Otherwise, the match was solid, even though it wasn’t special. Kross’ style isn’t super exciting, but it matches his character.)

-They then showed a graphic for the match between McIntyre and Kross at Crown Jewel. Barrett hyped the match.

-Bray Wyatt was in the back. The video cut in and out with creepy images of the TV with the black and white screen. Wyatt’s music played in the background. [c]

-Cole and Barrett ran down the card for Crown Jewel.

-Kayla was in the back. She welcomed Rey Mysterio. Mysterio said he is excited to compete for the Intercontinental title. Imperium appeared and attacked him. Gunther ripped Mysterio’s shirt off and delivered a big chop. Imperium left Mysterio laying.

-Cole and Barrett hyped a match between Liv Morgan and Sonya Deville next week. They then hyped the match between Gunther and Mysterio.

-Bray Wyatt’s music began. The arena was black and everyone held up their phones. The door appeared with the light behind it. Wyatt then made his entrance. The crowd cheered loudly. Wyatt entered the ring and swung the lantern. He then held it next to his face. Finally, he turned it off. The arena remained dark. Wyatt took the mic.

-He said this is still new to him but he can get used to it. Wyatt then laughed. The crowd chanted “welcome back”. Wyatt then said that when the crowd does that it makes him feel invulnerable. He said he wants to do something wild. He said it’s just him and the crowd. He said there’s no mask and there’s no smoke and mirrors. Wyatt said that he wants the crowd to get used to it. He wants them to get used to Wyatt the real man. He said it’s the best version of him there will ever be. Wyatt said he’s going to do spectacular things while he’s there. He said for the majority of his life he’s been out of control. He said his emotions don’t work like other people and can send him to a dark place. Wyatt said that sometimes, no matter how hard he tries, he doesn’t feel anything at all. Wyatt said it’s part of what makes him, him. He said to get where he’s gotten he’s had to do horrible things. He said part of him likes that he’s not afraid to do horrible things. Wyatt said there will come another time where he will be faced with adversity and have to do something completely horrible.

-The screen went to a man with white hair and a moustache. The face asked who he was. He said there’s no masks. He said they took him away. The face then said you’ll never be able to hide from him. He called himself “your Uncle Howdy”.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Ok, so is Bray a different character in the actual ring? This is the second time we’ve seen a promo like this. It seemed like the first time was because it was his return, but tonight was more of the same. Now, I didn’t think he came off the same way in the back last week. Is that by design? Am I reading too much into this? After getting a better look at the face, which is clearly a mask, that’s also Bray, right? Or is that Bo? Or someone else entirely? I guess we’ll find out if they’re ever in the same place at the same time. Well, maybe. Some of us are still convinced Elias and Ezekiel are different people. Anyway, this was creepy and I like this version of Bray in front of the crowd. I don’t like that he keeps saying he’s going to do great things. Like what? With nothing really on the horizon, that feels like an empty promise. I’m all for being wrong, but that’s how it feels right now. With any luck, Javier or someone much smarter than me will have some answers to these questions on the post show.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: That was an exhausting show to cover. It felt like they packed a ton into that two hours tonight. It’s felt like that a few times, but it was very noticeable tonight. The final match of Kross and Moss was a weird way to end the show wrestling wise, but at least we got the Bray segment right after. Was that supposed to be a let me down before the excitement of seeing Wyatt? Or is it because Kross is featured with McIntyre so they gave him a prominent spot on Smackdown? The Women’s Division possibly added another member tonight and had a couple of other minor developments. Liv Morgan is still a crazy person and will wrestle Deville next week. I’m not really sure that the reason is or why Morgan hates Deville so much. Baszler showed off her killer side in a cool segment. Rousey cheated, kinda, I guess, and is a full fledged heel. I have no idea where all of her babyface challengers are. That’s going to be a problem. Reigns was the star of the show along with all the drama in the Bloodline. Everything those guys are doing right now is gold. We’re nowhere close to the end here and I’m all for it. I thought we were getting closer to something tonight, but even after the big segment, not much has changed. Zayn and Jey got their feelings out, but they still have to coexist by order of the Tribal Chief. The craziest part about Smackdown is the fact that the two top stars on the show don’t wrestle. We just wait to see them and hear them speak. In the case of Reigns, we go weeks without him. In the case of Wyatt, we only see him for a short time. Is this a good thing? Or a bad thing? In the case of Reigns, will more people grow tired and resentful of an absent champion, or embrace the special nature and consequences of his limited appearances? In the case of Wyatt, will all of this build up matter? If the story is finally told his way, in his time, with his vision, will it pay off in the ring and satisfy fans? I’m here for the ride, and I hope you are too.