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Before we begin, a very important update…
• Triple H has announced a new championship belt: The Crown Jewel Championship belt. At Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this year, the top men’s and women’s singles champions on each brand will face off in champion vs. champion matches. The winners will be the inaugural Crown Jewel champions.
• Former WWE wrestlers MVP and Shelton Benjamin recently made their debut for AEW. Both were used sparingly in the months preceding their release, which came at a controversial time due to the growing conversation regarding WWE’s treatment of black male representation. In any case, the two have publicly floated the idea of reforming their popular stable “The Hurt Business” in AEW, alongside the rumored signing of fellow released wrestler Bobby Lashley. We wish all three men the best in their future endeavors.
Bad Blood has come and gone, and what a doozy of an event! It was a night of pure bloody carnage, interferences galore, and the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the Bloodline vs. Bloodline war looks set to kick into full gear. The Triple H era is in full effect, as the events of the PPV (and the go-home episodes of Smackdown) contained far-reaching ramifications that are set to fundamentally shake the status quo.
Despite an event that relied a little too heavily on run-ins, Bad Blood exemplified the best of the Triple H era: solid in-ring work, nuanced storytelling, and brilliant teases for the future. Chief among them are The Crown Jewel championships. Despite being a blatant marketing tool for the Saudi Arabian audience, the Crown Jewel champion vs. champion matches inject a new life into WWE programming. Unlikely opponents look set to clash in a series of dream matches, and storylines aside it’s nice to get some novelty exhibition-style matchups out of the way as a break from year-long storylines.
Dear god, that belt looks ugly, though.
In the meantime, plenty happened over the last few days that should cause tonight’s episode of Smackdown to be one for the books. Let’s go over where things stand…
CODY RHODES AMASSES NEW ENEMIES
Latest Developments:
Over the past few weeks, Cody Rhodes chose to team up with longtime enemy Roman Reigns to take down The Bloodline, a move that proved unpopular with his allies Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Owens’ anger towards Rhodes continued to grow, but stopped short of a physical betrayal.
At Bad Blood, Rhodes & Reigns successfully won against The Bloodline thanks to the returning Jimmy Uso. Post-match, The Rock made an appearance and seemingly signalled to Rhodes he had not forgotten their feud in the wake of Wrestlemania, and would be coming for Rhodes’ WWE Championship.
Following Bad Blood, Owens confronted and eventually attacked Rhodes in the parking lot, which was captured by fans and posted online. Additionally, Triple H announced that WWE Champion Rhodes would face the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther at Crown Jewel in a champion vs. champion match for the inaugural men’s Crown Jewel championship.
Analysis:
Following Bad Blood, the narrative of Cody Rhodes’ dedication to taking down The Bloodline ruining his relationships was finally brought to the forefront. Not only does Rhodes find The Bloodline strong enough to fight another day, his former ally Kevin Owens has betrayed him. This narrative elevates Rhodes beyond a traditional righteous babyface, proving there are indeed consequences to continuing a fight instead of letting go. Given the importance Rhodes has placed on his allies (compared to lone warriors like Cena or Hogan), seeing them slowly turn on him is extra-heartbreaking.
Relegating the Rhodes-Owens confrontation to fan footage is a strong choice. Rumors indicate that WWE wanted to boost digital engagement, or potentially hide any cheers Owens would have gotten, but it definitely seems to me that such a pivotal moment could have benefitted far more from the electric crowd energy of Smackdown in 2024. Was it really worth using that moment of all moments to experiment?
Additionally, the champion vs. champion match against Gunther at Crown Jewel adds a fresh new twist to Rhodes’ reign, guaranteeing him a potential dream match in Saudi while also giving him a break from The Bloodline until Wrestlemania season. As entertaining as Rhodes is, it’s become tiresome seeing his reign be intertwined with The Bloodline for so long. Focusing on Owens and Gunther for the next month or two offer Rhodes two vastly different dynamics he can sink his teeth into, and would go a long way in reminding everyone why Rhodes is a main event act. Anyone looks like an underdog against The Bloodline, but Rhodes can show off his babyface chops to much greater effect here.
Overall, a phenomenal Bad Blood match, a wobbly beginning to two otherwise fresh and promising feuds, and Rhodes proving himself as the most pure babyface since Sting. Not bad, WWE.
Grade: B+
BAYLEY & NAOMI vs. NIA JAX & TIFFANY STRATTON
Latest Developments:
On the go-home episode of Smackdown, WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax continued grow more paranoid that her protégé (and current Ms. Money In The Bank) Tiffany Stratton would turn on her.
During a confrontation with her Bad Blood challenger Bayley, Bayley attempted to sow discord between Jax and Stratton. Stratton took the bait and accidentally insulted Jax, giving Bayley an opening to beat them both down. Immediately afterwards, the preoccupied Stratton lost a match to Naomi (one of Naomi’s best matches on the main roster) following her impulsive challenge last week.
At Bad Blood, Jax retained the WWE Women’s Championship against Bayley following interference from Stratton. Post-match, Stratton’s resentment towards Jax continued to grow.
Analysis:
The most intriguing part of this feud right now is Jax vs Stratton. Watching Stratton’s infatuation with Jax slowly give way to annoyance and now fury has been an amazing slow-burn as Jax continually grows more and more paranoid. When the eventual betrayal hits, it will feel borderline cathartic at this rate.
However, Bayley’s segment with the heel duo fell flat. Ping-ponging between babyface cliches and sneaky wordplay to turn the heels on each other, Bayley’s character continues to feel one-dimensional and a prop for the heels to fight so they can continue focusing on each other. Despite a phenomenal Bad Blood match, the crowd couldn’t get that invested into another prospective Bayley title reign, and hopefully moving forward the former hugger can move on to a more engaging feud.
Naomi had her working boots on last week, offering up by far her best match on Smackdown since returning to WWE. Following a fantastic chemistry with Stratton, the two sold the story of a preoccupied Stratton losing her edge and getting reckless against a seasoned vet in Naomi (credit again to Corey Graves selling Naomi’s longevity outside the company). The match’s slot directly following the Jax-Stratton argument offered a perfect storyline reason to give Naomi a win, raising both women’s stock in the process. The TV structure worked to perfection, well done WWE.
All in all, a mixed bag with some promising teases for the future.
Grade: B+
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MICHIN vs. CHELSEA GREEN & PIPER NIVEN
Latest Developments:
Ever since Smackdown GM Nick Aldis made a Dumpster Match official between Michin and Chelsea Green, Green has been hard at work “training” amidst trash heaps. Last week, Michin steamrolled Green’s ally Piper Niven in a tune-up match despite Green attempting to interfere.
Last week on Smackdown, the long-awaited Dumpster match finally took place. Despite a valiant effort, Green was little more than a ragdoll for the powerful Michin to throw around. Despite Niven attempting to help, Michin powerbombed Green into a dumpster to win the match.
Green emerged covered in garbage, much to the disgust of several other wrestlers backstage.
Analysis:
This match provided a much-needed bit of levity in between the drama of last week’s Smackdown. The build to this match was clear: it was going to be Michin throwing around Green like a toy and would end with Green hilariously covered in filth. And, by god, was it entertaining.
Green came out in a hilarious fitted sanitation vest & skirt with gardening gloves: a perfect description of what a prissy rich person thinks sanitation workers would wear. Combined with Corey Graves’ hilarious asides on commentary, Green perfectly symbolized snootiness and set herself up for the ultimate comeuppance when the much-more-utilitarian babyface Michin continually punished Green over…. and over…. and over.
The match itself was perfectly paced, realizing the beauty of the in-ring storytelling was watching the self-absorbed heel get brutally humiliated. Simple storytelling, but concise and to the point. This was “maximize your minutes” done perfectly. Niven’s interference felt a bit pointless ultimately, and could have been used for a better hoss vs. hoss moment against Michin, but it did the job.
Following a chillingly brutal finish (that powerbomb was BRUTAL), both women came away more over than ever. If there was EVER enough groundswell for a Michin main event run, it’s now. Given the stacked roster, I don’t know if WWE brass will give Michin enough runway for a title shot, but she deserves it.
Grade: A+
DIY vs. THE STREET PROFITS vs. THE BLOODLINE
Latest Developments:
Ever since winning the WWE Tag Team championship before Summerslam, The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa have been pursued by former champions DIY, intent on reclaiming their belts. Meanwhile, The Street Profits also began targeting The Bloodline, intent on regaining their momentum by becoming tag champs once more. In the ensuing weeks, the two babyface teams were continually a thorn in The Bloodline’s side as they tried to assert dominance against Cody Rhodes.
Last week on Smackdown, the 3 teams faced off in a ladder match for the WWE Tag Team championships. Despite being outnumbered against the babyfaces working together, Loa eventually unhooked the two belts atop a precariously tall ladder, retaining the championships for The Bloodline.
Analysis:
A top-tier match that made the WWE Tag Team championships shine brighter than ever, and elevated all three teams fighting for them.
Tonga and Loa have recently felt like dead weight to the Bloodline, thanks to Jacob Fatu playing the “savage enforcer” role better than either Tongan could. And given their lack of characterization, both wrestlers felt… bland and uneventful. That all changed last week, as the duo scored a clean win in a match with superb in-ring storytelling. Unlike Fatu, the Tongans weren’t portrayed as superbly powerful, being outmatched by the babyfaces for the first half of the match. However, watching them gather steam and muscle through their opponents was genuinely impressive. And following their win, I believed in the Tongans as a powerhouse team for the first time.
Loa especially reminded viewers why he succeeded in NJPW for so long. The man took some seriously gnarly bumps, and got the big hero shot by unhooking the championships. If I was a betting man, I’d say Loa legitimized himself to many of his doubters tonight.
The babyface teams didn’t shine as brightlt, but their in-ring character work was a smooth continuation of their individual arcs up to this point (The Profits wanting to reclaim momentum in the tag division, while DIY was dedicated to reclaiming their loss to the Tongans). All 3 teams were winners tonight, and the WWE Tag Team Championships once again feel like a worthy prize in WWE.
Grade: A++
A.J. STYLES vs. CARMELO HAYES (vs. LA KNIGHT)
Latest Developments:
After a vignette two weeks ago teasing his return, AJ Styles came out to a standing ovation in Nashville on the go-home episode of Smackdown, seemingly turning his face and hinting that his in-ring career was nearing its end.
Carmelo Hayes came out to confront Styles, putting him down as a washed-up old man. Styles talked up US Champion LA Knight (following their heated feud earlier this year), whom Hayes had been trying to secure a match against. Knight appeared, promising Hayes a US Championship title shot if he could beat Styles.
During their match, Styles seemingly injured his knee. Hayes won the match by forfeit, making the result of his title shot unclear. As Styles was led to the medical bay, Knight laid out Hayes in the ring.
Analysis:
The AJ Styles return felt like a hard reset. From local musician Hardy introducing him, to the hometown pop, to the TNA allusions, everything felt engineered to get Styles the loudest babyface pop possible. It’s a credit to Styles’ promo work that he could sell such a sharp character change so quickly. I’m not particularly a fan of resetting character dynamics in a promotion where most feud are led by character interactions, but this moment was done fairly smoothly.
Hayes continues to play a disrespectful ego-driven brat better than anyone else, and his yearning for the spotlight continues to make him enemies. Styles and Hayes pinged off each other wonderfully, but Knight’s inclusion made the segment’s momentum stutter. Following up from last week, WWE writers have tried to force a hatred between Hayes and Knight that isn’t garnering much heat, and simply writing off Knight and Styles’ blood feud earlier this year and replacing it with mutual respect felt clunky as well.
Additionally, the match felt off following Styles’ injury. The jury’s still out whether said injury was a work, but either way, it felt like a missed opportunity. If it was a work, why let the status of Melo’s title shot remain vague? Doing so doesn’t give the audience the chance to boo a heel who lucked his way into an opportunity by injuring a veteran. If it was a shoot, why not let Melo play to the crowd in the moment and garner more heat? Ending the segment with Knight standing tall instead felt awkward, unfinished, and landed cold. All three wrestlers sold the moment as best as they could, but it stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the episode’s programming.
Grade: C
THE BLOODLINE CIVIL WAR
Latest Developments:
After making his return at Summerslam, Roman Reigns impulsively teamed up with former rival Cody Rhodes to take down Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline. During the build up, Reigns refused to acknowledge Rhodes’ achievements and made it clear the two were not friends.
At Bad Blood, Reigns and Rhodes worked together to squeak out a win against The Bloodline, thanks to the return of Reigns’ former underling Jimmy Uso. The Samoans emotionally reunited in the ring, and decided to save Rhodes from a beatdown post-match. The old and new Bloodlines stared each other down in the ring.
Reigns showed Rhodes respect by publicly handing him the WWE Championship belt, before The Rock appeared and stared down Reigns.
Analysis:
Roman Reigns felt like a true babyface for the first time at Bad Blood. Since his return, Reigns’ sparse appearances and demeanor made him still seem like a heel, but one who had gotten situational sympathy from the fans. During his Bad Blood match (one of Reigns’ best matches in years, by the way. Take out the drawn-out posing of a typical Reigns match and let the man put on his working boots on, he’s so much more engaging working at a slightly faster pace), Reigns showed two emotions we haven’t seen before: respect and thankfulness.
Reigns finally acknowledging Rhodes by giving up the prized championship belt, and his emotional vulnerability toward Jimmy Uso’s return showed us a Reigns who was willing to be humble and admit a level of remorse (at least internally). Credit to Reigns for selling the emotion so well in-ring, the man can act circles around much of the WWE. But with those emotions, Reigns finally took steps to rehabilitate his character, and for the first time it’s possible to envision him making amends with those he’s wronged.
With Survivor Series on the horizon, it looks more and more likely that we’re in for a Bloodline Civil War, especially with The Rock in the mix. Side note, it’s unbelievable how much more fan enthusiasm there is for Reigns vs Rock now compared to Wrestlemania 40. Turns out when you give the performers a good story, people get invested. Who knew?
Sikoa and Fatu shined brighter than ever, ironing out the in-ring differences in their characters that previously made Sikoa feel like a lesser version of Fatu. They truly feel like individuals now, each with their own strengths. Moving forward, each Bloodline member feels the most fleshed out they ever have been, and if utilized correctly, we could be in store for a Survivor Series match with some of the best group storytelling ever seen in WWE.
Grade: A+
BIANCA BELAIR & JADE CARGILL HOST BAD BLOOD
Latest Developments:
The women’s tag champs were announced as the hosts of Bad Blood alongside Naomi, following several defenses of their belts on NXT and Raw.
At the PPV, they… didn’t really do much of anything.
Analysis:
Not much to say here, I just wish WWE was giving Belair & Cargill something more substantial until they lose the belts and eventually feud with each other. While a Damage CTRL feud is brewing on the horizon and their occasional defenses are serviceable TV, there’s little-to-no heat for their matches and their storylines are scant. For a main event team supposedly intended to raise the prestige of the tag belts, Belair’s stock has fallen considerably and Cargill’s in-ring skills don’t seem to be improving very much.
Character-wise, the two are as engaging as ever, but a bit over-the-top. We’ve all met people as enthusiastic and type-A as Belair or Cargill, but in real life those people also have calmer moments. Belair and Cargill feel SO type-A and high-energy all the time, they come across as one-dimensional. In shoot interviews, both women feel so much more engaging. Triple H, you have incredible talent holding championships, so give them better character work and feuds! The pieces are ALL THERE.
Grade: D
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(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at ellerwade@gmail.com.)
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