Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly coverage of "WWE SmackDown," the show that occasionally takes us out of the ring and onto a football field at Georgia Tech! Yeah, we're going to talk about that kind of a lot, really. In fact a lot of Bloodline stuff makes the loved/hated cut this week, as some matches were very good but too flawed to achieve greatness (LA Knight vs. Andrade) while others simply don't merit comment of any kind (Apollo Crews vs. Giovanni Vinci). You can read all about those matches, of course, by going to our "SmackDown" results page; if you're still here, that means you're interested in the opinions of the WINC staff.
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So, how did we actually feel about the Reigns/Rhodes cinematic confrontation? Did we think the women's contender's match came to a logical conclusion? And most importantly, what the actual hell is Tama Tonga doing with that hyena laugh, seriously? Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 9/20/24 episode of "WWE SmackDown."
I'm not entirely sure what WWE was thinking with this Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns segment. While I hated it overall for reasons I'll get into, I honestly think it could have worked as a piece aired during the pre-show of Bad Blood. That would have made a bit more sense, as it was shot in Atlanta, where Bad Blood is taking place. It didn't make a ton of sense to me for this week's "SmackDown," since they were the entire way in California. Of course, both men can get on planes and travel, but it really stuck out to me as great pre-show content for WWE's forever boring hours-long kickoff specials. Also, if I was someone in the crowd in California, I would be pretty heated that I had to watch that (albeit beautifully shot) video segment on the tron, rather than see Rhodes and Reigns duke it out and come to a loose understanding in the middle of the ring. Yes, Rhodes was of course at the show and made a save to end the broadcast, and I'm sure he was there for a dark match of some kind, but the fans didn't get that live face-to-face between Rhodes and Reigns, which had to have stunk for them.
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The other thing that really stuck out to me that was pretty annoying was the fact they went face-to-face mid-field at the Georgia Tech stadium. Yes, Reigns played football there, but do any of us really know Reigns for his time as a football player? It's awful he was diagnosed with leukemia right when he got to rookie camp for the Minnesota Vikings and got cut, but this promo didn't focus on that, only his seasons played at the university. Okay? I don't even know a more eloquent way to phrase that. Rhodes, of course, not a football player, mentioned to Reigns that his family wrestled and bled for the love of the game across the street at another arena as a means to get on Reigns' level, when Reigns initially said Atlanta was his city because he played football there. But, Rhodes is honest-to-God from Georgia. None of this made a lick of sense to me when it comes to their rivalry, especially when the two aren't facing each other at Bad Blood, they're teaming together... and they're certainly not playing football.
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The promo itself was fine, until it wasn't at the end. Rhodes was good here, saying that Reigns can't even beat his own Bloodline, and it wasn't the biggest box office attraction in the history of WWE standing in front of him anymore. Reigns asked Rhodes want he wanted, and Rhodes just wanted his word that Reigns will have his back in their match. Not sure why that dramatically needed to happen in a football stadium. There's no battle for Atlanta here between the two. Maybe next time, when they're actually facing off for the championship.
Written by Daisy Ruth
Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns sought common ground ahead of Bad Blood in a video package filmed at Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium, making it clear there was no love lost between them as they jibed like opponents rather than partners. I will admit I had slight reservations around the way their WrestleMania rivalry of yore would play into the pair working with one another. But this segment somewhat alleviated those concerns, with both the "Original Tribal Chief" and the WWE Champion making it clear this was a marriage of convenience, a contingency to deal with the Bloodline mutineers, and but a stepstone in both their careers. Reigns told Rhodes, "You are in my way... in life," delivering a final brush of hatred for the man that ended his historic reign.
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There was both a palpable respect and contempt between them, and Reigns specifically showed his ire at the idea he only had Rhodes to turn to. Rhodes twisted the dagger more, dangling the bitter truth that he had predicted the Bloodline's fracture during their first WrestleMania rivalry, throwing it in his face by repeating what the "Tribal Chief without a tribe" had lost: Jimmy Uso, his "Wise Man" Paul Heyman, and his Ula Fala. Reigns glared at the title he had once held at several points, threatening that he had no pressure and nothing to lose, and he would be coming back for the title when Bad Blood is done with. It helped to carry across that this was just the next chapter in their wider saga, embracing the very concept of "Can they co-exist?" but in a way that makes sense to the narrative. Rhodes and Reigns have been intertwined for so long it's easy to forget that they are tied 1-1 in their series, so a rubber match would surely make sense in the future, and even then Rhodes has also been sworn to pick up things with "The Final Boss" further down the road. So this was opportunity to sow the seeds for that conflict down the line, and it looks like it might be a rich harvest.
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Written by Max Everett
Tama Tonga came to WWE and was immediately respected. As the right hand man of Solo Sikoa's newly formed Bloodline, Tonga has been fast tracked to greatness, being one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions just over three months since his debut. Regardless of your thoughts on Sikoa's Bloodline it is hard to argue that Tonga isn't one of the most pushed talents on the roster.
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Tonga may be pushed like a beast, but he doesn't have to talk like one!
For the record, I'm unfamiliar with Tonga's work pre-WWE. I have no idea if he was barking like a dog during his days in NJPW. Even if he was barking in his pre-WWE career, we can certainly leave things like that behind once we start appearing in a main event-caliber capacity on the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, right?
As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of absurd humor, I was absolutely dying when Tonga came on the mic during Friday's episode of "WWE SmackDown" and started barking. Like, actually barking. One half of the WWE Tag Team Champions was on the microphone, snarling and growling like he was Taz from Looney Tunes, in front of Sacramento and everybody. It absolutely did not help that Tonga was walking with a squat, like he was Bigfoot. As Sacramento drowned out Tonga's garbled speech with their boos, Kevin Owens stood in the middle of the ring, hands folded over his body, unimpressed. The entire scene was just so unnatural not even in a derogatory way. Tonga on the mic feels like something out a fever dream.
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I do sort of love the unhinged energy that Tonga's animalistic yapping and overexaggerated speech patterns bring to the table, and I would honestly prefer a promo style that is over the top and ridiculous than one that is flat and boring. However, that doesn't change the fact that it seems very unbecoming for somebody who is part of one of the most dominant factions in WWE, and who is a tag team champion. You would think that once Tonga got put into this heightened position Sikoa's right hand man, title holder, one of the first of Sikoa's new Bloodline to emerge on the scene he would learn to sober up the promo style a bit. It also doesn't quite fit with how he has been represented within the social ecosystem of the Bloodline. Sure, he's ruthless, but aren't they all? If there is someone to give the wild, gibberish-style speech pattern to, wouldn't it be Jacob Fatu, the "Samoan Werewolf?" Why is Tonga not an animalistic nickname or gimmick in sight slobbering all over the mic like he is a rabid chihuahua?
If this were literally any other promotion than WWE (namely, a Jacksonville-based promotion that I applaud for its use of camp), I would be all over this speech choice. However, WWE is not known for its wide use of ridiculous campiness, and allowing Tonga to perform in this way feels out of place.
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Written by Angeline Phu
As is, I thoroughly enjoyed Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton taking on Bayley and Naomi in a Tornado Tag Team Match. It was entertaining and fun to watch all the while being fast paced and having plenty of action to watch. What came after the match, though, was a bit puzzling and far less enjoyable to watch.
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It seems clear that WWE is gearing up to have Jax defend her WWE Women's Championship against Bayley and Naomi in a Triple Threat Match at Bad Blood next month. Turning the tag team match into one of the tornado variety as a means of giving a reason to have both Bayley and Naomi pin Jax at the same time to both secure the title match would've been just fine on its own.
There seems to be no reason to have Nick Aldis declare that neither woman earned the shot and put them both in a Number One Contenders match next week, especially with how likely it seems that Jax and/or Stratton will get involved in order to not have a definitive winner. It's always possible that WWE is looking to have Jax defend her title against only one person, but if that was the case, then there was no reason to have a Tornado Tag Team Match with a needlessly convoluted stipulation that has been poorly explained since last week. Regardless of what WWE is planning for Bad Blood, there were easier ways to get there than what seems to be playing out.
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Written by Olivia Quinlan
Say what you will about The Bloodline and their resident barker (Tama Tonga); they know how to get people out of catering.
Getting so many people to dislike you that five bodies all show up during the main event of Friday's "SmackDown," just to get the opportunity to hit you is impressive should be considered a professional sport, really. In all seriousness, however, Sikoa's Bloodline and their shenanigans have pulled both #DIY and The Street Profits out from the tag team broom closet, and even though the Bloodline stood tall at the end of the day, just getting those two severely underutilized tag teams out in front of fans is a feat in and of itself.
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The night began with the promise of a six-man tag team match. Kevin Owens was to team up with Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa of #DIY in order to take on The Bloodline after Tonga barked his way into an all-out brawl between the two parties. After The Bloodline brutally assaulted Gargano and Ciampa before their anticipated clash in Friday's main event, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins of The Street Profits emerged to take #DIY's place. As the six-man tag team match devolved into no contest chaos, #DIY re-emerged in order to lay blows onto the faction that took them out.
WWE's difficulties with their tag divisions seem to be common knowledge. Tag teams are often booked poorly, from limited tag team title defenses to repeat after repeat of opponents. It almost makes sense it takes double the people to create a competitive tag team division but WWE has historically shelved some of its most capable tag teams in favor of rehashing the same feud between the same tag title contenders. It is not every day that different teams get added to the fold. So, when WWE puts not one underutilized tag team, but two, in the main event against a high-profile faction such as the Bloodline that can be considered great progress for the tag team division. Is it perfect? Far from it. However, considering WWE's track record with tag team booking especially when it comes to people who are not their standard main eventers any progress should be celebrated.
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This also complexifies the tag team title picture. #DIY went on-record to stake their claim on The Bloodline's WWE Tag Team Championships. Now that The Street Profits have locked up with The Bloodline, in any capacity, they could feasibly be inserted in the title picture as well. The prospect of having a diverse palate of tag team matches is tantalizing, and while neither teams are realistic dethroners of "SmackDown's" biggest, baddest heel faction, the premise of having fresh tag team contests to look forward to especially with some of the most talented in-ring workers on WWE's roster is simply too good to ignore.
Will WWE drop the ball on this compelling tag team scene? Maybe. However, in a division as tumultuous as this, we have to celebrate our wins, however big they come.
Written by Angeline Phu
After last week,I was a little worried that Kevin Owens would just be going back to what he'd been doing before (tagging with RandyOrton against Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, mostly) after his big emotional world title angle culminating in his match with CodyRhodes at Bash in Berlin. This episode, however, showed me I needn't have worried. Owens' relationship with Rhodes is still very much a subject of exploration on "SmackDown," especially now that Rhodes has agreed to team up with former Undisputed WWE ChampionRomanReigns at Bad Blood.
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When Owens says he's been fighting The Bloodline for four years, he means it he was the first WWE star to do battle with Jey Uso after Uso was brought to heel by Reigns, and it's been an on-and-off but still never-ending parade of Samoans in Owens' path every since. And while the others might be mad, there's nobody worse to KevinOwens than Roman Reigns. Even the Bash at Berlin feud only came about because Owens accepted a title match he didn't want rather than see it potentially go to Reigns; in that match, Owens might have been able to win the title, but he couldn't bring himself to go full ruthless against Rhodes, his friend. So after being manipulated into a championship opportunity he'd previously refused, then putting his friendship with Rhodes over the title, Rhodes rewards Owens by ... agreeing to team withReigns. To helpReigns.
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I don't know if this is all leading to a Drew McIntyre style heel turn for Owens, or if (as many suspect) it will ultimately be Orton who turns heel instead.Hell, maybe they both do. The point is, Owen's face during the main event segment on "SmackDown" both while staring down Rhodes, chair in hand, and later while Rhodes was hugging him told the entire story. He's tired; you can see that in every interaction he has with The Bloodline now, including this week. He values'Rhodes' friendship but is suddenly unsure how much Rhodes values his. He's trying so hard to be the kind of person whodoesn't hit his friends with a steel chair, and circumstances don't seem to be letting him. I don't know where this goes, but it's all rooted in the consistency and compelling humanity of Owens as a character, and that's why it's a good story.
Written by Miles Schneiderman
