With just a week for Crown Jewel, WWE has been keeping the tension sky-high and far exceeding our predictions ahead of tonight’s segment of SmackDown. The show was live exclusively from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, featuring names like Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Tiffany Stratton, Damian Priest, and more (via WWE).
These names were not just for namesake, because they were all featured in enthralling segments, raising the heat inside the Heritage Bank Center. After all, the highlights of the night were Stratton’s masterclass promo and The Legacy, Rhodes and Orton, waging a war against The Vision, Bron Breakker, and ‘Big’ Bronson Reed. With that being said, here’s what went down in tonight’s show!
Paul Heyman Plants Doubt in Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton With a Chilling Prophecy
Tonight’s show was kicked off by Cody Rhodes, and the crowd was thrilled to see him. They filled the arena with cheers as he asked them what they wanted to talk about. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Paul Heyman, who wanted to talk about a lot of things, as he stood at the apron along with The Vision.
Randy Orton enters the ring, and Heyman sets his sights on him, noting how he was a tough man to get hold of, as he does not reply to his emails or texts. He created tension between Orton and Rhodes, as he gave them a “spoiler” ahead of tonight’s main event because The Vision will come out victorious in the match. Check out the clip below:
A post shared by WWE (@wwe)
The Oracle emphasized how he was curious about the look on The Viper’s face when he would look at The American Nightmare and wonder how he was the Undisputed WWE Champion.
The Oracle claimed that it was not a “prediction” but a “prophecy” from him. The comments left Rhodes worried, as he looked nervous from Heyman’s words, filling his mind with doubt.
Carmelo Dumps The Miz, Pays the Price Immediately
In a brief backstage segment, The Miz confronts Carmelo for last week’s events, addressing how he did not break the pin. Hayes clapped back, stating that he should have kicked out, but The Awesome One replied that he took three finishers. Melo was not interested in resolving their differences, as he finally drew the line and told him that he was done with him and left the scene.
Meanwhile, Sami Zayn made his way to the ring for the US Open Challenge and awaited his mystery opponent. Carmelo answers the challenge again and mentions that this time, their match will be different because he is not “held back” by his partner. Before he could enter the ring, he was attacked by The Miz and was taken out with a Stone Crushing Finale on the stage.
Aleister Black Answers Sami Zayn’s US Open Challenge
Following the attack on Melo, Aleister Black comes out, mentioning how it was unfortunate what just happened, and says he would take that opportunity. The match commenced, and Sami Zayn felt the hard-hitting kicks of Black as he took one to the face and immediately went to a corner to catch a breather.
However, the momentum quickly shifted to the champion’s favor, as he took the action outside the ring and delivered a Blue Thunder Bomb inside the ring for a nearfall. Black countered Zayn with a knee to the nose as he attempted to deliver a splash from the top rope and then countered with a meteora for another two-count.
The Harbinger of Fury was looking to finish the match, but he got distracted by Damian Priest. Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick and a Blue Thunder Bomb to end the match. But the action was far from over, as The Archer of Infamy cleared the announcer’s table and delivered a Razor’s Edge to bring the segment to an end.
WWE Star Refused to Pay Tribute to Chris Benoit and Didn’t Go to SmackDown After His Death
Sol Ruca and Zaria Takes Out Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre
The match started with Zaria and Alba Fyre locking horns, and the former flaunted her hard-hitting moves, leaving Fyre dazed. She tagged Chelsea Green, who also felt the attacks as they were taken aback by the chemistry of their foes. While The Secret Hervice tried to bring the momentum to their favor, they were no match for the odd couple. The match ended with Ruca delivering her finisher, the Soul Snatcher, to the former Women’s US Champion to pick up the win.
Contract Signing Chaos: Stephanie Vaquer and Tiffany Stratton Target Giulia and Kianna James
After the Blue Brand returned from an advertisement, Nick Aldis introduced Tiffany Stratton and Stephanie Vaquer for the contract signing for their match at Crown Jewel. La Primera did not waste time stating how she respects Stratton as a champion and how she is excited to face her at the PPV.
In a mutual show of respect, the WWE Women’s Champion replied that she could not wait to cross paths with her when she was first signed to WWE. The two signed the contract, and Stratton left the ring. However, she was taken out by Giulia and Kianna James. Check out the clip below:
A post shared by WWE (@wwe)
They had a business proposal for Vaquer, stating that they could help her become the Women’s Crown Jewel Champion. The WWE Women’s Champion was not too thrilled, as she dragged James outside the ring and took her out. Meanwhile, inside the ring, Vaquer threw punches as the Women’s US Champion barely managed to escape.
Je’Von Evans and Rey Fenix Steal the Show Against Los Garza
The match kicked off with Berto and Evans, where both men were trading punches. But the rookie was taken aback by the unmatched chemistry of his opponents as he was cornered with their quick tags. He managed to create an opening for himself and gave a hot tag to his partner, Rey Fenix. Though the luchador started strong, he was stopped in his tracks as he took a hard strike from Angel and displayed an outstanding combo for a nearfall.
Both men made a tag and once again traded heavy-hitting kicks, and Evans nearly took out the cameraman with a suicide dive. Fenix tagged himself in and delivered a Mexican muscle buster to Berto, walking out with the win.
Bret Hart’s Daughter’s Cancer Battle: Everything You Need to Know About Jade Hart
Damian Priest Becomes a Consequence of Aleister Black’s Actions
In a brief backstage segment, Priest mentioned that he was done getting attacked by Aleister Black and how his luck had run out. He emphasized that he was tired of getting ambushed by Black and wanted to show how every consequence has its actions, and he challenged him to a Last Man Standing Match in the go-home edition of SmackDown.
The Wyatt Sicks Bring the Smoke to The Street Profits
In a backstage segment, The Street Profits talked about how they are more than ready to face the Wyatt Sicks for the WWE Tag Team Championship, and this time they will be fighting for each other. They were interrupted by the Wyatt Sicks, delivering a cold message to the challengers, showcasing them clips of their moments, showcasing the underlying tension between them and how they can’t do anything but run from them, bringing the segment to an end.
The Vision Gets The Better of Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton
The match kicked off with Randy Orton and Bron Breakker, and tension was evident as both men brought the fight to each other. The Viper showcased his hunger, immediately sending Breakker outside the ring with a massive clothesline. The squared circle was too small to contain the action, so they took the action outside the ring.
Breakker tried to deliver an offensive move from the apron but was countered with two backslams on the commentator’s table. Check out the clip below:
A post shared by WWE (@wwe)
However, a small distraction from Paul Heyman helped Bronson Reed deliver a cheap shot to Orton to allow them to have an opening. Reed tags in and punishes The Legend Killer, but after running shoulder-first into the turnbuckle, halts their momentum, allowing him to tag Rhodes.
Rhodes valiantly took on The Vision, but they proved too much for him as they systemically destroyed him with technical maneuvers and quick tags. The crowd rallied behind the Undisputed WWE Champion, chanting, “Cody, Cody Rhodes,” allowing him to create an opening and desperately make a tag to his partner.
The Viper was on fire, taking out both members of The Vision. Once again, the action transpired outside the ring, where Breakker took out Rhodes as he delivered a flying knee to him from the apron. Orton was looking to end the match, but after a distraction from Heyman, it helped Seth Rollins deliver a stomp to Orton and steal the win.
But the action was far from over as Rollins stood with anger on the ringside, as The Oracle warned him not to attack his Crown Jewel opponent. His warnings fell on deaf ears, and The Messiah tried to deliver a stomp to Rhodes. Instead, he received a Cross Rhodes, leaving him shocked and ending tonight’s show.
With just one week for Crown Jewel, were you thrilled to watch tonight’s matches? Let us know in the comments below!
WWE SmackDown can currently be streamed on Netflix.
