WWE made its final pit stop on the road to Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this weekend with a SmackDown show that was pre-taped after last Friday's episode. Jey Uso and the original Bloodline took center stage, raising their ones to the sky in unison as Roman Reigns and Jey Uso had a very frank conversation. Jey is his own man in 2024 and respect must be paid as Roman and The Usos will face The Bloodline at this weekend's PLE.
Elsewhere, The Street Profits defeated Pretty Deadly after they'd finished flirting with Hamilton creator Lin-Maunel Miranda, Iyo Sky won an action-packed Fatal Four Way, Liv Morgan pinned a particularly feisty and threatening Tiffany Stratton, and Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton defeated Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser in the night's Main Event, before Kevin Owens spoiled the night's celebrations.
Jey Uso
Living Up To His 'Main Event' Nickname
It was agreed on the previous Monday Night Raw that Jey Uso and Roman Reigns would meet on Smackdown to talk out their issues. The audience was pumped for Jimmy Uso and Roman entering the ring, but the decibel levels increased once Jey Uso arrived on the scene. This is not a popularity contest but, if it were, it may well be that Jey Uso is the most popular member of the original Bloodline. Funny how these things shake out.
It is a shame that the Crown Jewel match between Roman and The Usos vs The Bloodline was announced in advance of this segment. The Original Bloodline raising their ones to the sky felt seismic, regardless of knowing if they are on the same page, but Jey Uso declaring he is no longer Roman's lackey and will not accept disrespect is what audiences around the globe have yearned to hear him say for years. Now lets see if they can coexist against Solo and The Bloodline.
Another Big Win For The Genius Of The Sky
Iyo Sky continues to rack up these random, impressive solo victories on her side quests away from Damage CTRL. This week, she invaded enemy territory to win a Fatal Four Way match on SmackDown featuring Bianca Belair, Lash Legend, and Piper Niven, a member of each team in this weekend's Tag Team Championship match. Whether it will be enough to give them the edge in Riyad remains to be seen.
Fate might play a part in this victory winding up being bigger than it seems on the surface. This week, Rhea Ripley received the news that an orbital injury will keep her out for an undisclosed amount of time. That leaves Monday Night Raw without a clear and obvious contender for Liv Morgan once her feud with Nia Jax is over. Iyo Sky is more than capable of being Raw's new number one contender, and she had a glorious run with the Smackdown championship all the way to Wrestlemania 40.
Tiffany Stratton
No More Tiffy Nice Guy
Tiffany Stratton 2024 After weeks of being made to look weak, Tiffany Stratton finally snapped on this week's SmackDown. The Money In The Bank briefcase feels tailor-made for the Champion vs Champion situation at Crown Jewel and this could finally be the weekend that Tiffany Stratton claims her throne...but which one?
As tempting as it is to believe that she would consider swapping brands, the smart money is on Tiffany Stratton taking her revenge on Nia Jax and cashing in at Crown Jewel. A red-hot Naomi is waiting for whoever is next and she continued her current streak by teaming with Bayley to beat Indi Hartwell and the current women's champion, Nia Jax.
The Street Profits
Right Place, Right Time For Montez and Angelo
Last week's thrilling climax to SmackDown, during which The Bloodline were toppled by Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Championship, had bigger implications for WWE's blue brand. As the valiant new champions overcame the odds to beat DIY and The Bloodline, the belts instantly felt more exciting and the whole of SmackDown's tag team division feels reinvigorated. This is very good news for The Street Profits.
Once Pretty Deadly finished schmoozing with a front-row Lin Manuel Miranda, The Street Profits racked up another victory over the flamboyant duo. This is a pivotal moment for this team. The Street Profits and Motor City Machine Guns sharing a ring feels like exactly why the latter were signed. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins need a breakout moment. Win or lose, they can create magic if they can claw their way to a match with the new champs.
Randy Orton
Kevin Owens Will Not Relent
Moments after tagging with Cody Rhodes to claim victory over Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther, the credits to SmackDown were rolling as Kevin Owens appeared from the crowd to assault Randy Orton with a steel chair. Cody and Randy both made it clear that they want a piece of the Prizefighter. Only, when he appeared, Rhodes was contained by a deep Gunther sleeper hold as Orton lay broken on the canvas.
The statistic will continue to be regularly rolled out until he bucks the trend, but Randy Orton has not won a singles match on a PLE since April 2021. Considering that Owens' ultimate goal will probably be Cody, it's unlikely that when Orton and KO meet, the former will come out on top. This version of Kevin Owens feels feral for violence, and it is going to take a herculean effort for Randy to stop his PLE slump from continuing at Crown Jewel.
Crown Jewel Season
A Rethink Is Needed For Next Year's Event
This has been a banner year to be a WWE fan. Everything has made sense, there have been a couple of feuds that will go down in history, and there haven't been many creative decisions that have missed their mark. That being said, the Crown Jewel Championship concept feels like a failed experiment that has made the weekly shows drag in a way they haven't all year long.
The card itself is stacked and major storylines will be progressed at Crown Jewel. It just doesn't feel like anybody is buying the current animosity between the champions and it's hard to argue that two regular title matches wouldn't make this a superior event to the "best of the best" concept being sold. Throw in that the promo segments have felt languid and it's clear that this event needs a slight tweak for next year. At least, Crown Jewel season is finally over.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda sneering at Pretty Deadly (THE...MUSICAL!) was excellent work. The songster also dressed as Dominik Mysterio for Halloween this week.
- B-Fab body slamming Elton Prince got a great reaction.
- Randy Orton continues to glimpse at the WWE title whenever he's around Cody Rhodes. Just saying!
- Kevin Owens' cold monologs to the camera are intimidatingly menacing.
- This is the first televised two-on-two tag match in which Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes have been on the same team.
- Pretty Deadly's only win in 2024 came against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens on March 29th.
- Iyo Sky and current WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax are the only women to beat Bianca Belair in singles competition this year.
- Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell, and Tegan Knox are no longer with WWE.
- Motor City Machine Guns will be guests on The Grayson Waller Effect on next week's SmackDown.
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