It was all about family for Roman Reigns on SmackDown as he teamed up with Jey Uso for a Samoan Street Fight against King Corbin and Sheamus.
The two cousins looked to be a dominating force with plenty of brilliantly subtle moments hinting at what’s to come before their Universal Title match at WWE Clash of Champions.
Friday night’s show – as has become a bit of a trend recently – saw a strong storyline thread throughout, starting with Jey’s sharp and firm backstage promo earlier in the night as he hyped up his own shot at winning the gold.
Fans were also treated to an utterly stunning video package narrated by Paul Heyman and detailed the family ties running deep in this feud, referencing the likes of the Wild Samoans, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rikishi, Umaga and Yokozuna.
Adding another wrinkle ahead of the main event, Sheamus got told his car was being towed and went to check it out, only to get ambushed by Big E.
The Celtic Warrior managed to escape, but the security guard who helped him attack E recently wasn’t so lucky, as the New Day star showed an aggressive side we’ve not seen from him before. Amazing stuff!
The great action continued in the aforementioned Street Fight, with all four men putting on an intense and exciting sprint which came to a head with a stunning closing sequence.
Jey hit Corbin with Roman’s belt, setting up a Spear from the cham before his soon-to-be challenger hit a top rope splash to secure the win for the team.
The cousins shared a warm embrace after their victory, which left Paul Heyman looking concerned, but a stern look from the Tribal Chief suggested all is not as it seems.
Best of the rest
SmackDown kicked off with The Miz and John Morrison being their usual entertaining self on the Dirt Shirt as they made light of Mandy Rose’s swap to Raw and what it means for Otis.
Heavy Machinery stormed the ring and Mr. Money In The Bank battered his rival before, erm, stripping him. So that happened.
Backstage, Miz got asked if he regretted what he’d done to Otis, but he quickly got on the phone and implied it was all part of his plan.
Later in the night, Otis found out he’d been served with a lawsuit for emotional distress, destruction of property, Money In The Bank negligence and plenty more. Tucker tells his pal to lawyer up to save his briefcase.
The first match of the evening saw Cesaro defeat Gran Metalik in a damn fine match (despite the usual Lucha House Party infighting) just over a week before LHP get a SmackDown Tag Team Title shot at Clash of Champions.
Up next, Alexa hosted A Moment of Bliss with Nikki Cross (the number one contender to Bayley’s title) just one week after hitting her with the Sister Abigail as The Fiend looks to be taking hold.
Bliss lit a fire under her BFF after bringing up her less-than-stellar record against the champ, as Nikki vowed to take home the gold – before asking her pal what’s been going on with her lately.
Alexa suggested Bray is in her head and that she’s losing control, but Lacey Evans strutted out to talk some trash as she and Nikki scrapped before their one-on-one match.
It was going very well until the referee didn’t DQ the Sassy Southern Belle for rubbing hand sanitiser in her opponents eyes, but at least Nikki picked up the big win.
After the bell, Lacey mentioned The Fiend and Bliss again hit the Sister Abigail before walking off with the same glazed look in her eye.
Sasha Banks appeared live from the WWE Performance Center to address Bayley’s recent brutal attack as she wore a neck brave, choked back the tears and played up the emotional history between the best friends-turned-bitter rivals.
Just as the Boss promised to take the SmackDown Women’s Championship, the Role Model burst into the frame and battered her friend, but she was forced away before she could cause too much damage.
Sami Zayn and AJ Styles delivered the kind of thrilling match we know they can, with the latter stealing the win but Zayn still calling himself the rightful Intercontinental Champion.
Jeff Hardy – the actual title-holder – attacked both men after the bell, using a ladder to his advantage to take out both men and making a Triple Threat Ladder Match official for Clash of Champions.
Count us in!
Quickfire results
- Cesaro pinned Gran Metalik
- Nikki Cross beat Lacey Evans
- AJ Styles defeated Sami Zayn
- Samoan Street Fight: Roman Reigns and Jey Uso beat King Corbin and Sheamus
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.