WWE has made a massive change, shifting SmackDown back to the USA Network after having called Fox its home since Oct. 4, 2019.
Naturally, WWE wanted to pull all the stops to celebrate the premiere, with multiple high-profile matches and returning WWE Legends.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 16: Roman Reigns makes his entrance during WWE Friday Night SmackDown on Fox at Kia Center on August 16, 2024 in Orlando, Florida.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 16: Roman Reigns makes his entrance during WWE Friday Night SmackDown on Fox at Kia Center on August 16, 2024 in Orlando, Florida.
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SmackDown kicked off with a fantastic steel cage match between current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa.
Naturally, the members of the new Bloodline got involved, turning the tables against the American Nightmare, but Roman Reigns made his return to even the scale, leading to Rhodes getting the win.
Later, WWE showed off that multiple SmackDown legends had returned, including former WWE Champion and Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam and former SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero.
Additionally, World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and his Imperium stablemate Ludwig Kaiser were shown looking disdainfully at the crowd.
Soon afterward, Kevin Owens reunited with Randy Orton to reform RKOwens and defeat A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) in a tag team match.
The cameras then showed that even more WWE legends had come to celebrate the program’s premiere. Multiple Hall of Famers were in attendance, including former WWE Champion Booker T, his wife and manager Sharmell, Michael Hayes, Ron Simmons, former WCW World Champion Ron Simmons, and former SmackDown general manager Teddy Long.
They were joined by Vice President of Global Talent Development William Regal, producer and former WWE United States Champion Bobby Roode, and current superstar and former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest.
While it was cool seeing all these legends return, as well as an excellent match between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes, the most exciting moment was seeing Roman Reigns address the crowd at the end of the show.
Current SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis came to Reigns with a contract that would have him join forces with Rhodes to face off against the new Bloodline at Bad Blood on Oct. 5, 2024.
“I don’t want to confuse anybody. Some things change.” Reigns said. “But not me.”
After claiming that he didn’t need anyone’s help to handle his family, Reigns made it clear that he was back.
“But let’s just get one thing straight. Whether I have my family’s Ulla Falla or not, I am the Tribal Chief,” Reigns declared to cheers from the crowd. “And you see, I’m not just the original Tribal Chief, I am the only Tribal Chief. And don’t ever get it confused.”
“This is my ring. This is my show. This is my WWE.”
After Rhodes came out to re-establish that he was the big dog in WWE after he beat Reigns at WrestleMania, the two were attacked by the new Bloodline.
After successfully fending them off, Reigns and Rhodes signed the contract to cement their match at Bad Blood.
Stick with Newsweek Sports to see how this could break down in the future.
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 09:52:00
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