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SmackDown Results (9/13): Cody Rhodes Crushes The Bloodline With Help From Roman Reigns

WWE SmackDown was firing on all cylinders for their premiere show on USA.

Dariel Figueroa

wwe.com

WWE and Triple H promised that the SmackDown season premiere on USA tonight was going to be special, and it sure was. The new theme song was performed by Megan Thee Stallion and is a step up from the previous in-house theme song. There's also a new logo.

Triple H came to the ring to start the show and hype up the crowd. Hype they were.

MORE: WWE Reveals Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton Have Their Own Pyro Button In Behind The Scenes Video

WWE Championship Steel Cage Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Solo Sikoa

Charles "Lil Naitch" Robinson was the referee. The crowd was hot from the start. Cody was the first to hit the cage when Solo backdropped him into it. Cody also began bleeding early in the match, apparently from a Sikoa diving headbutt.

Rhodes hit a slick Cody Cutter from high atop the cage. Solo hit a nasty superplex on Cody while Cody was draped on top of the cage. The finish came when Cody hit a dangerous crossbody off the top of the cage that looked like it killed Sikoa. One CrossRhodes later and Rhodes got the pin.

After the match, the Bloodline goons swarmed Cody in the ring and beat down the champ—cue Roman Reigns' music. Roman beat up Solo, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa while Jacob Fatu climbed to the floor. When Roman was about to finish off Solo, Fatu pulled Solo out of the ring.

MORE: Cody Rhodes Outlasts Kevin Owens In A Match-Of-The-Year Masterpiece

In a brilliant bit, Reigns coldly challenges Fatu to get in the ring with him. The Samoan Werewolf did just that but then when he and Roman were about to clash, Solo pulled him out of the cage. Then Roman got jumped, Cody saved him, and the heels ran off while Reigns and Rhodes gathered themselves.

Although the match and post-match brawl were predictable, especially Roman's return, every moment was expertly performed and moved the story forward intelligently. Triple H has really become the Shakespeare of pro wrestling.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Michin vs Piper Niven

Quick match. Michin wins with the Eat the Feet finisher. Post-match, Niven and Chelsea Green go on the attack. Green flattened Michin with the Unprettier on a "metal" trash.

Winner: Michin

Rob Van Dam and Vickie Guerrero are in the crowd! Oh, so is GUNTHER and Kaiser.

Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. A-Town Down Under

KO comes out with a jobber named Ricky. He gets on the mic and says his original partner couldn't make it due to travel issues. A production team member tells Owens his partner just showed up. Owens stuns Ricky and Randy Orton comes out! That was hilarious.

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller controlled most of the match. For the finish, after Orton gets the hot tag, Owens and Orton hit stereo DDTs off the middle rope then land their finishers for the win.

Winner: Kevin Owens and Randy Orton

Nick Aldis is running around trying to get a match signed with Solo and Fatu against Reigns and Rhodes. The Bloodline signs on for it, but Rhodes confronts Aldis and tells him he's done with The Bloodline and he's not signing the contract. Aldis looks dejected.

Bayley, Tiffany Stratton, and Nia Jax have an in-ring confrontation. Jax and Stratton threaten to beat up Bayley but Naomi comes out to prevent a mauling. The four WWE superstars agree to a tag match next week. If Naomi and Bayley win, whoever gets the pin gets a title shot at Bad Blood. But, if Tiffany and Jax win, whoever they pin has to leave SmackDown.

Best-of-Five Series Final (Tied at 2): Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Early in the match, Andrade and Hayes are perched on the barricade and cause each other to essentially moonsault onto the floor. That was strange and dangerous.

These guys had counters for everything. This is a fast-paced match with both showing off their best stuff. Hayes countered the double moonsault by bringing his knees up. Andrade lands a destroyer then his corner knees finisher but Hayes grabs the bottom rope.

Andrade nails his spinning neckbreaker variation off the second rope for the win. The Mexican luchador is going to face LA Knight for the US Championship. Speaking of... Knight makes his way out and tells Andrade he has no chance of taking the title off him.

Roman Reigns In-Ring Segment

Nick Aldis is in the ring waiting for Roman Reigns when we come back from the commercial break. The OTC comes out and gets on the mic for the first time since losing to Cody at WrestleMania 40.

"I am the Tribal Chief!" Reigns says. "I'm not the original Tribal Chief, I'm the only Tribal Chief!"

Reigns says this is his ring, his show, his WWE. A solemn Cody Rhodes comes out. Oh boy. "Your ring. Your WWE. Well, it was," Rhodes says.

They drop their mics, ready to go at it. Solo's music hits and he comes out to distract while Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa jump the heroes—bad move. Rhodes and Reigns dispose of them quickly. Reigns signs the contract for the tag match and so does Cody. The tag match between The Bloodline and the team of Rhodes and Reigns is on!

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Dariel Figueroa

DARIEL FIGUEROA

Dariel Figueroa joined On SI and The Takedown in 2024. He previously served as senior features writer at Uproxx, and has written for Heavy, Fansided, and Paste. Figueroa graduated with a double bachelor’s from Rowan University in journalism and multimedia production, respectively. You can follow him on X (fmr. Twitter) @figgyflow.

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