SmackDown recap & reactions: Polish the Peacemaker
The main event segment of this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown from Knoxville was all about WWE Champion John Cena making his return and Cody Rhodes following him up. These two finally met again at Saturday Night's Main Event this past weekend, and it set the stage for a tag team match at Money in the Bank.
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So how would they build to that?
Rhodes was out first to talk about how he felt in the wake of losing the championship at WrestleMania. He retreated within for a time, maybe had a drink or two, and confided in a friend about it. He asked 'was I a good champion?'
He was told he faced some really difficult challenges and responded to them well. Yes, he was a good champion.
Rhodes thought about the year he had, AJ Styles getting the drop on him, his friend sucker punching him, his boss pushing him, The Final Boss asking for his soul and how sincere he was with all of it. And he also thought about none other than John Cena.
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He did exactly what he said he was going to do, forcing Cody to make a choice, and 'I hesitated.' If Cena ruins wrestling like he says he's going to, Rhodes says he's partially to blame for that.
'If you are listening, champ, I need you to know that I will never hesitate with you again.'
Character growth?
He got back to chatting with the fans and said he's finally back and came with a surprise. They already knew what it was — YEET!
They worked the gimmick — including doing the encore — but before Jey could speak, Cena made his way out. He called the two of them 'John Cena wannabes' and it makes him sick. Rhodes wants his fame and Jey wants his money but they're too desperate and too lazy to get either.
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There's only one other human being in WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty, and respect with the fortune, fame, and followers to back that up. Cena introduced that man, his partner at Money in the Bank.
Friggin' Logan Paul, man.
The boos were tremendous.
Cena got some cheers mixed in, because that's just how it's always going to be. Paul rightfully pointed out he could walk on water and the fans who just say it's only because he can't swim. He ran down Jey and Cody, calling them 'nepo babies born on third thinking they hit a triple' while he and Cena are self made men.
Paul also put over Cena as the Last Real Champion and called himself the future of this company. It was actually a damn good promo, especially considering who he was cutting it in front of.
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Jey told them they could run it right now.
John tried to leave when Logan tapped him and told him they should tussle. A brief argument ended when Rhodes made a joke about Logan polishing the Peacemaker. The ensuing physical confrontation saw the babyfaces get the best of it, and Rhodes celebrate by holding up the title he lost.
I never thought I would see the day that Logan Paul is carrying some of the weight for John Cena but here we are. And it kind of rules.
I'm ready for this one, folks.
WWE was in Knoxville for this show, and despite the fact that she's still injured, Bianca Belair made her return. They treated it like a big homecoming, threw on Rocky Top, and let everyone sing and have a good time. Fun was had.
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Belair called it not just home but her 'safe space.'
She's been through so much, she just wanted to come back home to heal up. She promised to continue doing everything she can to get back to the ring fully healthy and the fans all cheered. It was a decent little feel good moment for all involved.
And then Naomi showed up.
They booed her like she was Dirty Dominik Mysterio in literally any city in America.
Naomi claimed she wanted to talk to Belair about everything that happened between them, and then outright begged for forgiveness. Then it got weird. Real weird.
Naomi admitted to going by Belair's parent's house, and even letting herself in when they weren't home. She found a photo album and went through it, finding satisfaction in how happy Bianca was and allowing that to remind her of the good times they had together.
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Belair, of course, was disgusted and again shut Naomi down. Tears were shed. They gave way to maniacal rage and threats on the family.
This Naomi character is utterly unhinged, and it's maybe the best thing she's ever done. I thought it was overdone at first but she's gotten much more comfortable with it and has become deeply unsettling in the best way possible.
Jade Cargill showed up to fight Naomi off and then Nia Jax joined the party so they could go right into their triple threat Money in the Bank qualifying match. They had a relatively hard fought battle all around before a superplex powerbomb led to Jax going for an Annihilator but only hitting Cargill. Jax rolled her up off that and got the pin to advance.
This was absolutely the right call and for my money they should push as hard as they can with this character. She's fantastic.
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They gave her a confrontation with current Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton backstage a bit later. They also had Alexa Bliss show up to remind us she, too, is in the Money in the Bank ladder match. She's great too but I'm all the way behind Naomi at this point.
All the rest
R-Truth met JC Mateo and called him 'husky' before asking Solo Sikoa to take him to the ring and teach him a lesson. They're big boned, Truth said. Sikoa just wanted to have fun but Jacob Fatu left them to their own devices for all that because he had other business to attend to. Meanwhile, you'll never guess what happened when Truth met Mateo in the ring. Oh, you think it was a glorified squash match? Then yeah, you totally could guess. Jimmy Uso made the save after the match and commentary reminded us Solo wants to woo him back to the group. Mateo laid him out anyway and it sure looks like a reunion isn't even necessary. Anyway, I think we've all moved on from this thing haven't we?
Chelsea Green's nose is broken so she had the Secret Hervice hold up a photo of her in front of her face while talking to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. This is the kind of ridiculous fun pro wrestling is great for. Green is the best in roles like this. They chatted until they got Alba Fyre booked to wrestle Zelina Vega. Later in the evening, Vega overcame THAT DAMN NUMBERS GAME to defeat Fyre after the Code Red. They're pushing Vega as crafty and resilient, someone who always finds a way. It's a good angle for her. Of course, they teased Giulia coming after her, so she'll need to be every bit of that soon enough if that's the direction they go. Sounds fun to me!
The Street Profits called the tag team division on the blue brand the best of any promotion. Naturally, pretty much the entirety of the division showed up to say they deserve the next shot at the titles. Tommaso Ciampa actually said the division has been killed by the rest of them and asked for a moment of silence. Naturally, that's when the lights went down and The Wyatt Sicks showed up to crash the party, effectively wiping everyone out and kinda sorta proving Ciampa right. If you're into this, it's great, if you're not, well, at least it's not the worst thing? I can never decide how I feel about it from week to week.
Je'Von Evans got to work a match on this week's show, teaming up with Rey Fenix to take on Legado del Fantasma as a way to preview Worlds Collide and get some play for NXT, as North American Champion Ethan Page was also on commentary for it. There was a time that would have felt like the most bizarre thing in the world, huh? Anyway, Evans looked great, like it won't be long before he's a main roster mainstay winning a lot of Intercontinental championships. He came up short here, however, as Los Garza took care of business thanks to Page interfering. This was all pretty well done, and a solid showing for everyone involved.
The Miz claimed he gave up his chance to be in the Money in the Bank qualifying match so that Carmelo Hayes could be in it. Miz promised to lead him to greatness if he wins too. Hayes rebuked all of this, claimed he's here on his own talent, and drove a wedge right between them. It sure looks like these two will be done sooner rather than later.
Damian Priest got some time on the mic to say that he put Drew McIntyre in the past with that Con-Chair-To at Saturday Night's Main Event. He still can't stand McIntyre but the guy who went into the cage with him was the old Drew, the warrior, and he appreciated that. As for what's next, he said there's a champion he considers the most badass right now and it's someone he has unfinished business with — Jacob Fatu. He respects him and he's proud of him but he doesn't respect the crew he follows around. He promised to come for him sooner rather than later. That match could be fun. As he was heading to the back, Fatu came out for his qualifier. They shared a brief staredown and a nod of the head. Sure.
That qualifier happened right after all this, and it was a damn fun match. At the end, Sikoa and Mateo hit the ring to get involved but Jimmy Uso showed up again to throw Mateo out of the way. Fatu was distracted by it all, and ended up getting knocked into Sikoa and taken out of the ring by Hayes. Andrade took advantage of the confusion and punched his ticket by taking down Hayes. Immediately, Fatu was arguing with his crew ringside while Andrade celebrated on his way to the back. This was probably the right call here but it feels wrong seeing Fatu lose matches like this, even when he doesn't have to take the pin. They ended on Fatu angrily storming off from Sikoa backstage.
This was a solid show from the blue brand.
Grade: B
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