Just two days before the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, WWE held the go-home edition of SmackDown from the ThunderDome inside Orlando’s Amway Center. Little changed for card aside from the addition of The Miz vs. Otis, but Roman Reigns amped up the stakes for his rematch with Jey Uso.
Reigns and Uso closed the show with a violent confrontation, with Jey relying on a bit of trickery from his twin brother. While Uso got the better of the physical showdown, Reigns dealt the biggest blow of the night through a single threat. The two will settle things in the first ever I Quit match held inside Hell in a Cell, and it now matters more than ever to Uso that he walk away with Reigns’ universal championship.
CBS Sports was with you all night, providing recaps and highlights of all the action from SmackDown. Read on for everything you need to know coming out of the go-home edition of SmackDown.
Reigns lays out consequences for Uso
Reigns came to the ring to close the show, ready to reveal the potential consequences for Uso should he lose at Hell in a Cell. Uso appeared on the Tron before Reigns could begin speaking. Uso was seated at the head of a table, playing up Reigns’ claim that he will never give up his spot at the head of their family table. Uso then pulled down the scarf he had over his mouth, revealing himself not as Jey but as twin brother Jimmy, who told Reigns that Jey was standing behind him. Jey attacked Reigns, eventually hitting him with an Uso Splash and walking off to celebrate with his brother.
Reigns grabbed a microphone and finally laid out the consequences for losing their I Quit match inside the Cell. If Reigns loses, he is no longer the head of the table, no longer the man in WWE and that, he said, is something he would have to live with. But, he wondered — would Uso be able to live with the consequences of his own loss? Should Reigns win, Jimmy, Jey, their wives, their children and their grandchildren would all be out of the family and no longer a part of the wrestling dynasty unless they fall in line and acknowledge his place as Tribal Chief.
There was an odd sort of disconnect on the show between Reigns saying that the consequences would come if the Usos failed to fall in line, but commentary treated it as though the consequences would simply result from a loss by Jey. Still, this was another good segment between Reigns and Uso, and Sunday represents the right time to end things between the two before the story runs out of steam. I’m excited for a match that has no doubt over who will win, and that means WWE has done a good job with the overall story, which is all one can ask. Grade: B
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens & The Street Profits def. Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro via pinfall after Montez Ford hit Cesaro with a frog splash. The match stemmed from a “KO Show” segment where Owens pitched forming a tag team with Bryan. This brought out Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, then The Street Profits and then Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura before a brawl broke out between the four teams, leading to an impromptu match.
- Sami Zayn confronted Daniel Bryan backstage. Bryan had suggested that the intercontinental championship should be defended weekly on SmackDown, but Zayn said that as long as he is champion, he will continue to do things his own way.
- Bianca Belair def. Zelina Vega via pinfall after hitting the KOD. This was a showcase match for Belair and she delivered her usual flurry of impressive offense before getting a fairly quick win.
- Lars Sullivan def. Shorty G via pinfall after hitting the Freak Accident. Shorty G said he was trying to prove a point after not being selected in the WWE Draft. He was beat in short order. Shorty G was asked how he felt following the loss and simply said, “I quit.” Later in the show, Shorty G said what he “quit” is being Shorty G and being a smiling punching bag. He then switched his name back to Chad Gable, thus ending the Shorty G era.
- Bayley cut an in-ring promo stating that she did not, and would not, sign the contract to face Sasha Banks inside Hell in a Cell on Sunday, bringing “The Boss” to the ring carrying the contract. Banks told Bayley, “You better sign this,” only for Bayley to try to hit her with a chair. Banks ducked the chair shot and grabbed Bayley’s belt. As Bayley tried to take the title back, Banks attacked her before sticking the champion’s head in the chair and forcing her to sign the contract.
- The Miz defeated Otis in court after bribing Judge JBL. The courtroom segments also featured Ron Simmons as bailiff and Teddy Long as stenographer. JBL was about to find for Otis when Miz handed him a suitcase full of cash, leading JBL to announce that Otis would defend the Money in the Bank contract at Hell in a Cell.
- Seth Rollins def. Murphy via pinfall after a Stomp. This was a very long match with solid momentum swings. Aalyah Mysterio was watching the match backstage and begged Rey and Dominik to help Murphy after the match when Rollins grabbed a kendo stick. They refused, so she stormed to the ring by herself, covering Murphy before Dominik came to the ring. Rollins then blindsided him before Rey hit the ring with a chair and chased off Rollins.