4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (28 Aug - Results & Review)
1. Tit For Tat
Nice pink suit, Cody. Tell us you plan to go heel without telling us you plan to go heel, sir!
Randy Orton tried goading Rhodes into punching him in the mouth, thus giving up their match at Sunday Night's Main Event and the chance to challenge for the WWE Title again. In a memorable promo, he badmouthed Cody’s mother, his wife and even his dog, but Cody wouldn’t bite. Then, Rhodes showed a little devilment himself by saying we’d find out if Randy is a once in a lifetime superstar like his dad Dusty, or a total screw up like his own father Bob. Ooft!
That was good, intense stuff. Both guys managed to find a neat workaround for the lack of violence by getting personal and trying to provoke the other, but they know what's at stake so stopped short of slinging some uppercuts. You can add Cody and Randy to the long line of top talent hunting down CM Punk for the WWE Title. It's legitimately fantastic to have so many main event level workers on the prowl for that gold all at once.
Overall, this boiled down to tit for tat between old friends turned enemies, but it kinda had to be considering they can't hit Cross Rhodes or RKOs for the time being. This is every bit what their rivalry heading into 'Mania 42 should've been before someone at TKO towers decided one Pat McAfee should be the focal point. Better late than never, huh?
Another round of this personal bite would be lovely before the match in Atlanta on 6 September.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 11 Things You Didn't Know About WWE's Tatum Paxley and 13 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Zach Gowen!