6 Ups & 1 Down From WWE SmackDown (22 Nov - Results & Review)
2. Cody & KO Cut Killer Promos
Sometimes, it's difficult to know what to expect when WWE advertises these "Face To Face" showdowns. They typically close with a wild brawl, but Triple H knew he'd be running with that for the OG Bloodline vs. New Bloodline stuff later in the show. So, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens had to wage war with words and get cerebral when seeking ways to keep their skit intense.
They went above and beyond to sell their friends-turned-enemies story.
Owens blamed Cody for everything that’s happened, and said he fought The Bloodline for four gruelling years only for Rhodes to turn around and team with Roman Reigns first time he was asked. Cody cut through that logic by pointing out that Randy Orton didn’t deserve to become collateral. If Kev had a problem with Rhodes, then take it out on him not someone else. Cody also said Owens couldn’t pull the trigger when he had an injured knee at Bash In Berlin, which was fun and made that PLE seem more important than a glorified international house show with cameras.
Kevin closed the segment by saying he hates Cody, but Rhodes reckons KO hates himself. Strong stuff all round from both men, and it's even better that they didn’t even need to come to blows. Wrestling's best heels have some reasonable justification in their minds for bad actions. They think they're right! Owens has that air to him, but also wears guilt on his face whenever he's pinned down and ranted at for hitting a nasty piledriver on Randy.
This was must see. Speaking of which...
1. Paul Heyman Comes Through
His name is Paul Heyman, and he just silenced Solo Sikoa by revealing CM Punk as the fifth member of Roman, The Usos and Sami Zayn's OG Bloodline team at Survivor Series. That's such an interesting pick on many levels, not least because Heyman's evil glare from the ring apron teases he could turn on Roman eventually. The 'Advocate' has previous when it comes to doing that, let's not forget.
OK, so Heyman bringing Punk out suggests they've be aligned on screen again (which could irk Reigns). Also, there was always a chance Seth Rollins would've reconsidered knocking Roman back just to get a shot at revenge on Bronson Reed now he's part of Solo's crew. In effect, whether by accident or design, Punk stole his thunder there. That'll keep bad blood between Seth and CM rolling into next year. Finally, the thought of Punk tangling with Sikoa and Jacob Fatu in singles bouts going forwards sounds rather tasty.
There's so much to work with between Punk and both sides of the Bloodline divide.
Simply seeing Roman and Punk have a short staredown mid-ring was worth watching SmackDown for alone. Everyone knows they'll have a money match someday. For now, they're partners, but trouble in paradise is one miscommunicated spot away. What a genius decision to have Heyman bring Punk to the party. Roman's wise man took the plunge seemingly without consulting his 'Tribal Chief'.
Remember that as the plot thickens. However, bask in the knowledge that Punk is about to work WarGames one year after re-debuting in the company immediately following the last one.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 10 Wrestlers Who Became Everything They HATED and 10 WWE Breakups You Forgot Were HEARTBREAKING!