6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (6 Sept - Results & Review)

2. Cody Plays Some Mind Games

Cody Rhodes Solo Sikoa Jacob Fatu
WWE.com

Plot thickens there and Solo Sikoa's patience thins here.

Cody Rhodes talked straight through the self-proclaimed 'Tribal Chief' by saying it should be Jacob Fatu who gets a WWE Title shot on the season premiere episode of SmackDown on USA next week, not him. That was Cody's bid to play The Bloodline against one another, but Solo sniffed it out.

Not before looking completely incensed by the thought of anyone else getting a crack. This, fellow fans, was an expert display of consistent character work. Sikoa is getting drunk on power after reshaping family and taking out high rollers like Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns. That'll come back to bite him in the end.

In other words, he's making the same mistakes Roman did as a tyrannical 'Chief'. This fascinating bit of character work added to a solid opening segment that explored Cody's fighting champion spirit and the idea that Fatu is already pushing past Solo.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.