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

2. Cody Plays Some Mind Games

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.