Smackdown was taped this week from Laredo, Texas. The show started with an in-ring promo from heel supremo Seth Rollins, who was flanked by Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury. The segment was interrupted by a big pop for the emergence of Roman Reigns, with the Big Dog proceeding to challenge Rollins. He chased the heels out of the ring, only for The Big Show to come out from the back. It was announced that Show would team with Rollins against Reigns and a partner in the main event. Reigns had to find a partner. Adam Rose faced Big E, with the big man accompanied by the New Day. Rose was doing the job, in a short and forgettable match. The Acsension did the same act from Raw, cutting a promo and then squashing a pair of local nameless jobbers. While this can be effective in establishing a new team, it can also make the new talent look cheap. Only meaningful wins will count toward The Ascension really getting over. Alicia Fox defeated Naomi. The Usos succesfully defended their tag team titles in a triple threat. The opponents were Goldust and Stardust, and Miz and Mizdown. It was Goldust who got pinned. Sin Cara defeated Bad News Barrett in a non-title match. While that's good for Cara, it is questionable booking of the new intercontinental champion. Barrett responded by laying the Mexican out with a bullhammer elbow after the match. The main event was Reigns reuniting with Dean Ambrose. It's pretty cool to see the former Shield partners back together. The finish was Reigns spearing Rollins for the 1-2-3.
