Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly WWE SmackDown hits and misses series.
Last night’s SmackDown aired from Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The show featured appearances from Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Nia Jax, and more.
Here’s what went down on the October 11 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
Hit – LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes for the United States Title
LA Knight defended his title against Carmelo Hayes in the opening match of WWE SmackDown. Both men were evenly matched before the champion found an opening for a BFT to pick up the win. After the match, Nick Aldis announced the seventh and final outing in the Melo versus Andrade series to determine the next number one contender to Knight’s title.
They kept it short but sweet. Knight doesn’t get enough credit for his athleticism. Melo was awesome as always. The backdrop counter to BFT was incredible. Melo’s selling of Knight’s finisher just might be my favorite sell of the move. Melo is a future champion. Let’s see if he comes out as the winner against Andrade next Friday.
Miss – Nia Jax takes the L on WWE SmackDown
Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton came down to the ring to cut a promo. Nia said she’d annihilate Liv Morgan at Crown Jewel. Naomi interrupted the segment. Liv Morgan showed up alongside Dominik and Raquel to watch Nia versus Naomi up close and personal. Naomi picked up the win after Liv hit Nia with Tiffany’s MITB briefcase.
Nia looked weak here with the way she lost the match. She shouldn’t have lost in the first place for someone who’s been built as an unstoppable force. Also, what was the point of Naomi losing the contender’s match to Bayley if she was going to pin Nia two weeks later? Rhea Ripley’s appearance was a fun surprise to build up the feud between Mami and her old nemesis Raquel.
Hit – Friends no more
Kevin Owens took the mic before the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match. KO called out Rhodes over their backstage confrontation at WWE Bad Blood. Rhodes showed up but was stopped by security, Orton, and WWE SmackDown GM Aldis. Orton got inside in the ring to talk some sense into KO but got elbowed instead. The Viper replied with a forearm strike of his to the shock of the Prizefighter.
The way they are building up this storyline is both subtle and brilliant. We don’t know what caused KO to attack Rhodes at Bad Blood. The American Nightmare has only touched the confrontation in bits. Orton using his forearm instead of RKO on Owens shows he’s only trying to play peacemaker (see what I did there). Let’s see what more twists and turns are in store for the WWE Universe on the road to Survivor Series.
Miss – Little exposure for NXT stars on WWE SmackDown
NXT’s Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend faced WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill for the titles. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven watched the action from ringside. The champions retained their titles after hitting their combo finisher.
Both teams showed chemistry in what little time they got on television. It would’ve been better had WWE featured NXT stars in a lengthy match against the champions to give them more exposure in front of big crowds.
Hit – The Bloodline chaos
Jimmy Uso faced little brother Solo Sikoa in the main event. Sikoa picked up the win with a Samoan Spike. Roman Reigns tried to save his cousin from The Bloodline but was destroyed by the group. The show ended with The Bloodline standing tall as Jimmy tried to convince Roman to talk to Jey.
This was the first tease into the Bloodline vs. Bloodline match-up at Survivor Series. Jimmy was hilarious with his solo promo to kickoff WWE SmackDown. Roman turned down the Yeet offer. He’ll accept eventually. I enjoyed Jimmy versus Solo. They two have more chemistry that Jimmy and Jey as opponents.
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