Roman Reigns said he would give Daniel Bryan one last chance at the WWE Universal Championship, and when the time came, Bryan fought valiantly on tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown. But in a hard-fought contest, Bryan came up short once again, so he is now barred from the champion’s territory.
THIS. IS. AWESOME! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/UtgXCsndVc
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 1, 2021
From the very start, the two superstars clashed in a ferocious battle. Reigns and Bryan have no love for each other, and this disdain was evident throughout the bout. Reigns constantly sought to destroy Bryan once and for all. To his credit, Bryan never gave up, and he continuously targeted the injured arm of Reigns. Late in the match, though, Reigns slowly began to rally, and his power was just too much for the challenger.
When Bryan was unable to end the match with a Yes Lock, Reigns took decisive control of the contest. Reigns hit Bryan with a nasty powerbomb after deadlifting the fan-favorite off the mat. He then hit Bryan with another powerbomb after blasting him over and over on the back of his head. Finally, Reigns locked Bryan in the guillotine, forcing Bryan to pass out, so the referee had to stop the match and declare Reigns victorious.
This isn't a video game, but @WWERomanReigns w/ @HeymanHustle is officially the final boss of @WWE. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/s6KNZc5uGW
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 1, 2021
After the bell, Reigns began to set up a con-chair-to for Bryan. But Cesaro came running down into the ring and knocked Reigns out of it with a huge European uppercut. Unfortunately, that was all Cesaro managed to do, as Jey Uso ambushed him from behind and ended any hope of this rescue with an emphatic superkick. Uso then tied Cesaro up in the rings, and made him watch as Reigns hit Bryan with a devastating con-chair-to.
