This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown had major implications on the looming WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
To kick off the show, The Bloodline celebrated Reigns’ record-breaking 508-day reign as the champion, but his next challenger, Rollins promptly crashed the party. He criticized “The Tribal Chief” by noting that just as he and “Mox” (Dean Ambrose) held Reigns up in his Shield days, The Usos were now filling that role for the champion. Rollins then challenged The Usos to a match later in the show with an important stipulation; if “The Visionary” won the bout, Jimmy and Jey would be banned from ringside.
In response, Reigns wisely pointed out that Rollins doesn’t have any friends, but “The Head of the Table” overlooked a familiar foe, as WWE RAW star Kevin Owens came to the stage to stand by Rollins. To make matters even more interesting, the champion added another condition to the bout — if The Usos won, Rollins would lose his title bout at the Royal Rumble. “The Drip God” accepted these terms to set the stage for a remarkable main event.
WAIT. A. MINUTE.@WWERollins & @FightOwensFight vs. The @WWEUsos TONIGHT?!?!#SmackDown @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/lxQYXgGpA8
— WWE (@WWE) January 22, 2022
In a hard-fought contest, Rollins and Owens more than held their own with the reigning WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Despite the best efforts of Jimmy and Jey, the pair of former world champions had the duo on the ropes throughout the contest. The Usos turned the tables, but Owens kept fighting. Bodies were flying in the closing minutes, and Rollins was on the verge of victory until Reigns stormed the ring and dropped him with a Superman Punch to force the official to disqualify The Usos.
As a result, Jimmy and Jey are barred from ringside when Rollins challenges Reigns at WWE Royal Rumble.
RELATED: WWE SmackDown Results (1/21/22)
