Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes had a deeply personal conversation ahead of their Main Event meeting at WrestleMania 39. Reigns and Rhodes first met on WWE SmackDown since Rhodes won the Royal Rumble in January.
Rhodes promised to defy expectations at WrestleMania, something he has made his career. Reigns recalled the name of his opponent’s late father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, to get under the challenger’s skin.
Reigns looks ahead to WrestleMania but is still dealing with the aftermath of Elimination Chamber. The champion is visibly drained as he takes on Rhodes, taking on Sami Zayn and the continued absence of The Bloodline’s Jey Uso.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Washington, DC’s Capital One Arena.
Reigns and Rhodes trade barbs, Zayn continues to split the champion’s focus
The Bloodline, without Jey Uso, performed to open SmackDown. Reigns dropped his signature “confirm me” line, but was cut short by Rhodes. “The American Nightmare” invited Reigns to send Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa away so they could talk in private.
Rhodes proclaimed he’s had a career in which he’s defied expectations: from Randy Orton’s lackey, to recovering from his maligned Stardust alter-ego, to a sold-out 10,000-seat independent show – the latter a call for the “All In.” event that sparked the formation of All Elite Wrestling.
Reigns taunted Rhodes for never headlining WrestleMania, let alone contending for a WWE or Universal Championship. The undisputed champion then spoke fondly of Rhodes’ late father, Dusty Rhodes. Reigns explained, as Dusty Rhodes often told Reigns, that he was the future of the business, but noted that Dusty Rhodes never mentioned his son. The segment ended with a fiery Rhodes promising to dethrone Reigns before shaking hands with his WrestleMania opponent.
Backstage, Reigns asked about Jey Uso’s whereabouts. Jimmy Uso said that he spoke to Jey Uso and that his twin brother just needs time. Reigns asked how much time Jey Uso needs. Jimmy Uso insisted his brother was getting better by the day. Reigns warned he’s running out of patience with Jimmy Uso.
WWE commentator Michael Cole threw a Twitter video of Sami Zayn posted earlier in the day flanked by WWE fans. Zayn boasted that Reigns felt the heat, knowing full well that The Bloodline was collapsing. Zayn assured that he would not leave until The Bloodline was gone for good.
Reigns followed later that night with Jimmy Uso. Jimmy Uso was told to “leave the hell alone” with Jey Uso. Reigns couldn’t understand how Jey Uso could treat his family so badly. Reigns suggested that it was Zayn’s influence that made Jey Uso greedy and selfish. Reigns challenged Jimmy Uso to get rid of Zayn tonight. Reigns was confident Zayn’s absence would bring Jey Uso home to The Bloodline.
Sikoa def. Zayn via pinfall after hitting the Samoan Spike. Zayn stormed into the ring and defeated Sikoa before the match officially started. He threw Sikoa and Jimmy Uso outside and swan jumped them over the ropes to the ground. The camera turned to Reigns backstage simmering over Zayn’s early success. Sikoa and Zayn were engaged in a spirited battle when the bell rang. Zayn almost sealed the deal with a Blue Thunder Bomb and a Helluva Kick, but Jimmy Uso pulled Sikoa out of the way. Sikoa capitalized on the opening and defeated Zayn with a Samoan Spike for the win.
Jimmy Uso and Sikoa laid against Zayn after the match. Jimmy Uso wrapped a steel chair around Zayn’s face while Sikoa prepared to land the killing blow. Jimmy Uso stopped his brother and insisted he would be the one to take down Zayn. The hesitation allowed Zayn to recover as he hit both members of The Bloodline with the chair before fleeing into the crowd.
The opening segment between Rhodes and Reigns was outstanding. Both are fantastic speakers with very different cadences and quickly build a big match feeling at WrestleMania. The best stories in pro wrestling are borrowed from real life. Everything Rhodes said about beating expectations – from surviving Stardust to launching AEW – was true. Just as Reigns looked back on his training days with Dusty Rhodes in the WWE development program. Bonus points for including Reigns in the ongoing drama starring Jey Uso and Zayn. The Bloodline is Reigns’ kingdom and he’s clearly struggling to patch up all the holes in his family. That split focus could be the catalyst for his downfall at WrestleMania. Class: A
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Defeated Rhea Ripley. Liv Morgan via submission with bent inverted cloverleaf handle.
- Dominic Mysterio defeated. Santos Escobar via pinfall after a frog splash preceded by a Riptide by Ripley at ringside. Before the game, Escobar challenged Dominik Mysterio to defend Rey Mysterio’s honor.
- Dominik Mysterio hits Rey Mysterio with a cheap shot after the game.
- Drew McIntyre challenged GUNTHER to an intercontinental title match at WrestleMania. drawing the wrath of his friend Sheamus. LA Knight, New Day and Karrion Kross all interrupted the segment, leading to a brawl in which Kross came out on top.
- Shayna Bazler defeated. Tegan Nox via submission after snapping an armbar. Bazler and Nox got into a fight earlier in the evening after Nox injured Ronda Rousey’s arm.
- GUNTHER accused Adam Pearce of bad leadership for not yet announcing his opponent for WrestleMania.
- Bobby Lashley chokeslams Uncle Howdy after Bray Wyatt’s partner tries to outwit Lashley.