 Jimmy Uso def. Drew McIntyreThe commentators mentioned that for as many matches as these two have been involved in over the years, this was actually their first-ever one-on-one encounter. It was a solid opener. I understand they're trying to elevate Uso heading into WrestleMania 41 (where I assume he'll win the United States Championship), but I can't say I was thrilled with him beating McIntyre, even if it was framed as a fluky win. McIntyre got his heat back afterward by attacking Uso, but he should be the bigger priority on the road to WrestleMania, especially since he's in the men's Elimination Chamber match and Uso's not. Carmelo Hayes and The Miz def. R-Truth and LA KnightTruth said his mystery partner was a "Louisiana legend." The joke is that he thought the LA in LA Knight stood for Louisiana. Hysterical, I know. How cool would it have been if it was NXT newcomer Ricky Saints (f.k.a. Ricky Starks) instead given he's from New Orleans? At any rate, this was perfectly fine. Hayes winning three matches in a row is encouraging, but is him forming a team with Miz in 2025 really necessary? I suppose it's better than nothing, but a majority of Miz's partners over the years have ended up irrelevant and I don't want Hayes suffering that same fate. WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton def. Candice LeRae (Non-Title)Stratton's pre-match promo addressing Charlotte Flair was good, but her verbal exchange with LeRae and Nia Jax came off as awkward. I felt the same way about her subsequent match with LeRae. They just didn't seem to click. I'm also surprised they received as much time as they did when the outcome was never in doubt and LeRae has been portrayed an enhancement talent for so long now. Post-match, Trish Stratus attempted to make the save for Stratton but was also laid out by Jax. WWE Women's Champion Naomi vs. Liv Morgan Never Got UnderwayI saw online earlier in the day that this match was reportedly cut from the show due to The Rock's returning at the last minute, but I thought that was B.S. when I saw this advertised at the top of the show. Well, apparently not. Why bother advertising it at all if they weren't going to deliver? Don't get me wrong, I wasn't exactly clamoring for this after we already saw it last month, but I can understand some fans being upset over a women's match getting canceled when they don't get a ton of time as it is. Naomi and Bianca Belair will defend the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez on Monday's Raw, so at least this built toward that. The Rock Called Out Undisputed WWE Champion Cody RhodesTo get the obvious out of the way, Rock announced that New Orleans will host WrestleMania 42 in April 2026. That was perhaps the worst kept secret, but I'm glad it's official. The rest of the segment with him and Rhodes felt like it would never end because Rock repeated himself a thousand times and none of it made the slightest bit of sense. He sure made it seem like he wanted the Undisputed WWE Championship a year ago, but now he wants Rhodes' soul. I guess that means we're getting Corporate Rock again, but how often and how will it affect WrestleMania? Rock giving Rhodes until Elimination Chamber to accept his offer is a nice hook for that pay-per-view, but I'm not convinced even WWE knows where this is going based on how quickly it came together. WWE Tag Team Champions #DIY vs. Pretty Deadly Ended in a No ContestPretty Deadly were the babyfaces by default in this match, but they never truly turned, so I don't blame the crowd for not being all that invested in the action here. It was passable, but it was far from a barn burner, nor was it able to get out of first gear before The Street Profits emerged and attacked everyone. I thought we'd get the multi-team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, but it's possible they pull the trigger on it before then. Damian Priest and Braun Strowman def. Solo Sikoa and Jacob FatuWe've gotten enough Bloodline tag team matches in the main event of SmackDown so far this year to last a lifetime, and that's not even counting all the other Bloodline main events we've gotten in the last five years since the storyline started. It was a well-worked match, but it was pretty pedestrian stuff for the most part. Sikoa and Fatu teased more tension ahead of their expected WrestleMania matchup. The question is when we'll get the anticipated betrayal from Fatu. Overall ShowSmackDown is something else, man. I enjoyed last week's episode, but this was another uneventful effort on the whole aside from that befuddling segment with Rock and Rhodes. There is no doubt in my mind that came together at the last second, so I'm not optimistic the endgame to their angle will be worth it. That's the only thing fans will be buzzing about coming out of this episode and the buzz will be mixed, to say the least. The three hours continue to kill the blue brand and the storylines largely not being interesting hasn't helped.
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