 United States Champion LA Knight def. AndradeBoth of these guys are babyfaces, but the crowd clearly sided with Knight over Andrade. Despite that (and a few hiccups in the final few moments), this was a very good match. I was pleasantly surprised Carmelo Hayes didn't get involved, either. Speaking of Hayes, he and Andrade will have a sixth match on next week's SmackDown. I'm curious who will be next for Knight, but I'm holding out hope for a Triple Threat with the three of them. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns Faced Off at Georgia TechI was going to dedicate a quick sentence or two to this in the "Overall Show" category, but it was strong enough that it deserves its own paragraph. This was stellar stuff. Yes, it was over-the-top. Yes, it was dramatic. It won't be for everyone, but I loved the production level and the epic feel it gave off. They explained why they're agreeing to team with each other while standing on a football field both men have a connection to (Reigns because he played there, Rhodes because he's from Atlanta). This left me looking forward to the tag team match at Bad Blood even more than I was before. Apollo Crews def. Giovanni VinciIf you thought this would be where Vinci would redeem himself following his failed re-debut two weeks ago, you were as wrong as I was. This lasted a little longer, but the outcome was still the same. This time, Crews won decisively and Vinci has no excuse. Needless to say, this didn't do Vinci any favors. Even with the post-match attack on Crews, Vinci feels like a loser. I don't understand the approach they're taking with Vinci at all. Kevin Owens and #DIY Brawled with The BloodlineOwens was going to address Rhodes teaming with Reigns at Bad Blood but was interrupted by The Bloodline (sans Solo Sikoa for some reason) before he could. They're building to him having an issue with Rhodes aligning with their archenemy and I'm excited for that payoff. I just hope it doesn't take six months to get there. Nonetheless, the rest of this segment was simple stuff in setting up the six-man tag team main event. Bayley and Naomi def. WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton in a Tornado Tag Team MatchWhoever won for the babyfaces would earn an opportunity at the WWE Women's Championship at Bad Blood, but if either of them got pinned, that person would've been banned from SmackDown permanently. I honestly thought Bayley or Naomi would get pinned since Charlotte Flair is on her way back soon and Raw's women's division could use additional depth, but they went with Bayley and Naomi simultaneously pinning Jax, which sets up a one-on-one number contender's match between them for next week. I wasn't a fan of that approach, but I guess it was unexpected. The match itself was fun and I liked that they took advantage of the tornado rules. Kevin Owens and The Street Profits vs. The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu and WWE Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa) Ended in a No ContestThe Bloodline ambushed #DIY backstage beforehand, so the Profits filled in for them. Even if we haven't gotten this exact match in the past, we've seen Owens and the Profits feuding with The Bloodline for a long time, so although the action was entertaining, the match didn't feel like it actually mattered. The execution of the finish was lame, too. The most intriguing part came afterward when Owens again teased turning on Rhodes (who came out to make the save for the babyfaces). It looks like they may indeed go forward with the heel turn for him, but time will tell as to whether they pull the trigger and when. Overall ShowGod bless the blue brand if it ends up expanding to three hours at the beginning of 2025 as has been rumored this week. The Bloodline stuff continues to dominate these shows, and while most of it is interesting, there isn't a whole lot else going on most weeks that is. I enjoyed this edition of SmackDown for what it was and thought they filled the two hours well, but my top takeaway is that they really need to move away from booking so many Bloodline multi-man tag team matches that we've been getting the last five months that haven't amounted to much.
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