John Cena is finding common ground with old foes. Cena found an ally in AJ Styles and embraced ex-rival Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on a star-studded episode of WWE SmackDown.
Cena made his first of seven consecutive SmackDown appearances on Friday night following a brief visit on Sept. 1 and an excursion to WWE’s live event in India last week. Cena on television is always going to generate headlines. A head-on collision with The Bloodline and unannounced appearances by The Rock and Pat McAfee turned the blue brand into a borderline spectacle.
SmackDown also featured the continued rise of LA Knight, The Judgement Day and the newfound trio of Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado
Cena, Styles turn the tide against The Bloodline
SmackDown’s marquee segment was Cena’s appearance on “The Grayson Waller Effect.” Waller introduced Cena by claiming that “his star was fading as fast as his hairline,” but promised to reinvigorate the 16-time world champion and Hollywood star’s career. During their sitdown, Waller complimented Cena as the all-time greatest but said the main eventer was nowhere near his prime anymore. Waller criticized Cena for duping the fans. The host pointed to Cena’s role as a special guest referee at WWE Payback and accused Cena of shying from competition. Cena took his shirt off ready for a fight, but was interrupted by Jimmy Uso.
Uso claimed that everyone was here to see him and not Cena. That prompted “Cena” chants from the live audience. Uso dared Cena to get physical after the living legend planted Uso with an Attitude Adjustment two weeks ago. Their staredown was interrupted by The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. Sikoa snatched Uso by the throat but it was a ruse to clock Cena with a surprise super kick. Uso tried to give his little brother props, but Sikoa brushed him off as he continued to assault Cena.
Suddenly, Styles’ music hit as he aided his former rival. A brawl broke out between Styles and Uso after the latter cost Styles a match against Finn Balor earlier in the evening. Cena sent Sikoa out of the ring. As he lifted Uso on his shoulders for an Attitude Adjustment, Heyman called on Sikoa to rescue Uso. Sikoa yanked Uso to safety, teasing some fence-mending between the estranged family.
Earlier, McAfee made a surprise appearance to kick off SmackDown. The former WWE commentator was interrupted by Austin Theory. A verbal altercation set up the night’s second surprise, The Rock, who tore into Theory, leading the crowd in loud chants. Tensions boiled over and the segment ended with The Rock and McAfee landing People’s Elbows on Theory. Backstage, The Rock came face-to-face with John Cena. The two leading men from different generations had a legendary rivalry across WrestleMania 28 and WrestleMania 29, tying their series one apiece. Cena had a stern look on his face but quickly broke into laughter as the pair embraced.
The Bloodline has anchored WWE with some of the best storytelling in company history, but WWE television doesn’t often feel this big. The Rock and McAfee’s appearance was likely a convenient one-off, but it set a big tone for the rest of the night. Johnson’s brief interaction with Cena needed to happen and it bookended the show nicely. Cena is clearly making the most of his time. Cena’s unique star power brushed off on one future star, two of today’s biggest acts and a talented veteran in one 10-minute swoop. That is how you maximize this gift and everyone involved deserves credit. Additionally, it’s great to see Knight, Judgement Day and the Lashley-Street Profits union building momentum. The company is rightfully criticized for it’s 50-50 booking. Right now it seems they’re really getting behind a number of worthwhile acts. Grade: A+
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Balor def. Styles via pinfall with a crucifix pin following a distraction by Uso. Backstage, Uso told Balor he was simply returning a favor after Judgement Day attacked Styles last week.
- Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) def. LWO (Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde) via pinfall in a short match. Lashley and Street Profits laid out LWO post-match.
- LA Knight def. The Miz via pinfall after landing BFT. Knight called out the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Gunther post-match.
- Pretty Deadly met with authority figure Adam Pearce backstage. Elton Prince is recovering from a shoulder injury but was comically in a wheelchair.
- Asuka def. Bayley via pinfall with a backslide following a distraction by Shotzi.
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The post WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: John Cena and AJ Styles align, The Rock and Pat McAfee appear appeared first on Al Jazeera News Today.
