On WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes faced off Roman Reigns heating their matchup before WrestleMania, while Sikoa faced Zayn.
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Before WrestleMania 39, WWE SmackDown promoted a long-awaited face-off between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. WWE also announced Sami Zayn going against Bloodline member Solo Sikoa in a singles match, as well as Liv Morgan, the last person to defeat Rhea Ripley taking her on singles action. Who emerged with momentum from that match, and what happened when The American Nightmare and The Tribal Chief stood in the same ring? Let’s know everything that happened on SmackDown.
Cody Rhodes confronted Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns at the start of Friday’s program and immediately grasped the trick The Head of the Table was playing with him.
Indeed, Reigns touched a nerve by alluding to Rhodes’ affection for his father, Dusty. He emphasized his bond with The American Dream and their mentor-protege connection throughout Reigns’ tenure in Florida Championship Wrestling, even claiming the Hall of Famer never mentioned Cody.
Rhodes might have easily lost his composure, but he didn’t. Although he raised his voice, he never brandished a weapon or incited violence. Instead, he stated that in order for him to exist in Reigns’ presence, he must defeat him in the WrestleMania main event.
Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan faced up in the opening match of the night as they were the final two competitors in this year’s Royal Rumble. Rhea wanted to keep her momentum going into WrestleMania and her impending WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Charlotte Flair. Ripley was unyielding and physically superior, overpowering Morgan at every point until terminating her with Riptide. Ripley tapped her out with an inverted cloverleaf submission rather than accepting the pinfall victory.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Dominik Mysterio had degraded and disparaged his father’s history, which aroused the ire of Legado del Fantasma’s Santos Escobar on Friday night. Escobar, who received Rey’s mask two weeks earlier, competed in singles against his hero’s ungrateful son.
Dominik dominated for the duration of the fight, only for Escobar to catch fire and launch a comeback attempt. A diversion provided by the heel and a pair of brass knuckles allowed Ripley to assault Escobar, throw Riptide on the floor, and set up Dominik for the frog splash for the win.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
In the next segment, Drew McIntyre entered the ring to confront Intercontinental champion Gunther over the lack of a WrestleMania match. This drew out his most recent tag partner and friend, Sheamus, who took issue with The Scottish Warrior pursuing an IC championship that he has constantly stated is important to him.
LA Knight, New Day, and Karrion Kross all intervened, resulting in a brawl that left Kross standing tall with Scarlett and a lot of doubt surrounding the championship situation heading into WrestleMania.
Tegan Nox assaulted Ronda Rousey earlier in the day, hurting her arm and inciting a confrontation with Shayna Baszler. Nox faced The Submission Magician one-on-one when the planned tag team bout between Nox and Natalya versus Baszler and Rousey was canceled. Baszler heavily overpowered Nox, working her over before submitting Nox to an arm bar.
Winner: Shayna Baszler
After the Muscle Man Dance mind tricks from Monday’s Raw, Bobby Lashley made a surprise appearance on Friday night and wasted no time in calling Bray Wyatt out. Instead of Bray Wyatt, he was jumped from behind by Uncle Howdy. The arena turned dark as a result of the scuffle. As the lights were turned back on, Howdy was gone, leaving Lashley disappointed.
In Friday’s main event, Sami Zayn faced off against The Bloodline’s chosen enforcer, Solo Sikoa, who was brought to the squared circle by Jimmy Uso.
The contest proceeded as expected, with Zayn starting fast until Sikoa slowed the tempo and worked him over. The Underdog came back, got a near-fall, and appeared to be in control of the contest until well-timed intervention from Uso resulted in a tainted victory for Sikoa.
Sikoa and Uso beat Zayn down after the contest, with the former threatening the running hip attack in the corner. Uso intervened, volunteering to do it instead. The end result? Zayn sprang up, fought off both guys, and fled into the crowd, aggravating Reigns backstage.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
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