Roman Rains’ run as the universal champion is already built to feel like it’s likely to be the most interesting title run in modern wrestling history. Rains faced former rival Braun Strowman in the main event of the night on the SmackDown version of his current title regime on Friday.
However, lasting memories of the show will be another constellation between Raines and his cousin, Ji Uso. After his match, Raings so kto. On the 25th he went to the Hell in Sale “I Quit” match and begged her not to put pressure on his hand. So Soe responded with his fists, legs and a steel chair.
CBS Sports was with you all night, bringing highlights and raps of all the actions from SmackDown. Read on for what you need to know.
G. Youssef refuses to listen to Roman Reigns’ message
WWE Universal Championship – Roman rule (c) Def. Brunn Strowman by submission With guillotine choke. The regime immediately took the fight to Strowman, hitting him with an initial Superman punch and then a drive-by dropkick. As long as the rings continued to dominate, Stormman would not be able to return outside the ring, calling the rings to the ring post and knocking them over the ringside barricade before tussling them over the announcement table. Stormman had to make a second comeback, hitting a dominance and chokeslam, but hitting Raines low he started spears for Raines near the fall. The rulers tried for another spear, but Stromman avoided catching it. The Rhine were able to lock on the guillotine square, although they used a hold to force Strowman out.
After the Rains’ victory, G. Uso’s music hit and he set off for the entrance ramp. The regime looked at Uso and gestured to see him before hitting Strowman with a post-match spear. The Kings proposed to So Son to come to the ring, which So So had made mandatory before handing over the steel chair to Paul Hayman. The regime pointed to Strowman and said, “We eat this way. If I’m not at the top, we won’t do this.” The kings followed So Son’s stern warning, “If I can do this to him, imagine what I can do to you.” The regime then chased the WWE officers and laid them in Strowman with a chair before launching the attack. “I love you, I will never do this to you, but you put your hand on my hand,” said Risso. Rings told So Son that he pressed his hand, told him to turn the chair and turn his back. So Soe threw the chair down, and shouted that he didn’t put it on the canvas before he punched Raines and with a superkick. Officers then landed on the Rhine with a chair before stopping the attack, allowing the ring to hit the Superman Punch in a mixture of frustration and sadness.
No wonder at this point that putting Rains and Yuso in the ring produces a strange kind of magic. The original spirit is not a strong point in modern wrestling, but it is what made Uso and Raj a special event. The fight between Rains and Strowman was good for the main event on TV, and breaking the submission to win the Riggs is a nice wrinkle. But it was all about uso and rule, not that Stormman served as the proponent of the big story. Grade: B +
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
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Lars Sullivan Def. Jeff Hardy by Pinfall Freak after the accident. The match came after an inter-opening brawl in almost the entire SmackDown locker room. Sullivan popped up from the Twist Fate Fate before hitting his finish.
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New Day Deaf. By Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Shimus Pinfall After hitting The Midnight Hour on Shimos. Something was presented as “goodbye” to this team, as they split into the WWE Draft. The match was just an excellent, fast-paced fight with some big venues and a very strong final stretch before New Day got an emotional win.
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Seth left himself behind by Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Murphy and Ray and Dominic Mysterio. Rollins addressed Brian’s promo returning to his action, causing a brawl before Rollins was chased. But before he could escape the ringside area, Mysterios got into the picture and Brian put them into his business. Murphy appeared, probably on the evening of the evening disagreement, but then attacked Rollins. Mysterio was still not buying Murphy’s actions, refusing to shake hands at the end of the segment.
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SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Street Profit (C) Def. Dolph Ziegler and Robert Rude by disqualification While Ziggler and Rude continued in the double-team after the referee’s warning. This was clearly a set up for what SmackDown’s main tag program would be for the foreseeable future, so there was no clear end to the jump.
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Bailey refused to sign a contract for her hell in a sale match with Sasha Banks. After a fiery promo by the banks, Bailey turned the contract over on the table and left the ring saying “I don’t need to sign anything”. Banks called him a coward and said he would sign the agreement one way or another.
