WWE SmackDown live results: Roman Reigns appears

After returning to WWE SmackDown for the first time in months last Friday, Roman Reigns is set to appear for the second week in a row.

Reigns will be on tonight’s SmackDown from the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. He returned to WWE programming at SummerSlam, out for vengeance against Solo Sikoa. Reigns then attacked Sikoa and his new version of The Bloodline last week. We’ll see where the story takes us next tonight.

A celebration for new WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax is also set. It will be hosted by women’s Money in the Bank briefcase holder Tiffany Stratton.

DIY are facing off against The Street Profits for a shot at the WWE Tag Team titles. Both teams won matches last week to earn their spots in this number one contender’s bout.

Having recently aligned herself with Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn, Blair Davenport will go one-on-one with Naomi tonight. Plus, Kevin Owens (who will challenge Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Bash In Berlin later this month) will take on Grayson Waller.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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– A video recapping last week’s Bloodline developments opened the show.

– Footage of Solo Sikoa walking backstage aired. Tiffany Stratton was in the ring and she was flanked by Pretty Deadly.

The Nia Jax Championship Celebration

This was fun. Campy. But fun. Kind of. I’m intrigued by the Stratton/Pretty Deadly pairing. The more you see it, the more it makes sense and the longer this segment went on, the more I wanted more of it in the future. We’ll see, I suppose. I’m a little surprised that the tension between Jax and Stratton is already palpable – I was convinced we’d get weeks of them getting along swimmingly before things started to fall apart, but I’m not complaining if WWE is going to expedite the inevitable match between Jax and Stratton. In the meantime, Michin gets some shine and that’s a good thing.

Stratton introduced Jax and Jax made her entrance. Jax was brought out by men carrying a throne on which Jax was sitting. The ring had pink balloons and a carpet in it. Jax was given a microphone and the crowd booed her. Jax told Stratton she “shouldn’t have.” Tiff said she just wanted to give back and Jax said it was … “an awful lot of pink.” Jax said it wasn’t her style because her style is destruction and she proved that at SummerSlam when she destroyed Bayley. Jax said she was a woman of her word when she said she’d take the title from Bayley. Jax said not only is she the Queen Of The Ring, but she’s also the new WWE Women’s Champion.

Jax said everyone should bow down to her and Pretty Deadly actually did bow down. Jax said what better way to start than with Tiff. Jax told Stratton she wanted her to bow down and Stratton said Pretty Deadly will sing a song and then they will all bow down to Jax. Pretty Deadly introduced “Pretty Deadly: The Musical,” and performed “Ode To The Queen.” Out of nowhere, Michin ran in with a kendo stick and beat the hell out of everybody, including Jax. Michin was left alone with Pretty Deadly in the ring and Michin wore those guys out with the stick. Michin grabbed the bottle of champagne in the ring to end the segment.

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– Backstage, Jade Cargill, Naomi and Bianca Belair were shown talking backstage. Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame and asked them if they were going to pull up to his after-party after he beats Andrade. The women reminded Hayes that Andrade was two up on him. From there, Andrade made his entrance for the first match.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Andrade [9:38]

I liked this a lot. The post-match brawl was great, too. These are two guys who took a random pairing for a random match on a random SmackDown and boy, have they turned it into something. This was up there with their first encounter (their second match thus far is probably my least favorite), and at first glance, I’d probably even say this was the best of the three. Some of the near-falls had me and both Andrade and Melo seem to have no problem laying it in on each other, which makes these matches that much better – especially under a WWE guise. I’m looking forward to match No. 4.

Hayes retreated to the outside to begin the match. Things picked up when Andrade went to the top and Hayes crotched Andrade, who landed inside the ring. Hayes then beat Andrade down. Andrade came back with a hard chop, but Hayes responded with a springboard turnaround clothesline for a one-count. Hayes ran the ropes and then into a dropkick from Andrade. Hayes rolled to the outside and Andrade landed a moonsault from the middle rope onto Hayes on the outside. Hayes tried to climb the ropes, but Andrade cut Hayes off and Andrade went to the top, but Hayes pushed Andrade from the top to the outside floor. Hayes posed and the show went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, the two were battling on the top rope and Andrade hit a Spanish Fly from the top for a good near-fall. Andrade got the audience hyped … and ran into a super-kick from Hayes. Still, Andrade came back with two suplexes only to have Hayes counter a third attempt and turn it into a cutter for a two-count. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade moved. The two traded pin attempts and Hayes hit a knee to Andrade’s head, but Andrade came right back with a very good-looking back elbow and another very good near-fall. The crowd chanted “This is awesome!”

Andrade went to the top and missed a moonsault. Andrade went for The Message, but Hayes countered with a roll-up and actually got the win. After the match, Hayes gloated and Andrade tried to leave the ring, but Hayes pulled him back and the two brawled on the mat. Officials ran out to separate them, but Andrade eventually broke away and hit a splash on Hayes as the crowd chanted “Let them fight!” Loudly.

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– Solo Sikoa was shown sitting backstage and Tama Tonga presented Sikoa the Ula Fala. Tonga said he would rip Roman Reigns apart later, but Sikoa said he’s the Tribal Chief now and if Roman takes the Ula Fala back, that will mean Reigns is the Tribal Chief and therefore, Sikoa and Tonga would be forced to acknowledge Roman. Sikoa held the Ula Fala to his face to end the short segment. Naomi then made her entrance.

– A video profiling Giovanni Vinci aired. Boy, what growing a half-goatee and wearing a suit can do for someone’s pro wrestling career.

Blair Davenport defeated Naomi [6:49]

I … I … I don’t know about that. The finish was flat and came out of nowhere. The women also didn’t feel in sync for a lot of the match. I … I don’t know. I’m all for giving Davenport some wins to establish her on SmackDown, but I don’t know if this did much to help her, if only because the match felt so cold. There has to be a better way to set up and then execute that knee, if that knee is going to be her finisher on the main roster because the final three seconds of this match went over like a fart in church (as Jim Ross would say). It’s a shame, too, because this was a homecoming for Naomi and it would have been nice to see things go better than this for her.

Roxanne Perez was shown in the crowd because being in Orlando is pretty much a home game for WWE anymore. Davenport pushed Naomi to start the match and the two brawled from there. Davenport went for a clothesline, but Naomi slid through it and hit a Rearview. Davenport rolled to the outside. Naomi followed and landed her split splash onto Davenport. Naomi threw Davenport back into the ring and climbed to the top to hit a cross-body for a two-count. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Davenport had the edge, hitting a back-breaker. There was a clunky moment, but ultimately, Naomi took Davenport down with a head-scissors takedown. The two then hit dueling cross-bodies to reset the match. Naomi fired up and worked Davenport over with some kicks and another split splash for a two-count. Naomi landed a dropkick in the corner and went for a split-legged moonsault, but Davenport cut her off and countered with a stomp. Davenport then knee’d Naomi and got the win kind of/sort of out of nowhere.

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– Grayson Waller was shown warming up backstage with Austin Theory. Waller complained about Kevin Owens and wouldn’t you know it, Owens showed up and tapped Waller on the shoulder. Owens said everything Waller said was right (including the fact that Cody gave Owens a title match). Owens noted how Waller said it will be an easy win for Waller. Owens laughed and said things like, “Yeah! Sure! An easy win for you! Let’s go do it!” And then Owens walked away.

– A graphic honoring Afa Anoa’i appeared on the big screen in the arena. “Thank you, Afa!” chants broke out. A video chronicling Afa’s career then aired.

– NXT Champion Ethan Page was shown in the crowd before the Owens/Waller match.

Kevin Owens defeated Grayson Waller [4:38]

The weird part about this match was that it dawned on me about two minutes into it that we don’t really ever get to see Waller wrestle singles matches seriously anymore. I haven’t seen that between-the-legs splash thing in ages and yet he pulled it out here. Waller and Theory continue to be fodder for the biggest babyfaces on the roster, but as I’ve said for months, I continue to wonder when this thing is going to blow up. At this point, I’m starting to think never. Still, this match was fun for what it was/while it lasted. For being a sub-five-minute match, this had a lot of good energy and Owens seemed inspired, which helped. In all, a nice turnover segment.

Owens jumpstarted the match with a running kick, but Waller tried to come back to no avail. Owens set up for a Cannonball in a corner, but Waller rolled to the outside. Owens went to the outside and clotheslined Waller before throwing Waller into the barrier wall. Owens chopped Waller and rolled Waller back into the ring before jawing at Theory. With Theory yelling at Owens, Waller attacked Owens and set up a chair in the crowd to sit in it. Owens came right back and dragged Waller from the crowd back to ringside, but Waller got up, punched Owens, threw Owens into a ring post and hit a DDT on the outside for a two-count back inside the ring.

Waller went to the second rope and hit an elbow on Owens for a two-count. Waller set Owens up for a super-plex, but Owens fought out of it and landed a Swanton for a two-count. Before long, Waller went for a rolling move on Owens, but Waller rolled into a Stunner. Owens fired the crowd up and landed a pop-up powerbomb to get the win.

After the match, Owens threw Waller outside and ran Waller into the Prime cart. Owens lifted Waller, but Theory made the save. From there, Waller and Theory tried to get their revenge on Owens with chairs. Cody’s music then hit and Cody ran out. Owens and Cody beat Waller and Theory down with their chairs. With the heels gone, Owens picked up Cody’s belt and looked at it. Owens then gave the belt back to Cody and left.

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– Sikoa was shown backstage and he spoke with Tonga. Sikoa said tonight, Roman needs to acknowledge Sikoa. The crowd chanted “OTC!”

– Titus O’Neil was shown in the crowd.

– A Legado Del Fantasma vignette aired. Santos Escobar said Berto and Angel were demeaned week after week. Escobar told them not to forget who they are. Escobar said LDF is not just a name; it’s a legacy. Escobar said next week, he will take the U.S. title from LA Knight. Escobar then toasted to sending that “piece of trash” back to the trailer park he came from. Santos said “Everybody sayin’ Es. Co. Bar.” On cue, LA Knight’s music hit in the arena. Knight came out to a huge pop. Knight talked about how all Escobar is doing is trying to be like Knight. Knight said he won’t forget where they are next week – the nation’s capital. Knight said he doesn’t have time to be worried about Escobar and next week, he will put Escobar on his ass. Knight closed with his “LA Knight, Yeah!” phrase.

– Michin was shown walking out of Nick Aldis’s office and ran into Piper Niven and Chelsea Green. Green said they were going to do what Michin did, but it was too fun to watch the car crash that was the show’s opening segment. Michin said because of what Michin did, she got a Women’s Championship match against Nia Jax. Out of nowhere, Jax appeared and attacked Michin until Aldis reprimanded Jax, who then walked away.

– Trick Williams was shown in the crowd.

The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) to become the No. 1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship [15:14]

For my money, this was the best WWE television match this week, and that includes the Intercontinental Championship match on Monday night. These four brought all they could to the table and it was one of those instances where you really do curse WWE for shoehorning in two commercial breaks into a 15 minute match. Whatever that tag title match might end up being will not be as good as this match was. Gargano and Ciampa looked better than normal and the Profits were ready to hang with that spot-heavy style – and then some. Good-to-great stuff from everybody here and the crowd was up for it, too, which made things that much better. It has to be asked: What happens to #DIY now? They had a cup of coffee with the tag titles and we all know they were put together to be broken up … will that break up come soon? For as good as their tag work has been lately, perhaps both Gargano and Ciampa could use a shake up like that.

Ford and Gargano started the match. Lots of reversals, missed moves, counters and attempted gains occurred. The two shook hands after all of it and Ciampa and Dawkins tagged in. Dawkins gained the upper hand and tagged in Ford. Dawkins flipped Ford onto Ciampa and a double Flapjack took down Gargano, who ran in. Outside the ring, Dawkins ran over Ciampa and the Profits celebrated outside the ring. Ford said, “We’ll be back after these messages for another beat down,” and the show went to a commercial break.

The show came back and Gargano had control, taking down both Profits. Gargano hit a spear on Ford for a two-count. Ciampa tagged in, but ultimately things broke down and both Profits slammed Ciampa for a near-fall. Dawkins tagged in and went to the top, but missed a Swanton. Ciampa hit a running knee for a two-count. Gargano tagged in and went for a One Final Beat, but Dawkins caught Gargano and slammed him. Ford tagged in and things broke down again, Ford and Gargano hit stereo suicide dives on their respective opponents on the outside. From there, Ford and Gargano went at it inside the ring, trading super-kicks. At one point, Gargano fell onto Ford for a pin, but Ford kicked out. The show then went to yet another commercial break.

Rejoining things, Ciampa knee’d Dawkins on the apron and Ford hit a Zig Zag on Ciampa. Ford went to the top rope and went for a 450 splash, but Ciampa got the knees up. #DIY then landed a Shatter Machine on Ford, but Dawkins made the save. Things broke down again and #DIY went for super-kicks, but Dawkins pulled Gargano out of the ring and the Profits hit a double-team move to get a good near-fall that was broken up by Gargano. “This is awesome!” chants broke out.

Ciampa and Dawkins traded blows until Gargano tagged in and kicked Dawkins. Gargano back-dropped Ford to the outside. Gargano and Ciampa hit a super-kick/Fairytale Ending combination on Dawkins, but Dawkins kicked out at the last millisecond. From there, Dawkins caught a spear attempt from Gargano and planted Gargano. After that, the Profits hit the Super Blockbuster for the win.

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– Next week, Naomi, Cargill and Belair will face Fyre, Dawn and Davenport. Also on tap, LA Knight will defend his U.S. title against Santos Escobar.

The Bloodline segment

Thank God Fatu can still work. Boy, I love that guy. His attack was an honest surprise and I loved it. Walking boot and all. This was a good twist in that you can’t just have Roman come back and dominate things week after week without any pushback. Where they go from here should be a lot of fun, especially considering how it looks like Jacob Fatu isn’t going to miss time, by hook or by crook. Are we closer to Roman calling up some of his old friends for some help? Maybe. Either way, this was a good, hot angle to close this show.

Sikoa stood in the ring with Tonga and said, surprisingly, “Orlando, acknowledge me.” He got booed. “OTC!” chants broke out. Sikoa said, “You don’t want to acknowledge me? Fine. I know one man who needs to acknowledge me. Roman Reigns, you call yourself the Tribal Chief, or OTC, or whatever the hell it is. If you want this Ula Fala back, then bring your ass out here and take it from me.” Roman Reigns’s music hit, the crowd went nuts and Roman walked out.

Reigns stepped onto the apron and got into the ring. Reigns and Sikoa stepped closer to one another. Sikao took the Ula Fala off and handed it to Tonga. Sikoa told Tonga to leave the ring and Tonga obliged. Roman and Sikoa traded blows and Reigns hit a clothesline. Tonga then attacked Reigns, but Reigns came right back with a slam. The action spilled to the outside, where Roman disassembled the commentary table. Sikoa hit Reigns and rolled Reigns back into the ring. Sikoa set up for the Samoan Spike, but Roman moved and hit a Superman Punch. Roman then speared Sikoa. “OTC!” chants echoed and Reigns walked over to the Ula Fala. Reigns picked it up and put it around his neck.

The crowd went crazy and Roman’s music hit, but out of nowhere, Jacob Fatu showed up and super-kicked Roman, complete with walking boot. Fatu hit a hip attack on Reigns and threw Reigns to the outside. From there, Sikoa, Tonga and Fatu landed a triple power-bomb, ala The Shield, on Reigns through the commentary table. Fatu threw Reigns back into the ring and Tonga put the Ula Fala back around Sikoa’s neck. Sikoa, Tonga and Fatu stood tall, raising their fingers over Roman Reigns, to close the show.