WWE SmackDown 10/3 Results: Cody Rhodes Gets The Last Laugh With Seth Rollins

Cody Rhodes kicked off SmackDown, a predictable start for the Friday show, but then Paul Heyman’s voice cut off Cody by answering his famous ‘promo-prompt’ of what the fans in Cincinnati “want to talk about.”

“Well, there’s plenty that we’d like to talk about,” Heyman said as he made his way to the ring through the crowd with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed (insinuating the “RAW brand wrestlers” had to ‘sneak’ their way into the building) by his side. Randy Orton was by Cody’s side, out of nowhere, and it made the viewer ask, ‘Did Cody expect him, or was Randy able to get that close without Cody noticing?’

This entire segment was a masterclass in various aspects of ‘what makes a great promo,’ as Heyman did the heavy lifting on the mic, while Orton and Rhodes used body language and non-verbal communication to sell their reactions. For Reed and Breakker’s part, they very much added to the tension of the situation, but it was this brief moment from Breakker where it seemed like he might just lose it and start fighting—Heyman recognized it and decided it was worth addressing on the mic, and it further sold Breakker as the baddest man amongst the rest.

Heyman put out the infamous narrative, and that ‘Randy Orton is not trustworthy’ is well-known to the fans. Yet, fans have enjoyed the ‘face Orton’ run, so much so that their collective memories might not want to remember that Orton will eventually turn on someone—it is as inevitable as death and taxes.

Still, Heyman went further with it, and like a middle school child rating your looks to your face, The Vision’s ‘foresight’ spelled out a very realistic predicament in which Cody and Randy’s friendly partnership will eventually falter. And, if Cody and Randy lost to ‘The Brons’ tonight in tag team action, then it would place the initial thought in Randy’s head: ‘Cody is not worth protecting if he puts a target on your back,’ and that target is an opening for Randy Orton looking to claim the WWE world title.

CODY RHODES(c) & RANDY ORTON VS THE VISION (BREAKKER/REED)—Tag Team Match

Randy grabbed a fan’s sign at ringside and brought it to Cody to sign; whether it was staged or not is of no matter. The point is that Orton is really leaning into the face stuff at a time when it is becoming increasingly likely that he will turn on Cody. The match was fought more like a singles match, with rotating superstars and constant interferences.

In the end, Seth Rollins made his first appearance of the night count as he helped Reed to hit the Tsunami Splash for the victory. Rollins kept the dogs off Randy, only to attempt to land ‘The Stomp’ on Cody and miss as Rhodes reversed it into a suplex. Now, we will have to see if Heyman’s prediction comes to fruition, whether Randy turns on Cody, and whether the crux of that turn is tonight’s loss.

SAMI ZAYN(c) VS ALEISTER BLACK—U.S. Title

Sami Zayn U.S. Title Open Challenge

After weeks of pinball programming that eventually landed on Damian Priest, Black received his ‘first ever title shot’ on either the RAW or SmackDown brands since being called up to the main roster. The tidbit about Black’s first single’s title shot was dropped on commentary as the “spooky gimmicked” character made his way to the ring.

Zayn has been the MVP of the ‘blue brand’ ever since winning the title from Solo Sikoa and sought Cena’s permission to relaunch the ‘open challenge’ program that Cena utilized during his own U.S. title reign—a reign that many attribute to the United States championship regaining its luster.

Black never felt like a realistic threat to Sami’s reign, and that is probably because Black still feels in transition mode since returning in April of this year. He did manage a very nice offensive sequence that earned him a near-fall (one of several on his part), but Sami was able to regain control and momentum despite quick reversals and counter shots.

The finale of the match saw Zayn connecting on a ‘Heluva Kick’ off of the distraction caused by the aforementioned Priest who did not need to do physically get involved at all—the finish showed just how heavy these mind games between Black and Priest weigh on one another, and after Priest put Black through the commentary desk at the close of the segment it is clear they are headed to a violent conclusion.

OTHER TIDBITS/IN-RING ACTION

• Sol Ruca and Zaria made their full debut on SmackDown tonight, despite being briefly utilized in various segments during the summer. Sol Ruca picked up the win for her team as she was heavily put over on commentary when Michael Cole reminded the audience that she had zero experience with wrestling when she came over from Collegiate gymnastics at the University of Oregon. She hit Chelsea Green with ‘The Soul Snatcher’ for the victory—a front flip off the corner turnbuckle as she catches her opponent with a cutter on the way back/down—and the current NXT tag team champions are looking for more gold, and Flair and Bliss should be on full alert.
• Roman Reigns was announced for this Monday’s RAW on Netflix after throwing USOs the assist last week in their tag team victory over ‘The Bron-Brons.’
• Stephanie Vacquer and Tiffany Stratton signed the contract for their “Crown Jewel Championship” match in Perth a week from Saturday. It was a relatively mild contract signing, which is perfectly fine in a ‘champion vs champion’ match where the expectations of a banger showcase in which both superstars ‘show out.’ They both cut promos, and it seemed like we’d get the first ‘no-contact’ contract signing in years until Kiana James made her way out with current U.S. champ Giulia laying out Stratton as she was headed towards ‘Gorilla.’

James offered Vaquer the chance to ‘make her a bigger star,’ but Tiffany eventually recovered and went for her get-back before Stephanie could respond. It did not seem like Steph was all that interested in the first place, but the segment ended up pitting Vaquer and Stratton, opponents at Crown Jewel: Perth, on the same side against James and the champion, Giulia. The intention behind this is unclear, but WWE knows they will bring it on ‘Fight Night.’

• Je’Von Evans and Rey Fenix defeated Los Garzas in tag action in what was a very fun match. Evans was not the original partner of choice for Fenix, but he has turned out to be a happy replacement that adds more diversity to the tag team division. You have the Street Profits and you have El Grande Americanos—this is a happy medium that no other team in WWE presents. It has potential.