WWE SmackDown takeaways: Is Bronson Reed the fifth member for Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline?
Check out our takeaways from the Nov. 15, 2024 episode of WWE SmackDown, which continued the build toward Survivor Series War Games.
WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown on Nov. 15, 2024, took place at Fiserv Forum in Milaukee, Wisconsin, and featured a women’s championship title match between Nia Jax and Naomi.
This week’s episode continued the build to Survivor Series War Games, which will see both sides of The Bloodline clash, but before we get there, both sides also need to find a fifth member. We also saw a return of a big name to possibly spark a program for the United States Championship.
Here are our top takeaways from this week’s episode:
Cody Rhodes pleads to face Kevin Owens
The WWE undisputed champ Cody Rhodes didn’t appreciate Kevin Owens’ actions last week when he utilized an outlawed pile driver on Randy Orton. The move has been outlawed in WWE due to the danger it could cause, especially to someone like Orton who has a history of real life spinal issues.
Rhodes attempted to call Owens down to the ring, only to have SmackDown GM Nick Aldis answer his call instead. Aldis tried to level with Rhodes, explaining that due to his unhinged behavior lately, Owens would not be allowed at shows.
In response, Rhodes told Aldis he wouldn’t wait long for him to change his mind, because as a wrestler too, Aldis should know how badly Rhodes wants to settle things with Owens.
This was a solid promo to open the show. Rhodes appearing in something other than a suit was a nice not-so-subtle touch, which really leaned into his eagerness to get physical with Owens.
Despite loss, B-Fab shines in triple threat women’s US Champ tourney
The newly created women’s United States Championship will be crowned after a tournament filled with 12 competitors concludes. The first round of the tournament is four triple threat matches, which began on SmackDown with Bayley, Candice LeRae, and a rare in-ring appearance from B-Fab.
It’s not often B-Fab gets shine on TV, but she got plenty of it here. Not only did she get her full entrance, but in the ring, she was putting in work against Bayley and LeRae. Simply put, those two made B-Fab look like a star.
Even though Bayley got the pin with a quick rollup on B-Fab, it was a memorable performance that could (and should) lead to more consistent performances. She even was also featured in a backstage segment with Chelsea Green, Piper Niven and Michin.
With the win, Bayley advances to the next round of the tournament, which will be a singles match against the winner of Bianca Belair, Green and Blair Davenport.
On the other side of the bracket, the two remaining triple threat matches are Jade Cargill vs. Michin vs. Niven and Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Elektra Lopez.
