WWE SmackDown Fallout: Cody and Roman’s Cinema Showdown, Highs, Lows, and More

Another WWE SmackDown is in the books, with the September 20th episode setting up shop in Sacramento, California in the home of the Sacramento Kings. Tonight though it was all about the WWE Superstars of the blue brand, and as always, there were a host of memorable moments over the course of the two-hour runtime. The headliner was clearly the cinematic face-to-face between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, but there were also Championship Titles on the line, a roster spot on SmackDown up for grabs, and the possibility of betrayals in the mix as well. Here are the highs, the lows, and the other standout moments from tonight’s stacked SmackDown card.

A Story of Titans

It’s impossible not to start with the face-to-face meeting on the football field between Rhodes and Reigns, and this absolutely lived up to the hype. WWE gave this stand-off the full cinematic treatment, and the football field was not only a nice touch visually but also meant something to both superstars, feeding into the larger story and their promos in the moment.

Rhodes and Reigns both had some great lines throughout, though Rhodes citing his previous quote and bringing back Chief without a Tribe deserves some applause, as does his “you played football here and then went back to the beach” line before delivering a most dismissive “thank you”. Meanwhile Reigns got things moving with his man with no country lines, and you know parts of that are going to be included across every Reigns video package from here on out.

The segment even closed out strong, with both agreeing to work together without losing the edge and unease that comes from their history. Rhodes not wanting Reigns to dismiss his hold on the Title is palpable, while Reigns just telling him he’s in his way and walking off the field was a perfect final note.

Highs

Chelsea Green: Green can turn just about anything to gold, and while the appeal of a dumpster match isn’t that high for me, her video segment here completely sold me. Coupled with how phenomenal Michin has been over the past few months in every single match she’s been a part of, this has become a must-see TV next week.

The slow slow turn of Kevin Owens: He’s been a face for a while now, and while this seemed like one big fakeout, they’ve effectively let it simmer and develop over time. Now it just about seems like a foregone conclusion, and you simply never know if tonight will be the night that Owens finally flips the switch. When it does happen, it’s going to be fantastic.

Lows

What is going on with Vinci: Did you see another loss in the cards? The first loss was a shocking moment, and actually a bit funny, but what I didn’t expect was for there to be a second loss the very next week. Now, this is fantastic for Apollo Crews, and I’m always happy to see him get a win, but if you’re going to go through all the effort of repackaging Vinci, it does seem odd to then give him one gimmick loss and then an actual loss right off the bat. Hopefully, a plan will become clearer in time, but right now it’s a bit head-scratching.

DIY Can’t Catch a Break: Boy, it feels like DIY gets the short end of the stick at every possible turn. It was already a blow when they had to lose the Tag Team Championships so quickly, and ever since they can’t seem to gain a foothold, getting ambushed or attacked consistently without any wins to balance things out. Even their save spot was more of a showcase for The Bloodline, with Cody making the save after the save. Would love DIY to have some success or at least a real story in the meantime, and hopefully that’s in the cards in the near future.

Those are our thoughts on tonight’s SmackDown, but what did you think of everything that went down? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!