SmackDown has more than one royal family.

The Rock put out the challenge for a dream team tag match with HUGE Universal Championship implications, and now Cody Rhodes is here to respond!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Randy Orton & Kevin Owens VS Austin Theory & Grayson Waller; Orton & Kevin win.
• Bobby Lashley VS Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett Bordeaux; Lashley wins, by disqualification.
• Tiffany Stratton VS Mia Yim; Tiff wins.
• Dragon Lee VS Angel Garza w/ Legado Del Fantasma; Dragon wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

The Rock arrives backstage.

He pulls up in a truck, puts on a cowboy hat, and tosses his can of Zoa Energy into the back before security accompanies him inside. There is also extra security for Roman Reigns as he arrives at The Bloodline’s private suite, and Nick Aldis himself accompanies Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins. “The Answer” will be given tonight, but will it be verbal? Or will it get physical?

Logan Paul is here!

Dallas isn’t a fan of The Maverick, but the WWE United States Champion still swaggers his way out to ringside. Logan steps into the ring, belt on his shoulder, and he gets himself a mic while the fans boo. “Dallas, Texas! Dallas, you are my city of firsts. Two years ago, Logan Paul wrestled his first WrestleMania right here in Dallas. And tonight, Dallas, y’all will be the first to witness history unfold right before your eyes. If you know anything about me, you know I’m a conqueror.” The fans “WHAT?!” and Logan says he’s not playing along. “WHAT?!” Nope. Fans boo but Logan says this is his moment. “WHAT?!” “All y’all suck.”

But Logan didn’t just join the WWE to take part. He joined to take over! They can “What” but look at him now! Best rookie year of all time, United States Champion, most viral athlete in this company. Everything he touches turns to gold, nobody can get attention like him. He’s successful but he’s not talking his championship, his YouTube channel, or his podcast. Not his boxing career or even his five-star wrestling matches, you’re welcome. Fans boo but Logan says he’s talking about the thing they all love, the WWE! Ever since his first appearance in Dallas, they’ve broken all the records.

The highest viewership for every event, every single PLE sold out, the biggest deals the WWE has ever done. You don’t get it, do you? He is the secret sauce! WWE’s business is booming! The fans boo but Logan says you could almost say the WWE is in its prime. Fans boo that bad plug, but Logan says he has a surprise. Drumroll please. The drums do roll, and Logan smiles as the mat is revealed to have PRIME right on it! No, you’re not dreaming. Prime Hydration has partnered with the WWE to be the first-ever center-ring sponsor of this great organization, starting with WrestleMania and every PLE from now on.

Logan is glad the fans are as excited as he is, because now, he’d like to welcome to the “Prime Ring,” England’s finest, another social media megastar and his partner in Prime, KSI! Fans boo as KSI hops from the front row and into the ring. KSI and Logan stand together and Logan says a moment this big deserves a big photo op! People in the crowd, smile, maybe he’ll tag you. Not! But then Randy Orton makes his entrance! Logan is worried, KSI is ready to go, but where is The Viper? He can strike outta nowhere but he’s nowhere to be found. Logan gets cocky now, but that’s when Orton slithers in! RK- NO, Logan gets away!

Orton grins at how close that was, and then KSI realizes he’s alone… Logan freaks out as Orton turns KSI around, RKO!! Orton drags KSI right onto the Prime logo to really make sure everyone sees it. Orton then picks up the bottle of Prime KSI brought, gives it a whiff, and then a sip. “This is very good!” Orton says here’s some for KSI. Right on the crotch! Orton feels hydrated, will he and Kevin Owens make sure Austin Theory & Grayson Waller get the same treatment as Logan’s other friend? We won’t have to wait long, that match is after the break!

Randy Orton & Kevin Owens VS Austin Theory & Grayson Waller!

SmackDown returns as Kevin makes his entrance, joining Orton in the ring. A-Town Down Under is already here, and they’re keeping their distance from #RK-KO right now. The teams sort out and Theory starts against Kevin in a rematch from last week. They tie up, Kevin waistlocks, but Theory moves around to switch. Kevin switches, headlocks, and he grinds Theory down. The fans rally behind KO but Theory powers up and out. Kevin runs Theory over, tells Waller to “SUCK IT!” then runs. Theory drops, hurdles, then runs, but into an arm-drag! Kevin has the cording hold and he tells Waller, “Nobody likes you!’

Kevin brings Theory up but Theory powers Kevin to ropes. The ref counts, Theory kicks low then throws hands. Theory ROCKS Kevin, whips him, but Kevin reverses to ELBOW Theory down! And SENTON! The fans cheer while Theory sputters and tags in Waller. Kevin and Waller stare down, but then Kevin looks to Orton. Waller says no, he and Kevin should go 1v1. Kevin says yeah, but then tags Orton! The fans fire up but Waller does drop steps to keep himself confident. The two tie up, Orton puts Waller in the corner, but then lets off slowly as the ref counts. Orton pie faces Waller as he does, then pokes him in the eye!

Waller sits down, Orton stands him up, and Orton climbs to rain down fists! The fans count along, and Orton gets to nine, then hops down. Orton winds up, Theory storms up, Orton DECKS Theory! But Waller CLUBS Orton from behind! The fans boo but Waller CLUBS Orton again. Tag to Theory, he and Waller double whip, but Orton holds ropes> Orton kicks Waller, kicks Theory, then UPPERCUTS Theory! Tag to Kevin and Theory is in a corner for Kevin to clothesline! And clothesline, and clothesline, and then whip! Theory reverses, runs in, but is put on the apron. Theory somersaults in to SHOTGUN Kevin down!

Tag to Waller as Kevin bails out. Waller sucker punches Orton, then slides to LARIAT Kevin on the outside! The fans boo but A-Town Down Under soaks it all up, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Theory soaks up the heat as he has Kevin in the corner. But then Kevin fires off hands on him and Waller! Theory kicks low, fires off hands, but lets off to tag Waller. A-Town Down Under DOUBLE SUPLEXES Kevin, then Waller mocks Orton by pounding on the mat. The fans boo and Waller runs up, but Kevin says no to the stolen RKO! Waller is sent right into Theory and Theory falls! Waller staggers, the fans fire up, and Kevin hurries, hot tag to Orton! Waller freaks out like Logan did earlier, and Orton rallies with LARIAT after LARIAT! Waller swings, misses, and runs into a SNAP POWERSLAM!

The fans fire up with Orton and he drags Waller up. Orton puts Waller through ropes, but Theory disrupts that! Waller HOTSHOTS Orton, but Kevin CANNONBALLS Theory! Waller RAMS Kevin into barriers, but then Orton drags Waller up by his nose! Orton has Waller in the ropes, for the DRAPING DDT! The fans fire up again and Orton hears those voices in his head! Orton waits on Waller to get back up, but Theory rises! Orton swings on Theory, Waller rolls Orton up! TWO, and Waller JABS! Orton drops to his knees, Waller tags Theory in. A-Town Down Under talk smack, but Kevin slides in!

Waller rushes Kevin, but Kevin dodges to STUNNER! Theory runs in but Kevin dodges, then POP-UP RKO!! The fans go nuts as Orton covers, #RKKO wins!

Winners: Randy Orton & Kevin Owens, by pinfall

Kevin & Orton take down Logan’s little pals, but then Logan BLINDSIDE DOUBLE LARIATS! The fans boo as The Maverick gets revenge, and brings out the brass knuckles! Logan’s used these on both men, who’s he gonna hit first? Kevin and Orton are in the corners, Logan wants one of them to stand! Orton stands first, so Logan swings, into a kick! Orton gets the knuckles! Orton swings, Logan dodges, and Orton almost hits Kevin! Orton and Kevin cool off and stand down, but those knuckles belong to Orton now. Will the Viper and the Prizefighter get their revenge on Logan soon enough?

Kayla Braxton has a sit-down interview with Bayley.

Kayla thanks The Role Model for joining her. It has been a rough couple of weeks for Bayley. Just last week, Dakota Kai turned on Bayley after convincing Bayley she had left Damage CTRL. What is Bayley feeling now? Bayley is hanging on by a thread. Things have felt off for so long, but she never imagined it’d get to this point. And even though DMG CTRL was faking things to her, Bayley wonders what was real. Was the friendship real? Or were they using her the whole time? And then Dakota used their history against Bayley. When Bayley was at her most vulnerable state, Dakota knew what she was doing.

Dakota manipulated and tricked Bayley, and she fell for it. Then what does Bayley have to say to those who think she’s had this coming? Well, Kayla knows well that Bayley has made a lot of enemies the past few years. And some of that stuff, Bayley did just because she liked the attention and was trying to make it to the top. But most of the things Bayley did, she did for Iyo & Dakota. She would’ve done anything for DMG CTRL, not caring who she offended. But now it’s all backfiring on her. Everything she’s built has backfired, and she’s all alone.

Then looking ahead to WrestleMania, how does this affect her preparations for Iyo Sky? Bayley says the good thing is, it ahs made her more focus. DMG CTRL made the biggest mistake in underestimating Bayley. There is a reason Bayley has been in this top spot for so long, and that is because she can adapt. Bayley built DMG CTRL with all her heart, and she will do everything in her soul to break them. The Role Model has issued her warning, will she get her revenge on her former friends?

Naomi is watching this backstage.

Bianca finds Naomi and asks what’s going on. Why is she watching Bayley crying and complaining? She did this to herself. Yeah, but Naomi still feels bad. Feels bad? Why? Bayley literally created DMG CTRL and it backfired on her. She is literally in the same spot she put Bianca in the past two years, Bianca doesn’t feel bad. Naomi says she’s had her group of girls, and she knows what it feels like when it falls apart, she ain’t cool with that. Okay, but Naomi wasn’t here for DMG CTRL, she doesn’t know. She didn’t see the mess Bayley created. And if she was, who knows, maybe Bayley would’ve gone after her, too.

So all Bianca knows is, Bayley made her bed, she’s gotta lie in it. Naomi still isn’t sure, so Bianca figures she’s said what she can. “Good luck” to Bayley or whatever. Bianca leaves, and Naomi thinks on it. Could Bayley still have someone on her side after all?

Bobby Lashley VS Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett Bordeaux!

The All Mighty and Mr. Doomsday have been meaning to fight it out, and so finally, they get to go 1v1! Will Lashley cancel the apocalypse with his own two hands? Or will he be made to #FallAndPray? We find out, after the break!

SmackDown returns and Kross makes his entrance, only his femme fatale by his side. The bell rings and the fans rally up for “BOBBY! BOBBY!” as he circles with Kross. They tie up, go around, and Lashley knees low! Lashley CLUBS away on Kross, has him in a corner, and whips him corner to corner to then clothesline! Lashley has the fans fire up before he RAMS Kross in again and again. Lashley ROCKS Kross with a forearm, whips him corner to corner again, but runs into a BOOT! Kross fires haymakers in return, then clamps on a facelock. Kross has the leg, to FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Fans boo but Kross stomps away on Lashley.

Kross eggs Lashley on, then brings him up, but Lashley clinches! OVERHEAD SUPLEX! The fans fire up as Lashley clotheslines Kross up and out! Scarlett is upset but the fans fire up as Lashley goes out after Kross. Lashley RAMS Kross into barriers, then brings him up and around. Lashley fireman’s carries Kross, but Scarlett stands in the way! Fans boo as Scarlett again plays insurance policy. Kross then slips free to ROCK Lashley! And then he POSTS Lashley! The fans boo as Kross stands over Lashley, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Kross has an ARMBAR! Lashley endures, the fans rally up, and Lashley fights up. Lashley moves around, Kross goes for the crossface, but Lashley has the ROPEBREAK! Kross lets go but he CLUBS Lashley! Kross stomps Lashley to a corner, then brings him out for an EXPLODER! Scarlett loves what she sees as Kross paces around Lashley. The fans boo, Kross covers, TWO! Kross and Scarlett are frustrated but Kross clamps on a chinlock. Kross grinds Lashley down, but the fans rally for Lashley as he fights up. Lashley pries the hold open to fire off haymakers! Lashley runs, but Kross clotheslines him up and out!

Kross takes his time following Lashley outside, but then Lashley LARIATS in return! The fans fire up and Lashley fireman’s carries! He POSTS Kross cleanly this time! The fans fire up and Lashley storms after Kross. Lashley hauls Kross up and into the ring, then aims from a corner. Scarlett shouts to Kross, but Lashley runs in! Kross moves, Lashley stops from hitting buckles, but Kross fights off the half nelson! Kross sends Lashley into buckles! Kross then brings Lashley around, fireman’s carries, and DEATH VALLEY DRIVERS! Cover, TWO! Lashley stays in this and the fans fire up! Kross snarls and looms over Lashley as he crawls.

The fans rally for “BOBBY! BOBBY!” as hard as they can but Kross fireman’s carries again. Lashley slips free! Kross ELBOWS Lashley, runs, but Lashley dodges! MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTER! The fans fire up with Lashley and he aims from a corner. But then The AOP attack!

Winner: Bobby Lashley, by disqualification

Akam & Rezar beat down on Lashley to deny him victory, but here come the Street Profits! Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins brawl with the behemoths, and Dawkins ROCKS Rezar before he BODY CHECKS him! Ford ENZIGIRIS Akam right outta the ring! The fans are thunderous as Ford then PLANCHAS AOP, only to get caught! So Dawkins adds on his own CROSSBODY! All four men fall, and Lashley gets Kross for a FLATLINER! Kross flounders, Lashley stalks him, but Scarlett slithers in! Lashley sees her first, though! Scarlett taunts Lashley since he can’t touch her, but B-Fab slides in! She turns Scarlett around to SLAP her!

The fans fire up as now B-Fab chases Scarlett out of the ring! And Lashley gets Kross in the HURT LOCK!! But the AOP return to mug Lashley! Fans boo as the monsters don’t stay down! They BLAST Dawkins, then TOSS Ford! The Final Testament mugs Lashley 3v1, and then stand him up. Kross pump handles Lashley for the FINAL PRAYER! Will nothing stop Kross and the Authors from writing this story in their favor?

The LWO has a big reunion!

It was The SmackDown Lowdown last week where Rey Mysterio sat with Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, Carlito and even Dragon Lee! They were all happy that Rey was back at 100%, and that the group was back at 100%.

Elektra Lopez confronts Dragon Lee.

Back in the present, La Madrina asks The Boy Wonder who he’s on the phone with. Was it Rey? Aww. So cute. Lopez says it’s like Dragon Lee is a little kid cosplaying as Rey. Santos Escobar walks in and laughs. Does Dragon actually think he’s the “Next Rey Mysterio,” does he? Aww, poor baby. Humberto Carrillo & Angel Garza walk in, and they say Dragon is just another wannabe. Rey Who? But no, that’s not it. Dragon actually thinks he’s the future of lucha libre? Santos sets the record straight: Rey and the LWO are the past, DEAD. GONE. The present and future is Legado Del Fantasma. But Dragon… Dragon is NOTHING!

Dragon shoves Santos but then Angel shoves him down. Santos tells Dragon he’s no new Rey. And Angel says he’ll see “Chaparito” out there. Will Dragon Lee prove to Legado that whether or not he’s the future, they aren’t even the present?

Tiffany Stratton VS Mia Yim!

Speaking of this argument of who is the future, the Spoiled Rich Girl sure thinks she’s the future of everything. Will she at least put her money where her mouth is in a rematch with Michin? Or will Mia remind us who’s the Head Baddie In Charge?

SmackDown returns and Mia makes her entrance. The bell rings and the two rush in! Mia gets around Tiff to backslide, TWO! Mia wrenches but no Sole Food as Tiff throws Mia down by her hair! Tiff flexes, fans are torn, but Tiff bumps Mia off buckles. And then off more buckles! Mia blocks the third time, and she bumps Tiff off buckles now! Mia CHOPS, Tiff stings, but Tiff YANKS Mia into buckles! Tiff runs corner to corner to handspring and BACK ELBOW! Tiff snapmares, runs and DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO! Mia hangs tough but Tiff CHOKES her on the ropes! The ref counts, Tiff lets off, and she mockingly cheers Mia on.

Tiff fires forearms, then pulls hair. Mia throws body shots, then runs, but Tiff reels her in! Tiff hits a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Mia grits her teeth but Tiff stomps her around. Tiff puts Mia on the ropes again, and CHOKES her! Tiff runs side to side to HIP ATTACK! Mia flounders, Tiff brings her up and fireman’s carries. But Mia fights free and suplexes! Mia reels Tiff in, says “Too Sweet!” but Tiff Alabama Lifts to ALABAMA SLAM! Tiff goes to a corner, goes up and up and PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER! Cover, Tiff wins!

Winner: Tiffany Stratton, by pinfall

Tiffany sticks the landing and gets another big win on SmackDown! Is she going to make herself the Center of the Universe whether anyone likes it or not?

AJ Styles speaks.

“This is for LA Knight, and anyone else wondering why I flew across the world to do what I did at Elimination Chamber. Y’see, it’s simple. I watched YOU, LA Knight, walk around here as if you own the place. But in reality, you don’t deserve to be in the same locker room as AJ Styles. And I… I have to admit, even I thought it was funny. Until you had the audacity to steal momentum at MY expense! Y’see, I’ve been around the block a few times. And I understand this is a cutthroat place to be. So let me break it down so you, LA Knight, can understand it. You’re a overachieving, undertalented, loud mouth desperately in need of humbling. And I am a phenomenal choice for the job.”

LA Knight finishes watching that.

He chuckles and says how about he takes a practice swing. Knight SMASHES the TV, SLAMS the TV, then SMACKS the TV again! He’s waking everyone up after Styles just bored them to death! HUH!? More?! YEAH! Maybe Styles can grow a pair and show up next week! Knight’s response to Styles is clear, but when and where will these two settle the score?

Tyler Bate is playing WWE 2K24.

It is of course the SmackDown arena and it seems to be a free-for-all. Pete Dunne walks in and Bate mentions how the game launched today. But, uh, hey look! Dunne’s in the game! Bate figured they could beat Judgment Day in the game first, take the tag titles, stuff like that. No? Well, WrestleMania is coming up, so maybe they should hit the gym, get some extra reps. Bate pauses the game and says Dunne is right. He’ll talk with Aldis and get an update on the tag title situation. Bate hands Dunne the remote and heads out. Dunne then shrugs, and plays in Bate’s place. Is Andre the Giant in there, too?

Dragon Lee VS Angel Garza w/ Legado Del Fantasma!

We just saw the confrontation between these two backstage, now we’ll see one in the ring! Will the Boy Wonder humble Santos’ newest henchman? Or will Angel win big for Legado this close to WrestleMania?

SmackDown returns and Dragon Lee makes his entrance. The bell rings and the two rush in, for Dragon to SHOTGUN! Dragon fires off hands, Angel shoves him away, but Dragon JUMP KICKS, trips him and COMBINACION DRAGON! Dragon then stomps away with both feet! The ref counts, Dragon lets off to go corner to corner, HYDRAULIC DROPKICK! Cover, ONE!! Dragon keeps on Angel and CHOPS him against ropes! Dragon whips, Angel reverses but things speed up as Dragon hurdles, then Angel hurdles! Angel grabs his knee, did it jam up there? The ref checks him, Dragon doesn’t trust it, and Angel DROPKICKS him!

The fans boo but Dragon was right to be suspicious! Angel rains down fists, Dragon goes to ropes and the ref counts. Angel puts Dragon on the apron, ROCKS him, then runs to KNEE him down! Legado all taunt Dragon while he’s down on the floor, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Angel whips corner to corner. Angel then runs up but Dragon slips up and around to reel Angel in! Angel fights the bomb but Dragon powers through to lift and POWERBOMB! Legado freaks out over Dragon’s freakish strength, and Dragon huffs and puffs his way back to ropes. Dragon runs up to fire off haymakers! The fans fire up as Dragon whips but Angel reverses. Dragon CLOBBERS Angel, CLOBBERS him again, then mule kicks! And SUPERKICKS! And then ENZIGIRIS! Angel staggers to a corner, Dragon runs up, but Angel puts Dragon on the apron. Dragon buckle bumps and ROUNDHOUSES!

Dragon goes up, but Angel RISING HEADBUTTS! Angel climbs up after Dragon now, but Dragon trips him up! Angel’s in the Tree of Woe, so Dragon drops the WOE STOMPS! The fans are thunderous while Angel bails out. Humberto checks his cousin but Dragon builds speed! Dragon FLIES and takes them both out! The fans fire up and Lopez freaks out! Dragon puts Angel in, then runs corner to corner, but into a SUPERKICK!! Angel turns things around and Santos loves it! Angel whips Dragon to ropes, pops him up, but Dragon RANAS! Cover, DRAGON WINS!

Winner: Dragon Lee, by pinfall

But then Legado swarms him! There won’t be any celebrations at their expense! They whip Dragon, pops him up in the double hip toss, then TRIPLE POWERBOMB him!! Legado says this is all because of Rey Mysterio, but will the LWO come back with a vengeance?

Damage CTRL speaks.

Dakota Kai says, “Oh boo-hoo, Bayley! You say you put your heart into creating DMG CTRL? But let’s be honest: I’ve always been the brains.” Kairi Sane says if Bayley really was smart, she would’ve seen this all coming. Asuka adds it was easy to manipulate Bayley, it always was. Iyo Sky says, “You were never part of our vision. It was Iyo’s Era from day one.” Dakota says if Bayley wants to tear them apart, then prove it! They’ll face Bayley in the ring next week, but will Bayley even stand a chance with it being 4v1?

Nick Aldis visits Cody Rhodes’ suite.

He knocks on the door, but no answer. He walks in, and he doesn’t see Cody nor Seth! He asks the guards where they are, and they could’ve sworn Cody & Rollins were there! Aldis is furious, he has the guards start looking. How did The American Nightmare & Visionary pull one over on Aldis? And are they going to make sure The Rock & Roman Reigns get their answer face to face?

The Bloodline heads to the ring!

Dallas is torn as Roman Reigns leads the way for Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa as they step out on stage. The Wise Man hands over the WWE Universal Championship to the Tribal Chief so that he can lift it up and have the pyro. The Bloodline then continues to the ring, Roman holds the belt up again, and there’s the second round of pyro. The fans are still torn, but then The Rock makes his entrance with all sorts of lightning graphics! The Most Electrifying Man in All of Sports Entertainment wears another Versace vest as he makes his way down to the ring. The Rock poses on the corner, then goes to pose on the other corner.

Roman smiles as The Rock stands by his side, feeling those goosebumps on his arms. The fans are still torn, but plenty of them chant for “ROCKY! ROCKY!” Heyman hands Roman the mic, and Roman waits as things die down. Then he tells “Dallas, Texas…! Greatness stands before you now.” Roman then looks to The Rock, and offers the handshake. The Rock takes it, just like last week, and the fans boo as these two hug it out. Roman then says, “ACKNOWLEDGE US!” The fans are torn, but the ones do point to the sky. But then Cody Rhodes makes his entrance! The fans fire up and sing along, “WHOA~ OH~!”

But wait, Cody comes down from the bleachers to be among the fans! And Seth Rollins is coming in from the other side! Talk about being Cody’s Shield! Roman is moderately amused as Rollins holds up the World Heavyweight Championship. Cody & Rollins make their way down to ringside, but SmackDown goes to break!

SmackDown returns once again, and Aldis has made his way out here with his security while Cody and Rollins step up to the apron. The Rock & Roman still stand in the ring, so Rollins & Cody step in. The fans are losing their minds seeing all four men together and staring down. They sing for Rollins, “WHOA~ OH~ OHH~!” and that annoys Roman. Everyone in the ring has a mic, but Cody is the first to speak. “I know it’s a little tense. A lot of bad blood, but if I’m being honest… I feel very lucky to be standing in this ring. I think perhaps, the four of us should take a moment, feel this, right here in a sold-out Dallas, Texas.”

The fans cheer and chant for “CODY! CODY!” Roman is annoyed again, but Cody continues to say, “Rock, I have heard your challenge. And I’ve heard the stipulations that come with said challenge for a match, this match, a tag team match, at WrestleMania. I gotta ask… Do you have the authority to make that stipulation? I mean, I’m only asking because I believe it was last week you acknowledged Roman as your Tribal Chief.” Cody is sure we can cut through this. They wanted an answer face to face, so here is the answer- The Rock tells Cody to shut his mouth! And Rollins, “You walking clown show, you shut your mouth before you even start talking!”

The Rock says before Cody says something stupid and accepts this challenge in front of the world, let The Rock drop some gospel on his punk ass right now! The Rock acknowledged Roman as Tribal Chief because it is what family does. They are family, it is what they do. WrestleMania 40, Night 1, let The Rock reiterate the stakes. If Cody & Rollins beat The Rock & Roman on Night 1, then on Night 2, they will be free of The Bloodline. They will be free to achieve his story, and the dream of Cody’s father. But then the fans chant “DIARRHEA!” in honor of what Rollins came up with on Raw last Monday. Rollins is very amused to say the least.

The Rock waits it out, and says when he and Roman beat both Cody & Rollins’ candy asses, Night 2 becomes Bloodline Rules. Anything goes! The Rock will do anything and everything in his power to make sure Cody does not walk out as champion! That said, do Cody & Rollins- Rollins tells The Rock, “Would you shut the hell up!?” The fans go nuts as Rollins tells The Rock to once in his life, shut up! We know the stakes! The future of the WWE is on the line! But listen to him and listen good, Mr. Midlife Crisis! The Rock had his time, and damn sure can’t have theirs!

So you want the answer for the biggest WrestleMania ever? The biggest tag match ever? “WE! AC-CEPT!!” The fans are thunderous, and Roman laughs? Is Cody gonna let Rollins answer for him? Cody must be an idiot! He must be from Texas or something! The fans boo but Roman continues, “You gonna let this crossdresser make your future decisions for you?” This is it right here, Cody! When Roman beats you at Mania, that’s it! As far as Roman is concerned, Cody doesn’t get another shot, the story ends. The Rock says yes, it is over. And he’ll tell Cody and Rollins, “you walking clown emoji,” shut up and listen to The Rock now!

“Because it goes down like this: The Rock will do everything in his power to make sure that you don’t win (Cody), and to make sure that (World Heavyweight Championship) title goes away! The Rock IS a Director of the Board of TKO, which means it OWNS WWE, which means he’s your boss (Rollins) and your boss (Cody)!” The fans boo but Roman grins as The Rock says to listen. With everything in The Rock’s guts, if Cody does not complete the story and does not win, he will NEVER EVER get another shot at it again. Cody ran his mouth, the fans chant his chants, but listen. Look in The Rock’s eyes: this is family!

Roman’s grandfather looking down is proud. The Rock’s grandfather, The High Chief, is looking down. And right now, even Cody’s dad, The American Dream, one of The Rock’s heroes, is looking down. Cody is the youngest of three, right? And that his sister was a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys? And that Cody’s brother, Dustin, is a future Hall of Famer? And Cody is 20 years younger than them, right? Y’know why? “Because you were a mistake.” Cody is furious, he tries to keep his cool, but then he SLAPS The Rock! The Rock drops the mic, Roman has him stay calm, and things just got a whole lot more personal! Is nothing going to stop Cody from finishing his story?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown here, but a lot of that was for the beginning and the end of the night. Tiffany beating Mia Yim again only does so much for her, but maybe it’ll help feed Mia’s story of feeling left out. The Good Brothers went to NXT to go after those tag titles, and AJ Styles has his feud with LA Knight, so what is Michin to do? Also, really good promos from AJ Styles and LA Knight, though Knight’s was more beating up a spare TV. Styles VS Knight really should be some kind of No Disqualification match to fit the amount of heat between them. And speaking of disqualification, a bit of a shame that’s how Kross VS Lashley ended. But of course AOP had to save Kross from Lashley. There’s another feud that deserves a No DQ match type to settle things.

Fun little promo from Bate and Dunne with Bate of course doing all the talking. Good promo segment with Legado bullying Dragon Lee before Dragon and Angel had a great match. Dragon with the quick pin win was fine, it protected Angel and also allowed for him to still be in good shape to help Legado beat Dragon down. There definitely needs to be some huge match like Rey, Dragon & Carlito VS Santos, Angel & Humberto with like Lucha Rules or some other special stipulation to not just let them all give their absolute best, but also to keep with the issue at the core of this, “Who represents lucha in WWE?”

Really good promos from Bayley, DMG CTRL and even Naomi and Bianca. Both sides of the argument between Naomi and Bianca are understandable, and I wonder if Naomi & Bianca end up the team taking on Asuka & Kairi for the tag titles. Bianca does know what DMG CTRL was like the whole time, so why wouldn’t she want her own payback on them? And really good opening stuff with Logan and the US Championship story. Logan and KSI get punked by Orton, Orton & Kevin have a really good match with Theory & Waller and of course take the win, but then of course Logan almost turns Kevin and Orton against each other. We’ve gotta be getting a Triple Threat, it’d be a shame for Orton to just completely replace Kevin in the story.

Logan getting Prime to be the name brand sponsor of WWE and their PLEs works in story, it makes for like a “you sold out” element to the story, except it’d be the WWE selling out or something. There could even be an eventual story where corporate Heel Rock treats Logan better than others or something like that. And of course, awesome stuff from The Bloodline, Cody and Rollins. They made a note of the extra security all night, but them having Cody and Rollins sneak out of their rooms unnoticed is a little silly. I still liked their Shield entrance from the crowd, and Rollins getting in The Rock’s face, we could segue into a Rock VS Rollins kind of feud after Mania, regardless of who wins what. The tag match is official, and this biggest WrestleMania ever really IS gonna be big!

My Score: 8.8/10