WWE SmackDown 13th of September 2024

In-Ring Segment: Paul “Triple H” Levesque
Triple H notes that he wrestled on the very first SmackDown 25 years ago. The crowd cheers. Triple H notes there is no better way to start the season premiere of SmackDown on the USA Network than with a steel cage match for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Undisputed WWE Championship Steel Cage Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Solo Sikoa
Sikoa and Rhodes trade punches. Dropdown uppercut by Rhodes. Sikoa knocks Rhodes into the corner. Back elbow strike by Sikoa. Rhodes avoids a charging Sikoa. A Bulldog by Rhodes has no effect on Sikoa. Rhodes grabs Sikoa by the head and launches him into the cage repeatedly. Sikoa back body drops Rhodes out to the apron. Rhodes scraps the cage on the way down. Sikoa hip attacks Rhodes into the cage. Sikoa traps Rhodes in a tree of woe.
Diving headbutt by Sikoa. Rhodes’ head is busted. Sikoa tries another, but Rhodes sits up. While Rhodes is on the top rope, Sikoa rips him down to the mat. Sikoa works over Rhodes. Rhodes manages to send Sikoa into the cage. Sikoa responds by throwing Rhodes into the cage. Rhodes it down. Sikoa headbutts Rhodes over and over again. Rhodes tries a disaster kick. Sikoa catches Rhodes and powerbombs him into the cafe. Sikoa tries another powerbomb. Rhodes hooks the cage. Rhodes leaps off the cage and hits a Cody Cutter!
Sikoa kicks out. Rhodes climbs the cage. Sikoa rips Rhodes off the cage and lands another headbutt. Sikoa climbs the cage. Rhodes climbs next to Sikoa. Sikoa and Rhodes trade shots. Rhodes gets to the top of the cage. Rhodes slams Sikoa’s head into the top of the cage. Sikoa pulls Rhodes back into the ring with a superplex! Sikoa drapes his hand on Rhodes for a pin. Rhodes kicks out. Sikoa hits Spinning Solo out of nowhere.
Before Rhodes can breathe, Sikoa immediately hits another Spinning Solo. Rhodes kicks out. Sikoa calls for the Samoan Spike. Rhodes blocks the Samoan Spike and lands a disaster kick. Cody Cutter by Rhodes. Sikoa kicks out! Sikoa drives Rhodes into the corner. Hip attack by Sikoa. Sikoa hits a Samoan drop. Uso Splash by Sikoa. Rhodes kicks out! Rhodes crawls to the corner. Hip attacks by Rhodes. Sikoa celebrates. Rhodes is too close to the door and asks the referee to open it.
Rhodes starts to crawl out of the cage. Sikoa pulls Rhodes back into the ring. Crossroads by Rhodes. Sikoa kicks out. Rhodes climbs the cage and makes it to the top. Sikoa gets to his feet. Rhodes dives off the cage and crushes Sikoa with a crossbody. Somehow, Sikoa kicks out. Rhodes crawls to the cage. Sikoa slams the cage on Rhodes’ head. Sikoa calls for the Samoan Spike. Rhodes ducks the Spike and hits Crossroads for the win!
Winner and STILL Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes!
After the match, The Bloodline surrounds the ring. Sikoa catches Rhodes with the Samoan Spike. Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa attack Rhodes. Fatu crushes Rhodes with a moonsault. Sikoa tells Fatu to go up to the top of the cage. Fatu climbs the cage. Before Fatu can dive off, Roman Reigns music hits. Fatu climbs out of the cage. Reigns gets in the cage and closes the door. Reigns sends Tonga and Loa into the cage.
Sikoa attacks Reigns from behind. Sikoa sets up a hip attack. Reigns counters with a Superman Punch. Reigns calls for the Spear. Fatu pulls Sikoa out of the ring. Reigns tells Fatu to step up. Fatu gets back in the cage and closes the door. Sikoa opens the door and pulls Fatu out. Loa and Tonga attack Reigns from behind. Rhodes makes the save.

Backstage, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis says everyone involved in the brawl at the start of the show has been sequestered in their private locker rooms. Aldis notes that Sikoa says he has an offer that no one will be able to refuse. Aldis intends to find out what that is.

Michin vs. Piper Niven w/Chelsea Green
Michin sends Niven flying out of the ring. Suicide dive by Michin. Green gets in Michin’s face. Michin kicks Green in the head. Michin hits Green with a kendo stick. Niven surprises Michin with senton off the apron. Niven sends Michin back into the ring and goes up top. Michin cuts Niven off, and German suplexes her off the second rope! Michin hits Eat d’Feat for the win.
Winner- Michin
After the match, Niven and Green attack Michin. Niven crushes Michin with a senton. Green hits an Unprettiher on a trash can.

A-Town Down Under is in the ring waiting for their tag team match against Kevin Owens and a mystery partner. Owens power walks to the ring. Owens’ mystery partner is just some bald guy. Theory and Waller laugh. Owens asks the guy his name. It’s Ricky. Ricky is going to be Owens’ Partner because Owens’ actual partner had some travel issues. Before the match starts, a stagehand tells Owens that his partner has arrived. Owens thanks “Reggie” and drops him with a Stunner. “Voices” pumps through the arena as Randy Orton makes his way to the ring.
Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. A-Town Down Under
Owens knocks Waller into the corner. Theory pulls Waller out of the way of a cannonball from Owens. Orton hops off the apron and clotheslines Theory. Waller sends Orton into the ring post. Owens slams Waller’s head into the commentary desk. Theory distracts Owens. Waller clotheslines Owens and suplexes him on the commentary desk, mocking Orton’s patented move. After the break, Theory tries to set up a superplex on Owens.
Owens knocks Theory off the top and lands a swanton. Theory kicks out. Before Owens can tag out, Waller pulls Orton off the apron. Waller and Theory work over Owens. Owens rolls out of the ring and rolls in by Orton to finally get the tag. Orton hits the ring and lands a flurry of offense. Orton suplexes Theory on the table. Waller gets to his feet and gets suplexed on the commentary desk as well. Owens and Orton land stereo Orton DDTs. Orton hits an RKO Waller while Owens simultaneously lands a Stunner Theory. Orton pins Waller.
Winners- Kevin Owens and Randy Orton

In-Ring Segment: WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax
Jax gloats about being unstoppable. The crowd boos while Jax exclaims that winning the Queen of the Ring and the WWE Women’s Championship was easy. Everyone in the back fears Jax. Jax knows that she has to defend her championship at Bad Blood. Jax doesn’t know who care against who. Bayley interrupts. Bayley dumps on Jax and her crappy first run in WWE. Jax mockingly laughs at Bayley.
Bayley says she is happy Jax is confident because Bayley wants a rematch. Jax says Bayley needed to run behind Damage CTRL to dominate. Bayley says she didn’t need them to win the title, but Jax needed Tiffany Stratton to win hers. Tiffany Stratton walks to the ring and puts Jax over. Bayley notes that she beat Stratton last week. Stratton says that’s only because of Jax. Jax tells Bayley she knows what she’s trying to do.
What’s Bayley gonna do if Jax and Stratton beat her down right now? Naomi hits the ring and says she isn’t going to let them gang up on Bayley. Naomi says she wants a shot at Jax. Jax offers a tag match. If Bayley of Naomi gets the pin, they get a shot at Jax’s title. Bayley and Naomi accept. Jax adds that when Jax and Stratton win, whoever gets pinned will have to leave SmackDown permanently.

Backstage, GM Aldis announces that Roman Reigns will address the contract for the Bad Blood tag match tonight in the ring.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade (Hayes 2-/Andrade 2)
Hayes attacks Andrade before the bell rings. The bell rings, and Hayes tries a springboard. Andrade pushes Hayes off the top to the floor. Triangle moonsault by Andrade. Hayes tries a clothesline off the barricade. Andrade ducks. Big boot by Andrade. Andrade mounts the barricade. Hayes leaps up and joins Andrade. Andrade hits a reverse Spanish fly off the barricade. After the break, Hayes and Andrade trade strikes. First 48 by Hayes. Andrade lands a feint spinning back elbow. Hayes kicks out.
Andrade tries his double jump moonsault, but Hayes gets his knees up. Head scissor facebuster by Hayes. Andrade kicks out. Hayes goes up top and misses Nothing but Net. Andrade sets up The Message. Hayes escapes. Andrade hits a destroyer. Andrade lands his corner knee strike. Hayes grabs the bottom rope to break the count. Andrade misses a split-legged moonsault. Andrade hits the Message off the top rope for the win.
Winner- Andrade (Hayes 2-/Andrade 3)
After the match, United States Champion LA Knight walks out on the stage. Knight congratulates Andrade for being next up for a beating.

Backstage, Nia Jax reminds the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill that she beat them to win Queen of the Ring. Jax and Stratton walk off. Belair and Cargill look at each other and say, “Bet.”

In-Ring Segment: Roman Reigns
GM Aldis is in the ring with Reigns. Aldis starts to speak. Reigns chuckles and holds his hand out for the mic. Aldis hands him the contract. Reigns scoffs and holds his hand out again for the mic. Aldis obliges. Reigns says he doesn’t want to confuse anyone. Some things change, but not him. He doesn’t need Aldis; he doesn’t need a contract; he definitely doesn’t need Cody Rhodes. This is a family business, Bloodline business. It doesn’t matter if he has the ‘Ula Fala or not.
Reigns is The Tribal Chief. This is Reigns rings. It’s his WWE. Cody Rhodes’ music hits. Rhodes slowly walks to the ring. Reigns and Rhodes stare each other down. Rhodes says it WAS Reigns’s WWE, but it hasn’t been since WrestleMania. Rhodes drops his mic. Reigns does the same. As they step up to each other, they are interrupted by Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu.
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa attack Reigns and Rhodes from behind. Rhodes drops Tonga with a Cody Cutter. Reigns Rock Bottoms Loa. Reigns signs the contract as Rhodes looks on. Rhodes holds out his hand for the contract. Reigns begrudgingly hands it over. Reigns grimaces as Rhodes signs the contract.