Sami Zayn proved his worth to The Bloodline on WWE SmackDown. Riddle nearly overcame the odds to capture the undisputed tag team championships despite losing his partner halfway into Friday's main event match against The Usos.
Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura earned a shot at the undisputed tag team championships after defeating Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso via disqualification on Monday Night Raw. The title match was expedited to this week's episode of the blue brand. Hard-hitting strikers Riddle and Nakamura united following injuries to each of their tag team partners and those woes were built into Friday's show.
Elsewhere on SmackDown, Ronda Rousey learned of her next challenger for the SmackDown women's championship. Raquel Rodriguez, Aliyah, Shayna Baszler, Natalya, Shotzi and Xia Li competed in a Six-Pack Challenge to determine a No. 1 contender.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Sami Zayn pulls the rug out from Riddle in a star-making match against The Usos
Riddle and Nakamura took part in a backstage interview early in the show. Riddle said that he and Nakamura are still in their honeymoon phase and are gelling well. They agreed that there was no replacing their respective tag team partners, Randy Orton and Rick Boogs, but that the new partnership is a pleasant, cohesive one.
Jimmy and Jey had their own backstage interview later in the evening, where they promised to send Riddle and Nakamura to the ICU to join Orton and Boogs.
Undisputed tag team championships -- The Usos def. Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall to retain their titles. There was no warm-up period for these competitors. The action was swift and hard-hitting from the jump with Nakamura and Riddle generally getting the upper hand. Halfway through the match, The Usos dragged Nakamura outside. Jimmy and Jey cornered Nakamura and delivered a big blow to the back of his leg. Their attack severely comprised the Japanese superstar. WWE personnel aided a limping Nakamura backstage. Riddle was left to fend for himself. The Usos briefly controlled Riddle but could not contain the spirit of Bro. Riddle powered up, launching himself at the twins with knees, splashes and dives. Riddle latched onto Jey from the top rope and hunted for a Super RKO. Roman Reigns' theme song briefly played, giving Jimmy a moment to tag himself in. Riddle, none the wiser, landed the top-rope RKO on Jey but was flattened by Jimmy's top rope splash immediately after. It was revealed post-match that Zayn was responsible for playing Reigns' theme song. Zayn has repeatedly lobbied for an alliance with The Bloodline. The Usos labeled him an honorary member last week. SmackDown went off the air with referees separating Riddle and his foes in a pull-apart brawl by the rampway.
Any match involving Riddle and The Usos continues to deliver in the ring. Riddle nearly overcoming the odds was reminiscent of those breakout performances at Survivor Series. If there were any doubts about Riddle being a future world champion, those should be laid to rest now. Nakamura's storyline injury and the bout's conclusion leave openings for a rematch down the line. The distraction ending worked well only because Zayn mastermind it. The secondary storyline of Zayn and The Bloodline has been great and now the weaselly villain has proved his value. We can ignore the suddenness with which the title match was booked because of how much it accomplished. A breakout performance, cause for a rematch and a meaningful development for multiple superstars. Grade: A
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch) def. Drew McIntyre and The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) via pinfall after Butch hit his finisher on Woods. Before the match, McIntyre assured Kingston and Woods they could always count on him. New Day gifted McIntyre a skirt with the words "Big D" embroidered on it.
- Max Durpi, formerly LA Knight, gets in authority figure Adam Pearce's face like he has for weeks.
- Jinder Mahal (w/ Shanky) def. Humberto (w/ Garza) via pinfall after securing the rollup. Shanky distracted Humberto with his dancing and subsequently danced with ring announcer Samantha Johnson.
- Six-Pack Challenge: Natalya def. Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez, Aliyah, Shayna Baszler and Xia Li after pinning Shotzi to earn a shot at Ronda Rousey's SmackDown women's championship.
- Happy Corbin def. Madcap Moss via disqualification after Moss attacked Corbin with a chair. Madcap Moss returned from injury after being assaulted by Corbin three weeks ago.
- Pearce informed Corbin that a No Holds Barred match between Moss and Corbin is booked for Hell in a Cell.
- WWE announced an intercontinental title match between champion Ricochet and GUNTER next week. Ricochet and Gunther were tremendously confident in their individual promos.