WWE made its final pit stop on the road to Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia this weekend with a Crush program that was pre-recorded after last Friday’s episode. Jey Uso and the original Bloodline took center stage, raising them to the sky in unison as Roman Reigns and Jey Uso had a very candid conversation. Jey is his own man in 2024 and respect must be paid as Roman and The Usos will face The Bloodline at this weekend’s PLE.
Elsewhere, The Street Profits defeated Pretty Deadly after finishing flirting with Hamilton creator Lin-Maunel Miranda, Iyo Sky won an action-packed Fatal Four Way, Liv Morgan defeated a particularly aggressive and threatening Tiffany Stratton, and Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton defeated Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser in the night’s Main Event, before Kevin Owens ruined the night’s celebrations.
Jey Uso
Living up to its ‘main event’ moniker
It was agreed on the previous Monday Night Raw that Jey Uso and Roman Reigns would meet on Smackdown to talk about their issues. The crowd was excited when Jimmy Uso and Roman entered the ring, but the decibel levels increased when Jey Uso entered the ring. This isn’t a popularity contest, but if it were, It could very well be that Jey Uso is the most popular member of the original Bloodline. Funny how these things happen.
It’s a shame that the Crown Jewel match between Roman and The Usos vs The Bloodline was announced before this segment. The original lineage raising its ones to the sky felt seismicregardless of whether they are on the same page, but Jey Uso declaring that he is no longer Roman’s lackey and will not accept disrespect is what audiences around the world have wanted to hear him say for years. Now let’s see if they can coexist against Solo and The Bloodline.
Another great victory for the genius of the sky
Iyo Sky continues to rack up these impressive and random solo victories in his side missions outside of Damage CTRL. This week, she invaded enemy territory to win a Fatal Four Way match on SmackDown featuring Bianca Belair, Lash Legend and Piper Niven, one member of each team in this weekend’s Tag Team Championship match. Whether this will be enough to give them an advantage in Riyadh remains to be seen.
Fate may play a role in this victory, turning out to be bigger than it appears on the surface. This week, Rhea Ripley received news that an orbital injury will keep her out for an undisclosed amount of time. This leaves Monday Night Raw without a clear and obvious candidate for Liv Morgan when her feud with Nia Jax ends. Iyo Sky is more than capable of being Raw’s new number one contender, and she had a glorious Smackdown championship run until Wrestlemania 40.
Tiffany Stratton
No more nice guy Tiffy
After weeks of seeming weak, Tiffany Stratton finally appeared on this week’s SmackDown. The Money In The Bank briefcase seems tailor-made for the Champion vs Champion situation at Crown Jewel and this could finally be the weekend that Tiffany Stratton reclaims her throne… but which one?
As tempting as it is to believe she would consider switching brands, the smart money is on Tiffany Stratton getting revenge on Nia Jax and profiting from Crown Jewel. A red-hot Naomi is waiting for whoever is next and she continued her current streak by teaming with Bayley to beat Indi Hartwell and current Women’s Champion, Nia Jax.
Street profits
Right place, right time for Montez and Angelo
The thrilling climax of last week’s SmackDown, during which The Bloodline were defeated by Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Championship, had bigger implications for WWE’s blue brand. As the brave new champions overcame the odds to beat DIY and The Bloodline, the belts instantly seemed more exciting and SmackDown’s entire tag team division feels reinvigorated. This is very good news for The Street Profits.
Once Pretty Deadly finished chatting with Lin Manuel Miranda in the front row, The Street Profits racked up another victory over the flamboyant duo. This is a crucial moment for this team. The Street Profits and Motor City Machine Guns sharing a ring seems like exactly why the latter were signed. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins need a breakout moment. Win or lose, they can create magic if they can fight their way into a match with the new champions.
Randy Orton
Kevin Owens will not give in
Moments after tagging in with Cody Rhodes to claim victory over Ludwig Kaiser and Gunther, the SmackDown credits were rolling as Kevin Owens appeared in the crowd to attack Randy Orton with a steel chair. Cody and Randy have made it clear that they want a piece of Prizefighter. Only, when he appeared, Rhodes was restrained by a deep blow from Gunther while Orton lay broken on the canvas.
The statistic will continue to be released regularly until it bucks the trend, but Randy Orton hasn’t won a singles match in a PLE since April 2021. Considering Owens’ ultimate goal will likely be Cody, it’s unlikely that when Orton and KO meet, the former will emerge victorious. This version of Kevin Owens looks fierce with violence, and it will take a Herculean effort for Randy to stop his PLE slide from continuing at Crown Jewel.
Crown Jewels Season
It is necessary to rethink next year’s event
This has been a banner year to be a WWE fan. Everything made sense, there were some feuds that will go down in history and there weren’t many creative decisions that missed the mark. That being said, the Crown Jewel Championship concept feels like a failed experiment this caused the weekly programs to drag on in a way that did not happen year-round.
The card itself is stacked and the main stories will be progressed in Crown Jewel. It just doesn’t seem like anyone is buying into the current animosity between the champions and It’s hard to argue that two regular title fights wouldn’t make this event superior to the “best of the best” concept being sold. Add in that the promotional segments feel languid and it’s clear this event needs a little tweaking for next year. At least Crown Jewels season is finally over.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda mocking Pretty Deadly (THE…MUSICAL!) was excellent work. The singer also dressed up as Dominik Mysterio for Halloween this week.
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The B-Fab body slam on Elton Prince got a great reaction.
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Randy Orton continues to glimpse the WWE Title whenever he’s around Cody Rhodes. Just saying!
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Kevin Owens’ cold monologues to the camera are intimidatingly menacing.
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This is the first televised two-on-two match in which Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were on the same team.
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Pretty Deadly’s only win in 2024 was against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens on March 29.
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Iyo Sky and current WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax are the only women to beat Bianca Belair in singles competition this year.
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Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell and Tegan Knox are no longer with WWE.
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Motor City Machine Guns will be guests of The Grayson Waller Effect on next week’s SmackDown.