6 Winners & 4 Losers From Last Night’s SmackDown (September 20th, 2024)

After an exhilarating Season Premiere last week, WWE SmackDown came from Sacramento, CA on the road to Bad Blood. LA Knight kicked off the show with a successful title defense over Andrade, who reignited his long-running rivalry with Carmelo Hayes afterward in a backstage brawl. Confusion reigned as Naomi and Bayley both claimed victory over Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton, resulting in the two being placed in a Number One Contenders match on next week’s show.

The night was all about Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, who had a face-to-face confrontation for the ages at Georgia Tech stadium. It is a ‘must see’ promo for the ages. The main event involved Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline vs Kevin Owens and The Street Profits (after the Bloodline took out KO’s original partners, DIY) battling to a no contest. It was quite the week for the Canadian, as Kevin Owens continued to be conflicted about the new-found partnership of Reigns and Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns

Eight minutes of greatness from the biggest stars in the game

WWE’s production value and storytelling have been described as “cinema” within wrestling circles (especially when in conjunction with Roman Reigns). This segment is must-see TV for anyone with an interest in WWE in this renaissance period. A big-budget feel gave the whole promo a sense of occasion, featuring a fleet of SUVs, an empty football field under the floodlights at Georgia Tech, the two biggest stars in WWE, and a whole lot of tension.

It is not an exaggeration to say this is the kind of segment that will be spoken about for years. Roman Reigns shows an emotional range that ranks among his best work to date. This is not hyperbole. This is exceptional. Cody Rhodes proved every bit his equal. Bragging without bravado, Cody had no problem letting Reigns know whose year it has been so far and that Georgia is his home. WWE’s storytelling is continuing to plateau. It’s incredible to see.

LA Knight vs Andrade

Elevating the United States Championship, one week at a time

LA Knight’s victory over Logan Paul at SummerSlam felt like a huge moment for the Mega Star and the US Championship. After months of groaning about Logan’s inaction when it came to defending the title, something had to give. LA Knight has already successfully defended the United States championship more times in 48 days than the social media guru did in 273. It really makes a difference to SmackDown’s mid-card as both tonight’s opponent, Andrade, and the looming figure of Carmelo Hayes have something tangible to chase.

Andrade may have come up short, but his performance was fantastic. This has been a great summer for restoring his reputation. El Idalo was greeted by Hayes in a backstage segment and the pair brawled yet again. Having already had five matches together, it could be considered overkill if it wasn’t so great. Is a best-of-seven series a real possibility?

Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline

A dominant night for Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline

Jacob Fatu was let off the leash in the absence of Solo Sikoa on this week’s SmackDown. Alongside his Bloodline brethren, Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga, Fatu took DIY out of action before starring in the Main Event against Kevin Owens and The Street Profits. His agility is mesmerizing, and he has the rare quality of seeming authentically unhinged.

His stare-down with KO felt gargantuan. He is yet to really get started in solo competition, but his singles run is going to be a spectacle worth waiting for. While Roman and Cody have to keep one eye on one another and half an eye on Kevin Owens ahead of their match at Bad Blood, Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline are locked in and on the same page.

Apollo Crews and Giovanni Vinci

Where on earth is this going?

One of the most comforting things about Paul Levesque’s WWE is that, even when things don’t seem to make sense as they happen, faith has been restored in things playing out in the long term. It is hard to have faith in what is happening between Apollo Crews and Giovani Vinci. After Crews won a goofy encounter with Giovanni Vinci with a roll-up two weeks ago on Smackdown, it didn’t feel like a win that did anything for either party. A sneaky win and a loss for a returning superstar felt disjointed.

With Crews also winning this contest with a creative roll-up again, once more, it’s difficult to see what this is doing for either man. Vinci laid waste to Apollo after the bell with a devastating brainbuster, but this feels like an awkward detour on an otherwise incredible SmackDown.

Bayley and Naomi

Victorious but not winners

Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton and Naomi and Bayley’s tag team match felt unnecessarily overcomplicated with complex stipulations. Whoever got the pin out of Bayley and Naomi would get a shot at Nia’s WWE Women’s Champion but if either of them were pinned, they would have to leave SmackDown. Instead, Naomi and Bayley both laid claim to the victory as the pair simultaneously pinned Nia Jax. As such, neither was given the title shot and the duo will take part in a Number One Contender’s match on next week’s show.

While Nia has been a believably dominant champion and Tiffany’s Money In The Bank briefcase is a source of constant intrigue, the build-up around the Women’s Championship on the road to Bad Blood hasn’t quite ignited yet. There are two more SmackDown episodes between now and the PLE. They need to make them count.

• Jacob Fatu superkicking security next to the venue’s metal detectors. He must be a nightmare at airports.
• Roman Reigns made 12 sacks and 90 tackles in 39 career games for Georgia Tech.
• Tama Tonga’s noises are what every child dreads hearing from under their bed.
• Huge pop for the man in the front row in the shirt saying Make Better Nia Jax Shirts.
• Andrade was last United States Champion for 63 days after beating Rey Mysterio for the title on December 26th, 2019.
• Chelsea Green vs Michin in a Dumpster Match is confirmed for the October 4th episode of SmackDown. It is the first women’s Dumpster Match in WWE history.
• The last Dumpster Match in WWE saw The Street Profits defeat the Alpha Academy on August 1st, 2022.
• Kevin Owens and DIY have never tagged together. Owens last tagged with Johnny Gargano to defeat Alpha Academy in September 2022.
• Kevin Owens last worked heel in his program with Stone Cold Steve Austin in April 2022.