WWE SmackDown live results: Randy Orton addresses attack on Cody Rhodes
The road to the Undisputed WWE Championship title match between current champ Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton took a shocking turn last week when the contract signing for the match turned into a brutal affair.
Orton appeared to show his true colors to his long-time friend last week by laying a vicious beatdown on Rhodes, leaving him a bloody mess to end SmackDown last week. Tonight, Orton is set to address why he did what he did to a man he once called a friend.
Also set for tonight is Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre, as their bitter rivalry looks to explode once and for all. After Fatu played a role in McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Title loss two weeks ago, the Scotsman returned the favor and attacked him on last week’s show.
Both sets of Tag Team championships will be on the line as The Irresistable Forces defend against The Bella Twins, while the makeship Damian Priest & R-Truth look to take the men’s Tag belts away from The M.F.T.s.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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– The show opened with a recap of last week’s WrestleMania contract signing and the heinous (or perhaps justified in some circles?) actions of Randy Orton against current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Following that recap, we went to our commentary team of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett, who stated that Orton’s actions were viewed as “heinous” by a majority of WWE fans. We then got shots of the various stars in action tonight
– As Jelly Roll arrived to the arena, we got a commotion backstage as several people ran out to the parking lot. As the cameras followed, Drew McIntyre was seen attacking Jacob Fatu in his car and beating him to a pulp. Security officials dragged McIntyre off of Fatu as the SmackDown parking lot seemed to become the NXT Parking Lot in this one instant.
Drew McIntyre fools around, finds out
An irate McIntyre stormed to the ring and shouted that what happened to Fatu is because of his WrestleMania main event being taken away from him. He’s interrupted by General Manager Nick Aldis, who called him the most self-sabotaging superstar around. Aldis talked about how McIntyre’s efforts cost him the Undisputed WWE Title, a match with Fatu tonight, and potentially being at WrestleMania. McIntyre stated that firing him and quitting is what Aldis would’ve wanted, as he then said that Aldis’s son, Donovan, would be ashamed of the kind of father that he was. McIntyre declared that he’d cause as much chaos as he wanted to when all is said and done.
Jacob Fatu walked down to the ring and wanted more of McIntyre as the fight was on at ringside. Fatu gained the upper hand in this brawl with a throw to the steel steps. The announce table was re-arranged while McIntyre was pummeled endlessly by a relentless Fatu. Security seemingly got Fatu to back off, but only for a moment, as he then got a head of speed and hit a big splash from the timekeeper’s table, as he crushed McIntyre through the commentary table! Fatu finally left as McIntyre was left lying in a heap.
I have to admit, this was a very hot start to the evening, and it seems that this is how we’ll push the Fatu/McIntyre match to WrestleMania, as the two were scheduled to compete tonight. As for that presumed Mania match, it’s one that can’t be just a standard one-on-one contest. There has to be a stipulation at play.
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WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The M.F.T.s (Tama Tonga & J.C. Mateo) (w/ Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, and Tonga Loa) (c) vs. Damian Priest & R-Truth
Mateo & Tama represented the M.F.T.s under the Freebird Rule for this match.
Priest started off hot with a Flatiliner on Mateo, as he and Truth then hit a unique double team maneuver on Tama. Priest continued the momentum with a running forearm on Mateo. Talla Tonga clipped Truth at the corner as Priest got clotheslined out of the ring by Mateo. Talla attacked Priest behind the referee’s back as we took a break early on.
This match continued from commercial as Priest tried to fight out of the M.F.T. corner, but was rammed into the corner by Mateo. Priest then found himself being hit with a standing moonsault by Mateo, who then hit a running splash on his foe. Mateo shoved Truth from the apron, but he got cracked by a spinning kick from Priest. This gave him an opening to get the hot tag for Truth.
Truth channeled his inner “Ron Cena” as he hit the shoulder tackles, the Protoplex, and then the Five-Knuckle Shuffle. Truth couldn’t connect with the AA as Tama got out of it, with the M.F.T.s began to double team Truth. Priest was thrown out of the ring, as Truth hit Tama with a Stunner. At ringside, Tama was taken out by a clothesline from Priest while Truth locked in the STF on Mateo. Solo Sikoa created a distraction for the referee, which allowed Tama Tonga to hit a chokeslam on the apron. However, Truth kicked out at two somehow.
The Wyatt Sicks appeared and began to brawl with the M.F.T.s, as Uncle Howdy snuck up and got the Mandible Claw on Solo Sikoa at ringside. Mateo rolled out of the ring and threw Howdy into the barricade as he gave the Wyatt lantern to Sikoa. Inside the ring, Priest hit Tama with a running lariat, and Mateo was dropped by an AA from Truth and that’s it, over. We have new WWE Tag Team Champions.
R-Truth & Damian Priest def. The M.F.T.s via pinfall to win the WWE Tag Team Championships
Well, I can at least say that the Tag Titles are now likely out of the endless Wyatts/M.F.T. vortex for the time being, so I can’t hate this result all that much. Yes, a makeshift tag team won the gold, but I’d be lying if I said that this Truth/Priest team wasn’t growing on me. Maybe it highlights Priest’s strength as a tag team guy, so there’s that.
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– The Bella Twins were interviewed about their tag title match against The Irresistable Forces later tonight. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss interrupted while they ate ice cream. “Charlexa” called the Bellas selfish for jumping the line when it came to taking on Nia Jax and Lash Legend for the Womens’ Tag Titles. Brie and Nikki responded by saying that they’ll show Flair and Bliss how legends get it done, as they left while stealing Bliss’s spoon.
– Elsewhere, Candice LeRae was still with the ever-despondent Johnny Gargano, who was lying on a production crate. Danhausen appeared out of nowhere in true Danhausen fashion and offered his help with Gargano’s plight — on the condition that LeRae give him $20. LeRae gave the dough to Danhausen, who then vanished.
– Sami Zayn was asked by Cathy Kelley about what happened with Cody Rhodes last week. Zayn said he had a match against Aleister Black tonight, but he had a piece to say about Rhodes. He said that Rhodes tries to be a good person. Last week, Rhodes ended the night on a stretcher and bloodied, but Randy Orton ended the night with the Undisputed WWE Title in his hand. That seemed to shake Zayn to his core about what he believed in. Zayn was interrupted by Trick Williams, who talked trash to him, as he said that if he had time, he’d check out Zayn’s match with Black later tonight.
Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
Frazer and Shelley got things going for this match, with the former showing some impressive speed with a 23mph kick. With Axiom as the legal man, the MCMGs got the upper hand with some double team action. However, the masked man battled his way with a leaping dropkick on Sabin. Fraxiom then teamed up with superkicks on Sabin and Shelley, as we took a break.
WWE SmackDown recapper. Former NXT PLE/WWE Saturday Night's Main Event/fill-in recapper.