3 Winners & 3 Losers From Last Night's SmackDown (October 11th, 2024)

Hot on the heels of Bad Blood, WWE SmackDown opened from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina with the latest installment of The Bloodline Saga. Jimmy Uso arrived after his return at last weekend's PLE and was swiftly joined by Roman Reigns to continue their reunion. The night did not go well for the pair, as Solo Sikoa would beat the returning Uso in the night's Main Event, and Reigns would end the show taking a savage, Jacob Fatu-led beatdown from The Bloodline.

LA Knight successfully defended his US Championship against Carmelo Hayes, and Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill would also leave Greensville with their Tag Team gold. Nia Jax was on the receiving end of a Raw invasion, suffering blows from both Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley and Kevin Owens would bum-rush the show to confront Cody Rhodes and attack Randy Orton, ending the two's long-standing friendship.

Winners

Friday Night SmackDown

Proving It Is Absolutely Not Going To Be The B Show

What a show! On fire from the opening segment to the final seconds, this is a night that confirms SmackDown won't play little brother to Monday Night Raw ahead of the latter move to Netflix in January. The return of Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens's reign of terror, two title matches, surprise run-ins from Raw, a Bloodline Civil War main event, and a successful NXT debut. It was a hell of a SmackDown.

Speaking of Monday night, it was positive to see a few of the Raw crew who didn't have much involvement make an appearance ahead of Crown Jewel. If Liv Morgan was a partial surprise, Rhea Ripley's arrival to clean house and take out Nia Jax was a shock. Everything around the Kevin Owens situation is captivating. As next week's show has already confirmed Andrade vs Carmelo's game 7, SmackDown feels essential viewing at this point. No doubt about it, WWE's blue brand is red hot right now.

The Bloodline Story

Roman's Full-Time Return Sets A New Story In Motion

It may not have been pleasant to certain corners of the internet's taste, but WWE spent this summer making everyone familiar with this new version of The Bloodline. Solo Sikoa main evented SummerSlam, arguably the second-biggest show of the year. If Jacob Fatu wasn't on the wider public's radar, he sure as hell is now. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa currently hold more WWE gold than Roman Reigns. It really has felt like most episodes of SmackDown have ended with The Bloodline standing tall.

All of this has been to set up Roman's return as the triumphant hero. Roman's return has already sent Kevin Owens over the edge and started chaos with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. Tonight, after Roman gave a vote of No Yeet to the idea of a reunion with Jey, Jimmy Uso had to remind Reigns that he's currently a Tribal Chief without a tribe. Jacob Fatu landing his thunderous bump in the corner on Reigns felt enormous because of The Bloodline's Summer. Solo's Bloodline making Roman look human at the show's end felt significant. These guys are serious. Believe that.

The Women's Tag Team Championship

There's Been Plenty Of TV Time For The Champs

If LA Knight feels like a fighting champion, let's give it up for the Women's Tag Team Champions, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. This was their fourth defense of their titles in 41 days. On Monday, that number will rise to five championship defenses in 44 days when they face Damage CTRL on Raw. Say what you will about the champs, they are giving everyone an opportunity to come and get some.

It results in great exposure for the talent in the women's division on a regular basis. NXT call-ups Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend made an impression here, despite a short match and being interrupted by a crazed Kevin Owens. Unholy Union and Damage CTRL have had their chances, and Pure Fusion Collective may not be far behind them. It's an exciting time to be a tag team in the women's division.

LA Knight

Another Successful Title Defense. Yeah!

Since he became United States Champion, LA Knight has spent his summer elevating SmackDown's mid-card. The novelty of having the belt defended so regularly is that everyone benefits. Just a few weeks ago, it was Santos Escobar and a surprise Ludwig Kaiser challenge in Germany. Most recently, the incredible feud between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes benefitted from Knight's presence. Both men have earned title shots through the excellence of their feud.

Though he has been a fighting champion, it feels as though LA Knight is still searching for the definitive feud to his title reign. His popularity shows no signs of slowing down with live audiences. His matches have been great. What he needs is a rivalry to bring out the best in him.

Kevin Owens

The Most Interesting Character On WWE TV Right Now

After Bad Blood went off the air, with The Rock making his presence known to the triumphant Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, a man from Quebec took center stage. Kevin Owens attacking WWE Champion Cody Rhodes outside his tour bus was captured only by cellphone cameras, and his actions have been treated with an unnatural amount of seriousness. No fines for KO. Just ambiguous on-air messages about consequences. Well, consequences be damned.

Coming through the crowd, Owens picked up a live mic and hit the ring during the entrance for the Women's Tag Team Championship match. His frenzied demeanor and the WWE cutting KO's microphone as he went to speak felt genuinely guerrilla. Having already shown his disdain for Cody, his friendship with Randy Orton is now over. This man has suffered at the hands of Roman Reigns more than any other, and he will not accept what is happening. The next time Kevin Owens is given a microphone is going to be electric.

Losers

Nia Jax

The Queen Is Attacked From All Sides

Things had been pretty peachy for Nia Jax, but things can also change rapidly in the WWE. She was riding high from her successful Women's Championship defense over Bayley at Bad Blood, Tiffany Stratton still had the MITB briefcase, and The Queen had been feeling buoyant ahead of facing Liv Morgan at Crown Jewel. That was until the Raw Women's Champion, Dirty Dom, and Raquel Rodriguez arrived unannounced and Naomi challenged her to an impromptu non-title match.

In just a few short minutes, Nia Jax would find herself flat on her back after being attacked by Liv Morgan with Tiffany Stratton's briefcase, then losing to Naomi, before she became collateral damage to Rhea Ripley wiping out The Judgment Day. Her promo this week was full of spite for Ms Stratton. There may be a lot more where that came from after she was made to look weak on this week's SmackDown.

Randy Orton

Noble Actions Land The Viper In The Mud

It's impossible to not feel sympathy for Randy Orton. With his long-term friendship with Cody Rhodes and his incredibly endearing union with Kevin Owens, it seemed like The Viper was finally at peace with his friends and the support of a genuine band of brothers. Depending on your viewpoint, the return of Roman Reigns or the recent actions of Kevin Owens has put an end to that for good.

As Kevin Owens tried to accuse Cody Rhodes of turning on him and the Champion made his way to the ring for retribution, Orton would separate the violence and turn peacemaker before retaliating to KO, landing a punch on his friend. He went to the back to assure Rhodes that he would handle Kevin Owens's temper. He ended his night lying on the concrete as Owens left the arena for good. Whatever they are, Orton's next moves will be fascinating.

The Final Word