WWE Friday Night SmackDown was live from San Jose, just a week removed from the storyline-altering segment that introduced Pat McAfee as the main catalyst to Randy Orton‘s direction heading into his WrestleMania 42 title shot against Cody Rhodes. The segment that kicked off the show last week helped identify the ‘man on the phone’ gimmick that Randy had been using throughout the week.
Fans and media alike speculated that the mystery man could be a former Evolution member like Ric Flair, while the more conspiratorial fantasy booked the return of ‘Mr. McMahon.’ In the end, the choice of McAfee has become a broader narrative involving top TKO brass.
There is an off-screen narrative suggesting that Ari Emmanuel is similarly behind it all, to his infamous ‘favor’ call that got The Rock involved in last year’s Elimination Chamber. As Pat’s agent, Emmanuel is unlikely to become an on-screen cannon beyond anything more than name, and that is why The Rock remains a potential twist.
HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED
Cody came in hot looking for Pat before the sun was down in San Jose, and that is when GM Nic Aldis informed him that he was given marching orders from ‘above.’ The champ snapped back by challenging Aldis on ‘who’ could outmaneuver him on his show, and the sighs exchanged were meant to align our frustrations with theirs.
Jelly Roll, who has been pulling double and triple duty on the final stretch to Mania, entered the frame to try to offer Cody some perspective. The Grammy winner told the 2x WWE world champion that he needed to stay focused on Mania because there is much more on the line than the title—claiming that the direction of the company is at stake.
PAT AND RANDY TO “SAVE” WWE… SPONSORED BY DOGE & BUILT RAM TOUGH
Pat McAfee showed up in his black Dodge Ram 4-door (factory wheels are not a flex) and made sure Aldis informed the roster that he was ‘not to be touched.’ Jelly Roll then popped ‘out of nowhere’ to confront Pat on whether he was responsible for being RKO’ed.
Pat offered Jelly some empathy, though he blamed him for ‘being out there’ in the first place. The hypocrisy of Pat telling Jelly Roll that he ‘has no business’ getting between Randy and Cody directly ties in to the online narrative from fans. This sort of projection from Pat, who said Jelly Roll is “not part of our business,” is exactly the kind of heat he hopes to achieve.
By the time McAfee made it to the ring, he had achieved the necessary heat and commenced by calling San Jose a ‘piece of s**t’ town before moving on to CM Punk. The crowd began chanting Punk’s name before Pat’s promo ever started, and that is because Punk took aim at Pat in his promo on Monday.
McAfee held his own, poking fun at Punk’s relevance and physical acumen before reminding the fans that their ‘voice of the voiceless’ gave his entire schtick on RAW while wearing licensed WWE gear.
“He’s got 283 things for sale, and I wonder to myself, when that TKO check comes through, which account does it go to?” McAfee sarcastically questioned. He was attempting to reshape the narrative that sees Punk as a hero for the people, and instead portrayed him as complicit in all the issues in his Monday promo. Then, he went into full heal mode, asking if Punk’s merch checks go to the ‘needy wrestling families’ ticket fund for Mania.
Calling Punk a fraud, ‘like a politician,’ before claiming that his money goes into an ‘I’m sorry Saudi’ checking account. It was a bigger pipe bomb than anything Punk has produced since his return, and he left the fans confused with his truth-filled promo. And then he lost the entire crowd when the entire promo turned out to be a commercial for both the car company Doge and WWE WM42 tickets, with 25% off for Saturday. Pat, possibly feeling like he had just lost the crowd, started going in on the ‘local sports franchises.’
CODY DOES IT FOR THE FAM
Cody Rhodes eventually came down to tell Pat two things:
1) Randy Orton was never an Attitude Era wrestler
2) The fans wanted to see Randy at Mania and still do, but they do not want to see Pat McAfee
Pat called Cody a ‘cosplay champion’ before dropping the biggest ball of the night, claiming that if Orton loses at Mania, then McAfee will NEVER come back to WWE. The crowd chanted “go home, Pat” as he flipped them off. Just as it seemed like Cody was going to attack Pat, Orton appeared on the monitor with a beaten Jelly Roll, barely conscious, used as a decoy to attack Cody.
JADE CARGILL(c) VS IYO SKY—Non-Title Singles Match
Rhea Ripley officially opened SD by claiming her feud with Jade had been escalated before Iyo Sky came hobbling down the aisle. The two spoke about their friendship before Iyo asked for Rhea’s blessing to challenge Jade to a singles match. Before she could respond, Nic Aldis came out and made it official.
Rhea took apart Jade’s faction as a running narrative throughout the show, first by attacking B-Fab before beating down Michin to keep the main event on an even keel. Cargill did not need the faction, at least early on, as she worked a less than 100% Sky. The champ lifted Sky above her head in an incredible display of power.
Jade won the match, but the final narrative suggests that her title defense against Rhea will have a definitive winner free of interference.
WORST HEEL TURN EVER???
Sami Zayn has been on the verge of a character shift for some time; it was teased last year following Jey Uso’s heavyweight title win at Mania 41on the ‘RAW-after’ show. Since then, there have been a few moments when a heel turn seemed possible. The frustrations of Sami’s quest for a major title have been well-documented.
It never happened, and then rumors surfaced that a potential Mania booking could see the ‘heel turn’ come to fruition with Trick Williams as the face (similar to the WM13 Submission Match between Steve Austin and Bret Hart). In recent bookings, Sami has been pushed to be more selfish, and, in that, he has achieved a quality arch.
However, the fans in San Jose booed him to no end and cheered Trick Williams throughout his star-defining entrance. It would seem like the transformation has already been achieved, and the ‘big heel turn’ took place in the fans’ minds and post-show considerations.
Trick Williams was booked as the heel in his match with Matt Cardona as the face, and Lil Yachty managed to get involved by pulling Zayn off the apron. Yachty took a ‘Helluva Kick’ from Zayn for good measure, and moments later, Trick picked up the win.
Other Tidbits
Drew McIntyre continues to be one of the best things on screen regardless of his proximity to the world title picture. He performed an entire video vignette from within a jail cell, mocking Jacob Fatu’s past convictions while insinuating that his worst decisions somehow define him. It was a powerful performance from Drew. Jacob Fatu was interviewed following the vignette to capture his immediate reaction, but that was when Solo and the MFTs entered the chat. Fatu was ready to throw down with Solo, but the former ‘Bloodline 2.0’ leader passed the smoke to Tama Tonga. Tama and Solo have not seen eye to eye lately, especially as it relates to their ongoing beef with The Wyatt Sycks. Jacob defeated Tama Tonga clean, and Drew showed up to deliver a post-match beatdown to his opponent. He handcuffed Fatu to the post and asked him how he felt to be ‘back in chains’ in what was a visceral moment.
– The show utilized some quality video packages tonight, though some fans might argue that the show is often too reliant on recaps and pre-recorded segments. However, the one concerning Royce Keyes was done well before he beat Berto Garza in singles action in his SD debut. Royce did not get a major ovation, and though he has received some major PR in the past couple of months, it had been so long since his Royal Rumble appearance that fans just could not muster the interest. He just needs consistent time on TV.
– “The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels” is a new documentary set to premiere on Peacock this Monday. A preview was shown on SD featuring the next-gen stars like Je’Von Evans and other NXT standouts getting advice from NXT’s head booker.
– The “Andre The Giant Battle Royal” will take place next Friday on the ‘go-home: Mania edition’ of SmackDown.
– Dan Housen picked up his first win in WWE by defeating Kit Williams in singles action with The Miz ringside. The ‘curse’ gimmick was still in effect as ‘pyro’ went off in the corner, causing Kit to fall from the turnbuckle.
– BAYLEY vs BLISS—Before they get to Mania with hopes of leaving as tag team champions, the two longtime singles stars battled it out against each other while their partners watched from ringside. Bayley mocked Charlotte by doing her best Ric Flair impersonation, although that distraction ended up costing her the match after Bliss rolled her up for the pinfall victory.
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