WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Oct. 27
Ahead of their titanic clash for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on Saturday, November 4 at Crown Jewel, Roman Reigns and LA Knight put pen to paper Friday on SmackDown to make their premium live event headliner official.
What went down when The Tribal Chief and The Megastar shared the same ring and what repercussions would it have on the build to the annual spectacular?
Find out now with this recap of a show that also featured the first appearance from Bianca Belair following her return last week, as well as John Cena's thoughts ahead of his Crown Jewel match against Solo Sikoa.
Match Card
1 of 9Announced in advance for Friday's show were:
- Roman Reigns, LA Knight Crown Jewel contract signing
- John Cena promo
- Bianca Belair promo
Roman Reigns and LA Knight Sign the Contract for Crown Jewel
2 of 9
Any misguided doubt that may have existed about LA Knight's star was erased Friday night at the top of SmackDown when he interrupted Roman Reigns' entrance, hit the ring, and proceeded to steal the spotlight.
He was cool, collected, and held the fans in the palm of his hand as he proclaimed the game his own and vowed to take the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from The Tribal Chief at Crown Jewel.
His confidence unwavering, he looked everything the megastar he has claimed to be for the last year and, perhaps even greater for his future prospects, looked like Reigns' equal. There was never any doubt that the guy cooking the heel on the mic did not stand a chance at dethroning him in Saudi Arabia.
Does he? No, but Knight has passed every test to this point and very easily could believably be champion if Triple H and WWE Creative decided they wanted to shift the direction of things at the top of the card.
That is a testament to everything Knight has done over the last six months to build momentum and remain relevant.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Knight interrupted Reigns' entrance, hit the ring, stole his place at the head of the table, and cut Aldis off. This was top-dog stuff from the No. 1 contender, who looks every bit like The Megastar he has fashioned himself for the last year.
- "Have you ever had a championship match?" Reigns arrogantly asked Knight, eluding to his lack of big-match appearances in WWE.
- "While you failed time after time, while you were busy with suckering succotash, I've been out here since day one telling everyone whose game it is!" Knight said.
Carlito and Santos Escobar vs. The Street Profits
3 of 9
The Street Profits continued to build momentum under the guidance of Bobby Lashley, defeating Carlito and Santos Escobar in a match marred indirectly by Logan Paul.
As United States Champion Rey Mysterio watched his LWO teammates backstage, Paul sucker punched him, drawing the attention of Carlito and Escobar. With the former being sent to check on the Hall of Famer, Escobar ultimately fell prey to the Revelation as Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins earned another key victory in their development as heels.
The match was solid and laid the groundwork for Escobar to become more frustrated and disenfranchised with his relationship with his LWO teammates, making this a significant match beyond what went down between the ropes.
Result
The Street Profits defeated Carlito and Escobar
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Ford and Dawkins entered to new theme music, sans red Solo cups, as they continued their shift in character and tone.
- This is Carlito's first match on SmackDown since April 7, 2009, when he partnered with Primo Colon to battle Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes.
- Logan Paul jumped Rey Mysterio backstage, the video drawing the attention of the babyfaces. Escobar ordered Carlito to the back, leaving him to go it alone.
Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green
4 of 9
After a backstage confrontation with Women's Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, Shotzi battled Green in singles competition, as ordered by general manager Nick Aldis.
Despite a game effort from Green, it was Shotzi who took advantage of Green's overconfidence and pinned her for an upset victory.
The match was a welcome change of pace in that it did not feature Charlotte Flair, Asuka, or Damage CTRL, or any mix therein. Shotzi does not get enough consistent television time and there is no such thing as enough time for a personality as large as Green's.
Putting them on the show and letting them build up equity with fans is exactly what WWE Creative should be doing.
With that said, the fact that there were no stakes or any real rhyme or reason for this to take place outside of the chance backstage encounter means it was hard to get excited about, or look forward to, much beyond the fact that both women were involved in a TV match.
Result
Shotzi defeated Green
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Graves revealed that Shotzi's ring gear was made from an "authentic straight jacket," which is very cool and in line with her character.
- Shotzi capitalized on the arrogance of Green and scored the pin with a crucifix rollup.
John Cena Promo on Solo Sikoa
5 of 9
John Cena could have gotten by on being an inspirational talker and communicating to fans like only he can, asserted Paul Heyman Friday night. Instead, he went ahead and pissed off The Bloodline and now, at Crown Jewel, he will pay for it when he battles Solo Sikoa.
The segment started with Cena questioning himself, only to feed off of the love and support of WWE fans. The arrival of Heyman, not-so-subtle threats, and a beatdown from The Enforcer of The Bloodline ensured his rejuvenation was short-lived as Sikoa left him lying to close things out.
This was excellent promo work from Heyman, with some great character work from Cena and a quality beatdown by Sikoa to earn himself some heat ahead of next Saturday afternoon's Crown Jewel event.
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "For the first time in 20 years, I feel I'm in jeopardy of losing your support. For the first time in 20 years, I feel I'm in jeopardy of losing your respect," Cena said, his 2,000-plus day streak of not winning a singles match clearly affecting him.
- "But what if I don't?" Cena responded to chants of "you still got it."
- "There is only one thing left to do at Crown Jewel: win."
- "Thank you for 21 years of selling out the house based on the name 'John Cena,'" Heyman said before retelling the story of making Cena his first-round draft pick 20 years ago when he was running SmackDown.
- "You are the greatest of all time in terms of communication in WWE history," Heyman hyped Cena up, even putting him ahead of himself.
Dragon Lee vs. Cedric Alexander
6 of 9
Dragon Lee continued his recent push on Friday nights with a victory over Cedric Alexander that went two segments of television time, allowed the former WWE Cruiserweight champion to remind fans of his talent, and brought some workrate to the show.
Alexander was highlighted significantly here, to the point that the idea of him benefiting from this match more than Lee did is not all that laughable.
Lee is the guy the company is looking to spotlight and went over here with a pinfall victory. Understandably so. Whether Alexander can build momentum based on this match and his performance within, though, will be the real question to keep an eye on moving forward.
Result
Lee pinned Alexander
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The pre-match video package reminding fans of who Alexander is and what he is capable of was a nice touch.
- Alexander vs. Lee across two segments, with permission to let loose? This is definitely Triple H's show.
Bianca Belair Promo
7 of 9
Bianca Belair has made her intentions clear: take out Damage CTRL and regain her WWE Women's Championship.
The EST revealed Friday that she worked with general manager Nick Aldis to put together a title match for Crown Jewel between her and Iyo Sky. From there, she revealed that she will start her journey to revenge next week by battling Bayley.
It was a short, sweet promo that clearly defined Belair's motivations and gave fans an idea of what is to come.
If only all wrestling promos could be this effective.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Belair admitted she had only one thing on her mind while she was gone: the beatdown by Damage CTRL that left her sidelined shortly after SummerSlam.
- "This time, I just could not let it go and for the first time in my life, I was consumed by vengeance," Belair said.
LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso
8 of 9
LA Knight topped off a banner night with a victory over Jimmy Uso in a highly competitive match that further established the idea that The Megastar is a very real threat to dethrone Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel.
If that was not enough, the fact that he dropped The Tribal Chief with Blunt Force Trauma and stood over him, talking smack to close out the show should have been.
This was the LA Knight show and it was fantastic.
Ahead of the biggest match of his career, WWE went all in on Knight and the veteran performer answered the call, shining brighter than any other Superstar on a broadcast that he needed to.
Nights like this will make it that much more difficult for WWE when he does not beat Reigns and draws thousands of tweets and other social media posts denouncing a loss that should have been a championship win.
Result
Knight defeated Uso
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeways
- "Knight is playing with house money. He was not even expected to be in this situation," Cole said of the babyface.
- Chants of "Jey is better" infuriated Jimmy.
- Michael Cole put over the idea that Knight has never been on this stage before and that a showdown with Reigns could be a long, grueling match the likes of which he has yet to face in WWE.
- Knight kicked out of the Uso Splash, a huge nod to his popularity and position on the card. That does not get booked unless management firmly believes in Knight.
Overall Grade
9 of 9On a night when WWE needed to continue to building to Crown Jewel on November 4, it succeeded big time.
The work of Knight aside, this show highlighted the main event, added heat to John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa, introduced Belair's challenge to Iyo Sky for a title bout, and added the latest between Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul.
It was a show that surrounded those key segments with a match between Dragon Lee and Cedric Alexander, gave us a big win for Shotzi just days before Halloween Havoc, and continued the slow build toward a divorce between the LWO and Santos Escobar.
This show rocked HARD.
Grade: A
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