Things got deeply personal, and several rivalries added a new layer on Friday’s SmackDown at TD Garden in Boston.
Cody Rhodes threw caution to the wind while assaulting Randy Orton, Matt Cardona rescued his wife from Gunther, and Kevin Owens exchanged verbal blows with CM Punk that cut like a knife. Plus, two new champions were crowned.
Let’s recap the mayhem from SmackDown in Beantown.
Cody Rhodes Survives Randy Orton Ambush
Let’s start the recap with the show’s finale and work our way back to the beginning, shall we?
Thanks to another impromptu booking by SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn were set to square off in the main event with an interesting stipulation.
Should Sami Zayn emerge victorious, he would face the winner of next week’s WWE Championship matchup between CM Punk and Kevin Owens.
However, Zayn never got a chance to compete for No. 1 contendership because Randy Orton ambushed Cody Rhodes before the match began.
As Zayn strutted down the ramp for the main event match, The Viper appeared out of nowhere and began laying waste to Rhodes.
Orton struck Rhodes with an elbow before delivering a draping DDT to the American Nightmare.
Moments later, Orton went for the RKO, but Rhodes reversed it. Eventually, the unscheduled brawl spilled out of the ring and into the TD Garden crowd.
Once the fight sprawled back ringside, Orton wedged Cody Rhodes between the announce table and steel steps, looking to deliver a brutal chair shot.
Rhodes countered with a low blow before lining Orton up in the same spot. It was at this moment that Rhodes appeared to become unhinged.
Last week, Rhodes declared that he “no longer had to be the good guy.” Looming over Orton with a steel chair in his grasp, Rhodes appeared primed to cross over into a more sinister realm to settle the score with Orton.
Just as he was about to punish Orton with a chair shot, security intervened, and the show went off air.
One thing is clear: the war between Rhodes and Orton is far from over.
CM Punk and Kevin Owens Recap Tortured Past
The WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Kevin Owens is a bout that has been festering for 20 years.
On SmackDown, the two superstars came face-to-face and aired out some dirty laundry.
Owens revealed that, back when the two were on the indie scene, CM Punk berated him and poked fun at his physique.
Owens also called Punk “performative” and said that he will never like him.
The verbal exchange nearly turned physical, with Punk egging on Owens to punch him.
Owens said that he would rather save his strength for next week when he “beats [CM Punk’s] b*tch ass for the WWE title.”
For those that haven’t seen the heated segment, it is well worth a watch, and amplifies what should be a classic match next week in Toronto.
Chelsea Green Won’t Vacate WWE Women’s Title
Chelsea Green won the WWE Women’s Championship for the first time in her career at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, the WWE superstar suffered a broken orbital bone shortly after, which will take several weeks to recover.
Given that, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis originally asked her to vacate the championship. However, he later decided to afford Green with a month to heal up before she defends the title properly.
Shortly after the decision was made, Gunther stormed out and claimed that “nobody cares” about Green’s sob story and began belittling the champ.
His words didn’t sit well with Matt Cardona, Green’s husband, who rushed to the ring to defend his wife.
Other SmackDown highlights include Jacy Jane defeating Tiffany Stratton for the Women’s United States Championship and The MFTs capturing the WWE Tag Team title.
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