Triple H addressed the fallout of Thursday’s explosive WrestleMania Kickoff press event in Las Vegas, in which The Rock and Roman Reigns appeared to form a bond over their familial bonds when confronted by Cody Rhodes, who revealed he will challenge The Tribal Chief for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at The Showcase of the Immortals in Philadelphia.
What did the face of WWE have to say about the events of Thursday and would there be any further indication of exactly what this road to the biggest show of the year may look like?
Find out with this recap of a broadcast that also featured the coronation of tag team No. 1 contenders, the latest from Royal Rumble winner Bayley, and another qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber.
Triple H kicked off SmackDown, joined in the squared circle by Raw and SmackDown general managers Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis, to address the events of Thursday’s WrestleMania Kickoff press conference.
He eluded to a power struggle between him and The Rock before acknowledging that the final decision lies with him. It will be Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania in Philadelphia for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
From there, Aldis and Pearce announced that the challenger for Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship will be determined in Perth, Australia at Elimination Chamber.
Matches to determine the six Superstars who will compete at the premium live event will begin on tonight’s broadcast.
McIntyre hit the ring, took a few shots at CM Punk, took credit for Rhodes choosing to finish his story against Reigns, and vowed to save the world title by beating Rollins at WrestleMania.
This was a red-hot start to the show that intensified the tensions we saw between The Rock and Triple H in Las Vegas, reiterated the main event of the biggest show of the year, and turned attention to deciding a No. 1 contender to Rollins through a series of what could be super in-ring contests, all culminating with the Elimination Chamber on February 24.
Drew McIntyre advanced to the Elimination Chamber match with a victory over AJ Styles in the night’s opening contest, thanks in no part to a distraction from LA Knight.
Mounting tensions between the two reared their head late in the match when McIntyre hurled his opponent at Knight, who accidentally (or not) poured water on The Phenomenal One.
Shots were taken at The Megastar, which provided just enough of a distraction for McIntyre to blast Styles with the Claymore for the win.
Any time two pros like McIntyre and Styles get together, there’s a certain level of quality to be expected. They had a strong match, supported by the reaction of the audience. Could it have been done without the incessant interference of Knight?
Sure, but it furthered a feud, which will only intensify now that Styles has seen his dreams of headlining WrestleMania dashed.
Bianca Belair is one step closer to returning to the championship match at WrestleMania with her victory over Michin in an Elimination Chamber Qualifier.
The EST overcame a game opponent, absorbing everything the first lady of The OC threw at her and delivering a Kiss of Death to cash her ticket to the Perth, Australia premium live event.
This was the latest in a series of strong in-ring performances from Michin, who should be in line for a bigger push post-WrestleMania. She has repeatedly proven herself and it is no accident that she is receiving the television time that she is right now.
Beliar winning was the right call in that she is an elite performer in the women’s division and brings star power to the Elimination Chamber match.
She may not win on February 24, but one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would not want to see her and Michin run it back at some point in the near future.
Bayley and Iyo Sky are headed for a clash at WrestleMania, with the latter’s WWE Women’s Championship up for grabs, but it was another former Damage CTRL teammate from whom the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble winner found herself demanding answers.
Dakota Kai interrupted Bayley and found herself on the defensive, explaining that she did not know how to tell her friend that Sky, Asuka, and Kairi Sane were plotting her ousting from Damage CTRL.
This brought out the heels, with Damage CTRL encircling the squared circle. Kai grabbed a chair and at first, teased hitting Bayley with it before helping fend the heels off.
Though Kai appeared to help Bayley, there is still tension that exists between them and, just as the babyface did with her now former teammates a week ago, it would not be surprising to find out that Kai was playing her.
Especially considering some of the instances in recent memory where Kai exhibited the same reactions to Bayley that the rest of Damage CTRL did.
Still, this was a logical next step given Kai’s absence a week ago and helps build intrigue with just under two months of television to go before WrestleMania.
