The Post’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the world of professional wrestling every Tuesday in his weekly column, the Post Match Angle.
Roman Reigns put The Usos in a no-win situation that may finally bring an end to The Bloodline as we know it.
Reigns returned to WWE television Friday on “SmackDown” for the first time since the “Raw” the night after he defeated Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39, and he unloaded disrespect after disrespect on The Usos.
First, he credited Solo Sikoa and him alone for the trios’ win at Backlash and seemingly elevated The Usos’ little brother to his right-hand man. Then he chastised the duo for losing their undisputed tag team championships to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the main event of the first night of WrestleMania and failing to win them back in their rematch — which they dedicated to him. He called them a problem and even lit into them for dedicating the match to him and not one of the legendary tag teams in their family.
Reigns then asked for an apology, only to see Jimmy laugh in disbelief at the request — enough to anger the Tribal Chief into pushing him right in the face. Again, Jey was forced to step in to save his brother and apologize, asking for one more chance to do right by The Bloodline.
Little did they know, Reigns had taken that away from them before they even got in the ring, having signed him and Sikoa up to face Owens and Zayn at Night of Champions — which will mark Owens’ and Zayn’s first trip to Saudi Arabia with WWE. Reigns didn’t even have the respect to tell The Usos himself, instead having Paul Heyman do it.
All of this leaves The Usos in a pretty precarious position. What are their options here?
1. If Reigns and Sikoa win the tag team championships without their help, the Usos now look like bigger failures and have a lesser role, perhaps none, in The Bloodline.
2. If Reigns and Sikoa win with their help, maybe it earns The Usos some goodwill, but the things they cherish most are now on the waists of their family — you either live with it or betray them to get it.
3. If Reigns and Sikoa lose without their help, the Usos won’t look as bad, but Reigns will likely blame them for the loss for not helping and maybe they get a must-win shot at the belts at Money in the Bank.
4. If Reigns and Sikoa lose because of their failed help, that pretty much ensures a Samoan Spike and an exile from The Bloodline.
It’s why it feels more than ever like we are headed for the split in The Bloodline. The battle lines have already been drawn. Hopefully, WWE gives Jimmy and Jey the guts to stand up to Reigns.
We will see how this plays out, but the way Sikoa and Reigns have been booked, it’s hard to see them losing in Saudi Arabia. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos for the tag titles at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam sounds like fun — maybe Owens and Zayn get thrown in, too.
One way or another, The Bloodline’s bond will face it’s greatest test yet.
Don Callis, you swine!
I have to say, I didn’t see this turn coming now and not in this way. But man, having someone Kenny Omega considers family stab him in the head with a screwdriver and cost him his cage match with Jon Moxley on “Dynamite” opens up so many potential fun avenues and many questions around this important AEW story.
The surprise on Bryan Danielson’s face makes me question if Callis is working with the Blackpool Combat Club. Danielson said he had no idea about it. And Callis was on the phone with someone in a social-exclusive clip as he exited the arena. Omega in another clip asked, “If I can’t trust the [Young[ Bucks, if I can’t trust my family, who can I trust?”
“Hangman” Adam Page returning to The Elite seems a bit easier now without the manipulative Callis in Omega’s ear. Could Callis possibly be working with a heel CM Punk, jumping to another top star after feeling Omega had lost his way? Jay White or even a Will Ospreay would make some sense as stars who have issues with Omega.
Lastly, does this betrayal open the door for a scared Omega needing to be saved by best friend Kota Ibushi this summer? The Elite have been teasing a potential blowup on “Being The Elite” over The Bucks not telling Omega they didn’t come to his aid in his title loss to Hangman.
Callis set the wheels in motion with plenty of directions for them to turn.
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler returning to beat down Raquel Rodriguez and threaten to keep doing so — even without injured partner Liv Morgan could work brilliantly. Rodriguez will either get sympathy while getting beat up or look like a powerhouse winning handicap matches while creating anticipation for Morgan’s return.
Fan of the House Rules idea. Thought the lighting worked well enough and made things feel special and the opponents picking a stipulation will make each match feel a little different if done right. Also, Julia Hart’s feud with Anna Jay, including a win in a no-holds-barred match on Wednesday, really has done a solid job raising her stock.
I’m not sure how much more meaningful mileage WWE can get out of Damage CTRL. Time for a breakup and bringing Bayley back babyface.
WWE delivering Seth Rollins vs. A.J. Styles as the world heavyweight championship final is probably the best wrestling match we could get. Rollins is 4-1 all-time vs. Styles in a singles match, with the only PPV meeting at Money in the Bank 2019.
The NXT main event was a win-win for Trick Williams and Bron Breakker. Williams, in maybe the biggest spot during his time in NXT, looked like he belonged and has the crowd behind him. Breakker just added to his heat with the audience and delivered an incredible spear to Carmelo Hayes with their rematch coming up.
Mustafa Ali is a more than suitable first Raw challenger for Gunther’s Intercontinental championship in a quick-build match in Saudi Arabia. But I’m more interested in Imperium making a deal with Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns. It leaves Imperium in position to ask to be repaid down the line or be Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens’ next challengers after Night of Champions.
Down-on-his-luck Baron Corbin truly is the best Baron Corbin.
Mark Briscoe has been used very well since joining AEW. Watching this good-hearted man have to be a bipartisan guest referee is going be fascinating considering the snakes that Jeff Jarrett and Lethal are and true friend Dax Harwood mistakenly pile-driving him this week.
I’m not sure where the story with Von Wagner is going, but I’m invested. Because if those are true photos of him as a child with some sort of head injury, it could connect him to the audience in a way he hasn’t been able to so far.
For those interested in getting your wrestling fix a different way, a new play, “Master of Puppets,” is opening at The Legacy Theatre in Branford, Conn. on Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m. It’s a a fictionalized, no-holds-barred look at the dirty underbelly of professional wrestling staring Dana Ashbrook (Showtime’s Twin Peaks), Amanda Detmer (Fox’s Empire) and Kurt Fuller (CBS’s Evil) among others.
A.J. Styles, WWE
The 45-year-old Styles has only been back two weeks from an ankle injury and is already back in the world championship picture for his first title match on TV since a triple-threat match against Drew McIntyre and The Miz for the WWE championship at TLC 2020. His win Friday over Bobby Lashley in the semifinals of the World Heavyweight championship tournament could leave him to be Roman Reigns’ next singles challenger as well.
Saraya, Toni Storm, Ruby Soho vs. Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, AEW Dynamite (Wednesday, 8 p.m., TBS)
This felt like the match we would be getting at Double or Nothing after Shida returned last week to swerve The Outcasts. So AEW must have something else planned for the pay-per-view if this is happening on Dynamite. Keep in mind, Thunder Rosa, who has beef with the AEW originals, just returned to TV last week. We will find out where it all goes from here.