The opening segment of WWE SmackDown featuring Roman Reigns and The Usos might have been well received by fans, but it created problems for the rest of the show.
In a surprise move — although it became clear why later — the “Trial of the Tribal Chief” opened the show in Madison Square Garden as The Usos called Reigns out for his treatment of The Bloodline over the last three years.
At one stage it appeared that Reigns was ready to step back as Tribal Chief, even handing his lei to Jey Uso, throwing his Undisputed WWE Universal Title to the ground, and kneeling before his cousin. However, all that did was wet up a thunderous low blow and a wild brawl which ended with Jimmy Uso being taken away in an ambulance.
While the mega segment which ran for almost 40 minutes was quickly praised by fans and critics on social media, it did have a knock-on effect for the rest of the show.
As reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the “ripple effect” was that matches and segments later in the broadcast ended up being cut short. The match between AJ Styles and Karrion Kross was originally scheduled for more time, as was the segment involving Asuka, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Damage CTRL.
Jey Uso Throws Down Challenge To Roman Reigns
Incredibly the opening segment was only part of the Roman Reigns and Jey Uso story. As the show progressed it was revealed that Jey was making his way back to the arena after accompanying Jimmy to hospital. The show went off the air with Jey trying to take out Reigns and Solo Sikoa with a chair. Although the Tribal Chief escaped, he did so without his title which was quickly lifted to the sky by Jey.
With the gold in hand, Jey challenged Reigns to a one-on-one match.