WWE SmackDown results: Live recap, grades as Roman Reigns responds to the actions of Kevin Owens

After Kevin Owens’ savage attack on Jey Uso and subsequent demands that Roman Reigns face him during last week’s SmackDown, Reigns delivered a response on Friday night, both verbally and physically.

Reings and Owens exchanged words early in the show, eventually agreeing to a TLC match at the upcoming TLC pay-per-view and they also faced off on opposite sides of a main event tag match. While Owens would technically get the win, there was little about the situation that felt like a positive for Owens, who was choked out and beaten with chairs as The Tribal Chief drove home his demand for respect. Uso would also fall victim to the rage of his cousin, ending the show lying on the canvas right alongside Owens.

CBS Sports was with you all night, bringing highlights and recaps of all the action. Read on for everything you need to know coming out of SmackDown from inside the ThunderDome in Orlando’s Amway Center.

Roman Reigns delivers a message to Kevin Owens and Jey Uso

The first segment of the show saw Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman enter the ring for Reigns to deliver a response to Kevin Owens’ brutal attack on Uso and subsequent calling out of Reigns. Reigns took issue with being asked by interviewer Kayla Braxton if his refusal to confront Owens last week was because he’s afraid of Owens, but refused to answer the question. As Reigns continued to take issue with the line of questioning, Owens’ music hit. Owens said that he would come to Reigns since Reigns didn’t come to him last week. Reigns asked for the microphone but Uso grabbed it and said, “We accept, easy.” Owens shut him down and demanded an answer directly from Reigns and suggested a match at TLC — and in a TLC match. Reigns accepted the match but refused to fight Owens then and there, gesturing to Braxton and saying, “There’s a lady in the ring” and called himself a gentleman, to which Owens replied, “You’re a bitch.”

Kevin Owens & Otis def. Roman Reigns & Jey Uso via disqualification. Reigns did not walk to the ring with Uso, allowing his cousin to take a beating until Owens was eventually put down and seemingly out. At that point, Reigns made his way to the ring, took the tag and brutalized Otis outside the ring, including assaulting Otis with several shots by the ring steps until Owens got back in the fight. Owens was left at a two-on-one disadvantage for the remainder of the match, with Reigns growing increasingly frustrated with Uso as he was unable to put away Owens. Owens hit Uso with a Samoan drop after demanding Reigns get in the ring. Reigns eventually did get in the ring to deliver a punch, allowing Uso to hit a superkick. As Uso went to the top rope for a splash, Reigns told him to get down and tag him in so Reigns could be the one to finish the show. Instead, Owens hit Uso with a stunner and almost had the pin before Reigns ran in and locked Owens in a guillotine choke for the disqualification. After the match, Uso and Reigns hit Owens with a series of chair shots before Uso laid a chair on Owens’ chest before hitting him with a splash. Reigns then turned and hit Uso with the chair several times, yelling at him for his constant screwups.

Reigns drove home his point after the attack, telling Owens that he would take his manhood, his livelihood and everything his family had at TLC. It was another great character moment for Reigns, not only in delivering a message to his new rival, but in handling things with Uso. Owens has the perfect character for this story, as well. He is entirely capable of firing up to a level that meets Reigns’ intensity and that has shown in back-to-back weeks. The TLC match between these men is very likely going to be incredibly good. Grade: A-

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

The show opened with a 10-bell salute to Pat Patterson featuring the entire locker room, including backstage figures such as Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and Sgt. Slaughter, all in the entrance area. A video package of Patterson’s career also aired during the show.

Natalya def. Bayley via submission with a Sharpshooter. The finish was entirely clean, marking another loss for Bayley since she lost the SmackDown title. Bianca Belair was on commentary for the match and Bayley was largely preoccupied with Belair through the match.

Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio & Big E def. Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler & Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall when Bryan rolled up Zayn with a small package. This was a Pat Patterson Tribute Match featuring six former intercontinental champions. After the match, the faces ran the heels from the ring, except for Ziggler who tried to talk them down, only to take bumps for Bryan, Mysterio and E.

Carmella and Sasha Banks were interviewed at the same time from different locations. Banks suggested they settle their issues in the ring, and said Carmella will never be in her league. Carmella responded that Banks was jealous because, while Banks had to work hard her whole life to get to the top, Carmella just walked into the performance center and had a more successful title reign than Banks has ever had. Banks ended by saying she’d give Carmella a one-on-one match at TLC.

King Corbin def. Murphy via pinfall after hitting End of Days. Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler were the backup Corbin had prepared for the rematch and to help him keep the Mysterio family from interfering as they had to help Murphy win last week. As Murphy seemed to have the match in hand, Corbin signaled for Blake and Cutler to attack Dominik and Rey Mysterio. In the ensuing chaos, Murphy ran into an End of Days from Corbin for the finish.