Dragunov Campeón, Rhodes DQ y más: Resumen de SmackDown WWE

There’s unresolved beef between McIntyre and Rhodes, and a No. 1 contender wasn’t determined on «SmackDown.» Fatu had trussing pushed onto him in a gruesome scene that saw him on the floor backstage bleeding from the mouth with teeth knocked out, unable to compete in the No. 1 contendership match. Fatu has been strong in his interactions with Rhodes and McIntyre, but if reports about Fatu being injured are true, then he can definitely step right back into the title picture upon his return.

We saw a more aggressive side of Rhodes — dark colors, using the championship as a weapon against McIntyre — though it’s likely because he is fed up with McIntyre’s antics. But it was also a small glimpse into what a heel Rhodes could look like — a possibility always on the minds of some WWE fans. But that seems unlikely at the moment since Rhodes is in line to take over all of the responsibilities as the face of the WWE with John Cena retiring in December. Though I can definitely see different sides of his character, I don’t see him becoming a full-fledged heel in the near future.

Cody Rhodes, the heel?

There’s unresolved beef between McIntyre and Rhodes, and a No. 1 contender wasn’t determined on «SmackDown.» Fatu had trussing pushed onto him in a gruesome scene that saw him on the floor backstage bleeding from the mouth with teeth knocked out, unable to compete in the No. 1 contendership match. Fatu has been strong in his interactions with Rhodes and McIntyre, but if reports about Fatu being injured are true, then he can definitely step right back into the title picture upon his return.

Dragunov returned to WWE action for the first time since suffering a torn ACL over a year ago. He answered Sami Zayn’s U.S. Title Open Challenge call and it was a terrific match. Solo Sikoa made his presence felt during the match and distracted Zayn just enough for Dragunov to capitalize and hit a Torpedo Moscow followed by an H-Bomb to win the U.S. Championship. This match served a lot of great purposes. We got the element of surprise, not only because of Dragunov’s return, but his title victory leads nicely into an eventual Zayn vs. Sikoa and the MFTs — who attacked both Zayn and Dragunov postmatch. Zayn vs. Sikoa is a rivalry that doesn’t necessarily need a championship on the line. Rey Fenix tried to come to aid Zayn and Dragunov, but he was flattened by Tama Tonga. This set of events might have planted the seed for the MFTs against this collection of wrestlers they have attacked upon their return — Zayn, Dragunov, Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura and one more? The Wyatt Sicks are also in the mix, which gives the MFTs no shortage of opponents, especially for Survivor Series: WarGames on Nov. 29.

Zayn once again proved that he can put on a quality match with any opponent, whether it’s a legend, high flyer, technician or a Superstar returning from injury. He did all of the above during his U.S. Open Title Challenge run.