Paul Heyman kicked off tonight’s SmackDown and stated that there are moments when one can’t wait to step into the ring and address the entire Island of Relevancy. He declared tonight to be one of those moments. He described it as one of the greatest honors of his career to announce that there was only one reigning, defending, Undisputed Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
Heyman explained that Reigns has authorized him to share his next plans—not just with everyone in Portland and those watching at home, but with one person in particular who deserved to hear it face-to-face: the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. Heyman then invited Rhodes to come to the ring, and Cody’s music hit.
Rhodes entered to a massive reaction, which Heyman acknowledged he deserved. Heyman praised Rhodes for achieving something very few men in the business had done: earning the respect of Roman Reigns. Heyman noted that he, the fans, and the entire WWE respected Rhodes for the champion he had become. He called Rhodes a credit to WWE and revealed that Reigns, as a mark of respect, had asked Heyman to deliver a message.
Now that Reigns has reclaimed the Ula Fala, he wants his title back. Heyman clarified that this wasn’t just a prediction, but a spoiler: Roman Reigns has declared his entry into the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble, which he’s going to win, setting the stage for a WWE Championship match trilogy against Rhodes at WrestleMania. With that, Heyman asked Cody, “What do you want to talk about?”
Roman Reigns will be in the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble matchpic.twitter.com/S178l7J6Sc
— WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) January 11, 2025
Before Cody could respond, Kevin Owens interrupted from the crowd, accusing Cody of worsening his situation. Owens referenced Cody’s handshake with The Rock on RAW and criticized him for aligning with Paul Heyman.
Owens argued that Cody had allowed the entire company to suffer by helping Reigns instead of letting The Bloodline destroy him. Cody left the ring and ran toward Owens in the crowd, leading to a brawl.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga appeared and cornered a defenseless Heyman. Jimmy Uso’s music hit, and he rushed to the ring, delivering superkicks to Fatu and Tonga. Jimmy followed up with hip attacks and grabbed a chair from ringside, using it to strike both Fatu and Tonga.
However, Fatu shook off the attack and clotheslined Jimmy. The duo then double-teamed Jimmy, pinning him in the corner and pressing a chair into his face. Referees intervened, but Fatu superkicked one of them.
Cody returned to the ring to defend Heyman, facing off against Fatu. Cody dodged Fatu’s clotheslines, landed punches, and eventually sent Fatu out of the ring with a clothesline of his own. Referees and producers restrained Fatu and Tonga on the outside while Cody stood tall in the ring as his music played.
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