This week, WWE celebrated Tag Team Week, showing some love to memorable duos from all eras of WWE across social media. The celebration was rounded out by an episode of SmackDown that featured not one, but two title matches for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship between The Mysterios and The Usos.
As has become customary, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns opened the broadcast with an address to the ThunderDome. He said that he initially was displeased with Jey and Jimmy Uso pursuing their seventh tag team title. However, when The Usos entered the ring, he made it clear that if they say they can win against The Mysterios, they had better be as good as their word.
Air @DomMysterio35! ✈️#SmackDown #TagTeamTitles pic.twitter.com/EvyfNrPl5Z
— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2021
Despite a strong showing in the match, with their distinctive high energy and rapid-fire tagging, plus a newly amplified aggression, The Usos failed to deliver on their assertion to Reigns that they would capture the tag team championship. Dominic Mysterio captured the win, via a shoulders-down pin on Jimmy Uso – or, so it seemed.
The Usos, at Reigns’ urging, were not convinced of their defeat. They pleaded their case to WWE officials Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce. Upon review, Pearce and Deville decided that Jimmy had, in fact, had his shoulder up, nullifying the victory via pinfall. What’s more, they informed The Mysterios that they would have to defend their titles once again, the very same night, against The Usos.
Dominic began the second encounter aggressively but fell to an elbow from Jimmy. Jimmy covered, but Dominic kicked out. Jimmy and Jey worked on Dominic together. Jey covered after a slam. Rey Mysterio watched anxiously from the ropes. Dominic rolled out of the ring after being planted by Jey. Jey flew, knocking Dominic down outside the ring. Back in the ring, Jey pounded away at Dominic with a flurry of strikes to the head and held him in a chokehold.
He got all of it that time! #SmackDown #TagTeamTitles @reymysterio pic.twitter.com/gBNht7W5et
— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2021
Dominic fought to his feet but was quickly brought to his knees by a blow from Jey. He drove Dominic to the corner. Dominic countered by flinging Jey into the post with his legs. Jimmy and Jey worked on Dominic together. Jey covered Dominic after a hard slam to the canvas.
Rey watched anxiously from the ropes as Dominic struggled. Dominic rolled out of the ring after being planted by Jey, who proceeded to fly, knocking Dominic down outside the ring. Rey and Jimmy were tagged in. Rey worked quickly to cover any ground lost by Dominic. He took to the second rope and launched a forearm strike to Jimmy. Jey attempted to attack him, but Rey evaded and it was Jey, instead, who hit the post. Rey admirably fended off both Usos, and the match seemed to be turning a corner in his and his son’s favor. After issuing a 619 to Jimmy, Rey tagged in Dominic, giving him another shot at glory.
However, “The Head of the Table” had clearly been keeping an eye on events. He rushed in to his cousins’ aid, delivering a Superman Punch to Dominic. Rey rushed to his son’s aid and Reigns thwarted him with a spear. Reigns continued to punish the Mysterios, tossing Rey against the barricade, and ramming the steel steps into Dominic. Reigns focused most of his ire on the younger Mysterio, which seemed to be the final straw for Jimmy. He walked away from his cousin in disapproval.
Absolutely no words can express what @WWERomanReigns just did to @DomMysterio35…#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/8xeBJ8A9zq
— WWE (@WWE) June 5, 2021
Jey looked in his brother’s direction but did not follow, staying by Reigns’ side as he continued to brutalize Dominic Mysterio.
Roman Reigns’ “Tribal Chief” persona continues to serve as an invigorating anchor for the action of SmackDown. The suspense of whether The Usos would earn his pride or his ire emotionally charged the evening’s first encounter with the Mysterios, who were also poignantly fighting for family pride. The controversy of a wrongly called match played on time-honored preoccupations of the pro wrestling industry, and its obsession with the minutiae of such matters. The rematch between The Usos and The Mysterios was an unexpected development that ended in a soliloquy of violence from Reigns and an intriguingly strained note in the relationship between the Usos. All in all, SmackDown made Tag Team Week matter.
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