Royce Keys Makes His SmackDown Debut
A powerhouse joins the SmackDown roster in an official capacity tonight as Royce Keys debuts. The man who steps up tonight is from Los Garza, Berto. Royce Keys was an absolute machine tonight, hitting unbelievable feats of strength.
At one point, Keys would, from a lying position, catapult Berto into his arms and perform a Powerslam. After that, he rained down on him. Berto would go outside for a break, and Angel got involved, distracting Royce, leading to Berto sending Royce Keys into the ring post.
Berto saw a bit of light, nailing Keys with a Top Rope Missile Dropkick. From then on, Berto would go on a bit of a roll. Unfortunately, it all changed in a second. Berto went for a Cross Body, but Keys would catch him and eventually propped him up for a crushing Spinebuster for his 1st win in WWE.
Backstage:
- Pat McAfee finally arrives, speaking to Nick Aldis before Jelly Roll confronted him, asking if he told Orton to RKO him last week, and he wanted to rough him up. McAfee says it’s not a good idea with Orton lurking. The two got into a shoving match before they were broken up by Aldis. McAfee walked off, saying it’s “time to save the business.”
- Cathy Kelley would congratulate Royce Keys on his win, and Keys was ecstatic before Solo Sikoa rolled in, reminding him of their history and since he “ran” SmackDown, if he ever needs anything, Sikoa’s door is always open.
We Hear from Pat McAfee
After the shocking events of last week, Pat McAfee addresses the people of San Jose. McAfee immediately got into it, calling San Jose a “sh*thole,” with jeers raining down on him, and he said that’s uncalled for since he’s the “hero” of this entire thing, while they cheer for “Spineless Bums,” referring to CM Punk.
McAfee would continue and even announced a big-time offer for WrestleMania 42, furthering this “hero” narrative. Cody Rhodes would have had enough and dressed down McAfee.
Rhodes went off, calling McAfee a “Play Wrestler,” seeing him spout catchphrases and talking about the “Attitude Era” while Orton did the dirty work. He should thank his “Daddy” for getting him into the dance, considering he was not a wrestler and plays a role he wasn’t even good at.
Rhodes would reference legendary promoter UWF and WCCW promoter Paul Boesch, saying McAfee refers to the fans as “marks,” but Paul Boesch once said that they are not marks but the lifeline of this business. Rhodes would call them family, saying McAfee should have gratitude and respect for them.
Rhodes would punctuate this interaction by saying that the wrestling business is contentious, but everyone and their mamas agree that nobody wants Pat, starting a chant of #GoHomePat.
McAfee would try to rebut, saying he was born for this business, and Rhodes was born into it. Cody would get the best of him once again, saying, what if Pat stuck around, and he’ll have Gunther choke him out again. McAfee said he’s confident that Orton will be at ‘Mania 42, stating that everyone will never hear from him again if that doesn’t transpire.
Rhodes would walk off, but McAfee wouldn’t let it go, saying that Rhodes was an escape artist, calling him Stardust, and saying he’s a massive politicker and he’s just going to stroke Triple H’s ego again. Cody almost went after Pat, but Randy Orton would come up on the tron, presenting a battered Jelly Roll.
Orton would drag Jelly Roll out into the ring, and he and Cody would get physical. Jelly Roll would rise from the dead, trying to even the odds, but would get knocked off immediately. Orton would execute a Draping DDT and hit Rhodes with the Undisputed WWE Title.
Backstage:
- The Miz wanted to get answers on how Nick Aldis would address the “curse” put on the referee, Dan Angler, that resulted in him and Kit Wilson losing their WWE Tag Team Title Match. Nick Aldis said he was “cursed” and couldn’t do anything about it, but he’ll put Kit against Dan tonight. Danhausen, that is.
