{"id":79696,"date":"2020-11-28T11:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-11-28T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/11\/28\/smackdown-players-reel-rise-reigns\/"},"modified":"2020-11-28T11:18:55","modified_gmt":"2020-11-28T16:18:55","slug":"smackdown-players-reel-rise-reigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/11\/28\/smackdown-players-reel-rise-reigns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Roman Effect: SmackDown&#8217;s Key Players Reel At The Rise Of Reigns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Roman Reigns\u2019s<\/strong> heel turn has not only <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/10\/09\/the-case-to-be-the-2020-wwe-draft-no-1-pick-roman-reigns\/\" target=\"_self\">reinvigorated his character<\/a>, but the storyline has branched out to include some of <em>SmackDown<\/em>\u2019<em>s<\/em> key players. The effects of Roman\u2019s draconian command have seeped into the psyche\u2019s of <strong>Jey Uso, Daniel Bryan, <\/strong>and <strong>Kevin Owens<\/strong>, with more ramifications surely soon to come.<\/p>\n<p>Uso opened the Black Friday episode of <em>Smackdown, <\/em>singing the praises of his cousin, Reigns, after assisting Reigns in a victory over WWE Champion <strong>Drew McIntyre<\/strong> at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/11\/21\/preview-wwe-survivor-series-11-22-20\/\" target=\"_self\"><em>Survivor Series<\/em><\/a>. Uso had every reason to think he\u2019d close the week on a high note, finally winning his domineering cousin\u2019s respect. It was not to be, as Uso overlooked that he, himself, had not led Team Smackdown to victory over Team Raw at the event. Reigns was not pleased, and berated Uso to what seemed to be a breaking point. The strength of this storyline has been how real the pressure feels, and Uso was clearly being pushed closer to the edge with Reigns\u2019 insistence that for the sake of their bloodline, Uso needed to be feared and respected.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Message \u27a1\ufe0fSent. <\/p>\n<p>Jey <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEUsos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEUsos<\/a> has snapped with a devastating attack on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/otiswwe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@otiswwe<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cCORRcQMNB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/cCORRcQMNB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1332494167814103041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 28, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Uso wasted little time in showing Reigns he was up to the challenge. Exiting the ring as <strong>Otis<\/strong> walked the ramp for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/shows\/smackdown\/2020-11-27\/article\/otis-vs-king-corbin\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his match<\/a> with <strong>King Corbin<\/strong>, Uso wailed on his Team Smackdown teammate with a steel chair. It was both punishment for Team Blue\u2019s Survivor Series failure, and a message to Reigns that Uso was all in, for the bloodline, on a mission to be feared and respected.<\/p>\n<p>This was not the first time Uso went feral at Reigns\u2019s urging, as <strong>Daniel Bryan<\/strong> can attest. The passionate, principled fighter alluded to Uso\u2019s savagery when being interviewed before his match with <strong>Sami Zayn,<\/strong> referring to Reigns as a \u201cdevil\u201d on Uso\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Byran still lays the blame with Reigns, and the memory of the attack is clearly motivating his edgy ferocity. \u00a0Though Zayn was his opponent, the specters of Reigns and Uso hung over the proceedings, as Bryan met Zayn\u2019s wiliness with maximum aggression. When the Intercontinental Champion had enough of Bryan\u2019s formidable dropkicks, he fled the ring, pursued up the ramp and backstage by Bryan, who wasn\u2019t finished with him. As the referee counted down the precious seconds, only Zayn made it back to the ring, winning via Bryan\u2019s disqualification. Bryan was waylaid by the man whose actions still haunt him, Jey Uso, in another savage attack that cost him the Intercontinental Championship.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamiZayn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SamiZayn<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEUsos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEUsos<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Wwedanielbryan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEDanielBryan<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@FightOwensFight<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fOTHHAdfgd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fOTHHAdfgd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1332505837231878146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 28, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It was broken up by <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/04\/26\/before-they-were-famous-kevin-owens\/\" target=\"_self\"><strong>Kevin Owens<\/strong><\/a>, who confronted Reigns and let him know that he was tired of his family drama and head games affecting the wider Smackdown roster. The gauntlet was thrown when K.O. told the Tribal Chief that he treated his family, \u201clike trash\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>An insulted Reigns used the incident to once again lean hard on Uso, hammering home that for the sake of their family, he needed to send Owens a message.<\/p>\n<p>Both Owens and Uso went into the ring with something to prove, both their grievances set in motion by Reigns. The two enraged athletes went for each other with all the brutality of a personal vendetta. Uso, determined to fulfill his cousin\u2019s wishes, nearly deranged with frustration, muttered and raged to himself while battling with Owens, his cousin\u2019s threats and pressure ringing in his ears. Throughout the match, Uso sought to weaken Owens by targeting his injured arm, but that wasn\u2019t enough to put Owens down.<\/p>\n<p>Owens, at the end of his rope, not only sent Uso flying over the announce table, but barraged his body with a steel chair, as Uso had done to Otis earlier in the night. Owens was a man possessed, and addressed his fury directly to Reigns, who was looking on. After getting Uso back into the ring and knocking him inert with a stunner, he didn\u2019t even bother covering him for a count-out, and victory. The match was not as important to him, by that point, as sending a message to Reigns.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;You watching, Roman?&quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FightOwensFight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@FightOwensFight<\/a> has sent a direct message to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWERomanReigns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWERomanReigns<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0OHGyvcmPr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0OHGyvcmPr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1332519284917100544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 28, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Sitting at the announce table, Owens declared, \u201cI\u2019m the Head of this table,\u201d for Reigns to see.<\/p>\n<p>Like Daniel Bryan, Owens clearly sees Uso as only a tool of Reigns\u2019 power plays. Though he was the first to challenge Reigns\u2019 dominance directly, Bryan is still waiting in the wings, nursing a grudge. Uso, himself, is sure to snap, turning on Reigns with all the savagery his cousin has encouraged in him. Even Otis has a valid bone to pick with Reigns, for Uso\u2019s attack. If and when it comes, the seeds of Reigns\u2019 downfall has been sewn from his own abuses of power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Roman Reigns\u2019s heel turn has not only reinvigorated his character, but the storyline has branched out to include some of SmackDown\u2019s key players. The effects of Roman\u2019s draconian command have seeped into the psyche\u2019s of Jey Uso, Daniel Bryan, and Kevin Owens, with more ramifications surely soon to come. Uso opened the Black Friday episode [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3715,"featured_media":2686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,26,4,3],"tags":[56,73,77,52,47],"class_list":["post-79696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-daniel-bryan","tag-kevin-owens","tag-roman-reigns","tag-smackdown","tag-wwe"],"modified_by":"Alex Richards, LWOF Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3715"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}