WWE Smackdown 2/16 Live Blog, Results: Dwayne Johnson Returns With Roman Reigns to Confront Cody Rhodes

Ahead of Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 40, the upcoming episode of Friday Night SmackDown is something fans have been looking forward to. Last week, Triple H called out Dwayne “The Rock’ Johnson following the events of WrestleMania 40 Kickoff Press Event. This week, at the Delta Center, in Salt City Lake, Utah, Johnson and Reigns will be there to have a word with Triple H. Along with that, Elimination Chamber qualifiers will be there. It is safe to say, this week’s episode will be full of fireworks.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs Dominik Mysterio:

The first match tonight was between Kevin Owens and Dominik Mysterio. Last week, Owens had sent a very subtle threat to Mysterio so it could be assumed that he is going to be extremely ruthless in the ring tonight. Mysterio tried to cut a promo tonight. However, fans did not let him finish with their loud boos. Both the stars entered the ring and the bell rang. Owens started by getting Mysterio in a headlock. Mysterio was able to set himself free but was not able to save himself from the Prize Fighter’s attacks.  But during the fight, fans could see a glimpse of Rey Mysterio’s athleticism when Dirty Dom moved inside the ring.

Apart from that, many moves by Mysterio tonight were a tribute to late WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero. But what no one was expecting was for R-Truth to show up and unintentionally distract Owens. No matter what tricks Dominik Mysterio pulled out of his hat, he did not stand a chance in front of Owens. Mysterio was pinned and Owens secured the win. He now joins Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, LA Knight, & Drew McIntyre for the men’s elimination chamber match.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Backstage Segment: Drew McIntyre was seen getting interviewed. However, he was interrupted by LA Knight and the two got into a heated argument that had to be broken by referees. Could this be a hint at a new rivalry?

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs Tiffany Stratton:

The fight to secure a spot in the women’s elimination chamber match started with Stratton attacking Vega. While Vega had an advantage due to her short stature, Straton proved that her gymnastics background is not just a kayfabe. But the limelight quickly shifted from the two to other members of the LWO. Former member, Santos Escober was seen in the audience. After a while, Carlito entered the arena just to make sure Escober did not cause any trouble. Vega showed a ruthless side of her, something that fans haven’t seen in a while. But despite all of her attempts, Stratton secured the win, cementing her position for the women’s elimination chamber match.

Winner: Tiffany Stratton

Backstage Segment: Fans saw that The O.C. consisting of Mia Yim and others tell AJ Styles that he hasn’t contacted them since he returned. The conversation quickly took a hard left and there was a disagreement.

Authors of Pain vs Javier Bernal and Beau Morris

The AOP went one-on-one against NXT’s Bernal and Morris. The match happened to be one of the shortest matches of the night as the NXT stars were not able to stand against the AOP’s raw, brute force.

Winners: Authors of Pain

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: The Miz vs Logan Paul:

The former United States Champion went off against the current United States Champion. The Miz had sent a warning to Logan Paul via social media just a few days ago ahead of their face-off. This is their only shot to get a chance in the men’s elimination chamber. There were moments where Paul used humor and cheap shots to get an upper hand over the A-Lister.

But Miz was not going to stop tonight. He was on a mission to remind the WWE Universe who he is. While Miz gave his everything inside the ring, Paul won by pinning Miz, thus getting one step closer to challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship title at WrestleMania 40.

Backstage Segment: We saw Nick Aldis along with Jade Cargill and Bron Breaker along with SmackDown contracts, hinting that the two will be seen on the blue brand very soon.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Naomi vs Alba Fyre

This will be Naomi’s first solo WWE match in almost two years. Fans greeted her with a warm welcome as she made her way to the ring. The one-half of the Unholy Union, Alba Fyre was last seen on the December 22, 2023 episode of SmackDown, where she attacked Damage CTRL along with her tag team partner, Isla Dawn. Fyre made her way to the ring along with Dawn. Despite many interruptions by Dawn, Naomi was able to win by submission.

Winner: Naomi

Backstage Segment: Dakota Kai comes to Bayley asking for help. While she said she was sorry for not telling Bayley about the things that happened before, but Bayley was not in the mood to talk about it.

In-ring segment: Nick Aldis made it official that Bron Breaker is now a part of SmackDown.

Roman Reigns and The Rock returns

Last week Paul Heyman confirmed that both Reigns and Johnson will be present for this week’s episode of SmackDown. This will be their first appearance on the show following the WrestleMania 40 Kickoff event. While Triple H’s appearance is not confirmed yet, Johnson might want to have a word with him, especially now that H himself has confirmed that Cody Rhodes will be facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. The stage was set and the atmosphere was tense.

After addressing the crowd, the Tribal Chief officially declared that Johnson was now a member of the Bloodline. Following that, Johnson made his way to the ring. He was spotted in an attire that is reminiscent of his old heel days but with a touch of modernity. After bashing the crowd with his words, he announced that he will make sure Cody Rhodes will walk out of WrestleMania 40 as who he is, a looser. This leaves us with how Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will plan things. What was your favorite moment from tonight’s episode? Let us know on yhe comments below.