WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Cody Rhodes, Oba Femi trade barbs before Saturday Night's Main Event

Plus, Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley reunited to take down Aleister Black and Zelina Vega in mixed tag action

Cody Rhodes has a colossal problem on his hands. Undisputed WWE champion Rhodes got his first up-close look at NXT champion Oba Femi ahead of their match at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, which coincides with John Cena's last match.

Rhodes' lingering issues with Drew McIntyre were put on hold as he prepares for Femi. The champion vs. champion match is part of Cena's request to shine a light on tomorrow's superstars by giving NXT talent a major showcase. On Friday, NXT's self-proclaimed "destroyer" introduced himself to his opponent and the WWE universe ahead of his make-or-break match.

SmackDown's main event featured a Terror Twins reunion. Ex-Judgement Day stablemates Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley joined forces against the husband-and-wife duo of Aleister Black and Zelina Vega. 

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Rhodes and Femi measure each other up, Ripley lays out Vega

SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis kicked off the show. Aldis claimed he was having a hard time reinstating McIntyre after suspending him before Survivor Series. Why? Because McIntyre refused to return his calls. Instead, McIntyre's attorney sent Aldis a letter claiming SmackDown was an unsafe work environment. Rhodes, who is still on the lookout for McIntyre, tore up the letter. 

Queue Rhodes' theme music. "The American Nightmare" made his entrance to promote his match at Saturday Night's Main Event. Undisputed WWE champion Rhodes meets NXT champion Oba Femi in a present vs. future crossover match. Femi answered the call, towering over Rhodes. Femi echoed Cena ahead of the latter's retirement match on Saturday, claiming that Femi's time is now and Rhodes' time is up. 

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley def. Aleister Black and Zelina Vega via pinfall after Ripley hit Vega with Riptide. This was a rough, rough match. Ripley and Vega were given ample time to work. Anyone who saw their 2023 SmackDown women's title match at Backlash knows how well they work together. This was not that. Ripley and Vega were all over the place, struggling to get through almost every over-complicated sequence they had. Priest and Black performed fine when they were in the ring, but they took a backseat to the women. Shoutout to the double moonsaults from Black and Vega to the outside, that was nice. The match came to a merciful end after Ripley hit Vega with Riptide. 

Femi did a terrific job on the microphone against Rhodes, one of WWE's best speakers. It's a testament to the NXT champ's overall growth. Unfortunately, due to the nature of Saturday Night's Main Events matches, there wasn't much for them to do other than promote their match. You already know how I feel about the main event, which took all the air out of the balloon. Grade: C+

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• United States Championship -- Ilja Dragunov (c) def. Tommaso Ciampa via pinfall with a back-folding press. Post-match, Carmelo Hayes rescued Dragunov from a #DIY beatdown.
• Celebrities shouted out John Cena in a montage video ahead of his retirement match.
• Solo Sikoa and the MFTs issued Wyatt Sicks a warning, saying they were coming for the WWE tag team titles.
• Lash Legend def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall with the Lash Extension.
• Je'Von Evans def. The Miz via pinfall with an OG Cutter.
• Jade Cargill laid out Michin twice, once backstage and once in the ring.