WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns sign on to face The Bloodline at Bad Blood

Rhodes and Reigns will join forces as they continue to feud with the group in different ways

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns fought over WWE's top prize across two consecutive WrestleManias. Now they'll team together to overthrow the faction Reigns started, The Bloodline. This major development happened on Friday's season premiere of WWE SmackDown.

SmackDown's return to the USA Network started with a steel cage match for the undisputed WWE championship. Rhodes defended his title in a SummerSlam rematch against The Bloodline's new Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa. By night's end, Rhodes joined forces with his greatest WWE rival.

Friday's episode of the blue brand also featured developments in the WWE women's and United States title pictures.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

Rhodes and Reigns reluctantly unite against The Bloodline

Undisputed WWE Championship -- Cody Rhodes (c) def. Solo Sikoa via pinfall in a steel cage match. A bloody Rhodes gritted through a physically demanding match against Sikoa. The champ was repeatedly smashed into the steel structure and took a terrifying-looking superplex from halfway up the cage. Rhodes added a pair of highlights to his reel: a Cody Cutter off the fence and a crossbody from the top of the cage. Sikoa cut off Rhodes as the champion crawled to the cage door but a third Cross Rhodes put The Bloodline's Tribal Chief down for good.

The Bloodline's Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa climbed into the cage to beat down the champion post-match. Rhodes took a series of big moves from The Bloodline until the arrival of exiled former Tribal Chief Reigns. Rhodes and Reigns united to fend off Tonga and Loa but Sikoa called off Fatu. Former rivals Rhodes and Reigns had a tense staredown to end the segment.

Later in the evening, SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis announced that Sikoa and Fatu had signed a contract for a tag team match against Rhodes and Reigns at Bad Blood. Rhodes interrupted Aldis, stating the group was Reigns' problem and that Rhodes was washing his hands of them.

Reigns and Aldis stood in the ring in SmackDown's closing segment. Reigns claimed he was not only the "original Tribal Chief" but also the "only Tribal Chief." Reigns said the WWE belonged to him, drawing out the undisputed WWE champion. Rhodes said Reigns lost his grip on the company when he lost to Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. The former rivals squared up but were interrupted by Sikoa and Fatu. Tonga and Loa attacked Rhodes and Reigns from behind, but the heroes got the better of the exchange. The attempted blindside was enough to compel Rhodes and Reigns to sign the contract for Bad Blood.

An action-packed episode of SmackDown. Rhodes and Reigns teaming up is a blockbuster occasion. It's also a huge opportunity for Fatu to share the ring with two of WWE's biggest stars of the last decade in a key pay-per-view match. The match is a tidy way of incorporating Rhodes into The Bloodline. It's a marquee match, but Rhodes' hesitancy suggests he won't be involved in the feud after Bad Blood. That's a wise call and leaves plenty of time for WWE creative to put the pieces together for an all-Bloodline showdown at Survivor Series: WarGames in late November. Grade: A

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Michin def. Piper Niven via pinfall after hitting Sole Food. Green and Niven laid out Michin post-match.
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton def. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) via pinfall after Orton hit a stunner on Waller. Orton was Owens' mystery tag team partner.
• Nia Jax challenged Bayley and Naomi to a tag team match next week against Jax and Tiffany Stratton. If Bayley and Naomi win, they get a WWE women's title shot at Bad Blood. If Jax and Stratton win, the babyfaces must leave SmackDown.
• Andrade def. Carmelo Hayes via pinfall after hitting an avalanche version of his finishing move, The Message. LA Knight anointed Andrade as the next United States title challenger.