WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: John Cena, LA Knight, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso unite against rivals

The unholy alliance of The Bloodline and The Judgement Day could not overcome four of WWE's most popular superstars

The Bloodline and The Judgement Day formed a deadly alliance on SmackDown, but their strength could not overcome the combined forces of John Cena, LA Knight, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. It was an all-star episode of WWE SmackDown on Friday night.

Cena and Knight are a cohesive duo ahead of their WWE Fastlane match against Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. The Bloodline has never shied from manipulating the numbers and found questionable yet formidable friends in The Judgement Day. Their alliance seemed unbeatable on the surface but cracked under the pressure of WWE's biggest current stars.

SmackDown also featured appearances by United States champion Rey Mysterio, WWE women's champion Iyo Sky and the tease of a mystery partner for one of Fastlane's matches.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Bloodline, Judgement Day shake hands on a shaky alliance

Knight kicked off the show but was almost immediately interrupted by Heyman. The Bloodline's wiseman complimented Knight as the next big thing, a status that he's earned. He also shared his condolences to Knight for putting himself in The Bloodline's crosshairs. Uso and Sikoa approached Knight but had second thoughts after Cena stormed the ring. Knight challenged Uso to a match, the latter of whom accepted despite Heyman's feverish rejection. 

Heyman lambasted Uso for accepting Knight's challenge without clearance from Reigns. Uso argued that Reigns is never around to make decisions. Uso noticed The Bloodline's locker room door was open and entered to find The Judgement Day and JD McDonagh waiting for them. Rhea Ripley ordered The Judgement Day out while she spoke alone with Heyman. There was a prolonged faceoff between Damian Priest and Sikoa before all remaining members from both factions exited. 

Backstage, Ripley capped off a private conversation with Heyman by suggesting a partnership between their two groups. Heyman told Ripley her idea was brilliant and that he would get it authorized by Reigns. Ripley put Heyman's phone down, telling him it was authorized. Heyman tried to explain to Ripley that only Reigns could authorize their half of the arrangement. Ripley tried to pull a power move, insisting it was authorized and that Heyman should acknowledge her. Ripley warned Heyman that an unwillingness to comply would lead to a power struggle between the two parties. She left The Bloodline's locker room, telling Heyman to make his "little phone call."

Later in the evening, the camera caught a quiet conversation between Uso and Ripley. It appeared that Uso was on board with the plan. A hype graphic also revealed that Reigns would return to SmackDown next week.

Knight def. Uso via disqualification after Sikoa attacked Knight from behind. Knight and Uso had a competitive fight on their hands but Sikoa interfered once Knight took control down the stretch. Cena rescued Knight from a two-on-one assault. It looked as if the fan-favorites were out of the woods, but The Judgement Day hit the ring in full force. Ripley and Heyman shook hands as The Bloodline's special counsel boasted, "authorized." The Judgement Day, McDonagh, Sikoa and Jimmy Uso stood on the ring apron as a united front. Suddenly, Jey Uso's music hit as he confronted The Bloodline for the first time since leaving SmackDown in August. The numbers still favored the heels, but then Cody Rhodes joined the fray. A brawl broke out with the alliance of Cena, Knight, Rhodes and Jey Uso getting the best of their rivals. McDonagh got the worst of it as all four heroes hit him with their finishers.

SmackDown was loaded with star power this week. The shaky alliance between The Bloodline and The Judgement Day has a lot of promise, particularly with Ripley big sistering Heyman. I question if it was wise to have WWE's two dominant factions, represented on Friday by six superstars, fall short in a brawl against the four faces. Still, there are a lot of interesting directions WWE can take an alliance between its two biggest heel factions and a lot of interplay between all parties involved. Jey Uso and Rhodes aiding Cena and Knight was the sensible decision but undermined by the fact they were announced for SmackDown this week. WWE could have remedied things by having Rhodes and Jey Uso appear earlier in the show. The fact that they hadn't made their scheduled appearance by the final segment guaranteed their arrival. Grade: B+

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Charlotte Flair and Asuka def. Damage CTRL (Bayley and Iyo Sky) via pinfall after Flair hit Belair with Natural Selection.
• Bobby Lashley def. Rey Mysterio via pinfall after running through him with a spear.
• Dragon Lee def. Austin Theory via pinfall with a sunset flip after Theory was distracted by Cameron Grimes attacking Grayson Waller ringside.
• Mysterio left to make a phone call in search of a final tag team partner for Fastlane after Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde were deemed unfit to compete following an attack by the Street Profits.
• Triple H will make a special appearance on SmackDown next week.