WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: The Bloodline, Judgment Day tease alliance amid power struggle

The balance of power is shifting on SmackDown

Things are getting complicated on WWE SmackDown. Jimmy Uso wants back into The Bloodline, AJ Styles scored a big win and tension is building between multiple factions.

Uso's determination to mend things with his family was a major focal point of Friday's show. The Bloodline is losing its grasp on the blue brand and a power struggle is bubbling with The Judgment Day, among other groups, trying to build alliances and seize control.

SmackDown also featured the continued upward trajectory of LA Knight, an exciting potential feud between popular factions and the announcement of an upcoming title match.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jimmy Uso needs The Bloodline, but they may need him too

Uso, sporting his old Bloodline shirt, informed Paul Heyman that he's back in The Bloodline. Heyman said that Uso is "in" when Reigns says so. Heyman advised Uso to take care of Styles while he worked on repairing the relationship with Reigns. Uso confessed the matter was stressful and tried to dap up Heyman, but the weasely manager ignored him. Heyman walked by Styles, mocking him. Styles grabbed a hold of Heyman, but Uso blindsided and laid out his opponent. Uso claimed to have handled business, enticing Heyman to call Reigns.

Styles gave an update on his physical condition later in the evening. Styles said he was still standing and nothing would stop him from "tearing off" Uso's head on Friday.

Heyman complained to authority figure Adam Pearce about Styles putting his hands on him. The Bloodline's special counsel also urged Pearce to inform him which superstar was being traded to Raw in exchange for Jey Uso, but Pearce would not budge. LA Knight entered Pearce's room to request a match against The Miz next week. Pearce agreed to his terms. Heyman introduced himself as an admirer of Knight's before warning him to knock the next time he hears Heyman in the room. Knight got right up in Heyman's face, planting the seeds for future fiction.

Styles admonished the O.C. for not looking out for him when he was attacked by Uso. Karl Anderson retorted, reminding Styles he was warned not to interfere with The Bloodline. Styles reminded his friends that they've always had each other's back, right or wrong. Styles told his faction to stay away from his main event match before storming off.

Styles def. Uso via pinfall after hitting the Phenomenal Forearm. An aggressive Styles got the better of Uso through the early portions of the match. Once Uso turned the tide, Heyman and Solo Sikoa -- the latter of whom was supposedly absent tonight -- appeared at the top of the ramp. The Bloodline's presence empowered Uso as he drove Styles' head into steel steps. Sikoa turned his back to Uso ringside and Styles took advantage of the apparent friction to score the winning blow.

Post-match, Finn Balor and Damian Priest attacked Styles and tossed him into the ring as a tribute to Sikoa. The Bloodline's enforcer laid out Styles with a Samoan Spike.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the direction of Jimmy Uso's character. Jey Uso feels liberated and ready to truly break out on his own on Raw. Jimmy Uso's desperation to rejoin The Bloodline so soon after splitting off feels like a step back. To some degree, it makes sense: Jimmy Uso has been abandoned by his twin brother and is now, for the first time in his career, alone. It's a foreign and uncomfortable place to be. Still, for Jimmy Uso to tuck his tail and return to The Bloodline so quickly shows weak resolve. Jimmy Uso's performances lately deserve more than that. Still, The Bloodline very often delivers the goods so I'm willing to be patient and see how things develop. One thing WWE deserves acknowledgement for, much like last week, is how the promotion is making the SmackDown locker room feel alive. Various interactions in the show flowed into one another. The Bloodline, The Judgment Day, The O.C., another budding faction that you'll read about below, Knight and even the mystery superstar being drafted from Raw are all entangled in some way. That makes for interesting programming. Grade: A-

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Shotzi and Charlotte Flair def. Damage CTRL (Bayley and Iyo Sky) via pinfall after Shotzi pinned Bayley following a distraction by Asuka. Sky and Asuka faced off post-match.
• LA Knight def. Austin Theory via pinfall after hitting BFG. Grayson Waller joined commentary to support his ally Theory.
• Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) def. Brawling Brutes (Butch and Ridge Holland) via pinfall after Balor pierced Holland with Coup de Grace. Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits went face to face with Judgement Day post-match.