WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: The Rock confronts Roman Reigns, sets stage for WrestleMania XL

The fallout from the Royal Rumble also saw Bayley select her WrestleMania opponent

Cody Rhodes and Bayley both made their decisions for who they'll challenge at WrestleMania XL during this week's WWE SmackDown. Bayley finally revealed she knew about Damage CTRL's bullying and will now face Iyo Sky for the WWE women's championship, ending her time with the Damage CTRL faction she personally created.

Meanwhile, Rhodes made the shocking call to not have a rematch with Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE universal championship. Instead, he's going to let someone else take a crack at "The Head of the Table" -- The Rock. The show went off the air with "The People's Champ" finally sharing the ring with his cousin, setting the stage for one of the biggest WrestleMania matches of all time.

CBS Sports was you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from the Legacy Arena at The BJCC in Birmingham. 

Cody Rhodes steps aside for The Rock to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL

Rhodes threw a curveball at the end of this week's SmackDown. While all signs pointed to him challenging Reigns for the undisputed WWE universal championship in the closing moments of Sunday's Royal Rumble, he seemingly stepped aside for something bigger. 

The show's final segment opened with Roman Reigns cutting a promo on what Seth Rollins claimed earlier in the week. He tore into "The Visionary," saying the idea that he's "the guy" in WWE is still nonsense and that the world heavyweight championship might as well be the "Losers Bracket Title" given how Rollins and many of his challengers already failed to dethrone "The Tribal Chief."

Rhodes then arrived, saying he's been seeking counsel from friends, family and wrestling legends all week. He pointed out how Reigns cheated him out of their WrestleMania 39 match and reiterated that for him to truly "finish the story," he'd need to win the title the WWE never let his father win. And regardless of its name or presentation, that lineage still belongs to Reigns' undisputed championship. Rhodes said he still wants to take everything from Reigns, but then noted it wouldn't happen at WrestleMania. 

Rhodes said he sought counsel from someone very familiar with Reigns. The Rock then arrived to thunderous applause. Rhodes embraced "The People's Champ," then bowed out and left the ring, signifying that he wouldn't be the one to challenge Reigns. The show went off the air with Reigns and Rock in a face-off, though neither said a word. 

The leaps in logic to not have Reigns vs. Rhodes II are vast, and the world heavyweight championship is now damaged goods thanks to Reigns and Rollins' promos. But Reigns vs. Rock is the biggest match WWE can possibly book right now and the deafening reaction from the crowd makes one hell of an argument. Let's see what they can do. Grade: A-

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Bayley picks Iyo Sky as her WrestleMania XL opponent, breaks away from Damage CTRL. A backstage segment earlier in the night showed Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane and Asuka talking smack about Bayley, only this time it was in English and Bayley heard the whole thing from behind a door. Later in the night all of Damage CTRL (sans Dakota Kai) were out in the ring for Bayley's announcement. After mulling her options, Bayley hits Asuka, Sane and Sky with some Japanese words, confirming she knew about them talking behind her back for months. She confronted Sky and asked what happened between them, only to get jumped from behind by Sane and Asuka. She beat the two away with a metal pipe, stopped short of nailing Sky and announced they'd meet at WrestleMania for the WWE women's championship.
• Kevin Owens def. Austin Theory via pinfall thanks to Logan Paul tossing brass knuckles in the ring. Owens confronted Paul about a rematch for the United States championship to open the show, then chased him into the crowd after knocking out both Theory and Grayson Waller. 
• Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate def. Pretty Deadly, the LWO and Legado Del Fantasma via pinfall with a double-team powerbomb on Kit Wilson. The two advance to a No. 1 contender's match for the undisputed WWE tag team titles. Another four-way will take place on Raw to determine Dunne & Bate's opponents, and the No. 1 contenders will challenge Finn Balor and Damian Priest at Elimination Chamber.
• Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs. The Final Testament never officially started as the bell never rang. B-Fab officially joined Lashley after attacking Scarlett and "The All Mighty" sent Kross running after hitting a Spear.
• Tiffany Stratton def. Michin via pinfall with her Prettiest Moonsault Ever finisher. Stratton officially signed with SmackDown early in the night and immediately picked a fight with Michin by slapping her in the face.