WWE may be in the midst of a tournament to crown a new World Heavyweight Champion, but Friday night on SmackDown, it was the return of Roman Reigns that stole headlines.

The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion made his first appearance since the post-WrestleMania 39 episode of Raw and wasted little time addressing fans and peers.

What did The Tribal Chief have to say, and did anyone step up to challenge him ahead of the upcoming Night of Champions premium live event on May 27?

Find out with this recap of Friday's broadcast, which also featured star-studded Triple Threat matches and a defense of the Women's Tag Team Championship.

Match Card

Announced in advance of the May 12 show:

• The return of Roman Reigns
• World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Match: Edge vs. Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Match: Sheamus vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory
• Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Bayley and Dakota Kai (with Iyo Sky) 
  

Edge vs. AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio

Three of the greatest wrestlers of their, or any, generation kicked off SmackDown with a Triple Threat Match that was as good as advertised.

Edge, Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles put their experience and creativity to work, delivering a dramatic match full of fun and original spots that culminated with The Phenomenal One taking advantage of a momentarily hesitant Rated R Superstar and scoring the win with The Phenomenal Forearm.

For longtime fans, this featured three of the most celebrated and accomplished competitors of the last two decades squaring off in a match that for the longest time, would have been the stuff of fantasy bookers across the internet.

It matched expectations and actually provided fans a match including Edge and AJ Styles that did not disappoint, something that could not be said about their series of showdowns from a year ago.

The video package Edge posted on social media Thursday, in which he admitted that his time as an in-ring competitor was winding down, had some thinking he would score the win, but Styles has been a focal point of creative for the last two weeks with The OC and figures to be a top dog on Friday nights moving forward.

With that in mind, his win was the right call.

Result

Styles defeated Edge and Mysterio

Grade

A

Top Moments

• Styles and Mysterio were already in the ring as the show started. Edge hit the ring to a thunderous ovation and showed love to his kids in the front row.
• Wade Barrett put over Styles for jumping right into the "deep end" with a high-stakes match against two Hall of Famers, fresh off a substantial absence because of injury.
  
• Styles slid Mysterio into Edge, then dropkicked the Rated R Superstar into a DDT in a cool, innovative spot.

• Edge speared Mysterio and Styles through the ropes and off the apron to the awe of the fans in attendance.
• Edge applied consecutive Edgecators, one for Mysterio and one for Styles, but was unable to force a tapout from either man.
• Styles delivered the Phenomenal Forearm to a hesitant Edge and scored the pinfall victory. 

Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus vs. Austin Theory

For the second time in a week, Bobby Lashley and United States Champion Austin Theory shared the ring in a Triple Threat Match, this time with Sheamus. Unlike last Saturday's showdown in Puerto Rico, where Theory stole another victory, this time it was The All Mighty picking up the win at the expense of the brash young star.

A hard-hitting, physical showdown that saw Lashley bloodied along the way concluded with Sheamus blasting Theory with a Brogue Kick, only to be dumped to the floor. Lashley scored the win on Theory from there, cashing his ticket to a showdown with Styles in the night's main event.

There is zero issue with Theory taking this loss as he has repeatedly benefited from openings that have allowed him to steal victories. Here, Lashley, oftentimes a victim of that chicanery and quick thinking from the US champ, turned it against him and earned a big win in his first night with SmackDown.

Lashley vs. Styles is a match that has taken place only one other time in WWE: August 15 of last year, making it a relatively fresh matchup that should pique the interest of fans.

Result

Lashley defeated Theory and Sheamus

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Lashley bowled over Theory coming out of the break, then hoisted him on his shoulders and sent him face-first into the ring post.
• A rewind caught Theory dotting Sheamus right in the face with a dropkick, breaking up a Hurt Lock by Lashley in the process.
• Lashley caught Sheamus with a spear, breaking up the Brogue Kick, but Theory sent him into the ring post in a spot similar to the three-way from Backlash.
• Theory tried to springboard his way out of the Hurt Lock, but Lashley blocked it. Sheamus delivered a Brogue Kick from out of nowhere, catching Theory and allowing Lashley to dump him to the floor. The All Mighty, bloodied over the course of the physical match, gained a measure of revenge by pinning Theory for the win.  

Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin talked a big game ahead of his match against the debuting Cameron Grimes.

He did not back it up.

Grimes defeated the former King of the Ring in seconds, using the Cave In to shut him up and make an emphatic statement in his first SmackDown match.

There was not nearly enough here to decide how Grimes' run on the main roster may play out, likely because of timing issues with the rest of the show, but it is always nice to see a new face go over an established competitor definitively, and this was certainly that.

Result

Grimes defeated Corbin

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Prior to the match, Grayson Waller pitched Adam Pearce on the debut episode of The Grayson Waller Effect for next week's show.  

Roman Reigns Returned to SmackDown

The demise of The Bloodline story in this post-WrestleMania 39 landscape was greatly exaggerated.

Friday night, Roman Reigns returned and berated Jimmy and Jey Uso for their failures since The Showcase of the Immortals. After praising their brother, Solo Sikoa, he humiliated and disrespected his cousins, going as far as to insultingly pie-face Jimmy.

Cooler heads prevailed, for now, as Jey apologized to The Tribal Chief on behalf of him and his brother.

His insistence that they will regain the tag titles fell on deaf ears, though, as Paul Heyman revealed that Reigns and Sikoa will seek to bring that gold back into The Bloodline when they face Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

This was fantastic storytelling, with Jimmy not taking lightly to being dressed down in front of the world and Jey doing what was necessary to protect his sibling in the face of a potential beatdown by The Head of the Table and The Enforcer.

Reigns was such a manipulative heel, too, knowing exactly how things would play out before twisting the proverbial knife by dedicating his title match to the best team in WWE history...The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika.

The story is nearing three years in totality and appears to be coming full circle, with Reigns pushing Jey to the point that the subservient attitude that he has expressed since their Hell in a Cell match in 2020 is about to give way to the vengeful spirit of The Right Hand Man, and every single wrestling fan should be here for it.

Grade

A+

Top Moments

• "We're the only ones that will ever main event both nights of WrestleMania," Reigns said of The Bloodline.
• "Let's be honest, Solo swims like a shark," Reigns said, admitting that there was concern about him running with The Bloodline on the main roster, but he has battled the best in the business and keeps succeeding.
• "There's a problem, but it's not Sami and Kevin. There is a problem, a real problem, but the problem is...your brothers," Reigns said, finally pointing the finger at Jimmy and Jey Uso.
• "Why are you devoting a tag team match to me? I'm not even in a tag team. I'm the greatest singles champion of all time. I'm not in a tag team!"
• Reigns berated The Usos, infuriated that Jimmy laughed at him. 
• "You gonna do something?" Reigns taunted Jimmy after shoving him. Paul Heyman, recognizing the combustibility of the situation, stepped out of the ring.
• Heyman revealed that at Night of Champions, Reigns and Sikoa will challenge Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. 

Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage CTRL

Bayley cannot catch a break, descending into frustration and numbness with every passing match. Friday did not change that, as attempted interference from Iyo Sky backfired, preventing The Role Model and tag team partner Dakota Kai from dethroning Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez as tag champions.

The match, solid if unspectacular, accomplished two feats: it continued what appears destined to be the downfall of Damage CTRL and presented the possibility that Morgan and Rodriguez may soon find themselves confronted by the challenge of NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, who watched from the backstage area as their peers defended their own set of titles.

Result

Morgan and Rodriguez defeated Bayley and Kai to retain

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Backstage, The Usos confronted LWO.
• Kai teased a knee injury, allowing Iyo Sky to attempt to hand off the women's tag title to Bayley for use in the match, but Rodriguez prevented it, and Morgan retained with a rollup for the babyfaces.
  
• Backstage, Pretty Deadly introduced themselves to The Brawling Brutes in a segment that should net an entertaining rivalry if for no other reason than the fact that Kit Wilson and Elton Prince are pro wrestling gold. 

Asuka Dampens Bianca Belair's Championship Celebration

Bianca Belair may have defeated Asuka to extend her historic reign as Raw Women's Champion at WrestleMania 39, but The Empress of Tomorrow got a measure of revenge Friday night in The EST's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, by blinding her with blue mist.

Belair sold it expertly, putting over the stinging effect of the mist while Asuka celebrated her devious actions.

The outcome at WrestleMania always felt like the start of the feud between the two rather than the end, so it was no real surprise to see Asuka come back and reignite a rivalry that will likely net her the title.

Grade

C+, with the "plus" representing Belair's selling of the mist

Top Moments

• The mind games Asuka plays through her body language has always been one of her best traits, and that was on display here as she lured The EST in with some dancing, then sprayed her with the mist.   

Bobby Lashley vs. AJ Styles

AJ Styles will battle Raw's Seth Rollins to crown the new World Heavyweight Champion following a win over Bobby Lashley in the main event of Friday's SmackDown.

The Phenomenal One defeated The All Mighty in a physical main event that again saw Lashley bloodied, yet the former amateur wrestler battled through it before coming up just shy of the all-important victory.

We had seen Styles and The OC take on considerable screen time in their first two weeks on SmackDown, setting the stage for the former's big win.

It remains unlikely that he actually defeats Rollins considering Raw's need for a world title at the top of the card, but the emphasis on The Phenomenal One is welcome after he sorta, kinda fell into the background over the second half of 2022.

On a night in which Roman Reigns returned to the blue brand, it was apropos that two Superstars destined to challenge him at some point over the next year showed out in the main event.

Result

Styles defeated Lashley

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Styles applied the Calf Crusher to Lashley, and Barrett, on commentary, put over the idea that there was not a third competitor to help break it up this time.
• The Phenomenal One slipped through the ropes, forcing Lashley to break the Hurt Lock and saving his championship aspirations.
• Lashley again bled, as the wound from earlier in the night reopened in yet another physical encounter.
• Styles scored the win and celebrated with The OC to close out the win.   

Overall Grade

The blue brand brought it this week, delivering a damn good show in which every segment had a purpose.

There was no filler, storylines were introduced, wrestling legends waged war for a shot at championship gold, and Bobby Lashley turned in two inspired performances despite a nasty gash on his forehead.

AJ Styles was presented as the star he is, Edge kicked off what will likely be his retirement run with a disappointing loss, Roman Reigns continued to be the manipulative slimeball he is while ruling over his family, and we saw NXT callups like Cameron Grimes, Pretty Deadly, Grayson Waller and women's tag champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn all make their presences felt.

Throw in the second chapter of the feud between Bianca Belair and Asuka and you have a show that was focused, knew what it wanted to establish and who it wished to highlight as it embarks on a new era.

Like Raw, this was a foundational show, but unlike the flagship, it was never allowed to overstay its welcome, much to its benefit. Compact, succinct and compelling is all one can ask from pro wrestling television in 2023, and this was all three.

Overall Grade: A