The bond between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens might not last past their uncontested WWE championship bout at Bash in Berlin. On Friday’s broadcast of WWE SmackDown, what had begun as a friendly rivalry turned tense.
Although Rhodes and Owens’ title fight got off to a civil start, things are starting to go the other way. On WWE SmackDown, the real-life pals got into a verbal fight, with Rhodes, the crowd favorite, maybe becoming dirtier than the frequently erratic Owens. It was an intriguing change in dynamics that gave both superstars new dimensions.
Two title matches were also aired on SmackDown. In the main event street battle, Nia Jax, the WWE women’s champion, faced off against Michin. LA Knight, the US champion, gave an open invitational to start the event. The German audience gave the superstar who accepted Knight’s open challenge a standing ovation.
All night long, CBS Sports provided you with highlights and summaries of every move made from Berlin’s Uber Arena.
Owens and Rhodes get agitated
Rhodes and Owens had a nice face-to-face meeting that quickly became contentious. Rhodes pondered whether Owens had meant to hit him from behind the previous week. According to Owens, Rhodes supposedly had a knee injury on the most recent WWE live tour. Although Rhodes refuted it, Owens brought up the injury allegations again, questioning why Rhodes hadn’t taken a knee as was customary during his arrival. Almost to the day, Owens thought back on his eight-year reign as the global champion and how it fell short of his expectations.
An enraged Rhodes claimed Owens was jealous that his run and comeback at WrestleMania 38 eclipsed Owen’s match against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. After Bash in Berlin, Rhodes wondered if they would still be friends. Before leaving, Owens put down the microphone and said something in a whisper to Rhodes.
WWE has done a good job of intensifying this rivalry every week. By getting under Rhodes’ skin, Owens was able to expose a side of the champion that the WWE rarely sees. Though Owens and Rhodes were generally friendly, Rhodes became quite personal and made some disparaging remarks about Owens’ career. The feud seems to be one or two steps away from being a big-time match. It seems like the creative staff has hit upon something they may build on further, therefore it would be unfortunate if this storyline ends with Saturday’s match. Rating: B+