4 subtle moments from The Bloodline's WWE SmackDown segment you may have missed
The Bloodline once again stole the headlines on WWE SmackDown by delivering an incredible segment. The interaction saw Roman Reigns force Jey Uso and Sami Zayn to confront their differences after their latest squabble resulted in a loss. What followed was the kind of storytelling that has come to be not just appreciated but expected from the faction.
The segment proved very popular with fans, racking up 12 million views across WWE's social media platforms within 24 hours. Certain moments stood out, such as Jey Uso's fiery promo which carried the segment along with Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn's back and forth with him. However, other moments subtly made the interaction work in less pronounced ways which fans may not have noticed.
Here are four such moments you may have missed from The Bloodline's WWE SmackDown segment.
#4: Terrified reactions all around after The Tribal Chief's arrival on WWE SmackDown
Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa opened WWE SmackDown by failing to secure a win in the opening match against Butch and Ridge Holland. After the bout, Zayn, Sikoa and The Usos were squabbling in the ring when Roman Reigns' music hit. Like children in trouble with their father, all four men in the ring reacted perfectly to The Tribal Chief's arrival: with visible trepidation.
As the segment went on, all Bloodline members, including Paul Heyman, reacted with a great deal of visible fear to anything that could potentially upset their leader. Jimmy Uso, in particular, could be seen burying his face in his hands and retreating to the corner after his twin brother made a wildly brash statement antagonizing The Tribal Chief. Reigns' presence fills the screen whenever he's around, but the faction's subtle reactions to him really help establish his larger-than-life aura.
#3: Jimmy Uso chooses Sami Zayn over Jey Uso for the first time ever
Jimmy Uso has thus far managed to stay out of Jey Uso and Sami Zayn's clashes on WWE SmackDown. Due to his strong relationship with his twin brother and friendship with The Honorary Uce, he has not picked a side and instead become a mediator of sorts. However, an interesting detail that largely went unnoticed on Friday night may signal where his loyalties are leaning.
Jimmy confronted Jey as the latter argued with Zayn over the undesirable result against The Brawling Brutes. The Usos had a brief staredown before Roman Reigns' arrival restored order to proceedings. Such tension between the twins has not been seen since the early days of the group when Jey helped Reigns convince Jimmy to "fall in line."
With old fault lines resurfacing, could the Usos fall out and cause The Bloodline to fracture over Sami Zayn?
#2: Sami Zayn steals the show again
Sami...Uso?!
@SamiZayn @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle #SmackDown https://t.co/lZh3PB2xMz
Over the past few weeks, Sami Zayn has made his way into the heart of The Bloodline. From an outsider trying to tap the group's dominance and popularity, Zayn has become arguably the most fan-beloved member of the group. It seems even Roman Reigns has noticed The Honorary Uce's popularity, even pausing his promo to acknowledge "Sami Uso" chants.
Zayn's soaring popularity and ever-growing voice in the group could land him in hot water with the rest of The Bloodline. Fearing that his popularity could grow too strong, the group could boot Zayn, acting as a catalyst for his long-awaited face turn. The Tribal Chief's smiley but slightly surprising reactions to The Master Strategist's popularity may have been missed by many, but they may foreshadow a brutal betrayal in the future.
#1: Going with the flow after Sami Zayn's "Ucey" remark
"Lately, he just hasn't been very Ucey."
#SmackDown https://t.co/HPajvSij3T
The Bloodline's segment on WWE SmackDown took a serious turn when Jey Uso proclaimed that he didn't care about Roman Reigns' desire for peace. The Tribal Chief stared down The Right Hand Man with an ominous look in his eyes until Sami Zayn intervened to save the situation. Zayn timidly pleaded with Reigns to let the comment slide, arguing that Jey hadn't been feeling very "Ucey" of late.
This remark changed the entire tone of the segment, making Jey and Reigns break character and change the direction of its ending. The Tribal Chief's voice lost all menace, and he delivered his threat to make Zayn a full-blown Uso with understated menace instead of the originally intended explicit intimidation. Even Paul Heyman's concluding remarks felt like they were improvised to fit the lighter tone set by The Honorary Uce.
This showed just how good The Bloodline is at adjusting to the crowd on the fly and still managing to deliver the originally intended story with a modified tone.