The Reason WWE Champion Forced To Miss SmackDown
WWE was forced to axe an advertised match after SmackDown in New York as one champion in the company missed the show.
WWE SmackDown in New York saw Paul Heyman punished after taking a stand against Solo Sikoa and his new Bloodline. Sikoa had planned to hold an ‘Acknowledgement Ceremony’ on SmackDown but that was put on hold after his group was attacked by Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens.
After that trio was sent from the arena, The Bloodline tried again at the end of the night and Solo Sikoa demanded each member of the group acknowledge him. One by one, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu all acknowledged Sikoa but Paul Heyman refused. Heyman was then taken out by the group with Fatu hitting a huge flying headbutt before he along with Loa and Tonga powerbombed Roman Reigns’ Wiseman through the announce table.
Damian Priest Misses WWE SmackDown
There was originally meant to be a huge post-show dark match scheduled for the show pitting Jey Uso against Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship but that bout never happened.
Before the show, Priest took to social media to reveal that travel issues meant he wouldn’t be able to headline the show in Madison Square Garden:
Unfortunately the honor of main eventing The Garden is not possible tonight. Still haven’t taken off. Stuck on a plane in a runway. Very disappointed and apologies to my people. This one hurts. Enjoy the show! #SmackDown I’m sure will be awesome
Unfortunately the honor of main eventing The Garden is not possible tonight. Still haven't taken off. Stuck on a plane in a runway. Very disappointed and apologies to my people. This one hurts. Enjoy the show! #SmackDown I'm sure will be awesome https://t.co/YpVemY2wsZ
— Damian Priest (@ArcherOfInfamy) June 28, 2024
Priest was replaced in the untelevised dark match by his Judgment Day partner Finn Balor who lost to Jey Uso in a Street Fight.