The only real choice for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Chicago was to open with the man who calls it home, CM Punk. As per usual, he was a hero there.

He played to the crowd too, nabbing a camera and shooting the crowd himself. Big pop for that too.

He said he’s not supposed to be here, but every time he comes out on television, be it Netflix or USA, his goal is to make new fans. But tonight he needs forgiveness because he wants to thank the hometown instead of try to bring in any new folks.

Everything has changed now, folks, because he’s in the main event of WrestleMania. He even worked The Rock’s gimmick of slapping his goosebump riddled arm. The promo continued, the message the same — he’s not supposed to be here but he fought hard to make it and now he’s done so. But even still, the hard work begins now.

He promised to whip Seth Rollins’ ass and put a beating on The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Again, in the main event of WrestleMania.

You heard about that, right? That CM Punk is in the main event of WrestleMania?

Paul Heyman made his entrance at this point, speaking on Punk being his best friend in the world. “Ask not what you can do for your Wiseman but what your Wiseman can do for you?”

He put Punk over big, reiterating that he belongs in the main event of WrestleMania. He wanted to thank Punk for saving his own career but it was a lead in for Heyman asking for a favor — “please tell me the favor that I owe you right now?”

Punk said he would do so only when Reigns arrived to the building so he could tell him and Heyman together.

Later, Heyman was shown telling the camera his answer to the favor, no matter what it is, will be “yes.” Anything he wants! As he said this, he believed Reigns was pulling up behind him but instead Seth Rollins out of the vehicle.

“You look awful,” Seth told him.

Once he removed himself from the whole CM Punk headlining WrestleMania thing, Rollins said he formulated a plan and he knows what he needs to do now. But also, he wants to be there for the big reveal of Punk’s favor.

Finally, it was time for the main event segment and Reigns made a beeline for the ring just after he pulled up to the building. He made Chicago acknowledge him before telling them Punk is only in the main event of WrestleMania because of him.

He called Punk out and got Rollins, who ended up in a supporting role as a bit player here. Really, it felt like he didn’t need to be here at all. Still, he blamed Reigns again for not putting a stop to this Punk nonsense when he had the chance.

Mercifully, it was time for Punk to arrive and give us the story. He said it goes back to the old days when Heyman refused to let Punk get fired. Heyman told him long ago that when he finally headlines WrestleMania, “force them to deal with us.” Well, the “they” in question is no longer around.

So, instead, Punk would force Reigns to deal with them. The favor, then, is Heyman, The Tribal Chief’s Wiseman, will be in Punk’s corner at WrestleMania 41 for the triple threat match.

Reigns laughed it off, because he believed so fully in Heyman’s love and loyalty to him. He told his Wiseman to “let this desperate fool down easy.” Instead, Heyman cried as he backed away. He would not refuse.

Reigns demanded it.

Heyman tearfully told him he could not do that. He made a promise.

Reigns made like he was going to get physical, so Punk laid him out with the GTS while Rollins simply looked on smiling at how it all played out in front of him.

This was really well done, and looking back on it the only thing that actually makes sense for a favor of Punk to ask Heyman. It accomplishes so much, not just for this story but for what comes after it.

Beautifully done.

Braun Strowman was being interviewed, promising to be “the last man standing” in his war with Jacob Fatu. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga rolled up to shout him down, but United States Champion LA Knight to even things up.

It quickly led to the revelation that Knight vs. Tonga was happening right then and there. The U.S. champ, of course, won what was a pretty straightforward match. Sikoa interfered but Tonga still lost.

The new Bloodline group just ain’t what it used to be, folks.

At least, not those two.

Fatu, of course, is a beast who continues to impress in every way, and he did so again here, managing to answer the 10 count just in time to defeat Strowman and set himself up for a big money match-up with Knight.

That match, it turns out, will take place at WrestleMania 41. There is no world that exists where he should walk out of Las Vegas empty handed, and I’m saying that as a big fan of Knight.

WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton got another chance to square up with her next challenger at WrestleMania 41, Charlotte Flair, in an interview setting, this time in the middle of the ring with Wade Barrett moderating.

Flair continued to maintain that she hasn’t done any charity lately, so she figured she would give Stratton the moment she so desperately wants. She also said she would be happy to show the smartest fans in the world in Chicago that there is no comparison between the two.

Stratton said Flair’s biggest competitor has never been in the ring but outside of it — the fans are her chief rival, and she’ll never win there.

That’s certainly one angle to take.

Then, a shot: “No matter how many titles you win, you’ll always come second to your daddy, Ric Flair.”

Flair was heavily booed while she tried to respond — something Stratton called “power” — but she finally squeezed out that Tiffany is just regurgitating the same talking points everyone else has used against her. The fans wouldn’t stop, and Flair couldn’t seem to overcome them. The boos kept making her smile, one that looked genuine to me.

Finally, she quit trying and outright told Stratton she could have the last word. So the champ pointed out Flair was nowhere near her at the age of 25. Stratton’s voice cracked while trying to tell Flair she isn’t the Queen of “shit” outside of WWE. Flair made fun of the squeak, and Stratton fought through to call her a nepo baby before bringing up how many divorces she’s had.

“Hey Tiffany, is that why Kaiser is in my DMs?”

Kaiser, of course, is Ludwig, Stratton’s real life boyfriend.

This felt the most charged up of any segment they’ve shared so far. Flair legitimately seemed tripped up by the crowd response while Stratton tried her best to command the moment. She definitely improved on past showings.

As for the personal shots, hey, I’m all for getting as much heat on this thing as possible.

Welp, this sucks.

Genuinely, this just sucks.

Kevin Owens is dealing with a neck injury and because of that he’s going to have to miss WrestleMania and his planned match against Randy Orton. He admitted it sucks really bad that he doesn’t get to do just that.

What’s more, he appreciated WWE giving him the chance to speak to the fans and be in front of them again. He thanked everyone, apologized, and made his exit.

Or started to. Orton’s music hit, and he met him on the apron. They shared a brief moment, a show of respect between two guys who know what the business is and the toll it takes.

That left Aldis in the ring with Orton, with the SmackDown GM delivering the bad news that the longtime veteran no longer has a match for the biggest show of the year. His response?

An RKO.

Because of course.

There was no other way to do it.

All the rest

• Rey Fenix made his debut in WWE this week, against an interesting opponent — NXT Tag Team Champion Nathan Frazer. The idea, clearly, was to give him someone he could fly around and have a banger of a debut match with, and they accomplished just that. He won, of course, and, like Penta, was given the chance to cut an emotional promo, speaking on achieving his dream of coming to WWE. This didn’t feel as big as Penta’s debut did but they’re clearly going to push him at least to some degree.
• Santos Escobar told Angel & Berto that performance was what he expects of them. They weren’t happy about that, with Berto saying he believes he’s better and Escobar going off to get a match made between the two so he can prove it. Something is brewing there.
• Drew McIntyre still has an eye patch, and he’s still pissed off at Damian Priest, who he claims is feasting off his scraps. All he wants is for Priest to face him like a man and explain how he’s wrong. McIntyre said he needs a miracle. He needs to pray. And we all know what happens when he prays. This was a pretty great pre-tape, and I maintain he deserves so much more than this. Later, Priest got a pre-tape promo of his own, pushing back against all of McIntyre’s talking points calling him a hypocrite and a whiner. “You’re a junkie who gets off on telling stupid ass jokes for a cheap pop and playing the victim.” He promised to be the villain and that it is indeed time to pray. He called for a meeting between the two next week, and laid out a challenge for a WrestleMania match. Yep, it’s happening.
• The Motor City Machine Guns defeated DIY to become the new top contenders to the tag team titles, with The Street Profits watching from the front row. Tommaso Ciampa got caught trying to cheat and MCMG took advantage of an exposed turnbuckle to score a roll up victory. The match was fine, and either way it looks like DIY is being pushed back down the card.
• “Melo Don’t Miz. We are AWWEEESSSHHIIMMM.” No. Just… no. Yes to Pretty Deadly, though!
• Naomi defeated B-Fab in fairly short order and without much issue. It was the kind of win she should be getting while being involved in such a big program. Speaking of, Jade Cargill ran in on her immediately after the match and attacked, with a group of security guards running in to break the two of them up. Naturally, GM Nick Aldis came out to offer a solution — a singles match at WrestleMania.

This was a strong showing from the blue brand.

Grade: B+

Your turn.