Recent reports have revealed who was responsible for orchestrating the face-off between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes that aired on last Friday’s “WWE SmackDown.”
Before their temporary alliance against The Bloodline at Bad Blood, the two WrestleMania adversaries met at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, Reigns’ former college, to discuss their plans.
According to PWInsider, the well-received segment was filmed earlier in the week, with Jeremy Borash, WWE NXT’s Senior Director of Content and Development, overseeing the production.
PWInsider also reported that although Paul Heyman’s role as Reigns’ “Wiseman” has been diminished in the storyline, he was still heavily involved behind the scenes, providing direct input on how the segment was revealed.
While Reigns was absent from the live episode of “SmackDown,” his pre-recorded interaction with Rhodes aired, setting up tension for the upcoming tag match.
After the main event, Rhodes appeared to save Kevin Owens from an attack by The Bloodline. In a twist, Owens, who had witnessed the exchange between Rhodes and Reigns earlier in the show, showed reluctance toward accepting Rhodes’ assistance, holding a steel chair in hand. However, no betrayal occurred, and the show concluded with Owens begrudgingly accepting the aid.