All it takes is one. That is the narrative WWE painted on SmackDown in the lead up to Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul at WWE Crown Jewel. Paul got a mental edge over his foes on Friday night as friction continues to seep into The Bloodline.

Roman Reigns wanted nothing to do with Paul on SmackDown. That is according to Sami Zayn, who informed his fellow faction members that no one was to interact with Paul on Friday’s show. The undisputed WWE universal champion had no interest in giving Paul any encouragement or reason to believe that he had a shot at defeating Reigns at Crown Jewel. Unfortunately, tempers got the better of The Bloodline and put the ball firmly in Paul’s court.

SmackDown also hosted an ominous warning from Bray Wyatt, a women’s tag team championship title defense, updated matches for Crown Jewel and much more.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.

Paul’s punching power puts down Jey Uso

SmackDown opened with a hard-hitting contest between Solo Sikoa and Sheamus. The Bloodline and Brawling Brutes found themselves at odds last week during a No. 1 contender’s fatal four-way match for the intercontinental championship.

Solo Sikoa def. Sheamus via pinfall after landing the Spinning Solo. The competitors slugged it out in an expectedly physical matchup. Sikoa directed his focus to Sheamus’ storyline injured shoulder, planting the Irishman with an avalanche Samoan Drop. A brawl ensued between Bloodline members Sami Zayn and The Usos, and Brawling Brutes’ Butch and Ridge Holland on the outside. The Usos buried Butch and Holland under a table before being floored ringside by a diving Sheamus. Sikoa took advantage of the distraction and dusted Sheamus with his finishing move.

After the match, The Bloodline trapped Sheamus’ left arm inside a steel chair. Jey Uso grabbed a second chair and repeatedly drove it into the compromised arm. WWE announcer Michael Cole later said that Sheamus was taken to the hospital.

The Bloodline celebrated their victory later in the evening. Jey suggested jumping Paul, but Zayn said such an action would be in direct violation of Reigns’ orders. Reigns did not want Paul to think that he was occupying space in The Bloodline’s hive mind. Jey suggested he may go against the wishes of “The Tribal Chief” as the group’s resident hothead. 

The camera briefly cut to Logan Paul arriving in a limo.

Paul made his entrance for SmackDown’s final segment of the evening. He cut a promo making fun of The Bloodline and questioning what would happen if he were to knockout Reigns at Crown Jewel. Jey ambushed Paul, beating him down and crushing him in the corner. Zayn arrived to cool down his colleague. Jey rejected the advice and went for another corner attack. Paul moved out of the way and dropped Jey with a big punch. Paul laughed as he walked off, building the belief that he could dethrone Reigns with one lucky punch.

Building into the narrative that Paul, who has some low-level boxing experience under his belt, has a puncher’s chance is probably the best direction for this feud. The overwhelming majority of people expect Reigns to retain and marketing this as an even match is foolish. Reigns is a record-setting champion and Paul is a social media star with two WWE matches under his belt. It was a believable ending to the show with Jey’s temperament and increasing friction with The Bloodline getting the better of Jey’s judgement. This was probably the most interesting component of the Reigns-Paul storyline so far. Grade: B

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• Bray Wyatt confessed he will do “horrible, horrible things” on his new journey in the WWE without remorse in a pre-taped vignette. 
• Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville ended in a double count-out draw after Morgan snapped and whooped Deville on the outside.
• An LA Knight video package aired to better introduce the audience to the character.
• Omos shoved Braun Strowman out of the ring during a face-off between the giants. Prior to the physical encounter, Strowman challenged Omos to a match at Crown Jewel.
• Drew McIntyre announced he will face Karrion Kross in a steel cage match at Crown Jewel.
• Women’s tag team championship – Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky) def. Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi Blackheart via pinfall after Sky landed a moonsault on Blackheart.
• SmackDown women’s champion Ronda Rousey announced an open challenge for next week.
• The masked version of Wyatt delivered a cryptic vignette.
• WWE announced an intercontinental championship match between GUNTHER and Rey Mysterio on SmackDown in two weeks.