WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: LA Knight takes Roman Reigns' seat at the head of the table

Friday nights belong to Knight after he took out Jimmy Uso and Reigns

Roman Reigns may have no choice but to acknowledge LA Knight. The next challenger for the undisputed WWE universal title outmaneuvered the reigning champ at every turn ahead of their Crown Jewel clash. Knight's star shined brighter than ever on SmackDown.

The blue brand was once The Bloodline's dominion, but the show is very quickly becoming Friday Knight SmackDown. Knight outperformed Reigns with his words and his fists from start to finish. Knight talked a big game and backed it up in Friday's opening and closing statements, sapping all the momentum from the defending champion ahead of next week's pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia.

SmackDown also played host to a brilliant meeting of the mics between Paul Heyman and John Cena. Other significant stars on Friday's broadcast include Bianca Belair and Logan Paul.

CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

LA Knight demands that Reigns acknowledge him

A familiar start to SmackDown came with an interesting new wrinkle. Reigns' music hit and he made his meticulous walk to the ring. Knight's theme song suddenly blared over the speakers, cutting off the champion's entrance. Knight walked straight passed his Crown Jewel opponent without so much as acknowledging "The Tribal Chief" ahead of their contract signing. Knight played further mind games by sitting at the head of the table, typically reserved for The Bloodline's "Head of the Table." 

The audience broke into chants of "Roman's scared," drawing a visible reaction from the defending champion. Reigns got up to leave after putting pen to paper, but Knight told him to sit down and acknowledge him. Knight took verbal jabs at his opponent while building himself up as the man to dethrone Reigns. The undisputed WWE universal champion heard enough, flipped the table over onto Knight and started beating him down. Knight turned the tables on Reigns, stomping a mudhole through him until Jimmy Uso intervened. The outcome was Uso being driven through the table as Reigns watched from the entrance ramp.

Cena hit the ring later that evening to address the fans. Cena continued to battle with doubt having gone more than 2,000 days without a singles match. Heyman met Cena in the middle of the ring, building up the 16-time world champion before tearing him down. Heyman threatened that Sikoa would strip Cena of his most powerful asset, his voice, with one Samoan Spike. Heyman's warnings proved to be a spoiler, not a prediction, as Sikoa attacked Cena from behind and laid him out with the Samoan Spike.

Knight def. Uso via pinfall after hitting Uso with a superplex and follow-up BFT. It was a relatively clean, competitive fight with Knight generally finding the bigger moments. Knight kicked out of an Uso Splash down the stretch before closing the show with the superplex and BFT.

Reigns tried to attack Knight post-match but was countered with a BFT that laid out the champion.

It's unlikely that Knight does the unthinkable at Crown Jewel, but WWE is doing a great job of casting doubt on the outcome. Knight continues to excel at every given opportunity and his star grows brighter with each passing week. Whoever decided Knight should cut off Reigns and take his seat deserves a raise. That is the work of a fantastic cocky face or antihero looking to get under the bad guy's skin. Knight shined in his promo with Reigns and looked like a main event player against Uso. The BFT he hit on Reigns was particularly well delivered. Credit to Reigns for getting across the spontaneity and impact of the move, giving it a level of danger in the ballpark of Randy Orton's RKO. The microphone duel between Cena and Heyman was also fantastic. Grade: A

What else happened on WWE SmackDown?

• The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) def. LWO (Carlito and Santos Escobar) via pinfall after hitting Escobar with The Revelation. Carlito left the ring to rescue Rey Mysterio from an attack by Logan Paul.
• Kevin Owens knocked down Austin Theory and Grayson Waller with a single punch following a verbal altercation backstage.
• Shotzi def. Chelsea Green via crucifix pinfall after too much showboating by Green.
• Dragon Lee def. Cedric Alexander via pinfall after hitting an Asai DDT.
• Bianca Belair announced she was granted a WWE women's title match against Iyo Sky at Crown Jewel