WWE Friday Night SmackDown: Results and highlights as The Rock and Cody Rhodes trade words

After an exciting edition of SmackDown last week, WWE fans got another treat this week with plenty of intrigue ahead of WrestleMania XL. World heavyweight champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes were nowhere to be found in the middle of the broadcast only to make an entrance and answer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns' challenge.

Verbal sparring led to a final crescendo of The Rock telling Cody Rhodes he's 20 years younger than his siblings because he's a mistake. Rhodes responded with a slap to The Rock's face, earning a smile from The Great One in the final image of Friday's SmackDown action.

Here's the highlights and grades from Friday's action.

Rollins, Rhodes, Reigns, and The Rock sound off

Cody Rhodes took the ring and the mic to respond to The Rock's callout last week at SmackDown. He questioned The Rock's authority to determine the terms of a fight because The Great One acknowledged Reigns as his tribal chief. The Rock shut both Rhodes and Rollins up and told them a night one match in WrestleMania XL could see Rhodes rid of any problems with The Bloodline.

Rollins stepped in to shut The Rock up in turn, calling him "Mr. Midlife Crisis" and telling him his time has passed and they accept The Rock's terms.

The Great One brought out the receipts, mentioning that he's part of the TKO board and ultimately their bosses before, to the crowd's amazement, he went on to call Rhodes a mistake. Rhodes responded with a slap to the face.

The implications alone for WrestleMania gives this matchup a good grade but the slap is a cherry on top.

Grade: A.

Roman Reigns enters the ring

The undisputed universal champion followed up the Legado del Fantasmo vs. Lee fight. Reigns made this appearance ahead of WrestleMania XL April 6-7 when he'll defend his title against Cody Rhodes. The crowd let him have it with a chorus of boos before The Rock joined the party.

Lee gets the win over Angel, but at great cost

Dargon Lee went on offense with multiple stomps and nearly ended things within a minute. Angel "hurt" his right knee after avoiding a slam only to hit Lee with a kick to the chest. A few more hits sent Lee out of the ring with Legado del Fantasma showing him the disrespect.

Angel couldn't escape Lee's comeback, though. Lee's kicks were too much for Angel, especially a double-stomp from the top rope in the corner. A leaping Lee made sure Angel wasn't safe even after he exited the ring. He ended up with a pyrrhic victory, though, as the rest of Legado del Fantasma joined the ring to lay down a beating. LWO was nowhere to be found in American Airlines Center.

Commercial interruptions hurt the action here but this bout set up a potential Rey Mysterio-Santos Escobar battle at WrestleMania XL.

Grade: B-.

Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO

The next match featured the Legado del Fantasma's Angel and LWO's Dragon Lee. The two have no love lost after last week's SmackDown.

The Prettiest Moonsault Ever once again

Stratton's two-footed stomp knocked Michin down early and she had her on the ropes often. The newcomer's ruthless demeanor kept the hurt coming with multiple suplexes. After Michin's brief comeback attempt, Stratton's match ended with a familiar sight: a The Prettiest Moonsault Ever from the corner to connect. Three wins in a row for the The Buff Barbie.

This matchup was quick work in Tiffy Time in another impressive win.

Grade: B.

Tiffany Stratton looks for another win against Michin

Fresh off her win last week against Naomi, Stratton entered the ring ready to continue her winning streak on SmackDown against Michin.

Authors of Pain and Street Profits cause disqualification

AOP surprised everyone in Dallas by running into the ring and cornering Lashley. In response, the Street Profits sprinted to the ring to defend Lashley. The two duos faced off with AOP eventually gaining the upper hand and Kross knocking Lashley down.

The AOP caused disqualification after a long bout, ultimately giving the win to Dallas native Lashley. They'll likely be back at it in WrestleMania XL.

Grade: C+.

The All Mighty fights back

After taking a beating, the Lashley got Kross on his back with a throw into the ring post. Lashley escaped multiple attempts from Kross and used power to take the control once again.

Kross breaks out the BJJ against Lashley

SmackDown came back from break with Kross attempting a submission on Lashley. Kross took control against the All Mighty before Lashley broke out of another attempted submission. He then took Lashley out of the ring with a bleeding shoulder.

Lashley lays the punishment down on Kross

The All Mighty wasted no time starting strong against Kross. The Harbinger of Doom responded in kind. Kross went off the ring and Scarlett kept Lashley from landing a finishing blow. Instead, Kross took the upper hand and sent Lashley into the corner with a massive hit that left the All Mighty dazed on the ground.

The All Mighty's homecoming

Dallas' own Bobby Lashley made an entrance for the second match of the night to a warm welcome from the crowd. He's facing Karrion Kross once again after a close battle two weeks ago that ended with an arm injury.

Bayley opens up about last SmackDown

After an introduction video explaining how Dakota Kai used their past against her last week, Bayley said she built Damage CTRL. Naomi and Bianca Belair watched the interview. Naomi felt for Bayley but Belair told her not to worry about it because of the mess Bayley's created. "She made her bed, now she has to lie in it," Belair said, before wishing Bayley good luck in WrestleMania.

Logan Paul spoils the fun

In the midst of celebrating their pin, Logan Paul entered the ring and knocked down Owens and Orton. The Maverick shrunk from the fight after Orton grabbed his brass knuckles and nearly struck Owens after Paul dodged out of the way. Paul exited the ring and ran over to Waller and Theory.

Orton pins Waller

Owens tagged in to help Orton and, after a brief back-and-forth, cleared the way for the Viper to pin Waller.

Grade: B.

Orton makes Waller pay for a shot on Owens

Grayson Waller took out Kevin Owens outside the ring but Orton made him pay. After getting him on the ropes, Orton took Waller down as payback for a double suplex.

Orton takes out both Logan Paul and KSI

The former foes in the boxing ring spoke to the crowd at American Airlines Center announcing Prime Hydration will be the WWE's first center ring sponsor starting aat WrestleMania XL.

But Randy Orton came to crash the party. Paul managed to escape a full RKO but KSI wasn't so lucky.

Grade: B-.

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How to watch Friday Night SmackDown

• When: Friday, March 9, 2024

• Where: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas

• Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

• TV: FOX

• Stream: FuboTV; FOX Sports app

Watch SmackDown: Stream WWE SmackDown with Fubo

Match Card for WWE SmackDown, March 8

Here are tonight's confirmed matches.

• Logan Paul returns to SmackDown

• Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross

• Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller

Highlights from SmackDown March 1

Last week's show kicked off with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. Reigns commanded acknowledgment before The Rock returned to the stage to call out Rhodes

He responded to Rhodes' challenge with a new idea: one of the biggest tag team matches in WrestleMania history with him and Reigns vs. Rhodes and Rollins. In the process, he acknowledged his cousin Reigns as his tribal chief and leader of The Bloodline.

The first match of the night featured Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton after the two met in the Elimination Chamber a week prior. Stratton eventually pinned Naomi to make it two wins in a row.

Next up was Bayley and Dakota Kai vs. The Kabuki Warriors with plenty of drama. After a no contest result, Bayley's set for a Bayley vs. The World contest ahead of WrestleMania. Bron Breakker dominated his second ring appearance and beat Xyon Quinn in a matter of seconds with a spear.

The Street Fight featured Rey Mysterio returning from injury to unload on Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo. Ultimately, he helped Carlito get a victory over Santos Escobar. The night ended with Orton pinning Austin Theory with a signature RKO.

When is WrestleMania XL?

WrestleMania XL is set for April 6-7, 2024. The two-night event has plenty of storylines to follow and will be available by pay-per-view.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WWE SmackDown: Highlights, winners, and grades from Friday night