Smackdown
Date: November 7, 2025
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event and Cody Rhodes seems to be done with Drew McIntyre. After defending the title again, Rhodes is going to need a new challenger and with Survivor Series in about three weeks, there is a good chance we find out something about that tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Saturday Night’s Main Event if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Rhodes retaining the title at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Here is Rhodes, who talks about ending things against McIntyre once and for all. He wants someone new to come after the title and is willing to sit in the crowd and find out who it is. Cue Aleister Black and Zelina to interrupt, with Black saying there is a WWE Championship sized chip on his shoulder. Vega gets in Rhodes’ face but Nick Aldis comes out to make the match for tonight.

Ilja Dragunov runs into Tama Tonga in the back.

US Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. ???

Dragunov is defending in another open challenge, with DIY answering. Tommaso Ciampa calls out Dragunov for calling him a jackass last week, earning a JACKASS chant. Dragunov is willing to defend…against Johnny Gargano. Ciampa isn’t happy but goes with it and we’re ready to go. Gargano knocks him into the corner to start but gets taken down in some rolling German suplexes. Another suplex drops Gargano again and we take a break.

We come back with Gargano enziguring him down so they can trade forearms. The Constantine Special drops Gargano again and Dragunov hits a running boot in the corner. Gargano is right back with a superkick into a poisonrana, with Dragunov coming up with a busted nose.

They go to the corner with Dragunov knocking him off, setting up a middle rope backsplash. A belly to back slam plants Gargano but Candice LeRae pulls Dragunov outside. One Final Beat gives Gargano two but Dragunov catches him with an apron superplex. The H Bomb retains the title at 10:51.

Rating: B-. This was what you would expect from these two as they were doing their big time moves until Gargano lost. Dragunov vs. Ciampa is the big teased match and that could be quite the showdown. They have to do stuff like this to get there though and at least the match was good enough.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Nick Aldis and asks him to be ringside for Rey Fenix’s match tonight. Aldis has to turn him down again and that’s not a request. Zayn agrees, but he won’t do this much longer. R-Truth comes in and wants to be in the Last Time Is Now tournament. He puts his balls in Aldis’ hands (literally) but Aldis says he’s already in the field. This makes R-Truth mad and he leaves. Aldis: “I don’t know what just happened here.”

We look at Jade Cargill winning the Women’s Title at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Johnny Gargano apologized to Tommaso Ciampa for losing but Fraxiom comes in to mock them both.

Here is Jade Cargill for a chat. Cargill says that will happen to anyone who comes after her and she is that b****. And that’s it, though she runs into Charlotte and Alexa Bliss on the way to the ring as she leaves. Staring ensues.

Chelsea Green is ready to win the Women’s US Title back but Michin and B-Fab come in to mock her. Green says she’ll be the best champion on Smackdown but Jade Cargill comes in to scare her. B-Fab isn’t pleased and a match is made for next week.

Charlotte vs. Nia Jax

Alexa Bliss is here with Charlotte. They trade slaps to start until Charlotte hits a Thesz press to hammer away. After not quite sticking the landing on a nip up (she laughed about it), Charlotte is sent hard into the corner as we take a break. We come back with Charlotte booting her in the face and hitting a high crossbody.

A flipping clothesline drops Jax (and we go black screen due to some wardrobe issues), followed by a moonsault to give Charlotte two. Jax grabs a sitout powerbomb for two more but the Annihilator misses. Charlotte knees her for two and a tornado DDT gets the same. Cue NXT’s Lash Legend to jump Bliss and choke her on the floor, allowing Jax to splash Charlotte in the corner. The Annihilator finishes for Jax at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Charlotte is one of the few women who can hang with Jax size wise and it made for a better match. You don’t see Jax have something of a hoss fight very often and I was digging it here. Charlotte’s evolution is rather shocking as I never imagined it going this well and now we have a tag match set.

Legend and Jax leave together. I can absolutely go for Legend being on Smackdown full time.

We recap the Last Time Is Now tournament.

Nick Aldis draws two first round matches:

Miz vs. Jey Uso
LA Knight vs. ???

Aldis won’t say Knight’s opponent. That makes me think a returning Gunther or someone who will appear when you say his name.

Nia Jax says she and Lash Legend are indeed friends. Legend introduces herself and says they’re going to the top.

Women’s United States Title: Giulia vs. Chelsea Green

Green, with Alba Fyre, is challenging and Kiana James is here with Giulia. A headbutt rocks Green to start and the knee gets two. Giulia chokes on the ropes and James gets in a cheap shot, earning a superkick from Fyre. Giulia goes after Fyre…and gets rolled up with feet on the ropes to give Green the title back at 1:35. It’s not like Giulia was doing anything with the title anyway so go with the one on a roll at the moment.

Solo Sikoa wants more from the MFT’s, starting with Talla Tonga needing to teach a lesson. The team leaves and the Wyatt Sicks pop up behind them.

Charlotte checks on Alexa Bliss in the trainer’s room…but Asuka pops in to mist Charlotte in the eyes. Well that’s mean.

Talla Tonga vs. Rey Fenix

The MFT’s are here with Tonga. Actually never mind as the Motor City Machine Guns and Shinsuke Nakamura come out to brawl with them to the back. That leaves Fenix to hit a dive and the bell rings with Tonga easily shoving him down. A running big boot sends Fenix into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix’s springboard being knocked out of the air and some elbows in the corner keeping him in trouble. Tonga misses a charge though and gets kicked in the face, only to come back with a heck of an uppercut. Fenix kicks him in the head a few times, including a rope walk kick to the face. A springboard high crossbody gives Fenix two but a hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb. The chokeslam finishes Fenix off at 9:11.

Rating: B-. There was a good story here with the giant vs. the smaller guy and it worked well. The problem is that Tonga is only so good in the ring and Fenix has lost time after time to the point where it doesn’t mean as much. The MFT’s seem like they’re ready to do a bunch of stuff but none of it has really happened yet. That’s going to need to change, which has been the case for a long time.

Post match Tonga goes after Fenix again but Sami Zayn runs in with a chair for the save.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Miz says last week’s attack on Carmelo Hayes wasn’t payback before moving on to the Last Time Is Now tournament. He’s ready to win the tournament and beat John Cena again, just like he did in the main event of Wrestlemania.

Cody Rhodes vs. Aleister Black

Non-title and Zelina is here with Black. They trade armdrags to start fast until Rhodes jumps over him in the corner. The drop down uppercut is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker but Black kicks him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Rhodes getting two off the snap powerslam before Black’s kick to the head gets the same. Rhodes comes back with a running forearm and another powerslam, followed by the Disaster Kick for two.

Cross Rhodes is countered and another kick drops Rhodes, who is back with a Cody Cutter for two more. Another Cross Rhodes attempt is countered and they kick each other down…and here is Drew McIntyre to Claymore the referee. Rhodes goes after McIntyre so Black jumps Rhodes, with Damian Priest coming in to go after the villains. Zelina’s interference doesn’t really work but Black gets in a shot to Priest’s eye. The match is a no contest at around 10:00.

Rating: B-. They got in some good stuff while they had the chance, which granted was only so long. The ending is a bit interesting as it opens up some doors, though Rhodes needs a new top challenger. While McIntyre is a big deal, he was only so much of a threat to take the title. I’m not sure Black is going to be anything more than a challenger of the month, but at least it’s something different.

Post match Nick Aldis suspends McIntyre to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The action here was fine, but this was another show that didn’t feel very exciting. The matches were ok enough and nothing was terrible, but there is nothing on here that makes me want to keep watching. Rather than rushing towards something, it comes off more like a leisurely jog with little in the way of drama. Nothing much to this one, which is a shame as the wrestling was pretty decent.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Johnny Gargano – H Bomb
Nia Jax b. Charlotte – Annihilator
Chelsea Green b. Giulia – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Cody Rhodes vs. Aleister Black went to a no contest

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: October 10, 2025
Location: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re on the road (and likely a boat or plane) this week as the show comes to Australia. In addition to being in a special location, we are also about twelve hours away from Crown Jewel, which should mean a strong push towards the pay per view. The Tag Team Titles are on the line as well here so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the Crown Jewel titles being flown from Saudi Arabia to Australia for the show. So they can do this but not have them show up on Raw or Smackdown one time?

The men’s Crown Jewel title is in the ring and here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes says we can talk about Seth Rollins, who has a doom and gloom thought about their upcoming Crown Jewel match. Then Rhodes heard Paul Heyman talking about the match and maybe Rollins is right. Maybe Rhodes is Rollins’ Achilles heel and maybe getting rid of the Vision is his responsibility. He thinks the people here love WWE (and the fans sing his name) and knows that there are people here who are ready to take this title from him or become the new star of the company.

He’s talking about people like Randy Orton, Rhea Ripley, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso or CM Punk, but he could be talking about Rollins as well. The fans boo and chant something about Rollins. Rhodes says he’s going to need Michael Cole to translate it. Cole has no clue but hands the microphone to Wade Barrett, who confirms the chant is “SETH IS A WA****.” Rhodes (who catches the mic with one hand) says that if the world revolves around Rollins, who is Rhodes in that world? He’s the one wrestler that Rollins cannot beat. This is a weird story, as it’s pretty much all about Rollins and Rhodes is just kind of there.

Chelsea Green comes up to Stephanie Vaquer in the back and offers her a spot in the Secret Hervice. Tiffany Stratton would never get such an offer, and here is Stratton to scare her off. Vaquer and Stratton still seem cool enough with each other before their match.

Cody Rhodes runs into Jacob Fatu, who says they’re cool but he’s coming for the title after Crown Jewel. Rhodes: “Good.” Rhodes leaves and Nick Aldis comes in to say he needs to talk to Fatu tonight. That’s fine with Fatu and Aldis leaves, with Drew McIntyre running in to jump Fatu (there is no way Aldis didn’t see him). Aldis cuts McIntyre off from crushing Fatu with a cart and McIntyre says he needs to talk to him tonight.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. ???

Zayn is defending against…Shinsuke Nakamura, who is back with his original music and seems to be the good guy version again. Somehow this is the first time the title has ever been defended in Australia. Not even on a house show? They fight over wrist control to start but neither gets anywhere so Nakamura kicks him down. The sliding German suplex in the corner drops Zayn again and we take a break.

We come back with Zayn winning a slugout but Nakamura gets in a suplex. A running kick to the face gives Nakamura two but Zayn springboards over him for a hard clothesline. The Michinoku Driver gives Zayn two and he exploders Nakamura into the corner. It’s too early for the Helluva Kick and Nakamura hits a middle rope knee to the back of the head for two of his own.

We take another break and come back with Nakamura kneeing him in the back of the head to send Zayn outside. An exploder sends Nakamura into the barricade and the Helluva Kick connects outside. Back in and Kinshasa connects but Zayn gets his foot on the rope. Scorpio Rising hits Zayn and Kinshasa is loaded up again…but someone in a hoodie pulls Nakamura to the floor for the DQ at 15:30.

Rating: B. These two have some excellent chemistry together but there is only so much that you can do when about half of the match is cut off by commercials. I do like that we got to see this again before Nakamura leaves WWE though, as he can still do well with just about anyone. Good stuff here, even with the issues holding it back.

And it’s…the returning Tama Tonga, complete with face paint. Cue all three of the MFT’s (all with face paint) to lay Zayn out. Nakamura’s save is cut off and Solo Sikoa strolls around ringside as the beatdown is on.

Drew McIntyre comes up to Nick Aldis, who makes McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu next week. Fatu comes in and the brawl is on.

Stephanie Vaquer/Tiffany Stratton vs. Giulia/Kiana James

James offers Vaquer a handshake but then knees her in the ribs instead. Not the best business offer there. Vaquer pulls her straight into the Devil’s Kiss and we take a break. We come back with James hitting a running shoulder in the corner and Giulia’s missile dropkick gets two. Vaquer enziguris her way out of trouble though and brings Stratton in to clean house.

Giulia offers a distraction but Stratton kicks James in the face. Back in and a quick northern lights bomb plants Stratton, with Vaquer having to make a save. An Alabama Slam lets Vaquer come back in as everything breaks down. Stratton makes a blind tag as Vaquer dives onto Giulia. That leaves Stratton to Regal Roll James into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C+. They’re trying with Vaquer vs. Stratton but there is little that can be done to make their Crown Jewel match feel important. It feels like something that is only kind of happening and this didn’t really make it any bigger. I’ll take it over another Nia Jax match, but only by so much.

Post match we get the big staredown.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss come up to Zaria and Sol Ruca to grant them a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Ruca and Zaria bump into each other, with the champs saying they have no communication. Charlotte and Bliss turn to leave and go different ways. Bliss: “Charlotte, this way.” Charlotte: “I knew that.” See, that’s how you make people like Charlotte. Instead of talking down to everyone and winning the Women’s Title over and over, she had a funny little moment with her partner that made her look human. Notice how much easier it’s been to watch her with Bliss?

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Wyatts are defending and B-Fab is here with the Profits. The fight starts fast with Gacy being put down and a double flapjack dropping Lumis on top of him. Dawkins Pounces Lumis into the barricade and we take a break. We come back with Dawkins putting both champs on his shoulders (GEEZ) for a double Doomsday Blockbuster. Nikki Cross and B-Fab get into it on the floor, with Ford diving onto Erick Rowan. Back in and Ford misses his frog splash, allowing the Wyatts to hit the Plague and retain at 6:33. Not enough shown to rate but it was action packed while it lasted.

Post match the MFT’s come out for a staredown with the Wyatts and the fans REALLY like this. Nikki Cross gets up close to Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s leave.

We look at Carmelo Hayes and Miz splitting up last week.

Miz blames the split on Hayes, who didn’t want Miz to be the kind of mentor Miz never had. Melo missed.

Video on Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black.

Earlier today at the Kickoff Event, Seth Rollins walked off the stage with nothing to say. Even Paul Heyman seemed stunned.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest

Last Man Standing. Priest shrugs off some kicks to start and hammers away in the corner to knock Black outside. It’s already kendo stick time but Black kicks it out of Priest’s hands. That earns him a steps shot to the head and they fight up the aisle as we take a break. We come back with Priest kicking a kendo stick away from Black and whipping him into the barricade.

The steps are brought in and Black trips Priest face first into them, followed by a Meteora onto the steps (that looked good). Priest is up at seven and gives Black Snake Eyes onto the steps. They head outside with Priest being sent into the steps over and over. That’s good for another seven before Priest Pounces him over the announcers’ table. We take another break and come back again with Black having to beat the count for a change. Priest hits him with a kendo stick but Old School is kicked out of the air.

Black finds a chair on the floor but also finds a chokeslam onto the apron. A Razor’s Edge sends Black onto the announcers’ table (which doesn’t give) for nine so Priest does it again. Black kind of stumbles onto the floor, which counts as standing up so we keep going. They fight into the crowd and go to the tech area, where Zelina Vega pops up from the crowd. Priest will have none of Vega’s pleas for mercy but the distraction lets Black throw a fireball in Priest’s face. Black Mass off a crate and through a table gives Black the win at 18:15.

Rating: B. This was two hard hitting people beating the daylights out of each other and that worked well for a main event. I like Black and Vega being paired together as Vega going after the United States Title was beyond played out. This could be the trick that Black needs (it certainly worked for Andrade back in the day) so hopefully everyone can move on.

Black and Vega mock the injured Priest to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Rather strong show this week, even with the less than thrilling Crown Jewel being the focus. I liked the refocus on the MFT’s, who are fine as a midcard monster group, as they’ve been away long enough now. Just get us through the pay per view and build on what you did here, as the non-Crown Jewel stuff was quite good.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn via DQ when Tama Tonga interfered
Tiffany Stratton/Stephanie Vaquer b. Giulia/Kiana James – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to James
Wyatt Sicks b. Street Profits – Plague to Ford
Aleister Black b. Damian Priest when Priest couldn’t answer the ten count

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: October 3, 2025
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Booker T.

We’re just over a week away from Crown Jewel, meaning it’s time to keep going with the build to the champion vs. champion matches. In this case though, we have Cody Rhodes teaming up with Randy Orton to face the Vision, which should make for a heck of a big time match. In addition, we have a contract signing and you know those always go well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes asks what the fans want to talk about but gets cut off by Paul Heyman, with the Vision. Randy Orton runs in to even things out a bit but Heyman hits the catchphrase instead of sending in the monsters. Heyman says they’re here to talk to Orton, who is a hard man to reach.

They knew that they could get Orton here by cornering Rhodes and, after mocking the RKO chants, Heyman moves to tonight’s tag match. Heyman wonders how it’s going to go, as Orton will either be thinking he could be a better champion than Rhodes or Rhodes will wonder where Orton was when they lose. Rhodes vs. Orton is going to happen someday and Wrestlemania wouldn’t shock me.

Miz yells at Carmelo Hayes for not helping him last week. Hayes tells them that this is done, and Miz should be happy because Hayes usually shoots first.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. ???

Zayn is defending against…Carmelo Hayes, who says they’ve done this before but this time there is no one holding him back. Cue Miz with a Skull Crushing Finale to Hayes though and it seems we’ll need a new challenger.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. Aleister Black

Zayn is defending and snaps off some armdrags to start fast. Back up and Black scores with a kick to the face to take over, followed by another to the chest. We take a break and come back with Zayn striking away in the corner and clotheslining him out to the floor. A springboard moonsault drops Black again and a Michinoku Driver gives Zayn two. Black goes with another kick though and gets two off a bridging German suplex.

The Blue Thunder Bomb is blocked and Black sweeps the leg into an Oklahoma roll for two. Zayn catches him on top though and gets in a superplex as we take another break. We come back again with Black kneeing him out of the air for two before striking away in the corner. Zayn misses a quick Helluva Kick attempt and gets Meteoraed down for two more. Cue Damian Priest for a distraction though and it’s the Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb to retain Zayn’s title at 15:19.

Rating: B. You can almost pencil in Zayn for a good match every time he does one of these things and that’s the right idea. Black is a nice choice for something like this and the ending should set up at least one more big Priest vs. Black match. At the same time, I’m curious to see where Miz vs. Hayes goes, along with whomever Zayn gets to face next.

Post match Priest sends Black through a table.

Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre interrupt Sol Ruca and Zaria with Nick Aldis. Green wants them in the Secret Hervice but gets a match against them instead.

Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre vs. Sol Ruca/Zaria

Fyre backs Zaria into the corner to start but gets choked for her efforts. Zaria’s middle rope clothesline drops Fyre and it’s off to Green, who has about the same luck. Ruca gets two off an X Factor but Fyre gets in a cheap shot so Green can kick Ruca in the face. A gordbuster into a basement superkick gets two on Ruca, who pops right back up with a Sol Snatcher to pin Green at 3:49.

Rating: C+. Oh they know what they have with Ruca, who is coming off as more and more of a star every time she’s out there. She has the look, the athleticism and the charisma to become a big deal. If that continues to build, we very well could be in for a heck of a star run from her in the coming years. Zaria is a bit harder to figure out, but WWE seems to be ready to give Ruca a chance, as they should.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are impressed and sure, Ruca and Zaria might get a title shot one day.

We look back at Roman Reigns’ return on Raw.

Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are cool with each other.

Here is Nick Aldis to run the contract signing between Tiffany Stratton and Stephanie Vaquer. They stare at each other a bit and Vaquer says may the best woman win. Stratton says she’ll win because it doesn’t matter where they are, as it will ALWAYS be Tiffy Time. They both sign and Aldis hypes up the match before Stratton leaves. Cue Kiana James and Giulia to jump Stratton and say Vaquer isn’t a superstar just yet. James offers to represent Vaquer but Stratton is back up to pull James to the floor. Vaquer goes after Giulia, who escapes an SVB attempt.

Earlier today, Je’Von Evans talked to Nick Aldis, who thinks Evans has a big future on Smackdown. Rey Fenix came in to talk to Evans but Los Garza came in to mock them. A tag match was set for tonight.

Jacob Fatu is tired of hearing people whining, which is why he interrupted Drew McIntyre last week. He’s going to the top and McIntyre isn’t stopping him.

Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix vs. Los Garza

Evans springboards into a rollup for an early two on Berto, who comes back with a dropkick for two of his own. Angel gets a blind tag and catches Evans with a kick to the head but Fenix comes in for a heck of a running flip dive. Evans hits an even bigger dive and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix slipping away from Angel and hitting him with a running shot to the face. Everything breaks down and Los Garza hit a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam combination for two on Evans. Back up and Evans kicks both of them down, including knocking Angel outside. Berto’s rollup with the ropes gets two but Fenix makes a blind tag. Evans’ top rope cutter drops Angel, leaving Fenix to hit the MMB for the pin on Garza at 9:09.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what is next for Evans, but he’s another case where WWE seems to think quite a bit of him and that means he is likely going to be getting a lot more focus sooner than later. While it might be a bit too early for him, he is living up to the hype thus far and that is impressive. Fenix on the other hand is just kind of “the guy who teams with everyone else” and that’s only going to get him so far.

Damian Priest says he is the consequences for Aleister Black. Kit Wilson, in his wheelchair, comes in to call Priest out for his toxicity. Priest sends the wheelchair crashing into various things. He’ll also face Black next week, Last Man Standing.

Tala Tonga loves Solo Sikoa, who thinks there is still something missing.

The Street Profits, with B-Fab, are ready for the Wyatt Sicks next week and they’re fighting for each other. The Wyatts pop up on a screen behind them to point out the issues the Profits have been having.

Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes vs. Vision

Paul Heyman is here with the Vision. Orton and Breakker start things off with Breakker being knocked outside. We take an early break and come back with Orton fighting out of Reed’s chinlock. Reed gets sent shoulder first into the post, allowing the tag off to Rhodes. The Disaster Kick into a suicide dive connects but Reed is up at one back inside.

Breakker gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Rhodes is in trouble for a change. Reed knocks him down again and mocks Roman Reigns’ pose as we take another break. We come back again with Breakker powering Rhodes into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Breakker mocks the fans’ RHODES chants before raining down some right hands, mainly because Breakker is an awesome villain.

Rhodes slips out though and drops Reed, allowing the diving tag off to Orton. Powerslams abound but Reed catches Orton with the Jagged Edge. The Tsunami is broken up though and Orton gets in a superplex to Reed, with Breakker breaking it up. Breakker also breaks the barricade with a spear to Rhodes and take him out. Cue Seth Rollins to Stomp Orton, meaning Reed can hit the Tsunami for the pin at 15:16.

Rating: B. This was a good way to go with the main event and it felt like a main event tag match. Rollins coming in to screw Rhodes over makes sense, even if it came by attacking Orton. That’s a logical way to go and now we could be in for Orton getting some revenge sooner than later. Or maybe after Crown Jewel, which is the big deal that WWE is focusing on at the moment.

Post match Rollins wants to go after Rhodes again but Heyman says no, as Rhodes is in his head. Rollins goes in anyway and is promptly Cross Rhodesed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This week saw a nice mixture of up and coming stars, plus some matches that helped boost the bigger stories around here. If nothing else, it was nice to see less of a focus on the Crown Jewel Title matches, as those are both pretty much set. The ending was a nice way to go and boosted up Rhodes vs. Rollins without hammering it into the ground again. Rather nice show here, and the future is looking nice around here.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Aleister Black – Blue Thunder Bomb
Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre – Sol Snatcher to Green
Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix b. Los Garza – MMB to Garza
Vision b. Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes – Tsunami to Orton

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: September 26, 2025
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Booker T.

We’re done with Wrestlepalooza and things have kind of reset, with Cody Rhodes retaining the Smackdown World Title over Drew McIntyre. Normally that would mean a new challenger emerging but instead we have Crown Jewel and champion vs. champion coming up for the next few weeks. Other than that, the Women’s Title is on the line in a three way so let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlepalooza if you need a recap.

Long Wrestlepalooza recap, including a shot from the post show of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins having a staredown.

Here is Paul Heyman for a chat. He has a lot to talk about and paraphrases a “secondary champion” by asking what we want to talk about. The fans cut him off with an OTC chant but Heyman points out that Reigns was stretchered out of Paris by Bronson Reed. Maybe we should talk about Bron Breakker, who will be the star of the next ten years? Or maybe the conspiracy theories about Brock Lesnar? Either way, here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt.

Rhodes apologizes for calling Heyman a goon last week, so he wants to hear about Brock Lesnar. We look at a still of Heyman introducing Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza and Rhodes suggests that it wasn’t a one night thing. Is he talking to the Oracle, a wiseman, or an advocate? Heyman: “You’re talking to the GOAT.” The reality is that Lesnar is going to put everyone in danger but here is the Vision.

Rhodes says it’s about time they met, because he knows what it’s like to be the son of a legend. He grew up the son of a booker and was around all kinds of people in wrestling but he always knew where their loyalties lied. Where do Heyman’s loyalties lie though? No one knows, but they aren’t with Breakker. The fight is teased and Rhodes takes his watch off but the numbers get the better of him in a hurry. The beatdown is on until Randy Orton runs in for the save. That’s a heck of a tag match whenever they get around to it, along with the eventual Rhodes vs. Orton title match.

The Street Profits talk about how they have issues at times but the goal is always the same.

Street Profits vs. Carmelo Hayes/The Miz

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Miz rolls Ford up a few times to start and it’s off to Hayes, who gets his own rollup for two. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Profits clear the ring but Hayes dropkicks Dawkins on the floor. We take a break and come back with Miz DDTing Ford for two and Hayes knocks Dawkins off the apron in a smart move.

Ford slips out of a belly to back suplex but Miz is right there to pull Dawkins down. The First 48 connects and Hayes loads up Nothing But Net, only for Miz to tag himself in. The argument is on, allowing the tag off to Dawkins. A Sky High into the frog splash gives Ford the pin at 9:28 (with Hayes glaring at Miz rather than making the save).

Rating: C+. Good enough match, with the Profits seemingly getting back on the same page. The question now is whether or not that is maintained at the title match, as the Wyatts are the reason for their strife in the first place. At the same time, Miz and Hayes are still having issues, which has been the case since they got together in the first place.

The Wyatt Sicks come out for the staredown.

Jade Cargill is tired of Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax so she’s ready to become champion. Stephanie Vaquer comes in and Cargill says she’s coming for her at Crown Jewel.

Giulia/Kiana James vs. Michin/B-Fab

B-Fab forearms at James to start and gets two off a basement clothesline. Giulia comes in for a running dropkick and sends B-Fab down hard, only for B-Fab to hit a running dropkick. Michin comes in and everything breaks down with the fight heading outside. Michin’s dropkick off the announcers’ table hits Giulia and we take a break.

We come back with James kicking B-Fan in the face so Giulia can hit a missile dropkick for two. B-Fab fights out of trouble though and it’s off to Michin to take over. Everything breaks down and Michin hits Eat Defeat on James. Giulia comes back in with the running knee though, followed by the northern lights bomb for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C. Michin and B-Fab haven’t felt like viable challengers to Giulia so there wasn’t much of a reason to believe that they were going to win here. James was fine as backup for Giulia, who needs to string together a few wins. There are only so many challengers for the title, but Michin and B-Fab need to move on already as it doesn’t feel like they’re any kind of a threat to Giulia.

Sol Ruca and Zaria (from NXT) come in to ask Charlotte and Alexa Bliss for a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Charlotte says you can’t just wave your hand and get a title shot, which Zaria finds funny. Bliss tells them to go prove themselves, with Charlotte liking the assertiveness.

Video on the Crown Jewel Title matches.

Here is Drew McIntyre, in a walking boot, for a chat. McIntyre talks about his history in Orlando, including returning to WWE in 2017 and winning his second WWE Title. He should be here with the title but Cody Rhodes was one step ahead. The referee cost him the title because it should have been a disqualification. Do the referees work for WWE or for Rhodes? Cue Nick Aldis to interrupt who says McIntyre shouldn’t make excuses because he’s better than that. That boot didn’t come from the WWE medical team but McIntyre calls himself a champion without a championship.

Cue Jacob Fatu and this should be interesting. Fatu takes the mic from McIntyre and tells him to shut up and stop b*******. McIntyre asks who Fatu thinks he is so Fatu hits his catchphrase. A Glasgow Kiss staggers Fatu, who is right back with a superkick and a shot with McIntyre’s medical boot. Yeah Fatu getting elevated like this is a good sign and he seems ready for the spot.

Stephanie Vaquer comes in to see Tiffany Stratton, saying they might face off at Crown Jewel. Stratton respects Vaquer, but will put her in the ground if they meet.

Rey Fenix and Sami Zayn are good after last week and Fenix is looking forward to finding out who is next for the US Open Challenge.

Solo Sikoa praises JC Mateo, who says he loves Sikoa.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. ???

Zayn is defending against…NXT’s Je’Von Evans (a young and talented high flier). As luck would have it, Evans’ opponent at tomorrow’s NXT No Mercy, Josh Briggs, is here too. They trade armdrags to start and Evans takes him into the corner for a chop. A top rope hurricanrana takes Zayn down but he cuts a dive off with a running clothesline.

We take a break and come back with Evans hitting a heck of a dive to take Zayn out on the floor. A spinning kick to the face gives Evans two so Zayn fights back and goes up. That’s fine with Evans, who runs up the corner for a super hurricanrana and another near fall. The springboard spinning splash misses for Evans but he misses a Helluva Kick. Evans’ top rope cutter connects for two but he misses a charge, allowing Zayn to hit the Helluva Kick. The Blue Thunder Bomb retains the title at 10:17.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a showcase for Evans, who went out there and gave it everything he had, even in defeat. Evans started off rough in his career but he has turned into a rather entertaining star as he’s figured a lot of what he needs to do. It was a fast paced match and Zayn had to wait for the opening to catch him, which made for a good story. Heck of a match here.

Chelsea Green offers Nia Jax in the Secret Hervice but Jax rips up the offer. Jax runs into Stephanie Vaquer and threatens her.

Kit Wilson complains to Damian Priest about his toxic, patriarchal attitude last week. Priest lunges at him and Wilson falls down. Priest: “B****** be tripping huh?” Aleister Black comes up from behind and kicks Priest in the head, followed by some mockery.

Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill

Stratton is defending and gets knocked down to start, leaving Jax to shrug off Cargill’s running shoulder. Stratton dropkicks them both down and we take a break. We come back with Stratton’s suicide dive getting caught in the ropes so Cargill sends her back inside. Jax runs both of them over but gets caught on to. Cargill chokes Stratton but gets legdropped by Jax, leaving Stratton to hit a Swanton for two.

We take another break and come back again with a double superplex dropping Jax to leave everyone down. Stratton gives Cargill a Regal Roll and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever hits Jax, with Cargill making a save. Jaded hits Stratton so Jax pulls the referee out at two. Jax busts Cargill open so Cargill gives her a Samoan drop on the steps (geez).

We pause for the referee to try to close the cut on Cargill’s head but Cargill comes back in for the Eye of the Storm on Jax, with Stratton making the (late) save. Stratton covers and the referee just stops counting at two, with Jax clearly yelling at her as a result. Stratton pops up and hits The Prettiest Moonsault Ever on Jax to retain the title at 13:55.

Rating: C+. That botched kickout sequence at the end was terrible and brought things down a good bit. I’m assuming Cargill was supposed to make the save, but at least Stratton was smart enough to get up and hit the finish to get out of there. Either way, Stratton gets the two out of the way for the time being and can move on to the…well really the far less important match but it’s what we’re getting anyway.

Post match Stephanie Vaquer comes out for the staredown with Stratton to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I cannot bring myself to get into this Crown Jewel stuff as it feels so unimportant. I know it’s treated as a big deal at the time, but the whole thing is then basically ignored for eleven months. Why should I care about it if WWE doesn’t? That was one of the big focal points of this show, though the Zayn vs. Evans match was a lot of fun. It’s definitely not a bad show, but I’m really looking forward to moving on past the champion vs. champion stuff as it feels like such an unimportant side trip.

Results
Street Profits b. Carmelo Hayes/The Miz – Frog splash to Miz
Giulia/Kiana James b. Michin/B-Fab – Northern lights bomb to Michin
Sami Zayn b. Je’Von Evans – Blue Thunder Bomb
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax and Jade Cargill – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to Jax

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: September 19, 2025
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before this weekend’s Wrestlepalooza and that means we’re going to be seeing Brock Lesnar before he faces John Cena. That likely means some serious violence, as tends to be Lesnar’s tradition. We’ve also got Sami Zayn defending the US Title against Carmelo Hayes. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Michael Cole starts welcoming us to the show but is told that he needs to head to the back for a sitdown interview with Brock Lesnar. As Cole goes to the back, Lesnar comes out to interrupt though and carries Cole around the ring. Then he puts Cole inside said ring, which draws Graves in for some attempted peacekeeping. Lesnar lays him out with an F5 and then grabs the camera to shout that he’s coming for John Cena’s blood. That’s not enough though as Lesnar hits another F5 on Graves.

Post break, Graves is still pretty much destroyed and we look at the segment again.

Lesnar is walking through the back and runs into the Vision. He says he and Paul Heyman should talk, with Heyman smiling and nodding. With Lesnar gone, Nick Aldis comes in to say this isn’t the time for the Vision. He has too much going on but Heyman says he’s here to broker a peace with the Usos. Aldis says Heyman likely knows that the Usos are already in Indianapolis, so Heyman says they’ll just enjoy the show.

Michael Cole is back on commentary and is rather disturbed by the whole thing.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre

Charlotte and Bliss are defending. Charlotte drops Green to start fast and everything breaks down, with Green taking Bliss into the corner. We take a break and come back with Miz having joined commentary and Bliss diving for a tag. Fyre pulls Charlotte off the apron though, only for Green to miss a charge into the post. That’s enough for the tag to Charlotte, who tries to fight back but has her moonsault broken up. Charlotte saves Bliss from a double suplex and Natural Selection finishes Green at 7:54.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here when you factor out the commercial but Charlotte and Bliss are turning into some rather dominant champions. Unfortunately that becomes a problem when they don’t have many high level teams to face, but I’m liking their matches more and more. It’s something that is working well and if they can keep that up, they might be able to break the curse that these belts seem to have.

B-Fab tries to get the Street Profits on the same page but Michin needs to talk to her. The Profits talk about wanting to get the Tag Team Titles back and things seem to be good. Ford leaves so Bo Dallas comes in to talk to Dawkins. That brings Ford back to cut Dallas off, with the Wyatt Sicks coming in to take out the Profits.

R-Truth, in a neck brace, explains how to order the ESPN App to Los Garza.

Fraxiom comes to the ring for a match but the Vision jumps them from behind, with Heyman saying Fraxiom reminds him of the Usos. Fraxiom is back in with some dropkicks to the floor and some dives so Nick Aldis comes out to make the match.

Vision vs. Fraxiom

We’re joined in progress with Breakker taking Axiom to the top but getting knocked down. Breakker hits a heck of a running clothesline and it’s off to Reed for a backsplash. It’s back to Breakker to load up the Super Spear, which is cut off by Axiom’s dropkick. Frazer comes in to kick Reed down and hit a frog splash for two. A Phoenix splash misses though and Reed hits the Jagged Edge. Axiom goes up after Reed but gets shoved off, right into a Super Spear. The Tsunami finishes Frazer at 3:57.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough match for a quick destruction as Fraxiom was only able to do so much here. That’s the right idea too as the Vision has their biggest match to date tomorrow and it’s nice to give them a bit of momentum on the way there. At the same time, it’s kind of a shame to see Fraxiom falling down the ranks, as they’ve gone from being a fun team close to the titles to this in just a few months.

Post match Heyman handles the announcement but the Usos pop up from Indianapolis, saying that it’ll be a different kind of match tomorrow.

We look at WWE stars appearing on ESPN programming.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. She insults Toledo and talks about how this division is getting on her nerves. The reality is she is the alpha of this division and mocks Tiffany Stratton’s catchphrase in a funny bit. Then you have Jade Cargill, who looks incredible until the bell rings. Jax is the alpha but here is Stratton to interrupt. Stratton is sick of Jax running her mouth and doesn’t think Cargill is a superhero, but here is Cargill to shove her way to the ring. Nick Aldis comes in to calm it down, saying it’s a triple threat for the title next week.

R-Truth explains ESPN to the Motor City Machine Guns and Rey Fenix. Then he puts his phone in a toaster.

We look at the Lesnar beatdown again.

United States Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending and Miz is VERY enthusiastic about Hayes. They fight over wrist control to start until Hayes is back with a dropkick. Back up and Zayn punches him into the corner for some right hands but Hayes is right back with the Fadeaway. We take a break and come back with Hayes dropping a knee for two. Some chops against the ropes wake Zayn up and a middle rope ax handle puts Hayes down.

A tornado DDT gives Zayn two, followed by a Michinoku Driver for the same. Hayes is back up with a knee but his frog splash only hits raised knees. We take another break and come back with Hayes blocking an exploder. Instead he knocks Zayn down and hits the frog splash for two. Hayes’ First 48 gets two and the suplex cutter drops Zayn again. Zayn is right back up with a kick to the face and the Blue Thunder Bomb retains at 15:07.

Rating: B. This is exactly the point of the US Open Challenges, as you have Zayn out there giving Hayes a chance to showcase himself for a change. It helps that the match got some time rather than being rushed, making it feel like a struggle. I could go for a few months of this, and there is a good chance that’s what we’ll be getting.

Damian Priest storms into Nick Aldis’ office and wants Aleister Black next week. Kit Wilson, who was in Aldis’ office, accuses Priest of toxic masculinity. He is then thrown through a wall.

Cody Rhodes explains how to watch Wrestlepalooza.

We get the second half of the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar history, starting with Cena becoming the biggest star in the world during Lesnar’s absence. Meanwhile, Lesnar became the UFC Heavyweight Champion and turned into an even scarier human being. Then Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and wrecked a bunch of people, including Cena in a long form squash at Summerslam 2014 (the first F5 had me screaming at my TV). We’ll get the last part on the Kickoff Show tomorrow.

Wrestlepalooza rundown.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre.

Solo Sikoa talks about how Tonga Loa has been part of the team since the beginning and Sikoa let him down by not making him a champion. Loa confirms his love for Sikoa. That’s not a great sign for Sikoa’s future, as he and Loa were all alone here.

It’s time for the contract signing, with Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes joining Nick Aldis in the ring. Before they sign, Rhodes actually brings up their time as Tag Team Champions. The thing is though, not everyone cares about that and just want to see people fight. Lately, the only kind of warrior McIntyre has been is a keyboard warrior (the fans gasp at that) and McIntyre busts out his phone to post THANK YOU CODY. McIntyre talks about how Rhodes is a company man but he’s been in Rhodes’ spot before.

What happens when Rhodes loses? He’ll be in McIntyre’s spot, talking about how things used to be. They both sign in a hurry and the brawl is on again, with McIntyre getting the better of things. He teases the Claymore through the announcers’ table but stops, because it would cost him the match tomorrow. Rhodes gets back up and they brawl even more, with McIntyre hitting a Claymore to end the show. This was a simple segment, but it did boost the match up in a rather needed way.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t exactly great this week, with only Zayn vs. Hayes going that well. At the same time though, they did a nice job of getting things ready for the pay per view. Wrestlepalooza is feeling like a major show and the contract signing helped it out a bit. There is going to be some pressure on them tomorrow, but this wound up being a good enough show to get them to the big event.

Results
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Chelsea Green/Alba Fyre – Natural Selection to Green
Vision b. Fraxiom – Tsunami to Frazer
Sami Zayn b. Carmelo Hayes – Blue Thunder Bomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Clash In Paris 2025
Date: August 31, 2025
Location: Paris La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re overseas again and that means it’s time for one heck of a hot crowd. If last year’s show in France is any indication, this could be something rather special. The show is big enough with the Raw World Title on the line in a four way, plus John Cena vs. Logan Paul in what could be an awesome showdown. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the idea of big moments, with the Starry Night motif for quite the unique style.

The set is rather awesome with the Eiffel Tower in the middle and more of the Starry Night look. That’s great.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed

Paul Heyman is here with Reed and they’re fighting over stolen shoes. The fans sing for Reigns to continue a rather cool trend around here. They stare at each other for a LONG time to start, with the lockup not taking place until over two minutes into the match. That goes nowhere so Reigns tries some running shoulders, which go nowhere. Reed tries to run the ropes but gets caught with an uppercut, allowing Reigns to knock him into the corner for some right hands (with the fans sounding like they’re counting in English).

Reigns loads up the Samoan drop and that’s just not going to work on someone’s Reed’s size. They go outside with Reed hitting a shoulder off the apron. Reigns manages a posting and loads up the announcers’ table, which takes a bit too long. A World’s Strongest Slam crushes Reigns and Reed hammers away back inside. The neck crank goes on followed by a chinlock until Reigns fights up, only to get knocked back down.

Reed slowly hammers away even more until Reigns makes another comeback and knocks him outside. The apron boot to the face connects and Reigns sends him into the post a few times. Back in and Reed plants him with a release Rock Bottom into a backsplash and things slow back down. The Death Valley Driver gives Reed two but he can’t hit a piledriver. Reigns is knocked outside, where he cuts off a dive with a Superman Punch.

Back in and another Superman Punch gets two but the spear is cut off and Reed knocks him outside for the suicide dive. The Tsunami misses though and Reigns tries another spear, which is countered into one heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. The Tsunami is loaded up again but Reigns is right there with a super Samoan drop. Now the spear can connect for the pin at 22:07.

Rating: B. This is one of those concepts that isn’t hard to figure out, as it was a pair of monsters beating on each other until one of them couldn’t get up. At the same time, it’s proof of how simple a wrestling story can be. In short, they were fighting over SHOES, but it turned into a personal feud where they beat the living daylights out of each other. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.

Post match Reigns gets his shoes back and Heyman realizes he’s in BIG trouble. Heyman tries to acknowledge his Tribal Chief but gets guillotined for his efforts. Reigns signs the shoes and throws them into the crowd for a nice touch. As he’s doing that though, Bron Breakker pops up to spear him off the table in an awesome visual. Reigns is slowly taken out, allowing Breakker to run down the aisle and spear him again. That’s enough for Reigns to be put on a stretcher, which allows Reed to hit a Tsunami.

Cue Jey Uso for the attempted save but Breakker spears him down again, with Reed hitting ANOTHER Tsunami, even splitting the security and agents in a heck of a visual. The stretcher is able to get Reigns out after quite the lengthy segment to get Reigns off WWE TV for the sake of Street Fighter.

Jelly Roll is here.

Adam Pearce ejects Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, saying they’re suspended without pay if they come back.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Profits, with B-Fab, are challenging. Dawkins says he’ll start, which doesn’t seem to go well with Ford. Gacy gets knocked into the corner so it’s off to Lumis, with Ford rather aggressively tagging himself in. Ford tries to pick up the pace but Lumis drops down to shake him a bit. Everything breaks down and a double flapjack plants Gacy. Ford gets dropped from behind though and Gacy takes him into the corner, with some forearms not getting Ford very far.

The chinlock doesn’t work either but Lumis comes back in to send Ford into the corner. Gacy takes him to the apron, where Ford is able to hit a suplex for a needed breather. The diving tag brings in Dawkins to pick up the pace, including a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Dawkins hits a Swanton for two on Gacy, who is back up with a belly to back neckbreaker combination getting two on Dawkins. Ford goes up but gets crotched on top, only to get back up for the Doomsday Blockbuster.

The frog splash misses though and Gacy flips Lumis onto Ford for two, with Dawkins making the save. Dawkins pounces Gacy into the barricade but stops for a staredown with Erick Rowan. Ford isn’t having that and flip dives over the post to take out Lumis and Rowan. Nikki Cross pops out from underneath the ring to grab Ford’s leg. That leaves Uncle Howdy to give Ford a Sister Abigail on the floor. Back in and a powerbomb/suplex combination finishes Ford to retain at 13:10.

Rating: C+. While it’s still better than its Raw counterparts, the Smackdown tag division isn’t the most interesting thing in the world at the moment. That was the case again here, as the Profits are suddenly having issues but they wind up losing due to the numbers game anyway. That’s a simple story for the Wyatts, but it’s also one that is going to get old in a hurry. Nice enough match here, but it was the definition of a cool down match.

We recap Becky Lynch defending the Women’s Intercontinental Title against Nikki Bella. Lynch beat Lyra Valkyria and started bragging so Bella issued the challenge. Personal insulted ensued and Bella seemed to get underneath her skin.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Nikki Bella vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending. Bella fires off forearms to start and Lynch bails to the floor, with Bella scoring off a dropkick to the knee. A dive misses though and Lynch sends her into the barricade to take over. Back in and Lynch stomps away in the corner before hitting her in the face. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Bella gets up and they slug it out.

Bella makes the clothesline comeback and dropkicks her out to the floor, setting up the baseball slide. Lynch’s hands are sent into the announcers’ tables over and over (that was terrible) before they go back inside….and HORRIBLY mistime Bella’s middle rope spinning kick to the face. As in Lynch was almost on the other side of the ring and Bella probably missed her by three feet. Thankfully Lynch is smart enough to just cover her for two and Bella gets to fire off the forearms.

Lynch catches her up top with a superplex for two but Bella is back with something like the STF (the Fearless Lock). That’s broken up as well but Lynch can’t get the Disarm-Her. Lynch misses something off the top and now the Fearless Lock goes on, with Lynch making the rope. They fight outside with Bella sending her into the post, followed by the Bella Buster onto the steps. Back in and Bella hits a half nelson slam (called the Manhandle Slam) for two but Lynch sends her throat first into the ropes and grabs a backslide to retain at 13:07.

Rating: D-. I don’t know if they were nervous, if Bella has forgotten how to wrestle or if Lynch took a sudden blow to the head before the match, but this was absolutely terrible. They were on such different pages that they were in different libraries and it never got anything close to good. It didn’t help that the fans were going nuts for Lynch and didn’t seem to care about Bella, which was ignored for the most part. I’m not a Bella fan, but I’ve seen enough of her time in the ring to know that this wasn’t her normal stuff. Talented wrestlers can have bad nights and I think we can chalk this up to that. At least hopefully.

We look at the Roman Reigns attack, but in different languages.

Jey Uso is banged up but insists he can still go.

We recap Sheamus vs. Rusev, who have been feuding for a good while now and brawling a lot, so it’s time for a Good Ol Fashioned Donnybrook.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

Donnybrook, meaning a street fight with Irish/Bulgarian themed weapons. They slug it out to start with Sheamus taking over. The fight heads outside, with Sheamus loading up some tables but having to suplex Rusev to cut him off. Rusev comes back with a kendo stick to the head and arms before a turnbuckle pad is ripped away. Sheamus manages an Irish Curse but gets sent into the corner.

They fight over a chair, with Rusev spinwheel kicking it into Sheamus’ face for one. Rusev loads up a chair in the corner but Sheamus tells him to bring it. A jumping knee to the face gives Sheamus two and he fires off the forearms to the chest. Back up and Rusev sends him over a bar at ringside, with Sheamus fighting back for more forearms. Rusev tries to escape into the crowd so Sheamus gives him more forearms, this time with a shillelagh.

Back in and the High Cross gives Sheamus two but Rusev bails outside before the Brogue Kick can launch. That’s fine with Sheamus, who goes up but dives into a kendo stick shot to the ribs. Rusev beats him down again before grabbing the Accolade, with Sheamus getting up and dropping back onto some chairs for the escape. They go outside again, with Rusev dropping him onto some whiskey barrels and grabbing the Accolade up there.

That’s broken up as well but this time Sheamus gives him an Irish Curse off the barrels and through some tables for the massive crash. The Brogue Kick gets two back inside and they trade strikes to the face. Rusev hits his jumping superkick in the corner and grabs the Shillelagh for the Accolade (bending all the way back onto his own back) and the tap at 20:06.

Rating: B. Well, it was as advertised, as these guys beat the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That being said, it went on a bit too long and I’m still not sold on Rusev. The problem is that he’s getting into the same circumstances as Alberto Del Rio: there is little to define him other than “he’s a heel from X country”. What is there to Rusev other than he’s a heel from Bulgaria? He needs more than that, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

We recap John Cena vs. Logan Paul. Cena is good again but Paul doesn’t like the fact that he isn’t getting enough respect. That led Cena to say that Paul could be great but won’t put in the effort. Therefore, it’s time to fight for honor and such.

John Cena vs. Logan Paul

Paul grabs a headlock to start so Cena reverses into one of his own. Cena wins a test of strength so Paul steps on his feet and hammers away in the corner. Back up and Cena fires off his own rights in the corner and tries a monkey flip, with Paul sticking the landing and knocking him down again. Paul mocks the fans a lot so Cena drops him with the running clothesline.

Back up and Paul hits a blockbuster into a chinlock, with Cena powering out. That earns him a gutwrench powerbomb for two and Paul gets to laugh at the fans a bit more. Back up and they collide for a double down, with the fans getting WAY behind Cena again. Cena fights up and hits the flying shoulders into the ProtoBomb but the AA is countered. Paul’s Buckshot Lariat gets two but the frog splash hits knees.

The AA gets two but Paul sticks the landing, meaning it’s off to an Octopus hold. That’s reversed into the STF, which is broken up as well so Cena hits the middle rope DDT for two. They both need a breather before Paul is back up with a Zig Zag for two of his own. Back up and Cena hits a Downward Spiral for two but Paul drops him again and gets a quick standing moonsault for two more.

Back up and they slug it out until Paul hits a pop up uppercut of all things for another near fall. With nothing else working (and his nose busted), Paul initiates Cena’s finishing sequence but takes too long on the Shuffle, allowing Cena to hit another AA for two. Cena’s Code Red gets two but Paul is back with the big right hand for the next near fall. A pair of frog splashes give Paul two and he hits his own Shuffle. The AA is countered into a Styles Clash of all things to give Cena two and they’re both spent. Back up and Paul hits the big right hand but Cena ducks another shot and hits the AA for the pin at 26:21.

Rating: A-. Oh of course this was great, as Cena knows this style as well as anyone else and Paul knows how to bring it on the big stage like almost no one else. I’m not sure if Paul should have lost here, but there was pretty much no way that Cena was going to lose in another high profile match so soon after Summerslam. These guys stole the show, which is impressive as some of the other matches have been rather snazzy as well.

The official attendance is 30,343, breaking the gate record set by Taylor Swift.

Seth Rollins doesn’t want to hear about the odds being stacked against him. He’s won with his back to the wall before though because he’s one of the best ever. It’s time to remind people what he can do. If he can’t keep the title by himself, maybe he doesn’t deserve to be champion. Oh yeah someone is going to be helping him. Rollins seemed a bit shaken up by the odds having been changed.

We recap the main event of Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title in a four way. Rollins is champion, having cashed in on CM Punk at Summerslam. Jey Uso is the former champion who is owed a rematch, while LA Knight pinned Rollins before he won the title. The challengers want the title but keep fighting among themselves.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Rollins is defending and Uso is banged up from earlier tonight. Uso gets kicked out to the floor to start so Punk and Knight go after Rollins. Knight rolls Punk up for two and they slug it out but Uso is back in with a high crossbody to Rollins. Punk clotheslines Uso down and mocks the YEET but gets knocked outside. Uso and Knight start double teaming Rollins, who fights back and stomps away at all three.

That doesn’t last long though as he’s quickly surrounded and triple teamed, with Knight saying we need a table. Punk: “JEY! GET THE TABLES!” That doesn’t last long as they start fighting again, with Rollins joining them for a trip through the crowd. Back in and Punk grabs a swinging neckbreaker on Rollins, followed by the running knee in the corner. Uso drops Rollins, Knight drops Uso, Punk drops Knight and Rollins Pedigrees Punk for two to leave everyone down.

Rollins is back up with a buckle bomb for two on Knight, followed by a frog splash for the same on Uso. Knight gets stomped down in the corner but makes a comeback, including the slam to Punk and a DDT to Rollins. The top rope elbow connects but Uso is there with a superkick to put Knight down. Punk is back up for a Tower Of Doom to leave everyone else down, allowing him to pick his targets.

Back up and Punk poses on the apron, allowing Knight to knock him…well almost through the table at inside. The BFT gives Knight two on Rollins and he slugs it out with Uso. Knight takes Rollins outside for some rams onto the announcers’ table (better than Rollins’ wife from earlier) but the top rope elbow sends Knight crashing through said table. Back up and Uso dives onto Rollins, who reverses the spear into a Pedigree for two back inside. Rollins’ Phoenix splash misses though and now Uso can connect with the spear.

The Superfly Splash gets two but Punk is back in with a GTS for two on Uso. Rollins is back in and yells at Punk before grabbing a chair. A Stomp on the floor drops Uso and another takes out Knight. Back in and Rollins tries to Stomp Punk’s neck into a chair but Punk slips out and hits a GTS. Another is loaded up but cue a woman in a hoodie to hit Punk low. And yeah it’s Becky Lynch, which is so logical that it’s surprising. Rollins Stomps Punk onto the chair to retain at 24:30.

Rating: B. Well the ending was a surprise, and I’m impressed by how simple it really was. Rollins needed help but his lackeys were gone, but his wife, who happens to be a top star, comes in to save him. Other than that, you had your usual good brawl with everyone working hard, but it got into the pattern of “two in the ring, two out on the floor” and that got a bit tedious. Still though, solid main event here and I’m a bit surprised that Knight didn’t take the fall.

Rollins and Lynch celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Call it four and a half out of six, which is a pretty good result for a show. The Paul vs. Cena match stole the show, while the main event and opener were more than worth a look. If you get rid of the horrible women’s match (again, that felt like a horrible off night where they just couldn’t get it together) and replace it with anything even average, this is probably in contention for show of the year. As it is, it’s just a rather good show with Cena and Paul putting in a great one.

Results
Roman Reigns b. Bronson Reed – Spear
Wyatt Sicks b. Street Profits – Powerbomb/suplex combination to Ford
Becky Lynch b. Nikki Bella – Backslide
Rusev b. Sheamus – Accolade
John Cena b. Logan Paul – AA
Seth Rollins b. CM Punk, Logan Paul and Jey Uso – Stomp onto a chair to Punk

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 29, 2025
Location: LDLC Arena, Lyon, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re taped from France this week as the company is in the country for Sunday’s Clash In Paris event. That means this is going to be one of the big TV shows before we get to the pay per view and in this case, we have Solo Sikoa defending the US Title against Sami Zayn. John Cena is here too so things should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s Logan Paul/John Cena showdown to further set up their Clash In Paris match. Paul then knocks Cena out to end the show, following a Brock Lesnar tease.

Paul arrive and walks from his car into the arena for a chat. After bringing up Cena calling him a parasite last week, Paul insists on sticking with English even though he’s in France. Paul lists off a bunch of stats about his money and how much he brings to the company (“YOU’RE WELCOME TKO!”). This place is becoming the WW-ME and Cena represents the past. Paul starts yelling at the fans in French and insults Cena as well, which brings out Cena to interrupt.

Cena gets right to the point: the fans are the ones who decide what kind of career Paul has. While Cena likes the idea of Paul taking WWE to new heights, he doesn’t think Paul is willing to put in the effort. Paul wants to talk about being a disrupter, but Cena was doing that twenty years ago. His brass knuckles even said WORD LIFE and he shook up all kinds of things. He even wore jorts! Cena talks about how Paul wasn’t on a list of influential influencers so he’s here to save his career.

After they take turns speaking French, Cena says that Paul is just a gimmick and goes to the floor as he talks about respect. Cena says respect is saying something bad to a fan because you’re having a bad day but then seeing them later and saying you’re sorry (which he does to a young fan). Paul tells Cena to wrap this up, but Cena says that Paul “asked for this match s*** head.” Cena says that wrestling is going to ruin Paul to wrap it up. The fact that we wasted six months on the awful heel run is astounding.

The Street Profits and B-Fab are ready to become #1 contenders again but Bo Dallas (looking and sounding incredibly like Bray Wyatt) comes in to interrupt. Dallas says the Wyatt Sicks are a family and when the Profits come for the titles, they’ll find out if the two of them are really brothers. Minor spoilers aside, I do like Dallas being himself for some promos, as it could actually allow the team to make some more sense.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Alba Fyre/Chelsea Green

Green (substituting for an out of action Piper Niven) and Fyre are challenging but they jump Charlotte in the aisle before the match. We take a break and come back with a change having been made.

Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green

Bliss charges at her to start and hammers away but gets distracted by Fyre. Back in and Green hits her in the face and yells a lot, earning a slap right back from Bliss. Green sends her into the corner and chokes on the rope, followed by a big boot. Bliss sends her outside but goes after Fyre again, allowing Green to get in a shot of her own as we take a break. We come back with Green dropkicking her out to the floor but getting sent into the barricade for her efforts.

They get back in with Bliss winning an exchange of forearms but Sister Abigail is countered with something like a Zig Zag. Back up and Bliss knocks off the top but has to deal with Fyre. Twisted Bliss doesn’t work and neither does Sister Abigail, leaving Bliss to roll her up for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with Bliss having to fight against the odds without her partner around. I’m assuming they switched things up here due to Niven not being around and not wanting to burn off the match, which is understandable enough. Bliss getting a win on her own is good, though it would be nice to see Green not lose so often.

Post match Fyre and Green jump Bliss again until Charlotte limps out to make the save. The bad knee is taken out though and Green/Fyre stand tall.

Sami Zayn feels confident about the main event and wants to become US Champion in France.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes have had another daughter. Well that’s great.

Aleister Black asks what Damian Priest thought would happen. Black plans to show how misguided Priest really is. He’ll be the one kneeling on Priest’s chest, saying I WARNED YOU.

Priest says he knows Black wants to be like him but he just isn’t. He’s going to teach Black to run from someone like him and enjoy the beating Black receives. Priest even throws it back to commentary.

Michin vs. Kiana James

Giulia is here with James, who swings the briefcase at Michin and gets rolled up for the pin at 7 seconds.

Post match Giulia jumps Michin and sends her into the steps.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. McIntyre goes around ringside to ask for an update on Cody Rhodes, thinking Michael Cole would know it because he’s “always kissing Cody Rhodes’ a**.” With no update available, McIntyre tells Randy Orton to get out here so the fans can sing his song. Cue Orton, and they do sing. McIntyre isn’t sure why Orton attacked him last week, but hopefully it wasn’t out of loyalty to Rhodes.

The reality is that Rhodes doesn’t have real friends and he’s always out for himself. Rhodes probably checked on Orton during his two year recovery from back surgery because he was gathering intel. Orton says he’ll give that some thought, but he dropped McIntyre last week because he doesn’t think much of McIntyre. That earns him a Glasgow Kiss and the fight is on, with Orton hitting a hanging DDT. Security and agents come in for the save so Orton takes them (including Hurricane Helms) out with RKO’s, allowing McIntyre to escape. Good enough stuff here, as the Rhodes vs. Orton seeds continue to be planted.

Carmelo Hayes and Miz still aren’t exactly on the same page but Miz gives him a pep talk. Bo Dallas pops in to say there is a difference between perception and reality, asking if Hayes can handle that. Hayes tells him not to write a reality check his mouth can’t cash.

Nick Aldis yells at Randy Orton, who gives Aldis a bottle of whiskey. R-Truth comes in, mistakes Aldis for someone else, and leaves.

Carmelo Hayes/The Miz vs. Street Profits

For the Clash In Paris Tag Team Title shot. Ford takes over on Miz to start and it’s off to Dawkins for a double back elbow. Dawkins hits the running spinning corner splashes but Miz grabs a foot. Hayes gets in the Fadeaway for two and we take a break. We come back with Dawkins planting Hayes and the double tag bringing in Ford and Miz.

House is quickly cleaned and a standing moonsault gets two on Miz. Back up and Miz hits a DDT for two on Ford but the Skull Crushing Finale is blocked. Hayes tags himself back in and hits a frog splash for two on Ford as things slow back down. Cue the Wyatt Sicks for a distraction to Miz, who gets knocked to the floor. The Revelation finishes Hayes at 9:07.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised at the result here as Hayes and Miz have been on something of a winning streak, though the Profits feel like a bigger threat to the titles. The Wyatts are at least doing something different and they might be going after Miz and Hayes in the coming weeks. That’s better than what we’ve been getting so this was at least somewhat encouraging.

Jade Cargill surprises Tiffany Stratton in the back and reveals that she is Stratton’s next #1 contender. Cargill promises to show that they were never on the same level.

Solo Sikoa is ready to take out Sami Zayn.

Clash In Paris rundown.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa

Sikoa, with the MFT’s, is defending. Zayn throws him to the floor to start and does his flip back into the ring as we take a break. We come back with Sikoa hitting the running Umaga Attack for two but Zayn is right back with a clothesline to the floor. The big running flip dive connects but the MFT’s cut Zayn off outside. Spinning Solo gets two and the MFT’s jump Zayn again, so here are Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso to go after them. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two as most of the others brawl to the floor.

The threat of a Helluva Kick sends Sikoa outside, where he plants Zayn on the announcers’ table as we take a break. We come back with Zayn missing something off the top and getting caught in the Samoan Drop. The Superfly Splash gives Sikoa two but the Samoan Spike misses. Zayn suplexes him into the corner, only to charge into a superkick. Another Spike misses though and Zayn hits a pair of Helluva Kicks for the pin and the title at 13:27.

Rating: B-. Points for the big title change here, as that’s not something I was expecting. Zayn getting the win and the title is a nice moment for him and a good way to give him something to do before he can move on to the World Title scene. Sikoa will have multiple options to go after and Zayn’s challengers will be lined up, so this was a nice way to go.

Zayn celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Good enough show here, with the focus being split between the pay per view and the regular stuff around here. That’s a nice mixture to have, as it lets WWE look a bit towards the future beyond this Sunday. The big promo exchanged worked well and the main event was a fun surprise. Now just follow it up after this with a strong showing on Sunday and the build towards….Wrestlepalooza, because that’s really what it’s called.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Chelsea Green – Rollup
Michin b. Kiana James – Rollup
Street Profits b. Miz/Carmelo Hayes – Revelation to Hayes
Sami Zayn b. Solo Sikoa – Helluva Kick

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 15, 2025
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re coming up on Clash In Paris and the big news from last week is that John Cena will be facing Logan Paul in just over two weeks. That should make for a fun battle of promos on the way there, especially here in Cena’s hometown. In addition, the issues between Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu continue and I’m sure we’ll hear more about it this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here are Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s to get things going. Sikoa makes it clear that they run Smackdown and if you don’t like it….well too bad! Last week, Sami Zayn showed up and attacked them, which is why he got a beating on Raw. The same thing happened to Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu, so if anyone wants to come out here and do something about it…and here is Zayn to interrupt. Zayn says he’s here to talk because he wants to win the Royal Rumble.

If he had beaten Rusev on Raw, that could have been in the cards. Then the team attacked him and he wants to say thank you. Aside from the World Title, the one title he has never won around here is the US Title. Sikoa says that isn’t changing anytime soon so go back to Raw. Zayn laughs that off, because he is officially on Smackdown. The fight is on, with the MFT’s beating Zayn down until Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu run in for the save. Nick Aldis wastes no time in coming out to make the six man main event. If Zayn is going to keep popping up around here, they might as well just officially move him over.

Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice are not happy with last week’s caking, because it was VERY DANGEROUS.

Alexa Bliss vs. Piper Niven

Charlotte, Alba Fyre and Chelsea Green are all here too. Bliss makes the mistake of holding up the Lily doll and gets jumped from behind to start. That’s reversed into a sleeper but Niven powers out of it and hits a nice Boss Man Slam to plant Bliss. We take a break and come back with Bliss hitting her running Blockbuster for two. Niven sends her into the corner for the Cannonball though, only to miss the Vader Bomb. Bliss grabs a DDT, only for interference to break up Twisted Bliss. Not that it matters though as Bliss rolls Niven up for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C+. This was a power vs. speed match with Bliss getting out of the way enough to make Niven miss. That worked rather well, though that swinging Boss Man Slam was the highlight of the whole thing. Niven knows how to be a force when she gets the chance and Bliss made her look good here, even in defeat.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Charlotte getting taken out too. Bliss gets crushed by Niven’s Vader Bomb to leave her laying.

Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton argue until Nia Jax interrupts. Stratton isn’t scared of either of them and tells them to bring it, because the outcome will be the same.

The Miz/Carmelo Hayes vs. Fraxiom

Miz and Axiom start things off but hang on as the Wyatt Sicks pop up in the crowd to watch. They lock up and fight over a test of strength until Miz takes him down for a quickly broken top wristlock. Frazer comes in and runs the ropes rather quickly, leaving Miz rather frustrated. It’s off to Hayes, who is taken into the corner as everything breaks down. Fraxiom hit stereo dives and we take an early break.

We come back with Hayes planting Axiom for two but he’s right back up for the tag off to Frazer. Some kicks to the head put the villains down and a springboard reverse Spanish Fly gets two on Hayes. The super Spanish Fly plants Hayes into the Phoenix splash but Miz steps up for a tornado DDT to Axiom and the save (and a nice one at that). Back up and Frazer tries a superplex but gets reversed into a cutter, leaving Hayes rather fired up. Hayes goes up but Miz runs in with the Skull Crushing Finale and the pin at 12:17.

Rating: B. These guys got going here and it was fun to watch the four of them going out there and go nuts. I could go for Miz and Hayes being around more often, but it already seems like we’re on the way to them having issues (again). At the same time, Fraxiom felt like they were going to be a big deal and yet here they are and it’s not going well. Maybe that changes, but they might have already hit their peak.

We look back at Drew McIntyre attacking Cody Rhodes last week.

Kiana James comes up to Tiffany Stratton in the back and suggests that Giulia wants a title shot. Stratton isn’t impressed but Michin comes in to say she’s coming for Giulia anyway.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. We see the attack on Cody Rhodes last week but McIntyre makes it clear that he did not attack him. There is no medical update on Rhodes and it might be due to to WWE not wanting to admit that the golden boy is damaged. Five years ago, McIntyre was Rhodes but he knows that the fans will forget him.

Now he wants the title because of the paycheck it brings. The reality is that Rhodes attacked him and McIntyre goes outside to recap what happened. Rhodes even cleared off the announcers’ table. Why else was he going to do that? Was he going to “fashion me a fine cuisine?” McIntyre says if he’s provoked, he’s the real nightmare. Good stuff here, with McIntyre delivering as he can do so well.

The Street Profits and B-Fab are ready for DIY but Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s interrupt. Sikoa says they’re coming for the titles but Montez Ford says the Profits are coming for the smoke. Talla Tonga is distracted by something and a large bunny is behind them.

Street Profits vs. DIY

B-Fab and Candice LeRae are here too. Ford dropkicks Ciampa to start but gets taken into the wrong corner so Gargano can hit a running knee. That doesn’t last long as it’s off to Dawkins who runs DIY over without much trouble. DIY cuts that off and does their back patting as we take a break.

We come back with Dawkins knocking Gargano down, allowing Ford to come in to clean house. An assisted German suplex gets two on Ciampa and the Doomsday Blockbuster is loaded up, only for LeRae to take B-Fab out on the floor. The Fairy Tale Ending gets two and the Profits are sent outside, where Gargano gets caught with an uppercut. The referee goes to check on him but the distraction lets LeRae hurricanrana Ford off the apron. One Final Beat gets two on Ford but Dawkins breaks up Meet In The Middle. Ford knees Ciampa and a spinebuster into the frog splash gives Ford the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. This got nuts by the end and I was wondering who was going to win. The tag division getting out there and working in matches where they’re given the chance to do something is a lot of fun and it’s making things a bit more interesting. Throw in LeRae finally getting to do something and it’s that much better.

Carmelo Hayes and the Miz are in the back with the Motor City Machine Guns, who think Miz is manipulating Hayes. An argument ensues and Aldis makes a tag match for next week.

We look back at John Cena and Logan Paul’s argument last week, setting up their match at Clash In Paris.

R-Truth is glad to have his childhood hero John Cena back but Aleister Black doesn’t like it. They go face to face and R-Truth is suddenly a lot more serious (showing the difference between himself and Ron Killings).

Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso say it’s like old times, but Jacob Fatu doesn’t know anything about Zayn and doesn’t seem to want to.

MFT’s vs. Jimmy Uso/Jacob Fatu/Sami Zayn

Mateo and Uso start things off with Uso striking away, including a jumping enziguri. Zayn comes in and gets knocked into the corner before being tossed outside. Talla gets in a big boot and we take an early break. We come back with Sikoa unloading on Zayn but Mateo misses a charge into the corner. Sikoa is right there to cut off the tag attempt but Zayn manages a tornado DDT.

That’s enough for the tag off to Fatu and the ten headbutts in the corner have Loa in trouble. Uso’s big dive over the top takes Mateo out but Loa gets his knees up to cut off Fatu’s Swanton. Sikoa drops a Superfly Splash for two and it’s back to Zayn as everything breaks down. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and Fatu hits a heck of a suicide dive onto Talla. Back in and Zayn exploders Sikoa into the corner for the Helluva Kick and the pin at 11:02.

Rating: B. That was about the only way this match could end and that’s not a bad thing. They had set up the idea of Zayn coming after Sikoa and now he’s gotten a pin to set up the title match. Throw in Fatu getting to throw himself at a variety of people and it was a fun way to go. It might not have done anything overly complicated, but it was what it should have been.

Overall Rating: B+. This turned into a heck of a show, with a bunch of nice action, logical stories being moved forward and more than enough things to keep me interested. I’m sure at least a little of this will move on to Clash In Paris (Sikoa vs. Zayn is a likely candidate) and the show flew by, which is always a nice feeling. Pretty great show here and one of the better Smackdowns I’ve seen in a good while.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Piper Niven – Rollup
The Miz/Carmelo Hayes b. Fraxiom – Skull Crushing Finale to Frazer
Street Profits b. DIY – Frog splash to Ciampa
Sami Zayn/Jimmy Uso/Jacob Fatu b. MFT’s – Helluva Kick to Sikoa

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 8, 2025
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Summerslam and the big surprise was that not only did John Cena stay on the good side, but he lost the World Title to Cody Rhodes and was then attacked by a returning Brock Lesnar. That should make for a heck of a big build towards Clash In Paris later this month so let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Rhodes/Cena/Lesnar issues from Summerslam.

Here is Cena to get things going. We get the big special introduction and Cena is impressed by the reaction he is receiving. Cena talks about WWE being afraid to come to Montreal for such a long time because the audience might hijack the show. He’s never been afraid of that though because the people here are so nuts that he can barely hear himself talk. Imagine someone in the back trying to prepare a show around these people.

Cena brings up the fans singing and of course they’re off to the races. Some wrestlers might be afraid of being out here in front of this crowd but Cena has learned to let the fans be themselves and enjoy every single second. He has learned that it doesn’t last forever and that means a THANK YOU CENA chant, which seems to get to him a bit.

Cena says that after tonight, he only has eleven appearances left and every night that goes by, he gets more and more afraid. He’s afraid that no matter what he does, he’ll leave the people down. On top of that, he’s afraid that people will forget about him. He has all these fears on his mind and heck he’s even afraid of Brock Lesnar. The thing is there is no universe in which he’ll back down from Lesnar and he is afraid that Lesnar and everyone else has a Cena sized problem.

The last time is now so if you want some, come get some…and here is Logan Paul. He’s not impressed with Cena, who says Paul might have just made the biggest mistake of his life. Whether you like it or not, Cena was right when he said Paul does wrestling better than anyone else in WWE. Cena did indeed say that and also calls Paul the biggest dumba** he’s ever seen.

Paul accuses Cena of saying whatever the bosses want him to say and wants a match. Cena is down, with Paul saying we can do it in a lovely French speaking country….like France. The match seems to be on but here is Drew McIntyre to jump Cena from behind. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save and the good guys stand tall. Cena accepts the match for Clash In Paris and issues the challenge for the tag match tonight. That seems to be on as well. So I’m guessing the Lesnar match is in Australia or at Survivor Series?

The Motor City Machine Guns are banged up from TLC but ready to face Solo Sikoa’s MFT’s. Yeah they’re hurt, but they’re ready to bring it as well as they can.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. JC Mateo/Talla Tonga

The Guns start fast by sending Mateo outside for the suicide dive. Some kicks from the apron have Tonga in trouble but he swats Shelley to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Sabin striking away at Mateo and hitting a springboard tornado DDT for two. Mateo is right back with the swinging belly to back suplex and Shelley has to make the save. Tonga isn’t having that and chokeslams Sabin for the pin at 7:45.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here due to the break and it was little more than the Guns starting fast, getting beaten down and then losing after a comeback. That’s not exactly rewriting the tag team formula but it worked well for a short form match. The MFT’s getting into the title picture could open up some nice doors for the division as they could use some fresh matches.

Post match Solo Sikoa says the MFT’s are the next Tag Team Champions and he’s ready for a fight…but he’s leaving this terrible city. Cue Nick Aldis who says someone is ready for a fight with Sikoa right now.

Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa

Non-title and the MFT’s are at ringside. They stare at each other for a good while to start until Zayn knocks him into the corner for some right hands. Sikoa reverses into right hands of his own but Zayn reverses right back and unloads. Zayn knocks him to the floor and hits the big running flip dive but Talla Tonga gets in a cheap shot as we take a break.

We come back with Zayn getting two off a sunset bomb but the Blue Thunder Bomb is blocked. Sikoa knocks him down and loads up the Samoan Spike, which is kicked away. The exploder into the corner but Tonga Loa offers a distraction to break up the Helluva Kick. Zayn has to deck JC Mateo and Talla Tonga gets on the apron, allowing Sikoa to hit a superkick. The Samoan Spike misses though and Zayn gets a rollup pin at 10:30.

Rating: B-. They got me there with the ending as I was expecting Zayn to lose to crush the fans’ hope all over again. Letting him get a nice win in front of his hometown was a good little surprise and the match went well enough. Zayn is on a bit of a winning streak and that is a promising sign for his future, at least for the time being.

Charlotte has plans for Alexa Bliss’ birthday tomorrow and we’ll see that out on the big stage. Bliss is more than a bit nervous.

The Wyatt Sicks say they will never lead us astray. This is about something so much bigger and there are more lessons to be learned. The Wyatts’ story has only just begun.

The Street Profits and B-Fab are not impressed but DIY and Candice LeRae come in. They bicker over whose fault it is that the Wyatts are still the champions so Nick Aldis comes in to make a match between the two of them next week.

Here are Alexa Bliss and Charlotte for a championship/birthday celebration. We start with a big cake, dedicated to Charlotte, with Alexa in far smaller letters. There is a present, which neither wants to open, with Bliss saying she is scared. It’s actually a Lily doll with a WE’RE NOT FRIENDS shirt, which Bliss likes. That’s not all though as Charlotte brings out the Charlie doll that Bliss gave her years ago, now with a matching shirt. Charlotte says she needs something from Bliss though…and Bliss is now allowed to hug her.

The hug is teased but here are Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice. Green mocks the Montreal Canadiens and Charlotte reveals she has one more gift: beating up Green tonight. Green goes to leave but Nick Aldis introduces a new referee, who can debut with Charlotte vs. Green right now. Charlotte and Bliss continue to be outstanding together.

First though, Carmelo Hayes goes to find Nick Aldis but runs into the Miz in his office instead. Hayes isn’t happy with Miz leaving him high and dry for months and is on his way to getting a US Title shot. Miz cuts him off though, because he has them a tag match for next week. Hayes leaves and Aldis comes in, with Miz asking to talk to him.

Charlotte vs. Chelsea Greens

Charlotte spins out of a wristlock to start and knocks her outside for an early breather. Back in and Charlotte chops away in the corner but has to go after the Secret Hervice. A high crossbody gives Charlotte two but Green kicks her into the corner and salutes as we take an early break.

We come back with Charlotte chopping away and hitting a flipping clothesline. A German suplex drops Green again and Natural Selection gives Charlotte two. Green catches her on top with a superplex for two more…and she wants the cake brought in. Nothing good can come from this so Bliss takes out the Hervice. Charlotte reverses the Unprettier into one of her own, sending Green into the cake. The Figure Eight finishes at 9:45.

Rating: B-. This was another entertaining match with Charlotte giving Green what she had coming to her. As soon as you saw the cake at ringside during the match, you knew where this was going and the question became how we got there. Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and just have fun, which is what we got here. Good, amusing match with the exact right payoff.

Tiffany Stratton is happy with her win at Summerslam but Jade Cargill comes in to say it’s not over. Stratton says it’ll always be the same and leaves. Kiana James, with Giulia, comes up to offer Cargill her services. James and Giulia leave and Michin comes in, asking for the card. She might try to get a Women’s US Title shot, which leaves Cargill confused.

Aleister Black talks about the difference between good and evil, saying that he’s an eye for a head kind of guy. Violence begets violence and that’s why Damian Priest is at home with a broken jaw. If that makes him a scapegoat, so be it.

John Cena runs into Ron Killings in the back and he’s happy Cena is back. Cena talks about how weird Killings was for five months, with his different hair and making a kid cry. It’s good to have the real Killings back. Killings is more confused than usual. Funny segment, and the fact that they’re basically doing “it was all a dream” with Cena’s heel turn is great.

John Cena/Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul/Drew McIntyre

Rhodes slugs away at Paul to start and does the drop down uppercut. The delayed gordbuster is enough for Cena to want to come in but Rhodes gets caught with a Glasgow Kiss. Paul adds a clothesline on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Rhodes avoiding a charge in the corner, allowing the diving tag off to Cena. House is quickly cleaned and the finishing sequence into the AA gets two on Paul, with McIntyre making the save. Paul hits Cena low for the DQ at 8:16.

Rating: B-. There was little way that Cena or Paul was going to be involved in a pin/submission here so the DQ is a good way to go. It was either that or McIntyre pinning Rhodes to set up the next title match but maybe that comes later. For now though, this was a way for Cena to have one last match in Montreal, if not all of Canada, and it was basically a house show main event with a not so great ending.

Post match Rhodes and McIntyre keep brawling until McIntyre knocks him down. McIntyre looks a the title and then hits a Claymore through the front of the announcers’ table.

Overall Rating: B-. They started setting up Clash In Paris here and that went pretty well for an overall theme. Cena being back as his old self and the fans seemingly agreeing to just move on is a good thing and hopefully that whole thing is as forgotten as….well if it wasn’t forgotten I would remember it. This might not have been an all time show, but it did a nice job of getting things moving in the right direction for the big show in a few weeks.

Results
JC Mateo/Talla Tonga b. Motor City Machine Guns – Chokeslam to Sabin
Sami Zayn b. Solo Sikoa – Rollup
Charlotte b. Chelsea Green – Figure Eight
John Cena/Cody Rhodes b. Drew McIntyre/Logan Paul via DQ when Paul hit Cena low

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: July 25, 2025
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

This is going to be a weird show, as while we are just over a week away from Summerslam, but yesterday Hulk Hogan passed away. That is the kind of loss that you do not have happen very often as there are very few people close to Hogan’s level. I’m not sure what to expect tonight but it should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with the roster and a bunch of legends on stage for the tribute to Hulk, with HHH talking about how big of an influence he was to everyone. They wouldn’t be here without Hogan and that is the case for a lot of wrestlers. We get the ten bell salute.

We get the video on Hogan’s career, naturally set to Real American with HHH narrating talking about how big of an influence he was on everyone. This turns into a biography of Hogan’s childhood and career, rising up through the AWA and eventually the WWF. We see some of his celebrity appearances before moving on to the big rivalries. Then it was off to WCW, with his good guy phase getting all of three seconds before we focus on the NWO.

Hogan came back to the WWF in 2002 and had one more legendary Wrestlemania match with the Rock at Wrestlemania XVIII (that’s still incredible). We jump ahead to the 2005 Hall of Fame induction and everything that he did after his career was over. He was brought back time after time and kept connecting with the fans. He passed away at 71 years old and we get one final look at his career, plus some applause from the fans. This got some time but there were all kinds of things that they didn’t touch. That’s part of the issue with someone who had such a long career, but dang this was touching.

After a break, commentary talks about Hogan and his star power.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. He’s glad to be back in Cleveland but the reality is he made this city. He has nothing in common because he made it out and the people here didn’t. For tonight though, he’s giving back by hosting a live edition of Impaulsive. He doesn’t like Jelly Roll, who interrupts to say that he’s tired of Paul being a jerk and inspiring other kids to be jerks. Paul says at Summerslam, he gets to tag in a 6’7 300lb Scottish warrior while Randy Orton gets to tag in…Jelly Roll?

That brings Roll up to the apron, with what sounds like threats of murder. Roll talks about how he doesn’t like Paul and sees him as a punk a** b****. Cue Drew McIntyre but Roll starts singing Orton’s theme song and it’s time to even the odds. Orton punches McIntyre in the face but gets knocked outside, leaving McIntyre to knock Roll down and…not punch him. Instead Orton is back up to brawl with McIntyre, leaving Roll to slug Paul down. The big right hand is loaded up but Roll grabs a Boss Man Slam (and a decent one) to plant Paul instead. Not bad, but Paul is right about Roll not being much of a match for either villain.

Video on Andrade and Rey Fenix, who are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez

Charlotte is here with Bliss and, begrudgingly, holding pom poms and Raquel Rodriguez is here as well. Feeling out process to start until Bliss knocks her to the floor. Rodriguez comes up but Charlotte is right there for the staredown as we take an early break. We come back with Bliss running her over with a shoulder, setting up some stomping.

The basement Blockbuster connects, with Charlotte waving the pom pom just a bit. The Sister Abigail DDT is loaded up but Rodriguez offers a distraction. A quick springboard moonsault gives Perez two but Bliss is back with a DDT. Bliss goes up but dives onto Rodriguez to save Charlotte instead of trying Twisted Bliss. Back in and Perez grabs a rollup, with a rope, for the pin at 7:20.

Rating: C+. Perez getting wins is a nice thing to see, though I’m not sure what we’re going to see with the title match. At the end of the day though, this story is doing well for Charlotte, who is coming off as much more of a human than she has been for years. Granted it helps to have her doing something new, but Bliss’ charm has helped quite a bit.

Post match Charlotte checks on Bliss, who is bleeding from the nose.

Jade Cargill is ready to win the title at Summerslam. Cargill leaves and Chelsea Green, with the Secret Hervice, comes in to say she should be getting the title shot over “Crown Stealing Cargill.” The Hervice goes off to secure the perimeter and cue Cargill behind her and the beating is on, with Cargill knocking her into the arena. And we have a referee!

Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Greens

Cargill knocks her to the floor to start and we take an early break. We come back with Green posing and Cargill getting run over with some elbows to the face. A chokeslam plants Green as Alba Fyre shows up for a distraction. Green hits a Zig Zag for two but Unprettier is countered into Jaded for the pin at 5:10. Not enough shown to rate but it was pretty much destruction.

Post match the beatdown is on but Tiffany Stratton runs in for the save. The villains are cleared out and Cargill picks up the title, leading to a tug of war.

Charlotte checks on the rather bloody Alexa Bliss, saying what happened tonight can’t happen at Summerslam. They do affirm their partnership.

Classic Hogan moment: the first WWF Title win.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He starts us off by talking about wrestling losing a giant yesterday. While there are some things about him that are complicated, what isn’t complicated is Hogan’s contributions to the WWE. While Rhodes is a WWE Superstar, Hogan was the first WWE Superstar (that’s a stretch and a half) and Rhodes wants to say thank you.

However, Rhodes has something else going on and that is Summerslam, which will be about violence. The tricky thing is Rhodes doesn’t want to wrestle this John Cena. He doesn’t want to face someone who is counting the days until he is out the door. No, Rhodes wants to fight the REAL John Cena. If Rhodes is going to be the best, he needs to beat the best and that means going through one of the best of all time.

If this is Cena’s last Summerslam, Rhodes wants Cena to wrestle like it’s his first. He wants Cena saying hello to Stu the cameraman, running to the ring and bringing the hustle and loyalty. As for the respect, they can beat it out of each other. We pause for a CODY RHODES chant and a quick stand up on the ropes before Rhodes says he needs this to mean something. The only person who can make that happen is Cena, and he’ll make that happen next week. Good stuff here on both counts, as Rhodes is doing a bunch of the build on his own.

We recap Jacob Fatu getting into it with Solo Sikoa last week, setting up their cage match at Summerslam.

Fatu talks about how he loved Sikoa but now he’s going to be locked in a cage with him. That’s enough for him to come after the US Title. The Miz pops in to yell about how Fatu doesn’t know who he is, but Miz isn’t someone who is just beaten up. He’s the main character, so he’s facing Fatu tonight. Fatu isn’t impressed but Miz slaps him. Fatu says come on with it and Miz backs away.

Video on Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest. Black talks about how Priest fights to prove who he is while Black fights to prove who Priest is. Priest is ready to prove himself when they fight next week.

The Miz vs. Jacob Fatu

Miz kicks him in the face to start but gets knocked into the corner. The stomping is on and Miz is in trouble…but here are Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s. The distraction lets Miz send Fatu into the post and we take a break. We come back with Fatu crushing him in the corner and firing off some headbutts. The running Umaga Attack connects in the corner so Miz is pulled outside, only for Fatu to hit the big suicide dive. Tala Tonga charges at Fatu but gets sent into the post, followed by a superkick to Sikoa. The pop up Samoan drop finishes Miz at 7:01.

Rating: C. There was a lot going on here, but it was a good example of what Miz does best: talk a lot and then put someone over in a good way. Fatu gets to overcome some interference and pin a former WWE Champion. That’s where Miz shines, and it’s not like a loss is going to hut him in the slightest. Fatu vs. Sikoa should be a heck of a showdown, though I’m not sure I can imagine Fatu getting the title back so soon.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jimmy Uso runs in for the save with a chair. Tala shrugs off a chair shot but Fatu is back up. House is cleaned and the running Umaga Attack, with a chair, is loaded up in the corner. Tala makes the save though and Fatu is beaten down. Sikoa screams at Fatu about this being what happens when you betray him.

The Street Profits and B-Fab want the Tag Team Titles. DIY come in to say they have a plan of their own and they want the Profits to stay out of the way. Angelo Dawkins is in a Cleveland Guardians jersey so I’m on their side.

Classic Hogan Moment: Wrestlemania III against Andre.

Zelina Vega comes up to Giulia but runs into….Kiana James, Giulia’s official representation. Vega calls James “Clipboard Karen” but James has already got the title rematch set up.

Summerslam rundown, now with nights assigned.

Tag Team Titles: Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Sicks are defending and get jumped to start fast. Andrade hits Three Amigos on Gacy but Lumis is back up to take Fenix out. We take an early break and come back with Andrade hitting the running knees in the corner. Lumis is dropped onto raised knees and the Message connects….but Nikki Cross pulls the referee out for the DQ at 7:05.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted, but it didn’t last very long. There is only so much you can get out of so little time with a lame ending, but the bigger issue here is that the Wyatts continue to feel beatable. That’s not exactly what they’re going with though, as they’re treated as these unstoppable monsters with the tag team division having to come together to fight them.

Post match Erick Rowan comes in for the beatdown so here are the other tag teams….who are beaten down as well. The Street Profits come in to take out the Wyatts (naturally, as the Profits were in Guardians jerseys) but Nick Aldis is sick of this. Therefore, at Summerslam, it’s Tables, Ladders And Chairs for the titles. The huge brawl stays on, with Tommaso Ciampa hitting a big dive to end the show. Makes sense and after the one they did earlier this year, it should be a heck of a fight.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a tough one, with the big Hulk Hogan tribute at the beginning taking up that much of the show. That was the emotional part of the show, as it was always going to be, but the rest was good enough. The big brawl at the end was a good way to set up the TLC match for Summerslam and Rhodes’ promo was what it should have been. Solid enough show here, but they needed a bit more in the ring.

Results
Roxanne Perez b. Alexa Bliss – Rollup while holding the rope
Jade Cargill b. Chelsea Green – Jaded
Jacob Fatu b. The Miz – Pop up Samoan drop
Andrade/Rey Fenix b. Wyatt Sicks via DQ when Nikki Cross interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6