Summerslam 2020
Date: August 23, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

We’re a year removed from this show and things have indeed changed a bit. For one thing, we are FINALLY out of the Thunderdome, which was a full two days old when this aired. In something that hasn’t changed, I have no idea what happened at this show, save for the main event. That’s kind of nice for another look so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: US Title: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Crews is defending and it’s strange to see him as just a guy in trunks and not….whatever he would become next year. As a bonus, the rest of the Hurt Business is banned from ringside. MVP takes him down into a very quickly broken knee bar but Crews is back up with a sunset flip for two. That’s enough for MVP to bail to the floor as things cool down a bit. Back in and Crews flips away from him, setting up a quick dropkick for two. MVP is fine enough to toss him over the top and out onto the steps as the beating begins.

The running boot misses in the corner so Crews goes up, only to get crotched on top. The superplex brings Crews back down but MVP lands hard and the delayed cover gets two. A clothesline puts MVP on the floor and there’s the big flip dive to take him down again. They both dive back in to beat the count and it’s time to slug it out. Crews gets the better of things and it’s a spinebuster into the standing moonsault for two. The toss powerbomb retains the title at 6:37.

Rating: C. This was about as Kickoff Showey of a match as you could get and it happened to have a title on the line. There was nothing wrong with it and Crews gets a win to make him feel that much more important as US Champion. You’re only going to get so much out of a standard Raw level match and this was about it. Not bad, but as forgettable as any other Kickoff Show match.

The opening video is much more about the Thunderdome than anything else, though the matches themselves do actually get some attention. Well the bigger ones at least. The Smackdown World Title match between the Fiend and Braun Strowman has a tagline of “You’ll Never See It Coming”. That’s one way of advertising things.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Asuka

Bayley is defending as part of the Bayley/Sasha Banks Are The Most Amazing Women Ever stretch. Granted it wound up being pretty awesome so it’s kind of hard to complain all that much. Banks (the Raw Women’s Champion and Bayley’s partner as the Women’s Tag Team Champions) is at ringside too as they fight over the grappling against the ropes to start. Asuka dropkicks her in the ribs to take over and pulls Bayley down into a reverse Koji Clutch.

The foot on the rope gets Bayley out of trouble in a hurry so she bails to the apron, allowing Asuka to kick the leg out again. There is something fun about watching Asuka pick someone apart like that and it always works. Bayley gets kicked out to the floor and Banks is already looking worried. Asuka grabs a DDT (or close enough) off the steps for two back inside but Bayley manages to snap her neck across the middle rope for a much needed breather.

Some stomping sets up the chinlock with Bayley shouting a lot as she keeps Asuka down. Back up and a quick Bayley to Belly gets two but Asuka kicks her in the head for a double knockdown. A German suplex into the hip attack gives Asuka two and they head to the apron for the slugout.

That doesn’t last long so they head back inside for an exchange of leglocks. Asuka knees her in the face for two but Bayley is right back with a running sunset flip into the corner. The “patented” (I want paperwork) top rope elbow is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker so Asuka is back with a kick to the head. Banks takes the running hip attack though, allowing Bayley to grab a rollup to retain at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Good and logical choice for an opener here with Asuka fighting as hard as she could to pick up the first title. That didn’t wind up working out, but they did a nice job of going back and forth against each other. What mattered here was having Asuka seem ready to pick up the win until Banks’ interference was enough to throw her off for a split second. Nice match with the story making perfect sense.

Post match Banks (who faces Asuka later tonight) and Bayley beat Asuka down and leave her laying.

Dominik Mysterio asks Rey Mysterio to let him go out there alone tonight. Rey, realizing how much of a disaster it would be to ask fans to care about Dominik on his own, says no but is finally talked into staying in the back.

Video on Retribution’s path of….well really just annoyance so far, though this period of breaking stuff would be their apex as a team.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Garza and Andrade, with Zelina Vega (who recently poisoned Montez Ford), are challenging and Kevin Owens is on commentary. We get the traditional rain of red solo cups to start as the Profits’ inset promo talks about how they are here for revenge. Andrade slugs away at Ford to start but gets caught with a big jumping clothesline. A jumping hurricanrana brings Andrade off the top and there’s the double flapjack to drop Garza.

Ford loads up the big flip dive, but gets countered into a double powerbomb onto the floor (as tends to happen). Back in and we hit the armbar on Ford, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS (Vega approves). A cross armbreaker over the ropes has Ford in more trouble and it’s back to Andrade for an armbar of his own. Garza adds a running knee to the ribs (and promises to win the titles, which Owens does not like) and the running kick to the ribs makes it worse.

There’s the top rope Alberto Double Stomp for Andrade’s next near fall. Ford flips out of a belly to back suplex though and the enziguri sets up the diving tag to Dawkins. Chris Jericho’s Judas Effect only takes Dawkins off one foot (ha) and he spears Andrade down. Ford comes back in with the crazy high crossbody but Garza rolls through for two, even with Vega holding his feet on the rope. Vega gets on the apron to yell but Ford knocks Garza into her. The Sky Cash Out into the twisting frog splash retains the title at 7:50.

Rating: C. Total Raw match here which was the latest exhibit of how much charisma that Garza has. The guy can make anything look better but Andrade had the star power and that is what gets you ahead around here. This feud, or some form of it, went on for the better part of ever and never once got interesting because the Profits were that much better. Now get some fresh competition in the tag division.

The long form celebration is on.

Bayley and Sasha Banks don’t like Kayla Braxton’s questions but know that Sasha will beat Asuka tonight. Bayley even busts out a broom because it’s going to be a sweep.

We recap Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose, which has been going on for a long time. Sonya got jealous of Mandy getting all of the attention and eventually turned on her by calling her selfish. Since it’s WWE, we’re supposed to side with the bombshell model, which was made even worse when Sonya was about five levels ahead of Mandy on the mic. Sonya cut off some of Mandy’s hair so the hair vs. hair match was set.

Then a psychotic fan broke into Deville’s house with zip ties and a knife, likely in an attempt to kidnap and/or kill Deville. Rose happened to be staying there and the two got away as the stalker went into the wrong part of the house. This sent Deville into a lengthy legal process and since her lawyer felt that cutting her hair off was a bad idea, it was turned into a No DQ Loser Leaves WWE match. Fair enough, but next time you have a crazed stalker who might be trying to kill you, make sure you think of kayfabe. Go out separate doors or something and worry about being stabbed later.

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

No DQ and the loser leaves WWE. Mandy offers a handshake to start so Deville rolls her up for two. Back up and Mandy hits her in the face and they head outside with Deville getting suplexed onto the ramp. A clothesline off the announcers’ table puts Deville down again and let’s get a table. As usual, that takes way too long and it’s Sonya ramming Mandy into the announcers’ table to take over.

Back in and a running knee to the chest gets two and it’s a dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors to put Mandy in even more trouble. The trash talking fires Mandy back up though and it’s a jumping knee for two on Sonya. It’s back outside for more ramming into the announcers’ table before Mandy slides chairs over the regular table, with Sonya having to duck the decapitation attempts. That’s either brilliant or really stupid and I’m not sure which. Back in and three straight running knees set up Angel’s Wings to crush Sonya. Another running knee gives Mandy the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C-. This had the intensity but dang Mandy is not the greatest in the ring. I completely get why WWE would want to push the heck out of here but Sonya was so much more of a complete package and felt like a natural. It’s a shame that she had to go away, though it was a rare instance where something is more important than wrestling (egads that’s hard to say).

Post match Otis comes out to celebrate with Mandy (Yeah remember when that was a thing?), who fails at the Caterpillar.

Here’s what’s coming on the WWE Network!

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio. This was part of the never ending Rollins vs. Mysterios feud, which saw Rollins gouge Rey Mysterio’s eye out. Dominik is willing to fight for his father in a street fight, which also happens to be his in-ring debut. Rollins also destroyed Dominik by tying him into the ropes and destroying him with a kendo stick for a pretty nasty moment. Other than that though, this feud was complete death by this point and this was the match that I was dreading coming into the show.

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Street fight and Rollins, with Murphy, is in gear inspired by Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 1997. Rey is here with Dominik, as you might expect. Rollins wrestles him down without much trouble to start and seems rather comfortable. He’s so comfortable that he offers Dominik a headlock before tripping him down with ease. Dominik gets in a few right hands before getting dropped again. A springboard armdrag and then some regular versions have Rollins down, which is just a step too far.

Rollins drops him again and gets a kendo stick, which is dropkicked out of his hands. Dominik gives chase but gets knocked down, only to have Rollins kick the stick away. The one armed camel clutch has Dominik in more trouble and Rey is nervous. The Sling Blade lets Rollins work on Dominik’s hand and Murphy sends in a chair. Seth yells at Rey a lot as he stomps away but the Stomp (that’s confusing) is countered into a drop toehold into the chair. The Buckle Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana into the corner to stagger Rollins again as this comeback needs a crowd reaction.

A tornado DDT out of the corner gets two and the kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble. Dominik goes up but it’s Rollins running the corner for the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two. Rollins is mad (as he should be) and it’s time to kendo stick Dominik for a change. Murphy throws in a table but Rollins takes too long going up, allowing Dominik to hit a super White Russian legsweep through the table. Since wrestling logic is a thing, Dominik is fine and hits a frog splash for two.

Dominik takes too long grabbing things again, allowing Rollins to superkick and kendo stick him some more. Saxton: “Rey can do nothing to help his son!” As you try to see the invisible wall keeping Rey from doing anything, Rollins pulls out some handcuffs. Cue Rey’s wife Angie to try and do something but Rey holds her back.

Murphy loads up the steps to take out Dominik’s eye, meaning the invisible wall is smashed as Rey finally gets involved (making the last five or so minutes subject to wrestling logic). With Dominik as backup, Rey is quickly cuffed to the ropes as the villains look up at Angie. Dominik is back up to make the save this time….and his frog splash hits knees, because he isn’t very good at this. Rollins tells Rey to reach for Dominik and then hits the Stomp for the pin at 22:36.

Rating: C-. Being away from this story for a year has taken away some of the bad feelings about it, but this still wasn’t very good. Above all else, this was WAY too long as Rollins felt like he was dealing with an annoyance than any real threat. Dominik isn’t an embarrassment in the ring by any means but he also isn’t ready to be in a 20+ minute featured match at Summerslam. He looked ok for a debut, but the length of the match (and the feud) dragged it way down.

The villains sneer post match and Rey hugs Dominik.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka

Banks is defending and has Bayley in her corner. Commentary points out that Banks has never had a successful singles title defense, which does not bode well for her future. Banks goes straight for the knee (ala Bayley in the first match) but Asuka spins up and fires off the Kawada kicks. A sliding forearm (minus some power because of the knee) sends Banks outside and Asuka is right there with a kneebar on the floor.

They wind up on the apron, where Asuka kicks the post by mistake. Bayley cranks up the trash talk (because she’s very good at that) and Banks takes her back inside to fire off kicks in the corner. Banks switches to the shoulders but gets caught in an electric chair faceplant. Asuka can’t be trusted with two legs in front of her and Banks has to bail to the ropes to escape the kneebar.

With that broken up, Asuka gets a bit creative by taking her up top for a super DDT. The missile dropkick gives Asuka two but Banks goes after the knee again, setting up the double knees in the corner. They’re both down so Bayley goes into coaching mode….and Asuka immediately grabs the ankle lock. Bayley isn’t good at coaching. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock which is countered as well. Bayley’s distraction fails and the Asuka Lock goes on again to make Banks tap for the title at 11:31.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a good bit as Banks and Bayley had a plan to take Asuka out but still couldn’t do it. That’s a nice way to make Asuka look even more impressive while also continuing the build to Banks vs. Bayley. They took their time to get there but Bayley was awesome almost every step of the way. Banks held up her end as well and it was a heck of a match on top of the storytelling.

Post match Banks glares at Bayley, who begs forgiveness.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the Raw World Title. Orton has attacked a variety of legends, which has McIntyre ready to fight back and defend their honor, along with his title. McIntyre talked about how Orton has been protected for years while McIntyre fought every day to get here. They did a nice job with the culture clash here and the video does a good job of making this feel big.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is defending and we get a quick inset promo from Shawn Michaels, who wants Orton to get Claymored. Orton bails to the floor to start as the mind games are going strong early on. Back in and Orton begs off again but does hit a few right hands before bailing to the floor for a second time. This time the chase is on but Orton catches McIntyre on the way back in. The RKO attempt is blocked so McIntyre shoulders him down. Another threat of the RKO sends McIntyre bailing outside and you can see a bit of shock.

Back in again and McIntyre unloads in the corner but has to block the RKO for a third time. The ensuing charge sends McIntyre shoulder first into the post and Orton sends him into the barricade to make it worse. A posting sets up a drop onto the announcers’ table and then Orton does the latter again. Orton gets a bit creative by suplexing McIntyre off the table for a delayed one (that kickout at one was a good deal for McIntyre).

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the Orton Stomp and some slow staring at the….uh, screens. McIntyre comes back with a Stunner to the knee in the corner and a spinebuster for the double knockdown. With the knee banged up, McIntyre goes Flair with the Figure Four (nice job given Orton attacking Flair and other legends leading up to this). Orton can’t roll out so he grabs the referee for a distraction and goes to the eye to escape. McIntyre’s eye looks to be cut a bit as they slug it out from their knees. Make that from their feet, with McIntyre having to block the RKO again.

The overhead belly to belly sends Orton flying and McIntyre does it again for a bonus. A top rope shot to the head drops Orton and McIntyre nips up as the adrenaline starts flowing. McIntyre loads up a superplex, gets knocked into the Tree of Woe, and pulls himself up to send Orton flying with the choke superplex as usual. As impressive as that is, commentary shouldn’t be that impressed or surprised, but WWE commentators are seen as stupid for a reason.

The Futureshock gets two but McIntyre misses coming off the top. Orton’s powerslam gets two and he is busted open as well. The hanging DDT is broken up and it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put both of them on the floor. They get back in fast but this time the hanging DDT connects. With nothing else working, Orton loads up the Punt but McIntyre cuts him off. The Claymore misses so Orton tries the RKO again, only to get caught in a backslide of all things to retain the title at 20:34. Commentary shouts about how Orton NEVER SAW IT COMING because they need to hit that tagline.

Rating: B. I liked this one a good bit as they were playing up the story they had established coming in. The idea was that Orton was the seasoned veteran who had learned from the legends and he was cheating every chance he had here. Throw in the RKO as the ultimate weapon (which he never hit, as it is probably being saved for later) and this was a chess match with McIntyre using everything he could while Orton just waited to hit the RKO. I liked what they were doing and the ending worked well. Good match, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Orton looks up at McIntyre from the floor because this isn’t over.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt for the Smackdown World Title. These two have been feuding for MONTHS in one bad match after another. Last month, they fought in the swamp (because reasons) and Wyatt made Alexa Bliss appear because Strowman has always wanted her. Strowman doesn’t buy it because he knows the Fiend is going to corrupt her as well. Bliss slapped Strowman a bunch so he teased attacking her but decided to fight the Fiend instead. In other words, this feud was really, really stupid and nothing they were changing made it any better at all.

Smackdown World Title: The Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere. Fiend is driven back into the corner to start but comes back with a heck of a clothesline to drop Strowman. They’re already on the floor with Fiend busting out a toolbox. A few shots with said toolbox don’t do much to Strowman, who runs Fiend through the barricade. Strowman chokeslams him onto (not through) the announcers’ table and a steps shot to the face drops Fiend again.

Back in and the powerslam sends Fiend right back to the floor, which doesn’t mean as much as he can get pinned out there as well. Strowman kicks him up the ramp and they fight backstage. Fiend whips him into a few walls and Sister Abigail gets two. They come back into the arena where Strowman is sent into the video screen to bust up some of the color.

The Mandible Claw goes on but Strowman gets up anyway and shoves him into the apron for the break. Back in and another powerslam gets another two on Fiend so Strowman yells a lot. Strowman grabs a box cutter from the toolbox and starts cutting up the mat to expose the wood. That takes WAY too long so Fiend is back up with a Rock Bottom and a pair of Sister Abigails onto the wood for the pin and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: C. The shorter time helped but egads this feud was death and everyone but WWE seemed to know it. You could have seen this title change coming from before Extreme Rules last month, making for a very long and slow build. They kept this the way they should have and the lack of anything involving Bliss helped here. It could have been worse, but you’re only getting so much out of a hoss fight like this one. As long as Strowman isn’t champion any longer though, it’s an upgrade.

Post match Roman Reigns is back (for the first time since March) with the spear to the Fiend and the beating is on. Another spear hits Strowman and Reigns shouts about how they aren’t monsters unless he’s here. Reigns bends a chair over Strowman and spears Fiend down again. He grabs the title, says it has always been his, and calls Fiend a freak in a mask. Cole: “WE NEVER SAW THIS COMING!” Reigns would win the title a week later, as he should have, along with joining Paul Heyman, which was an amazing twist.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of an odd show as the stuff that was good was quite good but the weaker stuff just felt tacked on. WWE was still figuring things out after getting into the Thunderdome and this came off as somewhat of a Summerslam in name only. It certainly isn’t a bad show with the Bayley/Banks/Asuka stuff and McIntyre vs. Orton all being good. Tighten things up a bit and it could be great, but for now it just has to settle for being pretty good.

Ratings Comparison

Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Original: C
Redo: C

Asuka vs. Bayley

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Original: C
Redo: C

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

Original: D+
Redo: C

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Original: D+
Redo: C-

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B
Redo: B-

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B+
Redo: B

Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Original: C+
Redo: C

Overall Rating

Original: C
Redo: B-

I’m not sure if that overall rating makes sense but the rest of the show was certainly in the same ballpark, save for Rose vs. Deville.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

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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:

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Smackdown
Date: July 18, 2025
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution and that means we have just over two weeks to go before Summerslam. Tonight the build will be on again, as John Cena and Cody Rhodes sign the contract for their match. That should make for a big moment, but there is more to cover than that alone. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the parking lot, where Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s have been in a car wreck. It’s not clear what happened but more on this later. Cody Rhodes comes up to Adam Pearce and makes sure that we’ll have a contract signing later tonight.

Earlier today, Alexa Bliss said she and Charlotte should just go their separate ways but Charlotte has gotten them a Women’s Tag Team Title match at Summerslam. As for tonight, Charlotte needs Bliss by her side. Bliss: “Do I look like a cheerleader?” They both confirm that yes, she does.

Charlotte vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Alexa Bliss and Roxanne Perez are here too. They shove each other a bit to start until Charlotte is knocked into the ropes. Back up and Charlotte knocks her to the floor, where Rodriguez gets in a clothesline. Charlotte gets posted and we take an early break. We come back with Rodriguez grabbing something like a Gory Stretch backbreaker before kicking Charlotte down.

The spinning Vader Bomb hits Charlotte but she’s back up to chop away anyway. Charlotte’s high crossbody is rolled through for two but Charlotte is back up to go after the leg. Perez offers a distraction so Bliss snaps Rodriguez’s throat across the top rope. A superkick gives Charlotte the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C. Not terrible, but more about establishing Charlotte and Bliss as a team. One might think that the better way to do this would have been the team face other teams but this is about as good as we can get. If nothing else, I’ll absolutely take Charlotte doing something other than going after the singles titles for a change.

Security asks Adam Pearce about Jacob Fatu, calling him a person of entrance in the car crash. Pearce finds him and Fatu is not happy about having to answer questions.

Video on Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill, with Stratton being ready to face anyone and Cargill being ready to be the best.

We look at Aleister Black attacking Damian Priest last week.

Earlier today, Carmelo Hayes didn’t think much of Priest, who seemed ready to beat Hayes up anyway. The match is made for later tonight.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Damian Priest

Hayes jumps him from behind to start but Priest fights back and takes his jacket off. They go outside where Hayes dropkicks him up against the post to send us to a break. We come back with Hayes keeping Priest in trouble but having a superkick blocked. South Of Heaven is broken up too but Hayes is back with the spinning faceplant.

Priest uppercuts him out of the air but the Razor’s Edge is escaped as well. South Of Heaven is escaped and Hayes knocks him down so that a frog splash can connect for two. Priest knocks him outside again and hits a lifting Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Old School…is broken up by Aleister Black for the DQ at 8:58.

Rating: B-. They were starting to cook here but they weren’t exactly trying to hide that Black would be doing something to Priest tonight. It’s not a bad thing either, and I do like that Hayes didn’t take another pin. Black vs. Priest could be interesting, as Priest hasn’t really had the chance to fight back yet, so we’re still in the early going.

Post match Black hits Black Mass and Hayes leaves after a quick stare.

The Wyatt Sicks talk about wanting the gold and they are built for this. One by one, they will take out the other teams.

Here is Solo Sikoa, with the MFT’s, for a chat. After an OTC chant, Sikoa says tonight was a perfect example of exactly what Jacob Fatu really is. Fatu only cares about himself and has no discipline. Sikoa turned Fatu’s life around, put money in his pocket, and made him a champion. Sikoa says that if Fatu is once a criminal, he is always a criminal.

We cut to the back, where Fatu arrives in a police car, with one of the officers saying that upon further review, Fatu was NOT the person of entrance and he is free to handle his business. Fatu comes to the ring, with Jimmy Uso sneaking in to even the odds a bit. Tala Tonga cuts Jimmy off but Fatu hits one of those big dives.

Fatu dances but Tala gets up, earning himself a double team down. JC Mateo and Tonga Loa are destroyed as well as Tala and Sikoa leave. Hold on though as Adam Pearce pops up to say if Sikoa wants to get Fatu locked up, let’s see how Sikoa likes it when he and Fatu are locked in a cage at Summerslam. The police officers come out and arrest Sikoa.

We look at Jelly Roll putting Logan Paul through a table while Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre brawled on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Alba Fyre

Vaquer starts fast with some rollup for two each but Fyre gets in a knockdown of her own. That doesn’t last long as Vaquer is right back with the Devi’s Kiss. The SVB finishes for Vaquer at 2:04.

Post match Piper Niven jumps Vaquer but gets fought off.

The Street Profits say the Wyatt Sicks are in a different reality, but they’ll get the belts back. DIY comes in to laugh at them for screwing up the tag team division last week. Watch the next match, because the Profits could learn something.

DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom vs. Andrade/Rey Fenix

For a future Tag Team Title shot. DIY takes over to start but Fenix (in a shirt for some reason) comes in to clean house. Fenix and Andrade’s dives are cut off by stereo superkicks but the Guns break up Fraxiom’s dives. The Guns hit stereo baseball sliced into a dive from Sabin as we take a break.

We come back with the Guns getting in a double team double Downward Spiral to DIY. Fraxiom gets to take over for a bit, with a missile dropkick hitting Ciampa for two, with Andrade making the save. Andrade suplexes Axiom and Fenix adds a frog splash for two, with five people coming in for the same. Fraxiom takes over on DIY but Andrade and Fenix are back in for some double teaming but Gargano catches Andrade with a slingshot DDT. Ciampa hits Project Ciampa for two on Axiom and we take another break.

We come back with the Dream Sequence connecting on Gargano but Skull & Bones is broken up. The super Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash hits Andrade but Fenix makes the save with a Codebreaker to Gargano. Fenix’s corkscrew dive to the floor takes out a bunch of people but Candice LeRae’s distraction lets Ciampa grab a rollup for two. Gargano superkicks Ciampa by mistake and the spinning back elbow into the Message gives Andrade the pin at 15:49.

Rating: B. This was the wild tag match that it needed to be, with Andrade and Fenix, who are new but at least something of an established team getting a surprise win. It was a wild match with everyone getting in something, as tends to be the case with the tag division these days. Fun match and I could go for more of Andrade and Fenix.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Adam Pearce is in the ring to emcee the contract signing between Cody Rhodes and John Cena. Rhodes comes out first and talks about how he got to be WWE Champion. Earlier this week he said “no not flinch and thank you for riding with me”. Rhodes did not flinch when he has faced adversity and now it is time to try to take the title back from one of the most beloved wrestlers in history.

That is the task he has received for Summerslam so he would like Cena out here now. Cena says that he is emotionally exhausted and has a movie for Netflix coming up so there is no way he can have the match. Instead they can have the match in Paris or Perth, Australia. They wanted to give these people fireworks and a night to remember but this is all Cena can give them tonight.

Cena goes to leave but Rhodes takes the jacket off and goes after him (Wade Barrett approves) and the brawl is on, with Cena sending Rhodes into the steps. Cena grabs the title but Rhodes takes it away and knocks him cold. A top rope splash puts Cena through the table and Rhodes grabs Cena’s hand to make him sign (as Rhodes seemed to do somewhere earlier). Also: it’s a street fight. Rhodes holds up the title to end the show. It’s still not great, but that’s an upgrade over another regular match between these two.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this one well enough, with a good main event segment, plus the solid tag match to boost it up. Summerslam is already feeling like a big show and that is exactly what is should be. The show is going to need to be huge for the two night version and the first first few bits have come together rather nicely. They have a long way to go, but the first steps have me intrigued. Nice show here, with the rapid fire build to Summerslam starting off well.

Results
Charlotte b. Raquel Rodriguez – Superkick
Damian Priest b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Aleister Black interfered
Stephanie Vaquer b. Alba Fyre – SVB
Andrade/Rey Fenix b. Motor City Machine Guns, DIY and Fraxiom – Message to Ciampa

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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Saturday Night’s Main Event XL
Date: July 12, 2025
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re back with the biggest WWE event of the weekend, which should make for a rather strong card. That’s in theory at least, as there is one major match to get around as Gunther defends the Raw World Title against Goldberg. This is expected to be Goldberg’s retirement match, but stranger things have happened. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jesse Ventura and Joe Tessitore preview the show, with Ventura sounding perfectly fine.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Jelly Roll and Logan Paul are the respective seconds. They start fast and the brawl goes to the floor with McIntyre dropping him back first onto the announcers’ table. We take an early break and come back with Orton hammering away in the corner. McIntyre gets in the Glasgow Kiss but charges into a powerslam.

They head outside where Orton drops him back first onto the announcers’ table to even the score. Back up and McIntyre hits a quick Claymore but Orton gets his foot on the rope. Paul and Roll get into it on the floor, with Paul getting knocked down, with the distraction allowing the RKO to give Orton the pin at 8:12.

Rating: B-. Basically a Raw main event here which was designed to set up the big celebrity match at Summerslam. That’s fine enough as these two know each other fairly well, but there is only so much you can get out of about five minutes of on-screen time. It wasn’t bad, but the match was secondary to the angle taking place.

Post match Paul decks Orton with the big right hand, which is enough for Roll to get in and throw Paul into the corner. McIntyre Claymores Roll and the GM’s come out to yell at him.

Post break the GM’s continue to yell at McIntyre and Paul, who want them to “make it make sense”.

Various women are here, including Jade Cargill, who gets jumped by Naomi. The brawl is on, with Cargill throwing her over the announcers’ table. Nick Aldis comes out to say that he thought this would happen, so he has a special referee for tomorrow night: the returning Bianca Belair (and the place goes nuts).

Doug Dellinger and Diamond Dallas Page are here.

Commentary talks about Goldberg’s injury issues.

Video on Goldberg.

US Title: Jimmy Uso vs. Solo Sikoa

Sikoa, with his usual goons, is defending and says Uso isn’t coming back. Uso slugs away to start and knocks Sikoa outside for the suicide dive. Sikoa starts yelling at various people, which apparently works well enough for him to catch Uso in Spinning Solo. Talla Tonga gets in a clothesline on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Uso German suplexing him onto the apron and then knocking Sikoa into the corner.

The Superfly Splash gets two but Sikoa is back up with another Spinning Solo. Uso superkicks him down and goes up top but Sikoa rolls outside. That’s fine with Uso, who corkscrew dives onto all of the villains. Back in and Talla gets in a cheap shot, allowing Sikoa to roll Uso up (with Tala pushing) to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. The interference was pretty much guaranteed and it was a question of which of the MFT’s was going to help Sikoa win. Uso isn’t exactly the biggest star in the world but he has a personal connection to Sikoa, which makes him a slightly better challenger. The match was good enough, even if there was rather limited drama.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jacob Fatu runs in for the save. Fatu and Tala have a big staredown with Tala getting in a big boot, only to be low bridged to the floor. Fatu hits a dive onto them and does his gyrating.

Video on Goldberg’s time in WWE.

Randy Orton apologizes to Jelly Roll for what happened but Roll says he’s a grown man. Orton thinks they can handle this at Summerslam.

Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight

Paul Heyman is here with Rollins. They slug it out to start with Knight not being able to hit a Falcon Arrow. Knight sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes and it’s time for Rollins to go into the announcers’ table over and over. We take a break and come back with Knight hammering away but getting kicked in the ribs.

Knight knocks him back down and hits the top rope jumping elbow for two. Knight’s running knee in the corner connects but Rollins knocks him down. A sunset bomb doesn’t work for Knight as Rollins slips down to plant him. Rollins’ springboard Swanton connects but Rollins tweaks his knee on a moonsault. We pause to look at it and Knight hits a BFT for the clean win at 11:43.

Rating: C+. Uh oh. That’s a really bad sign as there is pretty much no reason for Rollins, the top heel in the company, to lose like this. There is always the chance that this is there to set up a cash in for later on tonight, but otherwise one would think they just stop the match and declare Knight the winner. What we got was fine, but dang that is a scary possibility for Rollins.

Evolution rundown.

Video on Goldberg vs. Gunther.

Raw World Title: Goldberg vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and this is Goldberg’s retirement match. After the Big Match Intros, Goldberg shoulders him down and no sells some chops. A running clothesline drops Gunther again as they’re definitely going slowly to start. Gunther knocks him down and goes up, only to get slammed down. The threat of the spear sends Gunther bailing to the floor with Goldberg following. The spear goes through the barricade by mistake and Goldberg is in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Gunther working on the leg but Goldberg gets up for the chop off. A spinebuster puts Gunther down and Goldberg hammers away in the corner. Goldberg manages a backdrop but the spear hits the referee by mistake. Gunther gets in a shot and takes off the knee brace before going after Goldberg’s son. Security cuts that off, allowing Goldberg to hit the spear back inside. The Jackhammer connects and another referee runs out but Goldberg’s knee means it’s a delayed near fall. Gunther gets the sleeper and Goldberg is out at 14:30.

Rating: C. It wasn’t exactly great but there was a possibility of this being a disaster and it wound up being a passable power match. Gunther retaining is the best thing that could come out of the whole ordeal, along with Goldberg not managing to damage anyone too badly. It’s not something I’ll ever want to see again, but at least it wasn’t a disaster.

Post break Goldberg’s friends and family are in the ring with him. Goldberg apologizes for losing in Atlanta, thanks everyone for helping him…and we are out of time mid-speech. The one time in 28 years that he had too much to say!

No Rollins or any mention of him after the injury, which isn’t a good sign.

Overall Rating: C. It was ok enough, but this was a big downgrade from some of the recent editions. The opener was designed to set up something else, the US Title match was little more than a Smackdown main event, Knight vs. Rollins could be very bad and the main event….well it could have been worse. The show wasn’t awful, but it’s really not worth going out of your way to see, which isn’t the best way to make me want to see more of this series.

Results
Randy Orton b. Drew McIntyre – RKO
Solo Sikoa b. Jimmy Uso – Assisted rollup
LA Knight b. Seth Rollins – BFT
Gunther b. Goldberg – Sleeper

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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Saturday Night’s Main Event XXXIX
Date: May 24, 2025
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re back and with one heck of a card. This edition of the show features five matches, including two with titles on the line and a grudge match inside of a cage. If that isn’t enough for you, there is a huge tag match and John Cena facing R-Truth in a match that is way more interesting than it should be. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker vs. CM Punk/Sami Zayn

Paul Heyman is here with the villains. It’s a brawl before the bell and the villains are knocked outside. We start with Zayn hammering on Rollins but Breakker pulls him out to the floor. Breakker hits the clothesline onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. We come back with Zayn fighting out of trouble and handing it off to Punk. House is quickly cleaned with a neckbreaker dropping Rollins.

A Code Red gives Punk two (and leaves Heyman panicking) and the top rope elbow connects for the same. Breakker distracts Punk though and Punk gets caught with a Pedigree. It’s back to Zayn for the springboard moonsault to Breakker on the floor and we take a break. Back with Punk and Rollins slugging it out until a double clothesline leaves both of them down.

Zayn comes in but can’t hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Breakker. Instead Zayn hits a tornado DDT but Rollins breaks up a Helluva Kick attempt. Back up and Heyman cuts off another attempt…and Bronson Reed is back to knock Punk through the barricade. Breakker hits the Super Spear for the pin on Zayn at 13:08.

Rating: B-. This was all about the big surprise return at the end and that works well. Reed is someone who had been gone long enough that he had been forgotten but not long enough that his return didn’t have an impact. Other than that, the match was about what you would expect, but the ending did work for a good surprise (as I initially thought it was JC Mateo so it was a nice double surprise).

Post match Breakker and Reed have a staredown…and Reed is a Paul Heyman Guy. Punk tries to get in and is crushed again, setting up the Tsunami and the big group villain pose. I like that, as Reed is a different kind of force to add to the team.

Chelsea Green is losing her voice but knows that the votes are in and it’s time for her to get her Women’s US Title back.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Zelina Vega

Green, with the Secret Hervice, is challenging. They start fast with Green taking her down and knocking her into the corner. Vega slips out of a slam and knocks her into the ropes but misses a 619. A knee to the face sends Green outside but she pulls Vega off the apron with a powerbomb. Back in and Green slides into a faceplant to put Vega down again and we hit the chinlock.

Green kicks her down but misses a Vader Bomb, allowing Vega to hit a rolling kick to the head. Vega suplexes her into the corner and hits the running knees, followed by a not so clean 619. The Hervice’s distraction doesn’t work and it’s a super Code Red to retain the title at 5:11.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how much this needed to be on the show, as it felt more like a way to get a women’s match on the show. I can go for that idea, but at the same time it wasn’t something that felt important at all. Their feud had been mostly wrapped up, though I can take Vega getting a win after her unnecessary loss last night on Smackdown.

Jimmy Hart and Bushwhacker Luke are here.

El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Chad Gable is set for When Worlds Collide.

We recap John Cena vs. R-Truth, with Cena claiming that the fans abuse and take advantage of him. He promised to ruin wrestling, with R-Truth (who isn’t actually shown here until the graphic) believing in Cena but now needing to beat some reality back into him.

John Cena vs. R-Truth

Non-title. After Cena’s full entrance, R-Truth comes out to Cena’s music and in Cena gear. Cena jumps him at the bell and hammers away, looking down at R-Truth with disgust. A Whip into the corner sets up some running shoulders and the ProtoBomb plants R-Truth again. The AA is countered and R-Truth initiates Cena’s finishing sequence. An AA gets two and the STF sends Cena over to the ropes. They go outside and Cena gets in a posting before grabbing the belt. Back in and R-Truth stares at him, with Cena pausing to think about it. Cena hands the title to the referee, kicks R-Truth low, and finishes with the AA at 4:26.

Rating: C. This was disappointing after R-Truth gave a heck of a promo this week on Smackdown. While I never believing that R-Truth was going to be a threat to Cena, I was expecting something a bit better than this. Cena squashed him outside of R-Truth’s one flurry, though I did like Cena teasing a turn of heart and then just sticking with the evil.

Post match Cena hits him with the belt and leaves.

Video on Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre. They’ve been feuding for months and McIntyre blames Priest for all of his problems. This has led to a bunch of brawls, and now it’s time for them to fight in a cage.

Jey Uso runs into John Cena, who he eliminated to win the Royal Rumble. Cena loves the idea of leaving with the title while Logan Paul is the World Heavyweight Championship.

Lelani Kai and Tatanka are here.

Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Inside a cage with escape/pinfall/submission to win and Jesse Ventura is on commentary. McIntyre jumps out of the cage to take over before the bell and they go inside (with some chairs included) to officially start. Priest hammers away and gets in a Downward Spiral but misses a charge in the corner. McIntyre launches him face first into the cage and we take a break.

Back with the two of them fighting on the top and getting knocked back down down. Priest kicks him in the face and hits South Of Heaven for two. Priest goes up and gets superplexed back down, setting up the Claymore for two of his own. Back up and they slug it out with McIntyre missing another Claymore. Instead McIntyre hits his own South Of Heaven for two and chairs Priest down. The Claymore to the chair in the corner misses though and Priest slams the chair into McIntyre’s throat. The Conchairto crushes McIntyre’s head and Priest walks out (with a look over his shoulder) to win at 11:49.

Rating: B-. There was a good match in there somewhere, but they were rushed through the whole thing with the break cutting off the momentum. Priest absolutely had to win here and looked vicious with the Conchairto, but there is only so much when you have about eight minutes of televised action. We’ll probably get one more match between them, and hopefully it is treated as a bigger deal.

Ventura complains about Priest walking out the door instead of going over the top, which he somehow makes work. McIntyre staggers up, which is a bit much to see so soon after a Conchairto.

The US Express is here.

We recap Jey Uso defending the Raw World Title against Logan Paul. Uso won the title at Wrestlemania and Paul said he wanted the title because it’s the only thing he hasn’t done. Paul has knocked him out a few times and hopes to do it again here.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul

Uso is defending and shoulders/slaps Paul to start. Paul gets a boot up in the corner and hits a middle rope Blockbuster to send Uso outside. A dive takes Uso down again and we take a break. Back with Uso hitting a running Umaga attack but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees. Paul’s Lionsault hits raised knees too though and Uso grabs a heck of a pop up Samoan drop.

Uso knocks him to the floor but the dive is cut off with a right hand. Back in and the big right hand gets two on Uso but he’s right back up with a superkick. The Superfly Splash connects…and John Cena pulls the referee out. The beatdown is on but Cody Rhodes is back to clear Cena out in a hurry. Uso hits a spear and the Superfly Splash to retain at 9:44.

Rating: C+. Much like the previous match, there is only so much you can do when the match was just shy of ten minutes and about a third of that was left during the break. Paul didn’t feel like a major threat to the title, at least not in this spot, with Gunther already set for a Wrestlemania rematch next month, but it could have been a lot better than this. That’s not even including the screwy interference, which took away even more time. What we got was ok, but this could have used a lot more time to really build something up.

Rhodes issues the challenge for a tag match at Money In The Bank to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was definitely underwhelming, as I was impressed with the card coming in but then they had to rush through almost everything. While I get why it was on the show, the women’s match being pulled would have allowed things a bit of a better chance to breathe, which it really needed. It doesn’t help that the matches themselves were mainly just ways to set up stuff for the future, making this not exactly a smash hit. It’s not bad for a free show on national television, but I was expecting something huge and instead it felt like they were racing to get everything in and that’s not a good feeling.

Results
Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker b. CM Punk/Sami Zayn – Super Spear to Zayn
Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green – Super Code Red
John Cena b. R-Truth – AA
Damian Priest b. Drew McIntyre when Priest escaped the cage
Jey Uso b. Logan Paul – Superfly Splash

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: May 23, 2025
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is one heck of a card. It is big enough to feel like a bonus pay per view and this week’s show is likely going to be focused on building it up. Other than that, we have some spots in Money In The Bank to be filled, which should make for some good action. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people are coming to work, including Damian Priest, who jumps Drew McIntyre. Security breaks it up.

Here is Tiffany Stratton for a chat. She’s rather happy with what she has been doing lately and is looking forward to Money In The Bank, but no one better think twice about cashing in on her. Cue Alexa Bliss for a formal introduction before saying she needs that briefcase. She doesn’t know Stratton very well, so Stratton better pray that Bliss doesn’t win.

Cue Charlotte to brag about everything she’s done, save for winning Money In The Bank. She wants the spotlight back, but Charlotte calls her a hypocrite. Charlotte has called the briefcase a cheap way in, but it doesn’t matter because Charlotte and Bliss are a bit old school for her. Stratton is the upgraded version of the two of them and that doesn’t sit well.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Giulia vs. Zelina Vega

Non-title. They stare at each other to start and Charlotte knocks Vega outside. Back in and Vega gets sent flying with a fall away slam before Giulia takes Charlotte down. Some leg stomps and a neck twist have Charlotte in more trouble but she’s back up with a clothesline. Vega is back up to take both of them down and a moonsault to the floor drops them again.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte kicking Giulia off the apron. Giulia is back up with something like a Doomsday dropkick to Vega but Charlotte pops up with a high crossbody to the two of them. Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them for two but Giulia pulls Charlotte into the Rings Of Saturn. Vega breaks it up with a dropkick and hits a 619 but Charlotte drops Vega again. The Figure Eight has Giulia in trouble until Vega makes the save with the Meteora. Charlotte boots Vega down but Giulia comes in with a top rope double stomp for the save. The Northern Lights Bomb gives Giulia the pin on Vega at 13:31.

Rating: B. The second Vega was introduced as the third entrant, it was a question of whether Charlotte or Giulia would beat her. With all of the women they have available around here for this kind of a spot, they had no better option than the US Champion? The title has only been around for a few months and having losses like this isn’t going to help it. The match was good, but some better thinking would be appreciated.

DIY takes credit for the tag division coming together and doesn’t like other teams acting like they did it.

Zelina Vega is in the back and Chelsea Green mocks her. The ensuing brawl is quickly broken up by the Secret Hervice. B-Fab and Michin come in to say they want a fight tonight, with Nick Aldis making it happen.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Sabin

Johnny Gargano and Alex Shelley are here too. Sabin works on an armdrag to start and grinds away at the arm. Ciampa breaks that up and stomps away in the corner but Sabin armdrags him out to the floor. Sabin goes after him so Ciampa throws in a jacket, setting up Willow’s Bell as we take a break.

Back with Sabin hitting a German suplex and a running shot to the face for two. They slug it out on the apron until Ciampa grabs a White Noise for two of his own. Back in and Sabin blocks the Fairy Tale Ending, with Ciampa favoring his knee. A springboard tornado DDT drops Ciampa so it’s time for Gargano and Shelley to get involved. Sabin dives onto DIY but cue Candice LeRae to rake Sabin’s eyes. Ciampa hits a running knee for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. It’s so nice to have teams like DIY and the Guns who can be slotted in as singles stars if need be. That’s what we got here and it was a perfectly fine way to keep the feud going without doing the same match time after time. Having LeRae in the DIY fold would make perfect sense too, as it’s not like she has anything else going on.

Fraxiom is ready for the biggest night of their careers as they have a Tag Team Title shot.

We look back at John Cena’s heel turn and how he blames the fans for abusing him over the years.

Damian Priest is supposed to come out to talk about Drew McIntyre but they brawl to ringside instead. It’s broken up but Priest says he wants more, with the brawl continuing.

Jacob Fatu doesn’t know JC Mateo and doesn’t trust him. Solo Sikoa says use that aggression tonight. Sikoa wants Jimmy Uso back in the fold but Fatu doesn’t seem convinced by the two of them.

Alexa Bliss mocks Charlotte for losing.

Secret Hervice vs. B-Fab/Michin

B-Fab tries to slug away at Niven to start and gets nowhere as a result. Fyre comes in and Niven hits a backsplash to put B-Fab in early trouble. A Boss Man Slam gives Niven two but B-Fab gets up and brings in Michin to clean house. Chelsea Green gets on the apron but here is Zelina Vega to cut her off. Eat Defeat into a swinging faceplant from B-Fab finishes Fyre at 3:44.

Rating: C. So I guess we’re getting ready for another Vega vs. Green title match, which hopefully leads to Green getting the title back. Vega has gotten her big win but Green being her hilarious self is the better option. For now though, this was another attempt to make B-Fab a bigger deal and I’m not sure how likely that is to work.

The Street Profits are ready for Fraxiom and don’t like the suggestion that there is a better team. Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo come back for some glaring.

Legado del Fantasma has a meeting to try to calm things down. Santos Escobar wants them ready for a six man tag at Worlds Collide on June 7. Berto still doesn’t seem convinced but drinks a toast. Not exactly with them, but close enough.

Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix are ready.

Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo vs. Jimmy Uso/Rey Fenix

Jimmy and Fatu start things off but Mateo tags himself in, earning a glare from Fatu. Mateo takes over but Fatu tags himself in and gets hurricanranaed down by Fenix. Jimmy helps Fenix hit a springboard corkscrew dive and we take an early break. Back with Fatu hitting a running Umaga attack on Jimmy but Mateo can’t get a belly to back superplex. Instead Jimmy knocks him down and hits a Whisper In The Wind, giving us a diving tag to Fenix.

The pace is picked way up, with a 619 into a poisonrana getting two on Fatu. A pop up Samoan drop cuts Fenix off though and Mateo sends him flying, with Fenix sticking the landing. Jimmy tags himself in, leaving Fenix to dive onto Fatu, who pulls him out of the air. A spear drops Mateo so Sikoa offers a distraction. Jimmy isn’t interested, but it’s enough for Mateo to hit the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here for a pair of monsters who don’t get along and a makeshift team of Uso and Fenix. I’m curious about where this is going for Fatu, who is pretty clearly about to become one heck of a good guy, while the rest of the team won’t like that. It’s an interesting change of pace and the idea of Jimmy possibly being brought back in is…well that’s another thing that could be happening.

LA Knight is ready to go through Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura to go to Money In The Bank. He’s tired of the darkness and is ready to BFT them into the light.

Here is R-Truth for a chat. John Cena is his childhood hero but he doesn’t recognize this Cena. The problem is power, because they used to be friends. The more power and fame Cena got though, the more disconnect he felt. They stopped talking and R-Truth felt like Cena was always annoyed at him. Maybe R-Truth thought he had done something wrong, but other people felt the same.

Cena is like Gollum from Lord Of The Rings, with his championship being his precious. He doesn’t believe Cena is happy, but maybe he can bring Cena back. If R-Truth wants to save wrestling, he has to save Cena, so he’ll beat the hustle, loyalty and respect back into Cena. If Cena wins, WE RIOT! This was the serious R-Truth for the first time in forever and he did exactly what he needed to do here. Good promo, even if he’s going to get massacred.

We look at Sami Zayn/CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Video on Naomi vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax in next week’s Money In The Bank qualifying match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Aleister Black

They slug it out to start and Nakamura gets sent outside. Knight and Black seem cool with each other before locking up, with Knight grabbing his jumping neckbreaker. Nakamura breaks up Knight’s stomping in the corner and trades kicks with Black. Knight gets kneed down and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura sending Knight into the steps but Nakamura gets knocked outside. Black takes Knight down with a running flip dive but comes up holding his leg. Back in and Black misses a moonsault, allowing Knight to catch him with a DDT. Black is sent into the post but he catches Nakamura with Black Mass. That’s fine with Knight, who sends Black outside and steals the pin at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Knight needed a win like this, even if he didn’t do the damage in the first place. I can’t imagine him getting the briefcase, but he needs to get away from facing these same people for the US Title for a bit. He’s been there twice now and there is little left for him to do in that area. If he’s going to move up to the main event scene, this is as good of a chance as he is going to have.

Miz has gotten Carmelo Hayes a Money In The Bank qualifying match because he knows how important it can be to a wrestler’s career. Now he wants Hayes to follow his play calling, with Hayes seemingly being in on the idea.

Video on Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown, with Zelina Vega defending against Chelsea Green added.

Nick Aldis tells Jacob Fatu that he’s in the final Money In The Bank qualifying match next week. Fatu actually says he loves Solo Sikoa.

Bianca Belair is back next week.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

The Profits are defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Dawkins takes Axiom down by the arm to start so Frazer comes in for a headlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Ford to work on the arm. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the champs are knocked outside for the dives. We take a break and come back with Dawkins pulling Axiom down into a chinlock.

Ford flips in and hits a running shoulder in the corner before handing it back to Dawkins. Barrett gets in a very insightful statement by saying that it’s not about hitting your best move, but rather taking away your opponent’s best move. That’s some incredibly logical thinking about how to dominate a match. Axiom gets in a knockdown though and hands it back to Frazer to pick up the pace.

A running shooting star hits Ford and Frazer head fakes him to hit a springboard missile dropkick (Barrett is VERY impressed). Frazer gets knocked down again though and we take another break. Back again with Axiom pulling Ford into a rear naked choke and Frazer guillotines Dawkins at the same time. Those are both broken up so Frazer takes Ford up top for the superplex and rolls into a brainbuster/superkick combination for two.

Dawkins cuts off a dive though and sends Frazer into the steps, meaning a Doomsday Blockbuster can hit Axiom. Frazer dives in for a save, meaning the Spanish Fly into the Phoenix splash plants Dawkins. Ford makes a save of his own and everyone is down. Cue DIY but the Motor City Machine Guns cut them off. Ford flip dives onto all of them, leaving Dawkins to spinebuster Frazer. Then the lights go out and the Wyatt Sicks are back. The brawl is on and it’s a double DQ at 21:08.

Rating: B. That’s certainly one way to get you out of the issue of having one of the teams lose. They were having another awesome match, as Fraxiom knows exactly how to do this kind of fast paced offense. The Wyatts being back is certainly a way to go, but at least they seem to have a target rather than just doing random stuff.

The Wyatts wreck everyone and Sister Abigail plants Gargano to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I had a good time with this show as the action was solid and they made me more interested in Saturday Night’s Main Event. R-Truth’s promo was shockingly good and it fits with what they’re doing. Other than that, they set up some things for Money In The Bank and the rest of the card can come together after Saturday. Nice work this week, with the best part being that the show didn’t feel nearly as long, which has been a major issue in recent weeks.

Results
Giulia b. Zelina Vega and Charlotte – Northern Lights Bomb to Vega
Tommaso Ciampa b. Chris Sabin – Running knee
B-Fab/Michin b. Secret Hervice – Spinning faceplant to Fyre
Jacob Fatu/JC Mateo b. Rey Fenix/Jimmy Uso – Tour Of The Islands to Uso
LA Knight b. Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura – Black Mass to Nakamura
Street Profits vs. Fraxiom went to a double DQ when the Wyatt Sicks interfered

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: May 16, 2025
Location: First Horizon Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Backlash and that means it is time to get ready for Money In The Bank. The show is in less than a month so it’s time to start getting ready with the qualifying matches. Other than that, John Cena is still the World Champion and that means he’ll need a new challenger sooner or later. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a long Backlash rematch.

Here are Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Jeff Cobb for a chat. Sikoa introduces Cobb as JC and talks about how it’s time to bring everything back to the family. That starts tonight with him winning his Money In The Bank qualifying match. Fatu grabs the mic (the fans approve) and says don’t get it twisted: he brought the US Title back to the Family and he’s ready to deal with anyone coming after the title by himself.

Sikoa says he and JC get what he means and this is all to help Fatu. The title on his shoulder is proof of the love Sikoa has for him. Fatu begrudgingly says he loves Sikoa, who wants a bit more than that. Cue LA Knight to run in from behind and jump JC before running off again. At some point Knight needs to win something over one of these guys and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Michin and B-Fab want to win a briefcase and the titles but Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice come in, with Green saying she’ll win the briefcase. Alexa Bliss pops in for some glaring. Green threatens to put tariffs on mediocrity and B-Fab and Michin are first.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green vs. Michin

Green charges into a superkick to the floor to start and Michin blocks Bliss’ headscissors. Bliss rolls Michin up for two instead so Green yells at both of them, earning herself a double dropkick to the floor. Green is back up to knock both of them down and we take a break. Back with all three down before Michin gets up to knock them into the corner.

A Cannonball hits both of them for two each before everyone gets in a kick to the head. Green and Bliss slug it out until Michin cuts Bliss off. Back up and Bliss gives Michin a tornado DDT and Twisted Bliss gets two with Green making the save. The Unprettier hits Michin but Bliss pulls her away and hits the Sister Abigail DDT to pin Green at 9:03.

Rating: C+. Bliss is back and in a match where she has succeeded before, but at the same time, it’s still hard to get interested in her with the whole weird evil stuff. Otherwise, this was a match where I was hoping to see Green move on, and it would not surprise me to see her get into the match anyway. It would be a shame to see that incredible run she had over the last few months just end so quickly and it would surprise me if that wound up happening.

We look back at Fraxiom beating the Street Profits last week and then getting beaten up by DIY (who also attacked the Motor City Machine Guns).

Fraxiom vs. DIY

Ciampa takes Axiom down by the arm but Axiom is right back up so Frazer can come in for a kick to the face. Everything breaks down and Fraxiom hit some dive, only for Gargano to pull the rope down. Axiom crashes out to the floor and DIY gets in a double pat on the back as they take over. Back in and Gargano slams Axiom legs first into the ropes and we take a break.

We come back with Frazer coming in to clean house, with the running shooting star press getting two on Gargano. The Phoenix splash misses though and Gargano superkicks Frazer’s moonsault out of the air. The Fairy Tale Ending/superkick combination gets two on Frazer with Axiom making the save.

Project Ciampa gets the same on Frazer but Ciampa misses the running knee. A superkick/brainbuster combination plants Gargano for two, with Ciampa’s running knee making the save. Axiom and Gargano slug it out until Axiom tries to tie up the arms. Ciampa is back in to go for Axiom’s mask but Frazer makes the save. Frazer rolls Gargano up for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: B. Fraxiom’s rapid push continues and that is a fun thing to see. They already have some status from NXT and it’s nice to see them having such similar success around here. If nothing else, we might be in for a surprise title change when the rematch takes place. As usual, DIY can work with anyone and they can more than hang with a team as fast as Fraxiom.

Post match DIY jumps Fraxiom but the Motor City Machine Guns run in for the save.

Andrade gives Rey Fenix a pep talk before Fenix’s Money In The Bank qualifying match. Solo Sikoa and company come in to look for LA Knight.

The Street Profits applaud Fraxiom on their win and the title match is on for next week. Works for Fraxiom.

Wade Barrett had a sitdown interview with R-Truth earlier today. R-Truth says you can always depend on John Cena, who he calls a beacon of light. Barrett thinks this is crazy, as Cena attacked R-Truth at the Backlash press conference. R-Truth says that wasn’t the Cena he knew but if he has to beat Cena back to his senses, so be it. They’re fighting at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This continues to be one of the more interesting stories in WWE at the moment, just because it has been set up for such a long time now.

Damian Priest is sick of Drew McIntyre and wants him in a cage.

Carmelo Hayes, with the Miz, is ready to take out Aleister Black.

Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes

Miz is here with Hayes. They grapple to start until Black shoulders him down, giving us a double nip up. The threat of Black Mass has Hayes bailing away, with Black sitting down at the same time. Miz offers a distraction though and Hayes takes over with a flip dive. We take a break and come back with Black kicking Hayes out to the floor.

Back in Black strikes away, including a dropkick to put him down again. Hayes gets in a spinning faceplant but Black kicks him in the face again. A German suplex gives Black two but Hayes grabs the suplex cutter for the same. Miz gets on the apron, which doesn’t sit well with Hayes, allowing Black to strike away again. Black Mass is loaded up, which draws Miz in for the DQ at 10:27.

Rating: C+. They’re in a bit of a weird place here as they’re teasing the idea of Black needing help against these two but that brings up a pair of problems. First of all, Black needs to be on his own rather than being part of a group, at least for a good while. At the same time, shouldn’t Black be able to handle them on his own? It doesn’t seem to be asking that much.

Post match Miz and Hayes lay Black out.

Alexa Bliss wants the Money In The Bank briefcase but stops to talk to Charlotte, who is outside of Nick Aldis’ office. Charlotte says they were never friends but Giulia walks out of the office. Aldis comes out and says Giulia is on Smackdown. Makes sense as there was no need for her to be in NXT for the long term.

We look at Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money In The Bank briefcase to beat Nia Jax for the Women’s Title. Now Jax wants her title back.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. The only thing in that video from Damian Priest that was true was all of the violence they have inflicted on each other. McIntyre has beaten Priest a few times now and Priest can’t let it go. The reality is that Priest has cost McIntyre over and over and this has to end, so he’ll see Priest in a cage next Saturday. As McIntyre goes to leave, he runs into Solo Sikoa and company on the way to the ring for Sikoa’s match. Simple and to the point here, which is what the feud needs. We’ve seen them fight enough already.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Rey Fenix vs. Jimmy Uso

JC and Jacob Fatu are here with Sikoa, who drops Fenix to start. Uso and Fenix knock Sikoa outside though, leaving Fenix to kick Uso in the head. They chop it out until Fenix hits a springboard missile dropkick. Sikoa pulls Jimmy to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table, only for Fenix to dive onto both of them. Back in and Spinning Solo plants Fenix before Rock Bottoming Uso onto the table.

We take a break and come back with Uso going up top, where Fenix catches him with a shot to the head. Uso superkicks Fenix out of the air but Sikoa drops Uso to give us a three way breather. Sikoa hits a pair of running Umaga Attacks in the corners but Uso superkicks him into a rollup from Fenix. Back up and Fenix’s rope walk kick to the face hits Uso. Cue Sikoa’s monsters to offer distractions though, allowing Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike to pin Fenix at 13:07.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have a match with a bit more drama, as Sikoa has bragged about doing a lot of things but hasn’t been able to make the m happen. If nothing else, it’s nice to see him getting the chance to succeed, even if it isn’t likely going to go anywhere. At the same time, Fenix isn’t exactly on fire yet and that’s not a great sign for his future.

Post match LA Knight runs in for the brawl but Nick Aldis says it’s Knight vs. JC right now.

LA Knight vs. JC Mateo

Mateo is in street clothes and powers Knight down to start. Knight’s rollup doesn’t work at all so he grabs a headlock instead. With that broken up, Knight’s running shoulder gets him nowhere but a neckbreaker works a bit better. Knight hammers away in the corner but Mateo runs him over with an elbow to the face. A belly to belly is cut off and Knight is back with a middle rope bulldog.

Back up and Mateo suplexes him over the top for the big crash. We take a break and come back with Mateo hitting something like a spinebuster. Another overhead belly to belly sends Knight flying and Mateo grabs a waistlock. Back up and Mateo sends him outside, where Mateo posts himself by mistake.

Knight makes the comeback and hits a neckbreaker into a reverse DDT. Mateo is right back with the swinging belly to back suplex into a standing moonsault to leave them both down. Knight is back up but dives onto Sikoa and Fatu. That’s enough of a distraction for Mateo to grab the Tour Of The Islands (spinning reverse powerslam) for the pin at 15:24.

Rating: B-. This was a fine way to get Mateo off to a strong start, as he is another monster around Solo Sikoa, but nothing close to the rest. Mateo is more about technical skill and power, which isn’t something you see very often. Good start here, even if it meant that Knight had to take another loss.

Post match Mateo and company pose, with Fatu holding up the title not sitting so well.

We look back at Berto standing up to Santos Escobar.

Escobar talks to Angel and is willing to forgive Berto, but he needs Angel to find him.

Shinsuke Nakamura is not scared of Aleister Black and he is sharpening his katana into an unstoppable blade.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tiffany Stratton runs into Jade Cargill, who wants the title. Stratton isn’t worried about Cargill getting the briefcase. Naomi can be seen watching in the background.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending. They circle each other a few times to start before Jax goes with the power. That means Stratton can have her handspring cut off and Jax drops her onto the top rope. A running hip attack sends Stratton into the post and we take a break. Back with Stratton being sent hard into the post but avoiding another hip attack. A hurricanrana sends Jax into the post and a high crossbody gives Stratton two back inside.

Jax’s Samoan drop into a backsplash gets two so Stratton grabs a belly to belly for two. Jax sitout powerbombs her into a legdrop for two so she goes up. Stratton is right there to cut her off and a super small package gets two more. Cue Naomi with a chair but Jade Cargill cuts her off. That leaves Jax to hit the post and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever…gets two?

Jax shoves her off the top for a crash to the floor and it’s time to clear the announcers’ table. A Samoan drop onto the table plants Stratton and they head back inside. The Annihilator is loaded up but Stratton tries a powerbomb, only to pull Jax down onto her…for two as Stratton grabs the rope. Jax tries to bring in a chair but Stratton dropkicks it into her face. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever retains the title at 13:46.

Rating: B. They were rolling near the end there and it’s a big deal for Stratton to hopefully wrap things up with Jax. Beating the former champion without the briefcase helps and I can even forgive Stratton surviving a bigger than usual Annihilator. Odds are Jax will be in Money In The Bank, but as long as she doesn’t win, it should be a good enough deal for her in the short term.

Overall Rating: B-. The focus has definitely shifted hard towards Money In The Bank and that is a good thing. Without Cena here this week, there wasn’t much else to focus on so instead they built towards the ladder matches and Fraxiom vs. the Street Profits. Throw in a title match main event and the show worked out. Just please get us down to two hours again, as these longer shows are not doing it any favors.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Chelsea Green and Michin – Sister Abigail DDT to Green
Fraxiom b. DIY – Rollup to Gargano
Aleister Black b. Carmelo Hayes via DQ when Miz interfered
Solo Sikoa b. Rey Fenix and Jimmy Uso – Samoan Spike to Fenix
JC Mateo b. LA Knight – Tour Of The Islands
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax – Prettiest Moonsault Ever

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Backlash 2025
Date: May 10, 2025
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are officially back on pay per view and in this case, it’s kind of an In Your House style card. This show is pretty much all about Randy Orton, the hometown hero, challenging John Cena for the Smackdown World Title. Odds are this is the last match in their very storied rivalry and that’s carrying the show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Randy Orton vs. John Cena, some of the other matches, and then Orton vs. Cena again.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is defending and the fans are chanting for him at the start. Knight and Fatu slug it out in the corner while the other two head to the floor. Fatu is sent into the post and dropped with a neckbreaker, followed by a slingshot shoulder. A pop up powerslam takes McIntyre down but Knight has to reverse Fatu’s Samoan drop into a reverse DDT. McIntyre is back up with a trio of neckbreakers but Knight is right there to break up the Claymore.

Priest’s super hurricanrana brings Fatu down and he takes out Fatu again on the floor. The fans want tables (because of course), but have to settle for Priest hitting an Old School crossbody on McIntyre. Fatu sends Priest into the barricade and it’s time for the big McIntyre vs. Fatu slugout. The pop up Samoan drop plants McIntyre and the running Umaga Attack makes it worse.

McIntyre gets tied in the Tree of Woe but he superplexes Knight down. Fatu gets superplexed onto Knight in a Swanton and cleans house, with the fans going nuts. The BFT drops Fatu and Priest gives Knight the South Of Heaven, only to turn into a Claymore. Priest falls onto Knight for two, with McIntyre making a last second save. McIntyre sends Fatu outside and drops Knight with the Futureshock.

The Claymore does it again but Priest pulls the referee at two, giving McIntyre something else to hate him about. McIntyre and Priest fight over the barricade, but Knight avoids Fatu’s triple jump moonsault. The top rope elbow hits a standing Fatu, followed by another one to a downed Fatu for two. Priest and McIntyre brawl at the tech area, where South Of Heaven sends both of them through a bunch of tables.

With all that going on, Knight sends Fatu into various things at ringside but Solo Sikoa shows up to pull Fatu off the announcers’ table. Knight goes after Sikoa but gets jumped by the debuting Jeff Cobb, who crushes Knight against the post. Fatu is a bit confused but hits the running Umaga attack and the triple jump moonsault to retain at 17:56.

Rating: B. Hot opener here and the countdown is even more officially on to Fatu breaking free as a massive good guy star. He’s doing things that no one else can do in the ring and the crowd is responding to him. It’s one of those cases where you do not see someone doing this kind of thing very often and that works. We’re also likely coming up on Priest vs. McIntyre again, maybe in a Last Man Standing match, and that’s a fun way to go. Good, hot opener here.

Post match Fatu looks at Sikoa and Cobb but leaves on his own.

We recap Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch. Valkyria grew up idolizing Lynch and they won the Women’s Tag Team Titles together at Wrestlemania. Then they lost the titles on the following Raw, with Lynch beating her down. Valkyria is ready for revenge and is willing to put the Women’s Intercontinental Title on the line. There is another history here as Valkyria took the NXT Women’s Title from Lynch, so the win isn’t a crazy thought.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is challenging and takes her down to start before hammering away. An armdrag has Valkyria looking a bit shaken but she’s right back with a rocking horse to have Lynch in trouble for a change. That’s switched into a surfboard, with Lynch not being able to do much. A northern lights suplex gets two on Lynch and she goes outside for a breather. Back in and Lynch takes Valkyria down and hammers away before rubbing her face into the mat.

A kick to the face in the corner gives Lynch two and she takes Valkyria outside to yell at Valkyria’s fiance. Valkyria strikes away back inside and grabs a fisherman’s buster for two. A sitout powerbomb gets the same and Valkyria takes her up top for a delayed superplex. They trade rollups for two each, with Lynch getting caught grabbing the rope. Valkyria fights back and hits a top rope Fameasser for two more.

Instead of covering, Valkyria hesitates before going up for a moonsault, allowing Lynch to get her knees up. They fight over a cross armbreaker until Lynch grabs the Manhandle Slam for two. A frustrated Lynch hammers away and goes to grab a chair. That’s taken away so she pulls a turnbuckle pad off, only to get caught with a spinning kick to the head. Valkyria hits a middle rope moonsault for two but gets sent face first into the buckle (not the exposed one).

Another Manhandle Slam gives Lynch another two but a quick Nightwing connects…and the referee is busy trying to put the turnbuckle pad back on. The very delayed cover gets two and they trade rollups, until Valkyria actually gets the upset pin at 18:45. Valkyria was touching her nose over and over on the cover so there is a good chance it’s busted.

Rating: B+. This went WAY above and beyond what I was expecting and they pretty much hit it out of the park. Valkyria hung in there with an all time legend and even beat her clean. If WWE is serious about bringing in some fresh blood, that’s exactly what they need to do. Valkyria did it here and Tiffany Stratton did it at Wrestlemania. These two beat the fire out of each other and Valkyria retains to really establish her in a big way. Nice job, and Bayley can come back to feud with Lynch sooner than later.

Post match Lynch grabs the Disarm-Her, with Valkyria grabbing her nose (commentary acknowledges it too).

We recap the Intercontinental Title match. Dominik Mysterio won the title in a four way match at Wrestlemania, also involving Penta. Since Penta didn’t get pinned, he’s getting a title shot here.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio, in Psicosis inspired gear (well, Nicho El Millionairio), is defending and kicks him into the corner to start. A handstand doesn’t work for Mysterio as Penta kicks him down, only to be sent outside for a suicide DDT. Back in and a slingshot hilo gives Mysterio two and the fans seem to like his cockiness.

Penta fights out of a chinlock and hits a crossbody to the floor for a needed breather. A crucifix gets two on Mysterio, who grabs a quick Oblivion for two of his own. They crash out to the floor and here is Judgment Day for the distraction. Balor grabs the chair but takes WAY too long, meaning the referee can throw them all out. Penta hits the big flip dive onto Carlito and McDonagh but cue El Grande Americano to headbutt Penta off the top. The frog splash retains the title at 9:25.

Rating: C+. This was a step down from the previous two matches but it was a perfectly serviceable match which would have been fine on any given Raw. The interference should set up something for the future and it was a good way to make Mysterio look like a star. WWE pretty clearly has something planned for him and this was a rare showcase. Not a great match, but it did what it needed to do.

We recap Gunther vs. Pat McAfee. Gunther lost the World Title to Jey Uso at Wrestlemania and McAfee was rather excited. On the following Raw, Gunther yelled at commentator Michael Cole and attacked him, with McAfee stepping up for his friend. McAfee got choked out too and now we have a match to settle things, as McAfee is standing up against a bully.

Pat McAfee vs. Gunther

Michael Cole flat out says he’s not going to be impartial here, which makes sense. Gunther doesn’t seem impressed by McAfee and grabs an armbar. That’s reversed into a headlock before Gunther puts him on the apron for a pat on the head. McAfee tries to jump back over the top but trips a bit, allowing Gunther to knock him down without much trouble. Some shots to the face stagger Gunther a bit but he fires off the chops to cut McAfee right back down.

A quick kick to the back staggers Gunther but he’s back with a kick of his own. Gunther suplexes him down and grabs the sleeper, which is actually broken up. Another German suplex drops McAfee but he slips out of another one. McAfee gets in some punts for two and a pump kick into a superkick has Gunther rocked. Another kick is countered into a powerbomb though and Gunther pulls him into the Boston crab. Cole goes to ringside and tells McAfee to give up so Gunther drags him back to the center.

Some elbows to the head rock McAfee again and Gunther pulls Cole inside. That’s enough for McAfee to get in a big boot but Gunther kicks him right back down. Gunther tries a suplex but Cole grabs the foot to trip him down, giving McAfee two. That ticks Gunther off and the distraction lets McAfee get a sleeper. That’s broken up though and Gunther blasts him with a clothesline. The sleeper goes on and McAfee is in trouble but he fights up again. Gunther pulls him back down though and McAfee is out at 14:08.

Rating: B. This was about as well put together as it could have been. At the end of the day, McAfee and Cole combined aren’t going to be a threat to Gunther and there was no reason to pretend they would be. McAfee got in some punts as his big weapon and while they staggered Gunther, they didn’t put him in any serious trouble. Gunther shrugged them off, along with Cole’s interference, and then won. I was enjoying the story they were telling, but there was no way this was ending any other way without one heck of a surprise.

Post match Gunther actually shows McAfee some respect.

We recap John Cena vs. Randy Orton, which is built around the two of them being all time greats and joined at the hip for the better part of twenty years. Now it’s one more time, with the roles reversed for the first time on the big WWE stage.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Cena is defending and Orton is the hometown hero. We get the Big Match Intros and we’re ready to go, with the fans entirely behind Cena. They circle each other a bit to start and Cena pokes him in the eye, only for Orton to do the same, with Cena bailing out to the floor. Back in and Orton grabs a headlock takeover to grind away on Cena. Back up and Cena gets shouldered out tot he floor, where it’s time for a walk up the aisle.

Orton throws him back in and gets punched in the corner, only to reverse it for twenty right hands of his own. The chinlock goes on but Cena reverses into one of his own, only to get belly to back suplexed down. Back up and Cena initiates the finishing sequence but the AA is countered. Orton can’t get the hanging DDT but he can mostly block the STF. Now the hanging DDT can connect but the RKO is blocked.

Cena tries the AA, which is reversed into an RKO in a sweet counter to leave them both down. Back up and an AA gives Cena two so he tries the running shoulders. Orton comes up to counter one of those with an RKO (points for finding new ways to do that thing) but the Punt misses. Another AA plants Orton but Cena misses a Punt…and the referee gets bumped. Cena hits yet another AA, though he realizes the referee is down.

That lets Cena grab the belt, which takes too long so Orton hits the RKO for a delayed two. They go outside and Orton clears off the announcers’ table. That takes too long though and the referee gets bumped again. Cena’s AA is countered though and Orton gives him an AA onto the table. Orton loads up a table (this match did not need a table) and gives Cena an AA through it as the referee is STILL down (I’m guessing because the first one didn’t go well).

The RKO connects and another referee runs in for two so Cena grabs the belt. That hits the new referee so Orton this another RKO for no cover. Cue Nick Aldis and some agents to check on the referee (unlike the one who went into the steps, who was down for about five minutes and got nothing) so Orton RKO’s everyone he can, including Aldis. The Punt is loaded up but here is R-Truth to beg Orton for mercy. Orton clears him out and Cena hits Orton low, setting up a belt shot to retain the title (as the first referee recovers after about ten minutes) at 27:56.

Rating: B. This is going to be one of the more divisive matches you’ll see in awhile. It’s an absolute insane mess of spamming finishers and a ton of ref bumps, but I haven’t laughed so much at a match in a good while. It went so over the top that it was turning into something of a farce, which made me laugh. I’m not sure how much drama there was about a title change, but I can go with these two having one last song and dance for the road.

Post match Cena says he wants competition and isn’t finding it here. He goes to leave and gets cheered, which makes him pause for a second before heading out. That’s some interesting character stuff from Cena. He’s still bitter, but he slipped back into his old self there for a second. Remember that a few weeks ago, he was saying he didn’t need to do anything but show up. Now he wants competition, because in his heart of hearts, he’s a competitor and wants to prove he’s the best, no matter what he might say.

Overall Rating: B+. This one is going to depend on your taste in the main event and I found it absolutely hysterically entertaining. The only match on the show which wasn’t rather good was Mysterio vs. Penta and even that was completely fine. For a show that had a grand total of no expectations coming in, this was a heck of an entertaining night. The fact that it was done before 10pm EST makes it even better. Pretty great show here.

Results
Jacob Fatu b. LA Knight, Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest – Triple jump moonsault to Knight
Lyra Valkyria b. Becky Lynch – Rollup
Dominik Mysterio b. Penta – Frog splash
Gunther b. Pat McAfee – Sleeper
John Cena b. Randy Orton – Belt shot

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We’re already back on pay per view after Wrestlemania and that isn’t feeling like quite enough time. That’s something that can be a big problem, but in this case the show being in St. Louis is going to help. It instantly boosts up the main event and the reaction alone should be enough to carry quite a bit. There is another short form card this time around and those have a hit and miss record. Let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. Penta

What does it say that the least interesting match on the card might be for the Intercontinental Title? The good thing about having someone like Mysterio as champion is that the title feels like it is in jeopardy at any time. While I’m not sure if Penta is going to be the one to dethrone him, it feels like there is at least a chance, which is going to make things all the more interesting.

The more I see from Mysterio, the more I think he might be in for a long run as champion, meaning I’m expecting him to retain here. There is a good chance that we are going to be seeing him do something with Finn Balor in the near future, so having him go over Penta here, likely with Judgment Day’s interference, makes sense. Penta needs to win a bit more, though it isn’t happening here.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Lyra Valkyria(c) vs. Becky Lynch

I feel sorry for Valkyria, who is trying as hard as she can and she isn’t failing, but she’s in over her head with Lynch. There are no women bigger than Lynch in wrestling history and it is hard to find anyone who can step up to her level. Valkyria is trying and the story of Lynch being her idol is a good way to go, but there is only so much that she can do given the circumstances.

I can’t imagine a world where Lynch loses here, as it makes sense for her to win the title. It’s still a new championship and that means it needs something to make it feel more special. There isn’t much that can be done better than by having Lynch win it here and eventually put someone over for it. Valkyria is going to try, but I can’t imagine her leaving as champion, as she shouldn’t.

United States Title: Jacob Fatu(c) vs. Damian Priest vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre

I had forgotten McIntyre was part of this match and that makes things a lot more interesting. Having just Knight and Priest as challengers doesn’t feel as important, but McIntyre is one of the bigger stars in WWE these days and feels like a threat to win anything. I’m not sure I can imagine him winning here, but having him around makes the title feel like it is in a lot more jeopardy.

That being said, I’ll still take Fatu to retain the title here, which is what makes sense. Fatu feels like he should be on the way to a long, dominant reign as champion. At the same time, I want to see McIntyre get a singles match against Fatu, as that feels like it could be quite the showdown. For now though, Fatu gets to smash a lot of people, probably pinning Priest to retain.

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Somehow this is the second biggest match on the show and that is because of McAfee’s rather strong promos setting it up. Yeah they have gone on for a long time and he has sucked up to a few towns on the way there, but this is a story that anyone can get behind: he’s standing up to a bully for a friend. That’s an easy to understand concept and even if he’s going down, he’s going down swinging.

That being said, barring one heck of a surprise run in (and by that I mean Goldberg), Gunther is going over here and he should. McAfee is one of the better celebrity wrestlers but he isn’t going to beat someone who was defending a World Title at Wrestlemania less than a month ago. Odds are Michael Cole gets involved in some way, but it isn’t going to matter as Gunther will win here, despite a few nice hope spots from McAfee.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena(c) vs. Randy Orton

This is the match that makes the show feel like an In Your House and that is not a bad way to go. I know this feud has been done to death and I’ve gotten horribly sick of it over the years, but if Cena is done after this year, it would be insane not to have him face off with his greatest rival one more time. Orton is one of the few people who feels close to Cena’s level and having the show be in Orton’s hometown makes it that much better.

And no, I can’t imagine Cena losing here so we’ll say he retains, likely through cheating. The interesting thing about Cena’s title reign is that it has a firm end date, meaning he has to lose before then. I’m not sure when that is going to happen, because he could lose it on his last night in the company, or he could lose it and then have some fallout over the ensuing months. Cena isn’t losing here, but the pressure is going to start building soon and that’s when things get really interesting.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about the show, the more interested I am about seeing how it goes. The matches are good enough with limited weak spots, which is kind of the point in having the five match card. What matters the most is getting things going as we head towards the summer, which could go in a few different ways. I want to see how this goes and that means they’re doing something right.

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Smackdown
Date: May 9, 2025
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before tomorrow’s Backlash event and that means we might be getting one more match added to the pay per view card. Other than that, John Cena is in the house and that means we should be in for a little more hype up between Cena and Randy Orton. Let’s get to it.

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

Damian Priest is ready to get his US Title back but LA Knight comes in to say he wants the title. They’re willing to work together tonight though.

LA Knight/Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu

Sikoa jumps Priest to start things fast but Priest runs him over without much trouble. A rebound lariat misses for Priest though and Sikoa bails to the floor, where Fatu offers a distraction. Knight and Priest argue until we take a break. Back with Priest fighting out of a chinlock but Sikoa knocks Knight off the apron in a smart move.

The Samoan drop gives Sikoa two and hands it off to Fatu, which the fans seem to like. Priest fights up and drops Sikoa, allowing the hot tag off to Knight to clean house. The spelling elbow hits Fatu and Knight loads up the top rope elbow, only for Priest to tag himself in. Knight does the same to break up the South Of Heaven and the BFT plants Sikoa for the pin at 10:08.

Rating: B-. Perfectly nice story advancement here and that’s what it needed to be. The story of the title match seems to be Knight and Priest needing to get together to beat Fatu but not being able to work together. This match showed how well it can work when they are on the same page, but that isn’t likely to be the case tomorrow.

Post match Fatu takes out Knight and Priest but gets Claymored by Drew McIntyre. My goodness McIntyre vs. Fatu one on one sounds glorious.

A rather pro-John Cena R-Truth is in the back (complete with a sign) when Jimmy Uso comes in to ask what he’s doing. R-Truth still isn’t convinced that Cena has really gone bad, leaving Uso confused.

Drew McIntyre isn’t sure why Damian Priest is getting a title shot when McIntyre already beat him at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t think much of Knight either, and Fatu being all gas and no brakes means he’s going to hit a wall at some point. That wall is McIntyre as the US Champion. Good stuff here from McIntyre, as usual.

We recap Chelsea Green’s recent issues.

Green and the Secret Hervice held a funeral for her title reign when Nick Aldis and Zelina Vega came in. The three of them imply that Vega has no friends, so Aldis made a tag match for later tonight.

Video on Aleister Black.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega/???

Vega’s partner is….the returning Alexa Bliss. Yeah that works. Vega takes Niven down to start but gets caught with a release World’s Strongest Slam. It’s quickly off to Green, who misses a splash, allowing Vega to hit a double 619. Green is back up to cut off the tag though and Niven elbows Vega as we take a break.

Back with Niven cutting off the tag attempt again but Vega plants her with a DDT. The tag brings in Bliss to clean house, including a running Blockbuster for two on Green. Bliss catches her in the Tree Of Woe for a running dropkick and Twisted Bliss connects but Niven makes the save. Bliss’ superkick sends Niven into a Code Red but Niven rolls out to the floor. Vega takes out Niven and it’s a Sister Abigail DDT to finish Green at 8:17.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have Bliss back and hopefully she can just be herself without all of the Wyatt Sicks stuff. She’s a big enough star on her own already and doesn’t need to do all of the supernatural nonsense on the side. If nothing else, there is always the chance that she could go after Vega for the title, which isn’t a bad idea for both of them.

Rey Fenix cuts Santos Escobar off because he already beat Escobar last week. Legado del Fantasma runs in to jump Fenix until agents and Andrade come in to clear things out.

We look at John Cena vs. Randy Orton in the Cell in 2014.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She’s fresh off the greatest women’s match in Wrestlemania history and she took Tiffany Stratton to the limit. Now she’s here to announce her path back to the title. The fans aren’t pleased and she wants to know why they are so disrespectful to her. If they don’t lighten up, she’s leaving and never coming back to this town. Charlotte goes to leave but gets cut off by Jade Cargill, who is here for a #1 contenders match. Cargill even tells her to go to the back of the line, which isn’t likely to go well for her.

Post break, Charlotte goes to leave but Alexa Bliss is waiting in her car for a staredown.

Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

For a future Women’s Title match so here is Tiffany Stratton to watch from ringside. They trade lockups to start with Jax shoving her down. It works so well that she does it again so Cargill fires off her own running shoulder. The Samoan drop cuts Cargill off for two and we take a break.

Back with Cargill powering her up for her own Samoan drop (nicely done) and grabbing a regular suplex. Some superkicks into a spinebuster give Cargill two but Jax is back with a sitout powerbomb for the same. For some reason Jax goes up top but gets slammed down (there’s your reason), setting up Cargill’s frog splash for two more. A pump kick gives Cargill two more…and here is Naomi to jump Stratton at ringside. The distraction lets Jax run Cargill over and hit the Annihilator for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: B. This turned into a heck of a fight because Cargill was getting to show off her power stuff, which not many people can do with Jax. I was getting into seeing these two hammer on each other until one of them couldn’t get up. Unfortunately they had to go with the screwy ending, but at the end of the day, you can’t have Cargill take a clean fall and Jax needs to get the title shot.

Michin and B-Fab praise the Street Profits for their TLC match.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. They’ve been the talk of the town in recent weeks and just had the greatest TLC match of all times (eh….) and it even involved a prosthetic leg. Cue Fraxiom to interrupt and say they’re happy to be here. Now they want a title shot, but the Profits are a bit shocked after Fraxiom has only been around for a few weeks.

Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

Non-title and we’re joined in progress with Dawkins (with his bad arm) flipping over Frazer. A headlock takeover takes Dawkins over with a headlock but he’s right back up to tackle Frazer onto the announcers’ table. Ford (with his bad ribs) comes in to take over on Frazer and it’s quickly back to Dawkins for a running splash.

Dawkins’ spinning splash in the corner gets two but Frazer spins up to hit a dive to the floor. Axiom hits his own dive and we take an early break. Back with Frazer and Dawkins making a double tag, with Ford hitting a hard clothesline to Axiom. The standing moonsault gives Ford two and it’s back to Frazer, who gets superkicked down.

Frazer fights back but gets caught in a Doomsday Blockbuster for two, with Axiom making the save. Axiom superkicks a diving Ford in the ribs and super Spanish Flies Dawkins down. Frazer adds the Phoenix splash but Ford dives in for the save, taking out Axiom as well. Ford kicks Frazer down, only to miss the frog splash and bang up the ribs again. A missile dropkick/legsweep combination finishes Ford at 13:32.

Rating: B. Fraxiom continues to have one good match after another and that was the case again here. It’s great to see them getting out there and doing their thing with the better teams, because there was nothing left to do in NXT. There’s a good chance we’ll see this again soon and I’ve heard far worse ideas.

Respect is shown post match.

Tiffany Stratton is looking for Naomi but finds Nia Jax instead. Jax is ready to win the title back, but Stratton is going to send her to the losers’ table with Charlotte.

Video on Gunther vs. Pat McAfee, including a long recap of how they got to Backlash.

Miz gives Carmelo Hayes a pep talk before he faces Aleister Black. Granted this one should go better, because Miz won’t be out of place like Hayes was last week.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Aleister Black

Miz is here with Hayes. Black chills in the corner to start before pulling him into a headlock. Back up and Hayes strikes away in the corner, earning him some glaring from Black. They head outside with Black hitting a middle rope moonsault but Hayes kicks him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Black hitting a running boot to the head to catch Hayes on top. One heck of a jumping knee to the head drops Hayes again and it’s time to trade forearms. Black gets the better of things and hits a springboard moonsault but Hayes knees out of a suplex. Back up and Black grabs a brainbuster for two so Miz gets on the apron. Black sends them together and rolls Hayes up for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. I was expecting a bit more, as Black still has one of the coolest finishers in wrestling. That makes a heel collision and a rollup finish a bit less than optimal, especially so soon after Black returned. Not much to this one, but at least some of the spots before the ending were impressive.

Post match Black gives Miz Black Mass. That’s better.

Solo Sikoa says he and Jacob Fatu need a game plan, but Fatu just wants to wreck people. Sikoa: “Ok.”

The Motor City Machine Guns are proud of Fraxiom and they know they’ll face each other one day. DIY runs in and lays both of them out.

Los Garza vs. Rey Fenix/Andrade

Fenix cleans house to start fast, including a cradle for two on Garza. Berto comes in to take Fenix into the corner and a dropkick gets two. Fenix rolls over for the tag off to Andrade to take over without much trouble. We take a break and come back with Andrade grabbing a poisonrana on Berto, allowing a double tag. Fenix hits a quick rope walk kick to the head, plus a wristdrag, to take both of them down.

Andrade comes back in for a knockdown but gets kicked in the head by Berto to leave everyone on the mat. Berto is back up with a moonsault to Fenix with Andrade making a save. Fenix grabs a hurricanrana but gets reversed into a sunset flip, only for Escobar’s distraction to take the referee away. Fenix’s rope walk kick takes out Garza and Andrade hits the Message to pin Berto at 10:25.

Rating: B-. This was more fun stuff and that’s what you would expect from these four. It made for a good showcase of Fenix and Andrade, the latter of whom usually does well when he is given the chance. Los Garza might not win very often, but at least they look good while they are out there.

Post match Escobar yells at Los Garza, with Berto standing up to him and leaving on his own. Garza isn’t sure what to do.

Backlash rundown.

Here is John Cena for the big closing. After getting his corrected introduction, Cena says everyone’s childhood dies tomorrow. Randy Orton is not here tonight and that is because he took Cena’s advice from last week. Cena goes over his history with Orton and how much success they have had. If you are part of this generation, you have picked one of them over the other but tomorrow, everything ends.

Everyone has to pick one more time and the reality is Orton has been lying to himself for years. Orton has never been held accountable for any of failures. He is the greatest of all time at not living up to his potential. Cena is the greatest of all time at hustle. Orton is a Laz-E-Boy and coasts, which is what he describes as loyalty. Cena is the greatest of all time at being loyal.

Orton has to beg for respect because no one knows Bob Orton Sr. and the only thing Bob Orton Jr. ever accomplished was knocking up Orton’s mom. The only thing Randy has ever done is ride on Cena’s coattails. Tomorrow, Randy kills his own legend, by being just like his 2006 drug test (that gets a gasp): a FAILURE. Cena is the greatest of all time because he IS respect.

Someone in a mask comes in to try an RKO but gets caught with an AA. Then the real Orton comes in for an RKO to leave Cena laying. I’m not sure what to make of Cena’s promo, but given that it’s the last time he’ll probably ever talk about Orton (barring a rematch), he probably wanted to get in every line he had about him. I’m not sure the whole thing worked though, as this felt like something Cena would say as a hero rather than a villain.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual, this was a good example of how Smackdown does not need to be three hours. There is a strong go home show to Backlash in there somewhere with stuff being made for later, but a lot of it feels like filler because they had too much time to cover. It could have been a lot worse, but cutting this down by about 30-45 minutes would have been so much better. I’m fairly interested in Backlash and this show boosted it up a bit, so we’ll call it enough of a success.

Results
LA Knight/Damian Priest b. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu – BFT to Sikoa
Alexa Bliss/Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Sister Abigail DDT to Green
Nia Jax b. Jade Cargill – Annihilator
Fraxiom b. Street Profits – Missile dropkick/legsweep combination to Ford
Aleister Black b. Carmelo Hayes – Black Mass
Rey Fenix/Andrade b. Los Garza – Message to Berto

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