Smackdown
Date: October 9, 2026
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Twas the night before Money In The Bank and that’s the end of the poetry corner. As usual, this is the big show that comes before the pay per view and in this case we have a Women’s Tag Team Title match, with Charlotte and Tatum Paxley getting a shot at Fatal Influence. Other than that we have the big push towards tomorrow, which should be good enough. Let’s get to it.

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

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are here and have some friendly banter about Money In The Bank. Trick Williams comes in to say he wants to face Sami Zayn. Bron Breakker pops in to say he’s wasting his time here but Williams doesn’t like that. The GM’s make Breakker vs. Williams for the main event.

Here is CM Punk for a chat and the ladders are set up in the ring. After getting the catchphrase out of the way, Punk says some people have been asking him why he’s getting in this ladder match at this point in his career. He’s won this thing twice before and he’s taking a chance to make history, because that’s what he does. It won’t be a cakewalk and Punk goes over the other participants in the match.

Punk praises some of the younger stars but gets cut off by Kevin Owens, who Punk doesn’t sweat. Owens, calling Punk “Phil”, says he thinks tomorrow night gives him a chance to do the most important thing in WWE. More importantly though, it gives him the chance to stop Punk from getting the briefcase again. Punk calls that a fail safe for Owens and that’s why he’s on top of the ladder looking down at Owens.

Naturally Owens climbs the other ladder and says this is what he sees in Punk’s eyes. Owens promises to prevent Punk from winning and then taking the title from Sami Zayn, who comes out to interrupt. Zayn climbs a third, shorter ladder, so Owens says “hi shorty”. Zayn finds it symbolic that he’s on the smallest ladder and beneath the other two but they should both know he’s a survivor. He always finds a way, including beating Punk, who blames Owens for the loss.

Zayn says that wasn’t an accident but rather him being exceptionally intelligent. Punk is left looking at Zayn with the title and it drives him crazy and that kind of hatred is going to make sure neither of them win tomorrow. I can’t really picture either of them winning, but Punk knows how to paint a picture and the ladders were used well here.

Jacy Jayne/Lash Legend/Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez/Sol Ruca/Lola Vice

Jayne and Ruca start things off with Ruca hitting an X Factor so Perez tags herself in for a fast two. Legend comes in and lunges for Perez, with Ruca and Vice dropping to the floor in a smart move. It’s off to Vice, who gets thrown into the corner but comes back with some more kicks. Ruca moonsaults to the floor to take Legend down and then hits another moonsault onto everyone else as we take a break.

We come back with Ruca fighting out of a chinlock and avoiding Jayne’s Cannonball. Perez isn’t about to tag though and Jayne gets in a clothesline to keep Ruca down. That lasts all of a few seconds, allowing Vice to get the tag and fire off kicks. The running hip attacks connect and now Perez is willing to tag herself in. Stratton comes in to take Perez down but Legend tags herself in as well. The Lash Extension is escaped and it’s Ruca back in with a dropkick. A DDT drops Legend again and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. The Sol Snatcher accidentally hits Vice and the Lash Extension gives Legend the pin on Ruca at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Now this was more like it, as it was one match rather than having a bunch of “building momentum” matches for weeks on end. Since getting a pinfall over someone means pretty much nothing on the way to a ladder match, this only means so much. The good thing though is that the match happened and now we’re ready to move on to the ladder match, which is a much more streamlined build and far more appreciated.

Post match Legend takes out her partners, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Chelsea Green is ready to face whomever wins the briefcase but Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s what Green should worry about. Bella calls Green a bootleg version of her and suggests that Matt Cardona wants her. As usual, Bella sounded as robotic as imaginable around here.

Hold on though as we cut to the Baddies jumping Charlotte.

Post break Charlotte’s shoulder is banged up but she’s not letting the title match be postponed. Alexa Bliss can take her spot instead, with Nick Aldis banning everyone from ringside, including Jacy Jayne.

MFT vs. War Raiders

Non-title and Haku is here with MFT. Erik and Talla start things off with Talla taking over Everything breaks down rather quickly and they go outside, with Ivar hitting a flip dive off the apron as we take an early break. We come back with Erik and Tama getting up to slug it out and Erik handing it back to Ivar.

Talla cuts off the Doomsault attempt and Tama’s hanging neckbreaker out of the corner gets two. Cue Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki and Ivar sits on Tama in the corner. Erik gets to come back in but is knocked down, leaving Tama to go after Kyoki. The Viking Experience (erg) plants Tama but Haku gets in a cheap shot from the floor. The Brother’s Keeper finishes Erik at 7:56.

Rating: B-. This was good enough as it was two teams beating the daylights out of each other. I was hoping for more brawling and time but the title match against Nakamura and Kyoki should be good. Good enough match here, with Haku being a nice addition to the MFTs. And getting them away from the Bloodline stuff, which wasn’t exactly working.

Post match Nakamura and Kyoki come in to clear the ring but the Raiders go after them, only to get knocked down as well.

Danhausen, with his Evil Detector, comes in to see Adam Pearce. Nick Aldis comes in and the detector beeps, but it beeps a lot louder when Finn Balor comes in. Pearce is off to drink while Aldis tells Balor that Gunther wants a match tonight. That’s fine with Balor, but Gunther wants to face Danhausen. Balor doesn’t think this is a good idea and leaves his detector behind, with Balor freaking out when it beeps a lot.

We look at John Cena making his 17th appearance on the Tonight Show and giving host Jimmy Fallon a belt as a thank you.

We look at Randy Orton costing Cody Rhodes a Money In The Bank qualifying match last week.

Earlier today, Miz was complaining that his birthday wasn’t celebrated enough but Nick Aldis went over to Orton. Aldis told him to leave because Aldis can’t have any more chaos. Orton said that he’s not worried because Cody Rhodes will hesitate to take him out again next time before leaving anyway.

Miz and Kit Wilson storm the arena, with Miz saying he deserves a birthday party. Wilson loads up Happy Birthday but Cody Rhodes interrupts instead. Miz doesn’t want this kind of interruption and tells Rhodes to stay out of his ring. Cross Rhodes drops Miz fast but Nick Aldis comes in to say he can’t let this keep happening. Rhodes and Orton are taking this show off the rails and wants to talk to Rhodes about how the feud can progress.

Instead Rhodes wants to stay in HIS office, meaning the ring. He recaps the feud with Orton and says he felt fear when he couldn’t pull the trigger. Now he’s taking that fear everywhere he can go and take out Orton for good. He wants to deal with the Michael Myers slow motion walking tramp stamp wearing Orton. That’s a good promo for a match tomorrow, if that’s what was actually happening.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Damian Priest says he should be Mr. Money In The Bank again but R-Truth ruined the whole thing. Priest goes over to Fraxiom, who don’t like what he’s been doing to R-Truth. That earns them a beatdown but R-Truth runs in for the brawl.

Danhausen vs. Gunther

Even Danhausen knows this isn’t going to go well. He stops the referee from calling for the bell and loads up the Curse but Gunther isn’t having any of this and boots Danhausen in the face. Some powerbombs and chops have Danhausen even more dead and Gunther lays him on top for the boot choke. Cue Finn Balor for the save and Gunther is knocked outside, where he runs through the crowd. Balor goes to check on Danhausen but Gunther is back to take Balor out. A powerbomb onto the announcers’ table has Balor laying. No match.

Sami Zayn rants to Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae again, with LeRae not being convinced. Bron Breakker comes in and looks at Zayn’s title. Breakker: “See you soon.”

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Fatal Influence vs. Tatum Paxley/Alexa Bliss

Paxley and Bliss are challenging. Bliss and Reid start things off with Bliss taking over but Henley is in off a blind tag. That means a Blockbuster can take Bliss down but it’s already off to Paxley, who gets superkicked off the apron. We take a break and come back with Paxley knocking Henley off the apron. That’s enough for the tag to Bliss so house can be cleaned. Sister Abigail is broken up and Reid’s running knee gives Henley two. Paxley gets in a jumping enziguri but Henley’s cheating rollup is broken up. Sister Abigail on the floor drops Reid and the Cemetery Drive finishes Henley for the titles at 8:16.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think about this one, as I was liking Fatal Influence as champions but Paxley and Bliss winning is an interesting chance of pace. They might be a better choice than Bliss and Charlotte, though I’m not wild on seeing Charlotte possibly being a singles star again. Either way, goo enough match here, though the commercial taking up about half of the match hurt things.

Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams

Non-title and Lil Yachty is here with Williams, who actually powers Breakker into the corner to start. Breakker is sent outside but pops up for the diving clothesline off the apron to knock Williams over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Breakker hitting a German suplex to put Williams down again.

The Super Spear is blocked though and a double clothesline leaves both of them down. Back up and some side kicks have Breakker in trouble, followed by a spinning kick to the face. Breakker counters the Trick Shot into a gutbuster so Williams connects on the second attempt. Cue Austin Theory to jump Williams for the DQ at 6:46.

Rating: C+. There was barely enough to be shown here but that wasn’t the point. Not even WWE is crazy enough to have either of these two take a fall, especially the night before Money In The Bank. Either of them are options to win the briefcase and you don’t take away their momentum here. This is why you have stablemates around, as Theory saving his partner made perfect sense.

Post match Logan Paul is here to go after Yachty, with Je’Von Evans coming in for the save. Penta runs down as well but Bronson Reed runs in for the big beatdown to….actually not end the show.

A quick hype video for Money In The Bank really ends the show. Kind of odd there.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in the not so great place as they had Saturday’s show ready and there wasn’t much else for them to do here. The matches designed to set up the ladder matches were fine, inoffensive, and standalone, which covers everything I needed. Other than that, there wasn’t much to do here outside of the title change, but Money In The Bank is a show that can change everything so they didn’t need to do anything here. Saturday is the big one and it should be more than good enough.

Results
Jacy Jayne/Lash Legend/Tiffany Stratton b. Roxanne Perez/Sol Ruca/Lola Vice – Lash Extension to Ruca
MFT b. War Raiders – Brother’s Keeper to Erik
Tatum Paxley/Alexa Bliss b. Fatal Influence – Cemetery Drive to Henley
Trick Williams b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Austin Theory interfered

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

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

Smackdown
Date: September 25, 2026
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Money In The Bank and as usual we’ll be seeing more qualifying matches. The other big story is of course the World Title picture, with Sami Zayn escaping as champion last week. That’s going to be a bigger issue on the way to next month’s pay per view so let’s get to it.

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

We recap Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin, which has been going on for a few months now. Tonight, it’s a cage match. You might want to mention that on TV the week before next time.

US Title: Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin

Williams, with Lil Yachty (we need Corbin to bring in Tugboat to even things out), is defending in a cage. A leg lariat puts Corbin down to start but he’s back up with a toss into the cage. Corbin plants him down hard and we take a break. We come back with the two of them sitting on top of the cage and slugging it out. Williams gets the better of things and goes down but Corbin cuts him off with a superplex back down for two.

A ticked off Corbin kicks the cage door into Yachty, allowing Williams to get in the Trick Kick for two. Corbin gets in a chokeslam and goes for the door but Yachty slams the door on his head in a bit of revenge. The Trick Shot connects for two and Corbin gets in Deep Six for the same. Williams plants him with a Book End and then does it again and a third time for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure if this was as epic as they were hoping it to be, as it didn’t exactly warrant a cage match with no build. The three Book Ends wasn’t exactly Hogan dropping three legs on Zeus at No Holds Barred. At least Williams gets to move on though, which is what matters the most.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend are ready for Alexa Bliss and Charlotte, with Jax interviewing Legend about what she’s going to do.

We look back at CM Punk costing Kevin Owens the World Title against Sami Zayn last week.

Nick Aldis comes up to Punk and wants to see him in his office. Punk: “I’m not in trouble am I?” Aldis insists he isn’t so Punk goes along.

Post break Punk and Aldis go into the office where Kevin Owens is laying on the couch. Aldis says this has to end between them, especially with Money In The Bank qualifying matches taking place. Punk says Owens has nothing he wants and he’ll leave Owens alone if Owens leaves him alone. Owens (wearing a Randy Orton hoodie) leaves without saying anything.

Chelsea Green is panicking over Money In The Bank and Nikki Bella. Tiffany Stratton and Paige try to come her down before leaving. Bella pops in, with a grand total of no way that none of them saw her standing two feet away. Anyway, Bella says that Green is a joke and can’t trust Paige. This brings Paige and Stratton back in to get rid of her.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Lash Legend vs. Giulia

Giulia goes after Legend and is knocked down to start but Charlotte is up for the chops. A double clothesline takes Charlotte and Giulia down but Giulia is back up with a guillotine to Legend. That’s broken up with Legend tossing her away, leaving Charlotte to hit a great looking high crossbody on Legend. The flip dive off the apron hits Legend (albeit in slow motion) but Giulia dropkicks Charlotte from the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte knocking Legend down again and giving Giulia a fall away slam. Giulia takes Charlotte up top so Legend powerbombs both of them down. Charlotte is up with a knee to Legend’s face but Legend muscles her up for a fall away slam. That earns Legend a missile dropkick from Giulia and Charlotte gives Legend a….well it was called a Backstabber but that’s a stretch at best.

Charlotte boots Legend off the apron so Giulia superplexes Charlotte, with Legend coming back in to steal the near fall. Legend goes for a Figure Four on Charlotte, which is quickly broken up. Instead Charlotte launches Giulia off the top into Legend and moonsaults onto both of them. The Natural Selection hits Giulia and Charlotte gets the Figure Eight (doesn’t look right) on Legend, with Giulia making the save. Giulia gives Charlotte the northern lights bomb but Legend is up with the Lash Extension for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. Well, I’ll take that ending over Legend stealing a pin off of someone else’s move. They had some unique and fresh spots in here and it helped a lot, though it was hard to get interested in another triple threat. Legend belongs in the ladder match, though I’d be surprised if Charlotte doesn’t get in there either.

We look back at last week’s sitdown interview with Cody Rhodes. After the interview was over, Rhodes thanked Cole and said that he was going to take Orton’s f’ing head off.

Earlier tonight, Orton came up to commentary and demanded that Cole interview him tonight.

Blake Monroe blocks Giulia for her loss and gets slapped in the face. The brawl is on and Nick Aldis comes in to say they’re facing each other next week.

Michael Cole sits down with Randy Orton but isn’t sure what to ask him. Orton brings up the Cody Rhodes interview and what Rhodes said after it was over (the threat to Orton), which Cole explains again. Orton finds it funny that Rhodes only said that after the cameras were off and thinks it’s because Rhodes is compromised. The funny thing is that Rhodes has changed so much over the years and he’s still a good guy.

There is only one person who has never changed and that’s Orton himself. He’s been himself his entire time here and if Rhodes does go after him, Rhodes has compromised himself again. Otherwise, he has peaked, so Orton asks Cole what he thinks will happen. Orton yells at him for not responding and ends the interview. The mental chess continues, as Rhodes turning heel is starting to look more and more like a possibility.

Sami Zayn says Orton is back in the title picture and a lot of people don’t want Zayn to be champion. That’s the story of the title reign, because Zayn will survive no matter what. Zayn is going to keep his title because he’s doing this for the right reasons. Finn Balor pops up to say everyone is going after Zayn after he screwed them all over to get to the title. Balor is coming for the title, Money In The Bank or not.

Johnny Gargano comes up so Zayn wants his help. Gargano asks where his title match is and a frustrated Zayn finally says that Gargano deserves it. Zayn claims to have asked Nick Aldis for the title shot but got turned down. Instead Zayn has gotten Gargano and Candice LeRae Money In The Bank qualifying matches. Gargano asks if that’s how he gets his title match and seems to accept it. Zayn wants to know if Gargano has his back and after a less than happy look from LeRae, Gargano agrees. Zayn looks like he knows he dodged a bullet there.

Tiffany Stratton/Paige/Chelsea Green vs. Fatal Influence

Reid gets sent into the ropes to start for some running hip attacks. Henley is knocked down as well and we take an early break. We come back with Stratton in trouble. A running Blockbuster takes her down but she’s up for the tag off to Green a few seconds later. Everything breaks down and Paige hits a Paige Turner on Henley. Green is caught on the floor so Stratton dives onto the villains for the save. Paige loads up a dive but Nikki Bella pops up to cut her off. The Rolling Encore gives Jayne the pin on Paige at 7:30.

Rating: C+. This was all about the Bella interference because Bella has to have something to do around here. Her inclusion still feels totally forced in but the Bellas are going to be a thing no matter what. Other than that, I do appreciate a regular team of champions not losing, even with the shenanigans.

We look at Damian Priest attacking R-Truth at the Performance Center and blaming him for Priest not being a champion.

Gunther calls it a disgrace that he has to go to Money In The Bank. He’s most interested in Finn Balor and seeing what he’s dealing with here. Is it the legendary Finn Balor or is it his ghost? Danhausen pops up to say they can take the human money in the case and then split it to buy some nice watches and….hey wait. Gunther isn’t going to split the money at all is he? Gunther grabs him by the throat and chokes Danhausen away.

CM Punk threw out the first pit and sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame at a Cubs game.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about how he had the World Title won at Summerslam until Randy Orton interfered. Now though, Punk has lost the World Title to Sami Zayn, but Rhodes can deal with that later. Instead, he needs to talk about the lunatic who talked to Michael Cole earlier. Orton is trying to put Rhodes in an unwinnable position.

Rhodes talks about things he’s had to do, such as not sell his soul in front of millions of people, beat John Cena on his retirement run and face all kinds of beloved wrestlers. He knows what it means to be in unwinnable positions and this time, he will not hesitate to kick Orton’s head off. The thing is, he might not be the only one. As Rhodes goes to leave, here is Punk for his match. Rhodes walks by him without saying anything. This wasn’t much to say here, as we’ve been here before and it doesn’t matter until Rhodes actually pulls the trigger.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: CM Punk vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Gunther knocks Balor outside to start before hitting a big boot to Punk. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor making the save, which just earns himself a loud chop. Balor gives Gunther a Russian legsweep with Punk adding a running boot. A double DDT puts Punk and Gunther down but Gunther is back up to cut off Balor’s running dive. Balor is able to send Gunther outside though and now the flip dive connects as we take a break.

We come back with Gunther hammering on Balor before twisting his neck around. The standing choke in the corner has Balor in more trouble but Punk is back up. That doesn’t last long as Gunther drops him onto the barricade but Balor gives Gunther a Pele Kick. Punk is back in with the falling elbow drop to Gunther and a double clothesline to both of them. Gunther is back up with chops and tries a double powerbomb, which is countered into a double half crab.

That’s broken up with a small package and Gunther is knocked outside. Balor gives Punk a Sling Blade and the Coup de Grace connects but Gunther pulls Balor outside. The powerbomb to Punk is broken up with a Sling Blade, only for Gunther to knock him outside. The powerbomb gets two on Punk, who can’t hit the GTS. Instead Punk gets caught in the sleeper, with Balor hitting a Coup de Grace to break it up. Punk is able to cover Gunther and steal the pin at 11:55.

Rating: B+. That was kind of a reverse stolen finish and I’ll take that as a change of pace. This was a good case of a match where I didn’t know who was going to win and that is a very nice thing to see. Punk going forward is fine, especially if Sami Zayn winds up costing him the match in some way. Very good main event here, as it felt like something that belonged on a pay per view.

Post match Balor and Punk show each other some intense respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was rather good and the rest of the show worked well. You have a few stories here, with the qualifying matches as the thing tying them together. The best thing here though is that a lot of things feel important and it’s interesting to see where those stories go. You haven’t had that as the case on Smackdown in a long time and it’s working very well. Now, just stop having so many freaking triple threats and this show is that much better.

Results
Trick Williams b. Baron Corbin – Book End
Lash Legend b. Giulia and Charlotte – Lash Extension to Charlotte
Fatal Influence b. Paige/Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green – Rolling Encore to Paige
CM Punk b. Gunther and Finn Balor – Coup de Grace to Gunther

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

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

Sunday Night’s Main Event
Date: September 6, 2026
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Yeah that’s a weird name for this thing after decades of going with Saturday. This show is currently a four match card, though a US Title match could be added. The likely main event will see Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, which is more than big enough to headline a show. Other than that, the Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker showdown should be a heck of a clash. Let’s get to it.

Quavo narrates the opening video, talking about how big of a night this is in Atlanta. We also get part of one of his songs.

Quavo, with a shopping cart full of $100 bills, performs live.

Lil Yachty vs. Baron Corbin

Non-title with a five minute time limit, and if Yachty wins/lives, Trick Williams gets a US Title shot later tonight. Being the match, Corbin gives Yachty one more chance to run away but Yachty knocks him down for a quick two. Yachty gets smart by going outside and trying to run, earning himself a whip into the barricade. Corbin is bleeding from the ear as he throws Yachty over the barricade, where Yachty’s entourage tries to drag him away. That doesn’t work either as Yachty whips out the Trick Stick (apparently legal here) to beat on Corbin as we have less than three minutes to go.

Back in and Corbin hits him with a clothesline to cut that off before beating up the entourage. Yachty uses the distraction to get in a hurricanrana and a high crossbody as we have 1:45 to go. Corbin pulls him into End Of Days but doesn’t cover, instead hammering away and hitting another End Of Days. Corbin goes to yell at him with 1:00 to go and heads outside to find a table. They’re back inside with less than thirty seconds to go and Corbin loads up a superplex, with Yachty hitting him low to save himself with ten seconds left. Time expires as Corbin collapses at 5:00.

Rating: C. This was what it was, as there was no reason to have Corbin win here as otherwise it would be quite the mess. At the same time, the psychology here is all messed up, as it should be the good guy trying to get his hands on the heel manager, but at least it gets Williams in the ring and that’s a good thing. Total mess of a match, but that was the point of course.

Post match Corbin puts him through the table anyway. And we’re having the US Title match right now.

US Title: Baron Corbin vs. Trick Williams

Corbin is defending and gets kicked down to start. They head outside so Williams can check on Yachty, allowing Corbin to post Williams. Yachty is thrown over the barricade and Williams is back up with a jumping clothesline. A flapjack drops Corbin but he knocks Williams off the apron for a crash into the announcers’ table.

Back in and Corbin elbows him down for two and we’re off to the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so Corbin drops him with a clothesline, but his own ribs are banged up. The chinlock goes on again but this time Williams fights up and we get a double clothesline. They both get up to slug it out until Williams grabs a jumping neckbreaker. Corbin grabs a chokeslam and Deep Six for two but Williams gets in a bulldog.

That doesn’t get him very far though as Corbin sends him shoulder first into the post and heads outside. Corbin grabs the title but Yachty grabs the other side, allowing Williams to hit the Trick Kick for two. The referee checks on Yachty as Corbin grabs the belt and clocks Williams for two more, with the fans being way into these kickouts. Back up and another End Of Days is countered, allowing Williams to hit the Trick Shot for the title at 11:31.

Rating: B-. The near falls were red hot near the end, but dang did they do enough to make Williams look weak? Not only did Corbin get banged up (and busted open) by the manager before the match but Yachty interfered here too. Williams getting the title back is fine and it felt like a big moment, though the whole thing felt completely backwards.

We recap Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker in a battle over the future of WWE. Breakker was the future but got hurt, so Femi took his spot, which doesn’t work for Breakker, who wants to prove his worth. Therefore, it’s hoss fight time, with Paul Heyman as an X factor as he’s a fan of both guys.

Bron Breakker vs. Oba Femi

They shout at each other a lot and then trade shoulders, with Femi getting the better of things. They head outside with Femi getting posted but he does the same to Breakker, with the crash making a crazy sound. Breakker is right back up to send him into the announcers’ table, setting up the big dive from the apron to clothesline Femi over the table. Back in and Breakker hits the fireman’s carry gutbuster for two, followed by a German suplex.

Femi slugs away but gets kneed in the face, only to pop up from another German suplex. This time Femi runs him over with a clothesline before hitting a flying version to drop Breakker again. They go outside where Femi runs him over with a flying shoulder but has to cut off Austin Theory. A spear drops Femi on the floor and the Super Spear gives Breakker two. Cue Logan Paul to distract the referee so Maxxine Dupri can hand Breakker the brass knuckles. Femi throws Breakker….and Bronson Reed is back to chair Femi down for the DQ at 14:01.

Rating: B. That was about the only way this could have ended, as there was no reason to have either of them take a clean loss. There’s nothing wrong with the smart ending, but it’s not like the match was tearing the house down. You could tell they were both gassed and that’s not a great sign. The match was good enough, but this was more about setting things up for later rather than some big moment.

Post match Reed destroys Femi with a bunch of Tsunamis, with Wade Barrett calling each one perfectly.

Paul Heyman is asked about what just happens but takes a phone call from someone instead.

Charlotte/Alexa Bliss/Tatum Paxley vs. Jade Cargill/Michin/B-Fab

Cargill and company have TLC gear, even though this is a one fall match. Paxley fights them all off to start and kicks Cargill to the floor, only to get pulled down to the floor and kneed in the face. Back in and it’s off to Bliss, who kicks away but gets slammed down by B-Fab. Michin’s assisted moonsault gets two and B-Fab is there to cut Bliss off from the attempted tag. As usual, said tag goes through a few seconds later and Charlotte is in with the hurricanrana for two.

Cargill is back in for the Sandstorm to Charlotte but Paxley makes the save as everything breaks down. Jaded is broken up so Charlotte moonsaults onto Cargill and Michin. The double Natural Selection is broken up as B-Fab pulls Bliss to the floor and sends her into the steps. The Figure Four doesn’t work as B-Fab makes the save, so Charlotte and Paxley try stereo versions. That’s broken up as B-Fab kicks them together, allowing Jaded to finish Charlotte at 9:47.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest match on the card by far and there was no way around it. They have a bunch of ways to go out of this, but it seems like we’re on the road to Charlotte vs. Cargill somewhere down the line. For now, Charlotte and Paxley having issues is fine, but there was only so much of a way to keep this one interesting.

Miz and Joe Tessitore recap the show and preview the upcoming shows in Mexico City.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton. Rhodes had the World Title won at Summerslam but Orton returned to cost him the match. Now they hate each other and keep insulting the other’s family, with no contact allowed until the match.

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Orton tries to sneak in with the RKO from behind but Rhodes is waiting on him, sending Orton slowly back to the floor. Naturally Rhodes follows him and they brawl into the crowd, where Rhodes gets in a trashcan to the head. Orton fights back and they slug it out before heading back to ringside.

This time Rhodes gets posted and they get inside for the opening bell, with Rhodes sweeping the leg for the Figure Four. That’s broken up so Orton takes over and chokes on the rope, meaning it’s time to pose. Rhodes is dropped ribs first across the top rope and then dropped back inside, setting up the chinlock. They head back to the floor with Rhodes blocking the drop onto the announcers’ table.

Back in and Rhodes fires off the right hands in the corner but gets sent right back to the floor. This time the drop onto the table works a bit better so Orton goes over to yell at Brandi Rhodes. That just earns him a tossed drink, allowing Rhodes to come back with a powerslam. Orton makes a quick clothesline comeback and grabs a powerslam of his own. The hanging DDT drops Rhodes again but the RKO is countered into the Cross Rhodes for a near fall.

Naturally the referee gets bumped and there’s the RKO to lay Rhodes out. The Punt misses and another Cross Rhodes sends Orton crashing out to the floor. That means a suicide dive, which crushes the referee AGAIN. Rhodes posts him a few times and fires off some hard right hands. The steps are loaded up as Orton is busted open and Rhodes takes him back inside for the Cody Cutter.

Three straight Cross Rhodes has Orton bleeding quite a bit and Rhodes seems to realize this is a lot. The fans chant for Orton, who begs off from the Punt. Another referee comes out to check the cut but Orton hits Rhodes and the referee low. The RKO hits Rhodes and the original referee awakens from his coma to count the pin at 18:34.

Rating: B. Oh boy this was nuts and I’m not sure what to make of it. The match was absolutely intense, but it felt a lot more like an angle to move things forward than anything else. It seems like they’re leaning towards a double turn, though it didn’t take place here. Rhodes going evil could be interesting, though we’ve got a long time to go with these two as there is no way this was the big finale.

Rhodes looks distraught to end the show.

In Memory Of Bill Dundee. Kind of a weird place to put such a graphic but certainly better than nothing.

Overall Rating: B. This show was a crisp two hours long and covered a lot, with the title change and Reed return being the big ones. I’m not sure where the ending is going just yet, but it certainly felt like a part of an important angle. That’s a good way to keep things moving with a solid show on a Sunday night. Nice job here, though the name just feels wrong on a lot of levels.

Results
Lil Yachty vs. Baron Corbin went to a time limit draw
Trick Williams b. Baron Corbin – Trick Shot
Oba Femi b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Bronson Reed interfered
Jade Cargill/Michin/B-Fab b. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss/Tatum Paxley – Jaded to Charlotte
Randy Orton b. Cody Rhodes – RKO

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

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Smackdown
Date: September 4, 2026
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

So the big story here is all about the World Title, with a bunch of people coming after CM Punk. That’s more than enough to carry things, but there is also Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, with the two of them set to collide this Sunday. Other than that, we’re on the slow road to both Crown Jewel and eventually Survivor Series so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn interrupting last week’s #1 contenders match.

Here is Gunther to get things going. He gets right to the point by calling out Sami Zayn, saying the show is sitting still until Zayn gets out here. Zayn pops up in the crowd to say he’s not coming to the ring with a broken hand but the reality is he is the real victim. He’s the last real good guy around here and CM Punk is a fraud. All he wants is his title back and no one gets theirs until he gets his, no matter what happens.

Gunther is tired of this and comes into the crowd, with Finn Balor popping up to cut Zayn off. Balor chases Zayn into the ring and up the aisle, where Kevin Owes shows up to send Zayn running into the crowd. Everyone hates Zayn is good, as Zayn is such a weasel of a heel that it’s easy to want to see him get what’s coming to him.

CM Punk is watching in the back when Nick Aldis comes in, to say we need a #1 contender (Punk agrees). Hold on as they pass Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, with Punk saying we’re still doing this. Johnny Wrestling is still in there and we’re in his hometown…so what about a title match tonight? Gargano actually gets up and says let’s do it. Works for Aldis.

Fatal Influence vs. Charlotte/Tatum Paxley

Non-title and Jacy Jayne and Alexa Bliss are here too. In the back, Charlotte thinks she’s teaming with Bliss, even though Paxley was announced as the partner before the break. Shouldn’t she know that in advance? Anyway Reid takes over on Paxley to start but gets sunset flipped out of the corner. Henley comes in to knock Paxley down and we take a break. We come back with Paxley fighting out of trouble, allowing Charlotte to come in to clean house. Paxley is right back in to dive onto the other two on the floor and Charlotte kicks Reid into the Cemetery Drive for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This was quick and to the point with the break cutting out so much of the match. Paxley and Charlotte are another odd couple team and this at least gets their feet wet before the six woman tag on Sunday. I’m not sure how well it’s going to work long term, but it worked for one match. Now, get Charlotte and Paxley a title shot after beating the champs yes?

Post match Jade Cargill and the Baddies come in to help Fatal Influence with the beatdown.

Nikki Bella says Paige failed the “Bella Brand” but Paige comes in to say Nikki never liked her. Paige built her career on hustle, loyalty and respect while Nikki just slept with it. If Nikki doesn’t bring it next week, Paige will end it faster than Nikki’s last relationship. Yeah they’re basic cheap shots but they still work.

Gunther comes in to see Nick Aldis and can’t believe that Johnny Gargano is getting a title shot. He thinks Aldis is doing this to get back at him for the Summerslam loss but Danhausen comes in to greet Gunther. This goes badly again, but Danhausen whips out a photo naming himself the Employee Of The Month.

Nick Aldis is in the ring with the doctor and has Chelsea Green join them. Green isn’t about to have her title taken away from her and if anyone wants to try, let them come after her. She’s not worried about her health, but rather her legacy. The doctor approves Green to wrestle if she wears a facemask, but here are the Irresistible Forces to interrupt. Nia Jax wants a title shot right now so here is Tiffany Stratton for the save. Nick Aldis makes Green vs. Jax for the title next week and Stratton vs. Jax right now. The “Green is injured” story ending with “yeah she’s fine” is a bit jarring.

Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

We’re joined in progress with Stratton fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped throat first across the top rope. Stratton breaks up the Annihilator though and grabs a handspring Stunner. A crucifix gives Stratton two but Jax is right back up with a Samoan drop. The Annihilator finishes Stratton at 2:42, as it should have.

Post match Jax rips off Green’s facemask so Green gets in to go after the Forces. Jax drops the mask and leaves. Well that seemed pointless.

Kevin Owens doesn’t like CM Punk but if Sami Zayn comes out there tonight, he won’t be alone.

Corey Graves sits down with Cody Rhodes but Randy Orton immediately interrupts to mock Rhodes for not being able to touch him. Orton keeps calling Rhodes’ mother trailer park trash and then mocks Rhodes’ wife and dog. He gets it though: Rhodes loves the title and following the rules so much that he cares about it more than his own family. That’s really sick. Rhodes says maybe he’s sick and if that’s true, Orton is screwed on Sunday. Orton seems to realize he’s in trouble.

Sunday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Lil Yachty ensures Trick Williams that he’s ready for Baron Corbin and we get a training montage. With money, dancing girls and alcohol of course. Corbin comes in to say Yachty is dead.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki are now known as Bakusai. They’re ready.

The Miz/Kit Wilson vs. Bakusai

Kyoki knocks Wilson into the corner to start and hits a basement dropkick, meaning it’s quickly off to Miz. Nakamura hits a running knee and the sliding German suplex in the ropes as we take a break. We come back with Miz kicking Nakamura in the face but getting sunset flipped. It’s back to Kyoki to clean house, including a missile dropkick to the floor. Miz comes in to hammer away until Kyoki gets in a jawbreaker. Nakamura’s running knee takes Miz down and Kyoki grabs a jumping jawbreaker to pin Wilson at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure about Bakusai just yet but it’s more about giving Kyoki a rub to start things off. Nakamura is too talented and popular to be left sitting on the sidelines so let him be the veteran in a tag team. It’s better than nothing and it gave us Miz and Wilson again, so we’ll call this quite the good situation.

Post match Haku and the MFT’s come out for a staredown.

Video on the War Raiders vs. Damian Priest/R-Truth.

Blake Monroe still doesn’t think much of the venue or facing Giulia. Cue Giulia to jump Monroe and the brawl has to be broken up. Giulia gets in a cheap shot though and Monroe is left laying. No match, again.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Johnny Gargano and is glad that he’s back. Zayn calls this justice for both of them and makes sure he’s first in line if Gargano wins.

Smackdown World Title: Johnny Gargano vs. CM Punk

Gargano, with Candice LeRae, is challenging in his hometown. Gargano slips out of a slam to start and fires off the right hands, with the fans certainly approving. Punk’s early GTS attempt is countered into a hurricanrana and Punk is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Gargano fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with a leg lariat.

Punk hits a high crossbody so Gargano rolls through for two, followed by a superkick for the same. Gargano slugs away until a high kick gives Punk two. A slingshot spear gives Gargano the same so Punk loads up the GTS, which draws out Sami Zayn. LeRae gets in a distraction so Gargano grabs a quick One Final Beat for two.

Zayn grabs the belt and is quickly jumped by Kevin Owens, which draws out Gunther and Finn Balor to join in on the brawl. Zayn is up with belt shots as the GTS connects but LeRae distracts the referee. That means a belt shot to Punk for a rather near fall so Zayn whispers something to LeRae. Zayn is ejected and the GTS retains the title at 13:07.

Rating: B. Gargano wasn’t going to win here but it’s nice to have him back doing something after months of silence. I’m not sure why he’s been sitting around if he’s healthy but maybe he’ll be back in the ring after this. Either way, good main event here with Zayn continuing to be the agent of chaos, where he absolutely excels.

Post match Punk says he’s sick of this so Zayn gets a title shot next week. It’s time to go to sleep.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt more focused and it made for a good week, with the World Title situation carrying things again. Basically a bunch of people want the title and Punk is dangling it in front of them. That’s more than enough for a top story and it could go on for a good while. Throw in the Orton vs. Rhodes stuff and the top of the card is set. Chelsea Green is more than easy enough to like in the women’s division and that’s enough to carry most of the show. Good stuff this week.

Results
Charlotte/Tatum Paxley b. Fatal Influence – Cemetery Drive to Reid
Nia Jax b. Tiffany Stratton – Annihilator
Bakusai b. The Miz/Kit Wilson – Jumping jawbreaker to Wilson
CM Punk b. Johnny Gargano – GTS

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

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Smackdown
Date: August 28, 2026
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re in the rare situation of the show being taped in advance this week as the company is getting ready for another big international tour. In this case, the show is going to be building towards next month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, which should be a heck of a show. Kevin Owens is not going to be happy with Sami Zayn over….oh like it matters with those two. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s World Title match, with Sami Zayn costing Kevin Owens the title against CM Punk.

Here is Owens to get things going. Owens talks about how he has lost a lot of World Title matches over the last twelve years but last week was different. Everything was perfect and he was back after seventeen months away. He was back earlier than he should have been and his parents were even at the show. His mom had some health issues last year but she kicked out and is still around. But then Sami Zayn cost him the title.

He’s forgiven Zayn for a lot over the years but this one is different. For now though, he wants to focus on CM Punk, who was beaten last week and everyone knows it. Cue Punk to say they can do it again right now but Nick Aldis cuts them off. This brings out Gunther, who says Punk and Owens hate each other because they’re so alike.

Gunther: “I’m glad your mom kicked out, but last week, you didn’t.” This brings out Finn Balor, with Gunther calling him a ghost. Balor says everyone is getting tired of Gunther’s act and the line starts behind him. Aldis isn’t having this and makes a triple threat for the #1 contendership tonight. That was resolved quickly.

Tiffany Stratton asks Chelsea Green if she’s sure about their tag match tonight. Green is absolutely going out there but Stratton doesn’t want her to risk her injury getting worse.

Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green vs. Irresistible Forces

Legend ragdolls Stratton to start but gets dropkicked in the back for her efforts. A running hip attack hits Legend in the ropes, followed by a handspring Stunner. Green, in her protective mask, comes in for a Zig Zag to Legend but Jax is in with a headbutt. That leaves Green writing in pain and we take a break.

We come back with Stratton in a bearhug and Green being checked on by the medics. Jax runs Stratton over again and Legend has another bearhug. Jax’s middle rope legdrop misses though and Green is taken to the back, only to spring back in for a missile dropkick. Stratton is sent into the barricade though and Jax punches Green in the face, setting up the Annihilator for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C+. They’ve got something with the idea of Green having to find a way to defend her title, as they very well could set up her title match against Jax. The fans want to see what Green is doing at the moment and while it is likely setting up a match with Stratton down the line, she has to defend the title sooner or later. Odds are it’s against Jax, but the injury is going to make that tricky.

Danhausen comes in to see Nick Aldis and thinks he should be the Employee Of The Month on Smackdown. Gunther comes in and completely ignores Danhausen’s offer of a handshake before complaining about the triple threat. Aldis promises that there will be no shenanigans or additions. Danhausen asks to be added to the match and is told no. Foiled again, but at least no curses.

Women’s US Title: Paige vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne is defending and the rest of Fatal Influence is here too. Paige starts fast by sending her into the ropes and firing off the knees to the chest. A dive off the apron takes Jayne down again but a Fatal Influence distraction lets Jaye take over as we take a break. We come back with Jayne holding a chinlock but Paige fights up.

A double clothesline leaves both of them down before Jayne takes over off an exchange of shots to the face. Paige fights up again and tries Rampaige but has to dispatch the rest of Fatal Influence. That’s enough of a distraction for Jayne to grab a small package to retain at 7:41.

Rating: C. This was all about the numbers game for Jayne and that’s a simple enough story for the match. At the same time, it’s only so interesting as Paige on her own isn’t the most thrilling at the moment. She’s something of a legend but you know she’s going to have to deal with the Bellas, so there wasn’t much of a chance for her to pull this off, especially on her own.

Post match Nikki Bella runs in to lay Paige out.

Video on Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton.

Finn Balor comes up to Rhodes, who is worried about all these things. Balor tells him to not do anything too crazy and remember that Balor is going to win the title soon enough. They can see each other on the other side, with Balor extending his hand. Rhodes shakes it and they’re fine.

Trick Williams comes up to Lil Yachty and is going to try to get him out of the match with Baron Corbin. Yachty says it’s ok though and he wants to show what he can do and get Williams a title match. With that, Yachty leaves and Williams runs into Corbin, who is ready to whoop that trick, meaning Yachty.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He wants to talk about Randy Orton, who is coming up on fifteen World Titles. That’s not a record, but it’s what Orton wants right now. Anyone who has watched Orton knows that when he starts going up, he messes up. Orton doesn’t have the shoulders to carry the company and at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Rhodes is killing Orton off for good.

Cue Orton to say that Rhodes had a driver’s side seat to a lot of Orton’s troubles. Rhodes was there to help make sure that Orton stayed out of trouble and got tucked into bed every night. Does Rhodes resent that? Does he want to take a swing? Rhodes fumes and Orton brings up Rhodes’ dog Pharaoh (implying that he’s dead, which doesn’t seem to be the case), which has Rhodes taking his jacket off. Orton brings up that their match will be in Rhodes’ hometown of Atlanta, and Rhodes’ trailer trash mother and wife might be there.

Orton poses and invites Rhodes to hit him but Rhodes says he’s counting the days. Rhodes brings up his father being a legend while Orton’s father was a world class screwup. Orton: “TOO FAR! THAT’S TOO FAR!” Orton is seething as Rhodes leaves. This was a mental chess game and it worked rather well, with Orton ticking Rhodes off and then getting the tables turned on him.

Tatum Paxley whispers something to Jackie Redmond, who immediately runs off. Charlotte and Alexa Bliss come in and they’re set for a six woman tag against Jade Cargill and the Baddies at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Paxley and Bliss hug Charlotte, which isn’t so well received.

Preview of Monday’s #1 contenders match, with Penta and Rey Fenix both ready to face their brother.

Fenix is ready to face his brother but Ricky Saints comes in to say Fenix can lose and then give him a title shot. Or Fenix could win the whole thing and come back to shut Fenix up for good.

Michin vs. Tatum Paxley

Their respective friends are here too. Michin talks a lot of trash to start and then poses in the ropes to frustrate Paxley even more. Back up and Paxley knocks her to the floor for a dive and we take a break. We come back with Michin grabbing a bow and arrow, which is quickly escaped. Paxley superkicks her down and hits an enziguri but walks into a sitout powerbomb. Back up and Paxley kicks her in the head, setting up the Cemetery Drive (Paxley has her back to Michin and grabs Michin’s leg to flip her over for a crash) to finish Michin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. Paxley looked fine in her debut on the main roster and I’m curious to see what how well she can do around here. The good thing is that she developed rather well while she was in NXT and came up to the main roster ready to go. Putting her with a trio is a good idea and the fact that she’s with this level of competition makes me think WWE has faith in her, which is a rather positive sign.

We look at Blake Monroe attacking Giulia last week.

Monroe says that match last week was beneath her and she isn’t having her debut until she has an opponent worthy of her. Giulia runs in to jump her and Monroe is laid out.

Kevin Owens comes up to Randy Orton, who says Owens was right about Cody Rhodes. No they aren’t friends, but Owens says they can talk later.

The MFT’s are ready for Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki. Haku wants them to be violent.

Damian Priest tells R-Truth that this was a great summer but they don’t have the titles anymore so it might be time to move on. Priest absolutely has R-Truth’s back but the War Raiders come in to mock them. The AAA Tag Team Title match is set for Mexico City, even with Priest not looking thrilled.

The Irresistible Forces come in to see Nick Aldis, with Nia Jax demanding a title shot against Chelsea Green. Miz and Kit Wilson come in to complain about Aldis being toxic, earning themselves a match with Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki next week.

Kevin Owens vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor

For a future shot against CM Punk. Owens jumps Gunther to start fast and stomps him down in the corner but Balor is back in with a sunset flip for two. Owens cuts that off and Swantons Gunther for two more. Gunther chops his way out of trouble and then fires off another one to Balor. The sleeper is broken up and Gunther is sent through the ropes for a dive from Balor and we take a break.

We come back with Owens and Gunther striking it out and the former getting the better of things. Balor Peles Owens down but he’s right back up with the running corner clotheslines. The Sling Blade cuts Owens off but he catches Balor up top. Owens is knocked outside and Balor drops Gunther with the shotgun dropkick. The Coup de Grace connects, only for Sami Zayn to pull Balor out.

Zayn sends Balor over the announcers’ table and takes out the referee as Owens Stuns Gunther. Another referee runs in and is taken out by Zayn as well but here is CM Punk to go after Zayn. The threat of a belt shot sends Zayn inside, where Owens gets in a fight with Punk. Zayn belts Owens in the head and does the same to Balor and Gunther. One more belt shot drops Punk and Zayn poses with the title to end the show as we’ll call this a no contest at about 10:00.

Rating: B-. It was all action and I wasn’t sure where it was going, which made Zayn’s interference both logical and a bit annoying. The good thing is that the three of them are all going after the title and that’s before you add Zayn to the mix. It’s a story that has always worked in wrestling and it will work again here, as odds are we’re coming up on a big multiman match for the title, which could go in a variety of ways. Good enough main event here, but it’s about setting up something else down the line, which is a fine idea.

Overall Rating: B. This was mainly about the main event stories and I’m digging where both of them are going. Orton vs. Rhodes feels like a personal feud and the World Title situation could go in all kinds of ways. That’s in addition to all of the women’s stuff, which worked rather well too. Good show here but it’s more about where things are going, which has quite the potential. If it’s like this, we’re in for a good fall.

Results
Irresistible Forces b. Chelsea Green/Tiffany Stratton – Annihilator to Green
Jacy Jayne b. Paige – Small package
Tatum Paxley b. Michin – Cemetery Drive
Kevin Owens vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor went to a no contest when Sami Zayn interfered

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

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Smackdown
Date: August 21, 2026
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re closing in on Sunday Night’s Main Event and that means we should be getting ready for that show. However, there is one big match to cover on the way there, with CM Punk defending the Smackdown World Title against Kevin Owens, in a match which is actual weeks in the making. Or twenty years depending on who you believe. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, with Rhodes having to be stopped from giving him a Conchairto.

Sami Zayn rants to Nick Aldis about everyone getting put in front of him, including Randy Orton, who pops up behind him. Cue Cody Rhodes in the ring to call Orton out here to finish what they started last week. Aldis says no but Orton comes out to say it’s happening at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes says there is nothing stopping them right now, only for Aldis to say that if either of them goes after the other before their match, they will NEVER get another title shot.

Orton rants about how he’s going to take Rhodes out, calling him the American Daydream. Rhodes says he’ll be the one to take out the last legend (Orton), no matter how many World Titles he wins. It always comes back to QB1 and he’ll be waiting for Orton. This is the Rhodes that gets interesting, as his best work is often when he’s ticked off.

The MFT’s want some competition. Haku comes in to say who are the mother f****** Tongans.

Tag Team Titles: Damian Priest/R-Truth vs. MFT’s

The MFT’s, with Haku, are defending. The brawl is on to start fast with Priest taking over on Tama. R-Truth comes in for an elbow in the corner and everything breaks down. R-Truth’s dive hits Tama, who comes right back to take over inside as we take a break. We come back with Priest cleaning house but Talla cuts him off with a clothesline.

That just earns Tama a jumping enziguri and it’s back to R-Truth for the John Cena finishing sequence. The AA gets two on Tama, with Talla making the save. Priest takes Talla down on the floor but gets chokeslammed onto the apron. That leaves Tama to give R-Truth a rolling neckbreaker into the Red Cross (High/Low) to retain the titles at 11:35.

Rating: C+. There was pretty much no reason to believe that the titles were going to change hands here and that’s fine. After winning the titles in a triple threat, it makes sense to have the new champions win again in a regular match. Priest and R-Truth hit their shelf life as champions and it’s fine to move on to someone else, which is exactly what we’re seeing here.

Post match Priest looks frustrated but hugs R-Truth.

CM Punk is ready for Kevin Owens, who is dealing with these issues from twenty years ago, even if they’re only in his head. Randy Orton comes in to say he’s coming for his fifteenth World Title, with Punk saying he’s looking forward to it.

We recap Chelsea Green being given thirty days to defend her title or get cleared.

Green apologizes to Tiffany Stratton, who lost her Women’s US Title last week. They run into Paige, who praises Green for her courage. Fatal Influence comes in to mock them and Paige could go for a shot at the Women’s US Title. Fatal Influence isn’t overly impressed.

Blake Monroe is picking her gear to make her in-ring debut in a dump like Toronto. Cathy Kelly thinks Monroe will look great in anything, so Monroe takes off her robe and figures the gear she’s wearing will be fine, because she can make anything work.

Blake Monroe vs. Giulia

Hold on as Monroe jumps Giulia from behind and the beatdown is on, with a Neutralizer leaving Giulia laying. No match.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are ready to do something when Tatum Paxley comes in. She can’t wait to go to brunch with them but wants to know if she needs to bring her own blood. Jade Cargill and the Baddies come in, with Paxley asking for their blood. This results in Paxley vs. B-Fab next week, with Paxley being happy that Charlotte had her back, which Charlotte seems to regret.

Here are Trick Williams and Lil Yachty for a chat. Williams is happy to have Yachty back but he doesn’t have his title back. Since Baron Corbin is backstage looking like a cue ball, why not come out here for a Trick Shot? Cue Corbin, with Williams saying he wants a title shot right now.

Corbin says the title is off getting a trim so Yachty takes him out with the Trick Stick. That’s enough for Corbin, who agrees to the title match at Sunday Night’s Main Event….but first he wants Yachty. If Yachty can last five minutes with him, he’ll give Williams the title shot. Otherwise, they’re done. Yachty actually agrees and Corbin promises it to be the longest five minutes of Yachty’s life. They’ve got to have something unique planned for that and I want to see what it is.

Kevin Owens is interrupted by Finn Balor, who is glad he’s back but could have gone for a heads up about Summerslam. Gunther interrupts as well, saying Owens needs to worry about him if he wins the title tonight. With Gunther gone, Balor gives Owens a pep talk.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Lash Legend

Nia Jax is here with Legend and Stratton is coming in with bad ribs. Legend gets dropkicked into the corner for a quick handspring elbow but comes right back with a slam. The bearhug goes after Stratton’s ribs but she avoids a running boot and grabs a Backstabber. The suicide dive is pulled out of the air and Stratton is rammed into the post as we take a break.

We come back with Stratton fighting out of trouble but the cartwheel Alabama slam is countered. The handspring Stunner works a bit better though and Stratton gets two off of a crucifix. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever is broken up though and the Lash Extension gives Legend the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C+. The point here was Stratton trying as hard as she could with the injury but ultimately falling short. The best sign out of all of this is that it doesn’t feel like an upset, with Legend coming off like a star on this level. I’m assuming this leads to Stratton going all evil, which is probably the best for her.

Post match the beatdown is on but Chelsea Green runs in for the save.

Video on CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens.

Shinsuke Nakamura does indeed have a new partner and it is indeed Kyoki, formerly known as Hiromu Takahashi. Kyoki wants more fights and madness and the clock is ticking.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and Owens gets the home country reaction. We get the Big Match Intros and Punk is indeed soundly booed, as expected. Owens starts fast by winning a slugout and pounding Punk down in the corner. They’re quickly on the floor but Punk is able to stomp away back inside. That’s fine with Owens, who cuts him off and knocks him outside for the hard chops.

Owens loads up the announcers’ table, which Punk repairs and gives Tessitore a quick handshake. Back in and Punk counters the Stunner into a neckbreaker as we take an early break. We come back with Owens slugging away against the ropes and dropping Punk with a running clothesline. Owens just unloads on him and the Cannonball connects for two. Punk rolls outside, where Owens nails a superkick, meaning it’s a frog splash through the announcers’ table for a bit crash.

The Swanton gives Owens two back inside so Punk kicks him in the head for the same. Punk’s top rope elbow gets two more and he grabs the Anaconda Vice, which is quickly broken up. Owens counters the GTS into a Sharpshooter, because Canada, and Punk gets over to the rope.

Back up and the referee gets bumped, meaning Owens’ Stunner doesn’t get a count. The GTS connects as well but here is Sami Zayn to post Punk. Another Stunner gets a rather near fall so Zayn throws the belt in. Owens doesn’t want it that way so Zayn hits him with the belt, meaning the GTS can retain the title at 18:52.

Rating: B+. Zayn vs. Owens you say? With that required move out of the way, this was a more than very good TV main event and it felt like a huge showdown. The good thing is they have all kinds of people waiting to come after the title and that should open up some interesting options. Zayn costing Owens can set up whatever they’re doing next, while Punk can probably face whomever comes out of Rhodes vs. Orton.

Post match Zayn lays them both out with belt shots and screams about justice to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The World Title suddenly feels red hot again and that’s because it’s driving the motivations around here. Punk has it, a lot of people want it, and some are mad because they can’t get close to it. That’s how you set up a bunch of stuff at once and it should be fascinating to see where it goes. The rest of the show moved enough stuff forward to keep it interesting, but this was all about the main event and not much more. Good show, but it could have used another big angle or match outside of Punk vs. Owens.

Results
MFT’s b. Damian Priest/R-Truth – Red Cross to R-Truth
Lash Legend b. Tiffany Stratton – Lash Extension
CM Punk b. Kevin Owens – GTS

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

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Summerslam 2026 Night Two
Date: August 2, 2026
Location: US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s time to get back at this as we have another six matches to go. The biggest of those by far is Seth Rollins challenging Roman Reigns for the Raw World Title, which is part of a very long running feud. Other than that, there are human monies on a pole and that should be more than enough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One is if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last night.

Minnesota Viking Justin Jefferson talks about how everything can change at the half, leading into a preview of tonight’s card.

Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor

For a future World Title shot….but hang on. Nick Aldis (once again Smackdown GM) says that in the interest of fairness, he’s adding someone to the match.

Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor vs. Gunther

For a future World Title shot….but hang on again as Aldis wants to add in someone else.

Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor vs. Gunther vs. Kevin Owens

For a future World Title shot and of course Zayn’s jaw drops open as the music hits. Owens wastes no time in wrecking Gunther and Balor to start and it’s time for the showdown. Zayn and Owens hug and then fight (fitting for them), with Owens knocking him to the floor and hitting a big flip dive onto the pile.

Back in and the Swanton hits Gunther, who is back up to take over on the other three. Gunther chops away at Zayn and powerbombs Balor right into the Boston crab. Owens is back in for the save and stomps on Gunther, followed by the clothesline. The swinging superplex plants Gunther for two, with Zayn making the save.

Owens breaks that up as well and tries a Swanton but Zayn gets his knees up. Gunther breaks up the Helluva Kick with a sleeper, which is broken up by the Coup de Grace Zayn. Gunther’s save breaks it up (and by fingertips) so Owens gives Balor and Gunther a Stunner each. Zayn Blue Thunder Bombs Owens for two but Owens is back up with a superkick and Stunner for the pin and the title shot at 8:24.

Rating: B. I mean, Owens vs. Zayn is one of those things that can be heated up in the span of no time and it’s great to see Owens back. Owens vs. Punk is certainly interesting and it should be fascinating to see someone who can hang with Punk on the microphone. At the same time, having Gunther there almost as a red herring of a surprise was great, as the place was very happy to see Owens. While I’m not wild on the last second change, I’m happy with the result so I’ll take it.

US Title: Baron Corbin vs. Trick Williams

The returning Corbin is challenging and thinks Williams, with Lil Yachty, is soft. Williams hits him in the face to start and takes over, allowing Williams to set up a table of all things. That takes too long and Corbin takes over, including some shots on the floor. Back in and Williams is busted open as Corbin keeps pounding him down in the corner. Corbin sends him outside again but stops to go after Yachty, who holds him off with the Trick Stick.

Back in and Williams gets in a faceplant but Corbin knocks him down again. We pause for Yachty to be WAY out of position, with Corbin having to wait around forever before standing next to the rope for the stick shot. A sitout Death Valley Driver gives Williams two but he slides out of End Of Days.

The Trick Kick gets two so Williams loads up the Trick Shot. That sends Corbin to the floor where he grabs the belt, only to have Yachty break it up. Williams knocks Corbin into Yachty though, sending him through the table (thank goodness it was there for no other reason). A belt shot and End Of Days give Corbin the title at 8:53.

Rating: C. This was a match that felt like it could have been in the main event of the first hour of a Smackdown. It doesn’t help that the ending was horrible with one of the worst table bumps in recent memory. That being said, this very well may free Williams up to move into the main event scene. If that’s where they’re going then it’s quite the speedy push but you have to roll the dice at some point.

Interim Smackdown Women’s Title: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Charlotte vs. Lash Legend

Ladder match for the vacant title. Cargill goes right after Charlotte to start and Legend sends Green crashing into the ladder. Legend tosses her over the barricade but Charlotte grabs the ladder before it can be set up. With Charlotte knocked down, we get a Legend vs. Cargill staredown. That’s broken up by Stratton and Green, who hammer away in the corner until they get knocked back down.

Cargill suplexes Legend to the floor but gets high crossbodied by Charlotte. The ladder is set up and Stratton takes Legend out for the showdown with Charlotte. The two of them are knocked down so Green goes up, earning herself a Jaded onto the ladder. Stratton is back in and tries a super hurricanrana to Legend, who calmly powerbombs her onto a bridged ladder for a horribly painful looking crash.

Charlotte goes for the title but has the ladder pulled out from underneath her, meaning it’s a crash. Stratton, who is somehow still able to move, goes up but has to hurricanrana Legend into a ladder in the corner. Stratton goes back up but Green pushes the ladder over, with Stratton flip diving onto the other three.

Green goes up but here are the Baddies to cut her off. The two of them beat up Chelsea, who winds up hanging from a ladder, and Charlotte so the other three all climb. Stratton and Legend crash down but Charlotte is up to cut Cargill off…and Green pulls herself up to grab the belt and win 13:04.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of a match where you knew the gist of what you were going to get and it didn’t really veer away from that. Green is certainly a surprising choice to win but the fans love her and that’s always a good place to go. I’m not sure I’d call her a traditional Women’s Champion as she now has to wait for the ACTUAL champion to show up, but it’s a cool moment in a match with some fun spots.

We recap Danhausen vs. Dominik Mysterio. So the Judgment Day invested in Danhausen’s experiments and they didn’t pay off so the team wants their money back. Danhausen won’t do it so let’s put the Human Monies On A Pole, because “haven’t you ever watched wrestling?”.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Danhausen

Human Monies On A Pole (and in a bag with a dollar sign on it of course) and Danhausen is here in the Danhausenmobile. Mysterio jumps him to start and hits a clothesline but Danhausen fights back with the reverse DDT. Cue JD McDonagh to cut Danhausen off so it’s time for the Minihausens to get involved.

McDonagh chokeslams them down, with Cole pointing out that one of them used to be El Torito. That one gives McDonagh a springboard spinning DDT so the Minihausens go up. That’s cut off by Mysterio, who is sent to the floor for a big running flip dive (with Toritohausen hitting the barricade). Cue Joe Hendry for the guitar shot to McDonagh so Mysterio goes up, only to get cursed with exploding pyro. Danhausen gets the money for the win at 6:48.

Rating: C+. Honestly, I was kind of expecting something more. This was one of the most obvious results of the entire weekend as there is pretty much no reason for Danhausen to lose anything anytime soon. Let him do his shenanigans and comedy stuff, as it’s not like pulling something off a pole first is going to make Mysterio into a loser.

Post match Danhausen says something to the referee and Danhausen throws out some money to the fans. Naturally it appears to be Danhausen Bucks but better than nothing.

The Killer Bees, Rick Martel (!) and Molly Holly are here.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Chad Gable

Gable, the home star, is challenging and Penta is the person who beat him twice, including causing the match where Gable’s shoulder was hurt to put him out of action for a year. They shake hands to start before Penta grabs a running hurricanrana. Gable is right back with a rolling kick to the head but Penta cuts him off with a backbreaker.

Penta gets knocked away but is fine enough o superkick a moonsaulting Gable out of the air. Back up and Gable is sent outside for the big flip dive from Penta, leaving Gable holding his shoulder. They get back inside and chop it out until Gable (bleeding slightly) sends him into the corner. Gable goes up but dives right into the Sacrifice for two, but Gable’s shoulder is in big trouble.

They fight out to the apron where Gable gets in a German suplex, sending Penta crashing out to the floor. That lets Gable follow up with a big moonsault but Penta is able to come back with a Mexican Destroyer on the apron (more like a Mexican Backstabber but close enough). Back in and Gable gets the ankle lock, completely with a grapevine, for the tap at 10:58.

Rating: B. Well, they didn’t have another option here as Gable is on the run of a lifetime and needed to FINALLY win something. This is the title he’s been chasing for the better part of ever and it’s great to see him actually get there. Throw in having his family there and it’s even better. Good stuff here and this was an awesome moment at the end of a good match.

Post match Penta presents him with the title and Gable’s family gets in the ring (with his son in a wrestling singlet and his parents in Chad Gable #1 and #2 Fan shirts). Gable thanks his family for helping him over the years in a nice call back to the mask vs. mask promo. Naturally this moment is turned into an ad for root beer, because it must be a commercial.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins. This is part of a story that started almost fourteen years ago, with the two of them being major forces throughout that time. Reigns is the top star around here but can’t beat Rollins, who wants to take the title from him one more time. That’s fine with Reigns, who wants one more chance to put Rollins away for good.

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins, looking like he’s merged with an exploding peacock, is challenging. They bell rings and they stare at/talk to each other, with almost two minutes passing before they get physical. Rollins takes him into the corner and does the Scott Hall spooky fingers. Rollins’ headlock doesn’t last long so he settles for an early Sling Blade to put Reigns in the corner.

Reigns misses a clothesline and gets taken down with a superkick as the idea is that Reigns just can’t get anything going on him. Back up and Reigns gets him in the corner for some clotheslines, followed by a big boot. The Superman Punch misses though and Rollins is sent outside for the suicide dives. Rollins teases going after the announcers’ table and gets kicked in the head for his efforts.

They fight out into the crowd so they can walk around a bit, with Rollins hitting him with a piece of the barricade. Reigns is fine enough to grab a suplex on the floor and they both need a breather. They go back to ringside, where Rollins tries a spear for some reason. That’s countered into a powerbomb through the announcers’ table in the big crash. Reigns loads up another one but Rollins reverses and hits one of his own to leave them both down.

They both dive back in to beat the count, with Rollins hitting a Pedigree for two. The Stomp is countered into a Superman Punch for two and they’re both down again. Back up and Reigns tries a spear, which only hits turnbuckle, allowing Rollins to hit the Stomp for two of his own. Rollins takes him up for the superplex but the Falcon Arrow is countered into a guillotine. Rollins tries to power out but gets cut off with a spear for two more (with a very close kickout).

Reigns talks a bunch of trash and tries another spear, with Rollins hitting one of his own for two of his own. The buckle bomb looks to set up a Stomp, only for Reigns to reverse into the same two moves for another near fall. They yell at each other and then start trading right hands until the referee gets bumped. Reigns hits a double arm DDT (Cole: “Homage to the third Shield member!” Who will not be named!) but accidentally spears the referee.

Rollins Stomps Reigns again and they’re both down for a bit. That’s enough for Rollins to go grab a chair, which Reigns knocks away from him. Reigns loads up the chair but throws it down and says they’re ending this one on one. They forearm it out with Rollins slapping him to keep things going. A Superman Punch doesn’t even knock Rollins down and he reverses the spear into a Pedigree. The Stomp misses for Rollins so he…hits it a few seconds later. The top rope Stomp misses though and Reigns hits another spear. A third spear connects and Rollins is done at 33:40.

Rating: B. This was flirting with being even lower as they spent A LOT of time just staring at or talking to each other. The idea here was that they were fighting man to man until one of them couldn’t hang in there anymore. Reigns finally puts Rollins down and it should end their feud, with both of them needing something new to do. The focus being on Reigns being willing to go that much further to win makes sense, though it never hit that epic level they were trying for here.

Post match Cole says that Reigns has now tied up all loose ends. As I try to remember when Reigns got his win back over Cody Rhodes, Rollins and Reigns do the Shield pose to officially bury the hatchet. Reigns poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show flew by and in a good way, as the main event was done at just after 9:00 EST. That’s a pretty swift pace and the matches pretty much all worked, save for maybe Corbin vs. Williams. It didn’t quite hit the heights of last night’s half but this show only had one main event. It’s a good show, but a step down from last night, which shouldn’t be surprising. Still though, more than solid enough here, with some nice surprises and enough quality wrestling.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Gunther, Finn Balor and Sami Zayn – Stunner to Zayn
Baron Corbin b. Trick Williams – End Of Days
Chelsea Green won a ladder match – Green pulled down the title
Danhausen b. Dominik Mysterio – Danhausen pulled down the bag of money
Chad Gable b. Penta – Ankle lock
Roman Reigns b. Seth Rollins – Spear

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

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

Smackdown
Date: July 10, 2026
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

And then everything changed, as CM Punk won the Smackdown World Title on Raw, despite not being a Smackdown wrestler. He might be now, but it’s not sure if that’s the case or not. Odds are we’ll hear something about that tonight as there is a good chance that Punk will be on the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Smackdown World Title situation on Raw, with Gunther attacking Cody Rhodes and costing him a chance to challenge Sami Zayn for the title. CM Punk stepped in and got the title shot instead, beating Zayn to become champion.

Here is Nick Aldis, who got Punk to challenge for the title, to say that he is officially back as Smackdown GM. With that out of the way, here is Punk for a chat. Aldis welcomes Punk to the show and steps aside, with Punk saying he missed the Smackdown fans. Punk has been negotiating to come to Smackdown and those discussions were expedited on Monday, when he got into his gear at his house and drove to the Allstate Arena where he won the title. When title opportunities fall out of the sky, he’s there to catch them and he’s ready to defend this title anytime.

If someone thinks he has something that belongs to them, come try and take it. Punk brings up Sami Zayn, who deserves a rematch, Gunther, knowing it’s a mistake to bring up, and Finn Balor, who can come get a third shot any time. He lists off a few other names but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Rhodes asks about Punk’s black eye, with Punk saying he knows Rhodes wants to know something else…so what does he want to talk about?

Rhodes brings up the title matches falling out of the sky, but there are other matches that have been built up for years. Punk: “You mean like CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes?” That sounded like a Wrestlemania main event but they can’t run from each other much more. The challenge is made for Summerslam so they shake hands, with Aldis making it official. Yeah that’s a big time Summerslam match and worthy of a main event.

Jade Cargill, with Michin and B-Fab, has requested and received a match with Alexa Bliss tonight. This is part of Cargill ruining Charlotte’s life and she’s not responsible for taking Bliss out.

Finn Balor vs. Tama Tonga

Talla Tonga is here with Tama and this is fallout from the Tongas attacking Balor last week. Balor double legs him to start and hammers away but Tama gets in an elbow to the face. A clothesline puts Tama on the floor but Talla breaks up the big dive, allowing Tama to get in the shot from behind.

We take a break and come back with Balor striking away, setting up a Nightmare On Helm Street for two. A spinning belly to back suplex gets Tama out of trouble but Balor puts him right back into it with the Sling Blade. Tama cuts him off again and hits a spinning Pedigree for two so Balor backdrops him to the floor. The big running flip dive hits both Tongas and the Coup de Grace gives Balor the pin at 9:47.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what happened but they flipped a switch in the last few minutes and turned on the jets. The final two or so minutes here was an awesome fast paced slugfest with one big move after another. Balor can work well with anyone and Tama held up his end rather well here. It started good and then got very good, which made it even more fun than I was expecting.

Carmelo Hayes is ready to prove himself again because he wants to get his hands on Trick Williams.

R-Truth pays off Fraxiom over a lost bet but the War Raiders come in to say these games need to end. Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu come in, saying they’re looking for Solo Sikoa. R-Truth agrees to tell Sikoa they’re looking for him. Damian Priest comes up and seems ok with them, while also saying Royce Keys is here. R-Truth doesn’t like that, but Priest says Keys isn’t with them.

Sami Zayn, on a mental health break, is on the phone with Nick Aldis, who says he does have the authority to make a match between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. Gunther comes in to slap the phone away and says he belongs in the World Title match. Aldis has until the end of the night to fix that.

Here are Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu to call out Solo Sikoa. Instead they get Royce Keys, who Fatu doesn’t think looks like Sikoa. Keys says their family business is starting to affect him and Fatu doesn’t like that. Fatu says Keys can say a lot, but please don’t go there about OTC business. Uso clarifies that Keys isn’t part of this family but Keys talks about all of the family members he has lost.

Fatu has been his brother and Keys isn’t letting him go. Uso says this is crossing a line that he can’t come back from and he doesn’t want to do this. Keys isn’t here to fight…but steps forward over a line. Uso says that the two of them are going to give Keys the worst beating they’ve ever given anyone. Keys: “We?” This is all on Uso so he says get a referee out here. Keys knocks Uso outside with a clothesline and we take a break with the referee arriving.

Jimmy Uso vs. Royce Keys

Keys knocks him down to start and fires away right hands in the corner. A suplex puts Uso down but they head outside, with Uso sending him into the steps. The chinlock goes on back inside but Keys is up, only to be sent back to the floor. Keys is sent over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Keys getting two off a powerslam so it’s time for the straps to come down. Keys plants him onto the announcers’ table but gets posted to cut off the momentum. Cue Solo Sikoa behind Uso to load up the Spike, which brings out Jacob Fatu. The brawl is on, allowing Uso to spear Keys for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on Keys losing, though it’s even worse when he loses to Jimmy Uso’s spear. Trying to make it the family move is quite a stretch when only Reigns really has the power/explosiveness to make it look good and the Samoan drop already exists. Anyway, this was more of the Bloodline drama, which is going on underneath everything Roman Reigns has going on with Seth Rollins for Summerslam. That’s a lot at once and I’m still not even sure where this part is going.

Post match Fatu lays out Sikoa and then superkicks Keys. Fatu loads up the Umaga Attack on Sikoa, who has a chair around his neck, but hits the brakes and yells at him instead.

After losing the title on Monday, Sami Zayn went on a rant about how unfair the whole thing was.

CM Punk wants everyone to get in line to come after the title but here are Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano. LeRae yells at Punk for taking away their hope of Gargano getting better. Punk remembers him as Johnny Wrestling and says whatever this is, it isn’t working. As Punk goes to leave, Finn Balor welcomes him to the show, with an eye on the belt.

Fatal Influence have had fun taking out Brie Bella and Paige and they’re ready to do it again for the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Saturday Night’s Main Event. I’d certainly hope so.

Alexa Bliss vs. Jade Cargill

Charlotte and the minions are here too. An early Charlotte distraction lets Bliss go after Cargill’s leg and a knee to the face puts Cargill down. That just earns Bliss some backbreakers and we take a break. We come back with Cargill missing a boot in the corner so Bliss can hammer away. The running Blockbuster gives Bliss two but Sister Abigail is broken up. Charlotte gets in a neck snap across the top to give Bliss two so it’s time for the seconds to get in a fight. Cargill gets in a pump kick into Jaded for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. This was another way to continue the path towards Cargill vs. Charlotte, which absolutely feels like a big showdown. I could go for seeing the two of them fight and hopefully they manage to make it work. Bliss and Charlotte have come incredibly far as a team and this was a good use of a story that has worked for years in wrestling.

Post match Charlotte fights off the minions for a bit but Cargill uses a chair to snap Bliss’ arm, allowing Bliss to do her arm out of joint deal.

Trick Williams can’t find his title but Lil Yachty comes up to present him a custom fur lined title.

Alexa Bliss is taken to the trainer’s room. I’m not sure why we needed to see this.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams

Non-title and Lil Yachty is here with Williams. Hayes gets knocked into the corner to start so Williams can stomp away. Back up and Hayes gets in a spinning crossbody, earning himself a Trick Slap as we take an early break. We come back with Hayes grabbing Dirty Diana for two and they both need a breather. Williams gets in some leg lariats, followed by a Rock Bottom for two.

Hayes flips out of a fireman’s carry though and grabs a middle rope DDT for two of his own. The jumping neckbreaker gives Williams two but Hayes knocks him off the top, setting up a frog splash for another near fall. The Trick Kick gives Williams two more but he misses a charge in the corner. Yachty gets dropped and the First 48 takes Williams down. Hayes goes up top…but Baron Corbin of all people is back to pull him into the ropes for the DQ at 10:30.

Rating: B-. They were having a good match before the big surprise return. Corbin isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but he could be a great addition to the midcard. As long as he doesn’t become the focal point of the show, he should be perfectly fine and could have some good matches with Williams, Hayes and more. The match itself was good, but these two are likely to have a big PPV match somewhere down the line after their lengthy history together.

Post match Corbin lays both of them out and drops the furry title on Williams.

Here is Gunther, with Nick Aldis coming in to say Gunther can have what he wants. Gunther can have Punk and Rhodes…at Saturday Night’s Main Event in a tag match, when he teams up with Sami Zayn. Summerslam isn’t changing one bit, which earns Aldis a beatdown. Gunther boots him in the face and grabs the sleeper a few times. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save (though the show cuts off when he’s still in the aisle) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was designed to set up a few big matches for Summerslam, which certainly needs the help to boost things up with a few weeks ago to go. Punk vs. Rhodes being set up is a good move, as that’s absolutely a main event level match. Other than that, some of the matches which were either already set or close to it got a few nice upgrades. I liked this show, as it’s nice to have a more clear direction after everything has been shaken up in recent weeks.

Results
Finn Balor b. Tama Tonga – Coup de Grace
Jimmy Uso b. Royce Keys – Spear
Jade Cargill b. Alexa Bliss – Jaded
Carmelo Hayes b. Trick Williams via DQ when Baron Corbin interfered

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

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

Smackdown
Date: July 3, 2026
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re stateside for Smackdown and the big story this week is that Sami Zayn is the new World Champion, having beaten Gunther and reigning champion Cody Rhodes on Saturday at Night Of Champions. That means we have about a month to go before Summerslam and a lot of ground to cover so let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

Here is Sami Zayn to quite the strong reaction to get things going. Zayn talks about how a lot of people are here to ride or die with the last real good guy. He appreciates the reactions he has gotten and gives the fans a genuine thank you. It’s funny though, because a lot of those people booed him and jumped on and off of the bandwagon. He won’t say he told you so though because he’s a good guy who won that title the right way.

We’re here to celebrate him and he will forever be known as a Wrestlemania main eventer and a Grand Slam Champion, but also as a WWE Champion. Nothing can ever take that away from him but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Zayn asks what he wants to talk about but Rhodes wants to just congratulate him. Rhodes goes to leave but Zayn tells him to just say what he really wants one time. This brings out Jey Uso to give Zayn a big hug and say that he deserves it.

As much as he respects Zayn, Uso, has to do his business and bring the title back to the family. Rhodes asks what year it is because bringing it back to the family sounds ridiculous. Uso is already a former World Champion but we’re here to talking about Rhodes’ rematch. Zayn isn’t happy with Rhodes saying Zayn would never take the title from him, and as far as Uso is concerned, the title is still in the family.

They can both stay away from him, but here is Adam Pearce (acting GM as Nick Aldis is on leave due to an incident with Gunther) to interrupt. Pearce says it’s his job to find Zayn a challenger, but Zayn says he should have some say in who he faces at Summerslam. Pearce says no one is talking about Summerslam, because Zayn is defending the title this Monday on Raw, and tonight Rhodes and Uso have a #1 contenders match tonight. They’re certainly not wasting time with Rhodes, but Zayn very well could be like Mick Foley, as winning the title itself is what matters rather than a long reign (which is ok).

Charlotte says she cost Jade Cargill at Night Of Champions because Cargill cost her. Alexa Bliss pops up to say it would have been nice to have been told Charlotte would be there but Charlotte says Bliss didn’t tell her she would be teaming with Tiffany Stratton. This brings in Stratton, who says she didn’t need Charlotte but Chelsea Green comes in to have Stratton’s back and….awkwardly say she’ll see Charlotte out there.

Charlotte/Chelsea Green/Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill/B-Fab/Michin

Stratton and Cargill start things off with Michin quickly coming in for a sunset flip. It’s quickly off to Charlotte to kick Michin down and send B-Fab flying with a suplex. A Cannonball off the apron hits Michin but Cargill is right there with the clothesline to Charlotte as we take a break.

We come back with Cargill sending Charlotte flying and even throwing in a mocking victory dance. The splash misses in the corner though and it’s B-Fab coming in to cut off the tag attempt. Charlotte fights back and Green comes in to clean house, with a Rough Ryder getting two on B-Fab. The Unprettier is loaded up but Cargill reverses into Jaded, which is reversed into a rollup. B-Fab offers a distraction though and Jaded finishes Green at 8:51.

Rating: C+. Cargill gets to look dominant again, Green isn’t hurt by the loss (or by any loss really) and Charlotte continues to kind of annoy a lot of people. Michin continues to be a solid hand in the ring and B-Fab is acceptable enough as a lackey. Just don’t ask her to do much of anything else.

We look at the Gunther/Nick Aldis incident, leading to both of them being sent home and Adam Peace being put in charge of Smackdown for the time being.

Pearce is on the phone with Aldis and doesn’t seem pleased. Then he runs into Sami Zayn, who isn’t happy with the situation. Pearce suggests that he’ll bring some Smackdown stars to Raw for a supershow and Zayn will have an opportunity. Zayn is annoyed but goes over to Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, saying he might not have won without Gargano being there for him. Zayn even has a reluctant LeRae take a picture of them together.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Fenix is defending and Vikingo’s Latin American Title isn’t on the line. Vikingo snaps off a spinning headscissors to start but Fenix kicks him away. A springboard frog high crossbody gives Fenix two but Vikingo ties him in the ring skirt for a dropkick. Vikingo’s dive drops Fenix again and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix hitting his rope walk kick, setting up a frog splash for two. Vikingo is back up with his running knees in the corner, followed by his flipping hurricanrana out of the corner. A super spinning poisonrana (how do you even do that) drops Fenix again but he knees Vikingo back. That’s enough to set up the Mexican MuscleBuster to retain at 8:55.

Rating: B. “And then he did THIS and it was AMAZING!” That’s basically Vikingo in a nutshell and yeah that’s always going to work. This was the definition of a flippy match and as usual, it did its job. The fans get to have fun and it’s not like this is going to hurt either of them in AAA. In other words, it’s a nice use of some TV time.

We look at Blake Monroe attacking Giulia last week.

Giulia is happy to put Kiana James behind her and would love to fight Monroe face to face anytime. James comes in to say it would be like Giulia to bite the hand that feeds her, but here is Monroe to jump Giulia from behind. Not to be unfair, she jumps James too in a bit of a surprise.

We look at the Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns showdown from Raw, setting up their Summerslam title shot.

Jimmy Uso is talking to Jacob Fatu when Royce Keys comes in to say Fatu has been ignoring him. Did Roman Reigns not give him permission? Uso says they’re here to find Solo Sikoa and asks if Keys can help them or not. Keys says that blood doesn’t make you family (check). He’s been there for Fatu for fourteen years and that makes them family. Uso disagrees and leaves with Fatu.

Here are Trick Williams and Lil Yachty for a chat but here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes says he deserves another title shot and accuses Williams of turning that title, a title Hayes helped make, into an accessory. He can get Williams a discount code on WWE Shop if Williams just wants something to hold, so put the title on the line.

Yachty isn’t impressed and asks if we should give this “young small man” a match. Apparently the match is on for next week…but not for the title. That has to be earned and Williams knocks him down. Yachty and Williams go to leave but Hayes takes them out with a big dive.

Danhausen is on the phone (seemingly from the 30s) as Miz and Kit Wilson are there in the background. Matt Cardona comes in to say hello but Danhausen says he has a match with JD McDonagh at Saturday Night’s Main Event and has help coming in from New York. He was just on the phone with them, but Cardona points out that the phone isn’t plugged in

Danhausen says don’t worry about it and has Cardona twist a nob. It seems to fry Wilson and Miz even more, with Danhausen blaming Judgment Day and telling Cardona that he’s in charge of the two of them. Cardona mentions spiking your hair and Wilson might say AWESOME. Oh dear this won’t end well.

Brie Bella vs. Lainey Reid

Paige and the rest of Fatal Influence are here too. Bella takes her down by the arm to start fast but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. Reid misses a wind up elbow though and Bella sends her arm first into the corner. Some shots to the face slow Bella down but she fires off the YES Kicks. Bella pulls her down by the arm and rolls into the YES Lock, with Page cutting off Fallon Henley from interfering. Jacy Jayne gets posted but Henley is back up, with Bella going outside for the save. That lets Reid hitting a running knee for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C. This was as standard of a booking trope as you can get on your way to a Women’s Tag Team Title match. That’s a good thing too, as I could go for Fatal Influence being the ones to end this title reign. Commentary hyped up Bella not having a singles match on Smackdown in years and while that’s true, it’s quite the stretch for something to brag about here.

R-Truth beats Nathan Frazer in a hot dog eating contest. Damian Priest wants ketchup but the War Raiders come in to say Priest and R-Truth should be focused on their challenge. R-Truth gets annoyed at Ivar eating Priest’s wiener but the match is on for some time in the future. It’s just going to take place on Smackdown, with R-Truth promising to take the masks too. There are no masks.

We look at the Brock Lesnar/Oba Femi segment from Raw, resulting in their match being set for the Cell.

Cody Rhodes is coming to the ring and runs into Finn Balor. Rhodes apologizes for not saying it yet but welcome to Smackdown. Balor says one of the reasons he came here was to face Rhodes and he wanted it to be for the title, so go start getting it back. Tama Tonga comes in to say he went to the family elders for guidance. Then the Tongas jump Balor, with Tama saying he’s closing the books on his past, with Balor being next.

Jey Uso vs. Cody Rhodes

For a shot at Sami Zayn on Raw. An early superkick and Cross Rhodes are both avoided so Uso sends him outside for the suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Rhodes hitting a Cody Cutter for two but Uso gets in a Samoan drop. Rhodes rolls outside where he cuts off a spear but gets sent onto the announcers’ table. Uso’s suicide dive is blocked as well and they go back inside for a double clothesline.

We take another break and come back with Uso hitting a Superfly Splash. Rhodes is up with another Cody Cutter for two of his own but Uso gives him a spear for two more. Another Superfly Splash misses though and Rhodes hits a spear, followed by Cross Rhodes for his own near fall. Uso knocks him down and tries a Superfly Splash, which hits raised knees. A sleeper works a bit better for Uso and they go into the corner where Uso tries…I’m not sure (neither is commentary). Rhodes slips away and grabs Cross Rhodes for the pin at 15:33.

Rating: B. There was just enough of a reason to believe that Uso could win here to keep things interesting. At the same time though, Rhodes is the right choice to move on to the title match, as either he gets the belt back and sets up a match with CM Punk or Zayn gets the big win in the singles match. This was a good main event though and it still helps to have Rhodes beat another former World Champion.

Overall Rating: B. Oh sweet goodness did losing an hour help this show. One of the most annoying things in wrestling is a show that just keeps going and Smackdown has been doing that since the show was extended to three hours. Switching back allowed it to feel much tighter with far less filler. It still has problems, but I wasn’t sitting there dreading how long it was going to go and that’s a great feeling. They’re flying through the World Title scene though and that almost has me worried for what they have planned at Summerslam. At least I’m wanting to see what it is though so they must be doing something right.

Results
Jade Cargill/B-Fab/Michin b. Charlotte/Chelsea Green/Tiffany Stratton – Jaded to Green
Rey Fenix b. El Hijo del Vikingo – Mexican MuscleBuster
Lainey Reid b. Brie Bella – Running knee
Cody Rhodes b. Jey Uso – Cross Rhodes

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

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

Night Of Champions 2026
Date: June 27, 2026
Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the tournament show with the King and Queen Of The Ring both being crowned. In addition though we have the Smackdown World Title on the line with Cody Rhodes defending against Gunther and Sami Zayn. There’s a cage match as well to make this even bigger so let’s get to it.

King Of The Ring: Jey Uso vs. Oba Femi

The fans certainly seem to like the Uso entrance and it does look awesome in this venue. Uso hits him in the face to start and it doesn’t exactly work, as Femi just gets mad. Femi knocks him outside but Uso is back up for a dive to send Femi into the barricade. Another dive is blocked though and Femi takes him inside for some whips into the corner.

The Fall From Grace is escaped though and Uso hits some basement superkicks. The Superfly Splash only gets one (uh oh) and Femi chokeslams him for two more. Uso comes back with a spear and hits another Superfly Splash but his own ribs are banged up. Another Superfly Splash gets two but Femi is right back up with a running uppercut. Uso gets thrown down again and the Fall From Grace gives Femi the clean win at 7:55.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one as I was expecting a bunch of people to get involved but instead Femi just absorbed everything Uso threw at him and then won in the middle of the ring. It was a question of whether the Bloodline would get the big spot or if WWE was pulling the trigger on Femi and he is at least going to get the chance. That’s an interesting way to go and I want to see how it plays out so we’ll call that a success.

Post match Femi said Uso might have been able to beat one man but he couldn’t beat fate and destiny. Uso couldn’t beat Femi either because he is the Ruler and the Destroyer. Now he’s the King.

Here is Danhausen for a chat. He is happy because he has come into a lot of human monies but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt. The Judgment Day is not happy with how much money Danhausen has taken from them and they want it back. Instead Danhausen curses her and gets slapped, which doesn’t seem to bother him that much.

Queen Of The Ring: Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky

Non-title. Sky starts fast and takes her into the corner, followed by a basement dropkick. They head outside where Sky blocks a ram into the barricade but takes too long climbing onto said barricade. Morgan gets in a shot to take over and they go back inside, where a top rope facebuster gives Morgan two. Sky fights out of the corner but dives into a quickly broke Boston crab, allowing Sky to stomp on her ribs.

Another shot to the face lets Sky connect with the missile dropkick, followed by the running knees in the corner for two. Sky knocks her outside for the big moonsault before going up top again, only to be shoved onto the steps. That leaves Sky with a banged up knee so of course Morgan ties it up with a half crab.

Sky escapes again and hits her in the face but the knee gives out, allowing Morgan to hit a springboard Codebreaker for two more. Another comeback results in Sky banging up the knee again and Morgan knocks her into the corner. Morgan goes up, only to get taken down with a super Spanish Fly. Over The Moonsault gives Sky the win at 14:58.

Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one and the ending didn’t do it any favors. The big deal was that Sky injured her knee but she’s then able to hit a pair of big moves off the top? At the same time, I’m not wild on having a champion lose clean to set up a title shot, even if Sky chooses to go after the other champion. Not their greatest stuff here.

Post match Sky picks Morgan for the Summerslam title match. It’s in five weeks but dang that’s a stretch to make me want to watch these two fight again.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. Cody Rhodes beat Gunther at Clash In Italy but Gunther’s foot was underneath the rope. They had a rematch with Sami Zayn as guest referee but Zayn got a bit too involved. They did it again and Zayn caused a DQ so it’s time for a triple threat. Well later on that is.

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker

In a cage. They both throw in a bunch of weapons and sit in chairs to yell at each other before they actually start fighting. Rollins hammers away but Breakker snaps off some German suplexes and sends him into the cage. Breakker gorilla presses him into the cage and grabs a trashcan but bangs up his knee. Rollins gets to slug away, followed by the kendo stick shots to the back.

A ram into the cage has Breakker in trouble and Rollins sends him in a few more times. Rollins sets up a table in the corner and has to cut off a spear attempt before throwing a chair at Breakker. A bunch of chairs are piled up but that takes too long, allowing Breakker to snap off a super Frankensteiner for two. Breakker puts him in a chair and knocks him back out before promising that Rollins is going to die.

Rollins’ head is put inside a chair but Breakker’s golf club style chair swing misses. Some superkicks have Breakker in trouble but he knocks Rollins right back onto a table. That’s not enough for Breakker though as he goes up, with Rollins catching him for a superplex through the table in the big crash.

Breakker (whose eye is gushing blood) gets back up with a suplex into the Super Spear for two. That’s enough for Breakker to go for the door but Rollins cuts him off. Back in and the spear only hits the table in the corner, allowing Rollins to hit a Pedigree and Stomp for the very near fall. Breakker begs off from another Stomp so Rollins hits a top rope Stomp for the pin at 19:02.

Rating: C+. The blood on the eye, which I’m assuming was unintentional, was a boost but my goodness I am sick of these weapons cage matches. You’re in a big steel box with someone you hate. Why do you need all of the extra stuff? Anyway, this was a dead feud a long time ago as the Bloodline has lapped the Vision and Rollins’ real feud is with Paul Heyman, who isn’t even here at the moment. I’m not sure I get Breakker losing, but it’s not a great step for him in the slightest. Meanwhile Rollins is likely going to be the same person he was before so….what was the point here?

US Title: Trick Williams vs. Ricky Saints

Williams, with Lil Yachty, is defending. Saints jumps him from behind to start fast but Williams is right back with the chops in the corner. The threat of a Trick Shot puts Saints on the floor, where he steals Yachty’s kendo stick. Saints feigns Yachty hitting him with the stick and that’s enough for an ejection. Back in and Saints takes over on Williams, including some knees to the back and head.

Some shots to the back have Williams in more trouble but he manages a suplex for a breather. Williams grabs Saints’ hand and jumps over him, setting up a release Rock Bottom for two. Saints avoids a boot in the corner though and a swinging neckbreaker gets two more. Roshambo is countered into a backdrop but Saints avoids the running knee in the corner. A tornado DDT sets up a weird top rope elbow to give Saints two but another tornado DDT is blocked. The Trick Shot retains at 10:43.

Rating: C+. This was your basic Smackdown match and that’s not a bad way to go. Saints never once felt like a real threat to win the title and they were doing all they could to set him up with the Yachty ejection. Williams is on fire right now and it would have been insane to take the title off of him so thankfully they went in the right direction.

Post match Saints goes after Williams again but Yachty is back with the kendo stick. Yachty hits a People’s Elbow (Graves: “The People’s El-Boat!”) for the revenge.

Women’s US Title: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending and slugs away to start but has to flip out of an early torture rack. Stratton’s running hip attack connects in the ropes but her suicide dive is cut off. Back in and Cargill starts to go with the power, including knocking Stratton into the corner. Stratton can’t fight back yet but she can escape Jaded and hurricanrana Cargill into the corner. A Regal Roll but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever hits raised knees.

Cargill’s Sandstorm gets two and another Jaded is countered into a jawbreaker. Cue the minions for a distraction, allowing Cargill to hit a chokeslam for two. Chelsea Green pops out from underneath the ring to take them out, with B-Fab being thrown into the title podium. Green grabs the title so Cargill pulls her inside and goes after the title as well. Cue Charlotte to belt Cargill in the face though, allowing the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to retain at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was another perfectly fine but mostly unremarkable match as the two of them did their thing until Cargill’s cheating went too far. Cargill vs. Charlotte feels like the big showdown, though Rhea Ripley’s involvement is still to be determined. Stratton is going to need a new challenger though and I’m really not sure whom that is going to be.

Smackdown World Title: Gunther vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes

Rhodes is defending. Zayn is knocked outside to start but comes back in to cut Gunther off. Back up and Rhodes hits a running shoulder for two and we settle down a bit. Gunther pulls Zayn outside and goes back in to hammer on Rhodes. Zayn is knocked down again and Rhodes gets two off a sunset flip to Gunther. The powerbomb and Cross Rhodes are both countered but a second powerbomb gets two, with Zayn having to make a save.

Gunther is sent outside and Rhodes gets caught in a Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The Helluva Kick is blocked though and Gunther sends Zayn outside, leaving him to uppercut Rhodes in the corner. Rhodes fights back and hits Cross Rhodes, with Zayn pulling the referee out. Gunther comes back in to powerbomb both of them but Zayn counters another into a Code Red for two.

The Helluva Kick hits Gunther but this time Rhodes pulls the referee out. It’s time to load up the announcers’ table, where Rhodes reverses a package piledriver and backdrops Zayn through the other table for the big crash. Gunther is back up for another powerbomb through the other table and the sleeper has Rhodes in trouble back inside. The arm is raised up but Zayn dives in to keep it from falling, earning the wrath of Gunther.

An exploder sends Gunther into the corner and the Helluva Kick gives Zayn two. Rhodes is back up with the Cody Cutter to Gunther but Zayn gives Rhodes Cross Rhodes of his own. Zayn grabs a sleeper on Gunther but Rhodes is back up for a double Cross Rhodes. He tries another on Zayn, who reverses into a cradle to pin Rhodes for the title at 18:39.

Rating: B. He actually got it. I’m kind of stunned as the idea of Zayn winning the title is something that is hard to actually believe but I’ll take what I can get. This is the big moment that the show was dying for and all that matters is Zayn finally won the title. Odds are it doesn’t last long, but dang that’s a heck of a moment and long overdue. The match was the best on the show as well, which granted isn’t a surprise given the people involved. I’m not sure he’s going to hold it long (he probably won’t) but Zayn is champion and that’s a great thing to see.

Zayn gets the big and well deserved celebration to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending pulled this one back from the brink as this just was not a very interesting show. I was rather bored multiple times as the matches might have been fine but they were absolutely lacking any kind of fire. Maybe it was the extra travel or something but this was not one of their better efforts. Zayn finally getting his moment is the important thing though and that boosted this one up a long way.

Results
Oba Femi b. Jey Uso – Fall From Grace
Iyo Sky b. Liv Morgan – Over The Moonsault
Seth Rollins b. Bron Breakker – Middle rope Stomp
Trick Williams b. Ricky Saints – Trick Shot
Tiffany Stratton b. Jade Cargill – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Sami Zayn b. Gunther and Cody Rhodes – Rollup to Rhodes

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

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