Smackdown
Date: July 31, 2026
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’ll wrap up the build to Summerslam with the last show before Summerslam Night One and the next to last show before Summerslam Night Two. That is likely going to mean a big push towards CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes, which will serve as the Smackdown main event. Other than that, we have a winner take all double Tag Team Title match. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Finn Balor to get things going. Around this time of the year, he always thinks about 2016 because it was the peak of his career, but the next day, he was right back to the lowest. Now it’s ten years later and he is close to getting back to the top. This brings out Sami Zayn, who respects Balor but knows he should be in the main event instead.

Zayn calls out a fan’s sign saying he wanted CM Punk to retain because Punk is now just a corporate poster boy. He wants to take the title from someone who stole it from him but Balor wants Zayn to come say something face to face. That brings Zayn to the ring and while he respects Balor, this is a lot bigger than him. Balor brings up trying to get back here for ten years, with Zayn responding that if it took ten years, maybe he should take the hint.

Balor points out that it took Zayn ten years to get to the title and he never gave up. Zayn isn’t going to fight him though because he’s a good guy. Instead here’s Gunther to jump both of them because he is the rightful #1 contender. Cue Adam Pearce, with Gunther asking what he needs to do to get what is rightfully his.

Balor and Zayn are up to go after Gunther but he fights right back against the two of them. Cue Nick Aldis to go after Gunther and even get him in a quick King’s Lynn Cloverleaf. Balor and Zayn needed something like this to set up their match, which kind of came out of nowhere last week. Aldis looked good out here and Summerslam should be a hit.

Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green vs. B-Fab/Michin

Jade Cargill is here too and B-Fab starts with Stratton. A quick dropkick puts B-Fab in the ropes and it’s off to Green to take over as we take an early break. We come back with Stratton and Michin coming back in so the former can clean house. The Swanton gives Stratton two and everything breaks down, with Cargill posting Stratton. Green is back in with a missile dropkick to Michin but the Unprettier is broken up. The BTA finishes Green at 6:51.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but the ending worked well, with Stratton being a wrecking ball until Cargill cut her off. The match was a surprising win for the Baddies, as they typically are just there to make other people look good. At least Stratton and Green are seemingly having fun together, which is something for Stratton to do for the time being. It worked for Charlotte and Alexa Bliss.

Speaking of Charlotte, here she is to go after Cargill as the other four brawl off.

Fraxiom and Rey Fenix are here and run into Judgment Day. Fenix vs. JD McDonagh is set for tonight.

The Tongas talk about being too obsessed with doing Solo Sikoa’s issues and ignoring what they were supposed to be doing. This brings in HAKU, their father, who wants his sons to remember who they are. Well that was an amazing cameo.

Tag Team Titles/AAA Tag Team Titles: Damian Priest/R-Truth vs. War Raiders

Titles for titles. Priest and Erik slug it out to start and R-Truth is back in for a crossbody/Lie Detector combination. That earns R-Truth a trip to the floor and a big knee to the face knocks him silly. Ivar crushes R-Truth against the barricade and we take an early break. We come back with a pop up powerslam planting R-Truth. The referee gets shoved down by the Raiders so Priest comes in…and shoves him down too, which is a double DQ at 6:06. Not enough shown to rate but this was pretty much nothing, with the whole thing feeling like “we gave you the match and that’s enough”.

Post match the brawl goes into the crowd but the Tongas show up to wreck both of them. They hold up all four belts and Haku appears to approve.

We look at CM Punk and Cody Rhodes almost getting into a fight at a house show last night.

Punk knows that he and Rhodes have been friends for a long time but now it’s time to fight, whether he’s a friend or not. Trick Williams comes in to say he’s coming for the title and Punk likes that idea. But he’ll beat Williams anyway.

Nick Aldis talks about how his first dream was to be a wrestler and we hear about some of his time in the ring, including a look at some of his success in TNA (and he did have quite a bit). Then he was offered the chance to be GM of Smackdown and he was ready to give it his all. Then along came Gunther, and now he’s going to be a wrestler again. Good, intense promo here that also showed fans something they might not have known about Aldis before.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He isn’t happy with Baron Corbin coming back with a shaved head all polished up, looking like a “big a** Tommy Pickles”. Williams wants and receives Corbin out here right now, with Corbin promising to make Williams feel like he’s in quicksand. Williams says they both know Corbin isn’t doing anything so he wants the fight right now. And that’s a no, of course.

Video on Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar in the Cell.

Summerslam rundown.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. JD McDonagh

Fenix is defending and starts with an early wristdrag. The threat of a kick to the face sends McDonagh outside so Dominik Mysterio offers a quick distraction. Fenix misses a dive and gets taken out with an Asai moonsault as we take an early break. We come back with Fenix ducking a shot to the head and grabbing a Death Valley Driver for two.

Fenix strikes away and hits a handspring cutter but charges into a Spanish Fly. Mysterio’s distraction lets McDonagh crotch Fenix on top and that’s an ejection. This brings out Danhausen to load up the Curse so Mysterio jumps him…and is promptly destroyed by the Minihausens. The distraction lets Fenix kick him in the head, setting up the Mexican MuscleBuster to retain at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I still don’t really see the need for another promotion’s Cruiserweight Title on this show but it’s a good enough way to fill in some time. At the same time, it was at least somewhat just background noise for the Danhausen/Mysterio stuff. Good match of course, but the AAA stuff is only so interesting outside of AAA.

Long video on Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns. All this really did was show how much Reigns has destroyed him on the microphone in recent weeks.

Women’s US Title Ladder Qualifying Match: Lash Legend vs. Giulia

Legend misses the pump kick to start but Legend catches her in something close to an Air Raid Crash. Giulia’s running knee gets two and she spins into a guillotine. That’s broken up and the Lash Extension finishes for Legend at 2:00. What in the name of GiveDivasAChance was that?

We get a quick video on CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes.

Here is Rhodes for the big final speech but Punk interrupts, patting Rhodes on top of the head on the way to the ring. Punk brings up the (accidental) elbow to the face at last night’s house show but Rhodes suggests that Punk getting a title shot in Chicago was quite the lucky situation.

After hitting his catchphrase, Punk says he isn’t about to say no and talk like a bench player like Sami Zayn who thinks he’s a starter. If he’s offered a title shot in Chicago, of course he’s going to take it. For Summerslam though, Punk has to know who the better wrestler is. You know, for business purposes.

Rhodes hits his own catchphrase and talks about the meaning of the title Punk is wearing. He brings up Punk’s line about being here to make money instead of friends. Punk says it might not be a good Saturday for Rhodes when it comes to losing a friend. Rhodes doesn’t want to worry about Saturday so let’s see what we’re doing tonight. They take their time sizing each other up and the fight is on. The brawl goes outside and they fight on the announcers’ table and floor to end the show. This was pretty run of the mill stuff but it’s another case where the feud is set.

Overall Rating: C. This was the often annoying show right before the big pay per view, with not much happening in the ring (such as the rather lame Tag Team Title match) and the main focus being on the talking. The problem is the talking was only so interesting, as the matches are already set. I liked the closing brawl, but this was definitely not a show you needed to watch in full. Except for Haku, as he’ll eat your face if you don’t.

Results
B-Fab/Michin b. Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green – BTA to Green
Damian Priest/R-Truth vs. War Raiders went to a double DQ when both teams shoved the referee
Rey Fenix b. JD McDonagh – Mexican MuscleBuster
Lash Legend b. Giulia – Lash Extension

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: July 24, 2026
Location: Oakland Arena, Oakland, California
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Saturday Night’s Main Event and the main event of Summerslam is staying the same. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes defeated Gunther and Sami Zayn to avoid the title match becoming a four way, albeit with some help from Nick Aldis. That won’t sit well with Gunther so let’s get to it.

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

We look at HHH making Gunther vs. Nick Aldis official for Summerslam.

Adam Pearce and Aldis are in the ring for the contract signing with Gunther, who joins them. Pearce gets to the point: Aldis has to vacate his role as GM to face Gunther and WWE is not responsible for what happens in the match. That’s fine with Aldis, who signs without a second thought, saying he’s willing to accept those terms. Gunther says that the match will be the greatest moment of Aldis’ career and this is beneath him.

The reality is that Aldis is jealous of him. Gunther knows that Aldis is a former NWA World Champion but he never really made it. But Gunther walked in and became a huge star, with a watch worth about half of Aldis’ salary. Gunther signs, saying that he’ll put Aldis’ name on a list of legends dumb enough to face him. As Gunther goes to leave, Aldis says that Gunther is trying to buy into this himself. Aldis knows that Gunther is scared because he can’t get out of this situation.

The reality is that Aldis hasn’t had a match in three years and has nothing to lose. When he beats Gunther, all that makes Gunther is the guy whose boss made him a little b****. The brawl is on and Gunther kicks him low, with the powerbomb putting Aldis through the table. The match should be pretty much a lock for Gunther, but it does help that Aldis is an accomplished wrestler so it’s not going to be some big mess.

Post break Sami Zayn interrupts an update on Aldis and says he won the title at Night Of Champions. It became clear that the higher ups didn’t want to be champion and he wound up facing Punk on a show they weren’t supposed to be on. Aldis and Gunther have a match at Summerslam but the guy who was champion EIGHTEEN DAYS AGO isn’t on the card? Adam Pearce comes in and Zayn wants it made right. Make the title match a triple threat

Pearce shuts that down and yells at him, but says that there is a four way match tonight. The winner of that can face Zayn at Summerslam in a #1 contenders match. Zayn hates having to earn it but takes it as Pearce says that’s all he’s getting. WWE doesn’t often do #1 contender matches on PPV so that’s a change of pace.

Brie Bella vs. Lainey Reid

Their associates are her too. Before the match, Reid says Saturday was a big night for them but Bella and Paige are the ones who will remember it forever. Jacy Jayne wants gold around her waist too so she wants the Women’s US Title. Reid jumps Bella to start and they go to the floor, with Bella sending her into the announcers’ table. Back in and the bell rings, with Bella being sent face first into the buckle. A cutter drops her again and we take an early break.

We come back with Bella hitting her running knee in the ropes, followed by a bulldog out of the corner. Bella tries a sunset flip out of the corner but Reid grabs the rope. That doesn’t work and said sunset flip gives Bella the pin at 5:48. Not enough shown to rate but they kept to the point here.

Post match Fatal Influence runs in to beat down Bella and Paige but Nikki Bella runs in for the save. The six woman tag is set for Summerslam.

Finn Balor, in the four way tonight, can’t help but think about his first Summerslam in 2016, when he won the title but got hurt. He has spent ten years trying to get back to that moment and now he is so close. Gunther comes in to say he’s next in line and says ten years is a long time.

Video on the six man tag at Summerslam, with LA Knight/Solo Sikoa/Royce Keys vs. the Bloodline.

Keys is warming up when Sikoa comes in to say Keys might be working twice at Summerslam. That’s fine with Keys, who is from this area and ready to fight in front of his friends and family. Knight comes in to say Keys can handle his business tonight as long as he stays ready for Summerslam. Sikoa continues to talk about the team, sounding more and more like an Uso every day.

Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton both want to win, with Green wanting the Interim Women’s Title. With Green gone, Bake Monroe comes in to say she likes Stratton, but wants her to shine that title up for her.

Interim Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Chelsea Green vs. Kiana James

James powers her into the corner to start but gets dropkicked out to the floor. They fight on the floor with James firing off some knees to the ribs and it’s time to go back inside. Green gets in a faceplant but James superkicks her into a Falcon Arrow for two. The Codebreaker connects for James, only for Green to come back with the Unprettier for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but Green going on to the ladder match is a great way to go, as she has done some very good things in previous ladder matches. The fans are behind her right now and that should be the case again at Summerslam. James is pretty firmly locked into this spot as the designated jobber of the division, which isn’t overly surprising.

R-Truth is confused about what Damian Priest is doing (hot dogs and four ways are involved) but Cody Rhodes comes up. Rhodes and Priest say they’ll be winning at Summerslam and Priest promises to win the title. That’s an attitude Rhodes can appreciate and he leaves in peace, which seems to surprise Priest.

We look at the Saturday Night’s Main Event tag match, where Cody Rhodes accidentally hit CM Punk, and the ensuing issues between the two of them.

Here is Rhodes for a chat and he’s in a hurry tonight, as he hits the catchphrase and brings in Punk to join him. Rhodes drops the mic as he hands it to Punk, which Rhodes calls an accident. Punk takes his jacket off though and they go face to face but goes to get his own mic. Punk says it’s a shame that it’s come to this because he doesn’t know if he can trust his friend. Rhodes says he’s going to explain why he needs to win and it isn’t about the title.

That’s what Punk doesn’t get, because the title is more than a good enough reason. Rhodes talks about how they respect each other but he doesn’t like Punk. Back in 2011, Punk cut the Pipe Bomb and Rhodes followed what he said to the letter. What Rhodes also knows is that while he was going around the world doing everything Punk talked about, everyone wanted it to be Punk instead of him.

Rhodes is tired of apologizing though because he’s become the star of WWE. He was on the Tonight Show and he’s going to be on ESPN. Everyone has come for him but the only one he worries about is Punk. For the story to have the proper ending, he has to beat Punk. With Rhodes done, Punk talks about how he casts a big shadow around here and it’s up to the people to decide what he’s done.

Back in 2022, Punk was learning from Rhodes as he showed Punk that there was a way back here. Now though, Punk knows that Rhodes is lying because he has to make himself the victim. If everyone is Rhodes’ enemy, Punk is his only friend but at Summerslam, he’s breaking Rhodes’ heart. Rhodes unbuttons his collar and talks about how they’re going to be teaming on the upcoming live events and he’ll give Punk the traditional main event gift.

Punk says he’s got a gift for Rhodes at Summerslam in the form of a loss. He’s CM Punk and no one can touch him in the ring or on the mic, including Dusty’s kid. Punk goes to leave but Rhodes stops him, saying we’ll play Kingdom so Punk can get a preview of what he’ll hear at the end of their match. Good exchange here and it was easy to follow, though Rhodes’ last ling was pretty weak.

Charlotte doesn’t regret costing Nia Jax a match last week. What she does regret is Alexa Bliss being injured and promises payback on Jade Cargill.

We look back at Fanatics Fest.

Charlotte vs. Nia Jax

Jax powers her into the corner to start so Charlotte kicks her in the face. Charlotte’s Flair Flip in the corner doesn’t do much good as Jax grabs a sitout powerbomb and we take a break. We come back with Jax knocking her down and hitting a middle rope legdrop for two. The Annihilator is countered into a better powerbomb for two more but here are Jade Cargill and the Baddies. Charlotte fights them off and escapes Jax’s Samoan drop, only to get hit in the face by Cargill for the DQ at 8:14.

Rating: B-. This was about all it needed to be as Cargill has a reason to go after Charlotte after last week. The good thing here is that Charlotte has evolved a good bit, as back in the day it wouldn’t have been insane to expect Charlotte to win here despite being down 4-1. It’s nice to see that isn’t the case anymore, as Charlotte has evolved a good bit and it has been a notable improvement.

Post match Cargill and the Baddies beat Charlotte down but Jax freaks out, as she’s lost another match due to a feud she isn’t involved in two weeks in a row.

Summerslam rundown.

Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Balor

Non-title and for a shot against Sami Zayn at Summerslam in the #1 contenders match. Keys takes over to start fast and we take a break about thirty seconds in. We come back with Balor escaping Keys’ powerslam and Priest faceplanting Williams. Back up and Williams sends Balor and Keys into the corner for a double stomping but has to deal with Priest. With everyone else on the floor, Balor is up with a big running flip dive but here is Solo Sikoa as we take another break.

We come back again with the Usos coming out to brawl with Sikoa so here is LA Knight to even things up a bit. Priest dives onto all four of them and Balor misses a Coup de Grace on Williams. That means a Trick Kick for two as Knight, Sikoa and the Usos brawl to the back. Priest gives Williams the South Of Heaven for two so Keys grabs the USB, only to be pulled out by Jacob Fatu. Keys is quickly wrecked and Balor Coup de Graces Priest for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: B. There was A LOT going on here but the good thing is that it all tied together and made sense. They had all of those other people involved and it fit with Keys being involved in both stories at once. Balor is the logical choice to move forward and I’m not completely sure who wins when he faces Zayn. Good main event here after a show without much wrestling.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling wasn’t the focus here, as they pushed the stories towards Summerslam quite a bit. The six man got a nice bump and Balor vs. Zayn is interesting. Other than that you had the good talking segments and the Jax story has me oddly intrigued. They’re doing a nice job with Summerslam, though unfortunately it isn’t leading to the best in ticket sales. Either way, good PPV build show here.

Results
Brie Bella b. Lainey Reid – Sunset flip
Chelsea Green b. Kiana James – Unprettier
Charlotte b. Nia Jax via DQ when Jade Cargill interfered
Finn Balor b. Damian Priest, Trick Williams and Royce Keys – Coup de Grace to Priest

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: July 17, 2026
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event and the big story continues to be the setup for CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes in a little over two weeks at Summerslam. Gunther and Sami Zayn are less than thrilled with this situation and that means it is time for their final push towards tomorrow’s tag match. In addition, Gunther is having issues with GM Nick Aldis, which feels like a Summerslam match in the making. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the World Title situation and Gunther vs. Aldis.

Here is Gunther to get things going. He prides himself on being a professional but since he joined Smackdown, he has been treated horribly. Nick Aldis is the one who made this personal, and he made it worse by putting him in a tag match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This brings out Adam Pearce, who says Gunther only owes Aldis for saving his job

Aldis has made sure that the match is still on and that the stipulation (this is new) is still on: if Gunther and Zayn win, they’re added to the Summerslam title match and it’s a fatal four way. Gunther absolutely approves but here is Cody Rhodes for the brawl. Rhodes yells about how Gunther had to know this was coming so he wants a match tonight. Pearce makes it official.

Earlier today, Pearce announced that Rhea Ripley is injured and will not be able to compete at Summerslam. There will be an Interim Women’s Champion crowned in a five way ladder match at Summerslam, with Ripley getting the shot against the winner when she gets back. Qualifying matches begin tonight. I’m really not wild on the interim thing, but if Ripley is going to be back relatively soon, it’s fine enough.

Finn Balor vs. Talla Tonga

Talla has Tama Tonga with him. Balor knocks him into the corner to start and gets choked on the ropes for his efforts. Talla gets tossed to the floor but comes back with a clothesline and we take an early break. We come back with Talla’s running powerslam getting two but he misses a charge into the corner. Balor knocks him down and goes up, where Talla’s chokeslam is countered into a DDT. Tama offers a distraction but gets crotched (and bounced) on the top, allowing Balor to dropkick him into the corner. The Coup de Grace finishes Talla at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Balor is getting a nice start to his run on Smackdown, at least after losing in the first round of King Of The Ring. He very easily could be a B show pay per view World Title challenger and they very well may be leading up to that. The Tongas are in the middle of nowhere at the moment but at least they’re putting people over.

CM Punk confirms the Saturday Night’s Main Event stipulation with Adam Pearce. Damian Priest comes up and says if Punk is retaining, he’ll be coming for the title. That works for Punk, who leaves in peace. R-Truth comes up to ask what that was about. Priest: “Dude, you were here the whole time.”

Various women are ready to win the ladder match.

Women’s Ladder Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne

Non-title and the rest of Fatal Influence is here with Jayne. The three of them beat Stratton down but Brie Bella and Paige run in for the save. With the four non-participants gone, Stratton strikes away to officially start and gets two off a basement dropkick. We take an early break and come back with Jayne hammering away until they hit stereo crossbodies. Stratton is up with an Alabama Slam but gets crotched up top. The Rolling Encore misses though and it’s a Regal Roll into the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to give Stratton the win at 7:45.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here but there is something to be said about Jayne having gotten so far that I could have seen her pulling the upset here. It is nice to see her doing so well on the main roster thus far and it should be interesting to see if she finds a way into the ladder match. Stratton has to be a favorite though, as she’ll be in her home state.

Baron Corbin talks about his return last week. He attacked Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes because he’s sick of hearing people pretending to be tough.

Williams wants some of Corbin, because he’s a big bald b****. Hayes comes in and argues a bit but seemingly wants Corbin as well.

We look at Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar’s near brawl from Raw.

Women’s Ladder Qualifying Match: Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

B-Fab and Michin are here with Cargill. Jax wastes no time in knocking her down but misses a middle rope elbow. Cue Charlotte to go after B-Fab and Michin though, followed by a big boot to Cargill for the DQ at 57 seconds.

Post match a ticked off Jax lays out Charlotte, allowing Cargill to give Charlotte Jaded.

Gunther is ready for the main event and runs into Candice LeRae, with Johnny Gargano. LeRae wants Gunther to win for Sami Zayn’s sake tomorrow so Gunther says Zayn needs to show up. Blake Monroe runs in to jump LeRae and tells Gargano that he needs a haircut.

Lash Legend and Nia Jax yell at Adam Pearce over the DQ and Jax gets Charlotte next week as a result.

War Raiders vs. Fraxiom

The Raiders’ AAA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Ivar drives Frazer into the corner to start but it’s off to Axiom for some running forearms. Frazer’s dive to the floor is cut off though, leaving Axiom to moonsault onto both of them. We take a break and come back with Ivar cleaning house, including the spinning powerslam to Frazer.

Ivar’s moonsault misses both of them but Erik drives Ivar into Axiom into the corner. Back up and the dives take out the Warriors on the floor, setting up the superplex into the Phoenix splash to Ivar. Erik makes the last second save though and the Raiders have had it, with Frazer getting crushed. Ragnarok finishes Axiom at 10:30.

Rating: B. I was expecting a squash here (Fraxiom were in the ring for the Raiders’ entrance) and wound up getting a heck of a match. The impressive thing about Fraxiom is that they have been able to do this time after time. They were able to make this work in NXT and they’re doing it again here and it would be nice to see them getting a better chance than what they’ve been doing lately.

We look at LA Knight and company being fired up at Fanatics Fest about their six man tag at Summerslam.

Video on Fanatics Fest.

CM Punk comes up to Cody Rhodes to talk about the Saturday Night’s Main Event stipulation. Punk will have Rhodes’ back tonight, but they’ll also see each other tomorrow and at Summerslam.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Danhausen is reminded about his match with JD McDonagh at Saturday Night’s Main Event and has a black cat…but accidentally curses his computer. An evacuation is recommended.

Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Rhodes jumps him at the entrance to start fast and they get inside for the opening bell. Gunther cuts off a springboard and shoves Rhodes to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Gunther missing a clothesline and getting caught with the Cody Cutter. Another Cody Cutter drops Gunther but he’s back up to wrap the leg around the post. Cue CM Punk as they clothesline each other down.

We take a break and come back with Gunther holding a half crab but Rhodes slips out. Gunther misses a boot in the corner and Rhodes starts in on the leg, with a dragon screw legwhip bringing Gunther out of the corner. Rhodes grabs a Figure Four but here is Sami Zayn to go after Punk. That’s enough for Rhodes to let go of the hold and dive onto Zayn. The brawl is on and Rhodes gets posted for the DQ at 12:30.

Rating: B. This was getting going near the end but as usual, the two of them just do not get to have that big match. Granted in this case that wasn’t the point, as this was about pushing tomorrow’s tag match and that part worked. You also don’t want either of them losing a fall and the DQ made perfect sense here. Nice job.

The big brawl is on and can’t be broken up as the show ends.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah this worked, if nothing else because I wasn’t bored out of my mind as the show went an extra hour. This show was focused around two big ideas, with the ladder match having to be set up in a hurry and the much bigger issue of the stipulation for Saturday Night’s Main Event Main Event.

That was a great example of what happens when you make a match more important, as Saturday Night’s Main Event has gone from ho hum to having a match that could make a big impact on Summerslam. I want to see where that match goes now and that’s an important upgrade for tomorrow night. This show did what it needed to do with a pair of hot matches to wrap it up. Well done here, though Saturday’s show is only looking so important outside of the main event.

Results
Finn Balor b. Talla Tonga – Coup de Grace
Tiffany Stratton b. Jacy Jayne – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
Jade Cargill b. Nia Jax via DQ when Charlotte interfered
War Raiders b. Fraxiom – Ragnarok to Axiom
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther via DQ 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:

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

Smackdown
Date: October 24, 2008
Location: Entertainment Center, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

It’s the last show before Cyber Sunday and Smackdown has the more interesting parts of the pay per view card. That includes Big Show vs. Undertaker in a violent match with rules to be determined, which is oddly the most interesting thing on the card. Other than that, WWE is begging you to care about Vladimir Kozlov in the World Title scene and I’m really not sure it’s clicking. As for tonight, Undertaker vs. HHH should do just fine. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Lia Maivia, the Rock’s grandmother.

Opening sequence.

Here is HHH to get things going, asking if everyone is as sick of Vickie Guerrero as he is. He lists off some of her annoying habits, including being an annoying hag. This time though, he can get away with it because a Twinkie truck was outside so she’ll be grazing for hours. For tonight though, he has to face Undertaker, because it favors Vickie Guerrero. If he doesn’t make it through Undertaker tonight, he might not make it to Cyber Sunday and all of the votes will mean nothing.

This brings out Jeff Hardy to interrupt, saying he knows the audience a bit better than HHH. Hardy thinks he’ll get the title shot and win at Cyber Sunday, which brings out Vladimir Kozlov. He thinks he’ll get voted in and be champion, but HHH has no idea what Kozlov said. HHH also doesn’t care who he faces and then Pedigrees Hardy.

In the back, HHH runs into the Undertaker. Unfortunately he doesn’t apologize.

Maryse/Natalya vs. Maria/Michelle McCool

Hurricane Helms pops in to suggest the women are attractive and McCool works on Maryse’s arm. Natalya’s distraction lets Maryse get in a shot of her own…but here are Jesse & Festus with a mariachi band (Erg, again?). Maria is distracted and misses the tag, allowing Maryse to roll McCool up for the pin. This was in the category of “here’s a Divas segment disguised as a match”.

Colons vs. Bam Neely/Chavo Guerrero

Non-title. Primo takes Guerrero down to start and Guerrero is already looking frustrated. Neely comes in and gets sent into the corner, allowing Carlito to get the tag for a suplex. It’s already back to Guerrero, with Neely distracting Primo so Guerrero can get in a Liger kick. Back up and Neely hits Guerrero by mistake, allowing Carlito to come in with a springboard flipping afro to the face. Something like Cross Rhodes gets two with Guerrero making the save, but Neely goes after Guerrero, who runs away. The Backstabber gives Carlito the pin on Neely.

Rating: C. Oh no. Not the end of Guerrero and Neely! I had basically forgotten that Neely was even on the roster at this point as he hasn’t done anything important in months. It doesn’t help that he wasn’t any good on his best day so this felt more like a way to write off a team who was pretty much already gone.

Post match Hurricane Helms pops up to suggest that Guerrero and Neely could split, ending that amazing team.

Kizarny is coming.

John Cena is returning and celebrities like him a lot.

Michelle McCool yells at Maria about her lack of focus but she’s off to find Festus. Wouldn’t McCool want Maria unfocused before their title match?

Primo hits on Brie Bella but Carlito interrupts, seemingly with no idea what he did. Then Jesse & Festus chase the mariachi band by them, with Maria following them all. Can you tell they don’t have much to talk about on this show?

R-Truth/Kung Fu Naki vs. MVP/Shelton Benjamin

During the entrances, Hurricane Helms pops up to mock MVP for the loss of his tunnel? I like Helms, but is he ever going to actually wrestle? MVP and R-Truth start things off but MVP wants Funaki, with Tazz immediately starting the rhymes. Funaki strikes him into the corner and it’s already off to Benjamin. A belly to back suplex drops R-Truth and it’s back to MVP for the overhead belly to belly. R-Truth clotheslines his way out of trouble and the tag brings Funaki back in to strike away. The Crane Kick puts MVP down for the pin.

Rating: C. Odds are that’s about it for Funaki winning matches like this and that’s not a bad thing. He’s a goofy guy who is going to be doing comedy segments and this one win gives him a bit of credibility. At the same time, MVP continues to have issues getting to his big money bonus and that could lead to some interesting desperation.

Primo goes to hit on Brie Bella and she is suddenly not interested at all. Carlito consoles him but Great Khali comes in to say watch the Kiss Cam.

Here is Khali, with Runjin Singh, for the Kiss Cam. Apparently Khali has gotten some love letters from various fans, including Bruce from San Francisco. With that out of the way, one woman gets to kiss Khali, but Singh brings in a second, heavier, woman. Singh has Khali kiss her because that would take a real man, so kissing ensues. And that’s it. Sweet goodness this is a fillery show.

Kizarny is still coming. We’re not even an hour and a half into this show and we’ve seen this guy twice.

Cyber Sunday rundown.

Undertaker is ready to seal Big Show and Vickie Guerrero’s face on Sunday. As for tonight, he’s ready for HHH as well. Believe it or not, he didn’t have much to say on this show.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Super Crazy

Kendrick’s tickle has been defeated and he still has Ezekiel Jackson with him. Crazy jumps him to start fast and gets in a quick backdrop, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Kendrick gets in a cheap shot though and finishes in a hurry with the Kendrick.

Post match Jackson lays Crazy out.

Video on the recent tour of Mexico.

HHH vs. Undertaker

Non-title. Undertaker shoulders him down a few times to start but HHH is back up with the right hands in the corner. Naturally you don’t do that to Undertaker, who unloads with right hands and the corner clothesline. Undertaker grabs an armbar and a half nelson of all things to stay on the arm.

Old School is broken up though and it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down. Undertaker is back up with Snake Eyes but the big boot is cut off with the jumping knee. The Pedigree is countered as well though and now the big boot gets two. Another Old School attempt is broken up and HHH superplexes him right back down.

They head outside with HHH being sent hard into the steps but the Last Ride doesn’t work. A jumping clothesline gives Undertaker two more and HHH is right back with a spinebuster. The Pedigree and Tombstone are countered so HHH hammers away in the corner, earning himself a Last Ride. That’s enough to bring in Big Show to jump Undertaker for the DQ.

Rating: B. They did a good job here, as the DQ ending came at the right time. They had me wanting to see who was going to win and while the interference was the only good option, it would have been nice to see these two have a big time match. This did feel big and while it’s not enough to save the show, it was by far the best part.

Post match Show lays both of them out with fists and chair shots.

Post break Undertaker and Show are gone so here is Vladimir Kozlov to beat HHH down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Oh my goodness they have got to get past Cyber Sunday. The problem is there are either no specific rules to build matches around or no matches at all. That’s basically saying we find out everything on Sunday and then the matches can take place. It’s not working, because these television shows have nothing to do and you get stuck with a show like this one. Nothing show here, with even a forgotten HHH vs. Undertaker match not being enough to save it.

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: October 17, 2008
Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Tazz, Jim Ross

We’re getting close to Cyber Sunday and the question now is who will be challenging HHH for the World Title. That should make for an interesting choice, as we get to see just how high Jeff Hardy can run up the margin for his win. Hardy has his hands full already tonight though as he has to face Vladimir Kozlov. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the wild ending last week, with Undertaker costing Big Show a World Title shot. That left Vladimir Kozlov to jump HHH, with Jeff Hardy making the save.

Opening sequence.

Here is Big Show, with Chavo Guerrero, who Show saying this isn’t going to go well. Show can’t believe that Undertaker has been messing with him again because they are going to fight at Cyber Sunday. The fans are going to be able to pick the stipulation, with the choices of Last Man Standing, I Quit and a Knockout Match. Tonight, Show is going to demonstrate all three of these things.

Big Show vs. ???

KO Match. Commentary doesn’t know who he is (I do, as it’s Joey Ryan) but he’s knocked cold in about ten seconds.

Big Show vs. ???

I Quit match and it’s another unnamed wrestler (Ryan Taylor, who wrestled under a bunch of names, including Tyler Rust and Rust Taylor). Show makes him give up with a cobra clutch in about thirty seconds.

Big Show vs. ???

Last Man Standing and this would be none other than a VERY young Matt Jackson (with Hurricane Helms popping up to mock Jackson’s sideburns). Guerrero sets up a table and Show chokeslams Jackson through it for the win at a whopping minute and a half or so. Totally fine segment, but more importantly all three options are realistic choices. KO Match is the most likely, but the other two wouldn’t be insane and that’s great to see.

Post match, Jackson is put in a neck brace and Taylor is still out cold on the floor. The devastating was a success.

Tag Team Titles: Colons vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Hawkins and Ryder are challenging. Carlito takes Hawkins down for a legdrop to the back but Ryder’s distraction lets Hawkins take over. Hawkins’ waistlock has Carlito in more trouble but he’s up rather quickly for the tag off to Primo. The pace picks up with a jumping shot to the face getting two on Hawkins as everything breaks down. A quick missile dropkick retains the titles in a hurry.

Rating: C+. That was quick and I was half expecting a title change. The good thing is that the Colons are a fine team who work well together and they do well when they’re given the chance to get in the ring. There is still hardly a tag division around here and a match that only gets a few minutes isn’t that interesting, but at least the champions were out there.

Video on John Cena’s recovery from neck surgery, as he was at the arena about five hours after the operation to visit the wrestlers.

MVP is focused on winning one more match as it gives him a big incentive package.

MVP vs. R-Truth

R-Truth hiptosses him out of the corner to start but gets sent outside for a crash. Back in and MVP’s chinlock doesn’t last long so R-Truth is back up with the spinning forearm. A shoulder to the ribs and an ax kick finish MVP off in a hurry.

Funaki comes in to see Vickie Guerrero and Big Show, who throw him out. Maryse, in a French maid costume, comes in and wonders why she is in a match tonight. Guerrero suggests that it’s for a chance to get a title shot. With Maryse gone, Great Khali comes in and is given a match with Undertaker. That doesn’t work for Khali, so Show gets in his face for some less than subtle threats.

Kizarny says…I have no idea actually but he seems to be on his way to Smackdown.

The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson come to the ring for a match but Kendrick has a TICKLE in his throat and can’t wrestle. Jackson can though.

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Super Crazy

After Hurricane Helms asks if Jackson’s tights come in the right size, Jackson runs Crazy over and finishes with a release Rock Bottom in rather short order.

Post match Kendrick celebrates and hits the Kendrick. On Crazy if that’s not clear.

HHH watches a clip of Vladimir Kozlov brawling with Jeff Hardy last week and says it shows him how much they want to be champion. If you want to do that though, you have to go through him and that’s not an easy task. Pretty simple promo here and I’ll take that over one of his long speeches.

Undertaker vs. Great Khali

Runjin Singh is here with Khali. Undertaker strikes away in the corner to start but gets reversed for the big chops. With those not really working, Khali knocks him down and grabs the vice grip. Undertaker breaks that up as well but here is Big Show to jump Undertaker for the DQ.

Rating: C. This was another match that didn’t have time to do anything, which is a theme tonight (granted that’s the point in some of the cases). At the same time, there is something to be said about keeping Khali’s matches short and WWE seems to understand that. This was about getting Undertaker vs. Show further along and it worked fine for a fast angle advancer.

Post match Show grabs a chair, but Khali slaps it out of his hand for Show costing him the match. Khali leaves but Undertaker gets the chair to crack Show in the back.

Next week: HHH vs. Undertaker. Ok then.

Maria vs. Maryse vs. Natalya vs. Victoria vs. Brie Bella

Say it with me: Fuzzy Dice On A Pole match and the winner gets a Divas Title shot against Michelle McCool. Natalya wastes no time in turning on Victoria and Maryse has to cut Bella off. Maria knocks Maryse down as well and gets the dice (which are bigger than her head) to win rather quickly. This was as dumb as it sounds.

Video on John Cena, who is just peachy. He’s on his way back.

Jesse & Festus vs. Ryan Braddock/Kenny Dykstra

The bell rings and Festus goes Festus, sending the rather big Braddock into the corner. Jesse comes in for an elbow and a headlock but Dykstra pulls him down without much trouble. The chinlock goes on and Hurricane Helms pops up to mock Dykstra a bit. Jesse gets up and brings Festus back in to clean house. The fireman’s carry flapjack ends Dykstra.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash with Jesse getting in his big move: the hot tag to Festus. That’s what he does as well as anything else but it’s not like they’re trying to say he’s anything better. I keep forgetting that Dykstra is around but he’s fine enough for a slightly named jobber.

Remember Kizarny? The one who was coming? He still is.

Maria runs into Michelle McCool, who is looking forward to their match. Maria doesn’t look overly convinced but Jesse & Festus come in. The latter has a flower for Maria, who seems appreciative. Scared, but appreciative.

Cyber Sunday rundown.

Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov

HHH is on commentary. After a quick promo about how he wants the title, Kozlov powers Hardy into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. A powerslam gives Kozlov two and he sends Hardy into the post a few times. We take a break and come back with Hardy staying on the arm as this is totally one sided thus far. Some headbutts and a belly to belly give Kozlov two but Hardy is up for a quick Whisper In The Wind. Something off the top misses so Kozlov headbutts him in the chest for the fast pin.

Rating: C+. This was a total squash for Kozlov as Hardy got in a Whisper In The Wind and that’s about it. The idea here is an attempt to make Kozlov into someone that the fans want to see face HHH at Cyber Sunday so he squashed the person the fans REALLY want to see get the spot. That’s not likely to work, but at least they were trying.

Post match HHH gets in the ring for the staredown as WWE continues their efforts to try to make fans care about Kozlov. It won’t work, but they’re trying.

Overall Rating: C+. They weren’t exactly focusing on the wrestling here with a bunch of short matches. Instead the focus was on building towards the two big matches at Cyber Sunday and oddly enough, Big Show vs. Undertaker was WAY more effective. If nothing else, they had something kind of unique with Big Show demonstrating the matches and I’ll take that over another boring Kozlov match. Not a great show overall, but the big stories got the focuses that they needed.

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: 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:

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Smackdown
Date: June 26, 2026
Location: O2 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re taped from London and it’s the night before Night Of Champions. In this case that means the big final push towards to the pay per view and the previews for the finals of the two Of The Ring tournaments. Things have been looking up a bit around here as of late and it would be great to have that continue. 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 situation, resulting in Cody Rhodes defending against Sami Zayn and Gunther at Night Of Champions.

Here are Trick Williams and Lil Yachty for a chat. Williams was missing last week because he was in Jamaica…where he and Lash Legend got married. After stories about the celebration and what happened all night long, Williams declares it the greatest night of his life. He’s ready to go into Night Of Champions and retain the title and move on to Summerslam.

This brings out a ticked off Ricky Saints to interrupt, with Williams threatening him with his back hand. Saints isn’t impressed and says Williams is overlooking him. Tomorrow, you’re going to be looking at the new US Champion. Williams says the only person Saints needs to be focusing on is his dentist after Williams kicks Saints’ teeth down his throat. Saints gets annoyed at Yachty and gets in a cheap shot, with another dropping a distracted Williams.

Alexa Bliss wants to get revenge for Charlotte, even if it means teaming with Tiffany Stratton. Cue Stratton, who says this is a one night only thing and she wants to be left alone after. That’s a rather specific request.

Tiffany Stratton/Alexa Bliss vs. Michin/B-Fab

Stratton and Michin start things off with Stratton grabbing an early headlock takeover. A running basement dropkick gives Stratton an early two and it’s off to Bliss, who is apparently rather popular. The running Blockbuster puts Michin down but it’s way too early for Sister Abigail.

A not so great tornado DDT puts Michin down on the floor but B-Fab gets in a big boot to Bliss as we take a break. We come back with Michin missing an elbow, allowing Stratton to come back in and clean house. The Alabama Slam gets two on B-Fab and there’s a Regal Roll but cue Jade Cargill to break up the moonsault. A spinning X Factor gives B-Fab the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a fine illustration of following the basic playbook to build towards Saturday’s title match. Stratton has a reason to be mad now and we might be seeing her more focused on revenge than retaining her title. It should make for an interesting match and this was a good way to set it up, as well as a good use of the minions.

Post match the villains surround Stratton so here is Chelsea Green…who drops her kendo stick. Green is able to send Cargill outside anyway though and Cargill leaves with her goons.

We look at Solo Sikoa costing Jimmy Uso on Raw.

Sikoa brags about taking Uso out but the MFT’s say he’s obsessed with Roman Reigns. They’re out, which leaves Sikoa ranting about how no one leaves him.

Jade Cargill demands a match with Chelsea Green for tonight and Nick Aldis obliges.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. They run the ropes to start fast and trade the flips and dives into an early standoff. Frazer flips away from him out of the corner so Fenix is up with a springboard crossbody to put Frazer down. Fenix sends him outside for the big dive but Frazer catches him with a kick of his own. The big running flip dive hits Fenix and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix fighting out of a chinlock and firing off the fast chops. A Roode Bomb gives Fenix two but Frazer catches him up top. The superplex connects but Fenix pops up for a double kick to the head and they’re both down. Back up and Frazer’s middle rope reverse Spanish Fly gets two and he kicks Fenix out to the floor for a big crash. Frazer’s big dive is cut off though and the Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 10:48.

Rating: B. This is another one of those matches where you knew it was going to be entertaining based on whom was involved. That was the case again here, with Fenix getting to showcase himself and Frazer being a perfect choice to hang in there with him. I still don’t want to see the AAA title involved around here, but this was good while it lasted.

Post match respect is shown.

Damian Priest and R-Truth don’t see things the same way on rebuilding the Judgment Day clubhouse but the War Raiders come in to say they want a winner take all title match. R-Truth gets confused and Priest has to take him away.

LA Knight arrives and is on his way to the ring. He also asks why Cathy Kelley, who is supposed to be on Raw, was waiting on him. Fair question.

We recap the King Of The Ring semifinals.

Here is Knight for a chat. Knight talks about how he laid Jimmy Uso out on Raw but he had an unexpected assist. He’d like an explanation on that so Solo Sikoa needs to get out here right now. Cue Sikoa, with the fans chanting for him and Knight finding it a bit catchy. Sikoa says his entire family has left him but Knight isn’t impressed as the MFT’s were useless. Knight doesn’t know what happened on Monday but maybe it was a Roman Reigns initiation.

Sikoa snaps, ranting about how much he hates the Bloodline and he knows he and Knight have that in common. Knight says they should both hate Roman Reigns, just like everyone else in the Bloodline. They’ve all gone back into the Bloodline though so why should Knight trust Sikoa? What’s different here?

The difference is that Sikoa has nothing to lose and they could watch each other’s back and take out the Bloodline. Knight has heard “it’s just me uce” before and he probably needs help, but he’s going to live and die doing things his own way. Thanks but no thanks. That’s an interesting twist, though I liked it better when Montez Ford turned down Seth Rollins to go after the Bloodline about a month ago.

Sami Zayn talks about how no one listens to him, save for Johnny Gargano, but now he can redeem himself by winning the WWE Title.

Paige vs. Jacy Jayne

Brie Bella and the rest of Fatal Influence is here too. Jayne starts fast with the boot choke in the corner so Paige sends her throat first into the top rope. The fans declare this to be Paige’s house as she sends Jayne face first into the buckle over and over. An STF sends Jayne over to the ropes and Paige has to flip dive onto the rest of the team. Jayne uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

We come back with Paige fighting up and hitting a clothesline, meaning it’s time to slug it out. Paige snaps off a suplex and the Paige Turner gets two. Rampaige is broken up though and Jayne kicks her down for two of her own. The Rolling Encore is broken up so Jayne grabs a rollup, with Bella cutting off the cheating. Paige takes out an interfering Reid and rolls Jayne up for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see Paige getting a win in her home country, though I could have gone with not seeing Jayne take another pin. She was off to such a hot start when she debuted and has come crashing back down to earth rather quickly. At least Paige and Bella are getting a chance though, as they certainly never have before.

Danhausen continues his experiments on Miz and Kit Wilson when Matt Cardona comes in. Cardona is happy with the New York winning but Danhausen steps away. Los Garza come in to ask where Danhausen is but Cardona tells them to get lost. Danhausen is back to Cardona not to touch whatever is under the sheet.

Finn Balor runs into the Tongas, with Tama saying they do have a past. He has one with Shinsuke Nakamura too and look how that went. The Tongas leave together.

Here are Danhausen and Miz and Kit Wilson (still mostly catatonic) for a chat. Danhausen greets the fans and calls the two of them the Legion Of Danhausen, meaning we get the zombified catchphrases. Los Garza interrupts and jumps Miz and Wilson but Matt Cardona makes the save. Nick Aldis comes in to make the tag match.

Matt Cardona/Danhausen vs. Los Garza

We’re joined in progress with Cardona beating up Berto but getting sent out to the apron. Angel gets in a cheap shot to take over and the alternating beating begins. With that not working, Los Garza beat up Wilson on the floor but the distraction lets Cardona get in a flapjack. Danhausen gets to come in and clean house as everything breaks down. Miz won’t let Angel get a chair so Danhausen grabs a rollup for two on Berto. A kick to the head puts Danhausen down but he curses Berto on top, causing pyro to go off. That and a reverse DDT give Danhausen the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C. This is a completely acceptable way of putting one of the hotter stars on the show as the fans get to see Danhausen live. It’s not like there was anything serious to the whole thing as you had curses, zombies and…whatever Danhausen is this week. Either way, it’s more fun stuff as they’re keeping Danhausen low on the card where he belongs.

Gunther isn’t pleased with Sami Zayn saying their Night Of Champions match is about Zayn’s redemption. A question about his less than great win/loss record against Cody Rhodes makes it worse and he’s off to deal with Zayn.

Video on Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky in the Queen Of The Ring finals.

Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill

Green strikes away to start and gets in the salute. James sends her outside and grabs a fall away slam as we take a break. We come back with Green striking away again and hitting a missile dropkick for two. Cargill isn’t having any of this and hits her in the face, setting up Jaded for the pin at 6:12 (Cargill looking bored after such an easy win is exactly on point for her).

Rating: C. Yeah this was about all it needed to be, as Cargill smashes through Green on the way to her title match against Green’s one sided friend. It’s a perfectly logical way to go, as is Green not being able to do much with Cargill. I’m sure Green having Tiffany Stratton fully on her side will do the trick though and that seems to be the coming up pretty soon. Just like Cargill’s title shot.

Post match B-Fab and Michin run in but Tiffany Stratton and Alexa Bliss run in for the save. That earns Stratton a Jadeding.

Solo Sikoa is asked about being alone but Royce Keys interrupts. Keys tells him good luck and walks off.

Video on Bron Breakker vs. Seth Rollins.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Lil Yachty and Trick Williams are ticked off at Ricky Saints and ready for revenge. Williams is prettier than Saints too.

Giulia vs. Kiana James

They were friends, they got into a fight and now they’re not. James kicks her in the face at the bell and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Giulia takes over on the outside and they go back inside where Giulia connects with some hard kicks. A headbutt sends James outside again, where she gets in a slam onto the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Giulia hitting a missile dropkick to leave both of them down. They slug it out with Giulia getting the better of things and snapping off a headscissors. A belly to back suplex gives Giulia two but James slams her off the top for a big crash. Giulia pulls her down by the hair but the big knee is countered into a powerbomb for two more. James gets her in a fireman’s carry but gets sunset bombed out of the corner. The northern lights bomb finishes for Giulia at 9:43.

Rating: B-. This was a case where Giulia needed the win a lot more than James, who can be fine as a lackey or assistant etc. On the other hand, Giulia has felt like she has been floating all over the place and looking for something to stick. Maybe this is a step forward for her, as she certainly needs something to work.

Post match Giulia celebrates but Blake Monroe runs in to lay her out.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat but before he can get anywhere, Sami Zayn cuts him off. Zayn thanks his fans for being with him no matter what and he’s sorry for interrupting but he’s the last good guy around here. He apologizes for what happened last week, including hitting Rhodes with the title by mistake. Rhodes: “Was it a mistake?”

Zayn goes on about how this isn’t about how he wanted things to go and Rhodes doesn’t buy that at all. Look at what is going on. Zayn is getting a title shot in a country where he is beloved. The reality is that Zayn is exhausting as he keeps trying to take things. Rhodes wishes Kevin Owens was here because Owens would at least stab him in the front. And at least Owens has been WWE Champion (not quite).

Zayn gets in his face and yells about how Rhodes needs to keep Owens out of his mouth but here is Gunther to say that he doesn’t care about all of the drama around here. If not for Zayn, Gunther would be the WWE Champion but Zayn isn’t a threat to him as a wrestler. Rhodes needs to enjoy his last night as champion because Gunther is taking the title. This brings out Jey Uso to interrupt but Gunther won’t let him run it back.

Uso brings up making Gunther tap out at Wrestlemania and the brawl is on. Gunther and Zayn are cleared out and Rhodes squares off with Uso…and here is Oba Femi. Gunther Zayn get back in and are taken right back out, leaving Rhodes and Femi to stare it down to end the show. They’re doing something interesting here as you could have a few combinations here and they’re all good enough. Nice job here and I’ll take that over having the obvious result that takes forever to come together.

Overall Rating: B-. This did a good enough job of giving a final push towards the pay per view and that’s all it needed to do. They didn’t really add much of anything but the tease at the end did make me more interested. The best thing out of all of this though is we’re back to two hours next week, which is LONG overdue. That should do wonders for Smackdown and I want to see just how well things go when we’re on the road to Summerslam with one less hour to deal with a week. Not a great show here, but it did what it needed to do.

Results
Michin/B-Fab b. Alexa Bliss/Tiffany Stratton – Spinning X Factor to Stratton
Rey Fenix b. Nathan Frazer – Mexican MuscleBuster
Paige b. Jacy Jayne – Rollup
Danhausen/Matt Cardona b. Los Garza – Reverse DDT to Berto
Jade Cargill b. Chelsea Green – Jaded
Giulia b. Kiana James – Northern lights bomb

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: June 19, 2026
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s a big fight feel here as we have the World Title on the line, with Cody Rhodes defending against Gunther. That’s not all though as Sami Zayn, who isn’t happy with Rhodes, is the guest referee. That should make for a heck of a main event as we’re also closing in on Night Of Champions next Saturday. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap Gunther challenging Cody Rhodes for the World Title. Rhodes beat him at Clash In Italy but Gunther’s foot was underneath the rope. Gunther demanded a rematch and got to pick the stipulation, which is having Sami Zayn as guest referee, mainly because Zayn and Rhodes aren’t getting along either.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Rhodes is defending and Sami Zayn is guest referee. Gunther knocks Rhodes down to start and works on the arm but Zayn breaks up Rhodes trying to throw a right hand in the corner. Zayn cuts Rhodes off again and this time Gunther boots Rhodes in the face. Gunther elbows him in the face and commentary isn’t pleased with Zayn not getting on Gunther as much.

A Cody Cutter connects out of nowhere and Rhodes follows up with a powerslam. Gunther is right back with a knockdown into the Figure Four but Zayn catches him grabbing the ropes. Rhodes’ rollup gets a fairly counted two and he follows it up with Cross Rhodes but Zayn sees Gunther’s boot underneath the rope. For some reason Rhodes complains and Zayn shoves him, right into a sleeper from Gunther.

Rhodes gets the rope as well and Zayn has to drag Gunther off the hold, which isn’t going well for Gunther either. Gunther shoves him so Zayn comes back with a slap, earning himself a powerbomb. Rhodes makes the big comeback and hits Cross Rhodes for two from a second referee. Gunther’s shotgun dropkick and powerbomb get two, with Zayn pulling the referee out. Back in and Rhodes tries a sunset flip, with Gunther grabbing the rope. Zayn kicks his hands away though and the fast count retains Rhodes’ title at 11:19.

Rating: B-. Much like their previous match, I was expecting something a bit bigger than this, which was pretty much just good enough. That ending all but guarantees a third match, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Zayn added to make it a triple threat. That’s a good way to make it more interesting, and hopefully they go a bit bigger with the whole thing, as it deserves.

Post match Gunther yells at Nick Aldis and Zayn as Rhodes says get a proper referee out here and restart the match. Gunther decks Zayn and sprints to the ring with a regular referee and we’re back at it.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Rhodes is defending again and they slug it out before trading sleepers. Gunther’s works a bit better until Rhodes escapes, only to get caught in it again. Cue Zayn to Helluva Kick Gunther for the DQ at 1:09 (Rhodes and Gunther were both in the corner so it wasn’t clear who Zayn was aiming for but he screams at Gunther after to make things obvious).

Post match Zayn grabs the title and decks the regular referee before hitting Rhodes with the belt by mistake (though I’m not sure who else it was supposed to be). An upset Zayn leaves, ripping up a fan’s sign in the process.

We look at the recent issues between Jade Cargill/her minions and Charlotte/Alexa Bliss.

Cargill isn’t worried about what is going on and wants the Women’s Title.

We recap the whole World Title situation.

Gunther blames Aldis for what happened and wants another title match at Night Of Champions.

Jacob Fatu comes in to see Solo Sikoa about Roman Reigns wanting him in the Bloodline. Sikoa turns him down again but Fatu says that’s a bad idea. Sikoa is running out of time, which leaves him confused. Fatu leaves and the MFT’s come in to say Sikoa’s family business is starting to mess with their family business. Sikoa says he has this.

You know how Blake Monroe has been teasing her…well return actually? She still is.

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

Priest/R-Truth are defending. Talla shoves Priest into the corner, where Priest gives him a crotch chop. Priest gets sent into the corner for some stomping as the War Raiders are watching backstage. Tama comes in and gets knocked into the champs’ corner, with R-Truth coming in for the flying shoulders. The John Cena sequence is cut off as R-Truth is sent to the floor for a big boot and apron chokeslam from Talla.

We take a break and come back with R-Truth kicking Tama down and making the diving tag to Priest. Talla gets knocked to the floor but Tama is back with a swinging neckbreaker. Cue Solo Sikoa to yell at Talla and then get taken down by Priest. R-Truth grabs a rollup on Tama to retain the titles at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was another match where it felt like Priest and R-Truth should have lost the titles, though the Raiders might be the ones to take the belts off of them. At the same time the Bloodline Lite issues continue and that has to clash with the main version of the team sooner or later. I’m just not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Post match the MFT’s walk away from Sikoa.

Sami Zayn does his weekly rant to Johnny Gargano when Nick Aldis comes in to ask what that was about. Zayn says he’s the one who keeps getting cheated and he’s not going anywhere.

Jey Uso and Je’Von Evans jaw at each other before their King Of The Ring semifinals.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

For a future US Title shot. Hayes starts fast with a clothesline but Saints is back up with the strutting Old School. Well most of it at least as he dives into an atomic drop but at least he looked good in the process. Hayes hits a slingshot DDT to the apron and we take a break. We come back with Hayes fighting out of a chinlock. Saints’ bulldog out of the corner is countered into a belly to back suplex and Hayes’ springboard DDT gets two.

They clothesline each other down but Hayes is back up with Dirty Diana. The suplex cutter gets two but Hayes misses Nothing But Net. Saints’ tornado DDT is blocked as well so Hayes throws him off the top, only to get crotched on an exposed buckle. The Roshambo is countered into the First 48 but Saints kicks him into an exposed buckle for the pin at 14:25.

Rating: B. I can go for Saints getting the title shot as Hayes vs. Trick Williams is likely going to be a big deal when it finally happens. For now though, Saints is still getting established around here so a win over a former champion, even one that came through less than fair means, is a good idea. It helps that they can both work this style rather well and they have some chemistry despite not having a ton of experience against each other.

Cody Rhodes wants and receives a triple threat against Gunther and Sami Zayn at Night Of Champions.

Charlotte wants her fifteenth World Title.

We look at Danhausen being discussed in the fallout from the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship. Danhausen going from nothing more than a comedy goof to being discussed on the Tonight Show and being interviewed on ESPN is insane, but also evidence of what can happen when you stick with something and get to showcase your talent.

Danhausen is doing experiments on the still messed up Miz and Kit Wilson when Los Garza come in. They lost a lot of money on the NBA Finals because of the curse but Matt Cardona comes in to clear the out (he’s happy because his team finally won). Danhausen thanks “Zack”, who corrects him and then touches Miz, which gives him a shock. Cardona: “Woo woo woo!” Danhausen asks if Cardona is ok. Cardona: “You know it.” Danhausen is all giddy.

Finn Balor comes in to see R-Truth, who talks about dragons, Rikishi and the Wild Samoans. He’ll help Balor when he needs it because when you’re Judgment Day, you’re Judgment Day for life. Damian Priest comes in (with R-Truth thinking they need to play water polo) and says he’s out of any celebration for Balor, because he doesn’t celebrate with people he doesn’t trust. R-Truth doesn’t get why Priest doesn’t trust him when they’re partners.

We recap the World Title situation again.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Jey Uso vs. Je’Von Evans

Evans rolls him up to start and hits an early dropkick out to the floor. We take an early break and come back with Uso still in trouble but hitting a pop up Samoan drop. Evans loses his shirt and reveals tape around his ribs so Uso has a target. A backbreaker stays on the ribs and Uso shoves him off the apron and into the barricade.

We take another break and come back with Evans still in trouble but catching Uso on the top. A super Spanish Fly plants Uso and they’re both down for a breather. Evans fights up and they knock each other down, where at least they can see the Fireflies for some reason. Back up and the spear gives Uso two but he charges into a superkick. The spinning kick to the head drops Uso again but he’s right back up with another spear. The Superfly Splash pins Evans at 17:57.

Rating: B. I’m not sure how much the result was in doubt here but it was nice to see Evans getting to hang in there against a former World Champion. Evans is pretty clearly becoming an established name around here and it’s working, which is a good sign. Uso is the bigger deal here though and him facing Oba Femi could be rather interesting.

Post match Uso shows respect. That’s a bit of a surprise.

Jacob Fatu goes to see Solo Sikoa, who thinks Roman Reigns sent Fatu here to mess with their business. If Reigns keeps messing with things, Sikoa will be coming to Raw to mess with him.

Giulia wants to face Kiana James next week in London.

Tiffany Stratton is ready to defend the Women’s US Title at Night Of Champions when Chelsea Green comes up to offer her help. Stratton appreciates it but she’s got this on her own.

NXT Origins video on Alexa Bliss.

Liv Morgan talks about how Charlotte is always talking about her success because she lives in the past. Morgan is the present.

Paige and Brie Bella are ready for Bayley/Lyra Valkyria.

Fatal Influence blame their loss last week on the referee so they want another chance.

Jey Uso runs into Cody Rhodes and warns him about Summerslam, which is fine with Rhodes. Sami Zayn comes in to praise Uso but thinks he’ll be the champion at Summerslam. Uso says he’ll do what he has to do, so Zayn says say hi to the family for him.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Charlotte runs into Jade Cargill/Michin/B-Fab but doesn’t seem worried. That doesn’t seem to be a good idea as the three of them jump her and damage her knee.

Post break, Charlotte is getting looked at when Liv Morgan comes in to say she’ll see you out there.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss

Non-title and Charlotte limps to the ring, earning her an early chop block from Morgan. The medics and Nick Aldis come out to check on Charlotte but she insists she can go. That just means Morgan can go after the knee again, including ramming it into the ring skirt board. We take an early break and come back with Bliss wrapping the leg around the post. A dropkick puts it into the post and a suplex sends it into the rope.

Charlotte reverses another suplex though and uses the good leg for a big boot. For some reason Charlotte goes up top for a high crossbody before winning a slugout. Morgan fights back but gets booted out of the air but Charlotte’s knee gives out as she tries a moonsault. We take another break and come back with Morgan kicking her into the corner and going after the knee again. Charlotte’s backbreaker out of the corner doesn’t get her very far as Morgan ties her in the Tree Of Woe.

Somehow Charlotte fights out and hits a super Natural Selection. The Figure Four has Morgan in trouble for a change so she rolls out to the rope. A half crab puts Charlotte in trouble again so she makes the rope, which has the medics checking on her. Charlotte wants to keep going and Oblivion out of nowhere gets two. Morgan grabs a rather hard half crab and Charlotte gives up at 18:57.

Rating: B. So we have the Raw Women’s Champion vs. another Raw star for a shot at either the Raw or Smackdown Women’s Title in the finals? Anyway, this was a classic story with Charlotte fighting through the injury but not being able to make it in the end. It’s good enough that I barely remembered Je’Von Evans and Jey Uso doing the same thing in the previous match.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a rather busy show with a bunch of stuff happening, including the rather fun World Title situation. The story jumped forward a long way in one night and they made it work, which isn’t something I was expecting. Other than that you had good action up and down the card, with only the Sikoa/Bloodline stuff being less than interesting. Rather good show here, with Night Of Champions looking better as a result.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther – Sunset flip with a fast count
Gunther b. Cody Rhodes via DQ when Sami Zayn interfered
Damian Priest/R-Truth b. MFT’s – Rollup to Tama
Ricky Saints b. Carmelo Hayes – Kick into an exposed turnbuckle
Jey Uso b. Je’Von Evans – Superfly Splash
Liv Morgan b. Charlotte – Half crab

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: June 12, 2026
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back in America after the two week European tour and this week is about setting up something in the future. In this case, it’s Gunther getting to announce the stipulation for his title shot against Cody Rhodes, which takes place next week. That could go in a few directions, but it’s Gunther’s call. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long Cody Rhodes/Gunther recap.

Rhodes arrives and runs into Nick Aldis, who says Gunther will name the stipulation tonight. That works for Rhodes and Aldis leaves, with the Usos replacing him. Jey says that he’s winning the King Of The Ring and coming for the title, but it’s not personal. That’s fine with Rhodes as well, but he hopes it’s what Jey wants and not Roman Reigns.

Commentary tells us that Rhea Ripley has a knee injury and is undergoing treatment so we’ll see where things go from there.

We look back at Jade Cargill and company winning last week’s six woman tag.

Jade Cargill, with B-Fab and Michin, is ready for the Queen Of The Ring and Charlotte, whose entrance cuts her off.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Charlotte vs. Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Jade Cargill

Non-title. Everyone goes after Cargill to start so she suplexes Valkyria and Ruca at the same time. Charlotte is knocked outside and Cargill’s minions jump her, drawing out Alexa Bliss and Tiffany Stratton for the save. The four of them brawl off and Charlotte high crossbodies Cargill for two as we take a break.

We come back with Ruca rolling Cargill up for two but Valkyria throws Ruca outside. Charlotte goes up top but Ruca jumps up top with her, only to have Valkyria take Ruca out again. Cargill powerbombs Valkyria and Charlotte down at the same time but Ruca is back in for the save. Valkyria rolls Ruca up for two so Ruca moonsaults off the top onto all three at once for the huge crash.

We take another break and come back with Charlotte catching Cargill on top, where Ruca helps Charlotte with a double superplex. Ruca is back up with a springboard double flipping clothesline, only to have Cargill take her down. Cargill gives Charlotte Jaded but gets caught with the Sol Snatcher. Valkyria is back in but gets caught in Natural Selection. The Figure Eight makes Valkyria tap at 17:59.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match with Charlotte getting the win but it didn’t feel like she dominated the whole match as she has been known to do before. Cargill was the big force here but the other two were hardly just cannon fodder. I liked this and Charlotte is oddly working as a heroine after so many years as the big evil.

In the back, B-Fab and Michin come after Tiffany Stratton again but Chelsea Green runs in for a save with a kendo stick, with one heck of a crazy look on her face. Stratton has no idea what to make of this.

Jacob Fatu comes in to see the Usos but he’s here to see Solo Sikoa.

Blake Monroe doesn’t like Charlotte either. Why did they have her pop up in that backstage segment if she’s just doing these “she’s coming” vignettes?

Gunther comes in to see Nick Aldis and makes the announcement: he gets to pick the referee for the title match next week. That’s fine with Aldis, but we have to wait to find out who the referee will be.

Finn Balor is fired up to be here when R-Truth comes in to say the Judgment Day is back together. Balor is confused but Damian Priest comes in for a rather tense reunion.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Paige/Brie Bella vs. Fatal Influence

Paige/Bella are defending after Fatal Influence jumped them last weeks. Henley takes Bella into the corner to start but it’s off to Paige to take over. Everything breaks down and the champs strike away to take over until Jacy Jayne trips Bella down. Bella has to fight out of the corner but another distraction means the referee misses the tag. That means Reid can grab her running Blockbuster for two and we take a break.

We come back with Bella getting over for the tag to Paige and house is cleaned. Henley gets caught in the Scorpion Crosslock, which is quickly broken up. The Rampaige drops Reid with Henley making the save. Jayne has to make another save and gets ejected, leaving Paige to small package Henley to retain at 10:34.

Rating: C. This was the latest time for the Cinderella run between the team no one was asking to see continues. It’s another case where the initial win was fine but it’s hard to buy that so many teams can’t beat Paige and Bella. The match wasn’t awful, but it’s become clear that there is nothing to the champs and they get less interesting together week to week. Then again it keeps us from them losing the titles and getting the Bellas’ magic moment so this could always be worse.

We look at Sami Zayn getting involved with Cody Rhodes and Gunther.

Zayn rants to Johnny Gargano again, with Candice LeRae asking when Gargano is going to get up and do something.

Los Garza gives Danhausen money and Matt Cardona comes in to say he doesn’t have money but gives Danhausen a watch and ring. Kit Wilson brings in Miz, who is only able to spout catchphrases since Danhausen electrocuted him. Danhausen electrocutes Wilson as well and leaves, with Wilson sparking. Pretty normal night.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn isn’t sure why he isn’t getting as nice of a reaction as he got in Europe but that’s ok. Do you want to boo him or ride or die with the Last Real Good Guy? Zayn is out here to clear the air with Cody Rhodes, who comes out to join him. Rhodes does his usual but Zayn doesn’t want this Rhodes for a change. A few weeks ago, Rhodes made Zayn feel terrible when he walked away while Rhodes was choked out.

That’s what Rhodes deserved on that day and Zayn wants Rhodes to tell him the truth. Rhodes says that Zayn is asking for an explanation of professional wrestling and Zayn is smarter than that. Zayn talks about being the first person to congratulate Rhodes when he won the title because he’s a good guy.

Rhodes snaps about how the fans telling Zayn that he sucks and it’s true right now because Zayn is whining. Let’s not pretend that this is about anything but the title. Zayn slaps him in the face and immediately realized he went too far. Rhodes says they’re done so Zayn grabs a chair, only to drop it and leave. I think you know where this is going and that’s a good thing.

Jacob Fatu comes in to see Solo Sikoa and has a message from Roman Reigns: it’s time to come home. Sikoa doesn’t know what has happened to Fatu, but Reigns is humiliating him. Sikoa gets fired up and wants Fatu to be himself but Fatu says he’s made his decision. When his business with Reigns is done, he’s coming for Sikoa. That’s fine with Sikoa, who says if Reigns wants him back, come get him.

We look at Rey Fenix winning the AAA Cruiserweight Title.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. Axiom

Fenix is defending and starts fast with a dropkick out to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive. Back in and Axiom snaps off a suplex but Fenix sends him outside for a crash. Axiom catches him with a dropkick on the floor though and the big moonsault takes him down again.

We take a break and come back with Fenix kicking away but getting caught on top. Fenix knocks him right back down and hits a frog high crossbody for two. Axiom counters a springboard into a German suplex but the Golden Ratio is cut off with a kick to the head. Something like a Death Valley Driver gives Fenix two but Axiom jumps the corner for a super Spanish Fly. Fenix kicks him in the head again in the corner and the Mexican MuscleBuster retains the title at 12:15.

Rating: B-. It was good, high flying action but at the same time I really hope that this is a one off title defense. I do not need to see another title on this show, especially from another company (even if it is owned by WWE). WWE has had Cruiserweight Titles before and it doesn’t need to be happen again.

Gunther comes up to Nick Aldis and picks Sami Zayn as the guest referee for next week’s title match.

Here are Trick Williams and Lil Yachty for a chat. Williams is not happy that he lost last week but he is still the US Title and the Lemon Pepper Stepper. This brings out Ricky Saints to interrupt but Carmelo Hayes interrupts his interruption. Hayes is tired of the catchphrases from Saints, who says he is the only one who should be getting a title shot. Bickering ensues but Williams tells them to shut up and figure it out themselves. Until then, let the grown folks talk. The brawl is on and Williams stands tall.

Royce Keys is interrupted by Solo Sikoa, who wants to help even the odds against the Bloodline. Sikoa doesn’t need Keys to fight with him, but he doesn’t want Roman Reigns to get his way.

Chelsea Green/Tiffany Stratton vs. B-Fab/Michin

Stratton and Michin start things off with Stratton giving her an Alabama Slam. It’s off to Green, who gets kicked in the ribs and head, followed by a double faceplant. We take a break and come back with Green getting rammed into the corner, setting up Michin’s middle rope hurricanrana for two. Back up and Green avoids a charge to send B-Fab into the post but here is Jade Cargill to pull Stratton off the apron. The Unprettier hits B-Fab but Michin is in with the Styles Clash for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C. This was more of a step in what feels like a bigger story of Green and Stratton becoming friends. Stratton is going to want to thank Green for her help and that could make for a fun way to go. If nothing else, Green brings all kinds of energy to anything she does and that could be great to see.

Post match Cargill lays out Stratton with Jaded and holds up the US Title.

We look at Kiana James and Giulia splitting last week.

James rants about how she’s done everything she has done for Giulia, which brings in Giulia to interrupt. Giulia didn’t need James’ help in the ring and gives her a heck of a slap.

Finn Balor runs into Tama Tonga, who welcomes him to Smackdown.

Cody Rhodes talks to Nick Aldis and isn’t sure about Sami Zayn as guest referee. Zayn comes in to repeat Rhodes’ issues with him and says good luck next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

LA Knight isn’t worried about the Bloodline being in the building because Knight is in the building. He can’t wait for Jey and Jacob to be back in the Bloodline, barefoot and pregnant. He’s coming for the crown and then Roman Reigns.

King Of The Ring First Round: LA Knight vs. Finn Balor vs. Jey Uso vs. Royce Keys

It’s a brawl to start with Keys clearing out Uso and Knight, leaving Balor to take them out with a running flip dive. We take a break and come back with Uso striking away on Keys until Knight makes the save. Keys runs Knight over with a clothesline and gives Balor a super spinning powerslam. Uso knocks Keys to the floor but his dive is dropped onto the apron. Jimmy Uso pops up for a staredown with Keys and here is Solo Sikoa as we take another break.

We come back again with Keys planting Balor onto the apron but running into a superkick from Jey. With Keys down, the other three TripleBomb him through the announcers’ table. That allows Balor to knock Knight down for two with Jey making the save. Jey’s spear is cut off and the shotgun dropkick sends him into the corner.

Knight is cut off and the Coup de Grace connects but Keys makes the save. Sikoa yells at Keys, who gets dropkicked through the ropes by Knight. Back in and Knight gives Jey a Burning Hammer and drops the top rope elbow on Keys. Knight gets up but walks into the USB, only for Jey to hit the Superfly Splash for the pin at 18:41.

Rating: B. This was more of a hard hitting match and you could have had multiple options for the winner. Keys seems to be the wild card in the whole Bloodline story at the moment and that could go in a few directions, including not at all. Uso winning keeps things going with the Bloodline, though having Balor lose in his first match on Smackdown is a bit odd. I’m not sure where this leaves Knight either and I’m tired of that being the case.

Overall Rating: B-. The tournament matches were good but the rest of the matches left a little something to be desired, with nothing really standing out. Green joining forces with Stratton, and Stratton actually approving, is a good thing, but the match was hardly anything noteworthy. This show really needs to get back to two hours as soon as possible, as it’s going to tighten things up a lot and cut out a bunch of the filler. At least Gunther vs. Rhodes is going to be huge next week, especially with the Zayn issue. Not a great show here, but the good parts were enough to carry it by.

Results
Charlotte b. Sol Ruca, Lyra Valkyria and Jade Cargill – Figure Eight to Valkyria
Paige/Brie Bella b. Fatal Influence – Small package to Henley
Rey Fenix b. Axiom – Mexican MuscleBuster
Michin/B-Fab b. Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green – Styles Clash to Green
Jey Uso b. Finn Balor, Royce Keys and LA Knight – Superfly Splash to Knight

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