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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Michin vs. Kiana James

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carmelo Hayes/The Miz vs. Street Profits

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

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

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

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

Solo Sikoa is ready to take out Sami Zayn.

Clash In Paris rundown.

US Title: Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa

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

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

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

Zayn celebrates to end the show.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexa Bliss vs. Piper Niven

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

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

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

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

The Miz/Carmelo Hayes vs. Fraxiom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Street Profits vs. DIY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Summerslam 2025 Night Two
Date: August 3, 2025
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re back for the second half of the show after yesterday’s pretty snazzy first half. In this case we’re headlined by Cody Rhodes challenging John Cena for the Smackdown World Title. Cena seems to have seen the light again and that could make for a big change of pace. Other than that, Solo Sikoa is defending the US Title against Jacob Fatu in a cage. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at last night’s highlights, along with that Druski guy talking about how this is another chance to shake up the world. The regular opening video again features various reaction shots.

Here’s HHH to fire up the crowd with a “you ain’t seen nothing yet”.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Naomi

Naomi is defending and is played to the ring by….her dad. Well that’s awesome. Naomi drops to the floor to start but is thrown back inside and surrounded. Ripley kicks Sky in the face by mistake so Naomi drops Sky across the top and bites Ripley’s thumb for a change of pace. A hanging X Factor drops Sky and Ripley gets knocked into the corner. The Blockbuster puts Sky down and Naomi sends her outside.

Ripley is back up with a belly to back faceplant to Naomi and Sky is back up with the springboard missile dropkick. Sky’s 619 into a German suplex sends Naomi outside and it’s time for the big showdown. Sky small packages Ripley into a quickly broken crossface, followed by a poisonrana. Naomi is back in and goes to the floor with Ripley, allowing Sky to Asai moonsault both of them.

Back in and Sky’s Over The Moonsault is broken up so Sky goes up again and hits Ripley. Naomi rolls Sky up for two and everyone is down. Ripley is back up for Riptide on Naomi, with Sky making the save. Sky and Ripley kick Naomi out to the floor before Ripley flip dives onto Naomi on the floor. Sky follows them outside and powerbombs Ripley onto Naomi for the nasty landing. Back in and Ripley catches Sky on top for a super Riptide, only for Naomi to come in and roll Ripley up with trunks for the pin at 16:23.

Rating: B. Good start to the show here, as Ripley’s frustrations continue to mount. At the same time, Naomi has been on a roll as of late and it’s great to see her getting a chance like this. She’s won me over in recent months and that’s a nice feeling. Ripley might have to do something drastic soon and I’m not sure how that’s going to go. As for Sky…well she’s Iyo Sky, which is quite the praise.

The Dudleys and Hardy Boyz are here for the TLC match.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks vs. DIY vs. Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

The Wyatts are defending in a TLC match. The challengers jump the Wyatts to start and it’s time for the parade of dives to the floor. Fraxiom brings in a ladder, with the Guns picking it up, only to have it dropkicked back against them. The Wyatts cut Fraxiom off from climbing and go up, with the Profits making the save. The Profits backdrop Gacy at a ladder….but completely miss it, so they try it again to make sure they get it right (nice reaction for that).

Some more tables are set up at ringside but Andrade and Fenix come in, with Fenix climbing onto Andrade’s shoulders and touching the belts (the fans are impressed). That’s broken up and it’s time to set up a bunch of tables around ringside. Lumis dives onto Ford and then Fenix hits a dive of his own through Fraser. Dawkins goes up but gets taken down by Axiom’s super Spanish Fly through some tables.

With everyone else down, Candice LeRae, B Fab and Nikki Cross go up for the belts but get pulled back down. LeRae goes up again and gets knocked down through a bridged ladder for a terrifying crash (her knee looked like it landed badly). Gargano goes up but gets pulled down by Ford, with Rowan coming in to kick him in the face. Rowan cleans house until the Profits send him through a table in the corner.

Ciampa goes up but the Guns move the ladder. Frazer tries a spear off the ladder but Ciampa pulls himself up onto the belts to send Frazer crashing (that was NUTS). DIY goes up but Uncle Howdy comes in to shove them both down, with DIY going crashing through a pile of tables at ringside. Fraser goes up but gets caught in Howdy’s Mandible Claw. Andrade dives up with a sunset bomb to bring him back down but the other Wyatts go up, with Gacy pulling down the titles to win at 16:03.

Rating: B. This was a total spectacle and stunt show, with that Ciampa sit up spot being an all time highlight. At the same time, this didn’t have the flow of the classic TLC match from earlier this year, partially due to how many people were involved. This one felt more like it was about going viral than having a great match and the segment in the middle where people dove off the posts to the floor summed up the issue. While they were getting ready to dive, the ring was empty and a ladder was set up. Why was no one going for the belts? Yes it’s a spotfest, but at least try to look like you want to win.

We look at Seth Rollins cashing in last night….in various languages.

We recap Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Title. They won the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania but lost them on the following Raw. Lynch turned on her and then won the Intercontinental Title while basically saying she used Valkyria as a stepping stone. Now it’s Valkyria’s last chance and anything goes. There’s also the Bayley factor, as she isn’t happy with being left out of Summerslam.

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

Anything goes, Lynch is defending and she comes out to new music. Valkyria knocks her outside to start but Lynch takes over, allowing her to whip out a kendo stick. Valkyria isn’t worried as she comes out with a metal crowbar, which knocks the stick away. A crossbody off the barricade drops Lynch and Valkyria sends her…well right into a photographer actually. That doesn’t seem to do much damage as Valkyria sends Lynch into the post and then over the announcers’ table.

A table is pulled out but Lynch uses the delay to whip out a chain. Said chain is wrapped around Valkyria’s mouth as commentary gets into it about whether Valkyria is a threat to Lynch without having beaten her. Cole: “She has beaten her.” Lynch knocks her down again and grabs a toolbox, with a hard shot getting two. Lynch finds a zip tie in the toolbox and ties Valkyria’s hands together so the beating can continue.

The chairs are loaded up…but Valkyria slips her arms around Lynch and gets a belly to belly. Valkyria gets back up (ignore the camera showing the zip tie coming undone and having to be reset) and manages a moonsault with her hands tied together. The turnbuckle pad is taken off but Lynch sends her to the floor, where Valkyria (hands still tied) comes out with a fire extinguisher blast. Valkyria uses the edge of the fire extinguisher handle to cut herself free and unloads with a kendo stick.

A fisherman’s suplex gets two and they go back outside, with Valkyria hitting Nightwing off the stairs for a nasty crash. Back in and Valkyria misses a charge into the exposed buckle, setting up a Manhandle Slam onto some open chairs….for two. Lynch ties her up in a chair and kicks away, including ramming Valkyria into the announcers’ table.

Lynch grabs the crowbar but cue Bayley to take it away and beat on Lynch around ringside. Bayley misses a running knee but Valkyria is back up with a legdrop to send Lynch through a table. Back in and both finishes are countered…and Bayley accidentally knocks Valkyria silly with a chain. The Manhandle Slam finishes for Lynch at 25:07.

Rating: C+. On one hand, this was a heck of a fight with some creative spots and Valkyria getting to show off some incredible athleticism when her hands were tied. It also helps that despite here interference being pretty obvious, it didn’t feel like a countdown until Bayley showed up. At the same time though, MY GOODNESS this did not need to be so long. It’s a great example of a match that could have been ten minutes shorter and improved as a result. That’s on top of the main event being a street fight, with this one making that one feel less unique. Good parts to it, but it desperately needed some cuts.

We recap Solo Sikoa defending the US Title against Jacob Fatu in a cage. They were close, then Fatu turned on him because he was tired of Sikoa taking advantage of him. Sikoa stole the US Title and tried to get Fatu arrested so it’s time for a cage match to ensure that it’s 1-1.

US Title: Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is challenging in a cage and knocks Sikoa down to start. A running elbow drops Sikoa but he sends a charging Fatu into the cage. The slow beating continues but Fatu is back up with a hard clothesline. Sikoa sends him into the cage…and Fatu shrugs it off. A pair of moonsaults connect to give Fatu two so cue the MFT’s. The distraction brings out Jimmy Uso, who gets taken out without much trouble.

Fatu has to hold off the MFT’s, who start to climb into the cage. That’s broken up, but one of them manages to handcuff Fatu to the cage (in case the tied hands deal in the previous match wasn’t enough). Sikoa goes to the door but Fatu pulls the cuffs apart and makes the save. Talla Tonga slams the cage on Fatu’s head though and Sikoa escapes to retain at 12:05.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t much to see and the problem comes down to the fact that it didn’t feel like any kind of big moment. Instead it was just the two of them doing stuff until the interference started. It wasn’t an interesting match and Fatu only got to do so much. Sikoa keeping the title is fine, but they could have found a better way to do it.

Post match Uso gets back up and goes after Tonga Loa and JC Mateo. They’re thrown inside and Fatu takes both of them down. The moonsault off the top of the cage takes both of them down to show off that Fatu is awesome. And that’s kind of the problem with this whole story: win or lose, they’re going to keep fighting, which makes this match feel kind of unimportant.

We recap Dominik Mysterio vs. AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Title. Styles has been wanting a title shot but Guerrero has claimed an injury to avoid having to defend against him. For some reason Styles put on a bunch of costumes to….I’m really not sure why as it was about waiting for Mysterio to get healthy. Anyway, the match is on.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. AJ Styles

Styles is challenging….and comes out in a low rider (with his son next to him), a STYLES HEAT shirt and does the Eddie dance. Styles hammers away to start fast and takes over on Mysterio in the corner. A missed charge sends Styles crashing out to the floor though and Mysterio puts him on the top. The super hurricanrana is countered into a failed Styles Clash attempt, leaving Styles to hit a diving tornado DDT.

Styles slips on a Phenomenal Forearm attempt and charges into a Michinoku Driver as the Fireflies come out for some reason. The Three Amigos are loaded up but Styles reverses the third into a brainbuster. Styles can’t hit a brainbuster but can reverse Mysterio’s frog splash into the Calf Crusher. That’s broken up and the referee gets dropped, so Mysterio goes to grab a chair.

Mysterio throws it to Styles and drops down, but Styles wraps it around his own neck and drops too. The referee gets up but didn’t see what happens so they keep going. Styles goes for the Calf Crusher again but pulls the boot off so Mysterio can escape. The referee has to duck a swing so Mysterio boots Styles in the head, setting up the frog splash to retain at 10:35.

Rating: B-. This one is going to depend on your tolerance for Eddie Guerrero tributes. I’ve been over them for years, so seeing just about every Eddie reference possible in one match was a bit much. That being said, it was a much more lighthearted match and that made for an easier match to watch. If nothing else, it was so different from the other violent/car crash matches on the night and that’s what it needed to be.

Stephanie McMahon announces the attendance: 60,561, for a two night total of 113,722.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena. Rhodes lost the Smackdown World Title to Cena at Wrestlemania when Cena hit him low, but now Rhodes wants a shot at the REAL Cena. This caused Cena to turn back to the good side, as he needed someone to remind him what he used to be.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes

Cena is defending in a street fight. Rhodes gets a special entrance with a Dusty Rhodes quote (“The view never changes.”) appearing on the screen. Cena gets quite the strong reaction and does his old run to the ring. They do the Big Match Intros and stare each other down with Cena giving him a hug. The brawl is on fast and they go outside, with Cena grabbing NBA star Tyrese Haliburton’s crutch for a shot to the back.

Cena throws the steps inside but gets knocked onto them, only to pop up and knock Rhodes off the top. The steps are thrown over the top onto Rhodes’ head but he’s right back up with a Disaster Kick. Back in and Cena sends him over the top for a crash, allowing both of them to grab chairs. Rhodes knocks Cena’s out of his hands and gets in a shot to the back for two. Cena fights up again and initiates the finishing sequence but Rhodes is back up with a Cody Cutter. The AA gets two but Rhodes hits the top rope moonsault.

Another Disaster Kick gets two on Cena, who is back with an electric chair for two more. Back up and a piledriver gives Rhodes another near fall but we have to pause to check on Cena. That’s goldbricking though and Rhodes walks into an AA, followed by the STF (STFU as Cole calls it), sending Rhodes to the apron (remember ropes don’t matter here) for the break. Cena is back up with a microphone to the head, followed by a Code Red on the floor. The AA through the announcers’ table knocks Rhodes sillier but he gets back up anyway.

A quick Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes two but Cena knocks him down again. The top rope Fameasser into another AA gets two so it’s time for a table. Another (yes another) AA takes too long though and Rhodes reverses into a DDT. Said table is put up in the corner but they go outside to fight into the crowd. Cena grabs a piece of barricade and shoves it in Rhodes’ general direction before Rhodes suplexes him onto it instead. They go underneath the stage and come up the elevator Rhodes uses for his entrance with Cena holding him in the fireman’s carry (that was GREAT).

One heck of an AA sends Rhodes onto the ramp (Cena LAUNCHED him) before Cena picks Rhodes up and they go back to the ring (heck of a carry job by Cena). Back in and Rhodes sends him through the table in the corner and hits another Cross Rhodes for two. A chair to the head knocks Cena silly and Rhodes takes the turnbuckle off. The shot to Cena’s hands in front of his face thankfully doesn’t get a cover and another big shot connects, with the fans not liking this version of Rhodes.

The third shot is loaded up but Cena pulls him into the STF with the rope. That’s reversed as well so Rhodes hits back to back to back Cross Rhodes for two, leaving Rhodes stunned. With nothing else working, Rhodes grabs the belt but misses the big shot, allowing Cena to hit back to back AA’s, followed by the super AA for two. Another table is loaded up but Rhodes reverses a super AA into a Cody Cutter through the table. Cena is up in about five seconds and another Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes the title back at 37:33.

Rating: B. I’m not even going to try to defend this match, as it was a totally insane and ridiculous match (eight AA’s if you lost count) with nothing but ridiculous spots and kickouts. That being said, I was laughing my head off at some of this stuff, as they were leaning into the ridiculousness. That’s what it should have been and I liked it far more than I should have.

Post match Cena hands Rhodes the title and says something to him, which seems to mean a lot to Rhodes. With Rhodes gone, Cena soaks in a THANK YOU CENA chant….AND BROCK LESNAR IS BACK. Cena looks like he has seen a ghost and gets F5’ed to end the show. That’s certainly going to raise some eyebrows, and I do wonder if that had something to do with the abrupt Cena face turn.

Overall Rating: B. It definitely wasn’t as strong as last night, but I had a good enough time with this show. The problem here was having way too many gimmick/violent matches as it was so much of the show. The cage match wasn’t very good and the Valkyria vs. Lynch was too long, but I had a good time with most of the rest. Not an all timer, but for a three hour and forty five minute shot, I had a good time.

Overall Overall Rating: B+. The best thing I can say about this was it wasn’t dull. They had a long, drawn out weekend with a bunch of stuff taking place and some memorable moments, even if some of the matches might have been a bit lacking. I can absolutely see why Summerslam is going to be a two night event going forward and if this is what we’re getting every year, it’s going to be fine. Strong overall showing from WWE, though it would have been even better if they mixed the cards up a bit.

Results
Naomi b. Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley – Rollup with tights to Ripley
Wyatt Sicks b. Andrade/Rey Fenix, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, Street Profits and DIY – Gacy pulled down the titles
Becky Lynch b. Lyra Valkyria – Manhandle Slam
Solo Sikoa b. Jacob Fatu – Sikoa escaped the cage
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Cody Rhodes b. John Cena – Cross Rhodes

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

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It’s time to do the other half and since we’ve never actually done that before with Summerslam, it’s hard to say what we’re going to be getting here. We have the same amount of matches as last night so everything should be balanced equally, though the star power kind of varies a bit from one night to the other. This could work well too though so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. AJ Styles

When did Mysterio become one of the best things going in WWE? His stuff with Styles has been all over the place but rather funny at the same time, with Mysterio doing everything he can to avoid Styles. The good thing here is Styles is going to be able to make Mysterio look great here and that’s exactly why they’re being put into this match on this stage. Mysterio is on a roll, and I’m curious to see how far he can go.

Of course I’ll go with Mysterio retaining the title here, as Styles isn’t someone who needs any kind of gold or accomplishments at this point in his career. Let him go out there and make Mysterio look even better than usual. I’m not sure what is next for Mysterio, but at least he’s getting this kind of a spot, as he can more than hold up his own end in the ring by now.

Raw Women’s Title: Naomi(c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky

Now this is one of the bigger surprises in a good while, as Naomi has absolutely nailed the heel run and is feeling like a star every time she’s out there. That’s rather impressive after she was destroyed by Jade Cargill multiple times. She’s gotten the PROCEED WITH CAUTION deal over and I could go with seeing where she goes from here. At the same time, you have the awesome Ripley and Sky, who have to merge with Naomi to make this work.

So how well will it work? Well I’ll go with Naomi retaining the title, as it feels too early to take it off of her so far. Other than that, Ripley and Sky should both be able to nail their usual stuff and carry the action. At some point they’ll have their singles rematch later on to carry on from their classic at Evolution, but this is more about Naomi retaining as she can get a big win.

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

This is anything goes as well as Valkyria’s last shot at the title, which feels like it’s setting up something for the ending. Valkyria has been trying as hard as she can to make this work and is getting close, but it really isn’t working yet. Lynch has been her usual good self, though it still feels more about making the title feel important. There’s one more factor to mess with the whole thing though and that might be enough to sway the result.

I’ll take Lynch retaining here, likely with the recently distraught Bayley interfering to cost Valkyria the match. That’s the story they’ve been setting up and it’s something Bayley might be needing. For now, it should be enough to give us another Bayley vs. Valkyria match and I could go for seeing how that goes. Lynch can move on to someone else though, as she’ll retain the title here.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks(c) vs. Street Profits vs. Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. DIY vs. Fraxiom vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is the big six team TLC match as they’re trying to recreate their instant classic from earlier in the year. That is going to be one heck of a trick to pull off but I can’t blame them for trying to pull it off. This is going to be the total car crash match of the show and there is a good chance that it works. I’m not sure if it’s going to get enough time to really get that far, but at least they’re doing the logical thing at this point.

As for a winner, there’s never much of a way to predict these things but I’ll go with the Wyatts winning to retain. The idea is supposed to be that the division is getting together to deal with the evil Wyatts, but it would be a much better result to have one of the teams take the Wyatts out. That can happen later on when more of the hope is lost, which only comes if the Wyatts retain here.

US Title: Solo Sikoa(c) vs. Jacob Fatu

In a cage, which should make for a nice spectacle. Obviously the question hers isn’t whether someone will interfere but rather when and how many. That’s exactly what should be happening here, as the idea of Sikoa being able to hang with Fatu one on one is nonsense. Instead this is about whether or not Sikoa has enough backup to hold Fatu off, which is far from easy.

This feels like a way to keep Fatu from getting the title back while giving him an out so I’ll take Sikoa to retain. You could easily have him slip out of the cage to escape while Fatu is attacked or distracted somehow, which would show Fatu that he needs more help. Fatu is likely going to get his win back down the line, but this feels more like a way to keep the title on Sikoa, which should be the case at the moment.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena(c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Finally we have this one, which was turned completely on its head during this week’s Smackdown. Cena seemingly turned back to the side of good after months of being evil, and that opens up the field quite a bit. There are several ways this could go, and unfortunately I’m not exactly feeling most of them. Now we just need to see which direction they actually take.

The more I think about this, the more sense it makes for Rhodes to get the title back here, but now we have to wonder about how. There is always the chance that Rhodes takes Cena’s place as the Corporate Champion, which opens up a bunch of weird options. I’m not wild on that idea, but I’ll absolutely take it over Cena swerving us to keep being a villain. The Cena heel run has been weird to say the least and I’d much rather they just abandon it for his last five months in the ring.

Overall Thoughts

This night is rather stacked and the action should be very good, but I’m almost afraid of how they’re going to get out of that main event. What matters is, at least for now, they seem to have dropped one of their weakest ideas and are moving in a new direction. That’s what we get to see in the main event, and if the rest of the card lives up to it, this has a lot of potential of its own.

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

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Smackdown
Date: August 1, 2025
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before Summerslam and the big story is John Cena and Cody Rhodes being in the same building tonight. That should be enough for the big go home push towards the show and everything else can come along with it. Other than that, I’m sure we’ll get some build towards this weekend, which has some interesting prospects. Let’s get to it.

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

There is a cage above the ring.

Here is John Cena to get things going. Before he can say anything though, here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cena says that he told Rhodes he was exhausted and a match at Summerslam would be too much. Then Rhodes forged Cena’s signature to a match to one of the most dangerous matches at Summerslam, for the most important prize in WWE.

Cena thanks Rhodes for giving him the motivation that he needed. The reality is that Cena threw everything away after twenty years of hard work for the sake of a shock. Cena wants to walk away as champion after his last match so people won’t forget about him. He realizes how stupid he was acting and Rhodes forced him to face it and fight.

If Cena doesn’t show up for war, he shouldn’t show up at all. The fans are VERY pleased with Cena’s change of attitude as he says the only platinum rapper coming after Rhodes is Cena himself. Rhodes takes off his jacket, welcomes Cena back, and shares a beer with him. That’s good to see as the Cena heel run was a mess, but this is either a way for Rhodes to turn or a swerve from Cena. Neither of those is exactly promising.

Earlier today, Logan Paul interrupted Jelly Roll’s training session and helped Drew McIntyre beat him down.

Women’s US Title: Giulia vs. Zelina Vega

Giulia, with Kiana James, is defending. Vega charges at her and gets thrown down to start, followed by Giulia muscling her up with a suplex. Back up and Vega sends her to the floor for a dive as we take a break. We come back with Giulia hitting a wheelbarrow faceplant, followed by a modified camel clutch. A hard stomp drops Vega again but she’s right back with a suplex.

Giulia goes up and gets German superplexed back down as the fans are (rightfully) impressed. That’s shaken off and Giulia hits a hard knee to the face, followed by a sitout hammerlock powerslam for a rather near fall. Giulia and James are stunned by the kickout and Vega scores with a Backstabber. The moonsault hits raised knees though and Giulia gives her the northern lights bomb to retain at 12:11.

Rating: B. This was the title match before the pay per view and they worked well together. It made for a good, hard hitting match with Vega fighting a match where she had no chance to win. Giulia is the big new star and even has a manager. That isn’t the kind of person who loses a title so soon, but they had a good match on the way there.

Solo Sikoa and the MFTs are ready for Jacob Fatu at Summerslam and they have plants for tonight as a bonus.

AAA Tag Team Titles: Los Garza vs. ???/???

Los Garza are defending in an open challenge and it’s….Mr. Iguana/Psycho Clown from AAA answering. Clown slugs away at Garza to start and even forearms Berto off the apron. A pop up forearm gets two on Garza but Berto comes in to take over. Garza cranks on both arms as commentary argues over Iguana’s puppet.

Clown fights up and dives over for the tag to Iguana, meaning it’s time to pick up the pace. The Iguanarana into a crucifix bomb has the champs on the floor but they catch a running flip dive. Iguana gets thrown into Clown for a big crash and the double super gorilla press drops Iguana for two. Clown comes back in and gets caught in the NTY for the pin to retain at 7:00.

Rating: C+. This was a way to have Iguana on the show and that’s all it needed to be. Iguana made a big impact at the AAA show earlier this year and the fans were into him again here. The AAA Tag Team Titles don’t mean anything here so let Los Garza get a win and probably sell some Mr. Iguana merch. Simple and to the point here.

Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre will address attacking Jelly Roll later tonight.

Video on the Tag Team Title situation, leading to this weekend’s TLC match, featuring a look at each team.

Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest

Feeling out process to start with Priest’s kicks to the chest sending Black outside. Back up and Black kicks him in the head for a crash to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Black hitting a knee in the face for two, which has Priest firing himself up. The Old School crossbody connects and a big clothesline gives Priest two. Priest superkicks him to the floor but dives into a knee to the face. That doesn’t do much good though as Priest hits a Pounds over the announcers’ table. Back up and Black throws a chair at Priest’s face for the win at 8:47.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one and then the ending felt like it was designed to set up something else later. That’s not the most thrilling feeling as it was more like part one of a series than a big match. As usual I’ll take the DQ over one of them getting pinned, but this feud hasn’t exactly caught fire yet and I’m hoping that the second round picks up a good bit.

Post match Black beats him up with the chair, followed by Black Mass to leave Priest laying.

We look at Tiffany Stratton saving Jade Cargill last week.

Cargill tells Stratton that she didn’t need help last week but now there will be no distractions at Summerslam.

Talla Tonga vs. Jimmy Uso

Solo Sikoa is here with Tonga. Uso strikes away in the corner to start but gets slapped down with a single chop. Tonga slowly hammers away and gets in a slam but misses a charge to the apron. An enziguri puts Tonga on the floor and a dive…doesn’t actually drop him but it does send us to a break. We come back with Uso trying, and failing, to chop his way out of trouble. Uso slips out of a chokeslam attempt and fires off some superkicks, followed by the spear. The Superfly Splash is pulled out of the air though and a chokeslam finishes Uso at 9:41.

Rating: C+. Tonga is a good choice for the monster as he’s looking like someone who can do damage, which has been the calling card of the MFT’s. Uso is going to be the same no matter what he does so the loss doesn’t hurt him. It helps when the match was little more than a way to get Sikoa, and likely Jacob Fatu, around for after the match and it was good enough to see Uso fighting from underneath for about ten minutes.

Post match the MFT’s run in for the beatdown as the cage is lowered. Jacob Fatu runs in to make it inside the cage just in time though and cleans house as Fatu and Tonga escapes.

Summerslam rundown.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss begrudgingly admit they’re getting alone but they still don’t want to use the F word. Fondue?

Here are Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul for a chat. Paul talks about how they are here to defend this place from outsiders like Jelly Roll. They think Jelly Roll needs to consult Weight Watchers but here are Roll and Randy Orton arriving at the arena in a card. The brawl is quickly on but security breaks it up. Orton RKO’s two of the cards and Roll adds a chokeslam to the third to end the show. This was a quick and to the point segment to set up the match, which is what you have to do when Roll isn’t a wrestler.

Overall Rating: B-. The opening segment was the big focal point here and now we get to find out where things are going from here. Other than that, this wasn’t a show meant to shake things up before Summerslam, which is understandable. They basically played it safe and reinforced what was already set up. It was a breezy two hours, with only the Cena deal feeling like it make a big impact on this weekend’s shows. Hopefully Summerslam is good, as this was a nice setup for the big stuff.

Results
Giulia b. Zelina Vega – Northern lights bomb
Los Garza b. Mr. Iguana/Psycho Clown – NTY to Clown
Damian Priest b. Aleister Black via DQ when Black used a chair
Talla Tonga b. Jimmy Uso – Chokeslam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlotte vs. Raquel Rodriguez

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

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

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

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

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

We look at Aleister Black attacking Damian Priest last week.

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

Carmelo Hayes vs. Damian Priest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Alba Fyre

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

Post match Piper Niven jumps Vaquer but gets fought off.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doug Dellinger and Diamond Dallas Page are here.

Commentary talks about Goldberg’s injury issues.

Video on Goldberg.

US Title: Jimmy Uso vs. Solo Sikoa

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

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

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

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

Video on Goldberg’s time in WWE.

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

Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight

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

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

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

Evolution rundown.

Video on Goldberg vs. Gunther.

Raw World Title: Goldberg vs. Gunther

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: July 11, 2025
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before a rather busy weekend, which will see both Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution. That means we are probably going to be getting the last push towards both shows tonight, which should keep things busy. Other than that, we have the Wyatt Sicks getting their shot at the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is LA Knight to get things going. Knight says predictions and spoilers are common themes in wrestling, including coming out of Paul Heyman’s mouth. Heyman seems to control some power like Seth Rollins, who needed some backup. Knight gets serious when he talks about Rollins ordering his goons to try to take him out.

They’re fighting at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He wants dignity, he wants justice, and he wants to hurt Rollins. Just because Rollins isn’t scared, it doesn’t mean he won’t get a beating. Cue Heyman, who talks about looking into the future for himself and his guys. Their future is the future of this entire industry. As for Knight, Heyman sees nothing, because he has no future.

Cue Solo Sikoa and company, which has Heyman a bit confused. Sikoa talks about how nothing has really changed for Heyman, who needs to get out of here before he goes through a table again. That’s enough for Heyman, who walks out. Sikoa mocks Knight before saying he’s gotten rid of Jacob Fatu. Knight is offered the same chance but won’t leave, with the MFT’s surrounding the ring.

Cue Jimmy Uso to throw Knight a chair though and the save is made, with Uso and Knight standing back to back with a chair each. Nick Aldis comes out to make the tag match for later tonight. Knight being treated as more of a main event star is a good thing, as he can certainly back it up on the microphone.

Alexa Bliss comes up to Charlotte (dressed as a cowgirl) and they seem to be on the same page. Bliss doesn’t think Charlotte would be a great cheerleader, though Charlotte says she cheers for herself.

Roxanne Perez vs. Sol Ruca vs. Kairi Sane vs. Alexa Bliss

Their partners are here too. It’s a brawl to start with Sane clearing the ring, only to get dropped by Perez. Back up and Ruca hits a big flip dive onto everyone and we take a break. We come back with a Tower Of Doom putting everyone down. Ruca gives Perez a running knee but Sane catches Ruca on top.

The top rope double stomp connects on Ruca but she’s back up with a double Sol Snatcher (an inverted flipping cutter, which always looks impressive). Raquel Rodriguez breaks up the cover though and the seconds get in a brawl on the floor. Charlotte cleans house and Bliss gets her feet up to block the Insane Elbow. The Sister Abigail DDT finishes for Bliss at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Bliss continues her successful streak since returning and that’s a good thing to see. The fans are going to react to whatever she does and it would be dumb of WWE to not try and capitalize on it. At the same time, I’m hoping this doesn’t lead to Bliss and Charlotte winning the titles, as it’s hardly the most interesting option.

Evolution rundown.

Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending. Dawkins drives Gacy into the corner to start and gets a rather crazy laugh. Gacy elbows his way out of trouble but Dawkins is right back with a Sky High. Ford (looking like he’s in 1997 Shawn Michaels tribute gear) goes up top but Lumis pulls Gacy outside. Ford’s mocking of Lumis’ crawl takes us to a break.

We come back with Ford getting in a sunset bomb for a needed breather, allowing the tag off to Dawkins. House is quickly cleaned and Dawkins hits the big running flip dive. Back in and Dawkins hits a Swanton for two on Gacy, who is right back with the Upside Down clothesline. Lumis sends Dawkins into the announcers’ table and we take another break.

We come back again with Dawkins getting over for the tag off to Ford. A spinebuster cuts him off in a hurry for two but the Doomsday Blockbuster gets the same on Gacy. Cue Erick Rowan to take Ford out though, earning himself a Pounce into the timekeeper’s area. Ford’s frog splash misses though and an assisted sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Ford to give us new champions at 17:23.

Rating: B. What a weird world as Gacy and Lumis have titles in WWE. This was the right way to go, as the Wyatts needed to do something to validate everyone being so afraid of them. Someone is going to have to rescue the titles, despite the Wyatts not really doing anything wrong. Good match here too, with the Profits getting to show off their impressive athleticism.

The tag division doesn’t think that’s good, with DIY saying this wouldn’t happen if they had just listened to them. Rey Fenix and Andrade come in to mock DIY, which sends Ciampa into another tailspin.

Video on Goldberg vs. Gunther.

Here is Jelly Roll to perform a song live but Logan Paul cuts him off. Paul doesn’t like celebrities and influencers coming into their world, because it’s disrespectful to wrestlers like him. Paul starts talking about his podcast signing a new deal but Roll cuts him off. Roll says no one cares about the podcast, but Paul calls Roll an outsider.

Cue Randy Orton, who goes on one heck of a rant about how Paul is the real outsider. Roll deserves respect but here is Drew McIntyre to Claymore Orton. McIntyre is taken out by security so Paul jumps Orton, with Roll making the save. Paul is taken out by security but stops to break Roll’s instruments. They might as well announce the Summerslam tag match from here.

Post break, Roll says he’ll be at Saturday Night’s Main Event to watch Orton vs. McIntyre.

R-Truth vs. Aleister Black

Black misses a running boot to start but slips out of a suplex. Some strikes puts R-Truth in the corner but he comes back with the Lie Detector. Black rolls outside and gets sent hard into the post, meaning it’s time to grab a chair. That’s taken away and R-Truth grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:08.

Post break Damian Priest cuts off Black from wrecking R-Truth. Black wrecks Priest instead.

Here are Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus for a face to face meeting. Stratton says she picked Stratus because she has beaten everyone else. Why wouldn’t she want to face one of the best of all time? Stratus says she doesn’t need to win to be the best ever, but when she does, Stratton will leave with nothing. Stratton says she learned about Trish on those VHS tapes, with Stratus asking if she heard that on TikTok. Stratus praises her but says she’ll be winning the title. Cue Naomi to tease a cash in but Jade Cargill runs out to jump her from behind.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Jimmy Uso/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/JC Mateo

Knight stomps Sikoa down into the corner to start but he fights his way out of trouble. Uso gets caught in the wrong corner, only to drop down with the uppercut for a breather. Sikoa pulls Uso out to the floor though and hits the Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Sikoa hitting a running Umaga Attack in the corner, only to miss the second attempt.

Uso flips out of a suplex though and hits an enziguri, allowing the diving tag to Knight. The jumping neckbreaker out of the corner drops Mateo, followed by the jumping top rope elbow. Sikoa’s Superfly Splash gets two, with Sikoa making the save. The fight goes outside but here is Paul Heyman with his phone. The distraction lets Tala Tonga kick Knight in the face…as Uso rolls Sikoa up for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. The ending was a way to set up Sikoa vs. Uso for the US Title at Saturday Night’s Main Event and I’ve seen worse ideas. At the same time, Knight gets to deal with Heyman again, as this was a rather nicely put together deal. The action was fine enough, but what mattered here was advancing two stories at once and they made it work.

Post match Knight drops Sikoa with the BFT but gets speared down by Bron Breakker, followed by a Tsunami from Bronson Reed.

Overall Rating: B. Solid show here, as they set up some stuff for both upcoming major shows, while also having some good action of its own. That’s more than I was expecting on this show, but dang it’s great to see what happens when this show drops down to two hours. I want to see where these stories are going and that’s the right feeling with a pair of major shows coming up this weekend.

Results
Alexa Bliss b. Kairi Sane, Sol Ruca and Roxanne Perez – Sister Abigail DDT to Sane
Wyatt Sicks b. Street Profits – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Ford
R-Truth b. Aleister Black – Rollup
Jimmy Uso/LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa/JC Mateo – Rollup to Sikoa

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

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

Smackdown
Date: July 4, 2025
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s a holiday show, but more importantly we’re back to the two hour editions every week. That’s a nice plus as the three hour versions just felt too long more often than not. We’re also finishing up the build towards Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution next weekend so it’s time to set things up. Let’s get to it.

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

Jacob Fatu jumps Solo Sikoa and company in the parking lot but it gets broken up.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. He has the King Of The Ring crown in his hand, but first of all he wants to hear it for a kid named Cam battling leukemia. That gets a nice reaction (as it should) before Rhodes talks about what winning the tournament means. It means that we have the main event of Summerslam set…and here is Randy Orton to interrupt.

Orton talks about how he had Rhodes dead to rites at Night Of Champions but he couldn’t go that far. Rhodes was able to pull the trigger and Orton can respect that. Now he wants Rhodes to go on to Summerslam and take Cena out…and here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre says this sounds like people on the phone saying “you hang up, no you hang up” and he’s sick of it.

Rhodes has been buttering Orton up for months and then he put a knife in Orton’s back. That same back that Orton tweaked and Rhodes worked it over. The legend of Randy Orton is dead, and McIntyre wants Rhodes to win at Summerslam. That way he can take the title from Rhodes, because he won’t hesitate, like somebody. McIntyre turns to Orton, who drops him with the RKO. This felt like a way to set up Orton vs. McIntyre while reminding us that Rhodes won the tournament. In other words, it was fine.

Earlier today, Charlotte was put in a #1 contenders tag match with Alexa Bliss, who got the match set up. Charlotte isn’t happy, but Nick Aldis says let him handle this.

Drew McIntyre wants Randy Orton and gets him at Saturday Night’s Main Event. With McIntyre gone, Jacob Fatu is told to find a partner and he can face two of Solo Sikoa’s team tonight. Jimmy Uso pops up and we have a team.

Secret Hervice vs. Michin/B-Fab vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss

Chelsea Green is here with the Hervice. Michin, Bliss and Niven start things off but Charlotte tags herself in before anything else happens. Charlotte chops Niven away but gets jumped by Michin. Niven and Michin knock Charlotte outside, where Niven flip dives onto Michin and B-Fab.

Fyre flip dives onto all of them and we take a break. We come back with Niven’s backsplash getting two on Charlotte, allowing B-Fab to come in and strike away. Bliss gets her own tag and house is quickly cleaned for a parade of finishers. Charlotte hits a spear on Niven and pats Bliss on the head, which counts as a tag, so Twisted Bliss can finish Fyre at 9:12.

Rating: C+. Another qualifying match for another more important match later on, because we have to have something like that almost every single week these days. Bliss and Charlotte are fine for a team who don’t get along but work well together, though Charlotte could start to turn to the good side. It’s something that can be a success, and at the very least it would be something different for her for once.

Post match Charlotte hugs Bliss and then gives her a friendly shove.

Nick Aldis yells at the tag division and makes Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. Axiom. Other than that, one member of each team can face the Wyatt Sicks in an eight man tag. Johnny Gargano tries to get a SMACKDOWN TAG DIVISION chant going and it fails miserably.

Wyatt Sicks vs. Montez Ford/Chris Sabin/Johnny Gargano/Berto

Gacy and Berto start things off with Berto taking him into the corner for a corner clothesline. A springboard elbow drops Gacy and it’s off to Lumis, who shrugs off a kick to the head. Gargano comes in and gets caught with a swinging Side Effect for two and everything breaks down for the brawl. Lumis superkicks Ford down on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Ford still in trouble, including Gacy powerbombing Lumis onto him for two. The neck crank goes on for a bit but Ford is up for the tag to Sabin. Everything breaks down and Ford hits a big running flip dive but Howdy comes in to plant Sabin. Rowan comes back in, only for Sabin to catch him with a DDT. Gargano drops tot eh floor rather than come in to face Rowan though and the claw slam finishes Sabin at 10:36.

Rating: C+. This was a way to set up the Wyatt Sicks against the rest of the division without having one of the regular teams lose. At the end of the day, the Wyatts feel like the monsters who are going to take over the division. That makes for an interesting future as everyone tries to fight them off. This was at least different from what we usually get and I’ll absolutely take that.

Giulia wants everyone to come after her title because the blue flame will destroy them.

Video on the 4th of July.

Here is Tiffany Stratton to brag about her win over Nia Jax last week in the Last Woman Standing match. Now though, she’s ready to face Jade Cargill at Summerslam and then she’s going to get to choose her opponent at Evolution. Cue Cargill to interrupt, who respects what Stratton did against Jax. She wants Stratton to make a good choice…and here is Trish Stratus to interrupt (Wade Barrett is VERY happy).

Stratton gets right to the point and offers Stratus the title shot at Evolution. Works for Cargill, and Stratus talks about how great it is to see an all women’s show. Stratus wants her kids to see her as a champion, but Stratton says WWE runs on Tiffy Time. This was a very, very fast way to set up a title match and that’s all you can do with just over a week before the show.

Solo Sikoa and company are in the back, where he welcomes Tala Tonga to the team. They’re ready to take out Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu tonight, because the family is complete.

Jade Cargill tells Trish Stratus that she’ll see her at Evolution. Naomi decks Cargill with the briefcase, prompting Cargill to tell Nick Aldis that she wants Naomi once and for all. Deal.

Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. Fraxiom

Andrade and Frazer start things off with the latter taking over on the arm for some cranking. Axiom comes in for some running forearms but Fenix flips out of a tornado DDT. Fraxiom clears the ring for some stereo dives and we take a break. We come back with Fenix trying to fight out of trouble but getting launched into Chasing The Dragon for two.

Back up and Fenix grabs a running DDT, which is enough for the tag to Andrade. Frazer is quickly taken down for Fenix’s frog splash and a near fall. Back up and another Chasing The Dragon gets two with Frazer making the save as we take another break. We come back again with Frazer missing his phoenix splash, allowing Fenix to send him flying with a release German suplex.

Andrade’s running knees in the corner get two and the double moonsault gets two. The super Spanish Fly into the phoenix splash gets two more on Andrade, with Fenix making the save. Fenix is back up with the big running flip dive to take out Axiom, leaving Andrade to give Frazer the Message for the pin at 15:38.

Rating: B. This was about two teams getting to do nuts and do their thing, which is all it needed to be. Andrade and Fenix are another makeshift team, but at the same time, I’m not wild on seeing Fraxiom losing clean like this. They were red hot there for a bit and have already cooled off, which isn’t a good sign for their futures.

Damian Priest runs into Aleister Black, who will be facing R-Truth next week. Black says Priest is the good guy right now but violence begets violence. Priest doesn’t think he’s the good guy and thinks R-Truth might take care of Black next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Jacob Fatu/Jimmy Uso vs. JC Mateo/Solo Sikoa

Sikoa immediately tags Mateo, who gets to face Fatu. They waste no time in going outside to start the brawl, with Fatu sending him into the barricade. Back in and Mateo takes over on Uso, meaning Sikoa is willing to come in for a change. The Spinning Solo plants Uso and we take an early break.

We come back with Sikoa hitting a running Umaga attack to Uso, who manages to send Mateo into the corner. The diving tag brings Fatu in to clean house, including ten headbutts to Sikoa. Back to back running Umaga attacks get two and Uso is back in with a superkick. Fatu’s implant DDT hits Sikoa and the triple jump moonsault finishes him off at 8:51.

Rating: B-. Another strong showing for Fatu, as he beats Sikoa when he gets his hands on him. That makes all the sense in the world, as Sikoa himself has never been the force but rather the people he has around him. That’s all we were seeing here and it went well, with Fatu showing that he’s someone who can run through anyone on his own.

Post match the announcers’ table is loaded up but Tonga Loa and Tala Tonga are in to lay out Uso and Fatu. The villains powerbomb him through the table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Sweet goodness the two hour time frame makes this show so much easier to watch. It isn’t that it’s so much better, but rather that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. That is nice to see after so many months of the longer form and it’s nice to see it staying. Good show, with the build towards both Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution at the same time, with Summerslam waiting in the not so far distance.

Results
Charlotte/Alexa Bliss b. Secret Hervice and Michin/B-Fab – Twisted Bliss to Fyre
Wyatt Sicks b. Montez Ford/Chris Sabin/Johnny Gargano/Berto – Claw slam to Sabin
Andrade/Rey Fenix b. Fraxiom – The Message to Frazer
Jacob Fatu/Jimmy Uso b. Solo Sikoa/JC Mateo – Moonsault to Sikoa

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

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

Night Of Champions 2025
Date: June 28, 2025
Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re still in Saudi Arabia and this show is at least mostly about champions, though not all of the title matches will be taking place tonight. We have the King and Queen Of The Ring finals for the Summerslam title shots, plus a few other titles on the line. The big match though is John Cena vs. CM Punk, one last time, for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, as narrated by sports reporter Tom Rinaladi, talks about what it means to be champion and for how some people, this is their last time.

King Of The Ring: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

They take their time to start, with barely any significant contact in the first two minutes. Orton grabs a headlock and doesn’t get very far so Rhodes comes back with a shot to the face. A bulldog connects for Rhodes so he goes up, where Orton cuts him off. The top rope superplex connects but Orton seems to have jarred his back. Rhodes sees a target and gets in a shot, followed by the Disaster Kick for two.

Orton comes back with his backbreaker but hurts his own back, giving Rhodes a breather. Rhodes bends the back around the post and cranks on a cravate into a chinlock. Orton fights up and tries the hanging DDT but Rhodes gets in a few shots to the back. The Cody Cutter gets two and a top rope version connects for the same. The hanging DDT connects but the RKO is countered into Cross Rhodes for two.

Rhodes takes his time and walks into the RKO for two and they’re both down. Orton is up first and tries the Punt, only to miss and allow Rhodes to grab a Figure Four. They roll over to the ropes for the break and it’s time for the BOO/YAY slugout. Rhodes tries another Cody Cutter, which is countered into the RKO for two more and they’re both down again. Orton goes to grab a chair, which is quickly taken away, so he takes off a turnbuckle pad instead. Rhodes sends him into the buckle and grabs a quick Cross Rhodes for the pin at 20:17.

Rating: B. Somewhat abrupt ending aside, this was a hard hitting and well put together match, with Orton’s back injury playing a fine story. Rhodes getting to control a lot of the match was a weird way to go but they made it work, with Orton going slightly heelish as he got more desperate. Good stuff here, with Rhodes going over as he should have.

We recap Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez. They were friends when they first got here (as were every wrestlers ever) and even got matching tattoos. Then Rodriguez joined the Judgment Day and went after Ripley, turning it into an on and off again feud. They got in another fight this week and now Ripley wants a street fight.

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Street fight. They fight over a lockup to start and Rodriguez takes over with the power. Ripley fights back but misses a missile dropkick. Rodriguez hammers away and ties her in the ropes, meaning it’s time for some kendo stick shots. A chair is brought in as well but Ripley kicks it back into Rodriguez’s face.

They head outside and fight over a suplex on the announcers’ table, with Ripley being powerbombed through the table’s cover for a big crash. Rodriguez loads up a table in the corner and puts the steps on the apron, only for Ripley to send her into them. Ripley takes her belt off and starts whipping away, followed by a Razor’s Edge back inside. A running boot gives Ripley two and we hit the Prism Trap.

Cue Roxanne Perez from behind for the save but she immediately realizes she’s screwed up. The chase is on but Perez’s spinning DDT on the floor is blocked. Rodriguez uses the distraction to send Ripley into the post and then the steps on the apron. The corkscrew Vader Bomb gets two but the Tejana Bomb through the table is countered into an anklescissors (that was smooth). Rodriguez stops herself from going through the table though and drops Ripley again. Rodriguez puts the table on the top rope and they go up, with Ripley hitting a super Riptide for the win at 14:01.

Rating: B. Another solid match here, with Ripley getting a needed win. She’s still the most popular woman in the company but she has been needing some more focus in recent months. The ending was awesome here as Ripley got to show off her own power against a monster. I’m not sure what is next for Ripley, but she could be put into the title picture rather quickly if need be.

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlet is here with Kross. No recap here but Kross has been trying to get Zayn to turn to the dark side, with Zayn refusing and getting sick of Kross bugging him. They take turns backing each other into the corner to start and Kross gets in a few shots. Zayn fights out and clotheslines him to the floor, followed by the springboard flip back into the center.

Back in and Kross hits a Doomsday Saito before taking Zayn up top. Zayn gets tied in the Tree of Woe and stomped down but some right hands give him a breather. Some right hands in the corner and an ax handle rock Kross, who is right back with a Death Valley Driver. The Krosshammer is countered into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two but Kross is back with a German suplex.

Back up and Zayn manages a suplex into the corner, only for the Helluva Kick to be countered into the Krossjacket. That’s good for two arm drops until Zayn fights up and makes the rope. Kross demands Zayn admit he’s a liar and smacks him in the corner…but takes too long and gets Helluva Kicked for the pin at 13:32.

Rating: B-. This was a good Raw match, with Zayn getting the miracle ending for the win. Zayn feels like heis on the way towards his World Title push for the mega feel good moment so there was no way he could lose here. Kross can continue to be the devil’s advocate, though it would be nice to see him actually win for a change.

We recap Solo Sikoa challenging Jacob Fatu for the US Title. Sikoa wants to bring the family back together but Fatu won the US Title and hates the way Sikoa is treating him. Fatu is is ready to fight, with Sikoa wanting to get the title back to the family.

US Title: Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is defending and starts fast by hammering away, with Sikoa being knocked out to the floor. Sikoa gets knocked outside but blocks the suicide dive and starts talking trash back inside. The running Umaga Attack connects with Fatu in the corner and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Sikoa snaps off a German suplex, with Fatu flipping over and popping back up. Fatu runs him over and hits the Swanton for two, which brings JC Mateo to the apron.

Cue the returning Tama Tonga for a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner but Fatu is up at two again. Fatu knocks them to the floor and beats up Mateo back inside, setting up the moonsault. Hold on though as the referee is with the other Samoans, allowing the debuting (and unnamed0 Hikuleo to pull Fatu outside and chokeslam him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the Samoan Spike gives Sikoa the pin and the title at 12:03.

Rating: B-. This is the logical way to go, as you can’t have Sikoa lose every big match. At some point he had to win something and that’s what we got here, with Fatu having to deal with four people to take his title. Fatu can either move up to something bigger or mow down the team, possibly with Jimmy Uso by his side. Either way, he certainly doesn’t look bad losing here and it’s the win that Sikoa has been desperately needing.

We recap the Queen Of The Ring finals, which is just a look at the tournament.

Queen Of The Ring: Asuka vs. Jade Cargill

Asuka starts fast by going after the knee, which is wrapped around the ropes to put Cargill in early trouble. Some kicks to the chest have Cargill in more trouble and a kneebar has her screaming. Cargill manages to muscle her up into a German suplex but Asuka gets in another shot of her own. Asuka wins a strike off and hits a Codebreaker but gets caught with a sitout powerbomb for two.

With the strikes only working so well, Asuka switches to a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well and but Jaded is countered into the Asuka Lock. Cargill flips over for two but gets rocked with a kick to the head. The Empress Impact is loaded up but Cargill reverses it into Jaded for the pin (while falling backwards in the process) at 8:13.

Rating: C. Cargill continues to not be smooth in the ring and that was on display here. She just looks unsure of herself and like she is having to think through everything she does. That is something that can be fixed in time, but it makes for some rough regular matches on national broadcasts. WWE has decided she’s it though, whether it really works or not.

Post match Cargill talks about not doubting yourself and promises that a storm is coming at Summerslam.

We recap John Cena vs. CM Punk for the former’s World Title. They’ve feuded on and off for years with Punk being the yang to Cena’s yin. Now the roles are reversed for a change and we’re getting to see them do it one more time.

Smackdown World Title: CM Punk vs. John Cena

Cena is defending and they fight over a top wristlock to start as the fans are waving their phones for some reason. Cena’s headlock is broken up and he shoves Punk down as they’re firmly in first gear to start. Another headlock is broken up and Cena runs him over, only to have to escape an early GTS attempt. The AA is countered as well and Punk grabs a Russian legsweep into an armbar.

Punk grabs something like AJ Lee’s Black Widow but Cena is out with a kick to the head. Cena initiates the finishing sequence and lands the Shuffle. The AA is broken up again and Punk hits a leg lariat into a swinging neckbreaker. The rope rope elbow connects but the GTS is countered into the STF. That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice, with Cena reversing into the AA for two more. Punk comes back with a DDT for two and grabs this own STF, sending Cena over to the ropes.

The GTS is countered into another AA for another two and they’re both down. Back up and Punk tries a high crossbody, which is reversed into a third AA for two more. With nothing else working, Cena tries the title but the fans tell him no, with Cena actually listening. That lets Punk hit the GTS for a fast two and they’re both down again. The referee gets bumped with a running shoulder so Punk hits another GTS…and here are Seth Rollins and company with the briefcase.

Punk takes them out but gets dropped and powerbombed onto the announcers’ table, only for Cena to cut off the referee from doing the cash in. Cue Penta to take his time getting to the ring as Cena is beaten down as well. Penta brawls with Bron Breakker and here is Sami Zayn to brawl off with most of them. Back in and Punk breaks up the Tsunami, allowing Cena to hit the AA on Reed.

They stare each other down and Punk offers a handshake for Cena helping him against Rollins and company. Cena hugs him and does the look, only for Punk to counter the low blow. Rollins is back in with the briefcase though and a stomp to Punk, allowing Cena to steal the pin and retain at 26:20.

Rating: B. I am out of ways to describe how sick I am of these cash in teases. So many matches are stopped for the sake of teasing the cash in which very well might not happen for months anyway. Cena vs. Punk is a match that can more than carry itself but here is the stupid briefcase stuff anyway. Other than that, it was a good match between two people with incredible chemistry and that’s what it should have been. Punk vs. Cena had to happen one more time and they did it on a big stage, though I could have gone for a bit less insanity in the end.

Cena immediately leaves and tells us to watch the post show to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. Rather good show overall with a bunch of stuff taking place throughout. The big thing here was setting up the Summerslam matches, with both title matches being set, plus an all but guaranteed Rollins vs. Punk showdown. That’s a pretty good night of work, and with five weeks to go before the show, they have a lot of the big work done. The only somewhat weak match was Cargill vs. Asuka and even that wasn’t too bad. Good show here, with the really big one coming in August.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Randy Orton – Cross Rhodes
Rhea Ripley b. Raquel Rodriguez – Super Riptide
Sami Zayn b. Karrion Kross – Helluva Kick
Solo Sikoa b. Jacob Fatu – Samoan Spike
Jade Cargill b. Asuka – Jaded
John Cena b. CM Punk – Stomp from Seth Rollins

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