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:

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Smackdown
Date: June 27, 2025
Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re overseas for tomorrow’s Night Of Champions event and that means we have a rare TV show in Saudi Arabia. This could be an interesting week as they certainly have a stacked card. That includes some title matches, featuring Tiffany Stratton defending against Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing match. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going and the fans seem to appreciate him. The fans sing the song to him, which is quite the nice touch, but here is Randy Orton to interrupt before he can say anything. Orton gets the song treatment as well before bringing up Rhodes’ match with Jey Uso on Raw. He says it should be the Match Of The Year when the Slammys come up (and we go to what looks like a phone camera shot, with a caption talking about technical issues during the show, which apparently shut the show down for about half an hour).

Anyway, Orton talks about how he wants the crown because he lost in the finals last year, but he also lost to John Cena. He needs to right that wrong as well and there is nothing he won’t do to become the King Of The Ring. This includes the RKO, which leaves Rhodes saying no one has let him get a word in edgewise lately. Rhodes knows what it means to be embarrassed by Cena and the RKO will still be deadly, but Orton won’t be King Of The Ring. That was kind of an abrupt ending but they probably had to get out of there after everything went haywire.

Solo Sikoa tells JC Mateo to give Jimmy Uso one more opportunity to come back to the family. Then it’s time to focus on Jacob Fatu.

JC Mateo vs. Jimmy Uso

Solo Sikoa is here with Mateo, who starts fast and hammers away in the corner. Uso tries to fight back but gets clotheslines down for his efforts. A spinning kick to the face sends Mateo outside but Sikoa tells Uso this is his last chance as we take a break. Back with Mateo planting him down and hitting the standing moonsault for two. The waistlock stays on the ribs but Uso fights up and makes the comeback. The Running Umaga Attack connects but Sikoa offers a distraction, setting up the Tour Of The Islands to give Mateo the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C+. This is the story that keeps going but the Jacob Fatu factor is going to change things up a bit. Uso has someone who might kind of be on his side (though it’s hard to ever tell with this family) and that could make for something interesting. For now though, Mateo gets to look like a monster as he beats a fan favorite, even with some help.

Post match Sikoa helps Uso up but Uso slaps him in the face. Mateo and Sikoa go for the beatdown but Jacob Fatu runs in for the save. Fatu and Uso clear the ring and Uso shoves Fatu out of the way to cut off Sikoa’s shot from behind and dropping Sikoa with a superkick.

DIY rallies the tag division against the Wyatt Sicks but Nick Aldis comes in to ask what is going on. DIY rants again and gets….a match against Andrade and a partner of his choosing for tonight.

Giulia wants the Women’s US Title, but only as a stepping stone. Zelina Vega doesn’t like that and is ready to fight to keep her title.

Women’s United States Title: Zelina Vega vs. Giulia

Vega is defending. They trade some early rollups for two each until Giulia grabs a quick suplex. Vega sends her outside though and tries a moonsault, only to bang up her knee on the landing. We take a break and come back with Vega in trouble and getting sent outside. Vega is able to send her into the steps for some running knees, including the banged up one going into the steps. Back in and the Meteora gives Vega two but Giulia catches her on top, setting up a butterfly superplex. Vega manages a quick Code Red for two but Giulia knees her in the head. The northern lights bomb gives Giulia the pin and the title at 8:18.

Rating: C+. They had to do this as Vega has gotten her run with the title to make her feel more important, but Giulia is the possible star of the future. As she said earlier, this is basically a stepping stone for her and that should be a good thing, as it’s hard to imagine Giulia in the midcard for very long. This was a case of doing the logical thing and they got it right.

Charlotte comes up to Alexa Bliss after last week’s save and insists that she does NOT need friends. Bliss suggests they be “allies of convenience” and that seems to get Charlotte’s attention.

We look at Wade Barrett winning the 2015 King Of The Ring.

Barrett is in the ring for a face to face confrontation between Asuka and Jade Cargill. First up, Cargill says she sees purpose in the finals and plans on taking the whole throne. Asuka agrees that Cargill is strong, but Asuka has experience and skill. Naomi comes in to say she has the real power because she’ll cash in at some point. Cargill goes after Naomi but runs over Asuka in the process, earning herself a knockdown. Asuka leaves and Naomi mocks Cargill.

This sums up one of my biggest issues with Money In The Bank. Rather than focusing on a showdown between two stars who are set for a major match, we need to shift over to Naomi, who very well may have absolutely nothing to do with the match. It’s having to remember that this thing, which may not even be a factor, is there and that takes away so much attention and focus on the match itself. Stop doing that so much.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are here when Aleister Black comes in. R-Truth interrupts, saying he wants John Cena tonight. That isn’t going to happen, but Black follows R-Truth out.

We look at Los Garza winning the AAA Tag Team Titles.

DIY vs. Andrade/???

The mystery partner is…Rey Fenix. Well that works. Ciampa gets double teamed to start and the villains are sent outside for stereo dives and we take a break. Back with Fenix striking away at Ciampa as Gargano is on the floor favoring his knee. We go split screen to look at a trailer for the new Jurassic World movie and come back with Fenix knocking Ciampa off the top. Fenix hits a dive and brings in Andrade to clean house. Gargano avoids the running knees in the corner but manages a reverse tornado DDT for two. A Shatter Machine drops Andrade though and we take a break.

Back with Andrade hitting the running knees in the corner and a moonsault gets two. Fenix’s running flip dive takes Ciampa out before Fenix flips back in for a German suplex go Gargano. Project Ciampa gets two on Fenix as everything breaks down. Ciampa misses a running knee in the corner though and it’s the Black Fire Driver into the Message to give Andrade the pin at 14:41.

Rating: B-. This is one of the places where WWE shines and has a good advantage over a lot of promotions. They have the roster depth that allows them to throw something like this together and get a near fifteen minute match of completely acceptable quality. Andrade and Fenix worked well together, though I’m not sure I can picture this being anything more than a one or two off.

We look at John Cena on the Late Show.

We get another yin/yang video on Cena vs. CM Punk. I believe this is the third time we’ve seen this, or something similar, in eight days.

Here is R-Truth to say he is Ron Killings so put some respect on his name. He wants John Cena right now but gets Black Mass from Aleister Black.

The Street Profits talk about what they had to do to get the titles back so they’re ready to face the Wyatt Sicks tonight. B-Fab comes in to say she has their back if needed.

Aleister Black runs into Damian Priest, who says if Black tried that on him, it would go differently. Black isn’t impressed and leaves, with Carmelo Hayes coming in to say stay out of it. This time it’s Priest who isn’t impressed.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Wyatts are challenging. Lumis hammers on Ford to start and here are a bunch of teams to watch at ringside. Gacy comes in to take over on Ford but Dawkins makes a save. Gacy’s handspring lariat drops Ford as well and we take a break. We come back with Ford and Lumis colliding for a double down, followed by a double tag. Everything breaks down and Los Garza pull Lumis to the floor. The brawl is on and Dawkins gets jumped by DIY and Los Garza for the DQ at 6:08. Not enough shown to rate but this was about the screwy ending rather than the match.

Post match the other teams beat up the Wyatts but Erick Rowan is sent in. The other teams take him out but Uncle Howdy comes in as well. The Profits fight up and really clean house, leaving Howdy staring with them.

Commentary confirms that next week marks the return of Smackdown to two hours.

We look at JC Mateo beating Jimmy Uso earlier tonight and the post match brawl with Jacob Fatu.

Fatu is leaving and runs into Uso, and they seem to respect each other. Uso seems to want the US Title though.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

Jax is challenging in a Last Woman Standing match. Jax jumps her to start fast but Stratton sends her to the floor for a baseball slide. Stratton sends her into the steps but gets sent into them for her efforts. A Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table plants Stratton again and we take a break.

We come back with Stratton knocking her down, only to be sent hard into the corner. That’s good for an eight count so Jax runs her over again, followed by a splash through a table at ringside. Stratton is up at nine so Jax sets up another table as we take another break. We come back with Jax beating on her with a chair, which is laid on Stratton’s chest. The Annihilator crushes Stratton, who is up again at nine, earning herself a kendo stick shot.

Another table is loaded up but Jax can’t hit a super Samoan drop. Instead Stratton powerbombs her through it for nine and we have Naomi. Stratton cuts that off and hits them both in the head with the briefcase, setting up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever onto them…for nine. Back up and Stratton briefcases her through two more tables at ringside to retain at 17:22.

Rating: B-. They got really close here but it went a bit too long with one or so false finish too many. I wasn’t wild on Naomi being out there either as she was yet again a distraction, as almost every Money In The Bank person winds up being. It’s still a good, hard hitting match, but it needed to be trimmed a bit and with less cashing in teased.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Here is John Cena for the final confrontation with CM Punk before their big fight. Cena says that Punk is out of tricks and can do nothing about it….and it’s Basic Thuganomics. The Titantron says PUNK LIFE and here is Punk, dressed as the Dr. of Thuganomics, complete with the DRUG FREE knuckle jewelry. Punk: “Yo. Check it. This is basic Punkanomics.”

He rhymes about how Cena stole the Pipe Bomb so now he’s stealing word life. Cena steals to hide the fact that he’s in slow motion and has buried more talent than the Undertaker. He doesn’t have any respects, but Punk would do it too…if this company hired his ex. Batista is a better actor and Cena is a “fish belly white Hulk Hogan but somehow more problematic.” When it comes to best in the world, Punk is your vessel, because they chant for him and tell Cena YOU CAN’T WRESTLE.

Cena may work for DC, but to Punk, he’ll always be the Marine. Punk: “That’s straight to DVD, better find a PS3 and now understand you can’t see me.” The Pipe Bomb was fourteen years ago and Cena tried to make it all about himself, because that’s what he did. Punk gets in a Kendrick Lamar/Drake reference to wrap it up, allowing the fans to sing him out. Cena sold this like his mind was blown and the look of shock and awe on his face made up for Punk’s less than amazing rhyming abilities.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a nice final cap on the Night Of Champions build but they also did a good job with the title change and the Tag Team Title stuff. I liked the closing promo about as much as I could and it was nice to see something different from Punk, especially when it might have been a way to avoid the Saudi Arabia fans booing him. Overall, a nice show, but my goodness the news about shifting back to two hours is such a great thing to hear. The show is too long at three hours and hopefully they can find their rhythm again with the proper time slot.

Results
JC Mateo b. Jimmy Uso – Tour Of The Islands
Giulia b. Zelina Vega – Northern lights bomb
Andrade/??? b. DIY – Message to Ciampa
Street Profits b. Wyatt Sicks via DQ when Los Garza interfered
Tiffany Stratton b. Nia Jax – Briefcase shot through two tables

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: May 30, 2025
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Somehow we are just over a week away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time to start getting the card finalized. That is likely going to included some more qualifying matches, which can be hit or miss around here. Other than that, the rest of the show needs some attention and as of Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend, Cody Rhodes is back. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is hometown girl Bianca Belair for a chat. She’s so glad to be back after her injury and it’s time to get back where she belongs. This brings out Naomi, who wants to be Belair’s friend again. It was so bad that she went to Belair’s parents’ house and looked through one of Belair’s photo album. Belair brings up Naomi attacking Jade Cargill and promises worse if Naomi goes near her family again. Cue Cargill to take Naomi out but here is Nia Jax for the scheduled match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Nia Jax vs. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill

We’re joined in progress with Jax crashing out to the floor, leaving Naomi to hit a running dropkick to Cargill in the corner. Jax is back in with a running hip attack to Cargill in the corner but Cargill is up with a fall away slam to Naomi. Back up and Jax plants both of them down, followed by a double legdrop. A singular version hits Naomi for two but she rolls through a Samoan drop for two of her own as we take a break.

Back with Jax and Naomi double teaming Cargill but Jax doesn’t like Naomi going for a cover. Cargill is back up with a spinebuster to Jax and Jaded to Naomi but Jax makes the charging save. A double high crossbody gives Jax two each and frustration is setting in. Jax hits a super Samoan drop on Naomi, with Jax diving in for the save. They go to the corner for a Tower Of Doom, setting up an Annihilator to Cargill. Naomi is right there to steal the rollup pin on Jax at 12:21.

Rating: B-. Naomi has been needing a win and this is as good of a way to make that happen as possible. I could actually go for her winning Money In The Bank as she is an interesting choice to have hanging around the title picture. This got a bit of time too and that was nice to see, though Cargill vs. Naomi needs to wrap up already. What is left for Cargill to do to her?

Solo Sikoa and company run into R-Truth, who is talking to Little Jimmy (hey he’s back….I think). Sikoa thinks it’s dumb JC Mateo gets in R-Truth’s face. R-Truth thinks Mateo is his son (of course) and wants to teach Sikoa’s “husky” son a lesson. Works for them, though Jacob Fatu has his own plans for tonight. That sounds painful.

Chelsea Green, holding up a mask to hide her broken nose, and the Secret Hervice stop Nick Aldis. Green demands that she be named US Champion to make up for her injury but Aldis says no. And that’s that.

Tiffany Stratton wants to see who wins the Money In The Bank briefcase because someone will try to cash in. Cue Naomi to say she’s coming for the title. Naomi leaves and Alexa bliss comes in to say she wants the title too.

We look at the four way for the NXT North American Title at Worlds Collide.

JC Mateo vs. R-Truth

Mateo powers him into the corner without much trouble to start but R-Truth is back with the flying shoulders. That’s cut off in a hurry and Mateo hits the standing moonsault. The ProtoBomb and Five Knuckle Shuffle actually hit Mateo, but he grabs the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 2:19. That’s what it should have been.

Post match Solo Sikoa goes after R-Truth but Jimmy Uso makes the save with a chair. Mateo takes Uso out as well.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. The division is on fire right now and they’re the ones leading the charge. Now the Wyatts are here? Cue Fraxiom to say they should get another shot but here are the Motor City Machine Guns, who say the Profits never beat them either. They’ll take a title shot too, but here is DIY, who claims a conspiracy against them. Ciampa (who is looking in INCREDIBLE shape here) wants a moment of silence for the tag division….and we’ve got Wyatts to wreck everyone.

Los Garza vs. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix

This is a preview for the NXT North American Title match at Worlds Collide, with champion Ethan Page on commentary. Fenix and Garza start things off with Fenix snapping off a running hurricanrana. Berto comes in and gets caught with a running kick to the head as we take a break. Back with Garza giving Evans a running knee in the corner, followed by a Gory Bomb/slingshot cutter combination for two. Evans fights up and gets over for the tag to Fenix so house can quickly be cleaned.

Everything breaks down and Evans makes a blind tag to come in with a springboard clothesline. Evans and Garza chop it out from their knees and then from their feet, until Garza grabs a slingshot sitout powerbomb for two. Fenix breaks up the double super gorilla press slam though and Evans hits a big flip dive to the floor to take all of them out. Page pops up and sends Fenix over the announcers’ table, earning a superkick from Evans. Back in and Evans drops Berto but Page shoves him off the top. Los Garza’s double spinning slam finishes Evans at 12:23.

Rating: B-. For a commercial for a match that has pretty much nothing to do with this show, this could have been a lot worse. Evans getting something close to a tryout on the main roster isn’t a surprise either as it is clear that WWE is rather high on him. The action here was good too, with the right team winning in the end.

We get a video from the Wyatts, with Uncle Howdy saying (I think) it’s time for them to get what is owed.

Zelina Vega vs. Alba Fyre

Non-title and Piper Niven/Chelsea Green are here with Fyre. Vega gets sent into the corner a few times to start but she comes back with some kicks to the ribs. A headscissors sends Fyre down again but she hits a shoulder to drop Vega. Back up and Vega hammers away in the corner but Green’s distraction cuts off the 619 attempt. Fyre hits a superkick and we take a break.

Back with Fyre hitting a gordbuster for two and grabbing the chinlock. Vega fights up and gets in a knockdown of her own, setting up the clothesline comeback. A running knee in the corner hits Fyre and the middle rope Meteora gets two. Stundog Millionaire drops Fyre again but she avoids a moonsault. Fyre’s Swanton gets two and Vega is sent outside, where Green takes the face protector off. Green hits Niven by mistake though, leaving Vega to grab the Code Red for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, if nothing else because it was an actual fresh match. It feels like Vega and Niven have fought multiple times so getting Fyre in there on her own was a good idea. Vega needs to move on to someone new, but it was nice to see her getting to complete the set of opponents here in a way.

Miz tells Carmelo Hayes to follow his instructions tonight but Hayes says he got here on his own talent. Hayes needs Miz to let Him be Him, which Miz doesn’t seem to like.

Giulia isn’t here to be the best, but to be indisputable. It doesn’t matter who she is facing, because they are just part of building her legacy.

Zelina Vega runs into Giulia, who seems interested in the Women’s US Title.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat. Priest talks about how he has fought on the streets before but here in wrestling, when you have a fight with someone, the match usually ends things. He and Drew McIntyre went on for over a year and that’s not normal. McIntyre is gone for a bit to heal up and Priest still hates him. The thing is, that was the old McIntyre in the cage and Priest was glad to see him.

As for Priest, he wants titles, starting with Jacob Fatu and the US Title. Priest respects Fatu, but not the crew that Fatu follows around. They’ll do their thing one day and Priest will be the champion. Priest goes to leave and here is Fatu for his match and the staredown on the way. That’s a good way to go as you can always get into a hoss fight.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Miz is here with Hayes. Andrade and Fatu clear the ring to start fast, leaving Fatu to send Andrade to the apron. That earns Andrade a knock out to the floor so Hayes is back in to get dropped by Fatu as well. For some reason Miz thinks it’s a good idea to grab Fatu’s leg, with the distraction allowing Andrade to clothesline Hayes. Fatu crushes Miz against the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Fatu knocking Andrade into the corner but missing the running Umaga Attack. Andrade hits Fatu with the running knees in the corner but walks into La Mistica to give Hayes two. Back up and Andrade hits something like a middle rope reverse Spanish Fly for the double down.

Andrade’s double moonsault hits Fatu, with Hayes making the save. The three of them slug it out from their knees until some double teaming manages to send Fatu outside. That doesn’t work for Fatu, who brings them outside but misses a running Umaga attack through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with Andrade catching Hayes on top, only for Fatu to help with a super Spanish Fly. Fatu Swantons Hayes for two but Andrade hits the spinning back elbow for two of his own. Hayes’ springboard spinning clothesline gets two more with Fatu making the save this time. A Samoan drop drops Andrade but the triple jump moonsault misses for Fatu.

Nothing But Net gets two and Andrade and Hayes go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and Andrade hits a spinning back elbow to drop Hayes and we get a three way breather. Fatu hits an implant DDT each and the triple jump moonsault to Andrade…but Solo Sikoa gets on the apron for some reason. JC Mateo joins him but here is Jimmy Uso to go after them. Andrade hits Hayes with the Message for the pin at 20:27.

Rating: B. Yeah this was good, partially because it got some time and partially because it gives us someone else in the ladder match while having Hayes and Miz continue their issues. Andrade can bring it when he is given the chance and that’s what we got to see here. I could go for him getting to do something more important and it seems that he is at least having a small chance.

LA Knight is ready for Money In The Bank because he’s going into his third straight Money In The Bank. Aleister Black comes in to say that win was partially his, but Knight is welcome.

Jacob Fatu wrecks a bunch of stuff backstage and tells Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t need help.

Worlds Collide rundown.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about having to get through the loss at Wrestlemania XLI and asking a friend if he was a good champion. His friend said yes and Rhodes goes over what he did during his year with the title. This included his boss, the Final Boss, and of course John Cena. That gives us the dueling chants, with Rhodes talking about how Cena forced him to make a choice.

Rhodes isn’t sure if Cena will ruin wrestling, but Rhodes will never think twice about taking Cena out again. He apologizes for getting a bit worked up but he has a surprise. The fans chant for Jey Uso…so perhaps we should YEET. Cue Uso (who picks up a kid for the YEET dance and it’s still great) and we take a break. Back with Uso giving us an encore but here is Cena to interrupt. Cena calls them both Cena wannabes who want his money and fame but they won’t get it.

There is one person in WWE who has Cena’s hustle, loyalty and respect so here is Logan Paul. Cena says Paul doesn’t have to pay his dues because he is paying your mortgage. Paul asks what the fans are crying for because he could walk on water and people would say it’s because he can’t swim.

This is a special moment and the most important thing that anyone here in Tennessee will ever see. Paul should be the World Heavyweight Champion but Uso got lucky at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes had to cheat because that’s what Uso and Rhodes do. Paul on the other hand is a self made man and no one would have believed he would be teaming with Cena.

While Cena’s time is almost up, Paul’s time is now. Uso and Rhodes want to fight right now, who Rhodes suggesting that Paul is going to go polish Cena’s peacemaker. The brawl is on and the villains are quickly dispatched. Cena was bringing it a bit more here, as teaming with Paul is about as vile as you can get on this show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a strong edition of the show with a nice collection of in-ring work. Throw in a solid main event promo segment and I had a pretty nice time with the show. It was also a big push towards next week’s pay per view and it was a good effort towards making that show feel more important. I could still go for this show being back at two hours, but they can make it work like this on occasion.

Results
Naomi b. Jade Cargill and Nia Jax – Rollup to Jax
JC Mateo b. R-Truth – Tour Of The Islands
Los Garza b. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix – Double spinning slam to Evans
Zelina Vega b. Alba Fyre – Code Red
Andrade b. Jacob Fatu and Carmelo Hayes – The Message to Hayes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Sabin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexa Bliss mocks Charlotte for losing.

Secret Hervice vs. B-Fab/Michin

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

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

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

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

Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix are ready.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Jey Uso vs. Logan Paul.

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

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

Bianca Belair is back next week.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with a long Backlash rematch.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fraxiom vs. DIY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes

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

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

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

Post match Miz and Hayes lay Black out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LA Knight vs. JC Mateo

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

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

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

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

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

We look back at Berto standing up to Santos Escobar.

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We recap Chelsea Green’s recent issues.

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

Video on Aleister Black.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

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

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

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

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

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

Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

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

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

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

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

Respect is shown post match.

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

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

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

Carmelo Hayes vs. Aleister Black

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

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

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

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

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

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

Los Garza vs. Rey Fenix/Andrade

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

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

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

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

Backlash rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown
Date: April 25, 2025
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Wrestlemania and that means it is time for things to get started again. That could go in a few different directions, but first of all we have a TLC match for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles as the Street Profits are defending against the Motor City Machine Guns and DIY. Other than that, there is a good chance we’ll hear from some of the new (and old) champions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

We open with a long Wrestlemania recap, I believe the same one from Raw.

Here is John Cena to get things going and yes, he again has issues with his ring introduction. Before he can say anything, Randy Orton interrupts and gets a rather lengthy entrance. Orton talks about how we are coming up on twenty five years to the day since they first shook hands. In all that time, Cena has not changed because he really was about hustle, loyalty and respect.

Now though, it’s clear that Cena has a void that needs to be filled. There have been all kinds of generations of children looking up to him and that has to mean something to him. Cena holds the record for the most wishes granted in the history of Make-A-Wish but Orton isn’t accepting that they were just numbers. Orton has figured out what Cena needs to fill that void: children. Imagine a bunch of square jawed, big forearmed like Cenas running around! It would make Cena a better man and make him grow up.

Cena accuses Orton of parent shaming him and says he doesn’t have kids because he has spent 25 years raising everyone else’s children. Cena: “Oh great. A six year old just gave me the finger. CLASSY!” That’s why he doesn’t have kids but Orton says they aren’t done yet. Cena has gone Hollywood but the reality is he has nothing without those fans. Orton has done a lot of things in WWE and is a piece of furniture. He is here to stay, but Cena is just a guest.

Cena says he used to think that same way but now he tries to do something else and the fans go for someone else. That is a dysfunctional relationship and pure manipulation from the fans. Orton calls himself stupid (Orton: “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”) for thinking he could come out here and make an impact on Cena in this bizarro world where Orton is good and Cena is bad. Wrestling has meant everything to Orton and his family for generations and it will provide for his family until Orton is put in the ground.

Cena is tired of hearing about this and says that the count between them is 17-14. When Cena leaves though, the counter freezes because Orton can win a title, but that puts his count at 1. He wants to erase the three generations of Cena’s family, which is enough for Orton to issue the challenge for a title match right now. Cena says no, but he’s willing to face him at Backlash in St. Louis.

That’s Orton’s hometown so Orton can spend the day with his family and come in at his best. That means when Orton fails, he has no excuses. Cena says this is as close to the title as Orton is going to get, and then he throws it at him to start the beating. The belt shot is loaded up but Orton ducks and hits the RKO. This was an exchange between two guys who have been tied together for twenty years so they didn’t have much new to say. That being said, they absolutely had to run this match one last time and having the dynamic reversed could be interesting.

Video on Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer/Axiom), former NXT Tag Team Champions who are officially on Smackdown. They’ve dominated the NXT tag team division for a long time now so it makes sense to move them up. There is nothing left for them to do in NXT.

Orton vs. Cena is set for Backlash.

Fraxiom vs. Los Garza

Fraxiom starts fast and clears the ring, setting up some dives to the floor to take Los Garza out. A low bridge sends Axiom outside though and we take an early break. Back with Frazer getting the hot tag to come in and pick up the pace. Frazer gets quite the running start for a forearm to Berto into a Sling Blade. Angel comes in off a blind tag to kick Frazer down and the villains take over. Axiom has to make a save before coming in to strike it out with Angel. They go up top where Axiom hits his super Spanish Fly, setting up Frazer’s 450 for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: B-. Pretty much a perfect start for Fraxiom on the main roster as they got to do what they do best and it worked here. Fraxiom works best when they are flying all over the place and going at a breakneck pace. Putting them in there with Los Garza is a good way to go and they were fun opponents for Fraxiom to start things off.

Here is Tiffany Stratton to brag about retaining her title. There were moments when she wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but she kept hearing that she would be the next Charlotte. The reality is there will only be one Tiffany Stratton. Cue Jade Cargill (oh dear) to interrupt, saying that while Stratton’s win was impressive, it just put a bigger target on her back. It’s time for Cargill to show why she’s here because it’s time to be a champion. Stratton is ready to go right now so get a referee. Cue said referee and we’re ready to go.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill

Non-title. Cargill grabs an early rollup for two so Stratton offers a handshake. That’s enough to pull Cargill into a headlock before an armdrag seems to annoy her. A backbreaker puts Stratton down but she’s right back up with a running hip attack in the ropes. Cargill rolls her up for two but gets caught with a handspring elbow in the corner for the same.

We take a break and come back with Stratton hitting a Regal Roll but slipping on the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. The distraction lets Cargill roll away and hit a sitout powerbomb for two. A basement dropkick gives Stratton two but Cargill is back up with a superplex. Cue Naomi to jump Cargill for the DQ at 10:14.

Rating: B-. Well you knew that wasn’t going to have a clean finish, as it shouldn’t as you don’t want either of them to take a loss here as it’s so soon after Wrestlemania. At the same time, Naomi coming after Cargill again so soon doesn’t quite fit, as Cargill won pretty definitively at Wrestlemania. Let Cargill move on, because she can only destroy Naomi so much.

Post match Naomi beats Cargill down until Stratton chases her off. Then Nia Jax returns, because THIS needs to happen again.

Here is Jacob Fatu, with Solo Sikoa, for a chat. Sikoa introduces Fatu and says he is the only one who wants him. The thing is, Fatu wouldn’t be here without Sikoa, because he brought Fatu here. He wouldn’t be the champion without….and Fatu takes the mic. Fatu says he was going to bring the title to the family with or without Sikoa and that’s what he has done. The title makes him America’s most wanted and a menace to society, but you better get in where you fit in.

Cue LA Knight to say that he dropped Fatu on his head and Fatu had to grab the rope. It can happen to anyone on any night but he wants the title back. Cue Drew McIntyre to say it is hard to be him: tall, dark, handsome and with big guns. He just went through a violent match at Wrestlemania and he just wants to say it was a pleasure to embarrass Damian Priest. The next plan was to challenge John Cena but Randy Orton cut the line again.

It’s always Nepo Wrestling Entertainment and speaking of which, hi Bloodline. McIntyre wants to fight the baddest champion around here but Knight says let him know when this mush mouth is done. McIntyre calls Knight’s latest title reign a joke. Knight says he would say something about McIntyre’s latest title reign but he can’t remember it. The challenge is on but cue Nick Aldis to say not so fast. Tonight, it’s McIntyre vs. Knight in a #1 contenders match. Having big names wanting title shots is just going to increase Fatu’s status and that is great to see.

Zelina Vega is ready to go big or go home tonight.

Women’s United States Title: Zelina Vega vs. Chelsea Green

Green, with the Secret Hervice, is defending. They start fast with Green being sent outside, where the Hervice takes Vega down. We take a break and come back with both of them down for a breather. Vega fights up with a spinning back elbow into the corner, setting up a middle rope Meteora for two. The 619 is broken up and the referee sees the Hervice interfering, which is enough for the double ejection. Vega grabs a Code Red for the pin and the title at 7:14.

Rating: C. I’m not sure on this one, but after Vega lost so many times already, it was time to either give her some gold or move on. I really don’t like Green, who has been outstanding in this role, to lose, but if it gives her something new to complain about, she should be fine. The match was nothing to see, but I’m going to need to see some fallout to see if this feels like a good idea.

We look at Carmelo Hayes winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last week.

Miz is proud of Hayes winning and that’s why he sacrificed himself last week. Now, he has a gift for Hayes: a rather large Andre head necklace. Miz is so inspired that he wants to show everyone something in the ring.

Here is the Miz, in a snazzy white suit, for a chat. He has been a featured part of Wrestlemania since 2007 but this year, he was nowhere to be seen. Miz main evented Wrestlemania and successfully defended the title against John Cena, which even Cody Rhodes couldn’t do.

When Rey Mysterio was injured, Miz doesn’t get the spot but rather someone who has been here two weeks. When Kevin Owens got hurt, an internet meme got his spot instead. He is sick and tired of people showing up and getting his spot…and the lights go out. A bunch of candles are on the stage and Aleister Black is back, complete with riser and theme song. The fans say WELCOME BACK so Miz goes after him, only to get kicked in the head. Black coming back was hardly a surprise, but it’s going to depend on how he’s used. He has talent, but it isn’t going to matter if he’s totally unfocused again.

Bianca Belair has a few broken fingers from Wrestlemania but she is so proud of the match she had with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. Belair is fine with what Sky did at Wrestlemania but Ripley slid into a match where she didn’t belong. For now though, Belair is focused on healing so she can get back home on Smackdown.

Nia Jax doesn’t care about Naomi’s quest for revenge, but Naomi tells her to proceed with caution. Jax is confused.

LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre

For a future US Title shot. They take turns taking each other down and showing off the double biceps to start. A belly to back suplex drops McIntyre for two but Knight is knocked off the apron and into the barricade for a crash. Back in and a shot to the ribs gives McIntyre two and he fires off some knees to keep Knight down.

Knight manages a snap suplex into a jumping neckbreaker out of the corner for two. They go outside with Knight sending him into the announcers’ table over and over. Back in and…cue Solo Sikoa to Samoan Spike Knight. McIntyre sees it and isn’t pleased but loads up the Claymore anymore. Cue Damian Priest to pull McIntyre out for the DQ at 9:24.

Rating: B-. Knight was hanging in there and thankfully he didn’t get pinned. In theory this should make McIntyre the #1 contender, but at the same time it wouldn’t surprise me to see Nick Aldis say “that’s not what I meant”, which wouldn’t be a terrible way to go. Otherwise, I again approve of Knight being in the ring with some bigger names, as he has earned that kind of a spot.

Post match the brawl is on, with Priest chokeslamming McIntyre through the announcers’ table. Priest and Knight get in an argument but Jacob Fatu shows up with a huge suicide dive to take both of them out. Fatu’s triple jump moonsaults leave everyone laying as he again looks like the biggest monster in the world.

We look at Bron Breakker becoming a Paul Heyman Guy.

R-Truth comes up to John Cena and offers his help anytime. Cena walks off without saying anything. Jimmy Uso comes in to ask when Cena changed (as apparently he hasn’t been watching for weeks). R-Truth says there are two sides to every story and he wants to be Cena when he grows up. Jimmy: “But you are grown up.” This is called “explaining the joke” and it’s not a good idea.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

The Profits are defending in a TLC match. It’s a brawl to start (of course) and Dawkins gets to clean house with the ladder on the floor. Back in and the brawling continues, with Ciampa (sans beard for a WEIRD look) getting in some ladder shots of his own. Dawkins is tied in the Tree of Woe for some shots to the ribs before a bunch of people head outside. Ford hits a big flip dive onto a bunch of them and Shelley comes up favoring his arm.

Ford goes up but gets Downward Spiraled down by Gargano. Dawkins cuts Ciampa off and gives Gargano a Big Ending off the ladder for a crash to the floor. A brainbuster puts Shelley through an open chair but Dawkins blocks a double suplex onto a pair of chairs. Instead Dawkins hits the swinging butterfly suplex onto the chairs and Ford busts out the huge flip dive over the ropes for a Doomsday Blockbuster onto the pile.

A fan whips out a prosthetic leg for a bonus weapon and a ladder is bridged between the ring and the barricade. Shelley hits a big frog splash to put Dawkins through a table at ringside, followed by Ford hitting a huge running Swanton through Ciampa through a table on the floor. That doesn’t work for Ciampa, who is back up with an Air Raid Crash to send Ford through a ladder and a lot of people are down again.

Skull And Bones puts Gargano through a table, leaving Ciampa to go up top but the Guns move the ladder. Ciampa is hanging from the ladder so Dawkins goes up and spears him down, through a table because of course. Sabin and Gargano go up top with Sabin knocking him down but Ford springboards up the ladder. Gargano pulls him down though and ties him in the ladder for a superkick. Sabin and Gargano go up top but Ford climbs the SIDE of the ladder and knocks both of them down, allowing Ford to pull the titles down and retain at 22:52.

Rating: A-. Yeah I’d call this a winner. It was six guys beating the living daylights out of each other and just trying to go totally insane. That’s what we had here and it worked incredibly well. The ending was creative and Ford looked great in his win, which made for a solid ending. This wasn’t meant to be anything more than a long car crash and they did it very well. Leaving this on Wrestlemania was a great idea, as it gets to stand out on its own here rather than being on the packed Wrestlemania card. Awesome main event.

Overall Rating: B+. That main event alone is enough to carry a bunch of this show and it was pretty entertaining throughout. Orton and Cena’s segment was long and only so good, but at least it set up a big match in short order. The rest of the show was your usual collection of debuts, returns and surprises, with the big TLC main event to wrap it up. Rather great show, though I’m not sure they’ll be able to do this again next week.

Results
Fraxiom b. Los Garza – 450 to Angel
Jade Cargill b. Tiffany Stratton via DQ when Naomi interfered
Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green – Code Red
Drew McIntyre b. LA Knight via DQ when Jacob Fatu interfered
Street Profits b. Motor City Machine Guns and DIY – Ford pulled down the titles

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: April 18, 2025
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re less than a day away from Wrestlemania and that means it is time for the final push towards the biggest show of the year. In this case we have the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and a Tag Team Title match, with the Motor City Machine Guns challenging the Street Profits. Let’s get to it.

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

Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga arrived earlier but LA Knight slammed Tonga’s car door on his arm, Larry Zbyszko style.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. He’s not used to being on Smackdown but he’ll try the catchphrase anyway. Naturally the fans chant for CM Punk so Rollins sits down, ala Punk. Now it’s an OTC chant but Rollins would rather talk about Punk first (the fans are ok with this). Those chants for ten years brought Punk back to the ring, but it wasn’t a WWE ring.

It wasn’t for the fans, but rather because someone wrote him a big fat check. After he burned that bridge, he came back to WWE because they wrote him another big fat check. Rollins: “Tell me when I’m telling lies.” The reality is that Punk doesn’t care about anyone, and the reality is that Roman Reigns only cares about himself. Reigns is Mr. Private Jet and Mr. Handpicked Opponent because Reigns is always about making himself look bigger.

Every year, Reigns kept getting treated as the biggest thing in the world, but there were always some CM PUNK chants. While this was happening, Rollins was working every day, sacrificing his body. Last year at Wrestlemania, he was there despite his knee hanging on by a thread and his stepfather dying of cancer. Now the fans sing Rollins’ song as he talks about how the story ends at Wrestlemania, where he will lay it all on the line to move this business forward. And yes, that is a spoiler. This was a pretty straightforward promo as Rollins tries to remind us that he is part of this story.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Video on Andre The Giant.

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade, Otis, Berto, Angel, Kit Wilson, Elton Prince, Akira Tozawa, Santos Escobar, Carmelo Hayes, Carlito, Julius Creed, R-Truth, Brutus Creed, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz del Toro, Miz, Karrion Kross, Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, Ludwig Kaiser, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, Chad Gable, Dragon Lee

R-Truth poses with Carlito to start and then throws him out, only to get booted out by Miz for some fast eliminations. Karrion Kross goes after Miz and we actually get a Bloodsport reference for a weird thing to hear on WWE TV. Legado del Fantasma goes after Fenix, who gets rid of Berto and Angel in quick fashion. Pretty Deadly beats up Bate but get tossed by A-Town Down Under. Bate is sent over the top but skins the cat, only to get dropkicked out by Kaiser.

Things slow down a bit as Escobar tries to get an alliance going with Fenix, who tosses him instead. Otis uses Tozawa as a projectile, allowing Julius Creed to throw Tozawa out. A double clothesline gets rid of the Creeds but Otis goes with them as the ring is clearing out in a hurry. Andrade tosses Waller and Theory and Fenix gets rid of Gable. Wilde and del Toro are out and Lee gets rid of Kross before grabbing a hurricanrana to Nakamura.

That just earns Lee a shot to the face and Nakamura tosses him out. Dunne and Kaiser fight to the apron but get back in, only for Dunne to eliminate Kaiser. Miz saves Hayes but gets dropkicked out for his efforts. Hayes tosses Dunne and we’re down to Hayes, Andrade, Nakamura and Fenix. Nakamura misses a charge into the corner and gets dropkicked out by Andrade to get us down to three. Fenix throws both of them over but they hang on for the save.

For some reason Fenix tries a rope walk so here is El Grande Americano to pull him out. We’re down to Andrade vs. Hayes as commentary talks about their history together. A double knockdown gives us a double breather before Hayes grabs a suplex cutter. For some reason Andrade tries a springboard and gets tossed to give Hayes the win at 15:28.

Rating: B-. Why not? This is a match where you can give someone a somewhat important victory without having to pin someone at the same time. Its winners don’t have the best track records but I can go for Hayes getting a win and possibly feuding with the Miz over being more successful than he has been lately. It’s not the most important match but it could mean something for Hayes.

Miz comes out to celebrate.

HHH Hall Of Fame video, looking at the Cell match with Undertaker. Didn’t we already see that one?

We get a sitdown interview with Charlotte who doesn’t like where her feud with Tiffany Stratton has gone but she’s ready to be on the big stage. This is how you make things happen.

Here is Rhea Ripley for a chat. This is going to be her sixth Wrestlemania and she’s always in a title match, but this feels like the most important. She lost her title right before Wrestlemania and this Sunday, she wins back what she lost. Cue Iyo Sky to interrupt but before she can say anything, Bianca Belair cuts her off.

She wants the title but here is Naomi to interrupt as well. Naomi has been trying to talk to Belair because she wanted to handle this in private. Instead though, we have to do this in public because Jade wasn’t there…and here she is too. Ripley gets in Jade’s face but Naomi knocks Jade into her. The big brawl is on and Sky hits the moonsault to wipe everyone out.

American Made mocks Rey Fenix but Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio come in and a fight is teased. Fenix says we should have a six man tag and it seems to be on.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending and get jumped during their entrances to start fast. The Guns take over on Ford to start but he comes back with a clothesline to Sabin. Dawkins comes in for a clothesline of his own and the champs take over as we take a break. Back with Shelley diving over for a tag off to Sabin. House is cleaned, including a missile dropkick for two on Ford. Back up and Dawkins tosses Sabin into Ford for a belly to back suplex but Shelley is right back in. The Dream Sequence hits Ford but he breaks up the Skull & Bones to hit a big flip dive over the top. And cue DIY for the double DQ at 8:25.

Rating: C+. The match was getting going when the interference brought it to a halt but they only had so much time in the first place. Normally this would set up some kind of ladder match at Wrestlemania but I can’t imagine they would put that on with so little time left before the show. If nothing else, it should give them something to build off in the next few weeks as this story still has some steam.

DIY steal the titles and leave.

Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice serve Nick Aldis with an official complaint. Aldis says there is a complaint, so tonight’s six woman tag is now a singles match with Green against Zelina Vega, with the Hervice barred from ringside. Screaming ensues.

Cardi B is hosting Summerslam. I was hoping we were getting away from that dumb idea.

Nick Aldis cuts off DIY from leaving with the titles. The Guns and the Profits come in and Aldis takes the titles. Next week, it’s TLC for the titles. Well that’s big.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. As of right now, he does not have a Wrestlemania opponent. His father was at the first Wrestlemania and 20 years later, he made his Wrestlemania debut at the Garden (try again). He’s going to show up on Sunday in his gear and with just the right amount of baby oil, so anyone in the back can come test themselves. Just be ready for an RKO. Simple and to the point here since he doesn’t have an opponent.

Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre got in a fight at the Wrestlemania Kickoff event.

Priest is tired of McIntyre being a victim, but tomorrow Priest is going to beat him so badly that he wishes he was future endeavored again.

The smoke person is here next week.

Zelina Vega vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title. They start fast with Green having to get her skirt out from underneath her feet. Green pounds away to start but gets sent outside and over the barricade. Back in and Vega wins a slugout but the 619 is cut off with a kick to the head. They go up and a super Code Red gives Vega the upset win at 3:34.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and it’s rarely a good idea to have a champion lose a clean fall. Last week’s countout was nothing of note but this felt more like it was out of the older WWE days. Hopefully we get something better for Green, because she shouldn’t be losing like this.

We look at Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania. The first time.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He talks about trying to take out Jacob Fatu’s relatives so it’s one on one at Wrestlemania. This US Title means the most in WWE because he’s around the most so Solo Sikoa can get out here right now and take his beating.

LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa

Non-title and the brawl starts on the floor as we take a break. Back with the brawl continuing on the floor before they both get inside, with Sikoa getting two. Knight’s neckbreaker gets his out of trouble but Sikoa drops him again. Sikoa cannonballs down onto the ribs a few times, only to land in a low blow so Knight can fight back. A DDT connects…and Jacob Fatu runs in to beat Knight down for the DQ at 3:38.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to get anywhere here but that wasn’t the point of the match. Odds are someone is going to run in and help Knight after the match and a tag match will break out. Knight and Fatu’s match is already set up so this was just one more push to get us to the showdown.

Post match Braun Strowman runs in for the save and it’s time to do that tag match thing.

Braun Strowman/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu

We’re joined in progress with Fatu being low bridged to the floor and Strowman coming in to clean house. The Strowman Express drops Sikoa on the floor but Fatu is back with a jumping clothesline back inside. Sikoa and Fatu take turns working on a neck crank until Strowman fights up and brings Knight back in. Everything breaks down and Strowman is sent over the announcers’ table. With Fatu outside, Knight hits a BFT to pin Sikoa at 4:34 shown.

Rating: C+. This was another short match but they got a decent amount of stuff in there, which is always good to see. Knight gets another win on the way to Wrestlemania, but there is a very good chance that he is losing the title to the monster Fatu. For now though, they’ve done a nice job of setting it up and that’s a positive sign.

We get a preview of Tiffany Stratton talking to Wade Barrett, with the full interview airing on the Wrestlemania Kickoff Show. She’s tired of being taken advantage of so she’s retaining the title at Wrestlemania.

LWO/Rey Fenix vs. American Made

Fenix punches away at Brutus to start and takes him down with a flying headbutt. Lee comes in with a slingshot dropkick in the corner but Brutus takes him over for a tag of his own. Back up and Lee sends Julius to the floor for a big flip dive and it’s off to Mysterio vs. Gable. Mysterio chases him outside but gets pulled down…and he’s in trouble. Gable suplexes Lee inside and American Made hit a triple top rope headbutt as Mysterio can be seen limping off.

We take a break and come back with the Brutus Ball hitting Lee for two. Mysterio is gone as Lee ties American Made in the Tree Of Woe (at the same time) for a top rope triple stomp. It’s back to Fenix to clean house but Julius catches him with an overhead belly to belly. Fenix’s springboard armdrag sets up a running hurricanrana as Lee is back in to drop Julius. A top rope Meteora gives Fenix the pin at 9:10.

Rating: B-. The fact that Mysterio is gone is not a good sign and there is a strong chance that he is not going to be at Wrestlemania. Fenix taking his place would make sense if that is where they want to go, but hopefully the injury isn’t as bad as it seems. For now though, it was a fast paced match, even if it wound up being a handicap match.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, with the music video treatment.

Here is Cody Rhodes for his final face to face confrontation with John Cena. Before Rhodes can say anything, here is Cena to get to the point in a hurry. Cena tells him to “shut your mouth kid”, because this is going to be his last Wrestlemania. No one has had the courage to finish their career like he has, to the point where no one believes he’s really leaving. Everyone else comes back because they all need these people, but Cena has happiness on his own.

Last year, Rhodes won the title but Cena told him that it is going to get heavier every day. Cena defeated Rhodes when Rhodes said no to the Rock because it was over then. On Sunday, the title reign comes to an end when Cena proves that the fans don’t matter. Rhodes has been wanting to be somebody and on Sunday he will find out that he is just a kid playing in a man’s world. Rhodes brings up Cena saying that he doesn’t bury talent, but there is a graveyard of people who would disagree.

Cena doesn’t know the wrestlers’ names, but the reality is Cena is out of time, paler than Sting at Starrcade 1997 (WHOA!) and it’s 2025 and he still can’t wrestle. Cena says the fans don’t know what they want and he doesn’t have to wrestle to beat Rhodes. Cena goes for a shot to the face and the AA but gets reversed into Cross Rhodes. They were bringing the intensity here but they didn’t really say anything new here.

One more Wrestlemania rundown wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. This was exactly what you would expect here as it’s the last Smackdown before the biggest nights of the year. They had the battle royal, a few other matches, and then the big closing segment. Hopefully Mysterio is healthy enough to wrestle tomorrow, but that doesn’t seem likely based on what we saw. It’s not a particularly good show and definitely not worth seeing, but this could have been far worse.

Results
Carmelo Hayes won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last eliminating Andrade
Street Profits vs. Motor City Machine Guns went to a double DQ when DIY interfered
Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green – Super Code Red
LA Knight b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Jacob Fatu interfered
LA Knight/Braun Strowman b. Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu – BFT to Sikoa
LWO/Rey Fenix b. American Made – Top rope Meteora to Julius Creed

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: April 4, 2025
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and that means it is time to really hit the gas on the build to Wrestlemania. Most of the show is either set or all but set but there is still time to build some things up for the big weekend. This week we are on CM Punk’s home turf, which should make for some interesting moments. Let’s get to it.

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

After seeing some people come to work, we recap last week’s contract match between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the Night One main event of Wrestlemania.

Here is Punk to the eruption you would expect. Punk gets the big entrance and poses on the barricade for a bit as you know this is a special night for him. He says he doesn’t know where to begin but talks about the Chicago audience and steals the camera to show them. With the camera back where it should be, Punk talks about how it is his goal to make new fans anywhere he goes.

Tonight though, he wants to thank the fans here in Chicago because he has always been told he isn’t supposed to be here. Now though, he’s not sure if you’ve heard it, but he’s in the main event of Wrestlemania. Punk has taken all kinds of steps throughout his career, including being on John Cena’s gangster call at Wrestlemania in this very building, but everyone said he wasn’t supposed to be here. Now though, he’s right here in his hometown and he has to thank his beautiful wife first.

After an AJ LEE chant, we get a Larry the dog reference and now the hard work begins. He is getting ready for Wrestlemania but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman apologizes for being late and he says it was no disrespect to this city or his best friend, the best in the world, CM Punk. The fans (and Punk) chant ECW and Heyman can’t help but smile. Heyman says that Punk belongs here and he belongs in the main event of Wrestlemania.

The last time they were int his ring together, Heyman asked Punk to take him with him. Then the Bloodline attacked Heyman and put him out longer than any time when he wasn’t fired. Punk was considering leaving after Hell In A Cell but Heyman begged him to come back at WarGames. For now though, Heyman has one favor to ask him: let him know what the favor he owes Punk is going to be. Punk says it’s going to involve Roman Reigns, so he’ll tell them both to their face.

Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

This is Fenix’s debut. They fight over wrist control to start and Fenix sends him into the ropes to a nice reaction. A spinning kick to the head gives Fenix some near falls but Frazer sends him outside for a dive. Back up and Fenix hits a big middle rope dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Frazer running the corner for a superplex into a suplex neckbreaker for two. Frazer misses his Phoenix splash so Fenix runs the ropes for a kick to the face, setting up an over the shoulder tombstone (Fire Driver) for two. A kick to the head sets up the spinning Muscle Buster (Mexican Muscle Buster) for the pin at 8:17.

Rating: B-. It was a good debut with the two of them getting to do enough stuff to make Fenix look like a star. Fenix is the kind of guy who can do some great high flying stuff and he got to showcase himself well. I’m not sure if it did as well as Penta, but Fenix is a different kind of high flier who is going to get over with a different style.

Post match Fenix says he has a history here in Chicago and this was a big step. He did it with passion and rage and now he is happy to say that he is WWE.

Legado del Fantasma thinks Fenix would fit in well, though Berto says he is better than Fenix. Santos Escobar says go prove it.

Drew McIntyre, with an eye patch, says no one cares about Damian Priest unless he’s feasting off of McIntyre’s scraps. That’s what he did last year at Wrestlemania and this year at the Elimination Chamber. Then last week he put McIntyre through a windshield, resulting in his eye injury. McIntyre swears vengeance.

We look back at Jacob Fatu attacking LA Knight and Braun Strowman last week.

Strowman is ready to crush Fatu in a Last Man Standing match. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga come in to laugh at the concept, but Knight comes in to make fun of Tonga’s weird noises.

LA Knight vs. Tama Tonga

Non-title and Solo Sikoa is here too. Knight slugs away to start and drops him with an elbow but gets sent into the corner. A belly to back suplex drops Knight, who comes right back with some rams into the buckle. Knight even hits his own running Umaga attack before taking Tonga outside for the rams onto the announcers’ table.

Sikoa offers a distraction though and Knight gets knocked off the apron as we take a break. Back with Tonga hitting a heck of a clothesline for two but he misses a middle rope elbow. Knight grabs a neckbreaker out of the corner and hits a powerslam, setting up the jumping elbow. BFT is broken up and Knight has to deal with Sikoa. Now BFT can connect to finish Tonga at 9:12.

Rating: C+. This was a nice win for Knight, who gets to beat both Tonga, even with Sikoa’s help. That’s the kind of win that he needs every so often, as Knight is still supposed to be better than most people on his level. There is a good chance that he loses the title at Wrestlemania, but it’s nice to see him getting a win here to set him up a bit better.

Paul Heyman is in the parking lot and says no matter what CM Punk wants, the answer is yes. A car arrives and it’s….Seth Rollins, which has Heyman disappointed. Rollins wants to see Roman Reigns when he arrives.

We get the smoke vignette again but this time it looks like someone with coins over their eyes.

Here is Charlotte for a chat but before she can say anything, Tiffany Stratton interrupts. Wade Barrett is serving as moderator and introduces both of them, with Charlotte saying the mixed reaction is power. Charlotte is asked why she chose Stratton and if she still thinks it is the right idea. She talks about how she wanted to prove the smartest fans wrong, including those here in Chicago. Stratton: “Did she get her WOO in?”

Stratton talks about how Charlotte’s real competition is in the crowd. The saddest thing is that if Charlotte breaks all of the records, she’ll always be second to her dad. Charlotte says Stratton is saying the same things that her opponents have been saying for the last ten years, but the fans boo her out of the building.

Stratton says Charlotte was in her dad’s basement drinking at 25 years old while Stratton is the Women’s Champion at 25. Stratton calls her a nepo baby, but Charlotte says “Nepo Queen”. We get a not so veiled reference to Charlotte’s divorces (Stratton: “What is it? 0-3?”) and Stratton bails, with Charlotte asking why Kaiser is in her DM’s. Stratton no sells the line and leaves, which is nice to see as she owned Charlotte here and left her ranting.

Nick Aldis announces a women’s Tag Team gauntlet match for next week (Raw teams will be included), with the winners getting a title shot at Wrestlemania.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

For a title shot at the Street Profits, who are here as well. Gargano and Sabin trade wrist control to start before Ciampa comes in. That means an armdrag to take him down just as fast and everything breaks down. Shelley chases Ciampa on the floor and gets caught on the way back in. We take a break and come back with Sabin hitting a high crossbody onto both of them. A tornado DDT drops Ciampa and a big suicide dive takes out the villains again.

Back in and double basement superkicks drop Ciampa but Gargano breaks up the Skull & Bones. A turnbuckle pad is taken off and Ciampa knees Sabin for two. The superkick/Fairy Tale Ending combination gets two on Sabin with Shelley having to make the save. Meet In The Middle doesn’t work and it’s the Dream Sequence to Ciampa. Skull & Bones is cut off again but Ciampa’s rollup with feet on the ropes is cut off. Instead Sabin avoids a charge to send Ciampa into the exposed buckle and gets a rollup for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B. The more I see from these two, the more amazed I am at how badly their Royal Rumble match went. They had another good match here and you would think that they are capable of doing it anytime they want. For now, it sets up the Guns for their rematch, though I’m still expecting a big multi team mess at Wrestlemania.

Post match the Guns have a staredown with the Profits.

The Miz and Carmelo Hayes mock Pretty Deadly for losing in their hometown last week. Pretty Deadly doesn’t think much of Miz and make fun of his acting record. Miz isn’t impressed and shouts the catchphrase as a match seems likely.

B-Fab vs. Naomi

Michin is here with B-Fab. Hold on though as Jade Cargill jumps Naomi in the aisle before the bell. Naomi gets in the ring and the bell rings so B-Fab hits a clothesline. A spinning kick in the corner drops Naomi and B-Fab gets to hammer away even more. B-Fab hits a Rock Bottom for two but another kick misses in the corner. Naomi grabs her arms and pulls her into a one knee Codebreaker for the pin at 2:05.

Post match Naomi calls out Cargill, who runs in with a pump kick. Nick Aldis comes out to make Naomi vs. Cargill at Wrestlemania. Why? Cargill has crushed her every time so why should I believe it’s going to be any different?

Damian Priest calls out Drew McIntyre for being distracted time after time and Priest took advantage. Then McIntyre cost him his chances at going to Wrestlemania so next week he wants McIntyre face to face.

Another HHH Hall Of Fame video, focusing on his time in Evolution.

Here is a rather upset Nick Aldis to make an announcement. There is a reason we say “don’t try this at home” and he brings out Kevin Owens, in a snazzy Bret Hart jacket, for a chat. Owens talks about doing this for twenty five years but there is a price to pay for doing things how he does them. Now it seems like it is his turn and after the last few months of issues, he needs neck surgery.

The timing couldn’t be worse and it means he won’t be facing Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back but he will never take this for granted. Owens even shakes Aldis’ hand and goes to leave but here is Orton to interrupt. Orton goes to get in the ring but Owens bails, leaving Aldis to say Orton doesn’t have a Wrestlemania match. The RKO lays out Aldis. I’ll believe Owens isn’t wrestling at Wrestlemania when it doesn’t happen, but hopefully it’s not an actual injury.

Our classic Wrestlemania moment: the first one.

Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman

Last Man Standing and the winner gets a US Title shot at Wrestlemania. The brawl is on in the aisle with Strowman getting the better of things. They get inside where Fatu breaks out of the running powerslam and puts him down. The triple jump moonsault connects and Fatu hits a second to send Strowman outside.

We take a break and come back with Strowman dropping him for a change, meaning it’s time for a table. That takes too long (it often does) and Fatu is back up with a big suicide dive. Strowman beats the count so Fatu posts him, only to charge into a chair to the head. That’s good for five before Strowman gets a running start and knocks him through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with the two of them fighting in the crowd, where Strowman suplexes him through a table. They get back inside, where the table is set up in the corner. Strowman takes too much time getting up though and the running Umaga attack sends him through said table. Only Fatu can beat the count and Strowman is done at 15:12.

Rating: B-. Maybe it was the two commercials but I couldn’t get into this one. The problem here is Strowman has been beaten up by Fatu over and over again so there wasn’t much of a reason to believe Strowman would pull it off here. It was a good, hard hitting match but it never got to the level that these things can reach.

We recap the John Cena/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw, with Rhodes laying Cena out.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Paul Heyman says Roman Reigns will be here soon. After the break, Reigns arrives.

Reigns comes to the ring (and he makes great time for once), with a somewhat nervous Heyman behind him. After hitting the catchphrase, Reigns asks Heyman if “he” is here and acknowledges that it’s CM Punk. Reigns wants to know about the favor but first, he wants to share a secret with Chicago. The reality is that Punk would not be back here without him.

Reigns mocks the idea that people cheer for Punk because they’re both from Chicago before asking for some chants of his own. He wants Punk out here right now to find out about this favor. Instead, here is Seth Rollins to interrupt and he hits his catchphrase as well. Rollins wouldn’t miss this for anything and wants to know about the favor as well. Rollins rants about Punk being in the main event of Wrestlemania, which he blames on Reigns for not stopping him when he had the chance.

Reigns says that he made a promise to Heyman and he keeps his word. He called Punk out here but got Rollins instead, but Rollins wants to know about the favor as well. Cue Punk, who says this is about promises being made and promises being kept. Punk talks about meeting Heyman at 4400 Shepherdsville Road (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky and how Heyman knew that Punk would be a star. Heyman said that when Punk main evented Wrestlemania, force WWE to deal with them.

That is what Punk is going to do to Reigns now, as he wants Heyman in his corner at Wrestlemania. Reigns is a bit stunned and laughs off the idea, saying he saved Heyman. Even if he let Heyman do it, he knows Heyman wouldn’t and tells Heyman to let Punk down gently. Instead, Heyman looks at Reigns and starts crying. Reigns gets serious and says to tell Punk no but Heyman doesn’t say anything. Heyman says no….to Reigns, which has Rollins laughing. Reigns yells at Heyman and gets taken down with a GTS. Punk stares Rollins away to end the show.

That’s an interesting way to go for the Favor, as Reigns’ success has been built on the idea of Heyman giving him the mental side of things. Getting under Reigns’ skin has been his downfall before and Punk capitalizing on it makes sense. At the same time, my goodness does Rollins feel like a total afterthought in this whole thing. I had forgotten he was there and it was annoying to remember it after he showed up again.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case in recent weeks, this show wasn’t about the wrestling, even though it wasn’t that bad this week. Instead, this was about pushing things forward for the matches that have either already been set up or are likely to be set up in the near future. I’m not wild on some of what we got, but it’s nice to be able to see the Wrestlemania card coming together. Now just make things more interesting, which is what we’ll be doing in the next few weeks. That was the case here and it went fairly well, though the lack of a focus on action can be a bit annoying.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Nathan Frazer – Mexican Muscle Buster
LA Knight b. Tama Tonga – BFT
Motor City Machine Guns b. DIY – Rollup to Ciampa
Naomi b. B-Fab – Codebreaker
Jacob Fatu b. Braun Strowman when Strowman could not answer the ten count

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: March 28, 2025
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re still in Europe and this time around we’re in a rather big location. The major attraction this week is actually a contract signing between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, which should make for some fireworks. Other than that, Braun Strowman is getting a US Title shot, which might attract some attention. Let’s get to it.

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

Various people came to work today.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Naturally the fans sing his song before Cody asks what they want to talk about. We get the dueling John Cena chants before they switch back to singing (positively) about Rhodes. He’s ready for Wrestlemania but on Monday, he and Cena will be face to face in the same arena.

Cue Randy Orton to interrupt and the fans get to sing again. Orton says he isn’t the sentimental type, but for the sake of London, he looks at Rhodes and can’t believe the man he has become. He remembers Rhodes in his early 20s, working harder than anyone but Rhodes realized that he needed to go somewhere else to grow. That took some guts, which Rhodes displayed again when he was facing Seth Rollins inside of the Cell and again when he beat Roman Reigns.

That was the end of the story, but now Rhodes is in another story. Orton respects him and loves him and he’s very proud. Now though, it is time for Wrestlemania and Orton is going to kick Kevin Owens’ head off. After Wrestlemania though, Orton is going to come after Rhodes and the title, but he’s going to look Rhodes in the eye and say he’s coming for this. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt, saying he is sick of these nepo babies.

Orton has been back and took more time off, because people talk about McIntyre’s five minute World Title reign than Orton’s entire comeback. That’s why Wrestlemania should be McIntyre vs. Rhodes, but Damian Priest screwed that up. If Rhodes survives Cena, McIntyre is the one taking the title from him. The reality is that Orton looks great on the outside, but his back is hanging on by a thread. Orton tries a quick RKO but McIntyre bails out to the floor. This isn’t so much adding something new to Wrestlemania, but it’s teasing something for after Wrestlemania, which is important as well.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

The Profits are defending. Dawkins headlocks Prince to start but it’s quickly off to Ford, who gets double hiptossed down. We take an early break and come back with Ford knocking Prince down and handing it back to Dawkins. A whip into the corner crotches Ford on top though and everything breaks down. Dawkins grabs a spinebuster to set up the frog splash but Ford hits the illegal Wilson, meaning Ford can get a rollup for two. A four way collision lets Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Dawkins with Ford making the save. The Doomsday Blockbuster retains the titles at 7:56.

Rating: C+. Pretty Deadly was getting to be more serious tonight in their home country and it was nice to see them getting to do something like this. They weren’t about to win the titles but the fans liked them and were into the match. There are a bunch of teams going for the belts at the moment and I hope that doesn’t result in a ladder match at Wrestlemania.

Earlier today, the Green Administration annoyed Zelina Vega and Kayden Carter/Katana Chance, with a tag match being set for tonight.

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, as in the match from Wrestlemania XIII, is going into the Hall Of Fame. That’s a new concept.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Piper Niven/Alba Fyre

Chelsea Green is here with Niven and Fyre. Carter and Chance take Fyre down to start for a basement dropkick to the head. Fyre is sent outside for a pop up crossbody but Niven is back with a running crossbody. We take a break and come back with Carter fighting back, including a springboard spinning legdrop for two on Fyre. Niven accidentally crushes Fyre with a backsplash but Carter manages to Samoan drop Niven for a breather. Everything breaks down but Green offers a distraction to break up the After Party. The Piper Driver finishes Carter at 7:01.

Rating: C. You need to give the new evil team a win or two and that’s what we got here. Chance and Carter aren’t a great team but they’re good enough that people know who they are. It might not have been a great match, but it was the kind that set things off in the right direction for Niven and Fyre.

Post match the beatdown is on so Zelina Vega runs in to clear the ring, only for the numbers game to catch up with her.

US Title: Braun Strowman vs. LA Knight

Knight is defending and gets shoved down to start. A belly to back suplex isn’t happening for Knight so Strowman runs him over for two. Strowman gets low bridged to the floor, where he easily cuts Knight off with a big boot. We take a break and come back with Strowman charging into a boot in the corner to give Knight a needed breather.

Knight sends him into the corner and now the belly to back suplex connects. The jumping elbow gets two on Strowman but the BFT is easily blocked. Strowman knocks him to the floor for the train but Jacob Fatu jumps Strowman for the DQ at 6:19. Not enough shown to rate but they didn’t get very far into it anyway.

Post match Fatu easily takes both of them out, with the running hip attacks rocking Strowman in the corner. The Moonsault makes it even worse.

Jimmy Uso is fired up after slapping Gunther on Raw because he knows that Jey Uso can beat Gunther at Wrestlemania. He runs into Miz and Carmelo Hayes, the former of whose insults set up a match tonight.

Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga yell at Jacob Fatu for what he just did, but Fatu isn’t having any of that. Fatu promises to be the last man standing with Strowman and promises to bring the US Title home to the family. He’ll do it with or without Sikoa.

Naomi talks about being someone who always wants to do the right thing. This includes taking out Jade Cargill last year. How can Cargill just show up out of nowhere and take Naomi’s place? Naomi has been an influence on people for the last ten years but now she’s tired of being just another third wheel. Moving forward, if Cargill will continue to be in her way, proceed with caution.

Cargill is looking for Naomi, who hasn’t been seen here. B-Fab and Michin come in to know Cargill will give Naomi what she has coming.

We see a shadowy person with smoke and Roman numerals popping up.

Michin vs. Charlotte

B-Fab is here with Michin….and they’re both jumped by Naomi before Charlotte comes to the ring. Cue Jade Cargill to chase Naomi off, with B-Fab having to be taken out. Charlotte comes out and has a staredown with Cargill on the way. The bell rings and Charlotte gets an early two as we take a slightly less early break.

Back with Michin fighting out of a chinlock and managing a tornado DDT for two. Charlotte kicks her in the head but Michin manages a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. The cannonball sets up Eat Defeat for two as Charlotte gets her foot on the rope, which has Michin annoyed. Charlotte gets up and goes after the leg, with the Figure Eight getting the fast tap at 7:39.

Rating: C+. Michin got in some offense here but there was no reason for her to be a serious threat to Charlotte, who is on her way to another title match at Wrestlemania. Let Michin shine a bit, then have Charlotte win in the end. That’s all this needed to be and they made it work well enough.

Tiffany Stratton mocks Charlotte’s insults to her last week, because that little girl is going to retain the Women’s Title over Charlotte at Wrestlemania.

We look at HHH’s entrances over the years.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Orton grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and McIntyre starts in on the back. McIntyre gets sent into the corner for some right hands and his shoulder goes into the post. They go outside, where Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre working on the arm but Orton fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. The powerslam looks to set up the hanging DDT but McIntyre snaps the throat across the top. Orton fights back but cue Kevin Owens for a distraction. McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly their World Title matches from a few years ago but there is only so much you can do with about eight minutes. Owens coming out for the distraction is fine and gives McIntyre one of his bigger wins in a bit. That’s what he has been needing, even if it seems like he is heading for a showdown with Damian Priest at Wrestlemania.

Post match Owens goes after Orton but can’t hit the package piledriver on the announcers’ table. The Punt is loaded up but Owens gets away.

The orange luchador is confirmed to be Rey Fenix, who will debut next week.

Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz

Uso starts fast and hammers away but Miz is back up with some knees to the back. The running boot misses though and Uso clotheslines him to the floor. Another shot takes Miz into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. Back with Uso fighting up and striking away, only to get caught with a short arm clothesline. The DDT gives Miz two and the Yes Kicks connect. Uso is right back with a quick superkick and the Superfly Splash finishes at 7:52.

Rating: C. Another fairly short match tonight, with Uso getting some momentum before his likely destruction at the hands of Gunther on Raw. Miz is the perfect choice to give Uso a singles win as he’s been a made man for so long. Uso might not have much of a chance against Gunther, but at least he’s being built up well.

Post match Uso promises to take Gunther out on Raw.

Drew McIntyre meets a singer and goes to leave but runs into Damian Priest in the parking lot. The brawl is on and Priest chokeslams him through the windshield of a car. With Priest gone, CM Punk walks by and I managed to avoid a “real glass” joke.

We look back at the John Cena/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw.

Here is Nick Aldis to run the main event contract signing. Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman, comes out first and appreciates the fans chanting his name. Even Heyman gets in on the act and Reigns is basking in his own glory. Reigns signs the contract and seems to think his night is done but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

Rollins talks about their history in this building and how they are on the same mission. Reigns points out that THEY died a long time ago, but Rollins points out the evil that is CM Punk. When Reigns had the chance to take Punk out, he let it go, which is why Rollins has to clean up Reigns’ mess again. Rollins signs as well, giving us two out of three.

This brings out Punk, who says he has come here to chew bubblegum and sign a contract, but he is all out of bubblegum. Punk starts looking through the contract, which has Reigns annoyed. Reigns: “Go to page four. Clause five. Come on junior this is TV today.” Heyman goes over to Punk and says he knows what Punk is looking for….and it’s in there: the match will be closing the show, making Punk a Wrestlemania main eventer.

Punk starts crying but Rollins snaps, shouting about how Punk doesn’t deserve it. Rollins blames Heyman and Reigns for letting this happen but Punk thanks the fans here and in Louisville, Kentucky for making this happen. Reigns wants the thanks for making this happen so the fans chant his name again. Punk thanks him as well, signs, and says he’ll see him in the main event of Wrestlemania….but that’s not the favor that he is owed.

Like him or not, Punk being in the main event of Wrestlemania is far from a stretch. It’s a genuinely emotional moment for him and that’s a great thing to see. The favor aspect makes things more intriguing, and Punk’s delivery of that line made me a lot more interested.

Overall Rating: B-. As is usually the case for Wrestlemania season, the wrestling wasn’t the point here. This was about getting things ready for the show, with the contract signing giving the match the big fight feel that it needs. This was a solid enough show, with stories advancing in some very nice ways. Now just keep it up for a few more weeks and everything will go on fine.

Results
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Doomsday Blockbuster to Wilson
Piper Niven/Alba Fyre b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Piper Driver to Carter
Braun Strowman b. LA Knight when Jacob Fatu interfered
Charlotte b. Michin – Figure Eight
Drew McIntyre b. Randy Orton – Claymore
Jimmy Uso b. The Miz – Superfly Splash

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