Coverage
Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (10/16/20)
It’s the SmackDown Season Premiere!
SmackDown says hello to some, and farewell to others!
After the 2020 WWE Draft, it’s the Friday Night SmackDown SEASON PREMIERE! And the brand new #TripleCrownProfits put their SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line!
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Jeff Hardy VS Lars Sullivan; Lars wins.
- A Farewell to Fridays Six Man Tag: The New Day VS Sheamus, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura; The New Day wins.
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits VS Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler; No Contest, the Street Profits retain the titles.
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Braun Strowman; Roman wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
Are you STILL ready for a good time?
Some new stars are in the intro, but this is still Friday Night SmackDown! And to that affect, there are superstars on stage from both Raw and SmackDown, while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are in the ring! Stephanie welcomes us to tonight’s season premiere! HHH says premieres are exciting with all new action, drama and excitement! Tonight, there’s something for everyone, including tonight’s main event for the WWE Universal Championship! The Monster Among VS The Tribal Chief! Plus, in a farewell match, The New Day takes on Cesaro, Sheamus and Shinsuke Nakamura! And for perhaps the last time, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods man the Big E Cannon! But Steph reprimands them, that is “obscene.”
But moving on, the Charismatic Enigma will take on THE SUPER FREAK, Lars Sullivan! And for the first time in the ThunderDome, it will be DANIEL BRYAN! There he is on stage! The fans chant, “YES! YES!” on the ThunderDome screens. Plus, look at all the new faces to SmackDown. Such as Kevin Owens! And Aleister Black! These two don’t like each other, but there’s still the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn! But also Mr. Money in the Bank, Otis! Oooh yeah~! And defending the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford, THE STREET PROFITS! Some fans chant, “We Want the Smoke!” but Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode attack! Because the GLORIOUS Show-Offs want the tag titles! And the rest of the locker room brawls!
Aleister goes after Kevin, The New Day brawls with Sheamus, Cesaro and Nakamura, and whoever else is in there goes after whoever else they can find! Kevin throws Aleister out, then he CANNONBALLS onto Aleister, Cesaro and Nakamura! Kalisto fights Buddy Murphy, Shorty G hits Kalisto, Apollo goes after Murphy. Ford FLIES onto Ziggler and Roode! Sami is smart enough to stay out of the way, but here comes LARS!! Lars roars as he storms down to the ring! He CLOBBERS Ford, CLOBBERS Dawkins, and catches Kalisto’s dive to RAM him into barriers! Lars glares, Sami runs away but Apollo and Chad Gable try, only to get clobbered! Gable takes a FREAK ACCIDENT! The Freak roars again, but here comes Jeff Hardy! Hardy kicks, but no Twist of Fate just yet! Hardy baits Lars in and dumps him out! Hardy wants payback for last week’s sudden attack, will Hardy’s farewell to Fridays be monstrous?!
Jeff Hardy VS Lars Sullivan!
SmackDown returns as the match begins, and Jeff Jarrett is spotted in the ThunderDome LED screens. Jeff Hardy starts as he dropkicks a leg out and throws haymakers on Lars. Lars blocks a kick but Jeff spins back to heel kick. But Lars comes back to CLOBBER Hardy! Lars drags Hardy up, clubs him with crossface forearms, then looms over him. Lars drags Hardy up and throws him into buckles! Hardy crawls to another corner but Lars stalks up behind him. Lars drags Hardy up to club him more, and Hardy flounders against ropes. Lars brings Hardy up for a back suplex TOSS! Then Lars runs to SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! A bit cocky on that cover, but Lars is upset with Hardy! Lars drags Hardy around, goes to a corner and climbs up top! FLYING FREAK HEADBUTT FLOPS as Hardy moves!
Hardy is up, he kicks and throws more haymakers! Lars choke grips but Hardy breaks free to jawbreaker! Lars staggers, Hardy whips but Lars blocks! Lars whips Hardy but Hardy comes back with forearms! Atomic drop, but Lars blocks the trip-up to CLUB Hardy back down! Lars drags Hardy up and puts him in a corner, but Hardy elbows him away! Hardy goes up, WHISPER IN THE WIND! Cover, ONE?! The Whisper wasn’t enough but Hardy comes back with a kick. Lars denies the Twist again and he shoves Hardy right out! Hardy flounders up as the ring count starts, but Lars pursues! Lars comes around, and CATCHES Hardy’s Poetry in Motion to SLAM him on the apron! Lars puts Hardy in at 8 and stalks him again. Hardy kicks back, TWIST OF FATE!!
Hardy throws off the shirt but Lars staggers up to his feet?! Hardy is up top, sees Lars standing there, and Lars grabs Hardy by the throat! Lars drags Hardy off the top, for a FREAK ACCIDENT!! Cover, Lars wins!
Winner: Lars Sullivan, by pinfall
That move may be called the Freak Accident, but make no mistake, Lars purposefully destroys his opponents! Will Lars have a purpose moving forward on Fridays?
A Farewell to Fridays Six Man Tag: The New Day VS Sheamus, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura!
AWWWW~ ThunderDooome~! Don’t you dare be sour! Just because Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are moving to Mondays doesn’t mean the Power of Positivity (hold it down!) goes away! Will this be the happiest of “good bye for now” moments as ya bois come out on top? Or will the Celtic Warrior, Swiss Cyborg and King of Strong Style ruin the fun?
SmackDown returns as the New Day have some mics and the fans clap along, “New! Day Rocks!” Big E says that after the last six years, ya bois the NEW~ DAY~, finally found the one thing stronger than the Power of Positivity. And that is the WWE Draft. Now, we all know that Big E stays on SmackDown, and for the first time in those six years, the team will be split. Kofi says they have had a week to think about this, and after going through a plethora of emotions, Kofi is feeling emotional. He couldn’t help but smile, though. When he went on social media, the WWE Universe reminded them of all the special moments. Woods saw the night they won TWO Triple Threat Tag Matches to become the longest reigning W, W, E, World, Tag, Team, CHAMPIONS~!
Kofi remembers the sound of kendo sticks on Woods’ body against the Usos at Hell in a Cell. Big E remembers the tears as they watched Kofi finally become WWE World Champion. Especially Woods’ face. But while those moments are so incredible, this means something else to them. Woods sees two guys who didn’t have to take a chance on someone doing nothing and wouldn’t have been in the WWE anymore. But Big E and Kofi trusted Woods’ idea, and it became the best six years of his life. Big E thinks of those Saturday mornings in towns like Macon, Georgia, or Jackson, Mississippi, eating a meal at Waffle House and talking about families, kids, and Big E’s TV. He’ll be a family man soon enough. Hey don’t rush him.
But Kofi isn’t sure if he said this on TV, but in 2012, he was in a point in his career where he didn’t know if he wanted to do this anymore. Then he was approached by Big E and Woods, they had this idea “to do something special.” Kofi is so glad they did. He knows they did a great, legendary, iconic things in the ring, but more importantly, he made two of the best friends he’s ever had in his life. Kofi fully considers them his brothers in every sense of the word. But now they’re gonna cry before the match. No more sappy! They’re going to get it done in the ring one last time, and whoop that tail the only way they know how! And why? BECAUSE~! NEW! DAY ROCKS! Will all this emotion give us the best match these three have had yet?!
Meanwhile, Kayla Braxton has a backstage interview with Sheamus, Cesaro and Nakamura. Given all their history with the New Day, what does this “farewell” match mean? Sheamus says they’re so grateful to give the three “hip-swiveling Muppets” what they deserve! Cesaro says “those pancake eating punks” stole the tag titles! Tonight, they’ll take great pleasure in ruining these final moments together! Nakamura will bid them adieu. And not just for now, but good-bye FOREVER! The Bar plus one go out one last time in their own right, will their short-lived reunion be the victorious one?
SmackDown returns and the farewell is already underway as Woods and Nakamura grapple. Nakamura waistlocks and rolls but Woods gets up to wrench free. Woods elbows the arm, wrenches again but Nakamura pulls hair to knee low! Nakamura knees and forearms Woods in a corner, whips him corner to corner, but Woods goes up and over and arm-drags! Woods has the armlock, Nakamura gets up but Woods wrenches. Nakamura stomps Woods’ bad foot then throws forearms. Nakamura whips, Woods ducks and Kofi tags in! Woods slides under, mule kicks and feeds Nakamura to Kofi’s DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, ONE! Kofi keeps on Nakamura with an arm wrench, he hits an elbow breaker then whips. Nakamura reverses to knee low and kick, Kofi ducks that but not the windmill!
Tag to Cesaro, he and Nakamura double whip and double hip toss! Then they split the wishbone! Cesaro drags Kofi up, throws heavy European Uppercuts, then body shots in the corner! The ref counts, Cesaro wrenches and whips Kofi corner to corner, but Kofi goes up and dropkicks back! Kofi tags Big E and then leap frogs over for the senton! Tag to Woods, Woods manages to Electric Chair lift Big E for a SPLASH! Woods covers, TWO! Woods drags Cesaro up, CHOPS him, and CHOPS him, but Cesaro DECKS Woods with the EuroUpper! Tag to Sheamus, and the Bar gets to double whip and Bar Lariat once again! Sheamus runs and drops a knee! Sheamus stomps Woods’ hand, then drags Woods up for a EuroUpper of his own!
Sheamus drags Woods up, scoops Woods, but Woods fights out! Woods rolling elbows then mule kicks! And KNEES Sheamus down! Tag to Big E, Woods runs and rolls for Big E to bomb lift! Kofi tags in, Big E POWERBOMBS Woods onto Sheamus! Kofi is up top, he leaps for a FROG SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Kofi keeps Sheamus from the others as he brings him up. Sheamus throws body shots, shoves Kofi but Kofi kicks back! Kofi runs but Cesaro distracts the ref and Nakamura holds the ropes down! Kofi tumbles out hard! Woods and Big E protest while checking on Kofi, but Sheamus tags Cesaro, and Cesaro tags Nakamura! The Bar hold Kofi up for Nakamura to TOP SHELF KNEE! Then Sheamus pushes Kofi for Cesaro’s suplex to the floor! The ref reprimands, Nakamura puts Kofi in the ring and covers, TWO!
Nakamura drags Kofi up, puts him in the corner and gives him Bad Vibrations! The ref reprimands, Sheamus tags in and he throws heavy body shots! Tag to Cesaro and Cesaro stomps away with Sheamus! Cesaro lets up, he eggs Kofi on, and Kofi fights up to throw haymakers! Kofi throws body shots, too, and he backs Cesaro down! But Cesaro scoops and SLAMS Kofi, to then drop the leg, brother! Cover, ONE!! Kofi is tougher than that, but Cesaro tags in Sheamus. The Bar mugs Kofi, Sheamus clubs Kofi down and tags Nakamura. They mug Kofi, then Nakamura stomps away! The ref counts, Nakamura tags in Cesaro, and Cesaro steps on Kofi as he enters! Cesaro walks all over Kofi literally, but Kofi fights back! Kicks and elbows and hayamkers, but Cesaro keeps Kofi from the New Day!
Cesaro puts Kofi up top, Sheamus tags in and just YANKS Kofi down! Kofi crashes to the ground and the #BARtists are in control as SmackDown goes to break!
SmackDown returns and Sheamus clamps onto Kofi with a chinlock. Kofi fights up but Sheamus knees low and then sucker punches Woods! Sheamus goes back after Kofi but Kofi spins around to crucifix pin! TWO, Sheamus runs into SOS! Both men are down, the fans fire up on their screens and Big E starts up the “New! Day Rocks!” claps. Hot tags to Big E and Cesaro! Big E gets Cesaro for an OVERHEAD suplex! Big E hits Nakamura, OVERHEAD suplexes Cesaro again, then gets him for the side belly2belly! Fans cheer Big E as he swivels the hips and runs, to SPLASH! Big E keeps clapping and he waits for Cesaro to stand. Big E scoops Cesaro, Cesaro fights out and gut wrench suplexes! Cesaro goes to Big E in the corner and hits a EuroUpper! Then he whips corner to corner, but Big E elbows him away!
Woods returns and tags in! Cesaro EuroUppers Big E, but Woods shoves Cesaro into the URENAG-E BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO!! Cesaro survives the combo move but “Morning Woods” didn’t hit hard enough. Woods throws haymakers, Cesaro shoves him but Woods comes back. Cesaro puts Woods on the apron, Woods forearms him away, but Get Over Here runs into a EuroUpper! Nakamura tags in, Woods is stuck and Nakamura hits the SLIDING GERMAN! Cover, TWO!! Woods survives but Nakamura stomps him down. Nakamura kicks at Woods and scrapes him at the ropes! The ref reprimands, Woods shoves Nakamura but Nakamura fires off a strike fest! Woods dodges and drop toeholds Nakamura onto ropes! Woods runs, and tags Kofi while hitting the sliding back attack!
Kofi gets in but Cesaro CLOBBERS Woods! Big E holds the ropes down for Kofi to FLY out onto Cesaro and Nakamura! Sheamus CLOBBERS Big E! Kofi kicks Sheamus back, puts Nakamura in and climbs up top! Kofi leaps into a KICK! Both men are down, Nakamura tags in Cesaro! Swiss Sing KNEE! Tag to Sheamus, catapult to Alabama, Cesaro is up top, A-SWISS-TED WHITE NOISE!! Cover, but Big E breaks it! Big E sees Cesaro coming and scoops for the BIG ENDING! Nakamura is in, DYNAMIC DROPKICK! Woods leaps for the missile dropkick! Sheamus clotheslines woods out hard! Sheamus gets in Kofi’s face, shouting that New Day would be NOTHING without The Bar as their rivals! Kofi HEADBUTTS Sheamus away! And then baits him in to POST him!
Woods tags in, then tags Big E! Big E scoops Sheamus, Woods is up, MIDNIGHT HOUR!! Cover, the New Day wins!!
Winners: The New Day, by pinfall
And THAT is why the New Day is the best trio, tag team and group of three friends the WWE has seen perhaps ever! They have one last emotional good-bye with each other, when and where will they be reunited in the ring again?
Backstage interview with Otis!
Mr. MITB has had a challenging few weeks, capped off by a lawsuit by The Miz, with the MITB briefcase as the price to pay. What is the plan tonight? Sami Zayn butts in to say that Otis isn’t used to talking for himself. It was always Tucker, but he got drafted away. If memory serves, Mandy Rose also went to Raw, too. So surely, when it comes to this lawsuit, Otis will lose that and his MITB contract! But hey, look! There are winners and there are Otises. Otis SHOVES Sami! Sami is upset by this, but what will he get management to do about it?
BREAKING NEWS!
Because of MLB playoffs, next week’s Friday Night SmackDown won’t be on Fox but on Fox Sports 1!
Daniel Bryan is here!
Well, we saw him earlier, but now he gest to go to the ring! What will he have to say now that he’s back? We find out after the break!
SmackDown returns and fans are still chanting, “YES! YES!” Brie Bella and Birdie are among the ThunderDome screens! Bryan says, “Wow! I’ve watched it from home, but being here, seeing the faces of the WWE Universe in person, man! I love being inside the ThunderDome!” Especially for this season premiere. Now, don’t get him wrong, Bryan loves his time at home. So much so that he got Brie and Birdie the special “VIP seating.” But that said, he could not wait to come back! And what a night to return to! The SmackDown Tag Team Championships, the Universal Championship, and Bryan met the new mix the roster that will be here for the next year on Friday nights! Now, there are some fresh faces, but Bryan is excited to have people like Bianca Belair, The Riott Squad, and even those he can face like Kevin Owens, Aleister Black and Apollo Crews! Bryan can’t wait to get back in the ring!
But wait, here comes another new name to SmackDown! It’s Seth Rollins! And Rollins is so happy to see Bryan again! Rollins is thrilled Brie let Bryan off “Daddy duty” to share the excitement of the ThunderDome! But in all that excitement, baby brain has gotten to him. Bryan mentioned a lot of great superstars, but forgot the most important acquisition! The man who will lead SmackDown into the future, Seth Rollins. SmackDown’s Savior, the Great Leader, Rollins the Redeemer. Choose whichever one you like best. But while they’re both here, Rollins has an important question. “Which side of history would you like to be on?” When it comes to the greater good, either you’re with Rollins, or you’re against him. A man of Bryan’s intellect is surely smart enough to stand beside Rollins and help him mold the future of this industry, in Rollins’ image.
Well this is awkward. Bryan is all for changing the future for the better. Bryan wants to save the planet, he wants to make SmackDown and the WWE the best it can be. But to be honest, Rollins’ “vision” is “shortsighted” and “self-indulgent.” And to be frank, just dumb. Rollins laughs that off because surely Bryan is joking. No, he’s serious. It is dumb. NO, it’s not dumb! It’s NOT! Rollins DECKS Bryan and then throws his jacket down on him! And stomps Bryan at the ropes! Rollins keeps saying “it’s NOT dumb! YOU’RE dumb!” Rollins whips Bryan but Bryan ducks and comes back with a leaping lariat! Bryan fires up, throws his jacket off and goes after Rollins with Yes Kicks! From all sides, even! Rollins bails out and retreats, but here comes REY MYSTERIO! And Dominik, too! Rollins’ past followed him to Fridays!
Rey and Dom chase Rollins back into the ring and Rollins wants Bryan to help him. Um, no? Bryan lets Rey and Dom handle their business. Rollins says Rey and Dom need to calm down, but here comes MURPHY! Is Murphy still the Disciple?! Fans give thumbs down, but Murphy does stand by Rollins’ side. TO TACKLE HIM! Murphy throws hands then a KNEE TRIGGER on Rollins! Rollins runs away, having NO ONE on his side! Murphy stares down with Dom and Rey. He offers a handshake, Dom isn’t so sure, and neither is Rey. They may not like Rollins, but there’s still too much history here to forgive Murphy. But the question is then, who gets after Rollins first?
SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits VS Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler!
SmackDown wants the smoke, just like Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins! But as the GLORIOUS Show-Offs made clear earlier tonight, they only want the gold! Will they get shown up instead as the Profits are up?
SmackDown returns and the introductions are skipped as the belts are raised. Ziggler starts against Dawkins as Ric Flair is watching on the LED screens! Dawkins and Ziggler circle, tie up, go around and Ziggler waistlocks. Dawkins pries free to headlock but Ziggler powers out, only for Dawkins to run him over! Things speed up, Dawkins hurdles and dropkicks Ziggler down! Ziggler goes to a corner, Dawkins runs but misses the cyclone splash! Ziggler tags Roode and Roode stomps away on Dawkins! The ref counts, Roode lets off and drags Dawkins up for a big suplex! Cover, TWO! Roode sucker punches Ford! Roode stomps Dawkins, Flair likes the gourd buster! Tag to Ziggler, GLORIOUS FAMOUSER! Cover, Ford breaks it! Ford and Roode brawl, Ziggler goes after Ford! They brawl, Roode joins back in and it’s chaos! The ref throws this out!
No Contest; The Street Profits retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
It doesn’t seem like Roode or Ziggler care as they literally throw Ford out! The Glorious Show-Offs are furious, but they bring Dawkins up, Dawkins ROCKS them both with haymakers but they attack again 2v1! They double whip Dawkins, into the GLORIOUS ZIGZAG! But Ford is up top, and he LEAPS in for a HUGE CROSSBODY! The Profits still have the belts, and Flair likes that, too! Will Roode and Ziggler come back for another chance? Or are Ford and Dawkins on to bigger and better?
Sasha Banks heads to the ring!
The Boss and the Ruthless Role Model are going to put each other through hell in Hell in a Cell! Not only will that match be for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but it will finally put this grudge to bed. The contract signing is up next, after the break!
SmackDown returns as Bayley makes her entrance with her friend, the chair! The table is set up with Adam Pearce presiding as Bayley gets in. Pearce says that their “extremely bitter and deeply personally rivalry takes us to Hell in a Cell, where for the very first time, the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be defended inside the cell.” This contract signing is of course to make that official. They both know what’s at stake. Sasha as challenger will have the honor of signing first. Sasha takes the pen, signs on the dotted line, and then takes up the mic. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.” Bayley has been, too! Talk about baggage! Bayley wants to be done with Sasha and continue on as the longest reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion of all time! How long, Michael Cole? But she did it all by herself!
What? By yourself? That’s the lie you’re telling us? Say that to Sasha’s face! So vindictive! That look in Sasha’s eyes is how she keeps looking at Bayley and her title. Sasha’s been waiting to turn on Bayley all this time, but Bayley beat her to the punch. That’s why she’s so upset! It all makes sense. Turn on Bayley? If Sasha was going to turn on her, she would’ve done it years ago. Friends don’t turn their backs on each other. When Bayley was left behind in NXT, who was the first person to call? Who brought Bayley in has her partner? It was Sasha. Sasha was there to help Bayley win that Raw Women’s Championship. And are we just skipping over the Women’s Tag Team Championships? A reign of 370+ days as SmackDown Women’s Champion, big whoop! Congratulations! But don’t forget who helped her every single time! Sasha!
Bayley tried to end Sasha’s career! So Sasha vows to end HER! She is Sasha Banks, whose name is bigger than Bayley’s title. And when Sasha walks out with that title, that will be the icing on the cake. Bayley gets up and grabs her chair, but she still needs to sign. Bayley pushes the contract away and takes her title. She says she doesn’t have to sign anything! Fine, run away, coward! Run, run, run! But Sasha promises that when Bayley is locked inside the cell, there is nowhere to run. Bayley will sign the contract, one way or another. Bayley says Sasha can talk all she wants, she has the title! But Sasha does have a point, and not just about needing to sign. Will Bayley run away from the mess she made?
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Braun Strowman!
The Tribal Chief may have a Hell in a Cell I QUIT match AT Hell in a Cell with cousin Jey Uso, but that match might not even be for the title now! Will the Monster #GetTheseHands on the Universal Championship and take it with him to Raw? Or will this still be Roman’s title as Braun steps onto Roman’s island?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and one way or another, this classic rivalry says farewell to close the season premiere!
SmackDown returns, Jey is watching very closely backstage, but so is Mark Henry on the LED’s! Strowman and Roman tie up, Strowman powers Roman to a corner but Roman powers him back. They go around, Roman throws Strowman out! Strowman gets up but gets a SUPERMAN PUNCH! Strowman is down again and a ring count begins. Strowman staggers up at 4 but Roman goes out to give him a DRIVE-BY DROPKICK! Roman drags Strowman up and into the ring at the new count of 5, but Roman covers. TWO and with power! Roman is a bit surprised but he throws more hands on Strowman in the corner. Roman also stomps Strowman, throws haymakers, and stalks Strowman. Strowman reverses the whip to put Roman in a corner! Strowman runs in but into an uppercut!
Roman adds a BOOT and down goes Strowman! Cover, TWO and still with power! Roman is annoyed as he ends up outside the ring. Roman gets back in, but Strowman runs over! Roman dumps him out and Strowman hits the floor. Strowman gets up but Roman headbutts him! Roman bumps Strowman off steps, the ring count climbs, but Roman goes in at 5. Roman tells the ref to take it easy, and he goes back after Strowman. Roman bounces Strowman off the desk, but Strowman knees back and pushes Roman away. Roman leaps off the steps, into Strowman’s hands! Strowman POSTS Roman, then THROWS him over the announce desk! Strowman refreshes the count, watches Roman hobbling up, and goes out the side. The Strowman Express BLASTS Roman over the barriers! The Monster roars as SmackDown goes to break.
SmackDown returns once more and Strowman runs at Roman in the corner to RAM him! And then TOSS him across the way! Strowman drags Roman up and Goldberg is on the ThunderDome LED’s now! Strowman CLUBS Roman down, covers, TWO! Strowman looms over Roman, Keith Lee is on the screens, too, because he’s waiting for Strowman this Monday. Strowman runs in but Roman BOOTS him away! And then dodges to POST Strowman! Roman goes corner to corner now, SUPERMAN- NO! Strowman has Roman in the choke grip, knees low, and then gut wrenches for the TWISTING DOMINATOR! “I’m not finished with you!” That classic line can only mean, DEAD LIFT CHOKE SLAM!! Cover, TWO!! Roman survives and wait, another “inadvertent” low blow?! The way Roman kicked out against Jey, too!
Roman is up, aiming from a corner, and he SPEARS Strowman down!! Cover, TWO!?! Strowman survives being hit in the balls and being nearly tackled in half!? Roman can’t believe it!! Roman seethes while Strowman stirs. Roman goes back to a corner, watches Strowman rise, and then runs in again, only for Strowman to scoop! But Roman slips out to POST Strowman again! And hone runs, jumps up and gets Strowman in a guillotine!? The Big Dog has some new tricks! But Strowman powers out to RAM Roman into buckles! Roman holds on and Strowman is turning red! Strowman is fading, Roman is squeezing even tighter! The ref checks, Strowman is OUT! Roman wins!!
Winner: Roman Reigns, by submission (still WWE Universal Champion)
Roman wins by submission for the first time perhaps ever, but here comes Jey Uso! Roman seems even more annoyed as Jey is on stage. But Strowman stirs, and Roman is even more upset. Roman wants Jey to watch this one. Roman SPEARS Strowman down! Roman tells Jey to get down to the ring. Jey walks to the ring, and Heyman fetches Roman a chair. Roman says he didn’t want to make an example of Jey. “This is how we eat. This is how we take care of generations of our family. If I’m not at the top, we can’t do that, Uce. I don’t want to do this to you. I’m giving you another chance.” If Roman can do this to the Monster, he can do this to Jey. And then Roman fires off CHAIR SHOT after CHAIR SHOT on Strowman’s back!!
Referees and officials hurry in and get Roman to stop! Roman still has the chair, because he’s not done! He SMACKS Strowman again! And again! And again! Does Jey not understand? Jey gets up on the apron and Roman wants him to get in. Jey does and the chair, bent as it is, is put down. Roman says he would never hurt Jey. But Jey is embarrassing the family, and needs to prove himself. But the fact Jey is trying to take his place and be on the same level as him makes no sense! They’re family, Roman still wants them to be together. Prove Jey he is family, and take the chair to hit Strowman. The officials and refs try to reason with Roman and Jey. If Jey wants to take a shot on Roman, go right ahead. Jey has the chair, he’s conflicted, but then he throws the chair down, having hit no one.
Roman walks in, wanting a hug, but Jey ROCKS him with an uppercut! And then SUPERKICKS him down! Jey says “I LOVE YOU, TOO!” as he SMACKS away on Roman!! Heyman freaks, the officials grab Jey, but the fans are fire dup for this! But then Roman SUPERMAN PUNCHES Jey down! Roman says that was Jey’s last chance. But now he has to turn his back on Jey. Is what Roman is saying have anything to do with those consequences that come with the HIAC I Quit match?
My Thoughts:
Y’know, given the marketing and booking choices as they were announced last week, I thought this season premiere, aka the one year anniversary of SmackDown being on Fox, was overhyped. But in execution, this was actually a great episode! Now, as there tends to be with WWE, there was a lot of hyping, plugging and announcing not really needed to open the show, but it did end up giving us a great brawl that segued into Hardy VS Lars. That was a pretty good match, but between Lars being back and needing momentum and Hardy going to Raw, of course Lars wins. On the flipside, the natural move was for the New Day to win tonight. There was so much genuine emotion from them in what they were saying before the match, which I won’t call a promo because promos are kayfabe. The Six Man Tag was a great match, it was the best send-off for the best trio, certainly of the modern era.
Sami picking on Otis seemed oddly appropriate, Sami likes pushing buttons. I was hoping Sami getting on Otis’ nerves was going to result in a match but maybe that’s for next week. I also kinda hoped Sami pushing Otis was going to make Otis realize he could try to use the MITB contract before having to give it to Miz, but that didn’t happen, either. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship match ending up like it did was a bit of a ripoff, but maybe we get a HIAC match between Profits, Glorious Show-Offs and maybe even a third team. Nakamura and Cesaro are still on SmackDown, they and the Profits have business of their own to settle, so maybe a Triple Threat in the Cell can wrap it all up at once.
Sasha and Bayley continue to change the game in the Women’s Division and WWE overall, because we had a contract signing that didn’t end in fighting, or even really end! Bayley backs out of signing, but with one week left, I wonder. Will Sasha hit Bayley with the contract so hard that Bayley signs it in blood? That’d be pretty fitting for this feud and HIAC. Daniel Bryan had a good segment with Rollins that also helped bring Murphy and the Mysterios around. Murphy trying to be the bigger man is a good move for his character. And I feel like all it would take Aalyah Mysterio to get Rey and Dom to understand is to bring up the principle of forgiveness. If Rollins wants to play Messiah, Aalyah should use the Bible to bite him in the butt. At the very least, Rollins shifting from Mysterios to Bryan is great for Rollins and Bryan as well as fans.
And while Roman VS Strowman was a forgone conclusion because Strowman is leaving for Raw, Jey has his shot at HIAC (and because Goldberg just voiced interest on social media), there was still a lot of great stuff to come out of the main event. Roman bringing out a submission move was something, and I didn’t think it’d win the match for him. Then him going off on Strowman to make a point to Jey was some strong Heel work. It was great for Jey to get his shots in on Roman, too, but Roman still stands tall. We have the go-home, I feel like that will be the night Roman reveals what he truly means by those final consequences. Mentioning turning his back on Jey here, this has to be about disowning Jey from the family. Sure, Jey could “acknowledge” Roman but that would’ve happened by now. This story could take all kinds of twists, and that’s a lot of the fun.
My Score: 8.5/10
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Who heads for Montreal?
To determine a challenger to the NEW Undisputed WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, SmackDown holds qualifying matches for a #1 contender’s match! Who wins tonight to advance to Saturday Night’s Main Event?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Randy Orton VS The Miz; Orton wins and advances.
- Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss VS Giulia & Kiana James; Charlotte & Alexa win.
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Trick Williams VS Matt Cardona; Trick wins and advances.
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Damian Priest VS Solo Sikoa; Priest wins and advances.
- WWE United States Championship Open Challenge: Carmelo Hayes VS Leon Slater; Melo wins and retains the title.
- Jordynne Grace VS Chelsea Green w/ Alba Fyre; Grace wins.
- WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Sami Zayn VS Ilja Dragunov; Sami wins and advances.
PLAY BY PLAY
Bagpipes play for Drew McIntyre!
A troupe of six play the music of the Scottish Terminator’s people before the NEW Undisputed WWE Champion officially makes his entrance. London cheers as Drew steps on stage, belt around his waist, and they sing for “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” as he takes his time walking down the ramp. Drew gets his pyro, the fans cheer more, and Drew continues to the ring. Drew looks at the championship while he hears the fans cheering, and he goes up the corner to raise the belt up high! The fans cheer as Drew gets more pyro! And a lot of it! The fans cheer again, and Drew puts the belt on his shoulder, but then he goes back out to join the front row in cheering!
Drew goes back to the ring, grabs the mic, and the singing for “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” continues. Drew says, “I prayed for this and it happened.” The fans cheer that, then chant, “You Deserve It!” Drew says, “I know it’s been a rough few years in the UK here, but if there’s somebody that can bring us together, it’s our Undisputed WWE Champion. It’s the first-and-only-ever BRITISH WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre!” The fans cheer that! Drew says the love he’s been shown the past week is incredible. Texts, social media posts, the cheers all across Europe, including tonight, “you bunch of mentalists.”
And Drew just wants to say to each and every one out there… “Screw you.” The fans laugh at that, but Drew says no, this isn’t even being a bad guy wrestler. Seriously, screw you! When he got FIRED from WWE, where were they? They wanna jump on the bandwagon now? 99% of them weren’t there for him! When he was being screwed over by Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, there was no uprising for him, huh? How’d they help him out? When CM Punk screwed Drew, the fans cheered Roman and Punk and doing the YEET with Jey Uso! The fans do chant those things now, and then Drew brings up Cody and the corrupt refs!
Was there a hashtag for Drew? NO! There is only one person Drew needs to thank, that ever believed in Drew, and that person… is Drew! So thank you, Drew! If you wanna chant, chant “Thank You, Drew!” The fans do chant, “Thank You, Drew!” Well, there’s one more person Drew must address: The former… Oh, that feels good to say. Drew knows Cody Rhodes is here, and it must cut like a knife to say FORMER WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes! The fans now sing for “Cody, Cody Rhodes~!” Yes, Drew knows Cody’s crack team is trying to figure out a title rematch. Drew admits to having Nick Aldis add a little extra clause.
Since 99% of Americans can’t read, Drew will tell us what it is: There is NO rematch clause! Cody must start at the bottom, work his way back up. The Vanilla QB1 Era is over! The Dangerous Drew Era begins tonight! The fans cheer that! But then here comes Randy Orton! The fans also cheer for The Viper, they sing along with Voices, and Orton goes right to the ring. Orton grabs himself a mic while the fans finish singing, and then the fans cheer as Orton and Drew are face to face. Drew says this must be Orton out here to congratulate him. The fans chant “R K O!” while Orton chuckles. Orton says Drew and the fans in London all know that they don’t like each other one bit.
So no, this is not Orton here to congratulate Drew. Orton is here to remind Drew that a few months ago, Drew had the chance to kick Orton through the table and declined. The fans again chant “R K O! R K O!” Orton says he wanted to tell Drew that when Orton has the opportunity to return the favor, he won’t hesitate. he beat Drew for that title before, he’ll do it again, and it’ll be courtesy of the three most dangerous letters in all of sports entertainment: R K O! The fans cheer that, but Drew smirks. Only for JACOB FATU to show up! The fans cheer the Samoan Werewolf as he storms his way down the ramp and to the ring.
Drew wants Fatu to hold on, but Orton steps aside so Fatu can DECK Drew! Fatu goes out after Drew, DRIBBLES him off the desk, then whips again! Drew reverses to POST Fatu, but Fatu isn’t even bothered! Drew hurries away, Fatu chases him into the crowd! Orton is more amused than anything, will Drew get out of London in one piece? But then The Miz slithers in! SKULL CRUSHING FINALE on Orton!! The Hollywood A-Lister strikes outta nowhere, but will he soon regret that? We find out, after the break!
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Randy Orton VS The Miz!
SmackDown returns and the match is already going as Orton fires body shots and a HEADBUTT! But Miz kicks the leg out and BASEMENT DDTS! Cover, TWO! Orton survives then bails out, then throws his shirt off. The fans rally, but Miz pursues. Orton ROCKS Miz, then brings him up for the DESK BACK- NO, Miz lands out to then CLUB Orton! Miz hits the DESK BACK SUPLEX! The fans boo as Miz mocks Orton’s signature pose, then Miz puts Orton in the ring. Miz stomps Orton, but the fans taunt Miz with, “OH~ Miz is a Wanker~!” Miz throws hands, Orton fires back, and they go back and forth.
Orton fires off haymakers, whips Miz to a corner, but Miz reverses. Miz soaks up heat, runs in at Orton, but Orton LARIATS first! And LARIATS again! Then a dodge and SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up for Orton while Miz scrambles to the apron. Orton goes after Miz, brings him through the ropes, but Miz fights free! Miz hurries away while the fans boo, but Orton pursues. Orton finds Miz at the desk! Kick and DESK BACK SUPLEX! Miz sputters and writhes while the fans fire up. They want that “One More Time!” Orton obliges, another DESK BACK SUPLEX for Miz! The fans rally, they still want that “One More Time!”
Orton gets Miz up again, a third DESK BACK SUPLEX! Orton refreshes the count while Miz slumps off the desk. The fans cheer Orton, he puts Miz in the ring, and he has Miz in the ropes! The fans fire up again and Orton smiles as he drags Miz in, DRAPING DDT! The fans cheer again, and Orton hears those voices! Miz slowly rises, R K- FINALE!?! Cover, TWO!! Orton survives and the fans cheer! Miz is beside himself as Orton survives his finisher again! The fans rally behind Orton but Miz storms up to full nelson again. But Orton arm-drags free, RK- NO, Miz rolls him up, TWO! Miz scrambles, RKO!! Cover, Orton wins!
Winner: Randy Orton, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
The fans cheer as The Viper strikes, and now punches his ticket to Montreal! But will Orton truly be the Apex Predator when he battles three others for that #1 contender’s spot?
Drew returns backstage.
He grumbles about crazy Fatu, but Ilja Dragunov finds him. The Mad Russian is glad they are finally talking face to face. Obviously, Drew has some problems, so Ilja will get to the point: Tonight, Ilja will beat Sami Zayn and be one step closer to the championship. Ilja won a championship his first night back, simply because he doesn’t fight like a sane man! Drew says yeah, he doesn’t care, there’s a crazy person after him! Go ahead, win your match, win the Fatal 4 Way, and we’ll see him at the Royal Rumble. Drew swears he did NOT knock Fatu’s teeth out, but he sure will do that to Ilja! Drew runs off, but is that true? If Drew didn’t sideline Fatu, who did?
The Wyatts speak.
Bo Dallas says, “Solo… You think you stole our light. But you’ve just inherited the weight of what it really means. The lantern has never been a weapon. We carry it in the dark, so the dark doesn’t carry us. It does not belong int he hands of someone who believes taking it is more powerful than its true purpose. It will come back to us. Like a moth to a flame, we will not rest until it’s home.” The warning has been issued, will MFT heed it?
Charlotte Flair finds Alexa Bliss backstage.
The Queen hip bumps Lil’ Miss Bliss to cheer her up, but it doesn’t really work. Alexa says last week sucked: She lost to Giulia, Nia & Lash messed with her before the match and then beat her up after. It was a complete numbers game, Alexa was alone, so was Charlotte actually sick? Or was she just “cough cough” sick? No, it was not a “cough cough,” it was a “barf barf.” And Alexa’s the one that got a title opportunity without Charlotte, but Alexa has no idea how many title opportunities Charlotte turned down because she put the team first. Really? Yes, really. Name them. Not the point. Well, does Charlotte have Alexa’s back? Does Alexa have Charlotte’s back?
Bottomline is, Alexa is Charlotte’s person. Charlotte was sick. Heart hands, and Charlotte says she’ll finish warming up. But then Nia & Lash walk in saying that was so cute. Charlotte has no reason to trust Nia, but this is typical Alexa. She makes you feel guilty then plays victim. She’s really good at it. Yeah, Charlotte has no reason to trust Nia. And they won’t like her response. As for this charade, Charlotte gets why Alexa isn’t friends with Nia. And Lash has changed. Charlotte heads out, will #Charlexa be able to focus on the match before them? Or will the Irresistible Force & Bougie Bully make sure all eyes are on them again?
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss VS Giulia & Kiana James!
SmackDown returns and the Beautiful Madness and Miss Management are already waiting in the ring. Charlotte makes her entrance, followed by Alexa. The teams sort out and Alexa starts with Kiana. The fans “WOO~” for Charlotte while Kiana talks some trash on Alexa. Kiana shoves Alexa, but Alexa SLAPS back! The fans cheer that! Alexa then ducks a shot to SLAP, ROCK, KNEE, and DROPKICK Kiana! Alexa runs, but Kiana gets up to KNEE low! Kiana brings Alexa around, suplexes, but Alexa tags out to Charlotte. The fans “WOO~” again and Kiana talks more trash. Charlotte slips around her, Kiana ELBOWS free, then whips, but Charlotte reverses!
Kiana hits buckles, but she ELBOWS back again! Kiana goes up and over Charlotte, then SUPERKICKS! Charlotte wobbles, Kiana runs, but into Charlotte’s BOOT! Tag to Alexa, and she gets a hand in the spin and DROPKICK! Giulia tags in, Alexa dodges but Giulia ROCKS Charlotte! Alexa ROCKS Giulia! Alexa ROCKS Kiana! But then Giulia SHOTGUNS Alexa! Giulia taunts Alexa, the ref keeps Charlotte back, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
The ref reprimands but Kiana backs off. Giulia wrenches Alexa’s hair to THROW her to the corner. Giulia stomps away on Alexa in the corner, the ref counts, but Giulia stops at 4. Giulia tags Kiana, Kiana stomps Alexa, then Kiana CLUBS Alexa. Alexa goes to another corner, Kiana whips corner to corner, and Alexa hits buckles hard! Kiana grins as she storms back up, and she bumps Alexa off buckles. Tag to Giulia and Giulia brings Alexa onto the ropes. Giulia hooks Alexa up in the ropes, and fishhooks the face! The ref counts, Giulia stops and sucker punches Charlotte! The ref stops Charlotte, Giulia DROPKICKS Alexa and Kiana BOOTS Alexa down!
Giulia ELBOW DROPS Alexa, covers, TWO! Giulia is already annoyed with the count, but she stomps away on Alexa. Giulia CLUBS Alexa, HEADBUTTS her, and HEADBUTTS again! Giulia bumps Alexa off buckles, tags Kiana, and Kiana brings Alexa around to kick a leg. Kiana taunts Alexa, but she sucker punches Charlotte! The fans give thumbs down, but Kiana snap suplexes! Charlotte protests, that distracts the ref! The ref is late to the cover, TWO! Kiana fireman’s carries Alexa, but Alexa fights to a sunset flip! TWO! Kiana stops Alexa, but she still reaches out! Kiana RAMS Alexa into the corner! And RAMS her again and again!
Kiana handsprings, runs back in, and she RAMS Alexa again! The ref counts, Giulia tags in, and Kiana snapmares Alexa to BOOT her! Giulia is up top, she MISSILE DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! Alexa survives, but Giulia HEADBUTTS her to the cover! Charlotte again distracts, another late count, TWO! Giulia is annoyed but she tags Kiana as SmackDown returns to single picture. Kiana sends Giulia in, but Alexa dodges! Giulia hits buckles, Alexa DUMPS Kiana out, and the fans fire up! Kiana hurries back in, she anchors Alexa’s foot, then she drags her back! Alexa ENZIGIRIS free, hot tag to Charlotte!
The fans fire up as The Queen RUNS Kiana over! And RUNS her over again! CHOP and CHOP for Kiana, CHOP and CHOP for Giulia! CHOP after CHOP, “WOO~” after “WOO~,” and then Charlotte CHOPS Giulia down! Charlotte runs up, Kiana dodges, but Charlotte keeps moving! WALK OVER LARIAT! The fans fire up again and Charlotte stalks Kiana to a corner. Charlotte whips, Kiana reverses, but Charlotte goes up and out. BOOT for Giulia, BOOT for Kiana, and then Charlotte goes up! CROSSBODY on Kiana! Cover, TWO! Kiana is tougher than that, but Charlotte stays focused. The fans rally up as Charlotte runs in, but into a BOOT!
Kiana runs up, but into a BOOT! Charlotte steps on Kiana to a corner, she and Giulia scrap, and Kiana YANKS her down! The fans boo but Charlotte still wrenches Kiana to a NECKBREAKER! Charlotte runs, but into a SIPNEBUSTER! Kiana shows her power, and she tags Giulia! Giulia KNEES Charlotte down! Cover, Alexa breaks it! The fans fire up but Giulia is furious! Kiana whips, Alexa reverses and TOSSES Kiana out! But Kiana trips Alexa! Giulia has Charlotte, Charlotte shoves free, but Giulia BOOTS her! And KICKS her! And KICKS her again! Charlotte snarls, she ducks the buzzsaw!
Charlotte shoves and ROCKS Giulia! Charlotte runs, but Giulia follows to HEADBUTT! Giulia runs, but into a BOOT! Charlotte has Giulia but Kiana tags in! Charlotte runs, Kiana KNEES her first! But Alexa tags in! Kiana runs, but into the clinch! TWISTED SISTER ABIGAIL!! Cover, Charlexa wins!
Winners: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, by pinfall
Bliss proved she does have Charlotte’s back! But then Nia & Lash attack after all! They BLAST Giulia, DECK Alexa, and HEADBUTT Charlotte! And HEADBUTT her again! Nia POSTS Charlotte while the fans boo! Nia & Lash soak up the heat, but Giulia is back up! Kiana says hold on, hold on, they’re good. Giuila says she is NOT good, she wants after Nia! Miss Management has her client back off, if just for now. Will the Beautiful Madness make sure no one disrespects her and gets away with it?
Solo Sikoa speaks.
“Bo. You’re absolutely right. This is just more than a lantern. I can see the millions of fireflies across the world. They are now in my possession. Your legacy is in my hands. And if you want this lantern back, I suggest you put those tag team titles on the line. But that’s just the beginning. You see, my family is going to take back all the gold. But until then… I’m going to take real, real good care of this. And he is going to be with me when I take out Damian Priest and bring back the WWE Undisputed title to the family.” Solo then blows out the lantern, but will it be lights out for the Archer of Infamy? Or will Priest be the one headed to Saturday Night’s Main Event?
Cody Rhodes is here!
London sings along with Kingdom as The American Nightmare makes his entrance. There’s a bit more smoke than usual, but we still get “WHOA~ OH~!” and the pyro! Cody takes a moment to take in the crowd before he goes down the ramp and to the ring. Cody then stands on the corner for the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro, but even that seems different without the Undisputed Championship on his arm or around his waist. Cody grabs the mic, the fans cheer, and Cody takes a moment to hear them singing, “Cody, Cody Rhodes~!” Cody then says, “Well, that sounds a bit different. That’s okay. That’s okay.
“Because if anything, I guess it was becoming a bit… episodic. I would come out here, I would tap my fist three times, we’d all say ‘Whoa,’ I’d walk to the ring, and I’d ask you, ‘Whaddya wanna talk about?'” The fans are a bit torn there, and Cody takes a moment. The fans now sing for “OH~ Drew McIntyre~!” Cody says don’t worry, they will discuss the NEW WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. Cody never broke down why the name of his podcast is Whaddya Wanna Talk About. It was quite simple: He wasn’t just the company’s champion, he was the people’s champion. The fans are again torn, but Cody says he didn’t want the fans to be spectators, he wanted them to be teammates.
But perhaps Cody got comfortable with the episodic, with the predictable. He didn’t see all the eventualities, all the ways in which he could lose. Or, is Drew just that good? The fans agree there! Cody says he could ask himself that, or he could ask what HBK, Hogan, and Stone Cold have in common with Cody. Simple: they’re the only ones to go back-to-back in Royal Rumble wins. And only one of those names won it three times, that’s how a near impossible feat that is. And they all know Cody loves a gamble, he loves a long shot. Here in WWE, where we have the best men’s and women’s divisions, sometimes the best power you can have is self-belief.
So here and now, in a city that means a great deal to Cody, a city he wrestled in every weekend for WhatCulture Pro-Wrestling to sharpen his skills and became the American Nightmare, a city that DOES deserve a WrestleMania (the fans erupt for that!), let Cody make it official! Drew says there’s no rematch clause, good! They’ll do this the old fashioned way! Cody is officially declaring for the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match!! The fans love that, too! “So, London, what DO you wanna talk about?! Let’s talk about Jacob Fatu!” The fans are torn on that name, and Cody says he met Fatu backstage at APW, you know he’s a thoroughbred!
Cody saw Fatu VS Solo Sikoa, and you could tell Fatu was on the come up. Fatu is a young veteran in their industry. But as such, Cody is aware and positive that Fatu knows what a receipt means! And Fatu has the largest receipt coming from Cody! Fatu is all gas, no brakes, come down here and collect. Or Cody can find Fatu first and beat the brakes off his ass! The fans are fired up with Cody, but is this gambler going to bust even before we reach the Royal Rumble? Or will a fight with Fatu be just the momentum Cody needs to have his threepeat?
Backstage interview with Matt Cardona.
Cathy Kelley is with The Complete, saying he is moments away from his match with Trick Williams to qualify for the #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way. What would it mean to not only come back to the WWE but to win that title? Cardona says the way Cody lost was a shame, and Cardona was really looking forward to facing his friend for that belt. But now that it’ll be Drew McIntyre. They go way back, too. Drew’s first WWE match was with Zack Ryder. And just like Cody and Drew, Cardona left WWE to find himself, and he’s back, But while Cody and Drew are each former world champions, Cardona is not. Yet.
Cardona isn’t back just to be back, he wants his time at the top. The journey, the ups and downs, the grind, it all led back here for Cardona to be Undisputed Champion! Cardona is #AlwayZReady, but will he be able to #WhoopDatTrick? Or will the former NXT & TNA World Champion soon be headed for another top title in his young career?
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Trick Williams VS Matt Cardona!
SmackDown returns as Trick continues to vibe with London. Then the fans cheer as Cardona makes his entrance. The bell rings and the fans rally and duel already. The two circle, tie up, then break. Cardona smirks, Trick flexes, and the two go again. Trick waistlocks, spins Cardona, then pie faces Cardona! Trick talks trash, but Cardona RAMS him into a corner! Trick bobs ‘n’ weaves, then he pie faces again! Trick says he runs this house, dawg! But Cardona ROCKS Trick, ROCKS him again, then fires hands in the corner! The ref counts, Cardona backs off, but Trick KNEES low! Trick scoops and SLAMS, then snarls as he checks his chin.
Trick tells Cardona not to mess with him! Trick RUNS Cardona over! The fans are torn but Trick talks trash. Cardona rises up, he dodges the tackle, but Trick CLUBS the backdrop away. Trick pie faces, then runs, but Cardona DROPKICKS him! Then clinch and FLATLINER! Trick staggers up, Cardona LARIATS him up and out! The fans fire up with Cardona, and he builds speed to WRECK Trick with a dropkick! Cardona then aims from the apron, MISSILE DROPKICK to the floor! The fans rally up again and Cardona grits his teeth while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Cardona drags Trick up, puts him in the ring, but Trick bails back out. Cardona goes to the ropes, and he drags Trick up by his hair! But Trick trips Cardona up! Trick drags Cardona out to THROW him into barriers! Trick talks trash, then FLAPJACKS Cardona off the apron! Trick fires up, then he brings Cardona up to put him in the ring. Cardona goes to a corner, Trick storms up on him, and he ROCKS Cardona. The ref reprimands, but Trick CHOPS Cardona. Then ROCKS him again! Trick hears the fans cheer and jeer, and he talks some smack on them now. Trick UPPERCUTS Cardona and Cardona slumps against ropes.
Trick whips Cardona, FLAPJACKS again, then kips up! Trick says he runs this house, then he storms up on Cardona at the ropes. Trick CHOKES Cardona, the ref counts, but Trick stops at 4. Cardona coughs and goes to a corner, Trick digs his boots in, but the ref counts. Trick stops at 4, snarls, then he whips Cardona corner to corner! Then a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Trick keeps Cardona down with a chinlock, but the fans rally while Cardona endures. Cardona fights up, fires body shots and CHOPS, but Trick LEG LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Trick rains down forearms and Cardona can barely guard!
Trick drags Cardona back into the chinlock and he squeezes tight. The fans rally as Cardona endures again, and Cardona fights up. JAWBREAKAER! Trick rebounds, but Cardona dodges to then ROLLING ELBOW! Trick pushes Cardona back, Cardona avoids the sweep but not the EDDY GORDO KICK! Cardona wobbles, but he comes back to BOOT Trick! Trick comes back, but Cardona catches the leg lariat to SAIDO! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Trick crawls, Cardona rises, and the fans duel. Trick is in a corner, Cardona runs up, forearm SMASH! Cardona fires shots, soaks up cheers and jeers, then goes side to side for the BROSKI BOOT!
Cardona then ZIGZAGS! Shoutout to his pal, Nic Nemeth, then covers, TWO! Trick survives but Cardona underhooks him! Trick fights the lift, BACKDROPS, but Cardona sunset flips it to high stack! TWO!! Trick escapes, runs up, but the splash misses! Trick slumps down, Cardona goes for another, but Trick avoids the boot! Trick wags his finger, but then Cardona just WRECKS him with another dropkick! Cardona hurries to fetch Trick into the ring while the fans still duel. Trick runs back up, SLINGSHOTS Cardona into the ring, then TRICK KICK! Cover, TWO!! Cardona survives but Trick gets the arm.
The fans rally up, Trick cartwheels to RIPCORD, and BOOK- DDT!! Cardona turns things around, goes to the corner, and he runs up, ROUGH- NO, Trick pops free! Trick runs up, but into KNEES! Cardona goes up, lines up the shot, but Trick avoids another one! Both men run, and Trick POUNCES Cardona?! The fans fire up and Trick takes aim again! Cardona staggers up, TRICK SHOT!! Cover, Trick wins!
Winner: Trick Williams, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
A hard fought match for the first-time-ever, and Mr. Whoop Dat punches his ticket to Montreal! Will Trick soon win his first Saturday Night’s Main Event to- “Hey, Kit. Are you there?” The fans fire up for Mr. Masculinity Detox! Kit steps past Trick and Cardona, to then BLINDSIDE Cardona! The fans boo as Kit sends Cardona into the steel steps! Kit says, “TOXIC! TOXIC! TOXIC!” London goes back to cheering as the song continues, but will Kit make himself the topic no matter where he goes?
Backstage interview with Damian Priest.
Cathy Kelley is now with the Archer of Infamy, and brings up his chance at Drew McIntyre and the Undisputed Championship. But that means going through Solo Sikoa first. How do you prepare for such an opportunity? Priest says he could go on and on about Drew, there’s a lot of history there. He won’t get ahead of himself, tonight is about Solo. Facing Solo 1v1 isn’t an issue. But is it going to be 1v1? Priest doesn’t think so. But Priest will remind us that in London, he became Senor Money in the Bank. So tonight, Solo, MFT, if Priest has to do 1vALL again, he’ll do it. Priest has to get past this and get at Drew. So tonight, it’s whatever it takes.
Priest heads out, will he make sure no one stops him on his path back to the top? Or will Solo use The Outlaw as an example to all of the WWE Universe?
SmackDown returns and…
Kit is still in the ring with a mic,. “You all know that I’m right! You know there’s a problem! And I’m the solution. So I will say it again. I will let the whole world know. you all need reassurance, you all need leadership. you all need ME!” The fans cheer that, but then FATU slips in behind Kit! Kit says he is the tonic to the toxic masculinity, he is KIT! WIL-SON! But he turns around into a SUPERKICK! The Samoan Werewolf is raging, the fans are torn, but Fatu dares Cody and/or Drew to show up! SENTON on Kit, then a MIGHTIEST MOONSAULT EVER! Kit flounders away, the fans are still torn, but now Fatu grabs a mic.
“YADADA MEAN!?” The fans cheer that! Fatu tells Cody, “You got something to say about me?! You have something to say TO me? Well check this out! Bring your punk ass out here right now!” Fatu throws off his vest, and Cody makes his entrance again! Cody is in his tracksuit but that comes off pretty quick, too! The American Nightmare and Samoan Werewolf start throwing hands and the fans fire up! Cody hammers away in the corner, but Fatu RAMS him into another corner! Security rushes out here but fans boo! “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” Aldis hurries out here, and he wants them both to stop!
The fans cheer as Cody breaks free! Cody CLOBBERS Fatu, everyone falls over, and SmackDown goes back to break! What must Aldis do to restore order?
BREAKING NEWS!
Now set for Saturday Night’s Main Event, it will be Cody Rhodes VS Jacob Fatu! Will Montreal survive the American Nightmare and Samoan Werewolf tearing it up?
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Damian Priest VS Solo Sikoa w/ MFT!
The Archer of Infamy and the would-be Tribal Chief have said their piece, and now they must back those words up with actions. Will Priest defy the odds as Solo isn’t solo out here? Or will Solo, waving the Wyatt lantern as he walks out here, lead by example for his family?
The bell rings and Solo circles with Priest. They tie up, Solo headlocks, and Solo talks trash. Priest powers up and out, they RAM shoulders, and Priest rebounds to RAM Solo! Solo staggers, but he and Priest reset. They tie up, but Solo kicks low! And HEADBUTTS! Solo ROCKS Priest, whips him to ropes, but Priest reverses to BACK ELBOW! Priest mule kicks Solo, reels him in, but Solo fights the lift. Solo UPPERCUTS, but Priest SUPERKICKS! Solo tumbles out, MFT is there to check on him, but Priest pursues. The fans fire up as Priest runs up, but MFT stands in the way! The fans boo, the ref tells MFT tos tay back, and Priest goes back tot he apron.
Solo runs up,b ut Priest dodges! Solo still avoids the roundhouse and he BOOTS Priest down! The ref wants Solo to back off, but now MFT mugs Priest! The fans boo, JC Mateo pretends to be shocked, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Solo goes out to fetch Priest, SMACK him off the desk, and put him in the ring. Solo soaks up heat, HEADBUTTS Priest down, then HEADBUTTS him again and again! Solo stalks Priest to ropes, kicks him out, then pursues. MFT backs up so Solo can SMACK Priest off the desk again! Solo soaks up more heat, winds up, but Priest clinches! FLATLINER on the desk! The ring count is climbing but Priest puts Solo in at 5 of 10. Priest then winds up to UPPERCUT! Solo wobbles, Priest powers up the arm, and he runs to COME- NO, Solo ducks, shoves, and SAMOAN DROPS! Cover, TWO! Priest survives and Solo frowns.
Solo motions that he’s gonna be champion, and he rains down fists in the corner. The ref counts, Solo stops at 4, and he soaks up more heat. Solo runs corner to corner, HIP ATTACK! Priest sputters in the corner, Solo soaks up more heat, and SmackDown returns to single picture. Solo aims again, he runs back in, and HIP ATTACKS! Priest sputters again and the fans duel. Solo smirks as he goes corner to corner again, and mocks Jey Uso with the “Run it back” motion. Solo runs back in, but Priest is up! WHEEL KICK! Priest hits that just in time, and JC shields the imaginary eyes of the lantern from that collision.
Solo and Priest go back to corners while the fans rally up. Priest huffs ‘n’ puffs and fires up! Priest and Solo stare down, run up, and they RAM shoulders! Then they fire haymakers back and forth! The fans duel, Priest KICKS, Solo ROCKS, and the hands keep firing off! Solo gets the edge, but Priest avoids the last shot to BELL CLAP! Then he KICKS, KICKS, and KICKS! ROLLING ELBOW! Priest then winds up again, but Solo HEADBUTTS! Priest ROUNDHOUSES! Solo rebounds to SUPERKICK! Priest staggers, but he SPIN KICKS! Solo stays up, Priest SPIN KICKS again! Solo rebounds, Priest ducks ‘n’ dodges, then LEAPING LARIATS!
The fans fire up with Priest while Solo goes to a corner. Priest runs up, BACK ELBOW! Priest keeps moving, but Solo fireman’s carries! Priest slips free, ELEVATED FLATLINER! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up, MFT coaches Solo, but Priest goes to the corner. Priest climbs up, but Solo distracts the ref. Talla reaches out to trip Priest up! The fans boo but the ref wonders what happened. The ref puts two and two together, and he EJECTS Talla! The fans cheer, Talla is mad, but Solo hurries up after Priest! Fireman’s carry, but Priest slips free! Priest has the crucifix! RAZOR’S EDGE on Solo! Cover, TWO!! Solo survives and MFT is relieved.
Priest sighs but he just brings down the straps. The fans fire up as Priest aims, but Tama Tonga distracts! The fans boo, but Loa gets on the apron! Priest runs Loa off, but Solo prepares his own right hand! Priest avoids the spike, COMEBACK- SPINNING SOLO!! Solo goes up the corner, FLYING SOLO!! Cover, TWO!! The fans fire up as Priest survives, but Solo- OH NO! The Wyatts are here!! The lights go out, the fans go nuts, and when the lights are back, the Wyatts are BEHIND MFT! JC, Loa and Tama turn around, and then Howdy, Gacy & Lumis JUMP on them! The fans fire up as the factions fight all around ringside, Nikki Cross cheering her brothers on!
Things spill out into the crowd, Howdy RAMS JC into the post, then TOSSES JC into security staff! Howdy sees the lantern, but Solo CLOBBERS Howdy first! The fans boo, but Solo brings the lantern to the ring. The ref reprimands, Solo sets the lantern down, but Priest guzels! SOUTH OF HEAVEN!! Cover, Priest wins!!
Winner: Damian Priest, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
Solo’s obsession with tearing down the Wyatt legacy just cost him his own chance at glory! Saturday Night’s Main Event is now wepa, but will The Archer of Infamy hit the mark in Montreal? Meanwhile, Howdy laughs as he takes the lantern back. But TALLA is back! And he BOOTS Howdy down! The fans boo but Talla takes the lantern back for MFT. Will the Wyatts have no choice but to put those titles on the line in exchange?
Sami Zayn heads for gorilla.
And on the way, he crosses paths with Drew McIntyre. Drew tells Sami that he heard what Sami said last week. Sami hoped that Drew would win, but thought Cody would? Well, lucky Sami isn’t a betting man, or he’d lose big, as usual. Sami says he meant what he said, a part of him did want Drew to win, and that part of him is happy Drew did win. Because now, Sami is going to go to war with Ilja Dragunov, and win. Then next week, in Sami’s hometown of Montreal, Sami will become #1 contender. And then at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, they’ll see each other again.
Oh, really inspiring, Sami, but here’s the truth: Drew has beaten Sami ELEVEN times, Sami has beaten Drew ZERO times. And if Sami does happen to make it to the Rumble, absolutely nothing changes. Sami says, “We’ll see.” Sami continues on, will he be able to defeat the Mad Russian and head home to Montreal? Or will he fall short of his world championship dreams yet again?
WWE United States Championship Open Challenge: Carmelo Hayes VS ???
Speaking of championship dreams, it is another opportunity for someone, anyone, to step up to H1M! Who will go for gold in London? We find out, after the break.
SmackDown returns, London cheers on “MEL~O! MEL~O!” But who is answering the call? It’s TNA X-Division Champion and the star of Bradford, England, LEON SLATER! The fans fire up for their guy, but will the Youngest In Charge soon be a double champion? The introductions are made, the US title is raised, and we see who hits the game winner!
The bell rings and the two run up! They tie up, go around, and Melo headlocks. Melo hits the headlock takeover, Leon headscissors, Melo kips free. Roles reverse as Leon hits the headlock takeover for Melo to headscissor. Leon kips free, Melo turns things back around with another headlock, but Leon powers up and puts Melo in the corner. The ref counts, Leon backs off, and the fans applaud as Leon whips. Melo reverses, Leon goes up and over, but Melo turns hip toss into hip toss and lateral press! TWO and Leon has the ghost pin! TWO, Leon stands, dodges Melo, but Melo blocks! Melo dodges, then hits the FADE AWAY JUMPER!
The fans fire up as Melo then brings Leon up. Melo CHOPS, ROCKS, and CHOPS again. Leon ROCKS Melo back! The fans rally up as Leon runs to CHOP Melo in the corner! Leon shakes out his hand, that’s how hard he hit Melo! But Melo kicks Leon, CHOPS again, and the fans fire up. Melo whips, Leon reverses, but Melo rolls off the back. But Melo’s leg jams! Leon hesitates, but Melo says bring it. Leon runs up, Melo dodges to waistlock, but Leon bucks the O’Conner! Melo blocks one kick, ducks the enzigiri, but that REWIND HEEL hits! The fans fire up, Leon whips but Melo reverses, only for Leon to handspring back elbow!
Melo bails out, Leon aims, PLANCHA! Down goes Melo and the fans fire up! Leon puts Melo in, he goes up the corner, and Melo hobbles up into the CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Melo is still in this, but the fans sing, “Leon Slater, DOO DOO DOODOO!” Leon is feeling it, Melo applauds, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Leon and Melo circle, though that bad leg is still a problem. Melo shakes it out, he and Leon go again, and Melo waistlocks. Leon switches, they go to the mat, and Leon body scissors for a GEDO CLUTCH! TWO, and Melo is up! Leon hurries after him, but Melo ELBOWS Leon away. Melo reels Leon in, suplexes, then floats to a cover, TWO! Melo takes his kneepad down to check his knee, and Leon crawls to ropes while the fans rally up. Melo stalks Leon, has him in a corner, and he climbs up. Melo rains down fists, gives a little forearm grind instead of the six-seven, then he snapmares Leon. But Leon’s right up to CHOP!
Melo flops to the apron, Leon brings him up, but Melo RAMS Leon! Melo hobbles but runs, only for Leon to blow past him! Melo hurdles, ducks, and then DROPKICKS! But even that wasn’t the best, and he shakes the leg out. Leon slowly rises, the fans rally more, and both men stand. Melo hobbles over to Leon, brings him up, and reels him in again. Leon fights the suplex, Melo still tries, but Leon pops free! Leon shoves and DROPKICKS Melo down! Cover, TWO! Melo is toughing it out but Leon still has the fans behind him. Leon stands Melo up, whips him to ropes, but Melo reveres. Leon handsprings, but Melo dodges!
Leon avoids the Jumper again, then he follows Melo! INVERTED SPANISH FLY! The fans fire up while both men are down! “This is Awesome!” as SmackDown returns to single picture and both men slowly rise. Melo is up first, he gets Leon to his feet, and he CHOPS! Leon snarls and he CHOPS again! Leon then brings Melo up, but Melo ROCKS Leon! Leon staggers, comes back, and he ROCKS Melo! Melo CHOPS, whips, but Leon reverses to BOOT! Melo is at the ropes, but he avoids the sweep! LA MYSTICA! And then the suplex, LAYUP CUTTER! Cover, TWO! Leon survives and the fans rally up while Melo grits his teeth.
Melo waits on Leon to rise up, then he storms up in the corner. Melo whips, Leon stops himself, and he stops the First 48! Melo fights the crab, reels Leon in, TWO! But then Leon LEG LARIATS Melo down! Cover, TWO! Melo survives the sudden turnaround but Leon stays cool. Leon drags Melo to a drop zone, goes up the corner, but Melo goes to the apron. Leon just adjusts, then leaps, but Melo dodges! Melo CHOPS Leon, but Leon fireman’s carries! Melo slips free, the leg jams, and Leon avoids the shoulder! GUILLOTINE LEG DROP in the ropes! Leon then goes back to the corner, springboards, but Melo slips around! Sunset flip, TWO!
Leon sits on the cover, TWO! Melo has it, TWO! Leon has it, TWO! ONE! ONE! And repeat! both men stand, the fans fi reup, and Leon SPIKE-RANAS! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives and the fans fire up again! Then Melo SUPERKICKS! Leon goes to the corner, Melo runs up, but Leon puts him on the apron. Melo’s leg jams again! Leon just builds speed corner to corner! Leon FLIES over the post!! Down goes Melo and the fans are thunderous! Leon puts Melo in fast, goes up the corner, and the fans are on his side! SWANTON- NO, Melo moves and Leon FLOPS! Melo hits the FIRST 48! Cover, TWO!! Leon survives and the fans fire up again!
Melo is frustrated, his leg is hurting, but he elbows Leon off him. “This is Awesome!” as Melo goes back up the corner. Leon hurries to anchor a foot, but Melo CLUBS away on Leon. Leon UPPERCUTS Melo, then climbs back up. Leon and Melo fight for control up there, and they’re on the very top! Melo hits a SUPER LAYUP CUTTER!! Cover, MELO WINS!
Winner: Carmelo Hayes, by pinfall (still WWE United States Championship)
A standing ovation as two young icons just put on an instant classic, and Melo gives respect to Leon. This was the first time they’ve fought, will there be many more in the years to come?
Shinsuke Nakamura watches this backsatge.
But then Tama Tonga calls him out. Tama says Nakamura is looking at the US title, but the next chance doesn’t belong to him. Nakamura took his shot, and he blew it. Once MFT takes the tag titles, that US Championship is Tama’s. Nakamura and Tama do go way back, so this is Nakamura’s one and only warning: Stay out of Tama’s way. Nakamura tells Tama in Japanese that he knows their history, but he warns Tama in return that he better be ready to fight for what he wants. Will the Good Bad Guy bring the US title to MFT? Or will the King of Strong Style get another chance?
Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae walk ‘n’ talk backstage.
Johnny Wrestling looks at the Axiom mask he stole and he still can’t believe “those dorks” fell for it last week. Who even wears turtlenecks? But Axiom steps in and says he’ll be the better man. He wants to save Gargano from a beating, so just hand the mask over. Oh, Gargano doesn’t have the mask. He hands it to Candice, she hurries off, and Axiom tells Gargano to grow up. Gargano says if Axiom will excuse them, they’re gonna do married people things. Laters. Wait, another Axiom? This one DECKS Gargano, and surprise! It was Frazer! Oh, another surprise is that Frazer talked with Aldis. Next week, it is Gargano VS Frazer, 1v1.
And after Frazer beats Gargano, his amigo will do the same and take that mask back. So enjoy it while you still can. Fraxiom high-fives and heads out, will they get their revenge on Gargano one way or another?
Jordynne Grace VS Chelsea Green w/ Alba Fyre!
The Juggernaut chose SmackDown because of all the names she’d love to beat down. She already handled “Slaygent A,” will she bring down The Hot Mess next? Or will even she have to pledge her allegiance to Chelsea Green?
SmackDown returns and Jade Cargill is ringside to watch this. The Storm has put Chelsea and Jordynne on notice, will her presence do that tonight? Jordynne makes her entrance now, and the bell rings. Chelsea runs up to tie up with Grace, but she SHOVES Cheslea away! Chelsea gets up to SLAP Grace, and SLAP and SLAP again! Grace just brushes those off, then SLAPS back! Chelsea wobbles, Grace whips her, and then SPINEBUSTER! Grace hauls Chelsea up, reels her in, and the fans rally as Grace claps using chelsea’s back. Grace hits a stalling suplex, then she SLAMS Chelsea down! The fans cheer, Grace covers, TWO!
Grace clamps onto Chelsea, fireman’s carries, but Chelsea slips free to RAM her into buckles! Chelsea salutes, BOOTS Grace into the corner, then Alba SUPERKICKS Grace behind the ref’s back! Chelsea runs, slides, and THROWS Grace down! Cover, ONE!! Chelsea is furious already, and she drags Grace up. Chelsea whips Grace to the corner, salutes again, and the fans are torn as she runs in. Grace slips around to RAM Chelsea into buckles! ANd again, and again! Backslide, roll through, and short arm LARIAT! Short arm LARIAT! And- NO, Chelsea slips aroudn to waistlock. Grace ELBOWS free, then she ROCKS Cheslea!
Grace ELBOWS, LARIATS, then roars! the fans fire up and Grace runs in, but she blocks a boto firsT! Then a wrench and MUFFLER PLEX! Grace shouts fo rChelsea to ger up. Chelase stands, Grace fireman’s carries, DIRECT EFFECT! Jackknife bridge, Grace wins!
Winner: Jordynne Grace, by pinfall
A new move for her new win streak, but Jade just golf claps Grace’s win. Grace grabs a mic, and she says, “Hey, champ. I’m glad that you came out here tonight to watch me. It’s extremely important that you know exactlly waht’s coming fo ryou.” The fans are torn, but Grace says if watching was just enough, that’s fine. But if Jade’s tired of babysitting that title, then step into the ring right here, right now! The fans fire up as Jade stands up! Jade goes to the ring and says Grace msut be stupid. But then Chelsea runs up! Grace dodges, Cheslea BLASTS Jade!! Chelsea is shocked, but also dazed, and Grace picks up the belt.
Grace smiles as she holds up THE WWE Women’s Championship, before she throws it back to Jade. Jade says, “Bet!” When and where will these forces of nature battle it out?
Backstage interview with Trick Williams.
Cathy congratulates him on his win tonight, and says he didn’t just ease his way onto SmackDown, he jumped into the deep end. What does this mean to him that he is headed to Saturday Night’s Main Event for a #1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way? Trick says let this be a warning: he is putting all of SmackDown on notice! All you bums, bobbleheads and bootlickers, know that Trick is that dawg! Trick looks like money, he feels like money, because Trick IS money. And he wants a special shoutout to Randy Orton and Damian Priest! Congrats, you have a match with the future of this business, let’s talk about it! And hold on. He might be Whoop Dat Trick, but on Saturday, he whoops dat ass.
Cathy says yes, she was going to add- Oh, Priest steps in. Trick is the guy who does a lot of talking. Priest doesn’t. You already know what’s up on SNME. But Trick’s free on Friday, right? So is Priest. And Priest is ready to whoop dat Trick. Priest heads out, will he have quite the appetizer with Trick when SmackDown arrives in Montreal?
WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Qualifier: Sami Zayn VS Ilja Dragunov!
We saw these two battle over the United States Championship, and #BigMatchSami lost the title to the returning Mad Russian Dragon. But now, they fight for a much bigger prize on this Road to WrestleMania! Will Sami make up for that loss and join that Fatal 4 Way? Or will Ilja continue to rise up the ranks and be one match away from taking over the world?
SmackDown returns as Sami makes his entrance. The fans sing along with the song and Sami high-fives the front row along the ramp. The bell rings and the fans fire up as Sami and Ilja stare down. They step up, and they start firing forearms! The fans rally up as the shots go back and forth, faster and faster! Sami fires a flurry, but then Ilja CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Then SPIN CHOP! CHOP to the leg! BOOT! Ilja runs, but into a LARIAT! The fans fire up while Ilja goes to ropes and Sami catches his breath. Sami storms up on Ilja to CHOP! Ilja just eggs him on! Sami CHOPS, fire more forearms, then stops as the ref counts.
Ilja KNEES low, fires more forearms, then whips. Sami reverses, Ilja reverses back, but Sami goes up and over! Sami runs up, Ilja BOOTS him, then JUMP KICKS! The fans fire up with Ilja, and he stands Sami up to bump him off buckles. Ilja CHOPS, then runs corner to corner. Ilja KNEES low, keeps moving, and he BOOT WASHES! Ilja snapmares Sami down, then hops up, KING KONG KNEE DROP! The fans fire up and Ilja goes up again! KING KONIG- NO, Sami dodges! Sami then kicks Iljia and suplexes, BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Another cover, TWO! A third cover, TWO! Ilja is still fighting and the fans rally back up.
Sami stands Ilja up to CHOP! Ilja goes to a corner, Sami ROCKS him, and the fans cheer. Sami ROCKS Ilja again, has him in a corner, and CHOPS! Sami reels Ilja in, whips him to ropes, but Ilja KNEES Sami! Then GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ilja holds on and he talks some smack while the fans rally. Sami stands, switches, and he GERMAN SUPLEXES! Ilja headlocks in return as Sami stands him back up. Ilja then pries the waistlock open, switches, but Sami switches. They switch and switch and switch, then Ilja SNAP GERMANS! The fans cheer, Ilja goes back to the corner, and Ilja rises up, only for Sami to CHOP!
The fans cheer and sing for “Sami, Sami Zayn~!” but Ilja fires body shots. Sami CLUBS Ilja again and again, then goes up to the very top! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Both men are down and the fans cheer again while SmackDown goes picture in picture.
Sami and Ilja both stir, and Sami crawls over to Ilja. Sami brings Ilja up with a facelock, but Ilja wrenches out to waistlock. Sami fights the lift, but Ilja CLUBS him and HAMMERS him, then pump handles for an EXPLODER! Cover, TWO! Sami survives, but Ilja SLIDING FOREARMS in the back! Ilja ELBOWS and CLUBS Sami again and again, then stalks him to ropes. The fans rally up, and Ilja stomps Sami at the ropes. The ref counts, Ilja BOOTS Sami, then SLAPS him! Sami sputters, but he comes back to SLAP Ilja! Ilja and Sami make it a SLAP fight, then Sami fires haymakers! DDT! Cover, TWO! Ilja stays in this, but Sami stays cool.
Sami checks his teeth, they’re all there. Sami stands, Ilja crawls to ropes, but it’s Ilja who eggs Sami on! Sami stomps a mudhole into Ilja at the ropes! The ref counts, Sami stops at 4, but the fans rally up again. Sami huffs ‘n’ puffs and brings Ilja around. Sami goes for the corner but Ilja wants the leg! Ilja eggs Sami on, Sami HAMMERS Ilja down! Sami busts Ilja’s eyebrow open! Ilja sputters, Sami goes to the apron, and the fans rally up again. SmackDown returns to single picture as Sami rises, but Ilja SLAPS him! Ilja SLAPS again, climbs up, and he fires up again! The fans are with Ilja on that, but Sami gets some shots to the chin!
Sami CLUBS Ilja, then adjusts position, SUPER SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Ilja survives and the fans fire up again! Sami is beside himself, but he hurries to get after Ilja at the ropes. Sami drags Ilja up, around, but Ilja stops the Blue Thunder with elbows! Ilja runs, but Sami reels him back in! Ilja slips free, ducks ‘n’ dodges, CONSTANTINE SPECIAL! The fans fire up while both men flounder! Ilja goes to a corner, goes up top, and he aims to go COAST2COAST! Sami falls, Ilja covers, TWO!! Sami survives and now Ilja is stunned! The fans rally again while Sami is down. Ilja winds up, H-BOMB- BOOT!!
The fans fire up as Sami counters the falling forearm! Both men stagger to their feet, then Sami clinches! But Ilja fights off the exploder! Sami ROCKS Ilja, Ilja springs up to ENZIGIRI! Ilja has Sami in the corner, he runs corner to corner and LARIATS! Ilja runs corne rto ocrner again, another LARIAT! Ilja goes for a third, but he ducks Sami’s Helluva Kick! Ilja knew that trick and Sami crashes into buckle! They both go to the apron, and Ilja fireman’s carries. Sami fights free, HEADBUTTS Ilja, and Ilja staggers back. But then TORPEDO MOSCOW!! Both men fall to the floor! The fans rally while the ring count climbs!
Ilja rises at 5 of 10, rolls in at 7, and Sami sputters at 8. Sami rises at 9, and leaps in at 9.99! But Ilja is on him! POWERBOMB! Ilja goes up, up, and SUPER SENTONS but onto KNEES! Not the cleanest counter, but Sami clinches Ilja! BUCKLE EXPLODER! The fans fire up with Sami, he runs corner to corner, HELLUVA KICK!! Cover, Sami wins!!
Winner: Sami Zayn, by pinfall (advances to Saturday Night’s Main Event)
And with that, our #1 contender’s Fatal 4 is set! Orton, Trick, Priest, and Sami! But then Trick CLOBBERS Sami from behind! The fans boo but Trick lets his hair down and goes wild! Trick aims again, TRICK SHOT!! Sami is down, Trick stands over him, and he soaks up all that heat. But will Trick be able to whoop three decorated superstars at once? Or will Sami’s journey to the top finally be fulfilled in Montreal?
My Thoughts:
A great episode for SmackDown, a lot of action that also helped in the various story builds. Drew McIntyre had a great opening promo, but they also segued really well into Orton VS Miz as the opener. We also got a very good promo from Cody, and of course he wants to threepeat at the Royal Rumble. It was wild for Kit Wilson to go after Matt Cardona to give Fatu an opening to attack and then call out Cody in return. Very good brawl from Fatu and Cody, and Cody VS Fatu for Saturday Night’s Main Event is going to be great. If Drew didn’t do the attack, will Cody win against Fatu and reveal it was him all along?
Good promo from Charlexa with Nia & Lash, and then a very good tag match. Good win for Charlexa, but at least Giulia and Kiana got a bit better of a showing. But of course Lash & Nia attacked after, and now all three teams have beef. With Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez as contenders from Raw, we’ll definitely get separate contenders for SmackDown now to parallel. Then it’ll be about Rhea & Iyo trying to survive both challenges, perhaps to build up the go-home week to Royal Rumble. If Liv & Roxie actually win, then the SmackDown team stands no chance, no matter who it is, because Liv & Roxie wouldn’t be transitional champions.
Very good stuff from Grace, Chelsea, and Jade, and I wonder if they’d give us a Triple Threat of Jade VS Grace VS Chelsea. Chelsea would definitely be the one to take the loss to keep both Jade and Grace strong, regardless of who wins. But at the same time, we’d still need a proper 1v1 of Jade VS Grace for the title to settle the feud. Good promo with Fraxiom getting payback on Gargano and setting up Frazer VS Gargano and Axiom VS Gargano. Absolutely awesome US Championship from Melo VS Leon, I did not think they’d go that hard, but it was greatly appreciated. Melo selling bad leg is definitely foreshadowing how he eventually loses that title, though it might not be for some time.
And of course, great stuff in all four SNME qualifier matches, even with all the results being how I expected. As I said last week, a shame that Cardona had to lose here, but Trick is getting on a roll already. Orton VS Miz was a great opening, and Sami VS Ilja was an awesome main event. Trick going after Sami kinda foreshadows Sami winning out in the end, as Sami VS Drew is definitely a great choice for the Royal Rumble, too. It really is a story of “Something’s gotta give.” Drew pointed out the 11-0 record between him and Sami, but Drew has/wants to make it through his first title defense, it could come down to Drew using shenanigans like he did to dethrone Cody.
My Score: 8.9/10
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Coverage
Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 1.15.26
TNA had some time to cook up their big debut. Did they burn it, or make a succulent feast?
AMC era has begun! Granted it’s not without a big loss, being The Rascalz seem to be headed to AEW. Which honestly I’m conflicted. If it was their decision because the money was astronomical, then I can’t fault TNA for not being able to compete with the TK Bank Account. But if TNA didn’t even try and let them walk for money that could’ve been negotiated…then TNA fumbled harder than CJ Stroud. Jake Something is a non-factor, but The Rascalz could be a big mistake.
WOAH! @AJStylesOrg and @FrankieKazarian come face to face on #TNAiMPACT on @AMC_TV! pic.twitter.com/CSh7IpV5ex
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
Ratings:
- Elijah & The Hardyz vs Order 4: Jeff wins via Swanton Bomb – *
- TNA Knockouts Tag Titles: The IInspiration (c) vs The Elegance Brand: Maggie wins via pinfall – (-) *** – TITLE CHANGE!!!
- TNA World Championship: Frankie Kazarian (c) vs Mike Santana: Santana wins via Spin the Block – *** 3/4 – TITLE CHANGE!!!
Results:
AJ Styles comes out to kick off TNA episodes on a new network. He walks out to the WWE theme, makes a quick hype promo, doesn’t interact with anyone aside from the crowd. Definitely feels like more could’ve been done with AJ, but it was nice to see him.
Elijah & The Hardyz vs Order 4
The Hardyz come out with some guitar guy, Justin Lyonz or something…BDE and another streamer buddy? Definitely already feels overbooked just on the intro.
Order 4 tries to start fast but things back fire quickly and…this is starting off like an old episode of like WCW Thunder. Just messy overbooked intros, hot start into a commercial. 13 minutes in and it’s not a good start. Coming back from the commercial, Ali had the advantage but then Jeff Hardy is turning it around, all the apron dwellers are down. Ali tries the Rolling Neckbreaker, Jeff catches him with a Twist of Fate. Tasha tries to get in the way, Ali gets shoved into her, Matt hits the Twist of Tasha draped over Ali…shmoz spot. The Great Hands actually turn things around after the pinfall break, but Elijah stops them with some Mule Kick action, into a Twist from Matt and Swanton from Jeff. I think we saw maybe 3 minutes of this and it was all just cliche chaos crap.
Loser Agent Zero attacks after the fact…even though Elijah laid him out last week and the luster is off of Zero. He’s a joke. The Righteous come out to make a…Save? Dutch hits Death Walks on Matt and Vincent pulls out…a pad lock or something and then chains Jeff to the post via his eat gauge. This is…an embarrassing mess of crap just happening. If this is anyone’s first episode, I apologize for the Crash TV whiplash effect of this so far.
20 minutes of worthless D List Star spotting that leads to a comedy spot with Ryan Nemeth (which is fine, I love Ryan) but then it goes into Santino finding a new General Manager type because he’s been compromised. And it’s…Sonya Deville with Daria Rae as her new gimmick name. She comes out as the heel “management” type who wants to get rid of Santino. And…she apparently signed Elayna Black. Yikes, back to back no one cares reveals. Sonya Deville and Cora Jade. Cora’s hot, but wrestling competence…ya that’s non-existent.
I can almost tolerate Sonya since she’s supposed to come out and be a heel immediately, so the lack of current love, buzz and pop, is fine. But bringing Cora Jade along like she’s anything more than eye candy is…pathetic. It has been 30 minutes since the last actual wrestling match happened.
WHY DO WE GO INTO ANOTHER GOOFBALL TALK SEGMENT?!?!? The Elegance Brand, with Perez Hilton…has he even been relevant since like 2008? What is this? I get that it’s a dumb shtick before the match but STOP TALKING. This…Mr Elegance thing is complete garbage.
TNA Knockouts Tag Titles: The IInspiration (c) vs The Elegance Brand
The IInspiration comes down to stop the awful segment and as soon as things start we cut to commercial again. WHY. M has control cause of course the heels are in control until Cassie gets the knees up and M crashes and burns on the Moonsault. Jessie hot tag, lays out both Elegance members. She dispatches of M, Armbar Suplex on Heather but the Concierge pulls out Jessie. Jessie blocks the numbers game but eats combination kicks from Heather. They go for their Bow and Arrow, Stomp combo but Cassie shoves off Heather, IInspiration double teams M, Mr Elegance hops on the apron and gets slapped.
This is a sloppy mess of over booked gimmicked garbage. Idolizer on Maggie but interference for days and Maggie gets the pin and the…I don’t care. Get rid of these titles. I love Maggie, but this is pathetic and the fact we need NXT tag teams to flesh out a contender bracket is sad. What the actual FUCK is this episode? This feels like a fever dream.
TNA International Champion @Stacks_WWE and @AriannaGraceWWE take plenty of shots at @milanmiracle ahead of #TNAGenesis! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/9V2wMk3zlk
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
Jesus, okay the Visa issue is legit because I know there’s problems in e-sports and other professional mediums. But now Lei Ying Lee comes out because her title match becomes an Open Challenge because Dani can’t compete at Genesis. ZaRuca comes out, and I don’t care who challenge Lei, but I swear if TNA makes Lei drop the title to an NXT wrestler again. Sol actually says Zaria deserves the shot, which surprises Zaria…kind of a nice moment. But still…I swear, no more NXT wrestlers taking TNA gold.
Christ on a crutch, another talking segment. The System has to say stuff because Dango is retiring on Saturday, but come the hell on. So far there have been 2 matches, we saw 3 minutes of the first one, some people missed the entire second match because AMC ran back to back commercial breaks. But even seeing it, there’s was about 4 minutes of interference in that match. 90 minutes so far, and there’s been 7 minutes of visible wrestling. They’ve done garbage shows like this before, but I was hoping they would know better than to give us some gum flapping imbecile show. But NOOO.
TNA World Championship: Frankie Kazarian (c) vs Mike Santana
Collar and Elbow tie up, Kaz tries the early Chicken Wing, but Santana fights it off and tries to catch him with a Spin the Block, but easily dodged and we reset. Santana hits the Shoulder Tackle and the crowd pops probably because it’s actually wrestling for what feels like the first time all night. Frankensteiner sends Frankie to the floor, Escalera Plancha from Santana keeps Kaz on the receiving end. Santana launches off the steps but misses and Kaz connects with a Belly to Belly.
Back from yet another terribly timed commercial, we see Kaz get shoved off the ropes, Santana tries the Rolling Buck Fifty, but Kaz connects with a Backstabber. He then decides to talk smack to Santana and big brother him. Santana absorbs Kaz’s shots, fires and then throws his own haymakers. Santana going a little Sting with a big Woo, catches Kaz’s foot and then Gamengiri. Kaz cuts him off, Santana cuts off Kaz, Rolling Buck Fifty out of the up and over, but only a 2 count.
Kaz claws the eyes, shoves Santana away, but Santana climbs the buckles again, Spanish Fly, no sell, into a struggle for signature moves when Santana snaps off a Code Red for another near fall. Santana takes too long to go for the Cannonball, knees up, Kaz hits the Angel’s Wings for two. Chicken Wing attempt two, but Santana rolls over into the pinfall, Kaz kicks out. A little cat and mouse on the Guillotine, but Slingshot Cutter into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop for two again!
Frankie tries to bring in the belt, it gets taken away, finisher counters, Fighting Spirit, Spin the Block misses, Kaz goes for a Shotgun Kick but ref bump. Santana hits the Spin the Block but the ref is dead. Kaz looks for the discarded belt, clocks Santana with it while the referee is still dead. Kaz aims for Fade to Black on the apron and connects! Throws Santana back into the ring, cover, Santana kicks out at two and fires! Kaz with the Canadian Destroyer but Santana no sells, Spin the Block! 1-2-2.999. Kaz kicked out of it. Kaz dodges the next STB, tries one of his own, but then Santana connects with another!
Overall Score: 2.5/10
This was an awful trainwreck of a fever dream. The Main Event was the only thing worth watching, and if you’re not a TNA fan, I wouldn’t expect people to have stuck around that long. The Main Event is 2 of the 2.5 points, the only other slightly decent part was utilizing Sonya Deville’s relative lack of interest and expected lack of pop, to just make her a heel out of the gates.
Everything else about this show was complete unadulterated dogshit. Mr Elegance talks like young Chris Jericho, Ryan Nemeth and Peter Brady did a failed fusion dance. The concept was cringe the execution is worse. The constant commercials at the start of matches and coming back for 2-3 minutes of trash is a 90s formula that doesn’t work nowadays. 80% of this show was useless talking, highlight segments of the history of TNA and running around to fix Genesis matches because all the UK wrestlers can’t make the show.
This was pathetic. If this was people’s first time watching TNA, it probably will be their last. This show made WCW Thunder look competent. I yearn for the days of Disco Inferno vs Lodi. Van Hammer vs Mike Awesome during his fat chick thriller era, would be better writing and television than whatever this was.
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