Will the Evil Genius have a plan for Charlotte Flair?

New SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, is giving Charlotte Flair a fair shot at the WWE Women’s Championship, but will she make the most of it? Or will she again be denied her historic moment?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Santos Escobar w/ The LWO VS Montez Ford w/ Bobby Lashley & Angelo Dawkins; Ford wins.
• Austin Theory & Grayson Waller VS Cameron Grimes & Dragon Lee; Theory & Waller win.
• WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky w/ Damage CTRL VS Charlotte Flair; Iyo wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Ladies and gentlemen…

Paul Heyman introduces himself as he stands in the ring, and he has some really big shoes to fill in the Bloodline this week. Did you see what Jimmy Uso did on Monday Night Raw? San Antonio boos as Heyman says Jimmy called the play, took the inspiration and motivation of Your Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns…! And Jimmy single-handedly cost Jey Uso & Cody Rhodes the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. Fans boo more but Heyman asks if they’ve heard the other news. And he’s not the one to break it. He wishes he had the exclusive, but no, the Los Angeles Times broke this story. And from Heyman’s sources say, it is the #1 most read article today.

Roman Reigns WILL defend the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, and his opponent will be… L A Knight, “YEAH!” The fans are fired up to hear that! The Mega Star gets his shot in just two weeks, and Heyman is sure it is hard for us to believe, but he is just like every single one of us. Okay, he’s from New York and this is Texas so he dresses better and makes a hell of a lot more money, but… there is commonality here, and that is the fact that we’re all fans of LA Knight. “YEAH!” Heyman won’t take anything away from Knight, he’s a huge admirer. He said that the first time they met!

As a matter of fact, if you’re a fan like Heyman is of LA Knight, you- Don’t “Yeah” while he’s talking. Fans just add more “YEAH!” to the mix, but Heyman says the fans MUST watch Crown Jewel on November 4th. “Because it’s the last damn time you’re ever gonna see LA Knight inside the ring.” Fans boo as Heyman says at Crown Jewel, LA Knight, “YEAH!” is going to be smashed by the REIGNING! DEFENDING! UNDISPUTED! WWE UNIVERSAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, Roman…! Reigns…! Heyman smiles but fans boo, but then here comes LA Knight! San Antonio explodes as the Mega Star makes his way right to the ring!

Knight has the music cut, and he tells Heyman if he wants to make noise, then make noise, because that’s all Heyman’s been doing out here. Knight isn’t here to talk to Heyman, so Heyman can take a walk. Knight wants Roman’s ass out here right now! Wait, where is Heyman going? Get back in here! But he was told to leave. Knight says it doesn’t matter what Heyman thinks he was told, get back in here. Heyman steps back inside, and Knight says if Heyman’s boy ain’t coming out here, it just gets Knight wondering. Where is his lip at now? Cuz we heard a bunch of idle threats about what Roman’s gonna do to Knight, right? “YEAH!”

So then tell him to his face, what is Roman gonna do to him? SHUT UP. Heyman tries to have Knight talk to the fans but Knight tells Heyman if he takes one step outside the ropes, Knight knocks his hair back to full grey. Heyman stays put and Knight says word on the street is Heyman said the Spear was a warning shot, right? “YEAH!” Heyman stutters and stammers, Knight asks, “Right?” Fans say “YEAH!” Right? YEAH! So then Knight has to ask, was that the right move? Yeah, he doesn’t think so, either. Warning shots? No, Knight doesn’t do warning shots. If you take a shot at Knight, you better put him down for good.

Knight will go Michael Myers, keep on coming back! He won’t stop, can’t stop, and will not stop until he owns Roman in this ring and until he owns the WWE Universal Championship, YEAH! So he’ll say it like this: If Roman’s scared, just say so. “YEAH!” And he should be, cuz he ain’t never seen someone like Knight before. As fast as Knight’s risen is as fast as he’ll take that title off him, just like that, YEAH! Oh, Heyman hates “Yeah,” right? No, he likes it! Heyman tries it, “Yeah,” but Knight says that’s pathetic, he should just shut up.

Here’s how they’re gonna do this now. Knight knows the contract signing is next week. And well, tell ya what. If Roman isn’t gonna be here now and Heyman is gonna call him about that, then make sure that you make it 100% clear whose game this is. “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!!” And when Roman looks all befuddled and confused, lost for words, make sure Heyman speaks the undisputed truth that is L. A. KNIGHT. “YEAH!!” Knight shoves the mic into Heyman and storms out. Roman is reaching 1200 days, but will Knight cut him short?

Montez Ford prepares for his match.

Angelo Dawkins shouts for him to “DOMINATE! DOMINATE!” Bobby Lashley has them bring it in. Does he need to motivate Ford? No, sir. Does he? No, sir! Then let’s go out there, do what we do, and fight with pride. They handshake and head out, will the All Mighty’s Profit take down the Emperor of Lucha? Or will Santos avenge that backstage attack on Carlito?

Santos Escobar w/ The LWO VS Montez Ford w/ Bobby Lashley & Angelo Dawkins!

SmackDown returns and Ford makes his entrance, Lashley leading the way. The bell rings and Ford mockingly asks where Carlito went. He and Escobar tie up, go around, and Escobar has Ford in a corner. The ref counts, Escobar lets off but Ford shoves him. Escobar shoves back, Ford shoves again, but the ref stops Escobar from punching back. Ford kicks low, mocks Escobar, then CLUBS him down! And KICKS him down! Cover, ONE! Ford whips Escobar and ELBOWS him down, to then cover, ONE!! Escobar is hanging tough but Dawkins cheers Ford. Ford facelocks but Escobar throws body shots.

Ford whips Escobar to a corner, runs up and whips again, but then Escobar goes up and over. Escobar keeps going but Ford DROPKICKS him! Fans are torn as Ford swaggers and says this is too easy. Ford covers, TWO! Ford keeps on Escobar with another facelock but Escobar throws body shots! Ford whips, Escobar sunset flips, but Ford rolls through to PENALTY KICK! Dawkins is fired up, Ford runs to SPLASH! He still gets so much air! Cover, TWO! Ford brings Escobar up but Escobar wrenches and kicks! And kicks! Ford whips, Escobar BOOTS back, then goes up. But Ford ENZIGURIS first! Escobar tumbles out and Ford is fired up as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Escobar endures a top wristlock. Fans rally as Escobar fights up, but Ford whips him to a corner. Ford SPLASHES, snapmares and covers, TWO! Escobar wags his finger while Lashley now watches from backstage. Ford sits Escobar up, says he’s gonna get this work, but Escobar throws elbows! Escobar CHOPS and Ford goes to a corner. Ford ELBOWS back, goes up and up and TRUST FALL BULLDOGS?! Cover, TWO! Escobar is still in this and Ford snarls. Ford CLUBS Escobar and then hammers away! Back to the top wristlock with the cording hold, but Escobar shakes his head.

Escobar fights up again as the fans rally up, and he throws more body shots. Escobar ELBOWS, whips, but Ford reverses. Escobar goes up and over then DROPKICKS! Escobar keeps moving and he rallies with big shoulder tackles! Escobar ducks ‘n’ dodges to SUPERKICK! Ford flops out of the ring, so Escobar shoots the ARROW FROM HELL!! Direct hit at the ramp and fans are all fired up! Escobar puts Ford in, goes up the corner, and he CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Ford is still in this but flounders away to a corner. Escobar sees him, spells it out “L! W! O!” and runs corner to corner, to DOUBL EKNEE!

Fireman’s carry, but Ford fights free! Ford whips Escobar away, but then Escobar puts him on the apron. Ford GAMANGIRIS, says “SUCK IT!” then goes up. But now Escobar GAMANGIRIS! Escobar climbs, has Ford on the very top, to SUPER DUPER STEINER! Dawkins hurries to get Ford outta there! Fans boo but then Escobar storms up. Escobar PLANCHAS and down goes Ford! Escobar puts Ford back in, but the ref is distracted and Dawkins POSTS him! Wilde & Cruz go after Dawkins! But he throws them aside! So Escobar KNEES Dawkins down! Escobar hurries back in but Ford rolls him up! With tights! FORD WINS!

Winner: Montez Ford, by pinfall

And then the Profits beat down the Emperor! They show no mercy, but then CARLITO IS HERE! Caribbean Cool and a chair get in the ring, and the Profits go running! Will Carlito look to avenge himself soon enough?

Damage CTRL hypes Iyo Sky up.

Bayley says she’s beaten Charlotte Flair before, she can do it again! They chop her to get her fired up! Will the Evil Genius be more than ready for what the Queen can throw at her?

The LWO regroups backstage.

Everybody’s worse for wear but then Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega hurry over. Rey thanks Carlito for the save. LWO is always familia. Rey apologizes that he has to go, Logan Paul is almost here for their face to face. Zelina asks if they should come with him since they’re family. He thanks her for the offer but says he can handle this on his own. Okay, love you guys. Rey heads out, though it’s hard to tell if Escobar is 100% okay with this. Will Carlito help game plan payback on Lashley & The Profits? Will Rey and Logan Paul come to blows later tonight?

Pretty Deadly celebrate their return victory.

But not by going out and partying. They go to a health spa to be pampered. Kit Wilson says things have never been better, and Elton Prince says #EltonStrong is a global sensation. Their feet are bubbling, massages on the way, they’re excited. But not as excited as they were for the Taylor Swift Eras tour! But they are happy with their “squeaky clean” win over the Brawling Brutes. Those lads always seem to disappear after such losses, too. But now, Pretty Deadly won’t have to ever see them again. OW OW these massages are brutal! Wait, they’re the Brawling Brutes! Ridge & Dunne give BEATS OF THE BODHRAIN right in the massage chairs!

And then Pretty Deadly get swirlies in their foot baths! Ridge says he’s parched, time to get a pint. Will this just be the beginning of the Brawling Brutes’ brutal payback?

Jimmy Uso meets up with The Bloodline.

He asks whaddup, but no one will high-five. Did you see Raw? Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso, no longer tag team champions, all cuz of him, Jim Uso. Roman called the play, Jimmy got to be starting quarterback, red 70 black star, set hut, hike! Bullet pass, TOUCHDOWN~ Bloodline! Jimmy does his dance, but Heyman points out who else is here. John Cena is backstage! The Greatest Of All Time is headed to gorilla, what will he have to say in response to the Bloodline’s actions as of late?

John Cena heads to the ring!

San Antonio fires up as the GOAT slides in the ring and throws up the threes. Cena gets a mic to say San Antonio is sold out, and everybody around the world can see that this place is fired up! Hell, they’ve got Cena fired up! Fans chant for “CENA! CENA!” He thanks them for that, and they chant “Thank You, Cena!” Cena says they have no idea what that means to him. But Cena says that unfortunately, it has been a rough day. He got hit with some harsh truths today. We’ve been doing this a long time, right? So, he should be honest with us, and with himself. Last week, Cena talked about Roman Reigns’ streak of 1,138 DAYS as champion.

Today, Cena found out he has a streak of his own. 2,002 days. Yep, that’s a long time, right? That’s how long it has been since Cena last won a televised singles match. Yep. He wants us to think about that. 2,002 days. His last win was in 2018. Fans rally behind Cena, and Cena says he’s been talking a whole lot about retirement. Fans boo that, they don’t want him to give up yet. But Cena says we just need to face facts. C’mon, now. Fact is, it has been a long time since he’s had a win. Fans say “You Still Got It!” and Cena says he believes in himself, in the fans, and in “us!” In the beauty that is all this madness!

Fans fire up as Cena says he believes he CAN still go! He believes he CAN still bring it! And he believes that the time is now to turn that math around! Fans really fire up as Cena says he’s the fact: It will be a bad night for the next idiot brave enough to walk through that curtain! Whoever it is, they gonna get smoked! Cena throws off his hat and shirt?! He wants to have a match now!? And wouldn’t ya know, here comes Solo Sikoa! Solo doesn’t even care that he’s not dressed to wrestle because he’s here to fight! Cena isn’t backing down, either… Fans fire up as the two stare down and Solo steps closer, all chanting for Cena!

Solo swings, Cena counter punches! Cena fires off, whips, then runs in to SPLASH! But here comes Jimmy! SUPERKICK! The Shot Caller takes his cheap shot and fans boo! Solo stomps Cena, but someone drags Jimmy out of the ring! And DECKS him! But who? IT’S JEY!! Jey wants revenge on his brother! Security tries to stop this but Jey TOSSES Jimmy into barriers, and SUPERKICKS him over them!! Solo is stunned seeing his brothers go after each other, and Jey is dragged away! Jimmy wants a timeout like it’s actually football. Solo goes back for Cena, SAMOAN- NO, Cena ducks the spike to fireman’s carry! ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!!

Fans are thunderous as Cena stands tall! Will he break that 2000+ day streak of losing? Or will the Bloodline make sure the deck is stacked against him so that never happens?

Logan Paul arrives backstage.

He gets out of his GMC and heads for gorilla. The ImPAULsive Influencer is ready to call out Rey, but will he look to fire the first shot?

BREAKING NEWS for next week!

SmackDown will be on FS1 for the huge night that is Roman Reigns and LA Knight signing their WWE Universal Championship match contract! Make sure to set your DVRs accordingly!

Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn speak.

They call out Chelsea Green & Piper Niven. “It’s one thing to ignore a warning. It’s another thing to meddle with a curse. And you are meddling. You can’t fight it. It’s only going to get worse. Those titles belong to us.” The Unholy Union is coming back, “see you soon~!” Will The Hot Mess wish she just vacated the titles when she had the chance?

Nick Aldis has Jey in his office.

Aldis says Jey just can’t storm onto this show and get away with it. But Adam Pearce is here, because he had a feeling this would happen. Clearly, Jey got the idea from Jimmy showing up on Raw to ruin the tag title match. Aldis tells Pearce what happens on Raw is not Aldis’ responsibility, he worries about what happens on SmackDown. That said, Jey earned himself a $10,000 fine. Well then Pearce will fine Jimmy, too. Fair is fair, right? Aldis wants security to escort Jey out but Pearce says easy now. Pearce is here, he will escort Jey out. Yeah, that’s true. Security, escort both Jey and Pearce from the building.

Pearce asks if Aldis is kicking him out. Yes, he is. And now, please. Pearce says, “Let the games begin.” Survivor Series is on its way… Is this just the beginning of the war?

Logan Paul heads to the ring!

Fresh off his boxing win against Dillon Danis, the Maverick called out Mysterio for the United States Champion, hence this return to the WWE. Logan gets a mic and fans boo. Logan says just six days ago, he was in England, “beating the living daylights out of a scumbag.” He isn’t sure if they saw, but he won the fight. Though that seemed like a disservice to the concept of a fight. That was a poor excuse of a fight from a poor excuse for a fighter, which is a real shame because Logan came to fight. he should’ve known, though. If he wanted real competition, he could’ve just had another WWE match.

But Logan did get to beat up a troll, a coward who hides behind the mask of the internet. Oh, speaking of hiding behind masks… Logan knows what they’re thinking, and he gets it. He isn’t here for Rey, actually. No, he’s not. Escobar already beat Rey once. He beat him in his first ever wrestling match, been there and done that. In fact, the last time Logan beat Rey, Dom was still his son! The last time Logan beat Rey, Roman Reigns actually showed up to work! The last time Logan beat Rey, LA Knight didn’t even have a job here! A lot has changed since then. He’s engaged, he’s a pro boxer, and has a multi-billion dollar drink franchise with Prime.

Logan is no longer just a little boy trying to figure out his life, he figured it out and knows who he is: a WWE superstar. Fans boo but Logan says no, he is not here for Rey. But… Rey does have the thing Logan needs. See, Rey has respect. Logan doesn’t need that. Rey has legacy. Logan’s got that. Rey has the United States Championship, a coveted championship, and Logan does need that. So even though last weekend, Logan beat up one deadbeat dad, looks like he’ll have to beat up another one. But wait, here comes Rey! The fans fire up for the King of Lucha as he heads to the ring, US Championship around his waist.

Rey gets a mic while fans cheer, and the fans chant for “619! 619!” Rey tells Logan that he reminds him of his son, Dominik. “Amazing natural ability, dripping with passion, incredible career ahead of you… and a big mouth.” Oh and one more thing. Rey says it in Spanish but everyone understands. Logan needs to be humbled. The last time Rey kicked some sense into Dom, he was a little reluctant. But for Logan Paul? Rey won’t hesitate to whoop that ass. Rey holds up the belt and says Logan needs this, he wants it? You want it? “Si. So badly.” Then Rey will give Logan the opportunity. Logan Paul VS Rey Mysterio for the US Championship at Crown Jewel!

Fans fire up for that and Logan nods. But Rey says one more thing. VIVA MI RAZA. Then good luck, amigo. Logan offers a handshake, fans don’t trust it, but Rey… slowly… accepts it. No tricks from either man here, but will Logan’s loaded haymaker win him the biggest jackpot of his career? Or will he learn the difference between his legacy in the making and Rey’s legend in the flesh?

Austin Theory & Grayson Waller VS Cameron Grimes & Dragon Lee!

A-Town Down Under ganged up on the Carolina Caveman but the Boy Wonder made the save, and now they’re fighting with even numbers! Will The Now & the Aussie Icon still be riding high on themselves? Or will Grimes & Dragon be the ones going TO~ THE~ MOON~?

The teams sort out and Theory starts against Dragon. They tie up, go around, and Theory headlocks. Dragon powers out, Theory runs him over, and then Theory soaks up the heat. But Dragon kips up! Dragon stares Theory down, dodges him, then RANAS him to ropes! Waller tags in, but Dragon DROPKICKS Theory! Waller DECKS Dragon, stomps and throws knees, then he whips. Dragon holds ropes, BOOTS back, and Grimes tags in! Grimes atomic drops, ROUNDHOUSES, and Dragon SOBATS! Double whip and drop toehold KNEE! Fans fire up as Waller bails out, and Grimes goes to the apron. Theory saves Waller and takes the PENALTY KICK himself!

Waller YANKS Grimes down, but Grimes POSTS him back! Dragon then WRECKS Theory to save Grimes! Grimes & Dragon high-five and they POST Theory together! A-Town Down Under is reeling while Grimes & Dragon stand tall and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Waller has Dragon in a headlock. Fans rally and Dragon throws body shots. Waller CLUBS him down, tags in Theory, and they double whip. Dragon KICKS Theory, has Waller, he kicks off Theory to TORNADO DDT Waller! Fans fire up as they’re all down, and Theory lunges! Dragon dodges to hot tag Grimes! DOUBLE CROSSBODY! Grimes rallies on A-Town Down under with forearms, but Theory waistlocks! Grimes still ENZIGURIS Waller and ELBOWS Theory, to then ROUNDHOUSE and GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Theory escapes but Grimes stays on him!

Fans fire up but Waller storms over, only for Dragon to SUPERKICK him! Grimes clotheslines Waller up and out! Dragon builds speed, Grimes holds the way open, Dragon FLIES! But Theory O’Conner Rolls! Grimes bucks that, runs, COLLISION COURSE! Cover, TWO! Theory survives but Grimes grits his teeth. Grimes spins Theory to scoop but Theory claws the eyes! Grimes wobbles, Waller TOSSES Dragon into the timekeeper’s area! O’Conner Roll but Grimes tilts it back! Waller SOMERSAULT COMPLETE SHOTS! Theory has Grimes up, for A-TOWN DOWN!! Cover, Theory & Waller win!

Winners: Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, by pinfall

These two only have one loss on their record to the then tag team champions, Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso. Will these two build up to once again be contenders for those titles?

Cathy Kelley interviews Kevin Owens.

It was earlier today that they sat down in the bleachers as Cathy welcomed Kevin back to SmackDown. And the question on everyone’s mind after that bombshell trade, how is Kevin feeling being separated from Sami Zayn? Well, it doesn’t feel great. They worked for a very long time to get where they were together, winning the tag titles at WrestleMania. That is just one of the things they’ve done together these last 20 years. They’ve traveled the world together, honing their craft, so to be separated that way, especially after just losing the tag titles and not getting a fair rematch, it hurts.

But Kevin is happy to be on SmackDown for a clean slate, so it is bittersweet. Cathy knows he’ll navigate this different landscape. There are familiar faces here, and some he hasn’t met yet. Yeah, a lot of history with The Bloodline. This Yokozuna shirt is totally by coincidence, by the way. But while he hopes he doesn’t cross paths with The Bloodline again, he knows it is inevitable. And even then, he’s never had a singles match with Rey Mysterio so gotta do that. Never been 1v1 with Sheamus, never faced the Brawling Brutes of the LWO, so gotta do that. And there are even new faces to punch!

But hey, Cathy’s been here, she surely has someone she wants punched so he can do that for them. No, as a journalist, she has to stay unbiased. Right, okay, he respects that. But c’mon, Theory? Waller? Doesn’t she want them punched? She has heard those two have punchable faces. See? Perfect! But Raw, SmackDown, it doesn’t matter where he goes. He just wants to make sure people know this is the Kevin Owens Show. Cathy thanks him for his time, what will Kevin do in his first match back on Friday nights?

WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky w/ Damage CTRL VS Charlotte Flair!

At Fastlane, not only was Asuka a factor, but so were Bayley & Dakota Kai. Nick Aldis promised to give the Queen her solo shot at the Evil Genius, but the Role Model & #CobraKai are still around. Will Charlotte still defy those odds and add another reign to her record? Or will Iyo deny Charlotte that 15th crown?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see whose legacy shines through!

The bell rings and the two tie right up. Charlotte trips Iyo, wants the legs, but Iyo bails out fast. Fans “WOO~” as DMG CTRL regroups, and SmackDown goes to break already.

SmackDown returns and Charlotte uses headscissors to JAM Iyo into the mat again and again! Then she THROWS Iyo, THROWS her again, and then lets go to kip up. Fans rally as Charlotte stands Iyo up, but Iyo JAWBREAKERS! Iyo ROCKS Charlotte, Charlotte CHOPS Iyo down! Iyo goes to a corner, Charlotte storms up and whips corner to corner, but Iyo reverses. Charlotte tumbles up and out, BOOTS back in, but then Bayley grabs at Charlotte! Charlotte kicks free but Iyo SHOTGUNS Charlotte down! Fans are torn as Iyo builds speed, and she DIVES! Down goes Charlotte! Iyo is all fired up and Bayley makes sure Maggle saw that.

Charlotte gets back in the ring but Iyo goes up and up to springboard MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, ONE!! Charlotte hangs tough but Iyo keeps cool. Iyo clamps on with a chinlock and digs a knee into Charlotte. The fans rally for Charlotte but Bayley taunts them. Charlotte fights up, claws at the hold, but Iyo throws Charlotte down! Bayley keeps taunting Maggle, Iyo chinlocks again, but the fans rally up. Charlotte fights to her feet, scoops Iyo, and hits as BIG back suplex! Iyo goes to a corner while Charlotte shakes out the cobwebs. Iyo ELBOWS Charlotte, Charlotte GAMANGIRIS! Charlotte smirks and runs in, but Iyo dodges the splash!

Iyo returns to SHOTEI! And KICK! And KICK! Iyo runs in again, but Charlotte blocks the monkey flip to put Iyo on he ropes! Iyo pulls hair, then BODY SCISSOR THROWS Charlotte out hard! Fans are torn as Iyo FLYING- NO, Charlotte blocks the rana, lifts Iyo up, and ALLEY-OOPS her to the apron! Iyo falls, Charlotte catches her breath as she stands over Iyo, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once more and Charlotte has Iyo up top, but Iyo resists the superplex! Iyo throws hands, then a HEADBUTT! Charlotte wobbles, Iyo adjusts, and Iyo SUPER SUNSET BOMBS!! Cover, TWO!! Charlotte survives and Iyo can’t believe it! Iyo gets space, fires up, and Charlotte sits up in the corner. Iyo runs in, SHINKANSEN! Cover, TWO! Charlotte is still in this, but Iyo stays focused. Iyo brings Charlotte up, Charlotte swings but Iyo dodges, to tilt-o-whirl LA MYSTICA! CROSSFACE!! Charlotte endures, gets her arm free, claws her way forward, and powers up! But Iyo slips out of the scoop to shove!

Iyo wheelbarrows, Charlotte fights the victory roll to WHEELBARROW SUPLEX! Both women are down and DMG CTRL coaches Iyo up! Fans rally, “This is Awesome!” Both women rise and Charlotte CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! “WOO~!” echoes out with each CHOP, and down goes Iyo! Iyo rises, dodges, leaps, but into Charlotte’s arms! FALL AWAY SLAM! Charlotte then brings Iyo up for an EXPLODER! Charlotte kips up and fans fire up! Charlotte sees Iyo go to the corner, runs in, but Iyo BOOTS her! Iyo goes up, leaps, but Charlotte catches her again! Charlotte pops Iyo onto her shoulders, and then goes up the corner?!

Fans fire up as Charlotte stands up tall for a SUPER SAMOAN DROP!! Cover, TWO!! Iyo survives and Charlotte can’t believe it! Bayley and Charlotte glare at each other while Iyo goes to the apron. Charlotte runs in, but Iyo ducks the boot! Iyo HOTSHOTS the leg, then she HOTSHOTS Charlotte’s face! Charlotte sputters and staggers, Iyo springboards, MISSILE- SLAM!! BOSTON CRAB!! Charlotte has Iyo caught and Bayley freaks out! Iyo endures, fights around, and powers through to roll Charlotte up! TWO!! Charlotte stands, into a SHOTEI! Iyo hurries while Charlotte wobbles, but Charlotte blocks boots to ROCK Iyo back!

Charlotte puts the leg on ropes, to drop a knee- NO, Iyo avoids that and Charlotte hits the mat! Iyo SHOTGUNS Charlotte into the buckles! And then Iyo goes up! Fans fire up as Iyo goes OVER THE MOONSAULT into BOOTS!! And a SPEAR!! Cover, Bayley helps with the ROPEBREAK!! Charlotte is furious because she just knows what Bayley did! Bayley distracts the ref, Charlotte DECKS her for it!! Charlotte goes out to fire off on Bayley, but that allows Dakota to slip Iyo the belt! Charlotte TOSSES Bayley over the desk! Bayley lands in the laps of Kevin Patrick & Corey Graves! Charlotte gets in the ring, Dakota distracts the ref, SPEAR, into the belt!!!

Iyo hides the evidence and covers, Iyo wins!!

Winner: Iyo Sky, by pinfall (still WWE Women’s Championship)

Aldis forgot to remove the real X factor that is DMG CTRL, and DMG CTRL still has control of the SmackDown Women’s Division. But now DMG CTRL beats Charlotte down just because! WAIT! BIANCA BELAIR IS BACK!! The EST runs right into the ring, dodges Bayley and ROCKS Iyo! She ROCKS Bayley, then stomps away on Bayley! Iyo runs up but Bianca ROCKS her! Then SPINEBUSTER for Bayley! Fans fire up but Iyo storms up one more time. Bianca wrenches and torture racks Iyo, but Bayley saves the Genius! Only for Bianca to get Bayley! KISS OF DEATH!!

Bayley pays for what DMG CTRL has done to her and Charlotte, but will they both have their revenge on DMG CTRL soon enough?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown here, lots of stuff set up for Crown Jewel. For one, good opening promo from Heyman and LA Knight to officially establish on TV that Roman VS Knight is happening at Crown Jewel. And despite what some might think, this is still great stuff. Crown Jewel (given that the princes pay for it) is always a huge show, Knight VS Roman is gonna be the main event, and Knight will get a great showing. And surely there will be all kinds of overbooking shenanigans so that it puts Knight on the same level as all the big names Roman’s already beat the same way.

I’m a little more worried about how things are going to go between Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul. Really good promo from them, though Rey’s pacing could’ve been better, and his stings on Logan could’ve been harder. What I’m worried about is that Logan’s gonna get the title and show it off on his podcast and all that. I suppose it’d be for the crossover appeal but ugh. And it’d make sense Logan would win because he won at SummerSlam but lost at WrestleMania (and at MITB but I’m just going by singles matches), so he needs something to break that tie and justify him still coming back around the WWE.

Plus, after what we saw from LWO VS Almighty Profits, Logan could definitely benefit from Lashley screwing Rey over. Great match from Ford VS Escobar, and good cheat win for Ford. Carlito returning is great, too, I hope we get Carlito teaming with Escobar to take on the Profits before anyone gets at Lashley. And Rey being more concerned about facing Logan did look to annoy Escobar, could that just add to Escobar’s turn on Rey? And good tag match from Theory & Waller VS Grimes & Dragon, but it could’ve been better if it had more time. It ended up feeling like filler rather than good story given how much story beat stuff we got filling the night.

Good little vignette from Pretty Deadly with Brawling Brutes, and clearly that feud is continuing. And good promo from Fyre & Dawn to warn Chelsea & Piper about the tag title “curse.” Clearly, SmackDown is building their tag title contenders, with Fyre & Dawn being the obvious shoe-ins for the Women’s Tag titles. Pretty Deadly VS Brawling Brutes can probably escalate their feud into having some special stipulation, and the winners are going to challenge Judgment Day at some point. Maybe even on a SmackDown before getting to Survivor Series.

Great additional Bloodline stuff tonight outside of the top title. Solo going after Cena, Jimmy talking a big game but then getting jumped by Jey, and how all this also adds to the Survivor Series build, this is good. Cena may be showing up on SmackDown but he’s technically a free agent, so you can bet he ends up joining the Survivor Series team that is against whatever Bloodline kinda team is made. And after the promo from Kevin Owens, how wild would it be if Kevin was dragged into things for Team SmackDown, pitting him against Sami Zayn on Team Raw? And I saw it as the brands because of that tension between the GMs, and that is the tradition that HHH seems to be steering us back to.

And great stuff in the main event for the WWE Women’s Championship, but of course DMG CTRL helps Iyo retain the title. But also, great opening for Bianca’s return. This is going to set up something big for this title, even as Raw has that big, star-studded Women’s World Championship Fatal 5. Aldis might make sure Iyo has NO DMG CTRL and yet multiple opponents to basically redo Fastlane but in a fair form. Who knows how that turns out since I really like that Iyo is a champion, but they really need to pull the trigger on Iyo dumping Bayley for all the problems Bayley still causes her. Sure, Bayley gets her out of those messes, but better to never get in a mess in the first place.