Tonight will be a very special night!

SmackDown is going big on the night before WrestlePalooza! Two title matches, a contract signing, and an interview with BROCK LESNAR!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss VS Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre; Charlotte & Alexa win and retain the titles.
• Fraxiom VS Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman; Bron & Bronson win.
• WWE United States Championship: Sami Zayn VS Carmelo Hayes; Sami wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Brock Lesnar is here!

And much to Michael Cole’s surprise, that means The Beast wants his special interview NOW! Cole says they can do this backstage, but Lesnar picks him up and carries him into the ring! Toledo, Ohio cheers as Maggle looks like a sack of potatoes! And Lesnar treats him about as nicely! The fans boo as Lesnar dumps Cole into the ring, stands over him, and then stands him up. But then Corey Graves gets in the ring and reasons with Lesnar to show Cole some mercy. But LESNAR JUST PICKS COREY UP! F5!! The fans go nuts as Lesnar has just turned this interview into an assault! “JOHN! I’M COMING FOR YOU! It’s D-Day tomorrow, John, and I’m coming for blood!”

Lesnar storms out of the ring, paces around a bit, then he CHUCKS the Prime Hydration Station! Then he pulls the steel steps apart! The refs and producers try to stop Lesnar, but he picks Corey up to F5 HIM AGAIN!! Lesnar dares someone else to bring the fight, and the more vicious fans in Toledo want that “One More Time!” But Lesnar doesn’t do what fans what, he does what he wants, so he just leaves Corey be. Will things be far worse for John Cena tomorrow at his first, and last, WrestlePalooza?

SmackDown returns and…

Corey Graves is still down. Refs and producers help him out of the ring, and Michael Cole is very concerned for his broadcast partner and friend. As for Lesnar, he crosses paths with Paul Heyman! The Oracle is back, flanked by Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed. Lesnar tells Heyman, “We should talk.” Lesnar then takes his leave peacefully, right before Nick Aldis arrives. Aldis tells Heyman he’ll just say it: Tonight is not the night. There is a contract signing for the WrestlePalooza main event, THE Undisputed WWE Championship, and Aldis needs two signatures on that contract. What he doesn’t need are any more problems.

Heyman says Aldis misread their intentions. They are here to broker peace between Mr. Breakker, Mr. Reed and The Usos. Where would they be? The Usos are not here, they’re already in Indianapolis. But something tells Aldis that Heyman already knew that. What? Heyman? How would he know such things? To be honest, Aldis is one of the best General Managers Heyman has ever seen. But since they are here, they will simply enjoy the show. Nice suit, by the way. Heyman leads the behemoths away, will things be comparatively calm the rest of the night?

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss VS Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre!

The Queen & Lil’ Miss Bliss made it through their NXT Homecoming last Tuesday night, proving that the Women’s Division is the backbone of not just NXT but of all the WWE! However, will #Charlexa make The Hot Mess and “Secret Slaygent A” bow down? Or will we all have to pledge allegiance to the Green Administration?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see whose teamwork will make the dream work!

The teams sort out and Charlotte starts against Chelsea. The fans “WOO~” as the two circle, and then they tie up. They go around, Charlotte arm-drags Chelsea, then dodges her. But Chelsea just sucker punches Alexa! The fans are torn, but Charlotte BOOTS Chelsea! Charlotte tags Alexa, and Toledo cheers for Ohio’s own as she SENTONS! Then Alba runs in, only for Charlotte to RUN her over! Alexa SENTONS again and the fans fire up! Alexa brings Chelsea up, but Chelsea RAMS her into the corner! Tag to Alba, but Alexa fights them off! Alba trips Alexa, Chelsea DROPKICKS! Then Alba spins Alexa to SMACK her off the POST!

The fans boo, the ref reprimands but Chelsea & Alba salute while SmackDown goes picture in picture.

Alba has the ref keep Charlotte back before she SMACKS Alexa off the apron. Alba then drags Alexa up to CLUB her down. Alba puts Alexa on the ropes, CHOKES her, then lets off as the ref counts. They argue, but that lets Chelsea CHOKE Alexa! Alba drags Alexa from the ropes to stand on her hair and pull the arms! The ref reprimands, Alba stops, and she drags Alexa over. Tag to Chelsea, they whip Alexa to KNEE, SUPERKICK, and SUPERKICK! Cover, TWO! Alexa survives but Chelsea taunts Charlotte. Chelsea then drags Alexa up, bumps her off buckles, and then bumps her off more buckles. Then motorcycle CURB STOMP!

Alexa sputters against buckles but Chelsea taunts Charlotte. Oh hey, The Miz joins commentary! Alexa rolls Chelsea up! TWO, and Chelsea CLOBBERS Alexa! Chelsea enjoys the cheers and jeers from Toledo before she tags in Alba. They double suplex Alexa, to DOUBLE GOURDBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Alba tells the ref to watch Charlotte, then she drags Alexa away. But Alexa fires body shots! Alba snapmares and KNEES Alexa for it! Alba clamps on a chinlock, KNEES Alexa again, then brings her up. Alba CHOPS Alexa, argues with the ref, then CHOPS again. Tag to Chelsea, and Chelsea sends Alba in, only for Alexa to BOOT her!

Chelsea runs up, but Alexa ROCKS her! SmackDown returns to single picture as Alexa fires mores shots, then KNEES Chelsea down! Alexa runs, Miz tells Cole to get his energy back up, and Chelsea snatches Alexa up! Alexa flails, and she DDTS! Both women are down, the fans fire up, and Alexa crawls over, only for Alba to YANK Charlotte down! The fans boo, but Chelsea DRIBBLES Alexa off the mat! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Chelsea taunts Toledo. Chelsea bumps Alexa off buckles, RAMS into her, and then she salutes. The fans are torn, but Chelsea runs in, only for Alexa to dodge! Chelsea POSTS herself!

Alba tags in, and she smothers Alexa! But Alexa powers free, dodges, hot tag to Charlotte! The Queen rallies on Alba with ALRIAT after LARIAT! Then CHOP, CHOP, CHOP! Chelsea staggers up but Charlotte CHOPS her down! Charlotte dodges Alba, handsprings and LARIATS! The fans fire up with Charlotte and she brings Alba around. Charlotte scoops to FALL AWAY SLAM! Charlotte kips up and the fans fire up again! Charlotte flexes, then she mockingly salutes. Charlotte grabs a leg, but Alba kicks at her! Chelsea barks but Charlotte BOOTS her down! Alba rolls Charlotte, TWO! BOOT again, and then Charlotte reels Alba in!

BACKBREAKER to BUCKLE SHOT, and Charlotte has Alba in the drop zone! Charlotte climbs, the fans fire up, but Chelsea grabs at her! Alba distracts the ref so that Chelsea can SMACK Charlotte off buckles! Alba then SUPERKICKS! Tag to Chelsea and she BLINDSIDE LARIATS! Alba is up top to SWANTON BOMB! Cover, Alexa breaks it! The fans fire up, but Alba SUPERKICKS Alexa! Chelsea & Alba double suplex, but Charlotte DOUBLE CHOP BLOCKS! Alexa and Charlotte coordinate, NATURAL SELECTION BLOCKBUSTER IN STEREO! Cover, #Charlexa wins!

Winners: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, by pinfall (still WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)

And the besties best the Green Administration! Will this combination continue to be a winning one all the way through the Fall?

B-Fab talks with The Street Profits backstage.

She knows Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins are upset, but they’ve been together for a long time. They’re like brothers! And just like brothers, there’ll be moments where they don’t see eye to eye, and that’s normal. But if tag team gold is still what they want, they gotta get past whatever this is and get back to what’s best for them. They all know that it’s only a matter of time before- Mia Yim apologizes as she interrupts, she needs to talk with B-Fab about next week’s tag match with Giulia & Kiana James. Sorry, can’t miss out on talking with Aldis. B-Fab says okay. She tells the Profits to just talk this out, then she heads out with Michin.

Dawkins and Ford look at each other, and they both want to talk. Ford says it’s okay, they both know they’ll always be good. And they can talk to Aldis next about how to get back to their tag team championships. They secret handshake, and Ford heads out. But then Bo Dallas creeps in. Bo wants Dawkins to understand, “Your brother doesn’t wanna hear what you have to say. But I will listen.” Ford storms back in and gets right in Bo’s face! Why does Bo keep running his mouth?! What is he trying to prove!? HUH!? Bo says he is just here to guide lost souls on a quest to find the right path. Bo laughs, but then Erick Rowan attacks the Profits!

Bo says, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” He and Rowan leave the Profits down and out, but can the Profits get back up? Or will they no longer want the smoke?

R-Truth is running an ESPN stand…?

He claims he’s gonna help everyone understand how get WrestlePalooza tomorrow. But then Los Garza walk in, and he says amigos, por favor, habla Ingles. Oh, sorry. But they just wanted to know what exactly he’s selling here. Merch? Photos? What? No, this is the Genius Bar, he’s a tech guy! An Appologist! He’s showing gals and guys how to use ESPN Unlimited to watch WrestlePalooza. Muy bien! Where can they get it? The app store, Google Play, your smart TV. Just type in ESPN and download. Or even scan this QR Code! Oh, but what if they already have ESPN on their cable? If they’ve already got ESPN on cable, just use your cable log-in and it’s in the app.

Now, most big providers already got this taken care of. You just go in and watch. Scan away. But what if they don’t have cable? Touché! But HAH, you can just go to stream.ESPN.com and sign up for ESPN Unlimited. Ooh~! Now, amigos, let’s run along while Truth teaches a Zoom class how a microwave can be a Wi-Fi hotspot! Gracias.

Fraxiom VS ???

The Undeniable Truth and Jersey Island Rocket- GET ATTACKED BY BRON & BRONSON! The fans boo but so much for Heyman claiming they’re just here as fans! Heyman storms his way out here, mic in hand, and he says, “Ladies and gentlemen… My name is Paul Heyman. You know who they (Fraxiom) remind me of? The Usos. Down, out, victimized, and flat on their backs. Hey, Jimmy & Jey.” Heyman tells them in Samoan and then translates that it will be a WrestlePalooza spoiler! Tomorrow night, the Usos will hear- FRAXIOM DOUBLE MISSILE DROPKICK! The fans fire up as the tables have turned!

Axiom DIVES to take out Bron! Frazer DIVES to take out Bronson! They keep going, Axiom DIVES onto Bronson and Frazer DIVES onto Bron! The fans fire up with Fraxiom, and Aldis walks out to say, “So much for just being here to enjoy the show. More of that trademark Paul Heyman honesty, I see. But it looks like you’ve got your hands full. And if you come to my show and you start a fight, you better finish it. So it’s gonna be The Vision VS Fraxiom, and it’s gonna be right now!” The fans cheer that! But will Frazer & Axiom be able to blast past the big bad Bron-Brons? Or will they be examples to the Usos, just as Heyman promised?

Fraxiom VS Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman!

SmackDown returns as the match is already going, and Bron clinches with Axiom. Axiom fires body shots, but Bron KNEES low. Bron puts Axiom up top, throws hands, then climbs up. Bron says Axiom’s down for, but Axiom fights Bron off! Bron comes back to ROCK Axiom, then he fireman’s carries. But Axiom slips free and reaches for Frazer! Bron keeps him away, lifts Axiom up, and THROWS him1 the fans bark it up, and Heyman is on the phone all excited. Bron headlocks, Axiom powers up and out, but Bron builds speed to CLOBBER Axiom! The fans either boo or bark but Bron drags Axiom up.

Bron puts Axiom in the corner, tags Bronson, and they mug Axiom. Bronson HEADBUTTS Axiom, brings him up to scoop and SLAM! Then SENTON! Axiom sputters but Bronson talks trash. Bronson drags Axiom up, tags Bron back in, and the mugging continues. Bron brings Axiom around, suplexes hard, then he sucker punches Frazer! The fans boo but Bron brings down the straps. Bron barks, builds speed again, but the DROPKICK hits first! The fans fire up while both men are down! Bron and Axiom crawl, but Bron drags Axiom away. Axiom BOOTS free, hot tags to Bronson and Frazer! Frazer ROCKS Bronson with forearm after forearm, but runs into a firema’ns carry!

Frazer slips fere, dodges Bronson, and goes to the apron to HOTSHOT! then springboard and MISSILE DROPKICK! SUPERKICK! Bronson is down, Frazer is up, FROG SPLASH! Cover, TWO! And with some serious power! But Frazer goes up again, PHOENIX- NO, Bronson dodges, pop-up, JAGGED EDGE!! Bronson isn’t done, he puts Frazer in position! But Axiom GAMANGIRIS Bronson up top! The fans fire up as Axiom goes up! But Bronson SHOVES Axiom into a SPEAR from Bron!! Then TSUNAMI on Frazer!! Cover, The Vision wins!

Winners: Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed, by pinfall

Heyman grabs the mic to stop “John Cena’s b*tch,” Mike Nash from announcing the winners. Because as he was saying before he was so rudely interrupted, “Ladies and gentlemen, your winners…!” But then The Usos interrupt on the tron! Jey says, “There they go, lookin’ dumb!” Jimmy says, “I see ’em. The Usos are not on SmackDown. Cuz right now, The Usos are in Indaay~!” Jey says that’s right! They all over Sportscenter! All over ESPN! Tomorrow night is The Usos VS The Bronnies! It’s fourth quarter, The Bronnies down by two, and like their man Haliburton said, cough cough, they gonna choke!

Tomorrow night, you against the Day Ones! The best damn tag team ever! They lock it down like the 49ers defense! Welcome back to the Uso Penitentiary! The fans cheer that! Will Jimmy & Jey make sure they YEET Bron & Bronson right outta Indiana?

Nia Jax is here!

Toledo is a bit torn seeing the Irresistible Force as she struts to the ring. Nia just smiles as she grabs a mic, and says, “You knwo what I’m sick of? Well, I mean, yeah, I’m sick of being in this disgusting town, Toledo, Ohio, you’re right. Aw, did I hurt your feelings? Y’know what I’m sick of? It’s this Women’s Division. It is embarrassing that these women continue to call themselves the alpha females. Let’s get one thing clear: I am THE Alpha Female of this Women’s Division! And it’s definitely not Tiffy~! It’s Tiffy Time! It’s Tiffy Time! It’s Tiffy Time~!” Nia mocks the catchphrase and says Tiff is so annoying.

That’s why Nia put her in a Tiffy Timeout! That’s why she couldn’t make it to NXT Homecoming. But y’know what? Jade Cargill… If Nia could trade appearances with anyone in this divisoin, it’d be Jade. Jade looks incredible! But if she could trade in-ring ability with anybody, ti’d be Nia, cuz let’s face it, Jade could use it. Aw c’mon, guys! Jade is great. She looks fantastic! Until she gets in the ring. Then she gest A-Nia-Lated! Nia is dominant, Nia is the alpha, and she’ll crush any storm, any Tiffy Time, any damn time! But wait, Tiffany is here! The fans cheer and Tiff says, “You wanna know what everyone is actually sick of? You running your mouth about me!”

Tiff says Nia needs to quit obsessing over her and acting like she’s in charge. No one wants Nia near this title! And as for Jade, she can take the cape off, she’s not a superhero and she’s not gonna save anything. But since they’re both so committed to acting delusional, Tiff will show them why she’s the one and only WWE Women’s Champion! And there is nothing they can do or say about it! Mic drop from Tiff, but refs rush out to stop this from turning into another brawl! But then here comes Jade! The Storm is in Toledo, and she storms her way up, to DECK and BOOT security! She pushes past Tiff to get at Nia!

The fans fire up, but more security rushes out here! Aldis says everyone needs to stop! Another step, another punch, and there will be severe consequences! He knows they all wanna tear each other apart, so he’ll give them the chance to do that! Next week, Friday Night SmackDown, the title is on the line in a Triple Threat! Tiff, Nia and Jade can all agree to that! But will Orlando be left standing after these forces of nature collide?

Truth continues to teach people how to use ESPN Unlimited.

He’s even helping Rey Fenix and Motor City Machine Guns now. His neck might be busted, but his phone ain’t. He goes through the instructions again, such as the places to download it from, the places to log in, and how to even use stream.ESPN.com and get the Unlimited Plan. Now, WrestlePalooza is coming! Now time to download A Discovery of Witches off his toaster! Sabin is partial to The Great British Baking Show himself. Chef’s kiss! Run along, y’all! And then he puts the phone in his toaster!

WWE United States Championship: Sami Zayn VS Carmelo Hayes!

He’s no longer the Underdog from the Underground, he’s #BigMatchSami! And as such, he keeps the tradition of giving golden opportunities to young stars going! But will Sami keep things going for his second full defense? Or will he lose this title to H1M?

SmackDown returns and Miz is pumped for Melo while Sami makes his entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who makes their shot count!

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Sami wrenches to wristlock. Melo rolls, wrenches, wristlocks back, but Sami spins through. Sami wrenches and WRINGS Melo, and the fans cheer. Melo fights up, Sami headlocks, but Melo powers up and out. Things speed up as Melo hurdles, but then Sami comes back. Melo ducks and DROPKICKS! The fans cheer and Melo waits on Sami. Sami rises up, storms up, and they tie up. Melo puts Sami on the ropes, lets off slowly, then ROCKS Sami with a right! Melo windmills as he CLUBS away on Sami, then headlocks. Sami powers up and out, drops down, then hurdles to then DECK Melo!

Sami brings Melo up to bump Melo off buckles, then he climbs up. Sami rains down fists, but Melo slips out at five to trip Sami up! Sami falls to the apron, but he HOTSHOTS Melo back! Sami slingshots but into a KICK! Melo then hits a FADE AWAY GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! The fans fire up and Melo flexes, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Melo rains down fists! Miz cheers Melo on but the fans rally for Sami. Melo stands Sami up, whips him to ropes, then ELBOWS him down! Melo runs to drop the leg, brother! Cover, TWO! Miz is frustrated for Melo but Melo says he’s got this. Melo waits on Sami, then throws forearms at the ropes. Then he CHOPS, CHOPS, and ROCKS again! Melo fires off more shots, then he whips Sami. Sami goes up and over, then comes back to LARIAT! The fans fire up for Sami while he goes to the corner. Sami ELBOWS Melo, goes up, and AX HANDLES! The fans rally up and Sami storms back over.

Sami CHOPS Melo in the corner, climbs up, and he rains down fists! Fans count along and Sami goes PAST TEN, to maybe about TWENTY! Sami then shakes the ropes and the fans fire up! Sami goes up again, brings Melo in, TORNADO DDT! Cover, TWO! Melo survives but is dazed, and Miz can breathe again. Sami hurries up a corner and the fans cheer again. But Melo runs in! Sami leaps over, then scoops, MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives and the fans are dueling! Sami stalks Melo, brings him up, and suplexes, only for Melo to slip free. Melo waistlocks, Sami switches, but Melo switches back.

The switches continue, Sami goes to ropes, but Melo bucks the O’Conner to KNEE Sami down! Melo then hurries to the corner! Melo climbs lines up his shot, FROG SPLASH but onto knees! Melo stumbles to a corner, and Sami aims! HELLUVA- SUPERKICK from Melo!! Both men are down, Miz rallies for Melo, and SmackDown goes picture in picture.

Melo reaches out, he and Sami stir, and they go to opposite ends. Sami drags himself up, Melo storms over, and Melo SLAPS! And SMACKS! And then he whips Sami, but Sami reverses. Melo ducks ‘n’ dodges, then tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Cover, TWO!! Sami survives and Melo is seething! Melo argues with the ref, but it was still NOT three. Melo stands Sami up, ROCKS him with a right, but Sami fires back! They go back and forth, and Sami CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again! Sami whips, Melo reverses, but Sami turns the First 48 into a POWERBOMB! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives and Sami is stunned!

Sami rises while Melo writhes, and Sami stalks Melo to the ropes. Sami and Melo trade forearms again and again, then Sami gets the edge. Sami whips, Melo ducks ‘n’ dodges, but then so does Sami! DOUBLE LARIATS wipe both men out! SmackDown returns to single picture as Sami rises first, and “This is Awesome!” Melo breaks free to SUPERKICK! Sami staggers away to a corner while Melo leans on the ropes. Melo runs up, but Sami clinches! But Melo fights the lift! Melo fires elbows, then goes to the corner. Sami runs up, Melo puts him on the apron, and then SLINGSHOT APRON DDT!! Sami writhes, clutches his wrist, and Melo goes up!

Melo hits another FROG SPLASH!! Miz shouts, “Hook the leg!” as Melo covers, TWO!! Miz continues to rant about hooking the leg but the damage has been done. Melo waits on Sami, calls his shot, and he runs up, FIRST- NO, Sami blocks again! Sami throws Melo back, gets around, BLUE- NO, Melo snapmares free! FIRST 48!! Cover, TWO!! Sami survives again, but even he seems surprised! The fans rally up, Melo brings Sami up, and then Melo suplexes. Sami fights it, suplexes in return, but Melo turns it back around, CUTTER! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY DDT!! And then Melo aims from the top rope! NOTHING BUT- NO, Sami dodges!

Sami BOOTS Melo, then BLUE THUNDER BOMB!! Cover, SAMI WINS!!

Winner: Sami Zayn, by pinfall (still WWE United States Champion)

It was certainly Sami’s toughest test yet, but he still found a way to win! Miz is not satisfied with the “moral victory” of pushing Sami this far, will Melo just have to work that much harder to get a title?

Kit Wilson talks with Nick Aldis.

One half of Pretty Deadly claims that toxic masculinity is a disease! But then in steps Damian Priest. The Archer of Infamy demands to know where Aleister Black is. Aldis knows he’s upset from losing last week- Priest says to hell with losing! Everyone around here wins and loses! Priest’s problem is Aleister attacked during the entrance! That he used one of the refs as a shield, like a coward! If Aleister wants the REAL Priest, then fine! He’s got him! No more good guy, no more bad guy. If Aldis doesn’t give Priest another fight with Aleister, then he and everyone else is gonna be dealing with the Punisher!

Kit says this is what he’s talking about! A man with a fragile ego that can’t handle the cards he has been dealt! So what does he do? He lashes out in hyper-masculine, overtly aggressive ways. Maybe it is time Priest looks in the mirror, because he is TOXIC! Priest grabs Kit and THROWS him through a wall! Give him Aleister!! Priest storms off, Aldis makes a call. He needs medical… But will the Archer of Infamy have his target? Or will he simply #FadeToBlack?

Solo Sikoa speaks.

“You’re the only loyal soldier that I have left. You’ve been with me from the start of The Bloodline, and you’ve never betrayed me. Tonga Loa. You’ve shown me love, and you’ve sacrificed your body for it. You’re the son of Haku, the most dangerous man on the planet. So that makes you dangerous. You brought gold to this family. And I love you for that. I owe it to you to make you a champion. I let you down. But if you trust me, and as long as you’re part of My Family Tree, your loyalty will be rewarded.” Loa puts his hand on Solo’s shoulder and says, “I love you, Solo.” Solo nods, but is that true? What happened to Talla Tonga and JC Mateo?

Nick Aldis is in the ring.

The SmackDown GM has the mic to say, “Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow night, we present to you WrestlePalooza, a landmark night in the history of the company and this industry. And the main event of WrestlePalooza will be the match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. At this time, allow me to introduce to you the challenger, Drew McIntyre!” Toledo boos as the Scottish Terminator makes his way to the ring. Drew gets his pyro, then grabs a mic. The fans boo more, but he smiles, only for Cody Rhodes’ entrance to interrupt him. The fans cheer the American Nightmare and sing along with the song, “WHOA~ OH~!”

Cody gets his pyro, he high-fives and even hugs some fans, then goes to the ring. We get the second “WHOA~ OH~!” while Cody stares Drew down. Cody then sets the title down on the table and grabs himself a mic. The fans cheer Cody on, he smiles before asking Drew, “Before we sign that, question for you, Drew: Do you know what happened on this very day 15 years ago? You and I, we won the WWE Tag Team Championships! Right? Do you know who was backstage talking about that? Nobody! And I think you know why. The world doesn’t revolve around you, it doesn’t revolve around me, your story, my story, it’s not. It’s THEIR story!” The fans cheer that!

Cody says it is very simple. The fans don’t need to know all the lore. They just pay their hard earned money to watch two guys, two of the best, come out here and fight! Cody understands who Drew is, he gets it. In the past, Drew won the Royal Rumble. In the past, Drew won the WWE Championship. In the past, Drew slayed the Beast! Drew is 6’5″, 280 pounds, he is the Scottish Warrior! But lately, the Scottish Warrior has just been a Keyboard Warrior. The fans like how that sounds. Cody says go ahead, Drew, we all know he has his phone on him. Go ahead, bring it out, let’s get viral with a post on social. “Get one over on Cody,” as it were.

Drew’s always b*tching and moaning and whining, so just give it all to Cody here and now. Because this will be the last time Drew gets one on Cody. Go ahead, have at it! Drew indeed puts something together. “Thank you, Cody!” Oh, what’s that supposed to mean? It means what it says. Thank you, Cody. All Drew has wanted was a legitimate shot at this title, no outside interference, no one screwing Drew over, and Cody won’t let any of that happen. Cody is the ultimate company guy! Cody is a fighting champion! And honestly, Cody doesn’t think for himself anymore, does he? Cody thinks about the “bigger picture.”

Cody does what’s best for the WWE, the stock, the sponsors, the names on the marquee. Cody is the Corporate Champion! The fans boo but Drew says that used to be a bad thing. Drew kicked Cody through the desk, put him out for five weeks. But instead of stomping Drew’s head out in return, Cody is talking Drew to death! And Drew understands. Cody can put personal issues aside, he isn’t willing to jeopardize the main event of WrestlePalooza tomorrow. Drew was in Cody’s chair five years ago, Drew gets it. But reality check: They will turn on you, move on to the next flavor of the month, and Cody will be stuck sitting in this chair telling himself, “My God…! Drew was right!”

The fans boo but Cody says okay, let’s say Drew is right. Let’s say tomorrow, WrestlePalooza, it is a great night for Drew, until he’s wrong. But then guess what? All those accomplishments, the legacy of this “content creator” he’s become. No, his legacy will not be the man who lost to Cody on their ESPN debut for THE Undisputed WWE Championship! Cody signs his part, pushes the contract to Drew, and Drew signs his. Aldis takes the contract now that it is finalized, and then Drew GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTTS Cody!! The fans foo, Aldis reprimands, but Drew TOSSES the table! Cody falls out of the ring, Drew goes after him, and Drew beats Cody up!

Drew SMACKS Cody off the desk! But then he takes aim again! Flashback to a month ago, but Drew stops himself?! Drew knows he can’t win the title if he sidelines Cody again, so he tells Cody that the match will happen. Then Drew takes what means the most to Cody! Drew pushes Cody down, turns to leave, and he soaks up the boos. Aldis still reprimands, but CODY FLIES! Down goes Drew at the ramp! Cody fires off hands on Drew, Aldis tries to stop this, as do refs and producers! The brawl continues, the two are separated, but Cody gets loose! They fire off hands again, more refs get in there, but then Drew BOOTS Cody down!

Drew STOMPS Cody on the face! Drew says that will be all until tomorrow. Drew tells Cody to sleep tight with the title, because after tomorrow, it’s coming home with Drew! Will the start of the ESPN Era be the end of Cody’s story? Or can Cody be victorious at the end of WrestlePalooza?

My Thoughts:

A very good SmackDown as the first-ever go-home to the first-ever ESPN Unlimited Premium Live Event, WrestlePalooza. And they made sure everyone knew that with the R-Truth promos. Now, it was meant to be six matches on the show, but the WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat was clearly pushed back to next week to make sure Tiffany Stratton would be 100% by then. Good segment from her, Nia and Jade to set it up, though, and while it is on TV now instead of a special event, there’s still a chance Jade could take the title by pinning Nia over Tiff. Either way, it feels like this can also be a story that branches out to Crown Jewel: Perth.

Damian Priest and Kit Wilson had a good promo, especially with Priest putting Kit through a wall for being so annoying. I don’t think Kit will want a match with Priest, but even if we do, Aleister will probably just attack Priest again. Priest VS Aleister needs to be some No Disqualification style match given the heat here. Good promo from Solo, but are we to believe that MFT has randomly downsized? Are JC Mateo and Talla Tonga hurt? I know I wanted JC to break away from MFT to give us more of the Jeff Cobb fans know from outside WWE, but this is a rather disappointing way to go about it. Hopefully Talla and even Tama Tonga stick by MFT so that at least we’re getting Guerrillas of Destiny hanging together.

Good stuff with Lesnar changing things up on a whim, and wow, kudos to Corey Graves for taking two F5s when he’s been on the sidelines for quite a long time. The Miz jumping in was a nice move, too, since they’re in Ohio, he’s from Ohio, and he could also be there to watch Carmelo VS Sami. Great match from Melo VS Sami, probably Melo’s best since being drafted to SmackDown, but I figured Sami would win to keep the Open Challenge streak going. Can’t wait to see who Sami gets next, and I would think Melo’s next move is to feud with Miz. They’re not doing the tag title story again, despite what Miz’s character wants.

As such, it feels like The Profits and the Wyatts are going to do one more round, and it’ll truly be the make-or-break for the Profits. The promo backstage was good, and it also helped plug Mia & B-Fab VS Kiana & Giulia. We should also remember that The Wyatts started beef with AAA’s Pagano y Psycho Clown, those two could show up and get payback. Great tag title match from Charlotte & Alexa VS Chelsea & Alba, but of course #Charlexa won. Not sure there’s a team on the main roster that can take those titles from them, but at least #Charlexa has great chemistry and a lot of fun, with the fans getting behind them for it.

And with Lesnar “shaking things up,” quite the surprise to see Heyman & The Bron-Brons here. Great match with them and Fraxiom, but with that, the Bron-Brons winning made sense. They’ve got momentum now, and will likely lose to The Usos since this is the reunion of the Usos. Plus, depending on how the finish goes, it can build to Jey bringing out that Tribal Chief style attitude that he’s been getting lately, adding further intrigue to the story. Because let’s be fair, something needs to spice this up, we can’t just be having another Bloodline-adjacent WarGames thing this year, we need something new.

My Score: 8.8/10