Tag: brock lesnar

WWE SmackDown live results: Wrestlepalooza go-home show

Posted on by Marc Quill

The final WWE SmackDown before Wrestlepalooza, WWE’s first PLE on ESPN, will feature an interaction between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and his next challenger Drew McIntyre.

Rhodes returned last week after a month away to save Randy Orton from a potential Claymore kick through the announce table. Tonight, Rhodes and McIntyre will have a contract signing to make their Wrestlepalooza title match officially official.

In an exclusive interview, Brock Lesnar will address his Wrestlepalooza matchup against John Cena. Last week, Lesnar delivered an F5 to R-Truth after demanding a face-to-face with Cena.

United States Champion Sami Zayn continues his open challenge series with Carmelo Hayes stepping up to the plate, much to the chagrin of his tag partner, The Miz.

A WWE Women’s Tag Team title match originally set to take place in France will come to fruition tonight as Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair defend against Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– We opened tonight’s SmackDown with the arrivals of Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice, Carmelo Hayes, and Sami Zayn to the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH.

– Inside the arena, Michael Cole and Corey Graves welcomed us to the show as they talked about tomorrow night’s Wrestlepalooza. Cole said that Brock Lesnar wanted to do the sitdown interview right now as he left commentary. However, Lesnar made his entrance and it appeared that the interview would happen in the ring instead.

Brock Lesnar interview ahead of Wrestlepalooza

Lesnar grabbed Cole and held him over his shoulder as he made his way into the ring. Inside the ring, Lesnar continued to threaten Cole before Corey Graves entered the ring and pleaded with him to not attack Cole. He got an F5 for his troubles as the crowd chanted for John Cena. Lesnar then directly addressed the camera, yelling that he was coming for John Cena’s blood tomorrow and that it was D-Day. Lesnar paced around ringside and destroyed the Prime Hydtration station before he once again entered the ring to hit Graves with another F5. Various referees and security surrounded the ring while Lesnar yelled for Cena to come get himself some. He then left the ringside area, as the crowd jeered.

Pretty much a last gasp attempt to add fuel into this Cena/Lesnar Wrestlepalooza match that’s barely had a build. I can’t say if they succeeded on that front, though. That said, I guess we’ll have to find out tomorrow whether or not this match that has been haphazardily built will be any good at all.

**********

– We returned from the break with Cole and a few WWE road agents checking up on the fallen Graves, who was still out cold from being on the receiving end of two F5s.

– Backstage, Brock Lesnar was walking as he was confronted by Paul Heyman and The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Lesnar simply said that he and Heyman should talk before he left. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis warned The Vision to not cause anymore problems tonight, especially with the Cody Rhodes/Drew McIntyre contract signing to come. Heyman said that he and the Brons were simply here to enjoy the show.

– Back in the arena, Cole returned to the commentary table and was at a loss of words for what happened to his commentary partner. He said that in the years he’s been on commentary, he never felt as helpless as he did tonight. Cole said that if that’s what awaited John Cena tomorrow, he doesn’t know if even Cena had the answers.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Alba Fyre & Chelsea Green

Flair and Green started off the match here with a lockup. Green took a shot at Bliss in the corner, but ate an elbow from Flair as a result. Bliss tagged herself in and went to work on Green and Fyre for a moment. The challengers took advantage after Bliss was dragged into their corner. Green connected with a dropkick, as Bliss was then slammed into the ringpost by Fyre. This took us into the break.

During the break, the Miz took over for Graves as he joined Cole on commentary.

We returned from the break with Bliss desperately trying to get the tag. She almost got the tag, but Flair was pulled from the apron by Fyre, which gave Green a chance to continue her attack on Bliss. Green taunted Flair and ended up missing on the shoulder charge to Bliss. This allowed Bliss to finally get the hot tag for Flair.

Flair teed off with chops on both Green and Fyre, before she blasted the latter with a somersault clothesline. Flair tried to set up for the FIgure-Eight, but Green provided a distraction as she ate a big boot. Fyre went for the roll up, but couldn’t get the pin. As Flair headed up top, Green grabbed at Flair’s leg, which allowed for Fyre to connect with the Swanton Bomb. Bliss broke up the pin at the last second.

A double suplex from the challengers was turned back as Bliss and Flair delivered stereo Natural Selections to Green and Fyre instead. Flair ended up getting the pin on Green to get the victory and the successful Women’s Tag Title defense.

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre via pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships

A decent defense for the tag champs, who continue to be a popular act with fans. I’m curious now as to who steps up to Flair and Bliss.

*********

– Backstage, B-Fab tried to get The Street Profits on the same page, but was interrupted by Michin, who told B-Fab that Nick Aldis wanted to talk to them about getting a chance at Giulia and Kiana James. Montez Ford told Angelo Dawkins that he was going to talk to Nick Aldis about getting back into the tag picture, as Bo Dallas tried to get into Dawkins’ head. Ford got into Dallas’ face, but Erick Rowan attacked the Profits to leave them laying.

– We got a backstage skit with R-Truth and Los Garza telling us how to download the ESPN app in order to watch Wrestlepalooza tomorrow.

– Fraxiom were set for a match, but got attacked by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Paul Heyman soon walked down the ring and did his usual introduction. He said that Fraxiom reminded him of the Usos, because both were down, out, victimized, and lying on their backs. As Heyman continued to talk, Nathan Frazer and Axiom got up on the top rope and took out the Brons with dual dropkicks. The two then unleashed a barrage of dives on Breakker and Reed to leave them staggered.

Nick Aldis appeared on stage and decided to book a tag match between Fraxiom and the Vision’s duo, which was to take place right now.

The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed) vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom)

The match returned from break joined in progress, with Breakker working over Axiom in the corner. Axiom fended off Breakker momentarily, but got thrown overhead instead with a back drop. Breakker got a full head of speed and absolutely flattened Axiom with a lariat. Reed entered the match with a tag and continued to pummel Axiom with a senton. Breakker got the tag once more as he suplexed Axiom before pulling down the straps. He attempted a spear, but was met with a calf kick from Axiom. This allowed Frazer to get the hot tag.

Frazer had Reed staggered with a dropkick, as he soared from the top with a frog splash. Reed kicked out at two and avoided a moonsault before he dropped Frazer with the Jagged Edge. The Aussie headed up top for a Tsunami but was stopped temporarily by Axiom. Reed shoved Axiom below right into a spear from Breakker. Reed then finished Frazer off with the Tsunami.

After the match, Heyman tried to announce his men as the winners, but were interrupted by The Usos on the titantron. Jimmy and Jey were already in Indiana and said that they were going to lock things down as they welcomed The Vision to the Uso Penitentary.

The Vision def. Fraxiom via pinfall

Just a short and sweet match to give the Brons some momentum heading into their tag match with the Usos tomorrow. Bron Breakker’s spears continue to be a thing of beauty.

*********

– We got a sizzle reel for WWE’s full court press on ESPN in anticipation of tomorrow night’s Wrestlepalooza event.

Nia Jax in-ring promo

Jax asked what she was sick of, before she took a shot at the Toledo crowd. She then went on to say that she was sick of the SmackDown women’s division claiming that they were the alpha females, when she was the “true” alpha female of the division. Jax took credit for taking Tiffany Stratton out, which prevented her from showing up on the NXT Homecoming this past Tuesday. Jax then took a shot at Jade Cargill, saying that she should trade places with her, as Cargill was apparently not talented. Jax said that she was the alpha and that she’d annihilate any storm or any Tiffy time, any damn time.

This brought out the WWE Women’s Champion out for a rebuttal. Tiffany Stratton said that the people have had enough of Nia Jax being in the women’s division. She said that Cargill was not a superhero here to save the division. And since Jax and Cargill were committed to acting so delusional, Stratton said that she was here to prove that she was the one, true WWE Champion. Stratton attempted to walk down the ring to confront Jax, but was stopepd by a gaggle of referees. Jade Cargill made her way and decked a few security personnel.

Before Cargill could enter, Nick Aldis stopped things as he announced that next week on SmackDown, we’d see Stratton vs. Cargill vs. Jax in a triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship.

This match was reportedly set for tomorrow’s Wrestlepalooza, but postponed due to an apparent injury to Stratton, so it seems like they’re moving to have this match happen next week instead. That said, hopefully it’s the last we see these particular set of players in the women’s title picture together.

*********

– We got another R-Truth skit about the ESPN App, as he told the Motor City Machine Guns and Rey Fenix how to use it, again neglecting to mention the $30 monthly price tag of the new app.

U.S. Championship Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes

The action kicked off with Zayn and Hayes trading hammerlocks in a show of chain wrestling prowess. After that, Hayes used his athleticism to hit Zayn with a dropkick after a leapfrog dodge. Hayes continued to hit Zayn with blows to the back, but found himself on the receiving head of a forearm strike by the U.S. Champion. On the apron, Zayn looked like he was going for something big, but Hayes stunned him with a a guillotine leg drop as we took a break in the action.

SmackDown returned as Hayes had the upper hand on Zayn. The challenger had his foe floored with a leg drop for the near-fall. Zayn fought back with a clothesline on Hayes, as he then followed that up with an axe handle from the middle turnbuckle. Zayn dragged Hayes to the corner and teed off on him with repeated punches to the face, much to the chagrin of the Miz on commentary. Zayn then spun Hayes’ world right round with a tornado DDT, but couldn’t pick up the win there.

Zayn headed up to the top rope, but Hayes recovered and avoided the high-risk attempt. Hayes, however, couldn’t avoid Zayn’s Michinoku Driver, which got yet another near-fall. Hayes caught Zayn on the button with a big knee to the face as he headed up top for a frog splash. Zayn got his knees up at the last second, which sent Hayes scurrying to the corner and right into the crosshairs for a Helluva Kick. Hayes intercepted Zayn with a superkick as both men went down and we went to a second commercial break during this match.

We returned from break as Zayn attempted the Exploder Suplex into the corner, but Hayes managed to block it. On the apron, Zayn got dropped with a flip over the rope by Hayes, which had his wrist caught up in the middle rope. Hayes then headed up top and got the Frog Splash, but could not secure the victory. Hayes followed that up with the First 48 after successfully countering a Blue Thunder Bomb attempt by Zayn. One, two… no!

Hayes lifted Zayn up for a cutter, followed by springboard neckbreaker on the U.S. Champion. Zayn managed to avoid the Nothin’ But Net from Hayes and turned that into a Blue Thunder Bomb for the rare victory with that signature maneuver.

Sami Zayn def. Carmelo Hayes to retain the United States Championship

Another solid match for Zayn in this U.S. Open Challenge he’s run as of late. I’ve been enjoying these matches, which have become the highlight of SmackDown every week.

*********

– Kit Wilson was talking with Nick Aldis about hypermasculinity, as Damian Priest stormed in and demanded a shot at Aleister Black. Wilson got upset at Priest’s demands, calling it a case of toxic masculinity, as he ended up being thrown through the wall by an irate Priest.

– The second part in the retrospective of John Cena and Brock Lesnar’s rivalry was shown.

Wrestlepalooza on ESPN Card

  • Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
  • AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
  • Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed)
  • Women’s World Championship: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer
  • Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

– We got a vignette from Solo Sikoa as he showed appreciation for Tonga Loa for showing loyalty to him since day one. He said that he owed it to Tonga to be a champion, and that his loyalty would be rewarded as long as Tonga was part of his Family Tree. Tonga then said that he loved Solo to end the vignette.

Cody Rhodes/Drew McIntyre contract signing

In the ring, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis said that the main event of Wrestlepalooza would be the Undisputed WWE Championship match, of which the contract would be signed for in mere moments. Aldis then introduced the challenger, one Drew McIntyre, to the ring.

The surly Scotsman made his way to the ring and immediately took a mic. Before he could utter a word, the theme of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes interrupted, which brought out the American Nightmare to the usual reaction of cheers from the crowd.

Once both Rhodes and McIntyre in the ring, the champion took to the mic. He said that fifteen years ago today, he and McIntyre won the Tag Team Championships, and that no one wasn’t talking about it, mainly because it wasn’t his or McIntyre’s story. It was the story of the people, and they didn’t care about the lore and wanted to see two people fight.

Rhodes listed off McIntyre’s past accolades, as he said that he was a “keyboard warrior” as of late. He urged on McIntyre to do his talking on social media because it’d be the last time he’d get one up on him. McIntyre showed his phone to Rhodes, with a post that said “Thank you, Cody.”

McIntyre responded that this match without intereference or shortcuts was what he wanted all along, before he called Rhodes a cardboard champion that was unwilling to compromise the main event of Wrestlepalooza. McIntyre said that the crowd would eventually turn on Rhodes and all he’d be left with is to say that “Drew was right”.

Rhodes fired back asking McIntyre what would happen if his legacy now was to be the man who lost the first main event of the ESPN Era. As both men signed the contract, McIntyre delivered a blindside headbut on Rhodes and attacked the champion at ringside.

As McIntyre had Rhodes at his mercy against the announce table, the Scotsman refused to hit the Claymore kick, stating that he wanted him to be at his best tomorrow at Wrestlepalooza. As McIntyre tried to walk away, Rhodes dove through the middle rope to tackle McIntyre. The two continued to fight as referees tried to separate the two. As the producers credits for Paul Levesque and Lee Fitting popped up, McIntyre popped Rhodes with a boot to the head. We ended the final SmackDown before tomorrow’s Wrestlepalooza with McIntyre taunting Rhodes, stating that it was going to be the last time he’d be sleeping with the title for a long time.

*********

A decent final segment to build up, again, another haphazardly-built feud for this first ESPN PLE where it just happened within a span of a week. That seems to be a pattern with this Wrestlepalooza card, with the exception of CM Punk/AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch, which seems to be the best-built match out of the five matches set to take place tomorrow.

As a go-home show for Wrestlepalooza, this SmackDown was okay on that front. The Sami Zayn U.S. Open Challenge continues to be the stand out of these weekly shows, as the matches there have been excellent. Other than that, everything else just ranges from okay to mediocre, sorry to say.

Title match, Brock Lesnar interview added to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A Brock Lesnar interview is one of the new additions to the lineup for tonight’s WWE SmackDown.

WWE has announced that, ahead of his match against John Cena at Wrestlepalooza, there will be an “exclusive interview” with Lesnar on SmackDown tonight. The Lesnar vs. Cena match is set to open the Wrestlepalooza card on Saturday, serving as the official start of WWE’s new PLE era on ESPN.

“Brock Lesnar returns to SmackDown and gives an exclusive interview ahead of his blockbuster match with John Cena at Wrestlepalooza,” WWE.com wrote. “Don’t miss all the action of SmackDown, tonight at 8 ET/7 CT on USA.”

Along with that, it’s been confirmed that Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss will defend their titles against Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre tonight. The champs have been feuding with Green and the Secret Hervice since shortly after winning the belts at SummerSlam.

Flair & Bliss are making their second title defense this week after having already defeated Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley at NXT Homecoming.

The Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio is hosting tonight’s show. Here is the updated card:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, September 19) —

  • Exclusive interview with Brock Lesnar
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes appears
  • United States Champion Sami Zayn defends against Carmelo Hayes
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss defend against Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar to open WWE Wrestlepalooza

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar won’t be the main event of WWE Wrestlepalooza after all.

Last week, WWE commentator Joe Tessitore stated on ESPN that Cena vs. Lesnar would be the Wrestlepalooza main event. It’s now been confirmed that the match will actually be opening the card on Saturday, with Cena vs. Lesnar serving as the official start of WWE’s new PLE era on ESPN.

The announcement of Cena vs. Lesnar opening Wrestlepalooza was made by Pat McAfee on Thursday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show.

This will be one of the final matches of Cena’s career, with him only having five appearances left on his retirement tour after Wrestlepalooza. It’s Lesnar’s first time competing in the ring since 2023. Lesnar spent nearly two years away from the company after his name was mentioned in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE.

WWE hasn’t announced which match will be going on last at Wrestlepalooza, but the main event would figure to be AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins or the WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.

Wrestlepalooza is taking place from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and has a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern. It’s airing live on ESPN’s new streaming service in the United States and on Netflix elsewhere.

WWE Wrestlepalooza (Saturday, September 20) —

  • Mixed tag match: AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. IYO SKY for the vacant Women’s World Championship
  • The Usos vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

Scott D’Amore confirms Brock Lesnar TNA story

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Former TNA head Scott D’Amore has confirmed that Brock Lesnar was interested in signing with the company back in 2007.

This past week, Kurt Angle revealed the news on his podcast, saying Lesnar (then a free agent) called and asked Angle if he could get him into TNA. Angle said Lesnar asked him what he was making and that if Angle could get Lesnar the same deal, he was in. Angle said he then asked TNA management and was told no, speculating it was a budget issue due to the amount of talent they were already paying high salaries to.

In his weekly column for Uncrowned, D’Amore, no longer with TNA, confirmed part of that story as “absolutely true” and that Angle approached him about it.

“Kurt was very excited about this and, obviously, it would have been a huge, maybe trajectory-altering signing for TNA. I passed it on to Dixie Carter, who owned TNA at the time. But, as you already know, it didn’t happen.

“It’s a huge what-if, not just for TNA, but for Lesnar. If he came to TNA on a big contract in 2007, would he have still debuted in MMA that year? Would he have felt the need to go fight in the UFC in 2008 and help usher in a legion of new fans for the UFC? I suppose we’ll never know.”

Lesnar left WWE in 2004 due to burnout and the travel schedule among other reasons. After several matches for NJPW and a memorable run in UFC that saw him become one of their biggest stars and their heavyweight champion, Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and has been there in some form or fashion ever since. He competes against John Cena at Saturday’s WWE Wrestlepalooza in his first match back in more than two years.

ESPN WWE Wrestlepalooza media call: Brock Lesnar, creative control, streaming questions

Posted on by Josh Nason

ESPN will have no creative control or jurisdiction over WWE talent as part of their five-year deal that kicks off this Saturday with Wrestlepalooza.

ESPN+ senior vice president JT Lasker and vice president of programming & acquisitions Matt Kenny were asked that question during a Wednesday media call with Kenny confirming they don’t have or want any say on creative.

He said their relationship in that regard is not dissimilar to relationships they have with other rights holders, acknowledging that the stick/glove/ball sports are different than combat sports.

“They retain creative control which, by the way, we are fine with. I don’t need to opine on what a script should be to WWE,” he said. “I think we’re excited about what they do, how they do it and we’re excited for Saturday.”

The question was tied into the inclusion of Brock Lesnar on the show given he was named in the still-ongoing lawsuit between Janel Grant, Vince McMahon and WWE.

Here’s some other highlights from the call that included a declaration that WWE & wrestling coverage would not be affected, and that there was no ulterior motive in running Wrestlepalooza on the same day as AEW All Out:

  • Wrestlepalooza will be part of the ESPN’s multi-view option, allowing fans to watch action alongside other ESPN live sports programming.
  • They are continuing to work out deals with various cable/streaming providers that ESPN airs on in order to give those subscribers access to ESPN Unlimited. It was said that “by the turn of the calendar year,” the “vast majority” of their existing ESPN subscriber base will have access to the service with the ultimate goal of turning “vast majority” into “all.”
  • As of now, deals with providers like Xfinity/Comcast and YouTube haven’t been completed while subscribers of DirectTV, Fubo, Spectrum, Hulu Live and Verizon FIOS do.
  • Asked about the future of WWE archive content, it was noted their deal is for PLEs which will be available on demand. They directed questions about the broader library to WWE.
  • They deferred questions about a Baseball Tonight or NFL Live-esque WWE coverage show, but said it’s a big deal for SportsCenter to be on site at Wrestlepalooza considering it’s a college football Saturday.
  • Just like with UFC, WWE will continue to handle all production.
  • Asked if any new PLEs will be added on the calendar and specifically in December that is absent of one, Kenny didn’t have any real answer as the relationship is still very, very news, saying, “anything on that will bear itself out.”
  • Asked about what metrics they are using to determine whether this relationship is a success, Lasker couldn’t share target numbers, but said they want to grow ESPN’s overall audience and attract new subscribers who might not subscribe in another way. They also want to create new value for existing subscribers.
  • Kenny said there is a “minimum threshold” of times when WWE PLEs will simulcast on ESPN’s linear networks. That will be determined in a collaboration between them and WWE that begins with the ESPN content strategy team to identify opportunities that exist within the massive amount of commitments with ESPN’s existing portfolio of rights. Kenny said it’s still very early in all of this, but acknowledged the simulcasts could end up being more beneficial which would result in a change in how they look at doing them.
  • Kenny was asked about the reaction internally to the WWE deal given what it is. He said he lived the same question when UFC was brought on and it’s a challenge to create advocacy within the company. He used the example of The Usos coming to their headquarters in Bristol Tuesday which was a short notice thing, announced internally with a sign on the door for employees coming in. Despite that, the demand was enormous with north of 250 employees wanting to get pictures and a line that had to be cut off, showing there is more of an interest and acknowledgment than some realize.

WWE SmackDown live results: Brock Lesnar appears

Posted on by Marc Quill

At the end of another newsworthy week in WWE, tonight’s SmackDown airs live from Norfolk, Virginia — as Wrestlepalooza approaches next weekend.

Ahead of his match against John Cena at the new PLE, Brock Lesnar will appear on tonight’s show. Lesnar issued the challenge last Friday in Chicago after attacking Cena during his United States title match with Sami Zayn.

Zayn will be in action again, defending the title in another open challenge.

In a meeting of former champions, Randy Orton will finally get a chance to face Drew McIntyre in singles action after weeks of targeting his hated rival. The two met in a tag team bout at SummerSlam and last squared off one-on-one at July’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

In a rematch from SummerSlam, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton will defend against Jade Cargill. Stratton has held the gold for 250+ days.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– As Vic Joseph introduced us to tonight’s show, shots of Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Tiffany Stratton, and Jade Cargill arriving to the Scope Arena were shown. We then went to inside the arena, where Joseph was joined by his NXT color commentary partner Booker T. to call tonight’s action.

– A recap of last week’s John Cena vs. Sami Zayn match being crashed by Brock Lesnar was shown.

Brock Lesnar opens SmackDown

Lesnar arrived to the arena, cowboy hat and all, as the crowd was a mix of cheers and boos for his arrival.

With mic in hand, the fans chanted “you suck” at Lesnar before he could speak, and he was soon interrupted by R-Truth, who rapped his way to the ring. Once Truth entered the ring, he asked the Norfolk crowd to make some noise before Lesnar told him to shut up.

Truth responded by saying he was going to be the first WWE superstar to say to Lesnar, “welcome back”. He said that he used to be scared of Lesnar, but not anymore. Lesnar answered by saying that he didn’t know who Truth was and he wanted him to get to the point.

Truth said that Lesnar was disrespecting John Cena, his hero and older brother for the past twenty-five years. Lesnar said he was here to look for John Cena tonight as he asked Truth for his whereabouts. Truth said he didn’t know where Cena was, but he was here to defend the honor of his “older brother”. Truth then told Lesnar that his name was “Ron Cena”.

Lesnar asked again where Cena was, as Truth again answered that he didn’t know. Truth warned Lesnar that “Super Cena” was coming for Lesnar, as he wouldn’t be running from The Beast, he’d be feeding on him. Lesnar had enough and picked Truth up for an F5, which somehow ripped his pants.

Not a very good segment to start the show, but it was mercifully short. The necessity of reverting R-Truth to his pre-Cena heel turn character randomly has hurt his standing and the build (or lack thereof due to Cena’s absence this week) towards Wrestlepalooza’s scheduled main event just isn’t grabbing my attention at all.

**********

– Backstage, Sami Zayn was talking with someone as he was happy to continue the U.S. Open Title Challenge, as he and his opponent would give the crowd a hell of a show tonight. We found out he was talking to Rey Fenix, and their match would be up next.

– We were shown shots of various WWE and AAA officials arriving to the arena in Las Vegas for Worlds Collide, which airs after SmackDown.

– A vignette from Solo Sikoa was shown, where he expressed anger about having lost his Bloodline, Ula Fala, and the United States Champonship. He vowed to take back what he lost, as it was time for others to live in the shadows of his Family Tree.

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Rey Fenix

We started off fast with Zayn rocking Fenix with repeated arm drags. Fenix responded with an acrobatic arm drag, followed by an attempted dive to the outside. Zayn dodged out of the way, as Fenix feinted between the ropes at the last second to stop himself. We went to a break at this early point in the match.

SmackDown returned with Zayn having the upperhand as he delivered a pitch-perfect tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Fenix for the near-fall. Zayn continued to target Fenix’s shoulders with a submission, but found himself taken out by a kick on the apron. With Zayn stunned outside the ring, Fenix soared above the ropes with a tope con hilo that took the U.S. Champion out.

Back in the ring, Fenix took off from the top rope with a frog splash on Zayn, but couldn’t get the three out of it. Zayn attempted a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Fenix countered him twice in two attempts. Fenix blasted Zayn with a superkick after another feint between the ropes. One, two… not quite. Fenix headed up top, but couldn’t connect with the moonsault, as Zayn dodged.

Zayn had Fenix in position for the Helluva Kick, but the masked star avoided and countered with a DDT, that once again wasn’t able to get him the victory. We got a second break in the action with both men down in the ring.

Our match returned from the break with Fenix once more heading up to the top rope, looking for a high-risk maneuver. Zayn cut him off at the pass and put Fenix on his shoulders. However, Fenix countered and hit an incredible double stomp from the top rope onto a seated Zayn.

Fenix leapt up for his signature moonsault and connected, but Zayn kicked out at the nick of time. In the middle of the ring, both men tried to hit a suplex, but couldn’t. Fenix was first to escape as he bounced off the ropes for a kick, but Zayn caught him for the Blue Thunder Bomb. One, two… 2.9999999!!!!!!!!

Zayn managed to catch Fenix with his Exploder Suplex in the corner and had him targeted for the Helluva Kick. Fenix recovered and hit a hurricanrana instead, but only got a near-fall out of it. Fenix continued the momentum with the Goodbye Amigo kick. He attempted his spin kick in the corner, but Zayn reversed it into another Exploder Suplex. One Helluva Kick later, and it was a succcesful title defense for Sami Zayn.

Sami Zayn def. Rey Fenix via pinfall to retain the United States Championship

That was one heck of a match to kick things off. Both Zayn and Fenix were at the top of their game and I quite enjoyed this from start to finish.

**********

– We got Earlier Today footage of B-Fab being confronted by Giulia and Kiana James. B-Fab said that she might’ve been busy as of late with the Street Profits’ drama, but she wasn’t busy now. This led to a match being made between the two, which was up next.

– A video from the Wyatt Sicks was shown, with Bo Dallas wondering where the Street Profits would go from here. He said that the Profits have failed at every turn, as Erik Rowan said that people never truly appreciate things until it’s gone. Dallas said that the Sicks weren’t the ones who sowed the seeds that sprouted horns, as he told us to follow the buzzards.

Giulia (w/ Kiana James) vs. B-Fab

As B-Fab entered the ring, James got in her face, and paid the price for it. Giulia took exception and kicked B-Fab to the outside, as she threw her around outside the ring. In the ring, James stomped away on B-Fab and teed her up for Giulia’s Arrivederci Knee. They looked like they were going to do further damage to B-Fab until Michin ran in, armed with a kendo stick. Michin struck James with the kendo stick, as she sent Giulia to a retreat.

Giulia vs. B-Fab never happened

**********

– We got remarks from Aleister Black about his win over Damian Priest on last week’s SmackDown. He said that Priest could keep fighting and he could die by that code, and that violence begat violence.

WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill immediately went for a pump kick, but Stratton avoided it soundly. The challenger tried to lift up Stratton, but got met with a high dropkick. Cargill eventually got the advantage with a powerslam on Stratton, as she then followed that up with an attempted suplex. Stratton countered the suplex attempt and went for a rollup to little success. With Cargill out of the ring, Stratton vaulted over the top rope with a dive, as we went to a break in the action.

Our WWE Women’s Title match returned with Cargill hitting a fallaway slam on Stratton. She tried to go for a corner attack, but Stratton countered and eventually hit a spinebuster on Cargill. Stratton tried for a hurricanrana, but Cargill caught her and looked for a powerbomb. Stratton turned that around into a hurricanrana as she then hit a double-footed dropkick on her opponent.

Stratton headed up top and connected with the Swanton Bomb for a near-fall. Cargill recovered and hit a superkick on Stratton that sent her outside. In the ensuing mixup, Stratton attempted a baseball slide, but she got caught by Cargill, who slammed her against the apron. Back in the ring, Cargill failed to connect with a pump kick, but managed to avoid the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. She had Stratton on her shoulders and hit a modified Blue Thunder Bomb for a close near-fall.

Stratton hit a nice rollthrough into an Alabama Slam, as she looked for another Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Cargill avoided calamity and hit the Pump Kick as both women were down in the ring. Cargill and Stratton eventually recovered and mixed it up on the apron with an exchange of strikes. Cargill looked for a Spear, but Stratton dodged, which caused the challenger to hit the ringpost instead.

Stratton missed with the diving moonsault to the outside, as Cargill speared her opponent through the barricade. The match was then ruled a draw due to a double countout.

After the match, Nia Jax attacked both Cargill and Stratton and left both women laying.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill ended in a Double Countout

A decent match that was undercut by the draw ending and Nia Jax showing up once again, really highlighting how bare the cupboard is, when it comes to the top of the SmackDown women’s division. It’s honestly felt like the same set of players in the title picture and it’s really hurt the main event scene as it pertains for the women of SmackDown.

**********

– As Nick Aldis walked out of his office, he was accosted by Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre, who demanded a Women’s Tag Title match. Aldis proposed that the two would face the winners of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss’s title defense on Tuesday’s NXT Homecoming.

– We got a video package ahead of Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Wrestlepalooza that focused on both men’s beginnings in wrestling.

– Over in Las Vegas, Rey Mysterio was interviewed about Worlds Collide, before his son Dominik rolled up and said he’d become the AAA Mega Campeon after tonight’s main event. Rey said he’d put the AAA Mega Campeon belt around Dominik’s waist if he won tonight.

– Back in Norfolk, Sami Zayn was interviewed after his successful U.S. Title defense as Carmelo Hayes called his shot to be Zayn’s next challenger. After Zayn left, The Miz showed up too late and was upset about Hayes taking up Zayn’s U.S. Open Challenge, having been seemingly outsmarted by his Melo Don’t Miz partner.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Both men locked up in the middle of the ring to start before McIntyre went on the attack in the corner. Orton roared back with a clothesline as he got in some shots of his own on the Scotsman with punches in the corner. He then sent McIntyre crashing to the outside with another clothesline over the rope as our main event headed to a break.

SmackDown’s main event came back from the break with McIntyre seemingly having Orton at his mercy, but he fell victim to a suplex instead. With McIntyre down in the ring, Orton targeted him with some stomps to the legs, followed by a knee drop to the face. McIntyre took a shot at Orton’s knee with a clip, followed by a stretch in the corner.

McIntyre maintained the pressure on Orton’s injured knee with a figure-four leglock cinched in tight in the middle of the ring. Orton struggled hard, but managed to turn it over to reverse the pressure of the leglock on McIntyre. In the middle of the ring, Orton dropped his foe with a belly-to-back suplex that sent McIntyre scurrying back out of the ring.

Orton slammed McIntyre against the commentary table, but got raked in the eyes, as he found himself dropped across the table with a back suplex. McIntyre once again clipped at Orton’s knees as our main event headed to one final break in the action.

We returned from the break as McIntyre slammed Orton down to the mat, with the bum knee making contact with the top rope as a result. Orton poked McIntyre in the eye to regain momentum, as he then bashed his opponent’s head across all four corners. McIntyre tried for another figure four, but Orton kicked him aside into the ring post, which sent the Scotsman out of the ring once more.

As McIntyre got himself back in the ring, Orton tried to generate momentum with a signature powerslam to fell his foe. Orton looked like he was going to hit the apron DDT, but McIntyre scurried to the announce table. This opened him up to consecutive back suplexes across the commentary table. Back in the ring, McIntyre connected with the Claymore Kick, but couldn’t capitalize. This gave Orton the opportunity to land an RKO out of nowhere. Out of the ring, McIntyre shoved Orton against the apron.

McIntyre tried to get back into the ring, but he fell victim to the apron DDT from Orton. McIntyre was in position for getting punted by Orton, but the referee got in the way. In the ensuing chaos, this gave McIntyre an opening to hit one final Claymore Kick to get the victory in our main event.

After the match, McIntyre looked like he was going to finish Orton off good with a Claymore against the commentary table, but Cody Rhodes ran in for the save, going after McIntyre right away with a flurry of offense. Rhodes hit a Cody Cutter on McIntyre as he asked for a microphone after the fighting was done. Rhodes said that the champ was back and that he’d face McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza.

**********

An okay main event for an otherwise okay episode of SmackDown. Obviously it was a nice star power-filled match and it did its job of bringing Cody Rhodes back into the mix after a month or so of filming the Street Fighter movie, setting up another Wrestlepalooza match.

The dismal opening segment got things off on a shaky note, but I did enjoy the in-ring action this week, especially with Zayn vs. Fenix in the opening bout. That made for some okay viewing for the rest of the night on this week’s SmackDown.

Fight Game: AJ Lee’s return is a home run

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and Garrett Gonzales return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss the latest happenings in the world of wrestling.

We kicked off the show with our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week before getting to our headline topic about AJ Lee’s return to WWE.

We also talked about the following:

  • WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia
  • Brock Lesnar’s return being overshadowed
  • Some odd happenings on AEW Dynamite
  • Early preview of All Out vs. Wrestlepalooza
  • A new segment called “Ask LaRocca”

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WWE Wrestlepalooza main event officially set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

There likely wasn’t ever much question as to what would main event WWE Wrestlepalooza, but it’s now officially confirmed that John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar will be going on last.

Wrestlepalooza takes place in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 20 and will be the first WWE PLE to air on ESPN’s new streaming service. To hype up the start of the PLE deal, WWE commentator Joe Tessitore appeared on SportsCenter, previewing the Wrestlepalooza card. He stated that Cena vs. Lesnar will be the main event.

“Understand this, Brock Lesnar is a different beast. He is literally ‘The Beast Incarnate.’ In all my years of being in combat sports, I don’t care if it’s early on covering Mike Tyson or later stages here with WWE and all of the championship fights I’ve covered — I have never experienced anybody quite like just the physical presence of Brock Lesnar,” Tessitore said. “The air changes when he enters the arena, and that is going to be your main event at Wrestlepalooza.”

Lesnar is returning to the ring for the first time since 2023. After his name was mentioned in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE, Lesnar spent nearly two years away from the company until returning this August at SummerSlam.

This will be one of the last matches of Cena’s career with his December 13 retirement fast approaching.

Another in-ring return is taking place at Wrestlepalooza with AJ Lee competing for the first time in a decade. She’s teaming with her husband CM Punk in a mixed tag match against married couple Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins.

“She was this amazing character going back over a decade ago that everybody loved. Then she went away from the business, she retired, she had success in other arenas in life,” Tessitore said. “Her husband, CM Punk, made a huge return a couple years ago. And then all of a sudden, if you could have heard this pop [last Friday]. I’m sitting there broadcasting this thing up in Milwaukee. People love her.”

The Wrestlepalooza PLE has a start time of 7 p.m. Eastern on September 20. Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is hosting the show.

Brock Lesnar returns on WWE SmackDown, Wrestlepalooza match official

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The match everyone expected for Wrestlepalooza is now official.

John Cena was wrestling Sami Zayn in the opening match of this week’s SmackDown when he hit an avalanche AA off the middle rope. Both men were down when Brock Lensar’s music played. After he dragged the referee out of the ring he went in for the attack, laying out Zayn with an F5. He then went for his real target, laying out Cena with two F5s before making his exit.

After the commercial break, Lesnar was seen entering the gorilla position and told John Cena that he’d see him at Wrestlepalooza. The match was then immediately made official for September 20.

Lesnar made his shock return to WWE after a two year absence at SummerSlam, laying out Cena after he had just lost the WWE title to Cody Rhodes. In the time since, Lesnar’s name hadn’t been brought up much as Cena soon pivoted towards a match against Logan Paul at Clash in Paris. On last week’s SmackDown, GM Nick Aldis informed Cena he had heard from Lesnar. Before Aldis could reveal more details, Paul emerged and sucker punched Cena to close out the show.

WWE Wrestlepalooza (September 20)

  • John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
  • Women’s World Championship: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer

FREE WOL: Huge SmackDown, Cena’s final matches, Lesnar

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez is back with A FREE SOLO SHOW talking tons of news including a potentially huge Smackdown tonight, John Cena’s final appearances and his last match, NXT bucks the trend of terrible ratings, tons of questions and phone calls, and more! Best of all it’s FREE! If you love it, sign up wherever you are listening to this and get EIGHT FOUR brand new podcasts talking pro-wrestling every single month, plus archived shows! A Fun Friday as always, so check it out~!

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Wrestling Weekly: Tonight’s WWE SmackDown could be big

Posted on by Victor Sosa

It’s Friday which means a new episode of Wrestling Weekly with Vic Sosa and Les Thatcher.

With it likely being John Cena’s final show in Chicago, tonight’s WWE SmackDown was already meaningful. But with rumors flying regarding who’s in the Windy City tonight and who may be at this month’s Wrestlepalooza, tonight’s episode has the potential to be much bigger than originally anticipated.

On this week’s show, the guys look at that as well as the week in AEW.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

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Brock Lesnar under new contract with WWE

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brock Lesnar is under a new contract in his return to WWE.

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that Lesnar was actually a free agent for a while during his two-year absence from the ring. Lesnar has signed a new contract for limited dates in his return.

“A correction regarding Brock Lesnar. Lesnar actually just signed a new contract to return. He was getting paid on his prior contract long after they stopped using him, but that deal did expire and he actually was a free agent for months until the new deal was signed,” Meltzer wrote. “They couldn’t extend the prior deal due to injury like with others because he wasn’t injured and it was their choice not to use him.”

Lesnar made his WWE return last month, attacking John Cena in an angle that took place at the end of SummerSlam. Lesnar was given the okay to return by WWE legal after having not been used since his name was mentioned in Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the company.

The suit — which was filed in January 2024 and remains ongoing — alleges that McMahon sent Lesnar explicit images and videos of Grant and offered Lesnar sex with Grant (which did not ultimately happen) as an incentive of him signing a new WWE contract in 2021. Lesnar is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

Lesnar’s next match will be the first time he’s wrestled since 2023. It’s expected that he’ll be facing John Cena in the main event of WWE’s Wrestlepalooza PLE on September 20. That could become official tonight with Lesnar rumored to appear on SmackDown.

Main eventer reportedly in Chicago for WWE SmackDown appearance

Posted on by Josh Nason

The official announcement of John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar for this month’s WWE Wrestlepalooza could come as soon as this Friday’s SmackDown as Lesnar is reportedly set to be in Chicago.

First reported by Fightful Select, Lesnar was said to be scheduled for travel to the Windy City this week, possibly as early as Thursday. He was already scheduled for both the September 12 and 19 episodes of SmackDown.

It was reported earlier in the day that Friday is expected to be Cena’s final appearance on SmackDown as the final year of his career winds down.

The match is on tap for the September 20 premium live event from Indianapolis, Indiana but has yet to be formally announced. The show will mark the kickoff of the new multi-year domestic PLE deal between WWE and ESPN.

On the August 22 SmackDown, GM Nick Aldis told Cena he had heard from Lesnar, but before relaying what the message was, Cena was knocked out by Clash in Paris opponent Logan Paul.

Lesnar made his surprise return at August’s SummerSlam, taking out Cena at the end of the PLE after he had already lost the WWE title to Cody Rhodes. It was Lesnar’s first appearance in two years as he was put on the shelf after being named in the Janel Grant vs. Vince McMahon & WWE lawsuit that began in January 2024.

The Cena/Lesnar match will be their first time sharing the ring since a three-way with Seth Rollins at the 2015 Royal Rumble. Their last singles match took place in October 2014 at Night of Champions.

Report: Possible name, broadcast location for WWE’s September PLE

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WWE could be debuting on ESPN as soon as next month.

PWInsider reported Sunday that there have been discussions that the previously reported WWE PLE for September 20 could end up airing on ESPN, going head-to-head with AEW’s All Out pay-per-view. PWInsider describes the move as “a preview of the type of programming WWE will bring to that new partnership.” Additionally, they were told that plans to unveil the still unannounced PLE, including where it will broadcast, will be announced sometime this week.

ESPN did not comment when contacted by PWInsider. Their new deal with WWE to pair PLEs in the United States is set to start in 2026.

WrestleVotes on social media hinted at a potential name for the show, Wrestlepalooza. That was a name for a series of ECW shows held between 1995 and 2000.

Reports have indicated that the headline match for WWE’s PLE will be Brock Lesnar taking on John Cena. Their feud was reignited back at SummerSlam when Lesnar, who had been gone from WWE television for two years, made his return and laid out Cena with an F5. Lesnar hasn’t appeared since, with Cena next taking on Logan Paul at WWE Clash in Paris on August 31.

Brock Lesnar advertised for two upcoming WWE appearances

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brock Lesnar is being advertised for his first WWE dates since returning to the company at SummerSlam.

WWE’s website now has Lesnar advertised for the September 12 episode of SmackDown in Norfolk, Virginia and the September 19 episode in Toledo, Ohio. The appearances should serve the purpose of building up an upcoming Lesnar vs. John Cena match.

It was reported earlier this week that WWE is planning to hold a main roster PLE in Indianapolis on September 20 — the same day as AEW All Out is being held in Toronto. As of now, it’s expected that Lesnar vs. Cena will headline the WWE event.

After a two-year absence, Lesnar made his WWE return by attacking Cena in an angle that took place at the end of SummerSlam. It was Lesnar’s first appearance since his name was mentioned in the lawsuit that Janel Grant filed against Vince McMahon and WWE in January 2024.

The renewal of Cena and Lesnar’s rivalry comes as one of the final programs Cena will ever have in his in-ring career. He is set to retire from active competition with his last match taking place this December.

Scope Arena in Norfolk is hosting the September 12 edition of SmackDown, while the September 19 show in Toledo is being held at the Huntington Center.