The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about as we recap WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event with two title changes, and the Collision show with two must-see matches both involving luchadors. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Tag: jade cargill
WOL: Saturday night’s alright (for title changes & group pictures)
Image: WWE
Saturday night featured two WWE title changes, a great ROH World title match, a picture that got #WrestlingTwitter talking, and a crushing defeat for the Toronto Blue Jays.
All that and more is on the topic board for the Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live with guest host Josh Nason.
Josh leads off with his observations from Saturday Night’s Main Event including why he is down on some title rematches, who the “they don’t work here” person will be in the John Cena tournament, CM Punk and Jade Cargill’s title wins, and more.
He also discusses THE PICTURE of the WWE champions shared Saturday night and the conjecture around it.
Josh also talks about the Bandido/Mascara Dorada ROH title match on AEW Collision and the latest developments for both Blood & Guts matches.
Josh also talks with Mike “Cash Flo” Walden of the hit Paramount+ show Tulsa King. The guys discuss how he got on the show, how show producer and star Sylvester Stallone has influenced him, and whether his in-ring career is done.
All that and more await you. Listen for free below or also for free on either our Spotify or Apple Podcasts feeds.
Jade Cargill comments on WWE Women’s title win at Saturday Night’s Main Event
Jade Cargill has shared posts on social media about her WWE Women’s title win at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Cargill defeated Tiffany Stratton on the show to capture her first singles championship since dropping the TBS title to Kris Statlander at the end of her AEW run. WWE posted a clip Sunday showing members of Cargill’s family watching ringside, and Cargill later shared a message to her mother on Instagram Stories:
“Mama. I made it ❤️🥺
I hope I made you, grandma and great gram proud.
And I wish you all were here to witness that it was all worth it.
And yes, I still wrestle half naked 🤣🥰 it’s wrestling gear mom 🤣”
Shortly after her victory on Saturday night, Cargill also posted to Instagram:
“You didn’t believe in me — good.
Doubt looks great on you. Gold looks better on me.”
Cargill is now the 14th wrestler to hold the WWE Women’s Championship since it replaced the Divas title in 2016. Her win at Saturday Night’s Main Event marked the 31st time the title has changed hands since then. Charlotte Flair has held the championship the most with six reigns, Mercedes Moné (then Sasha Banks) five times, and Becky Lynch holds the record for most combined days as champion with 539 across two reigns.
Cargill is a former TBS Champion, two-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion with Bianca Belair, current WWE Women’s Champion, and was voted Rookie of the Year in the 2021 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
Cargill’s posts are below:
Jade Cargill wins Women’s Championship at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
Tiffy Time ran out on Saturday.
Jade Cargill is the new Women’s Champion, defeating Tiffany Stratton at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cargill dominated the match, targeting Stratton’s injured leg. After hitting two powerbombs, the new champion finished off Straton with Jaded, pinning her for the title.
Stratton had held the title for most of the year, cashing in her Money in the Bank contract on Nia Jax back on the January 3 edition of SmackDown. She had just surpassed the 300 day mark as champion.
On last week’s SmackDown, Cargill made the save for Stratton after she was jumped by Giulia and Kiana James. Once they were dispatched, however, Cargill turned against Stratton by laying her out with a clothesline. She continued her attack, stomping on Stratton’s knee on the stairs in the process. In an interview that took place after, Cargill said she was tired of being patient and was ready to take what was hers, the WWE Women’s Championship.
Prior to Saturday’s match, Nick Aldis asked Stratton if she was sure she wanted to continue with the match. Despite the injury, Stratton insisted on wrestling.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event live results: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
The vacant WWE World Heavyweight title will find a home with either CM Punk or Jey Uso on tonight’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event from Salt Lake City, Utah.
The title was vacated by Seth Rollins after an injury suffered at last month’s Crown Jewel. Punk was originally set to challenge Rollins while Uso earned the shot by winning a battle royal on Raw.
Punk held the title for a matter of minutes at August’s SummerSlam before Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated him. Uso is looking for his second title run and first since June of this year.
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Drew McIntyre in a match where Rhodes can lose the title by DQ or countout.
WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton will defend against the recently turned heel Jade Cargill who is in search of her first WWE singles title.
In a three-way, WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio will defend against past challengers Penta and Rusev.
Tonight’s show airs exclusively on Peacock domestically and on Netflix outside the United States.
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You can bet there were a lot of people in WWE hoping the Blue Jays won the World Series last night so that Saturday Night’s Main Event didn’t have to go up against the Baseball Birds. Fortunately, we live in 2025, so double screens it is and let’s get into Saturday Night’s Main Event!
After everyone arrived to work safely (with Penta stopping for a coffee) and Micheal Cole running down the card, the show began with a video package recap that ran down the card.
Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes [c] vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre got cranky a few weeks ago and put Rhodes’ head through the announce table with a Claymore. After Rhodes shooed away the little cartoon birds that were circling his head, he and McIntyre went to war at Wrestlepalooza. Rhodes won that bout, but via a controversial call by the official. McIntyre then beat Jacob Fatu to again become No. 1 Contender to the Undisputed WWE Title. This time though, McIntyre had a plan, which he put into action on Smackdown and got Rhodes to agree that the title could change hands on a DQ or Count out.
Lillian Garcia read us the tale of the tape, with McIntyre insisting she call him the “Real American Dream” and we were off. Rhodes charged off the bell, but McIntyre dodged it and hit a back elbow. Rhodes sent McIntyre into the corner and the two started trading chops.
McIntyre went for a suplex, but Rhodes reversed it with one of his own and McIntyre rolled out of the ring, trying to lure Rhodes into a count out. Rhodes didn’t bite though and McIntyre got back in at 9. The two locked up and McIntyre tried to throw Rhodes into the official to cause a DQ. Rhodes pulled up though and remained qualified.
McIntyre kept trying to goad Rhodes into getting DQ’ed, but it wasn’t working. Instead he went for a kick in the gut and laid Rhodes out on the ropes. McIntyre then bit Rhodes’ forehead without the Ref seeing. Rhodes fired up and started throwing jabs and kicks at McIntyre. He got too agressive with stomps in the corner and almost shoved the ref when he broke it up.
McIntyre came back and threw Rhodes into the ringpost. On the outside, he tossed Rhodes over the barricade to try and get the count out. Rhodes made it back into the ring at 8 though. McIntyre started throwing punches and hit a belly-to-belly throw across the ring.
McIntyre put Rhodes in an upper octopus huld, but Rhodes fought out of it and went off the ropes to be struck by McIntyre for a two count. The two started trading forearms and McIntyre hit a high back body drop for another two count.
McIntyre took a moment to mug for the crowd before climbing the turnbuckles. Rhodes met him there though and they threw hands on the top rope. Rhodes got McIntyre up and landed a mean looking superplex.
After some punching, Rhodes landed a powerslam on McIntyre and started powering up. He hit a Disaster Kick and then a Cody Cutter for a two count. Rhodes hit a Bionic Elbow and charged, but McIntyre caught him with a spinebuster and sit out powerbomb.
McIntyre rolled out of the ring and grabbed the title belt. Cody ripped it out of his hands and tossed it to the ref. That opened him up for a Claymore kick, but McIntyre could only get a two count. Rhodes rolled out of the ring and McIntyre set him up in front of the announce table. Rhodes caught him with a fist in the gut and put them both back in the ring.
McIntrye then knocked Rhodes off the ring apron and through the announce table looking for a countout, but Rhodes made it back at 9.5. McIntyre set himself up for another Claymore, but Rhodes ducked it. McIntyre tried a future shock, but Rhodes dodged and went up the turnbuckles. Before he could do anything though, his knee buckled and he fell to the mat clutching it.
Rhodes tried again and hit a supercutter, but McIntyre kicked out at two. Rhodes set up CrossRhodes, but McIntyre kicked him in the face and sent him into the corner, squashing the official in the process. McIntyre hit a Glasgow Kiss, but the ref was still out. Using that to his advantage, McIntyre grabbed the belt again.
McIntyre went to hit Rhodes with it, but Rhodes ducked and the two collided with crossbodies in the center of the ring. The ref continued to nap.
McIntyre went for the belt again, but Rhodes managed to DDT him on the belt and then throw it out of the ring. The ref then began to stir in time to see Rhodes hit a CrossRhodes and get the pin to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Match Result: Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre
Decent match from these two to kick things off. There were more than a couple moments where I thought that McIntyre had it in the bag, but Rhodes pulled it off nicely. I give it 7 Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s out of 6.
WWE Women’s Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton [c] vs Jade Cargill
In January, Stratton cashed in the Money in the Bank contract on Nia Jax to put the title on her shoulder. She’s sucessfully defended it against Jax, Charlotte Flair and WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Stratton also beat Cargill at Summerslam. However, that wasn’t enough for Cargill who stepped in to save Stratton from an attack by Giulia and Kiana James, only to turn on the champion and lay a beating on her. It was a subtle move, but she seemed to to be communicating that she wanted another title shot. Because wrestling, she got it and here we are.
Before the match, Smackdown GM Nick Aldis checked on Stratton to make sure she was 100% for the match. She said she was. Hey, that’s great. Extremely relevant actor and comedian Pauly Shore was shown in the audience, as was Post Malone. Expect to see him vs Jelly Roll at Summerslam next year.
Right off the bell, Stratton jumped Cargill. Cargill easily reversed it though and began sweeping legs and throwing stomps. She grabbed Stratton and flattened her with a huge chokeslam. Gargill then hit a pumphandle flip slam for a two count.
Cargill threw Stratton across the ring and into the corner. She charged, but Stratton moved. Stratton went up top, but Cargill knocked her into a tree of woe, wrenching the knee of Stratton. Cargill pulled Stratton out of the ring and dropped her headfirst onto the ring apon (the prettiest part of the ring!).
Cargill laid Stratton out on the stairs, but Stratton caught her and tripped her face first into the steps. Stratton threw Cargill into the ring and went up top again, but Cargill met her there. Statton threw Cargill off and hit a swanton, but only got a two count.
Clutching her bandaged knee, Stratton got up, but Cargill clotheslined her back down and hit a blue thunder bomb for the customary two count. Cargill landed a fallaway slam and then another, keeping the pace in her favour. She hit another, but Stratton kicked out at two.
Cargill hit a sit out powerbomb for another two count, then a pair of Power Bomb Classic’s. Cargill hit a Jaded and then sat on Stratton for the 1-2-3 to become the new WWE Women’s Champion!
Match Result: Jade Cargill defeated Tiffany Stratton
Good for Cargill! She’s got money written all over her and it’s time she ascended to that upper echelon. She was aggressive and powerful through the whole match. Stratton did a good job making a fight out of it and the Cargill era is here. 16 Addison Barger’s out of 10
During the break, it was announced that the next Saturday Night’s Main Event (and the preceding Smackdown) will come from my hometown of Montreal, Quebec! If I start the GoFundMe now, I might be able to afford tickets!
Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match: Dominik Mysterio [c] vs Penta vs Rusev
Can we all just agree that Mysterio is the best thing going in WWE right now? Ok, good. What we didn’t know at the time was when Dom was up on that pole 20 years ago, he got a great view of what Rey Mysterio and his real father Eddie Guerrero were doing in the ring. He’s channelled that into multiple titles including the AAA Mega Championship and the WWE Intercontinental Title.
On Raw, Rusev and Penta had their Intercontinental Title No. 1 Contenders match interrupted by the arrival of their Starbucks order as El Grande Americano, Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano attacked them. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce threw up his hands and said “all right, everybody into the pool!” and made this Triple Threat Match.
As the bell rang, Rusev and Penta attacked Mysterio, taking turns stomping and punching him. Mysterio rolled out and Rusev dropkicked Penta. Rusev went for the cover, but Mysterio returned and broke up the count. Rusev put Penta out and turned his attention to Mysterio, suplexing him repeatedly.
Rusev picked up Mysterio like a small child and threw him across the ring like a small child. Mysterio rolled out of the ring, Rusev followed and Mysterio put his head into the ring post. Penta dove through the ropes and took out Rusev. Then Mysterio did the same and took out Penta.
Back in the ring, Penta and Mysterto battled in the corner with Penta delivering his drop headstand kick for a pin attempt. Rusev pulled Penta out of the ring and threw a lariat before tossing him into the barricade. He threw Penta into the barricade again and Mysterio dove at Rusev through the ropes. Rusev caught him and slammed his head onto the newly-repaired announce desk.
Rusev took a moment to connect with the Intercontinental Title Belt, saying “I’m coming for you” before entering the ring and kicking Mysterio in the back. Rusev went for a lariat, but Mysterio tripped him and went for a 619. Rusev caught him though and slapped on the Accolade. Panta broke that up with a superkick to Rusev.
Penta hit a backbreaker for a two count and then threw some kicks at Rusev as he tried to stand up. Penta went for a springboard, but Rusev caught him and slammed him for a two count of his own. Rusev set up Penta on the top turnbuckle, but Penta fought out of it. Rusev pulled Penta off the ropes, seemingly hurting his knee.
Mysterio brought a chair into the ring and pulling a page from his real father, threw it at Rusev and pretended he hit him. The ref did nothing, since there is not DQ in tha triple threat. Pentat took out Mysterio with a Mexican Destroyer then hit a tornado DDT on DDT on Rusev.
Penta went for a Destroyer on Rusev, but he caught him and hit an Alabama Slam. Penta hit a big sit out driver, but Rusev kicked out at two. Penta went up top again and leapt off, but Rusev caught him with a kick to the gut. He put the accolade on. and the bell rang!
Everyone seemed very confused, with Rusev thinking he won, but the camera caught Mysterio with a hammer in his hand. He hit the bell to cause a distraction. That made Rusev very very mad and he ragdolled Mysterio around the outside of the ring.
Mysterio shoved Rusev into the steel steps and then climbed back into the ring with the bell hammer. Penta stopped him though, grabbed the hammer and went to hit Mysterio. Mysterio ducked and Penta took out Rusev with the hammer. Mysterio took out Penta and then hit a frog splash on Rusev to get the pin and retain the Intercontinental Title.
Match Result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Penta and Rusev
Very fun match! It did not drag anywhere like a lot of Triple Threats can. Penta and Rusev would have both been great IC Champs, but Mysterio continues to steal the show. From the Eddie chair spot to the ringing of the bell, he’s pure entertainment. 27 George Springers out of 10.
Next, a promo aired for December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event aired, speculating on who John Cena’s final opponent will be. It was announced that starting one week from Monday (November 10th), at RAW in Boston, a 16-man “The Last Time Is Now” tournament will begin, with the winner facing Cena in his final bout. What was intriguing, was it mentioned the possibility of the tournament including someone (or someones)”who doesn’t even work here.”
PS – how do you not call it “The Last Tournament Is Now”
WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: CM Punk vs Jey Uso
A few RAW’s back, Punk beat Jey Uso and LA Knight to receive the right to face Seth Rollins for his World Heavyweight Title. Unfortunately, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed decided they had enough of Rollins’ giant should pads and turned on him, delivering a beating so bad that Rollins was put out of action with a totally real maybe for sure kinda legit injury (you never know with Seth. We’ve been fooled before).
Anyway, RAW General Manager and plaid sport coat enthusiast Adam Pierce stripped Rollins of the title and the next week, Uso earned his way back into the hunt by winning a Battle Royal. So that brings us to tonight where Uso looks to regainthe title and Punk wants to get a taste of his first gold since returning to WWE almost two years ago.
Lillian Garcia did her thing and the crowd was clearly behind Punk, even though there was a lot of Yeeters out there. The bell rang and we were off. Punk a Uso circled each other, both looking for an opening. Uso blinked first and the two tied up.
Punk ran Uso into the corner and backed off, leading to another tie up, which the ref broke up in the corner. Uso gave Punk a little shove and Punk tried to quickly hit a GTS, but Uso wriggled out of it. They tied up again, this time with Punk working Uso’s arm with a wristlock.
Punk went for a cover, but only a two. He put a headlock on Uso and transitioned to working the arm again. He came off the ropes, but Uso intercepted with a crossbody. Uso stomped Punk, keeping him off his feet. Uso wrestled Punk to the mat, but couldn’t get a count.
Uso seemed confused with the crowd started chanting “CM Punk” and it opened him up for Punk to try to get another GTS. He didn’t and Uso rolled out of the ring.
After a moment, Uso climbed back in through the ropes and tied up again. Punk started throwing forearms and dopped a few elbows for good measure. Punk hit a neckbreaker, but couldn’t get a cover. Uso seemed dazed as Punk started throwing chops. Punk charged and Uso caught him in a Samoan Drop that was so hard, it took Uso’s shirt off.
Uso went for a spear, but Punk caught him and hit another neckbreaker. The pace of the match was slow and controlled by Punk, who put a crossface on Uso in the middle of the ring. Uso fought out of it and thew hands. Punk sent him off the ropes, but Uso grabbed them and Pink drop-kicked the air.
Punk grabbed Uso and connected with a GTS, but Uso fell out of the ring with the momentum. Instead of just going and getting him, Punk decided to stay shocked for a few minutes. He jumped out and grabbed a water bottle, dumped it on Uso to wake him up, and then thew him back in the ring. Weird.
Punk hit a suplex on a limp and dazed Uso, but could only get a two. Punk put Uso on the top turnbuckle and tried for a superplex. Uso blocked it though and headbutted Punk back to the mat. Uso went for a stomp, but Punk moved out of the way. Not missing a beat, Uso threw a bunch of right hands, knocking Punk down in the corner.
He thew a hip at Punk and went for a spear, but Punk caught him with a GTS attempt. Uso got out of it and hit the spear and then an Uso Splash, but Punk kicked out at two. Uso went back up top, but Punk met him with a fist. Punk landed a superplex, but took a bunch of damage to do it.
The two traded blows in the center of the ring. Punk came out on top, throwing Uso into the ropes and hitting him with a clothesline and then a dropkick. Punk threw a high knee into a bulldog and called for the GTS.
He got Uso on his shoulders, but Uso got out of it and superkicked Punk out of the ring. He followed that with a suicide dive and the ref started counting. Uso got back in first and the Punk followed to reset the count. Punk then rolled out on the other side to catch his breath.
Uso climbed out and charged, hitting a spear and driving Punk through the barricades. Uso dragged Punk back into the ring and hit another Uso splash, but Punk got the knees up. He hoisted Uso up and hit a GTS, but Uso kicked out at 2.5!
Punk set up Uso for a piledriver, but Uso countered and hit a GTS on Punk! Then Punk got up and hit Uso with a spear! Punk got to his feet first and hit another GTS on Uso, who collapsed onto Punk’s shoulders. Uso was playing possum though and locked in a sleeper hold in the center of the ring!
Punk rolled it over into an anaconda vise but Uso grabbed the ropes, breaking the hold. Punk dragged him back to the center of the ring and Uso hit a pair of superkicks. he went for a spear, but Punk caught him for a pair of GTS’s. With that, Punk pinned Uso to get the victory and become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion!
Match Result: CM Punk defeated Jey Uso
Fun show! Not quite PLE-level, but definitely better than the average TV show. Lots happened, the matches had stakes and there was no sure fire winners, with each victory being well earned. 50 Trey Yesavage’s out of 25. Also, apologies again to Goldberg, we just ran out of time.
WOL: Are Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens the same character?
Image: WWE
It’s the Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.
Drew McIntyre stood tall over Cody Rhodes to end their SNME contract signing on Friday’s WWE SmackDown.
The story for tonight is “Drew is in Cody’s head.” Didn’t Kevin Owens play mind games with Cody, too?
KO and Drew are very similar characters: heels who tell the truth and seemingly challenge for the WWE Title at least once a year. Are Drew and Owens pretty much the same character?
Plus, Jim talks the NJPW Super Junior Tag League, CMLL, AEW Collision, WWE Universe vs. The Sickos, Mike Rotunda and more.
Check it out.
WWE SmackDown live results: Saturday Night’s Main event contract signing
The final WWE SmackDown before Saturday Night’s Main Event will see WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre interact one final time before their title bout.
Last week, McIntyre defeated Jimmy Uso in a no DQ match and then got the upper hand on Rhodes after a post-match altercation. The champion and challenger will have a contract signing tonight as the Scotsman hopes to gain one last bit of momentum ahead of taking on Rhodes.
Jade Cargill will address her actions from last week when she attacked WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton after fending off Giulia and Kiana James. Cargill is challenging Stratton for the title tomorrow night.
Alexa Bliss will face Nia Jax after she took exception to Jax’s insinuation that she’d be disloyal to her WWE Women’s Tag Champion partner Charlotte Flair.
After Pretty Deadly’s Kit Wilson accused Carmelo Hayes of giving off “toxic masculinity” backstage, Hayes and Wilson will go one-on-one.
Plus, Ilja Dragunov issues a United States Championship open challenge.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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– Following the WWE signature, we went to shots of Salt Lake City, as well as shots of Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Nia Jax, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, as well as Jade Cargill (dressed as the Punisher).
– We went to a recap of Jade Cargill’s attack on WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton from last week. Michael Cole and Corey Graves then welcomed us to tonight’s show before Stratton interrupted.
Tiffany Stratton opens SmackDown
Stratton demanded that Jade Cargill come out to fight her now until SmackDown GM Nick Aldis asked that she back down as there was to be no physical contact before tomorrow night.
Cargill appeared as GM Aldis had security come out to prevent physicality. She said that she tasted her own blood last week and it only made her hungry to become the WWE Women’s Champion. Cargill vowed to end “Tappy Time” tomorrow night as Stratton tried to come at her. Security got in the way and prevented any physicality to happen.
Kind of a nothing segment and didn’t really do anything to build towards the Cargill/Stratton title match for tomorrow.
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– After receiving Halloween candy from R-Truth dressed as Santa Claus, the Motor City Machine Guns were confronted by Solo Sikoa. This led to a match between the MCMGs and the MFTs made for later tonight.
U.S. Title Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Nathan Frazer
As Fraxiom was entering for the Open Challenge, Tommasso Ciampa stormed past the two and was upset about not getting picked. Dragunov interrupted and told Ciampa that Frazer would get the opportunity as he got him to leave.
Once the match started, Dragunov struck Frazer in the corner but found himself floored by an enzuigiri. Frazer followed that up with a suicide dive on Dragunov. Back in the ring, Frazer used his agility to briefly stymy the U.S. Champion, but a Dragunov chop put a stop to that. We went to commercial after Frazer went face-first onto the commentary table.
We returned from the break with Dragunov connecting with the repeated German suplexes on Frazer. He managed two before Frazer landed on his feet on the third. Frazer leapt off the middle rope with an amazing reverse DDT followed by a shooting star for the near-fall.
Frazer’s kick was blocked by Dragunov, who dropped him with a standing uranage. That wasn’t enough to end this Open Challenge. Dragunov tried to jump at Frazer, but found himself flying over the top rope. A missed senton by Dragunov allowed for Frazer to land a frog splash, but that only got a near-fall as we took a second break in the action.
Action resumed with Dragunov attempting a powerbomb, but Frazer managed to stun him with a kick. On the top rope, Frazer had Dragunov set up for a Frankensteiner. After a struggle, Frazer nailed it as he had Dragunov on the backfoot with a dropkick outside the ring. He then took off from the top with a Phoenix Splash. One, two…. Dragunov barely kicked out!
After he battered Dragunov with punches, Frazer tried to go to the top rope again. The U.S. Champion chopped at Frazer’s knee, which let him connect with a middle rope suplex. Frazer miraculously kicked out at two after that high-risk move. This war of attrition ended with Dragunov finishing Frazer off with a powerbomb, followed by the H-Bomb for the three.
Post-match, after Dragunov showed respect for Frazer’s effort, Tommasso Ciampa attacked the defeated challenger outside the ring. Axiom and Johnny Gargano made their way down to the ring as a brawl erupted between the teams.
Ilja Dragunov def. Nathan Frazer via pinfall to retain the United States Championship
A fantastic Open Challenge match as Frazer got his time to shine and looked incredibly strong in defeat.
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– Backstage, as Fraxiom and #DIY were brawling, Dragunov was confronted by Tama Tonga, who did his signature “yeah yeah yeah” taunt while he had the U.S. Title in hand.
Kit Wilson vs. Carmelo Hayes
Wilson got the advantage early with a flying elbow to Hayes, as he pulled at his head and then stomped on the back of the head. Wilson hit a swingng DDT.
Hayes fought back with a chop followed by a hurricanrana. Wilson retreated from the ring, but got dropped by a vaulting press from Hayes. Outside the ring, The Miz threw Hayes into the ringpost with the ref distracted. This allowed Wilson a temporary advantage, but Hayes won out with the First 48.
Post-match, The Miz snuck up on Hayes and delivered a Skull-Crushing Finale.
Carmelo Hayes def. Kit Wilson via pinfall
Nothing really to write home about in terms of a match, and this Miz/Hayes feud is alright, I suppose.
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– Sami Zayn asked to have the Motor City Machine Guns’ back, but Nick Aldis told him to stand down. Cody Rhodes showed up and had some friendly words with Zayn before Mr. Aldis asked Rhodes bluntly if he had something to do with the attack on Jacob Fatu two weeks ago. Rhodes denied it, and was then asked by Aldis if he read the contract for the Saturday Night’s Main Event match.
Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss
Jax took a cheap shot at Bliss while she was conversing with Flair to start off the match. Jax crushed Bliss in the corner as she held the upper hand to start off here. Jax missed on an elbow, which gave Bliss an openingS
Bliss got caught and thrown into the ringpost by Jax. A missed running hip charge across the apron caused Jax to crash into the ringpost. However, outside the ring, Jax took control once again by tossing Bliss into the barricade. This took us into commercial.
The match continued from the break as Bliss dodged a running hip strike in the corner. Bliss chopped away at Jax’s leg and kept her grounded with a kick to the head. Jax ran into the steel post again, which stunned her. Bliss headed up to the top rope, but was caught for the Samoan Drop by Jax for the near-fall.
Bliss was dragged into the corner as she was in the drop zone for the Annihilator, but Charlotte Flair got on the apron and created a distraction, this let Bliss drop Jax with a kick and pick up the win.
Alexa Bliss def. Nia Jax via pinfall
Just a standard underdog vs. giant match as Bliss got the win with the help of her tag partner.
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– Rey Fenix challenged Solo Sikoa to a match. Instead, Sikoa offered Talla Tonga to face him next week instead. Fenix slapped Talla in the face afterwards.
– The WrestleMania 42 teaser was shown.
– Damian Priest said that Aleister Black will feel his punishment soon enough.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Card:
- Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
- Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta vs. Rusev
- World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
- WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill
The M.F.T.s (JC Mateo & Tama Tonga) (w/ Talla Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Solo Sikoa) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
The Machine Guns had the upper hand early with a double team assault that kept Mateo and Tama on their toes heading into the commercial break.
We returned from the break as Tama held Shelley in a resthold as the MFTs held the advantage now. Shelley escaped with a Flatliner to the middle turnbuckle to Mateo, which allowed him to tag Sabin in.
Sabin was a force as he held his own against Mateo and Tonga. Shelley had the clear for the suicide dive. A Solo Sikoa distraction allowed Tanga Loa to dump Shelley from the top rope, followed by the not-so-hidden blade of Tama Tonga’s Cutthroat for the MFT victory.
Sikoa had the MFTs attack the Machine Guns after the match, as Rey Fenix and Shinsuke Nakamura tried to make the save, but fell victim to the MFTs’ numbers game.
The MFTs def. Motor City Machine Guns via pinfall
Standard tag match followed by a standard beatdown by the “Bloodline with a new hat” afterwards. Not much home to write about.
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Next Week on SmackDown
- Talla Tonga vs. Rey Fenix
- Ilja Dragunov’s U.S. Title Open Challenge
- Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax
Cody Rhodes/Drew McIntyre contract signing
Nick Aldis introduced Rhodes first to the ring. Once Rhodes entered, he took the microphone as he wished Salt Lake City a Happy Halloween. Aldis then introduced Rhodes’ Saturday Night’s Main Event opponent, Drew McIntyre. Once both men were in the ring, Mr. Aldis asked them to sign the contract.
McIntyre refused to do so, while Rhodes did so without question. The Scotsman said he would not sign such a “lopsided” contract as he complained that if he were to be disqualified or counted out, Rhodes would keep the title.
Aldis stated that he had enough of McIntyre’s whining as there were many others in the back that would gladly do it. As McIntyre walked out, Rhodes called him out and said that maybe McIntyre wants it where if he were to be counted out or disqualified, the title will change hands.
Despite Aldis’ protestations, he agreed the new terms. McIntyre again boasted about how he was the “real” American Dream as opposed to Rhodes. The Undisputed WWE Champion admitted that McIntyre may have created the blueprint that many followed. Rhodes said where he and McIntyre differ was when he was fed up with WWE, while Drew got fired. “Nice guys used to finish last, ‘til I showed up,” said Rhodes.
McIntyre again whined and riled up Rhodes by invoking his daughter’s name. In the chaos, Rhodes was again blasted by a Claymore from the Scotsman. McIntyre then powerbombed him through the table. McIntyre talked trash some more as the Levesque & Fitting producer credits ended the night.
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A fine enough contract segment to end a rathee weak SNME go-home show. McIntyre standing tall does not bode well for his chances of winning.
The rest of the show was just there, but seek out the Dragunov vs. Axiom Open Challenge match. That was my highlight of the night.
WOL: The lasting legacy of WrestleFest, major women’s matches this weekend
It’s time for the Saturday edition of Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.
There are major women’s matches around the world this weekend with CMLL’s International Grand Prix and Mayu Iwatani vs. IYO Sky in Marigold. Plus, there’s two women’s title matches on tonight’s NXT Halloween Havoc.
Speaking of the women, Jade Cargill turned heel on WWE SmackDown and it’s probably for the best. Also, why was Jimmy Uso on SmackDown? Seems sus.
Why do some people have such an unhealthy disdain for Mercedes Mone?
Jim wraps up by discussing the enduring legacy of WrestleFest. He talks to Mike Hermann of Retrosoft Studios about RetroMania Wrestling inspired by WrestleFest and the new DLC featuring Randy Savage, Demolition, and more.
An extra long, packed show. Check it out.
Click Here to Listen (sub needed)
Jade Cargill turns against Tiffany Stratton, title match set for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
A match for the WWE Women’s title is now set for Saturday Night’s Main Event following a big angle on SmackDown.
After defeating Kiana James on Friday, Tiffany Stratton was attacked by Giulia until Jade Cargill came out for the save. But once the coast was clear, Cargill blindsided Stratton with a clothesline. She then continued the attack, throwing her to the floor and sending Stratton into the steel steps and across the announcer’s table. Officials attempted to stop the assault but Cargill persisted, finishing things off by ramming her foot onto Stratton’s ankle on the steel steps. The segment ended with Cargill holding the WWE Women’s title, the title match for Saturday Night’s Main Event becoming official later in the show.
Following the assault, Cathy Kelly asked Cargill why she did it and if she was afraid of the consequences. She responded by saying she made a mistake in thinking that the world rewards patience, it rewards power. And she was no longer going to ask for it, she will take the WWE Women’s Championship from Stratton.
The two had been friendly towards one another leading up to Friday, even after Stratton defeated Queen of the Ring winner Cargill at SummerSlam this past August. In September, the two along with Nia Jax squared off for the WWE Women’s Championship in a triple threat match, with Stratton again emerging as the winner.
Saturday Night’s Main Event (November 1)
- WWE World Heavyweight title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso
- WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
- WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
Jade Cargill shares photo of WWE SmackDown injury
Jade Cargill was busted open on WWE SmackDown Friday night.
Tiffany Stratton defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Cargill and Nia Jax in a three-way headlined last night’s show in Orlando, Florida. Cargill was busted open after being sent into the steps at ringside by Jax. She posted a photo to Instagram showing a large gash above her left eye.
She captioned the post with, “Don’t question the love I have for this game.”
The finish of Cargill vs. Stratton vs. Jax on last night’s SmackDown drew a negative reaction from the live fans after the referee held up her count at two even though Jax didn’t appear to kick out or raise her shoulder on Stratton’s pin attempt. Moments later, Stratton hit Jax with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to retain her title. Stratton will now face Stephanie Vaquer at Crown Jewel.
WWE SmackDown live results: Women’s title triple threat
Tiffany Stratton defends her WWE Women’s Championship against both Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in a triple threat match as part of tonight’s WWE SmackDown from the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.
Stratton last defended her title two weeks ago in a no contest against Cargill due to a Jax attack. An altercation between the three last week led to Nick Aldis making this match for tonight. It will determine who heads to Crown Jewel: Perth to face Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer.
After defending his WWE title at Wrestlepalooza against Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes will appear on tonight’s show to address his upcoming Crown Jewel match against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
United States Champion Sami Zayn will hold another open challenge after successfully retaining against Carmelo Hayes last week.
The card is rounded out by Michin & B-Fab joining forces to take on Women’s United States Champion Giulia & Kiana James in tag team action.
The show began with the updated WWE signature open introduced this week. We then got shots of Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Nia Jax, and Sami Zayn arriving to the Kia Center.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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– Michael Cole welcomed us to tonight’s show as Booker T was introduced as his partner on commentary for tonight. Cole then tossed to a recap of what happened at last Saturday’s Wrestlepalooza.
Paul Heyman opens SmackDown
After the Wrestlepalooza recap ended, we returned to the arena with Paul Heyman in the ring. He did his usual “ladies and gentlemen” introduction as he said he’d paraphrase a pseudo-de facto secondary champion, “So, Orlando, what do you want to talk about?” Heyman asked if we’d like to talk about the World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins as the fans chanted “O.T.C.” at him.
Heyman said he’d love to talk about to Roman Reigns, but it’s disrespectful to speak of the injured after he got stretchered out of Paris following Bronson Reed’s attack. He then asked if we should talk about the man who will main event WrestleMania into the 2030s and 2040s, Bron Breakker. Heyman then turned his attention to the conspiracy theories and rumors about Brock Lesnar. Before Heyman could go on further, the theme of Cody Rhodes cut him off.
The Undisputed WWE Champion made his way down to the ring as the Orlando crowd cheered him on. Once Rhodes got into the ring, he took a mic and asked if we all got a chance to watch the Wrestlepalooza recap. He said that he made a mistake last week in calling Paul Heyman a “goon”. Rhodes called Heyman the most smartest man that he knows as he said that he’d go ahead and ask the question: tell him more about Brock Lesnar. Rhodes then had a still from Wrestlepalooza of Heyman introducing Lesnar before the match.
Rhodes said that the face on Heyman last Saturday, that it wasn’t the face of a guy treating it as a one-night thing. He asked Heyman if he was talking to the Oracle, to the Wiseman, or the Advocate? Heyman responded by saying that Rhodes was talking to the GOAT and that he respected him for confronting him about Brock Lesnar. He said that when Lesnar is around, everyone will be in danger. Heyman mentioned that Lesnar is not here, but the bad news for Rhodes, he’s got others here instead as Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed appeared.
As Breakker and Reed faced down the Undisputed WWE Champion, Rhodes tried to give the two advice as he asked “who is Paul Heyman loyal to?” Rhodes said he didn’t know for sure, but he said that it ain’t to the Brons. This then led to Rhodes attempting to fight the Vision’s deadly duo, but the numbers game got the better of him. Randy Orton made the save as he took the fight to Breakker and Reed. Orton delivered an RKO on Reed, while Rhodes clotheslined Breakker out of the ring.
An interesting open to this week’s show, and again, I’m left cold at the idea of seeing another Brock Lesnar match, as they teased a potential title match with him against Cody Rhodes. As for the now, it seems we’ll likely get Rhodes and Randy Orton fighting The Vision soon.
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WWE Tag Team Title No. 1 Contenders Match: The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. Melo Don’t Miz (Carmelo Hayes & The Miz)
The match got underway with Ford and Miz as the legal men. As Ford tried to get at Hayes on the apron, Miz attempted to get an early rollup pin, to no avail. Hayes tagged in and tried to keep things going for his team, but he ate a high knee to the face from Ford. Dawkins entered the match as Miz tried to get involved. Miz got thrown onto a downed Hayes for his troubles. At ringside, Dawkins tried for a running attack, but was met by a dropkick by Hayes, as the action went to a break.
We returned to the action as Miz drilled Ford with a kneeling DDT for the near-fall. The cohesive unit of Hayes and Miz continued to work over Ford as they grounded him with an assisted double-team clothesline in their corner. With Ford struggling to get himself back up, Miz taunted Dawkins in the corner, but paid for it with a kick to the face from Ford.
Hayes got the tag as he delivered a cheap shot to Dawkins on the Street Profits corner. Meanwhile, Ford attempted to fight his way out of enemy territory and managed to do so after sending Miz out of the ring. Ford tried to tag Dawkins, but Miz pulled Dawkins from the outside. This allowed Hayes to hit Ford with the First 48. Hayes headed up top and looked for Nothin’ But Net, but Miz once again selfishly tagged himself in. This gave Ford the opening to get the tag on Hayes.
The Street Profits took command as Dawkins rocked Miz with his corkscrew elbow followed by a spinning neckbreaker. With Ford as the legal man, he took to the skies with his From the Heavens frog splash. As Ford pinned Miz, Hayes didn’t seem to be in a hurry to break up the pin as the Street Profits became No. 1 contenders for The Wyatt Sicks’ WWE Tag Titles.
After the match, The Wyatt Sicks appeared in front of the commentary table and simply stared down the victorious duo of Ford and Dawkins.
The Street Profits def. Melo Don’t Miz via pinfall
That was a decent match to start off the in-ring action tonight, and it seems we’re getting forward movement with the Miz/Hayes breakup if that finish is any indication, so it’s a win all around.
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– As Jade Cargill was interviewed ahead of her triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship, the Women’s World Heavyweight Champion, Stephanie Vaquer confronted her. Cargill said that storm would be coming Vaquer’s way at Crown Jewel. Vaquer responded by saying that she’d be ready.
Giulia & Kiana James vs. Michin & B-Fab
B-Fab opened the match by blasting James with some strikes, before she got taken down by a clothesline from the business associate of Giulia. B-Fab responded with a dropkick to James as she tagged Michin in. James managed to get the drop on Michin, which allowed Giulia to be tagged in. The Women’s U.S. Champion struck Michin with a kick, but was met with a hurricanrana by her hated rival. The tag was made to B-Fab, who kept Giulia grounded with a double team move.
Outside the ring, Giulia rolled out for the retreat and things broke down with the Women’s U.S. Champion getting waylaid by a dropkick from the commentary table by Michin, which took us into the commercial break halfway through this one.
SmackDown returned with B-Fab in trouble as James and Giulia teed off with a big boot, followed by a missile dropkick. James re-entered the match and maintained the upper hand on B-Fab with a punch. A missed elbow dropped allowed B-Fab to create some separation as she desperately tried to go for a tag to Michin. One final side kick from B-Fab finally got the hot tag from Michin.
Michin dropped James with a DDT, using Giulia as a base. As things broke down, Michin hit James with Eat Defeat, but that sent her to Giulia’s corner, which allowed the Women’s U.S. Champion to make the tag. Giulia flattened Michin with the Arrivederci Knee, followed by a Northern Lights Bomb with some added sauce for the pin and win.
Giulia & Kiana James def. Michin & B-Fab via pinfall
A fine enough tag match, but I’m kind of tired of the very limited Women’s U.S. Title picture where it seems like it’s just Michin as a frequent challenger to whoever is the champion. I think this is where some NXT call ups to bolster SmackDown’s women’s roster would do the most good. Giulia certainly deserves better than fighting the same two people every so often.
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– Backstage, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair were confronted by Zaria and Sol Ruca, who wanted to call their shot for the WWE Women’s Tag Titles. Bliss told the two that they needed to prove themselves as she told Zaria and Ruca to get in line. After the NXT duo left, Flair expressed joy in seeing Bliss telling off Zaria and Ruca the way she did.
– A preview for Crown Jewel was shown highlight the matches we’d be seeing, including Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins for the Men’s Crown Jewel Champion, plus John Cena vs. AJ Styles.
Drew McIntyre on his Wrestlepalooza defeat
McIntyre appeared with a walking boot following his loss at Wrestlepalooza.
McIntyre said that Orlando held a special place in him, as he talked about making his WWE return here, winning his 2nd WWE Championship in front of a bunch of screen. He then talked about how he should’ve been here as the new WWE Champion as he proceeded to got mad about the referee getting in the way at Wrestlepalooza. McIntyre claimed that the referee was being paid off by Cody Rhodes as Nick Aldis soon interrupted him.
Aldis said that McIntyre was making too many excuses, and that to acknowledge that people won some and lose some. As McIntyre continued to complain about the WWE medical team being supposedly on the Cody Rhodes payroll, Aldis said that he was done and left the surly Scotsman to his own devices. Before McIntyre could continue on, the returning Jacob Fatu interrupted him unexpectedly. Fatu marched his way down to the ring and confronted McIntyre face to face.
Fatu snatched the microphone from McIntyre and told him to “shut his ass up” and to “stop bitching”. He said that McIntyre came out every week to cry, complain and blame everyone else for his wrong doing. Fatu told him to sit his peg-leg ass down. McIntyre had his turn yelled at him for trying to put him out. As Fatu was doing his usual “all gas and no brakes” spiel, McIntyre surprised him with a headbutt. Fatu answered with a superkick to the face of McIntyre before he ripped the walking boot off of the Scotsman’s foot. Fatu then kayoed McIntyre with the boot as he left him laying.
This Fatu/McIntyre feud has the potential to be very interesting, so this has my full, undivided attention for when this match goes down.
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– While Tiffany Stratton was getting ready for the main event triple threat match, Stephanie Vaquer sized up her potential Crown Jewel challenger, like she did with Jade Cargill earlier.
– Sami Zayn was chatting with Fenix as he prepared for his U.S. Title Open Challenge match up next. He said he didn’t know who he’d be facing, as it could be anyone from Raw or SmackDown, or even NXT, as they’re in Orlando. Shinsuke Nakamura was briefly seen in the background watching Zayn in the shadows.
– We got another vignette for Solo Sikoa’s M.F.T. that focused on J.C. Mateo. Sikoa said that Mateo was loyal to him and that he’d be rewarded as long as he was part of the Family Tree.
U.S. Title Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Je’von Evans
Zayn’s challenger in the Open Challenge was revealed to be Je’von Evans from NXT. Evans’ opponent at NXT No Mercy tomorrow, Josh Briggs, was seen in the crowd watching.
The two combatants locked up to start as Evans dodged Zayn acrobatically before he got thrown around by arm drags from the U.S. Champion. In the corner, Zayn lifted Evans back up as the chain wrestling battle continued between the two. In the corner, Evans delivered a chop to the chest of Zayn and backed off. In response, Zayn got in some chops of his own on Evans. The NXT young gun answered with a high-flying springboard clothesline, folowed by a leaping rana off the top rope. Evans sent Zayn to the outside and looked like he was about to take flight. Zayn put a stop to that with a hard lariat that took us into the commercial break.
We returned with Zayn literally having Evans on the ropes with a chop. The challenger fought out and threw Zayn outside of the ring before he finally connected with a soaring dive over the top rope on the U.S. Champion. In the ring, Evans countered a Blue Thunder Bomb attempt and answered with a springboard enzuigiri that took Zayn out. On the top rope, Zayn and Evans had a skirmish, with the former winning out by sending the latter.
Zayn tried to go for a diving move off the top, but Evans ran up and delivered an avalanche hurricanrana that nearly won him the U.S. Title. In the corner, Evans tried to run at Zayn, but got caught with the Exploder Suplex. A Helluva Kick attempt was intercepted by a dropkick on the button by Evans. Another attempt at the Helluva Kick was once again countered by Evans, who dodged at the last second. This left Zayn stunned as Evans connected with the OG Cutter. One, two… NO!
Evans headed to apron for a springboard, but miscalculated, as he ended up in the corner as a result following a rollthrough. Zayn made him pay with a Helluva Kick, followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for the one, two, three.
After the match, Zayn congratulated Evans on his effort and got the fans to cheer for the NXT upstart.
Sami Zayn def. Je’von Evans to retain the United States Championship
For the fourth week running, Sami Zayn’s U.S. Title Open Challenge is the highlight of the show. The matches have been fantastic since Zayn began the Open Challenge, and this week was no exception. Je’von Evans is my favorite of NXT’s prospects, and he had a great showing here in this one. Certainly match of the night, for sure.
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– Nia Jax was walking backstage on her way for our main event when Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre attempted to recruit her into the Secret Hervice to fill in for the injured Piper Niven. Jax emphatically rejected the offer by ripping up the flyer that Green gave her. She was then confronted by Stephanie Vaquer, who made it clear that whoever one between Jax, Tiffany Stratton, or Jade Cargill, she’d be ready for them at Crown Jewel.
– Damian Priest was accosted by Kit Wilson, who called him the “personification of toxic masculinity”. Wilson got a bit too pushy in calling Priest toxic, but ended up running into oxygen tanks. Priest turned around and got a Black Mass kick from Aleister Black. With Priest yet again left down and out, Black mockingly wished him a happy birthday before he left.
WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill
The match started off right away as Jax threw Stratton right into Cargill. She then slammed Stratton onto a fallen Cargill. The WWE Women’s Champion struck back with a double dropkick on Cargill and Jax as we took an oddly-placed commercial break just a minute into this main event bout.
We returned to SmackDown’s main event as Stratton flew into Jax with a suicide dive that she did not get all of. Jax recovered and pushed Cargill into the steel steps before she reentered the ring and took aim at Stratton in the corner with running charges. Cargill intercepted Jax with a shove as she then hit a modified pumphandle facebuster on Stratton. Cargill’s pin attempt was broken up by Jax. With Jax in the top rope, Stratton shoved Cargill and attempted a rollup pin. Cargill turned that into a submission hold as Stratton escaped the hold. Stratton tried for the pin, but got out of the way as Jax took off with a legdrop that ended up hitting Cargill instead.
Stratton headed to the top rope and hit a Swanton Bomb on Jax, but got put down with a superkick by Cargill which ended up actually making her fall onto the out-of-it Jax for the pin attempt. As Jax kicked out, we took one more commercial break as the action continued in picture-in-picture on the USA Network feed.
The main event returned from the break as Cargill and Stratton unexpectedly teamed up to deliver a double superplex onto Jax. With Jax still recovering, Stratton took Cargill down with the rolling senton as she then connected with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on the still-knocked out Jax. Cargill easily broke up the pin after avoiding Stratton’s moonsault. In the middle of the ring, Stratton countered Cargill’s powerbomb into a hurricanrana. As Stratton ran towards Cargill in the corner, she was caught and promptly dropped into a modified Jaded. One, two… Nia Jax saved the match by pulling the referee out at the last possible second.
Outside the ring, Cargill cleared the commentary table, but got thrown into the steel steps by Jax. The top half of the steps was cleared as Jax attempted some sort of elevated suplex from the steps. Cargill countered that into a samoan drop onto the base of the steel steps. Cargill was shown to have suffered a cut to her upper eyebrow in the midst of this.
In the ring, Jax got dropped by an Eye of the Storm from Cargill. Stratton broke up the count and tried a pin, which led to a “phantom kickout” from Jax and some miscommunication, as it appeared to be a botched pin. The true finish came when Stratton ended things with a Prettiest Moonsault Ever on Jax, as she retained her WWE Women’s Championship in the SmackDown main event.
After the match, Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer made her way down to the ring to get a better look at her opponent at Crown Jewel in two weeks. We ended the night on the two raising their respective titles and jawjacking at one another.
Tiffany Stratton def. Nia Jax & Jade Cargill to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
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That was a fine main event that seemed to pick up steam a bit as the match neared its conclusion, though the botched finish with the phantom kickout did kind of put a damper on things.
That being said, I liked this week’s SmackDown a lot more than previous weeks, and after a rather mediocre Wrestlepalooza show, that is a miracle in of itself. The in-ring action was mostly great, especially the continuing success of Sami Zayn’s U.S. Title Open Challenge and we got some set ups of interesting matchups to come in the near future. All in all, a better edition of WWE’s Friday night show than what we’ve seen recently.
WWE SmackDown live results: Brock Lesnar appears
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.
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– 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.
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– 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.
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– 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
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– 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.
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– 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.
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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.
Tiffany Stratton addresses criticism of WWE SummerSlam match
Her match received some criticism for how short it was, but Tiffany Stratton was pleased with how things went at WWE SummerSlam 2025.
At night one of this year’s event, Stratton faced off against Jade Cargill with the WWE Women’s Championship on the line. A title change seemed possible, but Stratton instead defeated Cargill in seven minutes to remain champion.
During an appearance on The Babyfaces podcast, Stratton addressed the criticism the match received from fans, saying she felt like seven minutes was all they really needed given that her storyline with Cargill wasn’t some huge blood feud.
“I feel like we didn’t have this like insane life or death story going into SummerSlam, so I didn’t really feel like we needed — like you said — an insane 40-minute long match,” Stratton said. “I thought it was a very competitive match, it was very fast. And I think that’s all we really needed. So I’m actually really pleased with how my match went at SummerSlam with Jade Cargill.”
Stratton noted that she was “so nervous” going into the show because this was her first SummerSlam.
“Going into SummerSlam, I was so nervous. It was my first SummerSlam ever,” she said. “So that alone was just so nerve-wracking. But, thankfully, I pulled through and I beat Little Miss Jade Cargill.”
Stratton has held the WWE Women’s Championship since cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Nia Jax this January. Cargill, Jax, and Giulia have been positioned as three of the top potential challengers in the SmackDown women’s division.
On The Babyfaces podcast, Stratton named Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch as dream opponents she is hoping to face at some point in the future.
Jade Cargill, Naomi pitched using mace, razors at WWE Evolution
Jade Cargill and Naomi really wanted to go all out at WWE Evolution.
During a recent interview with Metro UK, Cargill revealed they had wanted to use mace and razors during their No Holds Barred match and also wanted to brawl through the crowd.
“There was so much we wanted to use,” she said. “We wanted to use mace, that was going to be tough. And then we wanted to use razors, and that was going to be tough, but I welcome it, I’m like ‘razors, let’s do it.'”
“And then we wanted to go in the crowd, so that was a couple things, because women we don’t typically go in the crowd and I love crowd interaction.”
“I wish we were able to use the mace. But we gotta think about the crowd. We don’t want anybody in the crowd to be maced, because mace goes so far,” she added. “That would’ve been wild! The whole front row would have been lit with mace!”
Cargill defeated Naomi in a match that went 11 minutes and 15 seconds and involved a toolbox, chains, trash cans, a TV screen, and tables, but no mace or razor blades. The finish saw Cargill give Naomi an avalanche Jaded through a table before getting the pin. However, Naomi would go on to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase later on the show and win the Women’s World Championship.
Naomi was scheduled to defend her title against IYO SKY on Raw last week, but shortly before the show began it was revealed she was not medically cleared. She’s set to address her situation on Monday’s episode of Raw.
Jade Cargill’s conversation with Metro UK is available below:
WWE SummerSlam night one live results: CM Punk vs. Gunther, Jelly Roll in-ring debut
Date: August 2, 2025
Location: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
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Show Recap —
COUNTDOWN SHOW —
The countdown show is three hours long. Follow here for periodic updates, followed by the live SummerSlam recap tonight and tomorrow.
Michael Cole confirmed that the men’s world title match between Gunther and CM Punk will main event night one of SummerSlam.
The opener will be Roman Reigns and Jey Uso against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed.
Tiffany Stratton did a quick interview with Byron Saxton. She admitted to being nervous because nobody had Jade Cargill’s star power or potential (shouldn’t Stratton think that about herself?), but she still planned on walking out as champion tonight.
Sam Roberts interviewed Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. They dismissed Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss as opponents, and confidently stated they would retain their tag titles tonight.
They killed time by interviewing fans outside the stadium. Two hours to go.
They aired part one of a Jelly Roll interview with Jackie Redmond. He was a huge fan and really wanted to be a part of this period of wrestling (given its current popularity). He wasn’t there to take someone else’s spot. They also focused heavily on his weight-loss journey. (So far, this Jelly Roll interview is the most anyone has been focused on.)
Another celebrity, comedian Druski, joined the panel. He spoke more about his own projects than he did about SummerSlam.
Saxton interviewed some fans dressed as wrestlers and had them do impressions. It was so embarrassing, I had to mute it.
They aired the clip of Triple H doing his water gimmick at the White House.
Joe Tessitore put over WWE: Unreal and claimed it was widely acclaimed (by whom?). Tessitore interviewed Triple H, whom he called the series’ central pillar.
Big E put over the series as well, while admitting the idea of it was polarizing among fans.
Cathy Kelley interviewed Sami Zayn. Zayn was angry. He saw posters around the building for all the big championship matches, which made him angry that he was instead fighting Karrion Kross to prove himself. He congratulated Kross on making him angry. Zayn would end this tonight, “one way or another.”
Big E and Redmond plugged Kross’ biography, coming out soon.
There was a long SummerSlam stats video, which somehow included the number of times Jelly Roll’s album has been streamed. One hour to go.
There was a video package on celebrities getting involved at WWE shows.
They aired part two of Redmond’s interview with Jelly Roll. It included footage of him training at the PC and being put over by Undertaker. He spoke about tonight’s match, and Redmond wished him luck.
If that wasn’t enough, they aired clips (for a second time) of Jelly Roll on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast. Stephanie joined the panel to talk about him more. His goal was to be under 300 lbs for tonight’s match, and she announced he weighed in earlier at 299.
They spoke more about other celebrities and how much they want to be part of WWE now.
There were clips from Unreal.
After a break, the panel spoke about Jelly Roll again.
The panel spoke about the rest of the card as the pre-show came to a close.
SUMMERSLAM 2025 NIGHT ONE —
The footage of wrestlers arriving now has a sponsor attached to it. Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Randy Orton, Jelly Roll, Gunther, and CM Punk were shown arriving.
The SummerSlam intro video was narrated by comedian Druski.
Several wide shots showed how packed MetLife Stadium is. It’s 77 degrees Fahrenheit and partly cloudy.
Cardi B, the host of SummerSlam, entered the ring and she hyped up the crowd (while seemingly reading off cue cards or a teleprompter at ringside).
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Jey Uso entered first at 6:09 pm. He entered through the crowd and stated, “Damn, I’m tired!” as he hit ringside. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed entered to a new remixed version of their two themes.
The opening bell rang at 6:20 pm.
Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman)
Jey and Reign quickly sent the heels from the ring. Jey suggested they play his music again so the crowd could Yeet. Reigns was on board, so they did it. The heels took the opportunity to yank Reigns from the ring, so Jey wiped out every with a dive off the top.
Reed shoved Reigns into the steel steps while Jey hammered away at Breakker, but Breakker ran him over with a sprinting clothesline and the heels quickly took over. As Reigns was about to get back to his feet outside the ring, Breakker ran him over with a chaotic leaping tackle.
There was a funny bit where Breakker held Jey in a rest hold while mock-singing Reigns’ name and singing, “You should have stayed in bed!”
Breakker tried his leaping dive off the apron, but Jey dodged it, and Breakker collided with the announce table. Jey was about to make a hot tag, but Reed pulled Reigns off the apron while Breakker tackled Jey.
Jey gave Reed a DDT and made the hot tag to Reigns, who hit Breakker with clotheslines. With both heels outside the ring, Reigns did a big Undertaker dive to the outside. Reigns almost landed on his head, but he managed to rotate and avoid catastrophe.
Reigns hit Breakker with a Superman punch in the ring, but Reed had made a blind tag, and he ran over Reigns. Jey made his own blind tag and ran wild on Reed until Reed cut him off with a clothesline and DVD for two.
With both babyfaces outside the ring, Reed nailed them with a suicide dive. Reed also took a nasty-looking fall on this one, but he was fine. Breakker decked Jey over the announce table. The heels gave Jey a Steinerizer (with Breakker leaping off the top) for two.
Breakker began running around the ring, but Reigns cut him off with a Superman punch and speared him through the barricade. (It’s a tired spot, but it looked good.)
Reed set up Jey for a Tsunami, but Reigns knocked him down with a Superman punch. Reigns and Jey hit Reed with a 1-D, but Breakker broke up the cover.
Breakker taunted the crowd, put his straps back on before taking them right off. (The crowd popped for that.) Breakker went to spear Jey, but Reigns shoved Jey out of the way and ate the spear instead.
Jey superkicked Breakker and speared Reed. Jey then hit Reed with an Uso splash for the pinfall win. The crowd popped for the win.
(The announcers put over the fact that Reigns sacrificed himself for Jey, not something he would have done in the past.)
Match result: Jey Uso & Roman Reigns defeated Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker (21:05)
This was a perfectly good opener. Reigns’ matches have a certain pattern, and this was no different, but it was at least nice to see some new blood in there—namely, Bron Breakker. Perhaps Bron should have won, but he looked good in the match, and they’ll obviously go back to this soon.
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Druski, Breland, and Fat Joe (who got a nice reaction) were shown in the crowd.
A brand sponsor was also shown in the crowd, and Cole’s ad read was muted on my Netflix broadcast. (The ad reads are usually muted on my feed.)
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The show is almost an hour old, and there’s been just one 20-minute match. The second match began at 6:56 pm.
Charlotte entered first, but remained on the stage for Bliss so they could enter together (to Bliss’ music).
There were stats shown for Rodriguez and Perez, and even that graphic had a sponsor attached.
Women’s Tag Team Championships: Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss
The heels had the heat on Charlotte almost right away. Bliss made a hot tag and went for Sister Abigail, but Perez raked her eyes. Perez missed a springboard moonsault, but Rodriguez tagged herself in.
Bliss dropped Perez with a DDT and went for Twisted Bliss, even though Perez was not the legal woman. Perez “got her knees up,” but Bliss missed anyway and landed on Perez’s feet instead. None of it mattered because Perez wasn’t legal, so Rodriguez decked her with a clothesline.
Charlotte made a hot tag and did her best to fire up the quiet crowd. She hit both opponents with a flying crossbody and followed with chops on Rodriguez. She placed Rodriguez and Perez next to each other and hit a moonsault on both women before covering Rodriguez for two. Charlotte tried to put Rodriguez in a Figure Eight, but Perez hit her with a springboard moonsault.
Bliss jumped in and tried to deck Rodriguez, but Rodriguez moved, and Bliss clobbered Charlotte by mistake. The heels got rid of Bliss before Rodriguez hit Charlotte with a Tejana Bomb. Perez followed with Pop Rox, but Bliss just barely broke up the cover.
Bliss set up Perez for Sister Abigail. Charlotte looked like she wanted to boot Bliss for revenge, but she booted Rodriguez instead so that she couldn’t interfere.
Bliss hit Perez with the Sister Abigail DDT for the pinfall win.
Charlotte embraced Bliss after the match, and they posed with their new title belts as fireworks went off.
Match result: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair defeated Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships (13:35)
This match was ok. The crowd didn’t care early on, but they got into it as it picked up toward the end and popped big for the title change.
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There was a backstage segment to plug their pizza sponsorship. New Day (and Grayson Waller), Alpha Academy, and LWO argued over who should get the last slice of pizza until Nikki Bella entered with three full boxes.
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This match did not get a video package (which is fine).
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett)
About five minutes in, Zayn kicked out of a Saito suplex, so Kross turned to Scarlett for assistance. Scarlett handed Kross a lead pipe and distracted the referee, but Zayn ducked a pipe shot and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall.
A frustrated Zayn repeatedly booted Kross in the ropes, and the referee had to force him off.
Scarlett offered the pipe to Zayn as the ref checked on Kross. Zayn grabbed the pipe and considered using it, but he tossed it out of the ring (which was actually booed).
Kross tried a sudden schoolboy, but Zayn kicked out and hit an exploder in the corner. Zayn followed with a Helluva Kick for the decisive win.
Zayn smiled as he made his way up the ramp.
Match result: Sami Zayn defeated Karrion Kross (8:11)
This was a basic match that was really just about the closing sequence. I think the crowd was expecting a more interesting result, but ultimately, Zayn did what he said he would do and beat Kross straight-up (which was the correct result).
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Cole announced an attendance of 53,161.
Cole honoured Hulk Hogan once more and spoke about his success at SummerSlam. Nick Hogan was shown in the crowd as Hulk’s music played.
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Psycho Clown and Mr. Iguana were shown in the crowd.
There was a clip of Jade Cargill meeting some fans backstage and giving them upgraded seats. This was also a sponsored segment.
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Cargill’s gear were the colours of the Jamaican flag. Both women were cheered during introductions, and they made sure to show Cardi B applauding Cargill.
WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Cargill had the early edge until Stratton bumped her off the paron and hit a suicide dive. Stratton followed with a great-looking senton bomb in the ring. (It looked like she would land on her head, but rotated just in time to hit the move.)
Cargill blocked Stratton’s handspring elbow and followed with a boot and spinning slam for two. They traded moves, which led to Stratton hitting a falcon arrow. Stratton hit a handspring elbow and an Alabama Slam. Stratton tried a moonsault, but Cargill got her boots up.
Cargill hit Jaded and seemed to have the title won, but when she rolled into the cover, Stratton’s foot happened to touch the rope for a rope break. Cargill hit a chokeslam and took Stratton to the corner.
Cargill set up for a Jaded off the middle rope, but Stratton countered into an avalanche hurricanrana of sorts. Stratton followed with the PME for the pinfall win. Stratton wins clean.
Match result: Tiffany Stratton defeated Jade Cargill to retain the WWE Women’s Championship (7:05)
A surprising result. There were some clunky spots, but this was better than expected, and the crowd was into it.
*******
There was a trailer for The Smashing Machine.
Tineke Younger, Cardi B, and Stephanie McMahon were in the crowd. (Cole referred to Stephanie as “legendary,” and I believe they called her that on the pre-show as well.)
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Bunnie XO, Jelly Roll’s wife, was in the crowd. Cole read some stats about her Spotify audience.
As mentioned on the pre-show, they said Jelly Roll weighed in at 299 lbs (his goal was to be under 300 lbs for this match).
Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul
Paul took a cheap shot at Jelly Roll before the match. Orton was going to start the match, but as the bell rang, Jelly Roll tagged himself in to get revenge.
Paul tried and failed to suplex Jelly Roll, so Jelly gave him a scoop slam instead. Jelly followed with an elbow drop, so a surprised Paul tagged out.
McIntyre smacked Jelly in the back of the head. Instead of tagging out, Jelly was hyped up by Orton. Jelly got in McIntyre’s face. McIntyre told him that today was the day the music dies.
Jelly hit a few jabs until McIntyre dropped him with a headbutt. Paul tagged in and hammered away at Jelly Roll as the crowd chanted, “F—k you, Logan,” (which was censored).
The heels beat up Jelly as the crowd chanted, “We want Randy.” Jelly chucked McIntyre out of the ring and made the hot tag to Orton, who hit McIntyre with a powerslam and a draping DDT. Orton set up for an RKO, but Paul pulled McIntyre to safety.
Orton went outside and gave McIntyre a back suplex onto the announce table. Orton did it to Paul as well, but that distraction allowed McIntyre to hit Orton with a Claymore Kick. Paul attacked Jelly from behind and punched him (with his titanium-plated hand). Jelly didn’t exactly take it flush.
McIntyre placed Jelly Roll on the announce table as Paul went to the top rope. Paul raised cans of his energy drink before hitting Jelly Roll with a spectacular splash off the rope and through the announce table. The crowd chanted, “Holy sh-t,” as officials checked on Jelly Roll.
The heels worked over Orton in the ring as the crowd seemed distracted. Officials helped Jelly to his feet and helped him make his way toward the ramp. (The fans cheered when Jelly got to his feet, but they also seemed distracted by something else, to the point where McIntyre banged the top of the ring post to get them focused.)
With Orton down, Jelly Roll shunned the officials and made his way back to the apron. Jelly made a hot tag and gave Paul a chokeslam. He also gave McIntyre a Bossman slam. The fans—who were all on their feet since Paul’s splash—were definitely into it here, and they cheered as Jelly brought Paul off the top with a powerslam for two.
McIntyre hit Jelly with a Claymore Kick, and Orton gave McIntyre an RKO. However, Paul chucked Orton into the ring post and hit Jelly with a frog splash for the pinfall win.
Match result: Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre defeated Jelly Roll & Randy Orton (17:04)
I wouldn’t call this a good match, but it was laid out well, and they accomplished what they wanted.
On the pre-show, they really focused hard on Jelly Roll and celebrity appearances in general. Indeed, Orton and McIntyre felt like secondary players here. Paul is a regular now, so it did make sense for him to get the pin, and his splash through the table was incredible.
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They showed Triple H at the White House with Donald Trump.
They ran down tomorrow’s card, which has a cage match, TLC match, street fight and no-DQ match.
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Punk wore the colours of the Chicago flag.
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk
They wrestled back and forth for a few minutes until Gunther dropped Punk with a single chop. Punk got back on offence and targeted Gunther’s left arm.
Punk went to the top, but Gunther chopped the back of his leg. Punk was helpless upside down in the ropes as Gunther hit several more chops. Gunther followed with more chops, knees to the mid-section, and abdominal stretch. Punk countered out of the stretch and went for a GTS. A series of counters led to Gunther hitting a big boot.
Gunther beat down Punk for a while until he began fighting back, but Gunther cut him off. (Gunther had a bloody mark on his chest from Punk’s chops.)
There was a messy spot where Punk seemed to be going for an atomic drop, but Gunther landed as if it was a spinebuster. It didn’t matter because Gunther put Punk in a single-leg crab. Punk countered into an attempt at a Sharpshooter, but Gunther got a rope break.
(They stalled for a moment here as the ref checked on Punk, perhaps giving him time to recoup.)
Punk fought back and hit a clothesline, but Gunther didn’t budge. Punk knocked him down with a leg lariat instead. Punk, also bleeding from the chest, went for a running knee, but Gunther caught him and hit a powerbomb for two.
They traded submission attempts until Gunther hit consecutive chops, but Punk came back with a Russian leg sweep, running knee and bulldog for two. Punk went to the top, but Gunther slammed him off it and followed with a splash off the top for two.
Gunther clotheslined an exhausted Punk, waited for him to return to his feet, and hit another one. Punk suddenly got Gunther in position for GTS, but Gunther slipped out and hit a powerbomb. Gunther hit a running dropkick and powerbomb for a nearfall.
The match continued at a slow pace as Gunther continued his deliberate beatdown of Punk. Gunther posed atop the announce table until Punk tripped him from behind. Punk was too tired to follow up and sat against the ring to catch his breath.
The camera focused on Punk as a distraction, because Gunther reemerged from behind the announce desk and his face was covered in blood. (His face or nose supposedly smashed off the desk to cause this.)
Gunther begged off from Punk, who hit a clothesline and diving elbow drop. Punk went for GTS, but Gunther slipped out again and applied a sleeper.
Punk slipped out and hit a GTS. Gunther was dazed but remained on his feet. Punk grabbed him and hit the GTS again for the pinfall win.
CM Punk is the World Champion.
The referee handed the world title belt to an emotional Punk.
Match result: CM Punk defeated Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship (30:18)
— Punk looked around the crowd before finally holding the belt up high. Seth Rollins’ music hit, the crowd popped, and Punk’s expression changed.
Rollins walked out on crutches with Heyman by his side. Rollins issued a warning to Punk and acted like he was about to leave. However, Rollins ditched his crutches and removed his knee brace.
Rollins ran down with his briefcase and a referee. Punk attacked Rollins as soon as he entered the ring, but Rollins fought him off and hit him in the head repeatedly with the briefcase.
Rollins cashed in his contract.
World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Seth Rollins (w/Paul Heyman)
Rollins immediately stomped Punk for the pinfall win.
CM Punk is no longer the World Champion.
Rollins celebrated with Heyman, Breakker, and Reed as fireworks went off. Rollins sat cross-legged while holding the belt and snickering at Punk.
Match result: Seth Rollins defeated CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship (0:12)
The main event was good, but not great. It was unnecessarily long, but they probably wanted Punk looking as exhausted as possible for the cash-in.
Night one was an average show at best (to be generous), the type of show you’d be able to skim through pretty quickly. There was about 90 minutes of wrestling on this three-and-a-half-hour show, and a third of that was the main event.