Tag: jade cargill

WWE Evolution live results: IYO Sky vs. Rhea Ripley

Posted on by Steve Khan

WWE wraps up a busy weekend in pro wrestling with Evolution: their second-ever all-women’s premium live event and first since October 2018.

The show is headlined by IYO SKY defending the WWE Women’s World title against the woman she defeated for it: Rhea Ripley.

Tiffany Stratton defends the WWE Women’s title against former champion and legend Trish Stratus in her third match of the year.

Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria in a three-way while in a no holds barred grudge match, Jade Cargill takes on Naomi.

NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne defends against top contender Jordynne Grace while WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, Asuka & Kairi Sane, and Sol Ruca & Zaria.

The card is rounded out by a battle royal for a title shot at August’s Clash in Paris.

The main card starts at 8 PM Eastern.

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Show Recap — 

COUNTDOWN SHOW 

Michael Cole welcomed us to the pre-show, wrestlers arrived, and the show intro aired. 

The panel was hosted by three men and one woman: Cole, Big E, Wade Barrett, and Jackie Redmond. Cathy Kelley and Megan Morant (likely in place of Byron Saxton, who usually is in this spot) ran down some matches backstage.

Kelley interviewed Rhea Ripley following a video package for tonight’s main event. Ripley called tonight a must-win because she’s never beaten Iyo Sky, and that’s gone on for too long.

They will be recognizing women’s division “trailblazers” throughout the pre-show, and they started with quite the list: Fabulous Moolah, Lia Maivia, Sensational Sherri, Torrie Wilson, Molly Holly Jazz, Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Stephanie McMahon. 

Cole recalled Stephanie McMahon, in 2015, kicking off the “women’s revolution” by introducing Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. Big E spoke about Bayley’s influence as well, and the panel spoke about tonight’s IC title three-way. 

********

Torrie Wilson joined the panel and got a nice reaction from the fans who have arrived so far. Wilson recalled crying throughout the first Evolution show, and she’s been emotional all day today. The women have come a long way and are complete badasses. She loved seeing the women rallying behind each other, and the best moments were often not caught on camera. 

She spoke about what it would have meant to her to have something like NXT and to train for a year. When she was around, she would learn new moves and have to perform them later that night. Sometimes the stress was unbearable. She often wondered how things would have been different if she had NXT. 

********

The next group of trailblazers shown were Mae Young, June Byers, Leilani Kai, Chyna, Ivory, Queen Sharmell, Melina, and Lita. They showed clips of Lita beating Trish Stratus for the title, the first time women main evented Raw. 

Morant interviewed Stratus backstage. She wanted to prove something to herself, but it was more about showing something to the young people watching, including her daughter. You didn’t have to fit in the box people put you in. You could evolve, keep going, and chase your dreams a little harder. It wasn’t over until you said so.

They previewed tonight’s NXT Women’s title match. 

Blake Monroe met with Jordynne Grace backstage. After some pleasantries, Grace asked Monroe to be in her corner tonight (to counter Fatal Influence). Monroe didn’t want to step on Grace’s moment, but Grace insisted, so she accepted. 

Shawn Michaels joined the panel to put over NXT. 

*******

Nikki Bella joined Kelley in the crowd for an interview. Bella said tonight was women’s empowerment. That was her passion and her love. It would mean everything to have her son see her earn a title shot and win a title. 

Kelley asked who she had her eye on in tonight’s battle royal, and Bella responded, “Stephanie.” She knew there would be a lot of competition, but she kept going back to Stephanie Vaquer. She repeatedly referred to Vaquer by only “Stephanie.” 

********

Jacqueline joined the panel, and she was pumped to be there. She spoke about how much it meant to be in the Hall of Fame. She paid her dues and hoped her career inspired today’s women. She also talked about beating Chavo Guerrero to become Cruiserweight champ. 

There was a feature on referees Jessika Carr and Daphanie LaShaunn. 

Big E gave shout-outs to a bunch of the women who work off-camera. Redmond was happy to hear Big E do this, and she spoke sincerely about the importance of this show as well. Big E ran down everything he looked forward to tonight, and his excitement was infectious.

The next group of trailblazers shown were Mildred Burke, Cora Combs, Alundra Blayze, Jacqueline, Stacy Keibler, Vickie Guerrero, Victoria, and Trish Stratus. 

The IC title three-way will open tonight’s show. 

********** 

WWE EVOLUTION 2025 

Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Becky Lynch, Tiffany Stratton, Trish Stratus, Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley were shown arriving. A video intro played, using Katy Perry’s “Rise,” and there was a big fireworks display. 

Joe Tessitore, hosting from the crowd, welcomed us to the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. He hyped up tonight’s show (while clearly reading off a piece of paper). He brought out his co-host, Stephanie McMahon, and said nights like tonight would not have happened without her. 

McMahon said they had to prove with the first Evolution that they deserved their own show. Now, the women were regularly main-eventing, and the depth through NXT was unbelievable. 

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett are tonight’s announcers. Cole again recalled Stephanie McMahon ushering in the “women’s revolution” in 2015 by bringing in Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch.

Alicia Taylor is tonight’s ring announcer. 

They’re using the same stage setup as last night’s Saturday Night’s Main Event Show, so there is a narrow aisle to the ring.

********

Triple threat match for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria 

Match referee: Daphanie LaShaunn 

The bell rang, and the fans gave an ovation before the wrestlers got going. Bayley hyped up the crowd, but used the moment to deck Valkyria, who wasn’t expecting it. 

The first few minutes had everyone trading moves until Lynch suplexed Bayley into the barricade. More than three minutes after getting shoved into the steel steps, Valkyria woke up and wiped out both opponents with a flying crossbody. 

Valkyria hit Lynch with a fisherman’s suplex, but Bayley broke up the cover with a perfectly-timed flying elbow. The crowd popped big for that, and they got a “This is awesome” chant moments later. Bayley hit Lynch with a sunset flip powerbomb into an upside-down Valkyria in the corner for two. 

Lynch hit Bayley with a superplex, but Bayley repeatedly blocked attempts at submissions until Valkyria knocked down both women with a flying leg drop. This got another good pop and “This is awesome” chant. Lynch followed with a combo DDT/reverse DDT on both women and covered Valkyria for two. 

Lynch and Valkyria traded counters until Lynch hit a man-handle slam, but Bayley broke up the cover. (The camera quickly panned away from Bayley moments before, so you couldn’t see her as she hit the ring to break it up.) 

Bayley hit Lynch with a Bayley-to-belly, but Valkyria broke up that cover, and we got our third “This is awesome” chant. Valkyria hit Lynch with Nightwing, but, you guessed it, Bayley broke up the cover. 

Bayley hit Valkyria with a Rose Plant. Instead of breaking up that cover, Lynch flew in and caught Bayley in a backslide for the pinfall win. Lynch retains.

Match result: Becky Lynch defeated Bayley and Lyra Valkyria to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (16:25) 

This was a very fun match with a clever finish, and the eager crowd helped. They could probably do a rematch and have a completely different but equally good match. 

********

Ava and Mark Henry were shown in the crowd. A loud shrieking voice yelled, “Excuse me!” and they cut to Vickie Guerrero elsewhere in the crowd. This was just to give her a chance to say her catchphrase. She smiled and high-fived some fans. 

******* 

They aired a clip from earlier today of Jordynne Grace asking Blake Monroe to be in her corner tonight. 

NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne (w/Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx) vs. Jordynne Grace (w/Blake Monroe) 

Match referee: Victoria D’Errico 

Grace had the early edge until Jayne catapulted her into the middle rope. Henley choked Grace while Jayne distracted the referee. Monroe didn’t react, perhaps because she didn’t see it, or perhaps for another reason. 

Jayne was in control until Grace hit a folding powerbomb for two. Jayne regained control and hit a draping neckbreaker for two. Jayne missed a corner cannonball, and they traded cradles until Grace hit a fisherman’s suplex for two. Jayne hit a hurricanrana off the top and a knee strike for a nearfall. 

Henley tossed the title belt in the ring, so Monroe headbutted her. The referee stopped Jayne from using the belt, and Grace rolled her up for two. Grace followed with a back fist. 

Nyx grabbed the belt next, so Monroe decked her. Monroe kept the belt in her hands, so you knew what was coming. 

Henley tried getting in the ring, which distracted the ref for a long time. Jayne whipped Grace into the ropes, and Monroe hit her in the back with the belt. Jayne followed with a discus punch for the pinfall win. 

— Fatal Influence were all surprised by Monroe’s actions. Monroe handed Jayne the belt, smiled at them, and left the ring. Grace (bleeding from the nose) was pissed. 

Match result: Jacy Jayne defeated Jordynne Grace to retain the NXT Women’s Championship (10:28) 

********

Jazz, Ivory, Jacqueline, and Maryse were in the crowd. 

Tessitore and McMahon killed time by discussing the previous match and previewing the upcoming match. 

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Fatal Four-way Tag Team Match for the Women’s Tag Team Championships: Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Sol Ruca & Zaria

Match referee: Daphanie LaShaunn 

Asuka and Sane were all over Perez until Rodriguez tagged in and knocked them both down with a clothesline. Rodriguez and Perez were in control briefly as the crowd chanted, “We want Charlotte,” which I’m sure was music to her ears. Bliss got a good reaction when she tagged and went after Perez. 

Zaria tagged and easily blocked Bliss’ offence. She hit an inverted suplex, and Sol Ruca flew in with a springboard facebuster for two. 

The crowd cheered when Charlotte got a hot tag from Bliss, and she ran wild on Judgment Day. Charlotte was visibly happy with her reaction, and she continued on offence. She hit Perez with a spear for a nearfall. Rodriguez booted Charlotte and checked on Perez. Cole thought it was interesting that Rodriguez was checking on Perez (her partner). 

Asuka and Sane got their turn to shine next, but Zaria broke up Sane’s cover of Perez. Zaria tagged herself in and hit both Kabuki Warriors with a vertical suplex. Charlotte broke up a cover, so Sol Ruca hit Charlotte with a Sol Snatcher (which got a good pop). Moments later, Charlotte pulled Bliss from safety, and Zaria speared Sol Ruca by accident. 

Rodriguez powerbombed Bliss over the top rope and into Asuka, Sane and Zaria. Rodriguez instructed Perez to take out Charlotte, so she hit a suicide dive. Rodriguez hit Sol Ruca with a Tejana Bomb for the pinfall win. Judgment Day retains.

Match result: Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defeated Sol Ruca & Zaria, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and Asuka & Kairi Sane to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships (10:52) 

This match was fine, with some good spots mixed in. The finish was a bit abrupt, but the champs getting a decisive win isn’t the worst thing. The most notable thing was the big babyface reaction for Charlotte Flair (and Alexa Bliss). 

********

Torrie Wilson, Melina, and Molly Holly were in the crowd. 

They cut back to Tessitore and McMahon. Tessitore noted how handsome Paul Levesque (his boss) looked in his promo photo. Stephanie chuckled. 

******** 

WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Trish Stratus

Match referee: Jessika Carr

Stratus wore white gear with gold lining, Stratton wore all red. Stratus had the early edge, which caught Stratton off guard. Stratus brought Stratton down off the apron with a hurricanrana and hit a tornado DDT in the ring for two. 

Stratton went on offence and hit a vertical suplex into a backstabber (I think) for two. Stratton followed with a senton bomb for two. They traded counters until Stratus hit a Chick Kick for two. Stratton tried a PME, but Stratus got her knees up and hit Stratusfaction for a nearfall. 

Stratus went for a moonsault (tribute to Lita), but Stratton got her knees up. Stratton hit a Chick Kick of her own, followed by the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pinfall win. Stratton retains. 

— After the match, they cut Stratton’s music so Stratus could get an ovation from the crowd. (This wasn’t her retirement match, but we don’t know when the next one will be.) 

Match result: Tiffany Stratton defeated Trish Stratus to retain the WWE Women’s Championship (8:37)

It’s probably not a good sign that Stratus, a part-timer (at most), looked much better than the current champion. Stratton’s stuff was really off early in the match. She did get better once it came time to do the big moves. Because this was a short match, that happened early enough, so the match wound up being fine. Stratus deserves some credit here. 

********

They showed Rey Mysterio throwing out the first pitch at a San Diego Padres game. 

Alundra Blayze and Leilani Kai were in the crowd. This is still a WWE show, so they couldn’t only show the former wrestlers all night. Metro Boomin and Lil Yachty were also shown in the crowd.  

******** 

No Holds Barred match: Jade Cargill vs. Naomi 

Special guest referee: Bianca Belair 

Naomi entered first and tried to attack Cargill during her entrance. Cargill cut her off, and they rang the bell to start the match. 

Cargill took forever to set up a table, and Belair went over to whisper something to her. The camera cut away from Cargill and focused on Naomi, who had to keep selling. Cargill eventually went after Naomi, but Naomi posted her. Cargill speared Naomi moments later, but Naomi gave her a bulldog onto a steel chair in the ring. 

Naomi wrapped a chain around Cargill’s face, but Cargill knocked her off the ropes, wrapped the chain around her fist, and punched Naomi. Cargill yanked a big camera out of the hands of a cameraperson and used it to hit Naomi. She followed by placing a trash can lid over Naomi and kicking it. 

Naomi rolled out of the ring, and Cargill tried to kill her by dropping a toolbox on her head, but Naomi avoided it. Naomi dropkicked Cargill into a random TV screen at ringside, and a smoke effect went off. 

A few minutes later, Naomi used a chair to shove Cargill off the apron, and Cargill crashed through the table she had set up earlier. Naomi followed with an X-factor onto a chair for a nearfall. 

Naomi placed Cargill on a table and went up the ropes, but Cargill hit her with a chair. Cargill grabbed Naomi and hit a Jaded off the middle rope through the table for the pinfall win. Belair raised Cargill’s hand. 

Match result: Jade Cargill defeated Naomi in a no holds barred match (11:15)

This was maybe average at best. Naomi took a lot of the match until Cargill managed to hit her finisher for the win. Also, Belair didn’t get involved at all, so making her the referee was relatively pointless. 

******** 

Tomorrow on Raw, there will be a gauntlet match involving CM Punk, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Penta, and Bron Breakker to determine Gunther’s SummerSlam opponent.

Battle Royal – winner earns a world championship match at Clash in Paris 

Everyone got an entrance, so it took about 10 minutes for everyone to get in. They cut to black at one point, so certain feeds likely got a commercial break in between. Nikki Bella entered first. Stephanie Vaquer was second-last, and Giulia was last. 

Nia Jax eliminated Tatum Paxley 8 seconds into the match, and Izzi Dame 7 seconds later. 

Jax tossed Kelani Jordan into Paxley and Dam, but she didn’t land on her feet, and her momentum carried her to the announce table. Jordan did a handstand walk to get back into the ring. This got a nice reaction, but perhaps not the reaction they expected. 

Ivy Nile went after Vaquer (as Chad Gable instructed), but Giulia eliminated Nile. Giulia and Vaquer had a staredown as the crowd chanted lightly for Nikki Bella. The crowd was quiet until Vaquer set up Nikki for Devil’s Kiss, and they booed when Chelsea Green broke it up. 

There was a silly spot where Maxxine Dupri did her reverse worm, then convinced Natalya to try it too. Natalya did try, and it was bad. That led to Jaida Parker eliminating Natalya (so now Natalya can be annoyed with Dupri). Candice LeRae eliminated Dupri. 

Jordan shoved Parker into LeRae, knocking her out of the ring for the elimination. (Cole referred to Candice LeRae as “Candice Michelle” here and again in the upcoming spot. Barrett called him out on it.) 

Michin and B-Fab eliminated Parker, which got some good heat. Jax tried eliminating Jordan, but she remained on the apron. However, LeRae (already eliminated) yanked Jordan out from behind for the elimination. 

Zelina Vega eliminated Giulia by kicking her into the ring post from the apron. B-Fab went after Piper Niven, but Niven just chucked her out for the elimination. Chelsea Green eliminated Michin, so Michin tried yanking out Green, but Alba Fyre wiped out Michin with a suicide dive. 

Lash Legend eliminated Vega by press slamming her out of the ring. Nikki Bella tossed out Alba Fyre as she posed with her partners. Bella and Lola Vice swivelled their hips together until Niven knocked them down. Niven eliminated Vice, who didn’t do much in this match. Nikki and Vaquer eliminated Niven together. 

Vaquer gave Green the Devil’s Kiss, which probably got the match’s biggest reaction. Nikki eliminated Green. Jax knocked down Nikki and did her own hip swivel. 

Jax placed Nikki on the apron, and Lash Legend flew in with a boot. Jax moved, and Legend booted Nikki out of the ring for the elimination. Legend celebrated like this was a big deal, and she was in the final three with Vaquer and Jax. 

Vaquer and Legend teamed up to knock Jax out of the ring for the elimination. The crowd cheered as the final two faced off. They traded offence, which included Vaquer hitting a 619. 

Legend caught Vaquer off the ropes, and they stumbled over the top and to the apron. Vaquer grabbed Legend with her legs and hit Devil’s Kiss on the apron before knocking her own. Vaquer wins.

— Stephanie McMahon interviewed Vaquer in the ring. Vaquer admitted that doing interviews in English was hard for her because it wasn’t her first language, but wrestling was her first language. Funny enough, she spoke well after that. She thanked McMahon and every woman wrestler before her because now they could make history. She would keep working hard and promised that they would remember her name forever. 

Match result: Stephanie Vaquer won a battle royal and will challenge for the world championship at Clash in Paris (15:32)

This was the definition of a standard battle royal, and the crowd only got into it toward the end. However, the right person won, and the final few minutes made her look like it. The crowd liked Vaquer and her interview. 

********

Quavo and Funny Marco were shown in the crowd. I guess they ran out of former wrestlers. 

Women’s World Championship match: IYO SKY (c) vs. Rhea Ripley

Match referee: Jessika Carr 

Iyo Sky got the better of an early exchange and half-heartedly did her face-pointing pose. Ripley got the better of the following exchange and did Sky’s pose, which got some heat. Sky continued to out-wrestle Ripley by hitting a dropkick and an Asai moonsault. 

They wound up on the apron, and Ripley finally got some offence by hitting a knee strike and tossing Sky into the announce table. It didn’t last long because Sky hit a great-looking tornado DDT. Sky couldn’t help but look enthused by hitting the move so smoothly. 

Sky followed with a double foot stomp, suicide dive, and missile dropkick. Sky did her pose full-heartedly before hitting a running double knee strike in the corner for two. Ripley tried a middle rope suplex, but Sky landed on her feet. Ripley went to the top, but Sky yanked her onto the turnbuckle. 

They traded counters until Sky hit a poisonrana for two. Sky went to the top, but Ripley shoved her down, and followed with a Razor’s Edge and sit-out powerbomb for two. Sky reversed a Rip-tide into a sleeper, but Ripley backed her into the corner. 

Sky went for a springboard moonsault, but Ripley ducked, and Sky obliterated referee Jessika Carr by mistake. Ripley hit Sky with a Rip-tide, but the ref was dead. 

Ripley was livid and hit another Razor’s Edge. Sky fell out of the ring, so Ripley booted her over the barricade. Ripley hammered away at Sky and tried powerbombing her off some equipment boxes to her death, but Sky fought her off and kicked her to the floor. Sky climbed up a second equipment box and hit a flying crossbody. The crowd chanted, “Holy sh-t.” 

Back at ringside, Sky charged at Ripley, but Ripley dodged it and Sky went ribs-first into the announce table. Sky recovered, however, and hit Ripley with a sunset flip powerbomb off the apron. The ref reemerged as Sky hit a moonsault, but Ripley kicked out for an amazing nearfall. The crowd chanted for Ripley. They went to the top, and Sky hit an avalanche Spanish Fly. 

With both women down, Naomi ran out with referee Daphanie LaShaunn. She officially cashed in to make this a triple threat. 

Naomi hit Sky in the head with the briefcase and launched Ripley into the steel post. Naomi followed with a split-legged moonsault on Sky for the pinfall win. Naomi is the new champ. 

Naomi and the crowd went nuts. (In fact, Naomi started to get up before the ref actually counted to three because she was so excited to celebrate.) 

After some replays, Naomi posed with the belt on the stage as the show ended. 

Match result: Naomi defeated IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley to win the Women’s World Championship (26:19)

This was an outstanding main event until he finish. I wouldn’t say Naomi’s cash-in ruined it, because it felt like a big moment with Naomi finally winning the title. However, the crowd was going insane for Sky and Ripley, and this would’ve been a match of the year candidate if one of them had won without the cash-in. 

Special guest referee added to WWE Evolution match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Jade Cargill and Naomi’s no holds barred match at WWE Evolution will have a special guest referee.

After a brawl between Cargill and Naomi took place at Saturday Night’s Main Event tonight, it was announced that Bianca Belair will referee their grudge match at Evolution. The three were previously aligned as a trio before Naomi turned heel by attacking Cargill. Belair being the referee for Evolution should reveal whether her loyalties lie with Cargill or Naomi.

Belair is currently sidelined with a finger injury that she suffered in her triple threat match against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 41, though she did appear on SmackDown in May for an angle with Naomi and Cargill.

Both Cargill and Naomi are currently title contenders in the SmackDown women’s division. As the Queen of the Ring winner, Cargill will challenge either Tiffany Stratton or Trish Stratus for the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Naomi holds the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase and could cash it in for a title shot whenever she wants.

State Farm Arena in Atlanta is hosting Evolution on Sunday night. It’s the first time the all-women’s PLE has taken place since its inaugural edition in 2018.

WWE Evolution (Sunday, July 13) —

  • Women’s World Champion IYO SKY defends against Rhea Ripley
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Trish Stratus
  • NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne defends against Jordynne Grace
  • Triple threat match: Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria
  • Four-way match: Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, Asuka & Kairi Sane, and Sol Ruca & Zaria
  • No holds barred match: Jade Cargill vs. Naomi (Bianca Belair will be special guest referee)
  • Battle royal for a women’s title shot at Clash in Paris

No holds barred match added to WWE Evolution

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Jade Cargill and Naomi will renew acquaintances in a no holds barred match at WWE Evolution.

Women’s Money in the Bank contract holder Naomi and Cargill will square off in the no rules contest at Evolution in Atlanta on Sunday, July 13. The match was confirmed during Friday’s taped WWE SmackDown episode.

Cargill and Bianca Belair held the Women’s Tag titles as a unit from August to December 2024. An injury storyline where a mystery attacked took out Cargill led to Belair choosing Naomi as her new tag partner, with Naomi assuming Cargill’s role as Tag champ. It was later revealed in storyline that Naomi was Cargill’s attacker.

Naomi and Cargill faced one another previously at WrestleMania 41 night one on April 19 of this year, with Cargill winning.

The updated Evolution lineup is listed below:

WWE Evolution, Sunday, July 13, 7 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock in the US and Netflix internationally —

  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Trish Stratus
  • Women’s World Champion IYO SKY defends against Rhea Ripley
  • NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne defends against Jordynne Grace
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss and two teams TBD in a four-way
  • No holds barred: Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
  • Battle royal for a championship match at Clash in Paris

WWE SmackDown live results: Night of Champions fallout

Posted on by Marc Quill

WWE SmackDown makes its return to two hours tonight with the fallout from Night of Champions, where a new King & Queen of the Ring were crowned.

Cody Rhodes defeated Randy Orton in the King of the Ring finals to earn himself an Undisputed WWE Championship rematch against John Cena, while Jade Cargill bested Asuka to become Queen of the Ring and Tiffany Stratton’s SummerSlam challenger for the WWE Women’s Championship. Both Rhodes and Cargill are set to appear tonight.

Also scheduled for tonight is Stratton herself as she selects who she will defend the title against at Evolution.

A new United States Champion was also decided at Night of Champions with Solo Sikoa capturing the belt from Jacob Fatu with the help of Tala Tonga, the former Hikuleo and newest member of Sikoa’s faction. Fatu will certainly be looking to get even on tonight’s broadcast.

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

**********

– Following the WWE signature, we saw Solo Sikoa arriving to the arena with J.C. Mateo and the United States Championship in tow. As Sikoa noted that it was time to celebrate, Jacob Fatu jumped into the scene and attacked both Sikoa and Mateo in an ambush. Fatu took Mateo out of the car and threw him against the door as security led by SmackDown GM Nick Aldis appeared to get Fatu to back off.

Cody Rhodes opens SmackDown

The 2025 King of the Ring, Cody Rhodes, made his way to the ring to a huge ovation from the crowd, Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett recapped Rhodes’ victory over Randy Orton at Night of Champions to ssecure the crown.

With his crown in one hand and a microphone in the other, Rhodes asked the Pittsburgh crowd, ‘what do you wanna talk about?” Before starting, Rhodes gave a shout out to Cam, a young fan sat in Club 66, who was battling Leukemia. Once that was done, Rhodes said that the King of the Ring crown represented where we’ve been, mentioning past King of the Ring winners like Bret Hart, Booker T, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He said it also stood for where we were going: the Main Event of SummerSlam in the form of a WrestleMania rematch against John Cena.

Before Rhodes could go on any further, “Voices” signalled the arrival of Randy Orton, the man who Rhodes defeated at Night of Champions. Orton started by reminding his friend that for weeks and weeks, he told Rhodes that he wouldn’t hesitate. But, at Night of Champions, he had Rhodes “dead to rights” and ready to rearrange his skull with a punt, but he hesitated. However, Rhodes pulled the trigger instead, something that Orton respected. Orton told Rhodes to promise him that he not squander the opportunity earn to go on to SummerSlam and kick John Cena’s ass.

Drew McIntyre made a shocking return for the first time since Saturday Night’s Main Event a couple of months ago. With mic in hand, McIntyre mocked Orton and Rhodes for having “beta male energy”, stating that “the alpha” — as in himself — has returned. McIntyre said Orton lost the psychological battle due to Rhodes supposedly “buttering him up” for months and stabbing him right in the back. He then turned his attention to Orton’s surgically repaired back, and pointing out how Rhodes targeted that surgically-repaired back.

McIntyre lambasted Orton for losing his edge as the Legend Killer, because that legend of Randy Orton was “dead”, as far he was concerned. McIntyre then turned his attention to “Super Cody”, stating that he wanted him to win at SummerSlam, because this was a match he was looking forward to, and because he wanted to be the one to rip that title off of Rhodes’ hands. As McIntyre turned, Orton delivered an RKO to him out of nowhere. Orton and Rhodes shared a tense staredown as the segment ended.

Very interesting opening segment, with Drew McIntyre’s big return and the gears being turned for a potential Randy Orton heel turn, which is kind of hitting the same beats as the Kevin Owens’ turn against Cody Rhodes last year. Still, when that turn does happen, it should be a good story, nonetheless.

**********

– Earlier Today footage showed Charlotte Flair talking to Nick Aldis, learning that she’ll be in a Women’s Tag Title qualifier match against the Secret Hervice and Michin & B-Fab, with the winner going on to Evolution II. Alexa Bliss appeared and revealed that she was going to be Flair’s partner for the match.

– Backstage, Drew McIntyre walked up and demanded a match against Randy Orton, but was informed by Aldis that Orton had left. However, McIntyre will get his shot at Orton next week at Saturday Night’s Main Event, which worked for him. McIntyre turned to see Jacob Fatu, and then left. Aldis informed Fatu that if he wanted a shot at Solo’s Bloodline, he could find a partner to take on two of them in tag team action. Jimmy Uso appeared and stepped up to be Fatu’s partner.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Qualifier Triple Threat: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Secret Hervice (Alba Fyre & Piper Niven) vs. Michin & B-Fab

The match got underway with Bliss, Michin, and Niven starting off for their respective teams. Before Bliss could do anything, Flair blind tagged herself in as she then kicked B-Fab off the apron. Flair chopped away at Niven, but got hit with some chops by Michin. It was a kick frenzy by Michin that got stopped short, at least until Michin took out Flair outside the ring. Niven then took flight to take down Michin & B-Fab. Fyre then got her turn as she leapt from the top to wipe out Flair and B-Fab with a dive to the outside, which took us to a break.

We returned from break with Niven landing on Flair with a senton, but only getting a two count. A missed senton on Michin allowed B-Fab to enter the match with a tag. B-Fab took down Flair and Niven with kicks galore on both. Flair countered a neckbreaker attempt and tried for a Figure-Eight. B-Fab shoved Flair into her corner, which allowed Bliss to get the hot tag. Bliss was on fire and almost had B-Fab set up for Sister Abigail, but Michin made the save with a kick. Fyre caught B-Fab offguard with a Canadian (or Scottish?) Destroyer, as Niven then connected with the Black Hole Slam.

The Secret Hervice’s attempted double team was intercepted by Flair and Bliss. Flair condescendingly tapped Bliss on the head, which was counted as a tag by the referee. This allowed Bliss to enter as the legal woman and hit Twisted Bliss on Fyre to get the pin and win, qualifying for the Women’s Tag Title match at Evolution II.

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. The Secret Hervice and Michin & B-Fab via pinfall

A decent match, but the finish with Charlotte’s attempt at being condescending towards Alexa Bliss kind of backfiring on her was a nice touch.

**********

– Earlier Today footage showed Nick Aldis admonishing the SmackDown tag division for causing chaos in the Wyatt Sicks vs. Street Profits WWE Tag Title match last week. This would end up with Andrade & Rey Fenix vs. FrAxiom booked for tonight, as well as an eight-man tag match being booked with the Wyatt Sicks against four stars from the SmackDown tag division.

Eight-Man Tag Match: The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, & Dexter Lumis) vs. Berto, Johnny Gargano, Chris Sabin, & Montez Ford

Berto and Gacy got things going, as the latter blasted the former with a clothesline from the corner, followed by a running senton. Gacy looked to continue the momentum, but Berto caught him with a springboard elbow strike. Lumis got the tag and threw Berto around before Gargano entered the match. Gargano tried to make “peace” with Lumis, but ate a punch, followed by a slam for the two-count.

Uncle Howdy stepped into the ring, which led to all competitors stepping into the ring as things descended into chaos. Rowan tried to chokeslam Gargano and Berto, but got a stereo superkick from Sabin and Ford for his troubles. The SmackDown tag division stalwarts then kicked Rowan to the outside as Ford looked to get some momentum going. Rowan recovered and caught Ford before he threw him into a superkick by Lumis, leading to a commercial break.

We returned with the Wyatt Sicks working over Ford in their corner, as Lumis and Gacy did their “powerbomb into the opponent” spot. Lumis held Ford in a submission, but couldn’t maintain it. Chris Sabin got the tag and floored Lumis with a missile dropkick. Sabin used his speed to take out the entirety of the Wyatt Sicks in their corner, as he then unexpectedly teamed up with Gargano for a double kick on Gacy.

More chaos unfolded as we saw Ford take flight to wipe out Gacy and Lumis just near the entrance ramp outside the ring. Berto looked to soar, but got taken out by Uncle Howdy, who threw him over the ropes. In the ring, Howdy had Sabin right where he wanted him with the uranage as he then tagged in Rowan. The former Bludgeon Brother did what he does best and went on the attack, but Sabin dropped him with a slam. As Sabin looked to get a tag, Gargano had second thoughts and backed away from the apron as he locked eyes with Rowan. This left Sabin at the mercy of Rowan’s Iron Claw Slam to give the Wyatt Sicks the win here.

The Wyatt Sicks def. Chris Sabin, Johnny Gargano, Berto, and Montez Ford via pinfall

This was an alright tag match, though I enjoyed the concept of #DIY’s attempts of marshalling the SmackDown tag division to unite against the Wyatts unraveling because of the two (or at least Johnny Gargano in this particular match) actually being afraid of the Sicks.

**********

– We got a vignette from Giulia as she talked about her Women’s United States Championship victory last week on SmackDown. She stated that we were about to witness her beautiful madness as the Women’s U.S. Champion.

Tiffany Stratton chooses her Evolution II opponent

The WWE Women’s Champion made her way down to the ring to make an important decision regarding her opponent for Evolution II. Stratton said that since she became the Women’s Champion, she’s had a target on her back, but Nia Jax’s revenge wasn’t enough to stop her from becoming the Last Woman Standing. She turned her attention to Jade Cargill, the woman she’ll face at SummerSlam… but only after she defeats the opponent that she’l choose to face at Evolution II.

Stratton was interrupted by the 2025 Queen of the Ring herself, Jade Cargill. With a mic in hand, Cargill talked about how she was crowned Queen of the Ring by beating one of the best in Asuka. Cargill warned Stratton that she had a choice to make, and that if she chose wrong, Stratton might not make it to SummerSlam. But, it didn’t matter to Cargill, because she’d beat whoever she’d end up facing at SummerSlam. Stratton interrupted and revealed she a surprise for everyone… in the form of the WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.

Once Stratus entered the ring, Stratton talked about how she invited her to the ring, stating “what would Evolution be without some Stratusfaction?”, as she then issued a challenge to the Canadian for title match at Evoltuion. Stratus talked about how the women had to fight just to have a single match on the card, but now at Evolution II, we’re going to have a card of incredibly talented women. Stratus gave thanks to Stratton for letting her kids see her in the ring, but those kids of hers haven’t seen their mom as a champion.

Stratton said that this wouldn’t be easy because this isn’t the Attitude Era anymore, and that whether it was Stratus at Evolution or Cargill at SummerSlam, the WWE would still run on Tiffy Time at the end of it all.

Trish returning as Stratton’s Evolution opponent borne out of a respect the two had when they teamed up at Elimination Chamber is at least a nice thread to follow up on for this match.

**********

– Solo Sikoa spoke from his “office” as he introduced the newest member of his family, Tala Tonga (the former Hikuleo), Sikoa said that this group was nothing like a bloodline, but it was now stronger than ever. Sikoa said that he and JC Mateo would join forces in their tag match later tonight, as he concluded that “his” family was now complete.

– Backstage, Trish Stratus was met by Jade Cargill, who warned her that if she defeated Tiffany Stratton at Evolution II, she’d be facing her at SummerSlam. As Stratus left, Naomi snuck up on Cargill with a shot using her Money in the Bank briefcase. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, who’s had quite the busy night, checked up on Cargill afterwards.

FrAxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom) vs. Andrade & Rey Fenix

We got started with Andrade and Frazer mixing it up in the middle of the ring and neither getting a n advantage. Frazer dodged Andrade before he made the tag to Axiom as Fenix leapt into battle with a dive. Fenix landed on his feet after an attempted DDT from Axiom. All four men began to trade blows in the ring as Andrade got sent to the outside. Frazer and Axiom blasted Andrade and Fenix with repeated dives to the outside, which took us to the break.]

SmackDown resumed with Frazer having Fenix caught in a submission hold. FrAxiom used their unorthodox tag team offense to keep Fenix grounded at the moment. Fenix escaped out of an Axiom hold as he kicked Frazer off the apron. Fenix then took down Axiom with a flipping DDT before Andrade got the hot tag.

El Idolo was a house of fire against both Frazer and Axiom, as he then paid tribute to Eddie Guerrerro with the Three Amigos suplexes. Fenix followed up the homage to Eddie with a Frog Splash that only got a two-count. With a cry of “Animo!”, Fenix headed up top, but was intercepted by Frazer. A dogfight at the top rope saw Frazer floor Fenix with the superplex, followed by a supkerick. Cover by Axiom was broken up by Andrade, who shoved Frazer into the pin.

After another commercial break, we resumed with Frazer’s Phoenix Splash being adeptly dodged by Fenix as Andrade entered the match. With Frazer stunned in the corner, Andrade crushed him with the corner Meteora for the two-count. Andrade had Frazer in his sights for a high-risk maneuver and connected with the double moonsault. Axiom broke up the pin just in time as he then took Fenix out from the apron.

FrAxiom had Andrade caught with the Spanish Fly & Phoenix Splash combination maneuver. Rey Fenix made the last-second save by leaping onto Frazer followed by a codebreaker on Axiom. The makeshift team of Andrade and Fenix soon took advantage with the latterr hitting an Adios Amigo kick on Axiom, and the former blasting Frazer with a vicious spinning elbow. The finish came when Fenix leapt over a prone Frazer in the ring right into Axiom at ringside. This gave Andrade the opening needed to deliver The Message to Frazer for the three.

Andrade & Rey Fenix def. FrAxiom via pinfall

Just some fun and fast tag team action between two high-flying teams. I really enjoyed this one from start to finish. Just a lovely showcase for the SmackDown tag division.

**********

– Damian Priest confronted Aleister Black, wanting to talk to him about Ron Killings, as he revealed to Black that he’d be facing Killings next week on SmackDown. We also learned that at Evolution II, it’ll be Tiffany Stratton vs. Trish Stratus for the WWE Women’s Championship, as well as Jade Cargill vs. Naomi.

Next Week on SmackDown

  • WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. The Wyatt Sicks’ Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis
  • Ron Killings vs. Aleister Black

Solo Sikoa & J.C. Mateo vs. Jacob Fatu & Jimmy Uso

Sikoa tagged in Mateo to avoid Fatu’s wrath early on. Mateo took the brunt of the punishment from Fatu and Uso up until a thump brought Jimmy down to the ground. Sikoa entered the match and felt brazen enough to mock Fatu’s signature dance while he had Uso grounded with the Spinning Solo, which led to one final break in the action.

Our main event resumed from the commercial with Sikoa and Mateo having the advantrage over Jimmy Uso. Mateo got the tag and flattened Uso with a standing moonsault. In the corner, a prone Uso was squashed by a splash from Mateo. Another attempt at a splash by Mateo was missed, as Uso dodged and then delivered a Samoan Drop, which created some needed separation. Fatu got the hot tag as he unleashed an assault on Sikoa with the senton, followed by a splash in the corner.

Fatu cracked Sikoa with ten headbutts in the cornered, as he then caught his foe with a spinning elbow. Fatu blasted both Mateo and Sikoa with superkicks, which left them stunned in separate corners. Fatu took both men out with consecutive hip attacks. Uso and Fatu flew through the ropes with dives that ook out Mateo and Sikoa.

In the ring, Sikoa kicked Fatu with a superkick, as he had the Samoan Spike loaded. Fatu countered and planted Sikoa with the Impaler DDT. Fatu then brought an end to this match with the jumping moonsault from the top and the three to get the pin on the new U.S. Champion.

Post-match, Fatu wanted to continue his revenge on Sikoa as he cleared away the commentary table before he kicked Sikoa onto it. Fatu headed up to the top, but got intercepted by Tala Tonga, who emerged from the ring. Tala slammed Fatu from the top rope, as Tanga Loa soon joined in on the attack against Jimmy Uso. Tala crushed Uso with a superkick, as Mateo hit the Tour of the Islands afterwards.

This “family” soon turned their attention on Fatu, as Sikoa dropped him with the Samoan Spike. Sikoa ordered his men to drag Fatu towards the commentary table as they delivered the Shield Triple Powerbomb through the reinforced announce table. The Paul Levesque & Lee Fitting producer credits popped as SmackDown ended with Sikoa’s “family” standing tall.

**********

Pretty much a standard main event and big beatdown segment from Solo’s not-quite Bloodline group to end this two-hour SmackDown.

All in all, just a run-of-the mill episode of SmackDown, but the FrAxiom vs. Andrade & Fenix match was at least exciting and it’s always nice to see Drew McIntyre back in the fray, as well as the teasing towards a Randy Orton heel turn.

Jade Cargill wins 2025 WWE Queen of the Ring

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jade Cargill is the new WWE Queen of the Ring.

She defeated Asuka in the finals of the tournament today at WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The finish saw Cargill counter a hip attack into Jaded to get the pin.

With the win, Cargill earns the right to challenge for a world title at WWE SummerSlam. She was interviewed by Byron Saxton after the match.

“When I first entered the tournament, it felt like the world was on my shoulders,” Cargill said. “But you know what? For the people out there who are doubting themselves, praise yourself because you are fighting through the boos. Don’t let them tell you who you are, you show them.”

“A storm is coming for SummerSlam,” she added.

Cargill is now the third wrestler to win Queen of the Ring, with all three winners crowned in Saudi Arabia. Zelina Vega became the first in 2021, when she defeated Piper Niven (then known as Doudrop) for what was called the Queen’s Crown at Crown Jewel in Riyadh. Nia Jax won the first tournament officially named Queen of the Ring last year, beating Lyra Valkyria in the finals at King & Queen of the Ring in Jeddah.

WWE SmackDown live results: Night of Champions go-home show

Posted on by Marc Quill

Editor’s Note: This is a live post for the international airing of WWE SmackDown on Netflix. If you do not want to be spoiled before the U.S. airing at 8 PM Eastern, you have been warned.

The final WWE SmackDown before Night of Champions takes place tonight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with three title matches and an appearance by John Cena ahead of his WWE title defense Saturday against CM Punk.

Tiffany Stratton renews her rivalry with Nia Jax when she defends her WWE Women’s Championship in a Last Woman Standing match.

The Street Profits will look to retain their WWE Tag Team Championships when they take on the Wyatt Sicks’ Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis.

Women’s U.S. Champion Zelina Vega will defend against Giulia who is looking for her first title run.

Plus, the King and Queen of the Ring finalists (Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jade Cargill and Asuka) will look to make a final impression before their matches Saturday.

Join us for our live coverage at 1 PM Eastern.

**********

– Over a live shot of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Michael Cole welcomed us to tonight’s show. We then got an elaborate pyro display inside the Kingdom Arena to kick off the night.

– Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax, the Street Profits, Zelina Vega, Giulia, Jade Cargill, and Asuka were all shown arriving in the arena.

Cody Rhodes kicks off SmackDown

“The American Nightmare” arrived to a great ovation from the Riyadh crowd as he headed down to the ring to open up SmackDown. The King of the Ring crown was on a podium in the middle of the ring.

Before Rhodes could say a single word, his King of the Ring opponent, Randy Orton interrupted as the fans sang along to his theme song. Orton got himself a microphone and asked the fans if they watched Raw this past Monday and if they saw Cody Rhodes face Jey Uso. He put over the match as a potential Slammy Award candidate for “Match of the Year”. Orton then told Rhodes that he needed to be the King of the Ring, because the crown stood for redemption because he made it to the KOTR finals last year but lost to Gunther.

On the USA Network broadcast of SmackDown, a disclaimer ran stating that the Orton/Rhodes segment experienced technical issues during the initial live broadcast of this episode. The segment, as aired on USA, appeared to be shot with the ringside cameras for the portions that didn’t air on the live broadcast in the afternoon.

Orton said that the crown also stood for retribution against John Cena because what the Undisputed WWE Champion did to him in Backlash in front of his family and friends. He needed to right that wrong as well. Orton told Rhodes that everyone knew how much they respected one another, but he couldn’t let his personal feelings about Cody get in the way in the gold. He said that he would do anything and everything to make sure he’d leave Riyadh as King of the Ring.

Rhodes responded by saying he was thankful for everything that a student could want to hear from his teacher, referring to the kind remarks that Orton said about him a couple of months ago. He said he knew Orton needed to win it, but whether it’s John Cena or CM Punk, he needed to win King of the Ring more. Rhodes concluded by saying that tomorrow, “RKO” will still be the most dangerous three letters in WWE, but Orton wouldn’t be King of the Ring after all was said and done. That’s because, as Rhodes said, he’d win.

**********

– Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo were backstage, as the former gave his ally an order to make Jimmy Uso remember what it feels like to have no backup with him in his match coming up now.

Jimmy Uso vs. JC Mateo (w/ Solo Sikoa)

Mateo used his strength to ram Uso into the corner before he blasted him with repeated strikes as the referee pulled him away. This gave Uso the time to mount a bit of a fightback, but Mateo grounded him right away. Uso kicked Mateo down to the outside and looked for a dive, but Solo Sikoa got in the way and stopped him from taking a dive as we got a break in the action.

We returned from break with Mateo catching Uso after a top rope dive and slamming him down to the math. Mateo impressed with a standing moonsault onto Uso for the near-fall. Mateo then continued to work over Uso’s back with a reverse bearhug submission. Uso escaped and took down Mateo with a corkscrew from the top rope, which created some much-needed separation for him.

Uso began his comeback with strikes a-plenty, but he couldn’t lift Mateo up for a Samoan Drop. Uso answered with a kick to the face instead, before crunching Mateo in the corner with a running hip strike. As Mateo retreated outside, he got blasted by a suicide dive from Uso. At ringside, Solo Sikoa grabbed at Uso’s leg to create a momentary distraction, which allowed Mateo to recover and put an end to things with the Tour of the Islands.

After the match, Sikoa talked with Uso and tried to curry favor with him. An offer for a hug was refused with a slap to Sikoa’s face. This led to Mateo and Sikoa beating down Uso until Jacob Fatu ran in for the save. The United States Champion caught Mateo with his pop-up Samoan Drop before he faced down Sikoa, who wisely backed out. This allowed Fatu to hit his jumping moonsault onto Mateo. Uso and Fatu faced down one another before Jimmy pushed Fatu out of the way to hit an attacking Sikoa with a superkick.

Match Result: JC Mateo def. Jimmy Uso via pinfall

All signs seem to point to Jacob Fatu losing his U.S. Championship tomorrow at Night of Champions, but the stuff with Fatu and Jimmy Uso as uneasy allies is a bit of an interesting story.

**********

– #DIY, the self-appointed leaders of the SmackDown Tag Team Division tried to rally the other teams to do something about the Wyatt Sicks. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis entered the scene and made a match for Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa against Andrade and a mystery partner.

– Giulia and Zelina Vega made separate remarks about their Women’s United States Championship match coming up next.

Women’s United States Championship Match: Zelina Vega (c) vs. Giulia

Vega tried to go for an early pinfall attempt but got met by some pinfall attempts from Giulia as a result. The two women exchanged kicks before Giulia took advantage with a suplex. Vega answered with a knee that sent Giulia to the outside, as she then flew off the top with a moonsault.

SmackDown returned with Vega caught in a submission by Giulia as she then got stomped onto the mat. As Vega rolled to the outside, Giullia looked to continue the punishment, but Vega threw her against the stairs and hit a running Meteora on to the prone Giulia. Inside the ring, Vega went on the attack, as she countered an attempt of the Northern Lights Bomb by Giulia. From the top rope, Vega caught Giulia with another Meteora for the near-fall.

As Vega tried to head to the top, Giulia intercepted and hit an amazing superplex. Vega recovered landed a Code Red, but Giulia rolled on the pin so that her feet touched the ropes. A missed moonsault led to consecutive Arrivederci Knees from Giulia, followed by the Northern Lights Bomb, which brought Giulia the Women’s United States Championship.

Match Result: Giulia def. Zelina Vega via pinfall to win the Women’s United States Championship

A good enough match that seemed rough in some spots, but we got the right winner in all of this as Giulia wins her first main-roster championship title. What comes next for Giulia as a champion on SmackDown should be fun to see.

**********

– The commentators made note of SmackDown heading to two hours last week before tossing to a recap of everything that went down between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair last week.

Backstage, Charlotte was walking and met by Alexa Bliss, who proposed that they not necessarily be friends, but allies of mutual benefit.

Queen of the Ring Finals Interview

Wade Barrett was in the ring as he prepared to interview Jade Cargill and Asuka about their Queen of the Ring finals match taking place at Night of Champions tomorrow.

Once both women were in the ring, Barrett asked Cargill about what made her so confident that she’d be able to beat Asuka tomorrow. Cargill answered by saying that when she sees Asuka, she sees an opportunity to prove why she belongs here. She said that at Summerslam, she didn’t just plan on taking the title, but taking the whole damn throne.

Asuka replied by saying that Cargill may be strong, but power isn’t everything. She said that she has skills and experience. She said that nobody was ready for Asuka. Before Cargill could provide a rebuttal, Ms. Money in the Bank, Naomi interrupted.

Naomi said that while Asuka and Cargill are fighting for Queen of the Ring, she has all the power. Naomi teased that she could cash in during the Last Woman Standing match tonight or at Night of Champions tomorrow. She said that she had the power to ruin all of Cargill’s dreams just like that. As Naomi walked down to the ring, Cargill got frustrated and pushed past Asuka to go after her. This titled Asuka the wrong way as she laid out Cargil with a kick. Naomi got on the apron and taunted Cargill.

**********

– Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce were backstage talking about their plans for the Women’s Tag Team Championship when Aleister Black interrupted them. Ron Killings stormed into the scene and was still looking for John Cena after what happened last week. Aldis said that Cena was here for CM Punk, but Killings would have none of it, as he left in search of Cena. Black soon left as well, seemingly in pursuit of Killings.

– The cmmentators recapped Los Garza winning the AAA World Tag Titles at TripleMania Regia two weeks ago.

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. Andrade & Rey Fenix

Andrade and Ciampa started things off in this match with a lockup exchange. Andrade backed Ciampa into his team’s corner as Fenix tagged in and the two launched a salvo of double team attacks. With both #DIY members draped across the middle ropes, they got rocked by tandem kicks from Fenix and Andrade. Up top, Fenix and Andrade soared and took down Gargano and Ciampa on the outside with stereo dives.

We returned from the break with #DIY looking to take advantage against Fenix, but the speedy luchadore avoided calamity to create some needed separation. Before Andrade could get tagged in, Gargano pulled him off the apron, which opened Fenix to get blasted with a running knee to the back of the head by Ciampa.

On the top rope, Fenix fended off Ciampa and walked across the top rope to kick him square in the face. Andrade finally got the hot tag as he was a house of fire against both Gargano and Ciampa. Andrade caught Gargano’s slingshot spear and hit him with an elbow, followed by a reverse tornado DDT. One, two… not quite #DIY caught Andrade with a Shatter Machine, but couldn’t get the match done as we got yet another break in the action.

We resumed with Andrade and Gargano once again in a standoff on the top rope. Gargano tried to do a rolling powerbomb, but Andrade blocked it and hit his running knees in the corner. Double stomp by Andrade on Gargano wasn’t enough. Fenix took Ciampa out of the equation with a dive to the outside, which left Gargano and Andrade to duke it out in the ring.

Fenix recovered and tagged himself in as he hit an incredible dive/rolling German suplex on Gargano for the close two-count. Fenix lifted Gargano up for a Muscle Buster as Andrade headed up top, but Andrade got pushed off. #DIY took advantage and hit their superkick/Fairy Tale Ending combo, but Fenix kicked out at two.

Wild chaos ensued with Ciampa missing out on the knee, as Fenix hit his Black Fire Driver, followed by Andrade sealing the deal for his team with The Message and the three.

Match Result: Andrade & Rey Fenix def. #DIY via pinfall

A hot tag team match from start to finish. I was thoroughly entertained by the performances from all four competitors. Simply put, just some great tag action here.

**********

– John Cena’s recent appearance on The Late Show was shown before we got a recap of Cena’s rivalry with CM Punk, which included a clumsy edit of Punk’s pipebomb to omit Vince McMahon’s name.

– After the Punk/Cena video was done, Ron Killings showed up at ringside and stated that he was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He once again called out John Cena for a fight. Aleister Black appeared behind him and he floored Killings with a Black Mass kick. “I guess in a way, we’re even now, Ron,” said Black.

– Backstage, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford were interviewed about their WWE Tag Title defense against the Wyatt Sicks coming up next.

– Aleister Black was confronted by Damian Priest backstage. Priest said that if Black was looking for payment from Ron Killings, that he do it face to face next time. Carmelo Hayes showed up and tried to warn Priest to keep his distance from Killings, but got told to back away.

WWE Tag Team Championships: Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) (c) vs. The Wyatt Sicks (Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis)

Lumis and Ford started off in the ring, with the latter doing his creepy crawl, and being met with some fists from Ford in response. After an acrobatic dodge from Ford, Gacy tagged himself in and floored his foe with a running senton. Just then, the rest of the SmackDown tag team division appeared at ringside, as Gacy caught Ford with his somersault clothesline.

SmackDown returned with Ford and Lumis taking each other down with a double running splash. Both men managed to get the tag to their respective partners, with Dawkins using his surprising speed to get the momentary advantage. As Lumis ran across the ring, he got pulled away by Los Garza. #DIY attacked Dawkins at which caused a disqualification.

A mass brawl ensued with Erick Rowan entering the fray, but getting taken down by multiple superkicks from Fraxiom and the Motor City Machine Guns. Uncle Howdy entered and got Axiom with Sister Abigail. The Street Profits went wild with consecutive dives on the Wyatt Sicks and the SmackDown tag division. In the ring, Ford and Dawkins stared down Uncle Howdy, as it was clear that the Wyatt Sicks’ war with the SmackDown tag division was far from over.

Match Result: Street Profits vs. The Wyatt Sicks ended in a no contest

Honestly, not much to say about this match, as it ended in a schmozz before it could truly get going, but I did kind of enjoy the post-match chaos with all the tag teams brawling.

**********

– Jacob Fatu was confronted by Jimmy Uso, as the two talked about that their mutual assistance was just a matter of respect. Jimmy said that what Fatu did to Solo Sikoa was what he should’ve done a long time ago. The two seemed to part on somewhat of a common ground as Fatu left Jimmy alone.

WWE Women’s Championship (Last Woman Standing): Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Nia Jax

Jax went after Stratton right away after the ring announcer’s introductions. She took out a turnbuckle pad cover, which gave Stratton time to recover and fight back outside of the ring. Her attempts were stopped with a steel steps strike to the ribs by Jax. The announce table was cleared aside by Jax, as she then hit a Samoan Drop across the exposed table. Stratton struggled to get back up, as we went to a break.

SmackDown returned with Stratton dropping Jax with a crossbody from the top rope. She headed up the opposite corner and hit a Swanton Bomb. Jax got herself up briefly, but she got blasted with a two-footed dropkick. Jax was able to get back up as she lifted Stratton on her shoulders and dropped her onto the exposed turnbuckle.

Stratton got herself back up on the count of eight, but she was thrown out of the ring by Jax afterwards. While Stratton writhed on the floor, Jax kept her eyes on her championship foe, tossing her into the barricade. Jax placed Stratton on a table setup at ringside as she then headed to the apron. Jax absolutely splattered Stratton with a splash through the table, but the WWE Women’s Champion was able to get up at the count of nine.

Jax pulled out two more tables from underneath the ring while Stratton once again made it back to her feet. We took another break with the two tables being set up and Stratton armed with a kendo stick. During the “break”, Jax tried to run at Stratton on the top of the stage, but she crashed onto one of the screens instead, as the fight found its way back to the ring.

The action returned with Jax hitting Stratton repeatedly with a steel chair. Stratton was dragged across the ring as Jax came down on her with the Annihilator. With a chair draped across Stratton, Jax hit yet another Annihilator. With the referee counting her down, Stratton just made it at nine, but got hit with a kendo stick by Jax. One more table was set up in the ring as Jax hoisted Stratton on her shoulders and headed up the top. Stratton escaped the attempted Samoan Drop and instead hit a powerbomb on Jax through the table. As both women were down, the referee started his count. Both Jax and Stratton made it to the count of nine.

Naomi ran down and tried to cash in, but Stratton intercepted and hit her with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Stratton took advantage and also hit Jax with the briefcase, as she then followed with a Prettiest Moonsault Ever onto both Jax and Naomi. Jax miraculously got herself up at the count of nine.

Stratton fought out of a superplex attempt through the two tables, as she instead struck Jax with the MITB briefcase once, more which sent Jax through the two tables! Jax was left knocked out cold and unable to answer the count of ten, which gave Stratton the win and the successful WWE Women’s Championship defense.

Match Result: Tiffany Stratton def. Nia Jax to retain the WWE Women’s Championship

Kind of a middling match that somewhat picked up by the end with Naomi’s attempt at a cash in and the final table spot. Other than that, nothing much to write home about. But, at least, the feud between Stratton and Jax should be done and dusted now.

**********

John Cena and CM Punk face-to-face

“Get used to it, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this is what a winner looks like,” started off Cena. He said that CM Punk was a loser because he had been outsmarted, outmaneuvered, and outgunned, and there’s nothing that Punk can do about it.

Just then, Cena’s old “Basic Thuganomics” theme interrupted as CM Punk entered dressed as a parody of Cena, jorts, jersey, and all. “Yo, check it, this is Basic Punkanomics,” Punk talked about how he was stealing Word Life. Punk called Cena a “Temu Macklemore” with ‘Mackeless Rhythm” and that he’s buried more talent than the Undertaker.

Punk said if Cena never ate his vitamins or fixed his bald spot, he’d be a Boston mall cop. He called Cena a “fish belly white” Hulk Hogan but somehow more problematic. It should be noted that Punk was speaking this promo in rap. Punk said that in six months, Cena might be a superhero (washing his underwear for James Gunn), but he’ll always be The Marine to him.

“We all see you, and we’re looking at a washed-up bum,” said Punk, who then called Cena a leech, phony, and an ass kisser. Punk said that tomorrow, there was one more wish to make, because Cena was the Drake to Punk’s Kendrick. Punk did a mic dropped and the show ended abruptly (or at least appeared to because the producers’ credits and copyright bug never appeared on-screen).

Well, that was certainly an interesting way to end the final build for this title match, and given what Punk’s been up to since arriving in Saudi Arabia, I’m certain that this promo won’t convince his most ardent haters to start cheering for him, which is understandable. It’s honestly been hard for me to decouple any sort of past comments Punk might’ve made about Saudi Arabia’s government when it’s been kind of made a part of the story for this match based off of Cena’s previous promos. So, with that in mind, I kinda find it hard to get really invested in what was being done with this closing salvo from Punk.

Overall, a very strange SmackDown before Night of Champions, and the bizarre technical glitch that basically erased the opening Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes segment, followed by various other hangups on the production side as I watched the global Netflix feed kinda made things have a weird vibe to it.

Wrestling Weekly: WWE Night of Champions & AEW Dynamite 300 previews

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

It’s big weekend for WWE with Night of Champions going down on Saturday following today’s SmackDown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

On Friday’s Wrestling Weekly with Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa, the guys make their predictions and also look at this past week’s AEW Dynamite and how it helps shape this Wednesday’s 300th episode.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

WWE King & Queen of the Ring finals set

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The finals for the WWE King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are now set.

Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill advanced in the last semifinals matches of the tournament on Monday’s WWE Raw to punch their tickets to the tournament finals set for Saturday’s Night of Champions PLE.

Rhodes defeated Jey Uso in the Raw main event to advance to the finals, and faces Randy Orton on Saturday to crown a new King of the Ring.

Cargill defeated Roxanne Perez in a semifinals matchup on Monday’s Raw to move on, and will face Asuka in the finals at Night of Champions to crown a new Queen of the Ring.

The winners of the tournament finals will challenge for their brand’s top title at SummerSlam set for August 2 and August 3.

The Night of Champions lineup:

WWE Night of Champions, Saturday, June 28, 1 p.m. Eastern time —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against CM Punk
  • King of the Ring finals: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
  • Queen of the Ring finals: Jade Cargill vs. Asuka
  • United States Champion Jacob Fatu defends against Solo Sikoa
  • Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
  • Street fight: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

WWE Raw live results: King & Queen of the Ring semifinals

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: June 23, 2025
Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio 

The Big Takeaway —

Cody Rhodes beat Jey Uso to advance in King of the Ring, while Jade Cargill beat Roxanne Perez to advance in Queen of the Ring. The finals will take place on Saturday at Night of Champions. Rhodes faces Randy Orton, and Cargill faces Asuka. 

As the show went on tonight, they repeatedly plugged Night of Champions (and SmackDown) as happening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (It seemed like they avoided mentioning the location when the show began, but it was business as usual as the show continued.) 

Next week’s Raw in Pittsburgh starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, Roxanne Perez and Finn Bálor, Jade Cargill, Becky Lynch, and Bayley were shown arriving as Michael Cole ran down tonight’s show. 

Corey Graves is filling in for Pat McAfee once again. 

They announced that LA Knight is out indefinitely due to a bruised sternum and separated rib cartilage, thanks to Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. 

Seth Rollins segment

Rollins entered with Reed, Breakker, and Paul Heyman. He waited as the crowd sang his song (not loudly) and did his usual spiel. He asked what the crowd wanted because he was receiving mixed messages. They chanted for CM Punk. 

Rollins said they chanted for Punk, for Roman Reigns, for him, and they barked for Breakker. They didn’t know what they wanted, so he didn’t care. They needed people like him to tell them what was good for them. 

Even the things they thought they wanted were because of him. Reigns existed because of him. Punk claimed he was back for the fans, but it was really because the company could cash in on how much he hated Punk. There was no second coming of Cody Rhodes without Rollins to put him back on the map. 

Rollins was the first world champion and NXT Champion, and he built those things in his image. He was the prime mover. He was the past, present, and future. He and Heyman knew a thing or two about revolutions. Every revolution had opposition, but he would deal with them. 

Reed dealt with LA Knight, and Breakker was about to deal with Penta. There were a lot of people who thought they could exist at the very top: John Cena, Gunther, Punk, Goldberg, Uso, Rhodes, Randy Orton. But they all failed to understand that they were running a race for second place. He was the end game and always would be. 

Rollins was finally done speaking, so Penta entered for his match. (Rollins and Reed went to the back.) 

Bron Breakker (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Penta

The match began during a break, but Breakker left the ring to stall so the action could start once they returned. 

Graves claimed that Breakker was still effectively a rookie, which isn’t even close to being true. 

Breakker was in control until Penta hit a dive ahead of a break. Breakker regained control after dropping Penta on top of the ring post and a flying clothesline off the apron over the announce table. They messed up a spot but recovered well enough, and Penta hit a vertical suplex into a pin for two. Breakker recovered and hit a Frankensteiner for two. Penta responded with a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. 

Penta went for a springboard move, but Breakker obliterated him with a mid-air spear for the pinfall win. The crowd popped big for that. 

Match result: Bron Breakker defeated Penta (15:00) 

This wasn’t exactly a smooth wrestling match, but the last few minutes were entertaining. 

— After the match, Rollins warned Penta to stay out of his way. 

********

There was a replay of Liv Morgan’s injury. Backstage, Adam Pearce informed AJ Styles that Dominik Mysterio was also injured. Styles didn’t believe it and asked if Dom strained his mustache. Pearce said it was legitimate, so their IC title match at Night of Champions was off. Pearce said Styles will get the match as soon as Dom is ready. 

New Day and Grayson Waller entered Pearce’s office after Styles left. Pearce put New Day in a tag title match against Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh next week. New Day were pissed. As they left, Kofi Kingston yelled, “You’re so bald!” at Pearce. Waller didn’t appreciate this treatment of his new friends. 

******** 

So far, they’re advertising Night of Champions as happening on Saturday, but they’re not mentioning the location. Last week, the graphics included the event’s location, but tonight, they don’t. 

Update: A few minutes later, Cole mentioned Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the special start time.

*******

Goldberg interview 

Cole sat down earlier today with Goldberg. He asked Goldberg why he targeted Gunther. Goldberg said nobody should be surprised. Gunther embarrassed him in front of his wife, his son, his fans, and in his adopted hometown of Atlanta. Goldberg didn’t know when, but knew he would go after Gunther. 

Goldberg was already thinking about his retirement match, so it was serendipitous that Gunther put himself in this position. As long as Goldberg was breathing, he was going to make Gunther pay. 

Goldberg ended with: “Michael, I am going to beat the f—k out of Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.” 

When they returned from break, Cole confirmed that this would be Goldberg’s final match. 

********

Judgment Day met in the back. They were not in a good mood (because of Morgan’s injury), so Bálor tried to fire everybody up. He gave them all encouraging words, but Raquel Rodriguez was still worried about the status of the tag titles. 

Bálor muttered something under his breath, which pissed off Rodriguez. Bálor was glad to see her pissed off. They wanted Rodriguez to be the enforcer, and she should make Rhea Ripley pay for what she did to her last week. Rodriguez agreed. 

Dom said he missed Morgan (so they don’t speak outside of Raw). Bálor reminded him that Perez had a match, so Dom dismissively wished her luck. 

********

Lyra Valkyria met with Bayley backstage. Valkyria was trying to be friendly, but Bayley seemed offended. Bayley realized she overreacted and settled down, explaining that she’s been focused only on Lynch and the title all week. Bayley told Valkyria she would be first in line if she won tonight. (Lynch could be seen lurking in the background.) 

Queen of the Ring semi-final match: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez 

Cargill was in control and showed off by doing push-ups. Perez managed to trap Cargill’s leg between the steel steps and the ring. Perez dropkicked the steps and worked over her leg during a break. 

Cargill tried fighting back after the break, but Perez chop-blocked her. The crowd was really quiet until Cargill effortlessly caught Perez out of mid-air as she attempted a crossbody. Cargill hit a spinebuster and chokeslam for two. Perez countered a Jaded and applied a cradle for two, followed by a double knee drop for two. 

Cargill avoided Pop Rox and hit (missed) a pump kick. Cargill hit a powerbomb and, I think, tried deadlifting her up. She couldn’t do it, so she just put Perez down before picking her back up to hit Jaded for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Jade Cargill defeated Roxanne Perez to advance in Queen of the Ring (11:47)

This wasn’t particularly good. Perez did her best, but Cargill was out of place a lot toward the end, and she didn’t come across like someone who should be winning this tournament. 

— After the match, Asuka entered to face off with Cargill on the stage. 

********

They announced that Raw in Pittsburgh next week starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. 

There was a video package for Jey Uso/Cody Rhodes.

******** 

There was a clip of Goldberg’s debut on WCW Nitro (with Tony Schiavone on commentary). 

Cole reiterated that this would be Goldberg’s last match at SNME, but then added, “we’ll see” what happens if he were to win the world title. 

*******

Cole announced SmackDown’s start time in Riyadh on Friday, “the night before Night of Champions. Who knows what’s going to happen on that show?” 

Jackie Redmond tried interviewing Dom during a break, but the fans kept booing. Redmond cut him off because they ran out of time. 

******* 

Sheamus again told Natalya and Maxxine Dupri that they could be tag champs one day. (It’s like they’ve been standing backstage having this same conversation for a week.) Natalya and Dupri were upset he didn’t win last week. Sheamus said he at least put Rusev in his place for a moment. 

Rusev confronted Sheamus. He said this place was full of people like Sheamus: providing smiles to the face, and knives to the back. Sheamus called Rusev the most embarrassing and most egotistical member of the League of Nations. Sheamus was tired of talking and wanted to fight. Rusev smiled and said he would make Sheamus remember this. 

********

Gunther segment 

Gunther entered. He was pissed about Goldberg interrupting what should have been his championship celebration last week. He called Goldberg the most destructive man of his generation, but it wasn’t 1999 anymore. (Some fans cheered.) It was 2025, and Gunther was the guy. He was the best professional wrestler in the company, and the title around his waist proved it. 

Gunther heard Goldberg’s intense comments, but that wouldn’t change Gunther’s perception of him. Goldberg was a 58-year-old one-trick pony who couldn’t lace his boots. Gunther apologized to Goldberg’s wife and son for everything he’s about to do. Gunther would embarrass Goldberg at SNME. 

“It’s my personal responsibility to make sure that the legacy and the myth of Bill Goldberg forever dies.” 

This was a great promo. 

********

Redmond tried interviewing Lynch backstage, but she was flustered after having just seen Valkyria and Bayley conspiring against her. She left. 

Redmond saw Sami Zayn nearby and tried interviewing him, but they were interrupted by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. (Kross did get a good pop this week.) Kross enjoyed Zayn’s fiery speech last week, but he lost to Orton anyway. Kross said Zayn would never be champion. 

Zayn calmly stepped back before knocking him to the ground with a great-looking right hand. Zayn told Kross he already spoke to Pearce and their match was official. Zayn left. Scarlett and Kross laughed. 

********

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bayley for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship

Bayley was in control until Lynch yanked her by the arm over the top rope. Lynch targeted the arm through the break, but Bayley mounted her comeback following the break. Lynch cut her off with a back suplex, but Bayley responded with a Bayley-to-belly for a nearfall. Bayley slammed Lynch into the corner and hit a sunset flip powerbomb into the turnbuckles for two. 

Lynch hit a superplex, and they traded counters until Bayley applied a single-leg Boston crab, but Lynch got a rope break. Bayley blocked a Man-handle Slam and hit one of her own, but Lynch rolled out of the ring. 

Bayley went after Lynch, but Lynch chucked her over the announce table. Lynch buried Bayley under a bunch of chairs in an attempt to take a count-out win, but Valkyria showed up right on time to pull the chairs off. 

Lynch hit Valkyria and invited Valkyria to hit her back (to cause a DQ), but Valkyria wouldn’t do it. Lynch tried a baseball slide on Bayley, but nailed Valkyria by mistake. 

Bayley shoved Lynch into the ring post and the barricade. Bayley went to the top, but Valkyria attacked Lynch for the DQ. 

— Bayley argued with Valkyria, who somehow tried to defend herself. Lynch smirked as she backed away up the aisle with her belt. 

Match result: Becky Lynch defeated Bayley via disqualification (13:30)

This was a good match until the finish. It never felt like this would have a conclusive winner when they announced it, but the finishing sequence with Valkyria was still very annoying. She has to be turning heel at this point, because she’s becoming increasingly unlikable. 

*******

Chad Gable told Ivy Nile that she was her favourite student (and didn’t want her to tell that to the Creed Brothers). However, she should have won MITB and QOTR. Stephanie Vaquer got in her way, but she should wipe her out completely like he did to Alpha Academy and others. 

Gable saw Penta nearby and took great pleasure in seeing him lose to Bron. Penta tried being reasonable, but Gable kept yapping and threatened to take his mask off. Penta superkicked Gable and snapped his arm. Officials chased Penta away as the Creeds checked on Gable. 

(Ludwig Kaiser was randomly watching nearby.)

********

Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley segment 

A pissed-off Rodriguez was in the ring, and she called out Ripley. Ripley stormed out, and they brawled. Ripley was about to give Rodriguez a Rip-tide through a table, but Perez ran out to make the save. Ripley got rid of Perez, but Rodriguez laid out Ripley with a Tejana Bomb through the table. Rodriguez embraced Perez. 

This was a good little segment to get some heat behind Rodriguez (and align her with Perez). 

********

There were photos of the Florida Panthers celebrating with their custom WWE title belt. 

Cathy Kelley interviewed Asuka during a break. Iyo Sky joined and was excited for Asuka, because they may finally get to meet in the ring like they talked about in Damage CTRL. Asuka said they weren’t in Damage CTRL anymore, and she would see her at SummerSlam. Sky said she would be ready. 

Ripley barged into Pearce’s office. He offered a street fight against Rodriguez, and she accepted. (It was hard to hear, but it sounded like he said it would be at Night of Champions.) 

******** 

There was a big-time video package for John Cena vs. CM Punk. They’ve added the location of Night of Champions back on the graphics, and they showed exterior shots of the city as the announcers ran down the card for Saturday. 

********

King of the Ring semi-final match: Jey Uso vs. Cody Rhodes 

They both got big reactions and faced off for about 30 seconds before shaking hands. This was a first-ever singles match, and it felt like a big deal given the stakes. 

Jey blocked a Cross Rhodes just three minutes into the match and went for a superkick, but Rhodes avoided it. Jey missed a running hip attack during a break, and Rhodes applied a figure four until Jey got a rope break. They exchanged strikes until Jey hit a Samoan drop for two. 

Jey hit a running hip attack and went for an Uso Splash. Rhodes got his knees up and caught Jey in a version of the kimura lock. Jey slipped out and applied a sleeper. Rhodes began fading but got to his feet and dumped Jey over the top rope. Jey blocked Rhodes’ suicide dive and went to the top, but Rhodes scaled the ropes and hit a superplex. This led to a second commercial break. 

Jey tossed Rhodes shoulder-first into the ring post, and followed with a flying crossbody for two. They exchanged strikes as we returned from break. Rhodes hit jabs, but Jey avoided a bionic elbow. Rhodes fired up, but Jey hit a Randy Orton-esque powerslam. 

Jey set up for Cross Rhodes, but Rhodes blocked it and hit a Cody Cutter for two. Jey ducked a Disaster Kick and hit a spear for two. Rhodes hit a super Cody Cutter for two. 

Jey countered a Cross Rhodes and hit one of his own for a nearfall. People were on their feet for that. Jey superkicked Rhodes repeatedly, pulled him to his feet, and hit a spear. 

Instead of going for a cover, Jey went up for a splash. Rhodes scaled the ropes again and hit a super cutter/RKO. Rhodes followed with Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win. Rhodes advances to the KOTR finals against Orton. 

Rhodes and Jey embraced after the match. 

Match result: Cody Rhodes defeated Jey Uso to advance in King of the Ring (20:05) 

This was a very enjoyable Raw main event, and it helped that there were real stakes on the line.

Four wrestlers advance in WWE King and Queen of the ring tournaments

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Four wrestlers advanced to the semifinals round in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments on Friday’s WWE SmackDown.

In the King of the Ring tournament, Cody Rhodes advanced with a victory over Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade, and Damian Priest in the show-closing bout on Friday’s episode. Earlier in the show, Randy Orton advanced with a victory over LA Knight, Aleister Black, and Carmelo Hayes.

Rhodes now awaits the winner of a Jey Uso vs. Sheamus vs. Rusev vs. Bronson Reed four-way set for Monday’s Raw in the semifinals, while Orton will take on Sami Zayn on next Friday’s SmackDown in the semis.

In the Queen of the Ring bracket, Alexa Bliss advanced to the semis with a victory over Charlotte Flair, Alba Fyre, and Candice LeRae on Friday’s show, while Jade Cargill punched her ticket to the next round by defeating Nia Jax, Michin, and Piper Niven on SmackDown.

Bliss’s semifinals bout will take place on next week’s SmackDown against the winner of Asuka vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ivy Nile set for Monday’s Raw. Cargill will face Roxanne Perez in the semifinals at a later date.

Our SmackDown report for this week is available here.

WWE King of the Ring tournament —

  • Semifinals: Cody Rhodes vs. TBD
  • Semifinals: Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn

WWE Queen of the Ring tournament —

  • Semifinals: Alexa Bliss vs. TBD
  • Semifinals: Jade Cargill vs. Roxanne Perez

Jade Cargill making acting debut in Jonathan Majors film

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE wrestler Jade Cargill is set to make her acting debut in a new film project.

Deadline was first to report that Cargill as been tapped to co-star alongside Jonathan Majors in “True Threat,” described as an action thriller set in Harlem.

The movie will begin shooting later this year with Gerard McMurray directing for the CAT5 and Southland Stories production companies. CAT5 also produced the Jason Statham action film “A Working Man” that hit theaters earlier this year.

The film’s producers wrote:

“Our mission here is to champion new faces and new voices in action storytelling. Jade is exactly the type of dynamic talent we want to introduce to the global film audience. She is already a force in the sports and entertainment world, and we believe this is just the beginning for her on the big screen.”

Cargill and Majors are the only two actors attached to True Threat at this time.

Deadline describes Cargill’s role as one of the film’s antagonists as one stylized for her with an emphasis on her athleticism.

Cargill is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency.

Jade Cargill: I’m ready to ‘show people what I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jade Cargill says fans are going to be shocked by her performance at WrestleMania.

Cargill will face Naomi on night one of the two-night event in what will be just her sixth televised singles match in WWE. She told CBS Sports she’s excited to show fans how much she’s grown.

“People haven’t seen me in these one-on-one matches as often as I’d like. That’s OK,” Cargill said. “I’m ready to go out there, show people what I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown. I think people are really going to be shocked.”

“I’ve had more time on the sidelines to develop and focus,” she continued. “I’ve zeroed in on what I’m good at, what I’m not, and what I want to absorb. There are so many choices, but there’s also a system in place here.”

Later in the interview, Cargill referred to Naomi as her “big sis” and mentioned they were close even before she started in the wrestling industry.

“Naomi is one of the women I looked up to when I got into this industry,” she said. “She has a wealth of knowledge. She’s very respected in the locker room. She’s gone through so many changes as far as women’s wrestling. She stuck to her guns.”

“She was my big sis before I got into this industry. Before I came to this company, Naomi was the first person I spoke to here. When she left the company, I was the first person to call her. Whenever she had a match, I was the person hyping her up. When she fell short, I was there giving her the biggest hug.”

The full interview with Jade Cargill is available at CBS Sports.

Naomi vs. Jade Cargill added to WWE WrestleMania 41

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Naomi and Jade Cargill will go one-on-one at WWE WrestleMania 41.

SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis made the Naomi vs. Cargill bout official for WrestleMania on Friday’s SmackDown after a pull-apart between the two.

Naomi defeated B-Fab in singles competition on Friday’s show, then attempted to call Cargill out for a confrontation. Cargill attacked unexpectedly instead, and the two competitors were pulled apart. Aldis then made the WrestleMania bout official.

In storyline, Naomi attacked Cargill last November, forcing her to relinquish her spot as Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Bianca Belair. Naomi then assumed Cargill’s title. Cargill returned at Elimination Chamber in March, revealing Naomi as her attacker.

Several new additions to the WrestleMania 41 card were made during Friday’s show, including a United States title bout.

The updated WWE WrestleMania 41 lineup:

WWE WrestleMania 41 night one, Saturday, April 19 —

  • Main event: Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Seth Rollins

WWE WrestleMania 41 night two, Sunday, April 20 —

  • Main event: Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against John Cena

WWE WrestleMania 41, Saturday, April 19 & Sunday, April 20 —

  • World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against Jey Uso
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Charlotte Flair
  • Women’s World Champion IYO SKY defends against Bianca Belair
  • WWE United States Champion LA Knight defends against Jacob Fatu
  • Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
  • AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez defend against TBD

Wrestling Weekly: Orton vs. Owens (finally), who will be the fourth Hurt Syndicate member?

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: AEW

It’s Friday and that means Wrestling Weekly.

New matches have been made on the road to WWE WrestleMania 41 and MJF’s road no longer seems to run towards the Hurt Syndicate in AEW.

On today’s show, we’ll look at all the happenings in WWE and AEW from this past week.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

WWE SmackDown live spoilers from Bologna, Italy

Posted on by Marc Quill

The following are live spoilers for Friday’s WWE SmackDown which is taking place live from Bologna, Italy, and airing live on Netflix throughout the world with the exception of the U.S.

The show will air in the U.S. at 8 PM Eastern on USA per usual with our usual detailed live coverage.

This post will be updated as the show progresses.

**********

  • The show opened with separate shots of Jade Cargill, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, Braun Strowman, the New Bloodline, and CM Punk entering the arena.
  • Randy Orton kicked off SmackDown as the Bologna crowd loudly sang his theme. Before Orton could say anything, Kevin Owens interrupted and blamed Cody Rhodes for his actions towards Orton. Owens claimed that he saved Carmelo Hayes because he didn’t want Orton to go back to being the Legend Killer. Orton refused to accept Owens’ apology and offer to vie for the WWE Tag Titles at WrestleMania 41, instead challenging him to a match. Orton promised to kick Owens’ head “off his freakin’ shoulders” in Las Vegas.
  • Drew McIntyre & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Damian Priest & Jimmy Uso was the first match of the night. Priest and Uso got the victory after the former hit South of Heaven on Nakamura. After the match, McIntyre attacked Priest, as he laid him out with a Claymore kick.
  • LA Knight and Braun Strowman talked backstage, with Strowman calling his shot for the US Title once he took care of Jacob Fatu tonight.
  • Tiffany Stratton & Charlotte Flair had a split-screen interview with the commentary team. Flair said that she chose Stratton as her WrestleMania opponent because she felt sorry for her. Stratton told Flair that she finds the hottest thing and throws water on it, before she said that she’d see Flair at WrestleMania to conclude the interview.
  • Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman was our second match tonight, with the winner earning a U.S. Title shot on next week’s SmackDown. The match ended in a disqualification win for Strowman after Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga attacked, which seemed to anger Fatu a bit. LA Knight ran in for the save to help Strowman clear the ring of the New Bloodline.
  • Backstage, Fatu blew a gasket over Sikoa causing the DQ in his match, warning that Sikoa better “watch it”.
  • Piper Niven defeated Zelina Vega via pinfall with a running crossbody after Alba Fyre & Women’s U.S. Champion Chelsea Green provided enough of a distraction for Niven to take advantage of.
  • A recap of John Cena’s venomous, hate-filled heel promo and Cody Rhodes responding to him on this past Monday’s Raw was shown.
  • Liv Morgan defeated Jade Cargill via pinfall with ObLIVion after Naomi interfered and blasted Cargill with one of the Women’s Championship title belts. Post-match, Naomi continued her assault on Cargill, ending with a forceful shove from the apron into the commentary table. The match itself was fantastic.
  • Drew McIntyre was asked about why he kept targeting Damian Priest with his ambushes in the past two weeks. As he was about to leave, he was confronted by Seth Rollins.
  • New WWE Tag Team Champions the Street Profits entered the ring to the theme they formerly used as part of The Pride with Bobby Lashley. They celebrated their victory from last week in a promo before they were interrupted by Legado Del Fantasma. Santos Escobar said that Angel and Berto were ready to challenge for the belts as they were then interrupted by Pretty Deadly, the official number one contenders for the Tag Titles. As Legado and Pretty Deadly bickered, Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford threw down the gauntlet against LDF and and wanted the smoke.
  • The Street Profits (Dawkins & Ford) defeated Legado Del Fantasma (Angel & Berto) via pinfall after Ford landed his Frog Splash on Angel to pick up the win in this impromptu tag match. One noteworthy spot saw Ford land on his feet after Angel and Berto attempted a double team suplex from the top rope, much to their incredulous reaction.
  • Pretty Deadly were confronted backstage by #DIY, who tried to broker a deal with the duo of Elton Prince and Kit Wilson to “help” them next week in their Tag Title match next week. Pretty Deadly responded with an emphatic “no, boys” to Gargano & Ciampa. After Pretty Deadly left, the Motor City Machine Guns mocked #DIY for their bad fortunes.
  • Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins’ confrontation closed out the night. Reigns was first to enter, as he talked about what was on his mind with what Punk and Rollins tried to do him. He challenged someone to step up to him, which brought Rollins out to a loud reaction. Rollins read Reigns the riot act for not letting him finish Punk off when he had the chance. Punk himself soon joined the fray. He brought up the favor that Paul Heyman owed him from last year’s WarGames. Punk struck Reigns from behind with the microphone as Rollins entered the scuffle. The corps of referees, road agents, and security ran in to separate the three from one another. At ringside, Reigns took out both Punk and Rollins with the steel steps. SmackDown ended with the brawl between Reigns, Rollins, and Punk still very much in progress and the three making it clear they want to fight one another at WrestleMania 41.

Notes

  • Orton namedropped Italian football legend Roberto Baggio during his promo, mentioning that he was going to punt Owens’ head as hard as Baggio’s kicks.
  • Italian rapper Anna was shown in the crowd during a segment on the show.
  • Match made official for WrestleMania 41: Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
  • Another “4” teaser with white smoke, the number “3”, and quick flashes of someone was shown, again seeming like a tease for a returning Aleister/Malakai Black.
  • We got another apparent teaser for Rey Fenix, this time giving us somewhat a bit of a clearer shot of him.
  • Matches for next week’s SmackDown: LA Knight vs. Braun Strowman (US Championship match), Pretty Deadly vs. Street Profits (WWE Tag Team Championship match)