Tag: la knight

LA Knight praises Maxxine Dupri’s WWE progress after being ‘thrown to the wolves’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

LA Knight is happy to see how far Maxxine Dupri has come since they were paired together in WWE.

In an interview with Esteban Ramirez, the WWE star had praise for Dupri’s wrestling run after their characters were split up on-screen. He acknowledged that Dupri was pushed to the main roster at a very early stage of development and expressed pride in her recent accomplishments. 

“She’s come a long way, because in all honesty – and this is no fault of her own – when she was first brought up, if we’re just being 100 percent, she was not ready,” Knight said. “And I think she would admit that, 100 percent. And again, that’s not her fault. She kinda just got thrown to the wolves. And she’s done well.

“Of course, it hasn’t been perfect, but it never is. Nobody can be perfect. I’m not perfect. Nobody’s perfect, everybody has their mess-ups. But when you’re talking about somebody coming in completely unprepared, and in this amount of time, being able to get the fan support, and then beyond that she’s already been Intercontinental Champion at this point. I’d say that’s a pretty major come-up. So good for her.”

Barely a year into her WWE signing, Dupri made her main roster debut on SmackDown in July 2022. She initially appeared as Director of Talent for Maximum Male Models alongside Knight, who was performing under his “Max Dupri” gimmick. Three months later, Knight exited the group and reverted to his NXT persona, the character he continues to portray today. 

Meanwhile, Dupri has worked hard to improve in the ring, with her Intercontinental Championship win from last year showing how much she has grown.

Logan Paul defends LA Knight’s WWE Elimination Chamber ‘botch’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Logan Paul recently defended LA Knight following his WWE Elimination Chamber ‘botch.’

At Elimination Chamber 2026, LA Knight suffered an embarrassing incident when his foot slipped while performing a mid-rope elbow drop on Randy Orton.

The botch became a talking point on the internet and even led to Orton breaking character and laughing while lying down inside the chamber. However, breaking character, Paul has now come to Knight’s defense.

Speaking on a latest episode of ImPaulsive, Paul said, “That particular botch is not his fault. I was in the ring watching it go down live and I can feel the ropes before I do the jumps, they are so slippery you have no idea.”

Shortly after Knight ‘botched’ the move, he took a lowblow from Paul and was pinned, eliminating him from the match.

Earlier in the night, fans also saw Finn Balor slip on the same rope while performing a move on CM Punk during his WWE World title match.

Updated WWE SmackDown lineup: New segment added

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Before facing off at the PLE, all six men’s Elimination Chamber participants are set to appear on WWE SmackDown.

WWE has announced that Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, LA Knight, and Jey Uso will take part in an in-ring segment on SmackDown this Friday night. Those six are the wrestlers who will be competing at Elimination Chamber on Saturday to determine Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship challenger for WrestleMania 42.

“One night before battling inside the Elimination Chamber for the opportunity to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Je’Von Evans, Jey Uso, LA Knight and Trick Williams will stand in the ring together on SmackDown,” WWE.com wrote. “Don’t miss all the action of SmackDown, Friday at 8 ET/7 CT on USA.”

The KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky is hosting this SmackDown episode, with Elimination Chamber then being held in Chicago at the United Center the following night.

Here is the updated SmackDown lineup:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, February 27) —

  • Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, LA Knight, and Jey Uso appear ahead of Elimination Chamber
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Lash Legend & Nia Jax
  • Oba Femi vs. The Miz
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Candice LeRae
  • Uncle Howdy vs. Solo Sikoa

LA Knight says there are ‘definitely frustrations’ at times in WWE

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

LA Knight has opened up and claimed that there are “definitely frustrations” he feels about his WWE creative.

Speaking on ESPN SportsCenter, Knight addressed his current WWE run and his position in the company.

“It’s a good time. There’s definitely frustrations here and there. You can’t be in something you love and not from time to time, passion is sometimes full of anger. There’s no way not to have a little bit of that in there. But as far as what we’re doing and as far as what I’m doing, it’s been a hell of a run, it’s been a hell of a ride,” Knight said.

“I’m having fun where I can pick my spots. It’s just trying to unplug when I actually have the chance to go home and be at home and enjoy that time.”

Over the past few years, Knight has been a part of several top storylines in WWE. However, despite being featured in some of the top creatives, WWE failed to hand him any major win. Despite coming close to Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble wins, WWE prefered to put someone else over.

Knight was also rumored to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. However, the creative standpoint for that seems to have changed now, with him now being a part of the men’s Elimination Chamber.

Two more wrestlers qualify for WWE Elimination Chamber

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two more wrestlers are set to enter the Elimination Chamber.

Rhea Ripley and LA Knight both qualified for the chamber on Monday night. Ripley was the first to qualify, with the finish having Lyra Valkyria hitting Ivy Nile with the nightwing. But before Valkyria could cover, Ripley arrived and took her out with a knee strike. The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion then won following the riptide.

In the main event of Monday’s show, the rest of the Vision interfered on behalf of Austin Theory, who was wrestling LA Knight and Penta in a men’s qualifying match. Bronson Reed took out Knight and gave him the tsunami, seemingly paving the way for Theory’s victory. However as Theory went for the cover, Penta dragged him out of the ring. Theory took care of Penta but ran into the same hooded figure who attacked Bron Breakker at the Royal Rumble. The mystery man gave Theory the stomp and made his exit through the crowd as the rest of the Vision chased him away. 

Theory managed to make his way back to the ring as both he and LA Knight recovered. Knight recovered first and scored the win with the BFT.

The next series of qualifying matches will take place on SmackDown with Cody Rhodes facing Jacob Fatu & Sami Zayn while Alexa Bliss will face Giulia and Zelina. Next week’s Raw will see Gunther facing Jevon Evans & Dominik Mysterio while Bayley will take on Nattie & Asuka.

WWE Elimination Chamber (February 28)

  • World Heavyweight title: CM Punk defends against Finn Balor
  • Women’s Intercontinental title: Becky Lynch defends against AJ Lee
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber: Tiffany Stratton vs. Rhea Ripley vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA vs. TBA

WWE return updates for LA Knight, Stephanie Vaquer

Posted on by Ian Carey

Several names recently absent from WWE programming should be back shortly.

LA Knight hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since an injury angle on the December 8, 2025 edition of Raw. Bronson Reed gave Knight a Tsunami on top of a car to close out the episode.

Dave Meltzer addressed Knight’s status in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing that he’s scheduled for the Royal Rumble on January 31, although he could return sooner.

Meltzer writes:

“Knight was also taken out in an injury angle to set up coming back in a feud with Breakker & Reed. He was scheduled for the Rumble. Not sure if he’s back before then to announce he’s in the match but the idea was he’d be in the Rumble.”

Regarding Stephanie Vaquer, who has recently been appearing on WWE Raw wearing a walking boot, Meltzer writes that her injury is real but not considered serious, and she is expected to return soon.

“Vaquer’s injury isn’t serious but is real. She’s expected back soon. Vaquer vs. Rodriguez was scheduled originally before 1/26 but I’m not sure the date. Any delay from that date would be an injury delay.”

Meltzer also provided an update on Chad Gable and Tiffany Stratton, saying both are expected back soon as well. As previously noted, Charlotte Flair was absent from the January 9 edition of SmackDown due to illness. Rey Mysterio also missed last week’s Raw due to a minor injury and should be back soon. The Street Profits are expected back shortly as well.

The full edition of this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here for subscribers.

LA Knight makes ‘significant’ donation to hometown United Way

Posted on by Joseph Currier

LA Knight has made a sizable donation to help support his hometown community in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The United Way of Washington County, Maryland shared this week that Knight (Shaun Ricker) donated $20,000 to the organization prior to Christmas. Knight is originally from Hagerstown and received the key to the city in 2023.

“I was truly honored to receive the key to the city. Now, it’s my turn to give back to the community that has given me so much,” the former WWE United States Champion said. “I decided to make this investment because I trust United Way to allocate these funds where they are most needed. I hope that this contribution inspires others to consider how they can support our local neighbors in their own unique ways.”

The United Way chapter said they were “thrilled” to receive this donation and would be using it to help aid the most vulnerable members of the community, including individuals and pets who are facing food insecurity.

“This significant donation will immediately help the United Way support our community’s most vulnerable members, particularly the ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed),” the organization wrote. “Additionally, this funding will help United Way’s partner nonprofits that provide food security programs for children and support a local pet food bank program.”

Knight, 43, is currently a member of the WWE Raw roster. He was taken out by The Vision in an injury angle last month, but Dave Meltzer notes that Knight is expected to be back for the Royal Rumble if not before then.

The United Way is a large charitable network that aims to assist local communities and “strengthen their resilience by advancing health, youth opportunities, and financial security.”

Report: Update on LA Knight’s return to WWE programming

Posted on by Ian Carey

LA Knight’s return to WWE programming appears imminent.

Knight has not been on WWE programming since losing a singles match to Logan Paul on the December 8 episode of Raw, after which he was attacked by The Vision. The segment ended with Bronson Reed delivering a Tsunami to Knight on top of a car. WWE later stated Knight had suffered a cracked sternum among other injuries.

According to Fightful, Knight is scheduled to travel to Germany this week. WWE Raw is scheduled for Düsseldorf, Germany on Monday.

Prior to his storyline injury, Knight reached the finals of the Last Time Is Now tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent. He defeated Matt Cardona (as Zack Ryder), The Miz, and Jey Uso before being eliminated by Gunther.

Monday’s Raw will take place at the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf.

WWE Raw lineup for January 12, 2026:

  • Penta & Dragon Lee w/Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory & Bronson Reed w/Paul Heyman
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions IYO Sky & Rhea Ripley kick off the show
  • We will hear from World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
  • Gunther vs. AJ Styles
  • We will hear from Raquel Rodriguez

DDP reacts to LA Knight comparisons: ‘I love that kid, man’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Diamond Dallas Page is a huge believer in LA Knight and hopes he gets the chance to be a top star in WWE.

On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, DDP was asked about the comparisons that some fans have made between him and Knight. DDP started his wrestling career late and did not become a World Champion until he was 43 years old. Knight has now found WWE stardom in his 40s but is still looking to win his first World title.

“Oh, I love that kid, man. I love the tenacity, you know, of the stick-to-itiveness,” DDP said about Knight. “It took him a long time to get to that character. And he was good before that, but now he’s great. And, you know, hopefully at some point, he gets a chance to really get that ball. Because he could run with it. Give him that damn ball, because that cat, he’s got it all.”

Some wrestling veterans have criticized Knight for being a “ripoff” of Attitude Era stars like The Rock, but DDP does not see it that way. He believes Knight is just taking inspiration from the talent he grew up watching.

“People who say that he’s mimicking this character, that character, that’s so wrong,” DDP said. “He’s a piece of all that. He grew up on all of us coming up, wanting to do what we do. And now he’s doing it at its highest level.”

Knight recently made it to the finals of WWE’s Last Time is Now Tournament but lost to Gunther, who went on to defeat John Cena in his retirement match.

WWE provides storyline injury update on LA Knight

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE followed up on last week’s show-closing angle with a storyline injury update on LA Knight on Monday’s Raw.

Knight was attacked twice in the closing segments of the December 8 Raw, first by the masked attacker (revealed to be Austin Theory on this week’s show) in his main event match against Logan Paul, then again in the backstage area following the match when Bronson Reed of The Vision hit a Tsunami on Knight on the roof of a car.

WWE announced during this week’s episode that Knight had suffered a cracked sternum among other injuries, and will be out of action indefinitely.

Paul defeated Knight in last week’s Raw main event, then defeated Rey Mysterio in the main event of this week’s episode with the big reveal of Theory.

Theory has not been established as a full-fledged member of The Vision to this point, with Paul Heyman noting on this week’s Raw that his group is happy to accept help from the masked man if their priorities align, but that he is not in cahoots with Theory.

Steve Khan’s full report from this week’s Raw is available here.

Update on identity of masked man from WWE Raw and Survivor Series

Posted on by Ian Carey

An update is available regarding who has portrayed the masked man who attacked LA Knight and Rey Mysterio on Monday’s WWE Raw and CM Punk at Survivor Series.

Our own Bryan Alvarez posted to subscribers on X that in an attempt to throw fans off, at least two different people have portrayed the masked character thus far.

Alvarez wrote:

“In an effort to throw fans off, it appears at least two different people have been under the mystery man mask”

The mystery masked character first appeared during the Men’s WarGames Match at WWE Survivor Series in San Diego. The person scaled the cage and gave Punk a curb stomp while mimicking other Seth Rollins mannerisms.

Dave Meltzer addressed the character in the December 8 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing that it was Austin Theory, who had once been scheduled to be on the heel men’s WarGames team, under the mask. Meltzer wrote that Paul Heyman wants Theory in The Vision to take pins for the faction.

Meltzer wrote:

“Austin Theory was the guy under the mask. Paul Heyman had wanted to bring Theory into the Vision, largely to make him a star and to protect Breakker and Reed from having to take pins. He would have been in this match had Jacob Fatu not gotten hurt, which sped up the Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre feud since they were going to be on this show originally instead of the prior show which was to be Fatu vs. McIntyre to set up this show with McIntyre winning. The Fatu injury led to Rhodes moving into the WarGames team, and with him in the match, McIntyre made far more sense than Theory.”

WWE SmackDown live results: Last Time is Now tournament finals

Posted on by Marc Quill

The Last Time is Now tournament reaches its conclusion on tonight’s WWE SmackDown when LA Knight and Gunther square off with the winner to be John Cena’s final opponent next Saturday in Washington, DC.

Knight defeated Jey Uso on Raw this past Monday while Gunther got the win over Solo Sikoa that same night to earn a spot in the finals.

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will make an appearance and outline what’s next for him after the WarGames match at Survivor Series.

WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill will be in action against Alba Fyre of The Secret Hervice while Alexa Bliss faces Kairi Sane.

Ilja Dragunov will continue his WWE United States Championship open challenge series.

A Solo Sikoa appearance to address last Friday’s SmackDown will round out the broadcast which kicks off at 8 PM Eastern.

**********

– The show opened up with a recap of Survivor Series: WarGames from last Saturday and everything that unfolded on that night. Following that, we got the requisite shots of Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair, the Kabuki Warriors, LA Knight, Gunther arriving at the arena.

– Drew McIntyre was shown arriving at the arena as Nick Aldis confronted him for still being suspended despite Survivor Series. After a tense argument, McIntyre was about to leave before he got jumped in his car by an irate Cody Rhodes. Security pulled him away as McIntyre got away in his car. Rhodes then stormed towards the Gorilla position.

Cody Rhodes kicks off SmackDown

The Undisputed WWE Champion didn’t waste any time getting himself in the ring as he asked Mr. Aldis to reinstate Drew McIntyre as the Scotsman broke an unwritten rule by invading his tour bus a couple of weeks back. Rhodes called McIntyre WWE’s “resident cockroach” as he talked about how he was going to go after McIntyre as he might’ve not been able to beat him, but he might’ve broken him. Rhodes said that at the end of it all, he was going to do what everyone wants to do to a cockroach: stomp him out.

A very fiery start to SmackDown. Cody Rhodes’ anger-filled promos are always a highlight, but hopefully, if we do get another title match between he and McIntyre, things take a twist and we have Drew actually winning the title.

**********

– #DIY were discussing amongst themselves about their plans as Carmelo Hayes walked past them and told Tommaso Ciampa that he had next.

– A video promo from Damian Priest aired as he addressed what was Aleister Black’s fate to come, stating that if Black got to bring in his family in the form of his wife Zelina, it’s only fair that Priest brought in his family. Priest revealed Rhea Ripley was backing him up, and that the Terror Twins would face off against Black and Zelina next week.

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes

The match got off to a quick start as Hayes and Dragunov got into a tense collar and elbow tieup battle. Dragunov eventually went on the attack with a chop, but was countered with a set of chops from Hayes in response. Dragunov got back momentum with a hard boot to the face to Hayes. The challenger tried to knock Dragunov off the apron, but he was again flattened with a boot square on the face.

On the top rope, Hayes was stunned, which opened him up for yet another big boot from Dragunov, which sent him crashing down to the outside, apparently tweaking his knee upon landing. This took us into the mid-match break.

The match returned from commercial with Hayes escaping a submission by Dragunov, but he eventually found himself trapped in the U.S. Champion’s German suplex barrage. On the third German suplex attempt, Dragunov battered Hayes with hard elbows, but couldn’t connect with the subsequent move afterwards. The two competitors engaged in a duel of strikes, as Hayes avoided the Constantine Special and hit Dragunov with a springboard clothesline. Hayes followed that up with a tilt-a-whirl facebuster that got a near-fall.

As the crowd got loud, Hayes attempted the First 48, but was caught and dropped on his back by Dragunov. Hayes blocked the H-Bomb by getting his knees up, as a quick roll-up on Dragunov wasn’t enough. Dragunov kicked Hayes in the side of his head and then hit a standing uranage on his challenger.

Dragunov headed up to the top rope, but was sent to the outside by a running kick from Hayes. As the U.S. Champion got on the apron, Hayes dropped him with a DDT on the hardest part of the ring. Hayes headed up to the top rope, but Tommaso Ciampa attacked him while the referee was tending to Dragunov. This led to the U.S. Champion hitting the Torpedo Moscow, followed by the H-Bomb for the victory.

After the replay, Dragunov was shown reacting in anger at Ciampa’s unwanted assist in the win.

Ilja Dragunov def. Carmelo Hayes via pinfall

Another fantastic match and it did its job in getting people to root for Melo Hayes in finally winning the big one. Ciampa ruining things like the heel that he is should make things interesting, and I believe the time will come soon for Hayes if the story being told tonight is any indicator.

**********

– Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss were interviewed about WarGames this past Saturday. They talked about how it made their bond stronger, but that it was time to get back to the business of regaining their Women’s Tag Titles, and it would begin tonight when Bliss is up against Kairi Sane.

– A hype package for the Last Time is Now tournament was shown.

– Cathy Kelley interviewed LA Knight about his match against Gunther for later tonight. Knight said that he doesn’t care about the opponents he faced in the past, and that the one thing that matters is beating John Cena to cement his legacy. Knight talked about how Gunther was standing in his way, and he was going to give him a fight tonight, because Gunther was going to get dropped on his head later tonight like all the rest.

Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka) vs. Alexa Bliss (w/ Charlotte Flair)

The two locked horns to start off before Sane went on the attack in the corner with stomps to Bliss. As Sane tried to run at her foe, she was deposited onto the apron by Bliss. The two eventually exchanged pinfall attempts as Sane mocked Bliss. She paid for that with a hard punch from Bliss, followed by a flipping senton onto a downed Sane.

Outside the ring, Sane tried to walk off, Charlotte Flair stopped her, which allowed for Asuka to trip up Bliss on the apron. Sane then slammed Bliss against the barricade as we took a break in the action.

We returned from the break with Bliss and Sane fighting it out on the top rope. A headbutt from Sane put Bliss in a tough position, and one-half of the Women’s Tag Champions took advantage with a double stomp onto a prone Bliss for the near-fall. Sane attempted a Sliding D, but ended up whiffing after Bliss dodged at the very last second.

Bliss mounted her comeback with a flurry of strikes, followed by a modified Natural Selection. As Asuka got on the apron, Charlotte Flair tripped her up and took her down with a big boot. Back in the ring, Sane had Bliss in position for the Insane Elbow, but she was caught into the Sister Abigail DDT for the one, two, three.

After the match, Lash Legend and Nia Jax attacked Bliss and Flair, making short work of them. As they turned their attention on a fallen Sane, Asuka tried to fight back, but got dropped by Jax. Sane got involved, but ended up being taken down by this duo.

Alexa Bliss def. Kairi Sane

I did enjoy this match a bit, and the intensifying women’s tag title picture is kind of making things a bit interesting. Not much to complain about here.

**********

– Cody Rhodes met with Nick Aldis as the two walked into the latter’s office, the two were met by NXT Champion Ricky Saints and Oba Femi. It was revealed that the winner of tomorrow’s NXT Title match between Femi and Saints at NXT Deadline would face Rhodes next week at Saturday Night’s Main Event

Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre (w/ Chelsea Green)

Green got on the apron at the start of the match, which gave Fyre the opening to hit Cargill with a dropkick. Fyre managed to hit Cargill with a boot to the face, as Green gave her a slap to the face while Fyre had the referee distracted.

Outside the ring, Kiana James got Green’s attention, with Giulia standing behind her. The former Women’s U.S. Champion attacked Green, while back in the ring, Cargill hit her signature pump kick on an unaware Fyre. This match came to an end courtesy to a Jaded from Cargill and the three.

Jade Cargill def. Alba Fyre

That was a bit rough, and the fact remains that outside of maybe Tiffany Stratton, there really isn’t any compelling challengers for Cargill to face in the WWE Women’s Championship sphere. Hoping that changes at some point.

**********

– Both members of Fraxiom were talking to Nick Aldis about wanting another shot at #DIY. At that moment, an angry Ilja Dragunov was upset at the integrity of his Open Challenge being ruined by Tommaso Ciampa’s actions earlier. This led to Dragunov wanting to face Ciampa for the U.S. Title next week, which Aldis obliged. Dragunov was confronted by Tama Tonga and the rest of the M.F.T.s at the end of this exchange.

– As Jade Cargill walked backstage, she tried to trash talk a passing-by B-Fab before Michin had some words for her. Cargill said that she’d speak with Nick Aldis if Michin really wanted a shot at her, stating that if she stepped up, she’d get stepped on.

The M.F.T.s call out The Wyatt Sicks

Solo Sikoa and company marched down to the ring, ready to talk about their win against Sami Zayn’s team last week on SmackDown, as well as the Wyatt Sicks’ attack afterwards.

Sikoa said that he told everyone in that he and the M.F.T.s were going to handle the Sami Zayn problem as they “took his ass out”. He talked about how they can finally move forward now that Zayn was done and dusted, which brought Sikoa to the Wyatt Sicks.

Sikoa talked about how Uncle Howdy was watching him and his family, but he was doing the same to Howdy and the Wyatts. He introduced himself and his group, since he didn’t get a chance to do so to Howdy. Sikoa said that the Wyatts held something that belonged to them: the WWE Tag Team Championships, and that his family was going to hurt the Wyatts in the process.

Sikoa said that everything that was “his’ (Bray Wyatt’s), that was given to Howdy, it was going to soon be his and he was going to show the world that Howdy didn’t deserve the Wyatt name. That was all because all he needed to do was… “Bo-lieve”.

Immediately after Sikoa’s promo, we got a Wyatt Sicks video interruption, which brought the group into the ring. As the Wyatts stood on the apron, Uncle Howdy faced off with Sikoa. The M.F.T.s joined in and things eventually broke down into a full-blown brawl between the Wyatts and the M.F.T.s.

In the ring, after everyone was cleared out, Talla Tonga and Erick Rowan were the ones left standing as the two giants faced off. Rowan got the best of Talla as the Wyatts and the M.F.T.s stared one another down.

I haven’t been too hot on this M.F.T.s/Wyatt Sicks feud, but this skirmish was decent, at the very least. Sikoa invoking Bray Wyatt’s memory for heat and calling back to Bo Dallas to get at Howdy was a fine way to add some needed fuel to the fire, but in all honesty, this is no Wyatt Family vs. The Shield, that’s for sure.

**********

– Bayley walked into Nick Aldis’ office and found out that she was going to face Sol Ruca next week at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

– Cathy Kelley interviewed Gunther about his match with LA Knight in our main event. He said that he was going to beat LA Knight and then John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Gunther talked about how this tournament was a foregone conclusion as he told Cena to watch and pay attention to not only him beating LA Knight, but how he’d do so.

– Aleister Black shared remarks via video about Damian Priest. He declared he might be everyone’s enemy, but he’d give everyone straight. Zelina talked about how the Terror Twins was just a ploy by Rhea Ripley to leave Priest in a lonely and stat state that he found it.

Next Week on SmackDown

  • Mixed Tag Match: The Terror Twins (Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley) vs. Aleister Black & Zelina
  • U.S. Title Match: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Lash Legend

Last Time is Now Tournament Final: LA Knight vs. Gunther

Gunther facewashed Knight disrespectfully at the start of the match, which fired Knight up as he went on the attack early. Gunther went for his powerbomb, but Knight escaped that attempt. Knight tried for the BFT early, but Gunther countered it. The Austrian was sent out of the ring by Knight, who then struck with a baseball slide as we took a picture-in-picture break early.

Our main event resumed as Gunther flattened Knight with a hard clothesline. In the corner, Gunther pummelled his foe with repeated kicks, but Knight fought out of it and managed to ground his foe. Knight went for his jumping elbow and just missed after Gunther rolled out of harm’s way. Gunther threw Knight hard into the corner, which left his back reeling. Gunther held Knight by the wrist and chopped him hard on the chest repeatedly. Knight avoided the last chop and caught Gunther by surprise with a jumping clothesline, followed by the jumping neckbreaker.

Knight went for another BFT, but Gunther avoided it. After an O’Connor Roll pin by Knight, Gunther turned that into a sleeper hold that was quickly escaped out of. Knight hoisted Gunther on his shoulder and delivered an Attitude Adjustment, followed by a Burning Hammer for a close near-fall. We took one last picture-in-picture commercial break at this point.

This match returned to full-screen action as Knight and Gunther got into a duel of chops. Knight got the better of Gunther as he backed him into the corner with stomps, followed by a running knee to his prone foe. Gunther caught Knight in a sleeper hold, but got thrown for the back suplex instead. On the top rope, Knight couldn’t connect iwth his elbow and got dropped by a shotgun dropkick from Gunther instead.

Knight countered Gunther’s powerbomb into a DDT as he then headed up top and connected with his signature Megastar Elbow. One, two… NO! As Gunther stumbled to his feet, Knight tried again to hit the BFT, but that was countered. Gunther turned that attempt into a German suplex and continued his relentless attack on Knight’s neck with a vicious lariat. Gunther ascended to the top rope, but was intercepted by Knight who was going for a superplex. Gunther pushed him down and connected with the big splash. He then went to the other corner and hit another diving splash for the near-fall.

Gunther lifted Knight up for the powerbomb, but could not put his foe away. Knight struggled to his feet and Gunther attempted to apply his sleeper hold. Knight turned that into a BFT, but Gunther used his leg to get on the bottom rope in the nick of time. Gunther battered the back of Knight’s neck with elbows as he then applied his trademark sleeper hold tight. Knight fought out of it briefly, but the elbows to the back of his head put him out of it. Gunther then applied a cravate submission that Knight eventually tapped out to.

Gunther def. LA Knight via submission to win the Last Time is Now Tournament

**********

That was a good main event match, but the predictability of Gunther winning and tapping out does put a damper on things. If we’re being honest, this tournament hasn’t really felt all that special, despite how much WWE tried to do so, which sums up a lot about John Cena’s final year as a whole.

Aside from that, this was another above-average SmackDown, though it does speak volumes that having various Raw talents all over the show to give us this kind of show is an indictment how the SmackDown talent by itself isn’t really done any favors by dull booking.


Last Time Is Now tournament finals set for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The finals of the Last Time is Now tournament are now set.

LA Knight and Gunther won their semifinal matches on Monday’s Raw and as a result have advanced to the finals of the tournament that will take place on Friday’s SmackDown. Whoever wins the finals will become John Cena’s final opponent for Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington, D.C..

Knight was the first to advance, reversing a pin attempt by Jey Uso to pick up the win. After the match, a despondent Jey Uso sulked at ringside and destroyed the Prime Energy display nearby. As he was walking out of the arena, Jackie Redmond attempted to interview him, but Uso wouldn’t answer any questions. He eventually said titles looked better on Roman Reign’s shoulders before leaving.

In the second semifinal, Gunther defeated Solo Sikoa. The finish had Talla Tonga at ringside grab Gunther so Sikoa could work him over, but Gunther countered with a low blow on Talla. He then took Sikoa back into the ring and pinned him after a powerbomb.

WWE SmackDown (December 5)

  • Last Time Is Now tournament finals: LA Knight vs. Gunther

Semifinals set for WWE The Last Time Is Now tournament

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The semifinals in The Last Time Is Now tournament are set.

LA Knight and Jey Uso advanced on SmackDown, now setting up a semifinal match that will take place between the two this Monday on Raw. Uso was the first to advance on Friday, pinning Rusev following a splash.

The second bout was shrouded in mystery as Sheamus had to be pulled due to injury. Backstage on Friday, The Miz begged Nick Aldis to be put in the match and by a stroke of luck, his name was pulled out of the tumbler. Despite the break, Miz wasn’t able to defeat Knight, who scored the victory with the BFT.

On the other side of the bracket, Gunther is set to take on Solo Sikoa after Gunther defeated Carmelo Hayes and Sikoa defeated Penta following a referee stoppage. Sikoa also emerged victorious on Friday after emerging as the sole survivor in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match.

The winner of the tournament will face John Cena in his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.

WWE SmackDown live results: The Last Time is Now tournament continues

Posted on by Marc Quill

The Last Time is Now tournament continues tonight on WWE SmackDown from MVP Arena in Albany, New York.

The show will feature two first-round matchups, including one between two former World Champions Jey Uso and The Miz. The other pits LA Knight against a yet-to-be-revealed mystery opponent.

The winners will progress further in the bracketless tournament that will determine John Cena’s last-ever opponent for next month’s December 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.

After a confrontation, new WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill will take on B-Fab in a non-title bout.

Sami Zayn will also be on the show as he has a message for Solo Sikoa after last week — when he attempted to get at Sikoa and the MFTs but was unable to. In storyline, Zayn was not medically cleared in storyline. We’ll see if tonight’s message has something to do with a Zayn return.

Plus, Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY are in the house as the WarGames build continues.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

**********

– We opened SmackDown on a recap of what happened last week with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, along with the Kabuki Warriors and the new alliance of Nia Jax and Lash Legend. The chaos involving these groups led to WarGames being declared by IYO SKY and the returning Rhea Ripley.

Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY kick off SmackDown

The dynamic tandem made their way to the ring to the loud ovation from the fans in Albany. Once the two got into the ring, Rhea Ripley addressed how things have devolved into chaos since she was gone due to her broken nose. Ripley mentioned that the Kabuki Warriors think they’re untouchable because they’re the Women’s Tag Team Champions, and that Lash Legend & Nia Jax similarly though they were untouchable because of their added numbers. Ripley said that the numbers game meant that Jax & Legend were also making a lot of enemies, as SKY mentioned that there’d be nowhere to hide in WarGames. Ripley then introduced their two partners for the Match Beyond in two weeks: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss.

Bliss started that if Jax & Legend wanted to get dirty, that was fine by her. If the Kabuki Warriors wanted a fight, they’re on, too. Flair interrupted by saying that she couldn’t pretend to do this anymore, as she told Ripley that she couldn’t trust her as she was a “snake”. It’s something that she couldn’t look past even with a common enemy. Flair called Bliss her friend, but she couldn’t go through with this WarGames match, as she walked out.

Interesting start, which is definitely meant to give the babyface team at Survivor Series a bit of adversity heading into next week.

**********

– Michael Cole and Corey Graves teed up the action ahead for tonight, including WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill vs. B-Fab, plus LA Knight vs. a mystery opponent in the Last Time is Now tournament.

The Last Time is Now Tournament First-Round Match: Jey Uso vs. The Miz

Miz and Uso locked horns to start us off before the latter struck with a clubbing blow to the back of his foe. Uso answered back with strikes to the face, but found himself down on the mat with a knee driven to the gut by Miz. In the corner, Miz went for his signature clothesline, but Uso countered that into a backslide pin for a two-count.

Uso escaped an early Skull-Crushing Finale attempt as he then clotheslined Miz to the outside. He then took off with a suicide dive, wich was the cue for a break in the action.

As we returned from commercial, Miz had the advantage as he dropped Uso face first on his knees from the corner, followed by a spike DDT that wasn’t enough to pick up the win. Miz then kicked repeatedly at Uso’s chest, but failed to hit the last kick as the former World Champion turned that into a neckbreaker for a near-fall. As Miz scurried into the corner, he avoided a running hip strike from Uso. He then decided to do a spoof of John Cena’s shoulder charges, Protoplex and the Five-Knuckle Shuffle.

Uso recovered and superkicked Miz, as he then tried to lift him up on his shoulders. Miz wriggled free and delivered the Skull-Crushing Finale. One, two…. NO! Miz lifted Uso up on the top turnbuckle as he tried for an avalanche Skull-Crushing Finale. Uso escaped and hit some sort of drop from the top instead. This led into the Spear, and the Uso Splash for the three and the victory.

Jey Uso def. The Miz via pinfall to advance in The Last Time is Now Tournament

A decent match, though I was surprised this went down cleanly without any sort of WarGames-adjacent shenanigans. It was certainly better than Uso’s last singles match at Saturday Night’s Main Event a few weeks back.

**********

– As Nick Aldis was meeting with Ilja Dragunov, they were interrupted by an incensed Tommasso Ciampa, who stood with Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae. Ciampa was upset at being snubbed by Dragunov once again. The U.S. Champion explained that he only gives opportunities to those who are honorable and deserve a shot at the title, and he’s found one such individual. Mr. Aldis left this scene and was met by Paul Heyman and Bronson Reed of The Vision, who wanted to chat wit him.

– We got a video of John Cena talking about how he became a wrestler. This was a tease for an interview with Cena conducted by Tom Rinaldi that will be released soon.

– Back with Nick Aldis, who requested for security to come to his office. Paul Heyman mentioned that he had an agreement regarding WarGames, stating that he was free to pick anyone across all brands. Aldis reiterated that as he asked Heyman and Reed to leave. Cody Rhodes showed up and explained that he showed up because his friends were held to the fire by The Vision and that he’d be willing to put himself through the fire next. This led to a major match being made tonight: Cody Rhodes vs. Bronson Reed for the WWE Championship.

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Axiom

We started hot right away as Dragunov and Axiom were engaged in a chain wrestling duel. The U.S. Champion missed on a chop as Axiom rolled underneath, which seemed to impress Dragunov a fair bit. Axiom followed with a headlock takeover, but was felled by a running shoulder block from Dragunov afterwards. Dragunov went for a back elbow, but Axiom dodged it and hit a dropkick that sent him out of the ring.

As Axiom tried to go to the top rope, Dragunov intercepted him and left him sat on the top rope. After a brief skirmish, Dragunov headbutted Axiom down to the mat, as he then followed that with a senton for the near-fall. We then went to a picture-in-picture break at this point.

SmackDown returned to full-screen action as Dragunov connected with a German suplex. Axiom escaped and caught his championship foe with a release Northern Lights suplex. As both men got themselves back up, Axiom blasted Dragunov in the face with a strike, as he then leapt from the top rope with a shotgun missile dropkick for the two-count. Axiom took shots at the chest of Dragunov, who responded with a hard boot to the face.

Dragunov’s attempt at a Constantine Special was reversed into an armbar by Axiom. The U.S. Champion used his strength to break free of the hold with a deadlift powerbomb. Axiom got ahead of an attempted H-Bomb and turned that into an incredible leaping springboard DDT for the close near-fall. With Dragunov stunned in the corner, Axiom lifted him up the top rope and was looking for an avalanche Spanish Fly. Dragunov tried to fight back, but could not prevent the Spanish Fly from the top.

Axiom had Dragunov locked for the Golden Ratio, but he was intercepted by a fierce Torpedo Moscow. An H-Bomb from the U.S. Champion put an end to this Open Challenge and brought victory for Ilja Dragunov.

After the match, Dragunov showed respect for Axiom’s effort in this one as he shook the challenger’s hand.

Ilja Dragunov def. Axiom via pinfall to retain the United States Championship

Another solid U.S. Title Open Challenge match. Dragunov has been just on a tear since his return with fantastic matches one after the other, and this week’s match was no exception. Axiom was a perfect challenger for Dragunov and looked great even in defeat.

**********

– During the commercial break, we saw Tommasso Ciampa brutally attacking Axiom before Nathan Frazer chased him off.

Sami Zayn addresses The M.F.T.s

The former U.S. Champion was out as he made his way to the ring and began by greeting the Albany crowd.

Zayn said that since he came to SmackDown, there were some extremely high highs and extremely low lows. He talked about how he beat Solo Sikoa for the U.S. Title and that he did some incredible things, like facing John Cena in his last-ever SmackDown ever. Zayn mentioned that the last four weeks have been incredibly rough on him as he wasn’t medically cleared yet. He was forced to watch Sikoa and the M.F.T.s attack his friends and people that he respected. And now, that will end tonight, as Zayn challenged Sikoa to face him right now.

On cue, Sikoa walked to the ring, surrounded by his motley crew. Sikoa talked about how he knew the real Sami Zayn: someone who was a pathetic, a liar, and selfish. He claimed that Zayn didn’t care about the people in the back or the people in Albany. That was in contrast to Sikoa, who said that he cared about his “family” and their loyalty to him. Sikoa told Zayn that he knew nothing about loyalty or love of his family. Sikoa threatned to do harm Zayn as he was “still wounded”. He motioned for the M.F.T.s to approach Zayn in the ring.

Sikoa stopped them from going on the attack as he wanted Zayn to be 100% and medically cleared, because he was coming for him. Zayn answered that he was medically cleared and that if Sikoa wanted to do something about it, he’d do something about it right now. Zayn then burst Sikoa’s balloon by stating that he wasn’t here alone. Just then, Shinsuke Nakamura, the Motor City Machine Guns, and Rey Fenix evened the odds as they helped Zayn clear the ring of the M.F.T.s.

Bless Zayn for trying to generate interest into this feud, but it’s still kind of doing nothing for me even with that. This Bloodline retread just is not clicking for me at all, I’m sorry to say.

**********

– Cody Rhodes was approached by Jey Uso, who wished him luck for his Undisputed WWE Title match later on tonight. Jimmy Uso then showed up and told both Rhodes and brother Jey that he spoke with CM Punk, who officially put Jimmy on their WarGames team for Survivor Series.

– Backstage, Nick Aldis declared that in two weeks we’d see the M.F.T.s take on the team of Sami Zayn, the Motor City Machine Guns, Rey Fenix, and Shinsuke Nakamura in a 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series match. The Wyatt Sicks’ VHS glitches were shown as Solo Sikoa and Mr. Aldis left.

The Last Time is Now Tournament First-Round Match: LA Knight vs. Zack Ryder

Ryder was revealed as Knight’s mystery opponent moments before this match got underway. He got a great reaction from the crowd.

As the bell rang, Ryder went for an early school boy roll-up pin, but that was clearly not enough this early into the match. Knight countered a Rough Ryder attempt, but was sent out of the ring, which was the cue to take us into the commercial break.

We resumed the match from the break with Knight getting sent hard into the corner by Ryder. This was met in kind with a nice back body drop from Knight shortly after. Knight avoided a clothesline from Ryder, as he then unleahsed a flurry of punches, followed by the neckbreaker for the near-fall. Knight continued on the offensive, but a reversal on a scoop slam led to Ryder picking up some momentum. As Knight was left down and out in the corner, this left him open to Ryder’s Broski Boot for a close near-fall.

Knight countered an attempt at an Unprettier from Ryder into a reverse DDT. The elbow from the top was avoided by Ryder, who turned that into the Rough Ryder on his foe. One, two… Knight was able to kick out at two. Knight’s BFT was countered into a roll-up pin, by Ryder, as he headed up to the top rope. Ryder’s attempt at a standing legdrop was turned into a powerbomb by Knight, who then soundly finished off Ryder with the BFT for the three.

LA Knight def. Zack Ryder via pinfall to advance in The Last Time is Now Tournament

Zack Ryder was a nice surprise, and it was at least nice to see LA Knight back in the winning column here for this match.

**********

– As Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, and Alexa Bliss were discussing what to do with Charlotte Flair walking ou on them, they were ambushed by the Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax, and Lash Legend. The Jamie Noble-led vanguard of security officials got them to back off after the ambush.

Jade Cargill vs. B-Fab

B-Fab escaped an early chokeslam attempt by Cargill, as she then hit her with a dropkick and repeated elbows in the corner. B-Fab’s attempt at a pump kick was met by a fierce elbow to the face from Cargill, who followed that up with a fallaway slam. Cargill managed to connect with the chokeslam on B-Fab. This was followed by the powerbomb on her foe. Not satisfied with just one powerbomb, Cargill then dropped her with one more powerbomb, then the Jaded for the dominant victory.

After the match, Michin ran in to check up on B-Fab, which caught Cargill’s attention. The WWE Women’s Champion shoved her down afterwards.

Jade Cargill def. B-Fab via pinfall

Just kind of there in terms of being a match, and with how barebones the SmackDown’s women’s division is, that’s not a good sign. Not saying that B-Fab should be having competitive matches with the WWE Women’s World Champion, but sub-three minute matches are not the way to do it.

**********

– Nick Aldis revealed two more The Last Time is Now tournament matchups: Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed and Penta vs. Finn Balor, with these match set for next week’s SmackDown.

Next Week on SmackDown:

  • The Last Time is Now Tournament: Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed
  • The Last Time is Now Tournament: Penta vs. Finn Balor
  • Fraxiom (Axiom & Nathan Frazer) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommasso Ciampa)

– We got remarks from Aleister Black, with Damian Priest once again being the subject of discussion for him. Black said that they forced Priest to break his code, and now he had greater things in mind, namely those who hold championships on SmackDown.

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman)

The main event started off fast and furious as Rhodes went on the attack against Reed. A running thump from the Aussie put an end to that flurry as he maintained the assault on ringside with another running thump.

Our main event returned from the break as Rhodes nailed Reed with the Disaster Kick. This fired up the Undisputed WWE Champion as he attempted to blast Reed with the Dusty elbow strikes. Reed countered that into Jagged Edge, but he missed on the Tsunami. This left Reed open for a Cody Cutter for the close near-fall. As Reed scurried outside to the ring, Rhodes went for a suicide dive, but Reed intercepted him with an elbow.

Outside the ring, Reed had Rhodes in sight for an avalanche run, but he was met at the pass by the Undisputed WWE Champion. Things broke down once Bron Breakker and Logan Paul ran in to attack Rhodes as this match ended in a DQ.

The Usos ran in for the save as they cleared the ring of Paul and Breakker. Jimmy and Jey dropped Paul with a 1D, as they then grabbed a table from underneath the ring. Drew McIntyre showed up, despite being suspended. Nick Aldis confronted Paul Heyman about this outside the ring, as the heels got the upper hand in the ring. The Levesque & Fitting credits saw us off once more with The Vision standing united in the ring.

Cody Rhodes def. Bronson Reed via DQ to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship

**********

An okay ending to an otherwise better-than-average SmackDown once again carried hard by the U.S. Open Challenge. WarGames is at least setting up quite nicely, and presumably Roman Reigns will fill out the babyface team in the coming weeks. Perhaps, even John Cena.

Other than that, when I say that this show was decent, it is, of course, in comparison to the previous weeks of rather milquetoast episodes. The M.F.T.s storyline continues to just be kind of there, but I am enjoying everything surrounding the U.S. Title and the Ciampa/Dragunov feud that’s been building in the background of it. At the end of the day, a decent show is certainly better than a forgettably bad one.