WWE heads back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this Saturday for Crown Jewel (1 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network) with Roman Reigns once again set to defend his undisputed Universal title against a top babyface who has been surging in popularity.
Having LA Knight challenge Reigns so quickly during his rise in popularity is an interesting choice. Assuming he’s not winning the title at Crown Jewel, WWE will want to keep him as strong as possible in losing. He would then join a long and growing list of wrestlers who would have beaten Reigns if it weren’t for outside interference or otherwise underhanded bad-guy tactics. It’s possible WWE fans have just seen this finish too many times now.
Still, if WWE can find a unique and creative way to screw Knight out of winning the title, I’m not expecting his momentum to be halted much. Whatever damage is done can likely be rectified with a strong promo on the following SmackDown. Fans are into Knight because he’s entertaining, not because he’s being portrayed as Goldberg-level unstoppable. It’ll be fine.
Crown Jewel is also the first WWE PLE since it was reported that Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque is once again in full control of the company’s creative. Although, it feels as though WWE Fastlane was pretty much a full Levesque show too. Still, barring any unexpected power play by Vince McMahon, it looks like we are finally going to see what Triple H’s long-term plans are for this company.
Another thing to look out for on Saturday is any storyline developments that could lead into Survivor Series later this month. All signs point to WarGames returning at the event this year, so some battle lines could be drawn at Crown Jewel.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (-5000 favorite) defends against LA Knight
If you’re a big fan of watching someone almost beat Reigns only to have the win snatched away from them due to outside interference, boy do I have the match for you!
In the months leading up to WrestleMania, there were numerous title matches where it seemed as though Reigns could actually lose. Many fans felt Drew McIntyre had a chance to win at Clash at the Castle last year. Some fans in Montreal believed Sami Zayn had a chance to beat Reigns at Elimination Chamber. Most fans thought Cody Rhodes would beat him at WrestleMania.
It doesn’t feel like that anymore. Now, fans believe nobody is going to beat Reigns until WrestleMania. The betting world concurs as the champion is the biggest favorite of the night.
That Knight is being booked in this match at all is interesting. It seems a little early during his rise in popularity to be putting him in a high-profile match where he’s most likely going to lose.
It’s pretty tough to be a top babyface in WWE right now when all roads lead to Reigns who nobody beats. Zayn is not as popular now as he was before he lost in Montreal, although you could argue he was never going to maintain the hot streak he was on. On the other hand, Rhodes seems to have come out from his loss to Reigns relatively unscathed. Time will tell what impact Saturday’s result will have on Knight’s trajectory.
Prediction: Reigns retains
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (-400 favorite) defends against Drew McIntyre
I’m surprised Rollins isn’t a bigger favorite. I absolutely do not recommend gambling on wrestling past something friendly with friends but if I were to, I’d put some money on the champion.
Eventually, Damian Priest is going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and take the title off Rollins so it seems likely that Rollins will hold the belt until then.
McIntyre will lose here, but he will do so in a way where his character feels cheated. Then, the bitterness will start to eat at him just like it eats at his character that his big WrestleMania moment occurred in front of no fans. He’ll then move further into the bad guy who feels justified role similar to Bret Hart in 1997 which Dave Meltzer wrote is the inspiration for McIntyre’s current story.
Prediction: Rollins retains
WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley (-2500 favorite) defends against Nia Jax (+800), Raquel Rodriguez (+500), Shayna Baszler (+1200) and Zoey Stark (+1200) in a fatal five-way
It doesn’t feel like the right time to take the title off Ripley. I’m not sure if that time will come anytime soon either as she’s been the MVP of Raw as of late.
What this match will likely do is build up the next real challenger. Someone other than Ripley will have the match won, but the champion will do something dastardly to steal the victory out from under them. She’ll then defend the title against that wrestler at Survivor Series.
Prediction: Ripley retains
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY (-300 favorite) defends against Bianca Belair
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Belair win the title, but it seems a little fast for her to regain it.
It’s been a weird ride for Damage CTRL. They debuted at SummerSlam last year as Levesque took the creative reins. Then as he lost said reins, we started to get a storyline that seemed to be leading to the breakup of the group. Now that Levesque is back in charge, those breakup teases don’t happen anymore. The sudden cohesion of this group was what first signified to some that Vince McMahon was no longer in charge. However, that doesn’t mean IYO isn’t dropping the belt to Belair on Saturday.
I’m expecting this to go similar to the Charlotte Flair vs. SKY match from a few weeks back on SmackDown. Bayley will help the champion secure the underhanded victory. Eventually, this title is going back on Flair. It’s just not clear when that will be.
Prediction: SKY retains
WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio defends against Logan Paul (-600 favorite)
I’m surprised Paul isn’t a bigger favorite. Having him bring the United States Championship to all the media appearances he makes, having it on display during his YouTube show, and whatever else Paul does will be great marketing for the company.
Paul will cheat to beat Mysterio and then he’ll taunt the LWO with the belt on social media which could lead to a rematch at Survivor Series.
Prediction: Paul wins the title
Cody Rhodes (-700 favorite) vs. Damian Priest
Rhodes is a heavy favorite and will very likely win, but these are two guys WWE wants to keep strong. I wouldn’t rule out some type of non-finish here.
Rhodes is being kept strong for another big match against Reigns, possibly in the main event of WrestleMania. He’s 8-1 in singles matches on WWE programming since WrestleMania 39 with his only loss being a referee stoppage to Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions. However, Rhodes avenged that loss and won the trilogy 2-1 after beating Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Priest is being kept strong too, though quite possibly because he’ll soon take the World Heavyweight title off Rollins. He hasn’t lost a singles match on WWE programming since June. Priest seems like he’s been getting pushed since his match against Bad Bunny at Backlash in May. WWE likely decided they had something with him around that time.
This match is two guys being built up for big matches that are not against each other so it’ll be interesting to see what the finish is.
Prediction: Rhodes
John Cena (-120 favorite) vs. Solo Sikoa
While Cena’s role at this stage in his career is to put over young stars, I’m not certain that is what he will be doing in Riyadh on Saturday.
Normally, this would be a good opportunity for Cena to make Sikoa look like an unstoppable monster. Complicating this, however, is the storyline about how Cena hasn’t won a singles match on WWE programming since 2018. Granted, Cena has only wrestled three singles matches on WWE programming in that time (he’s won several singles matches on house shows and TV dark matches), but still, the storyline they are telling could lead one to believe that Cena has to win.
Sikoa could still win, though, causing Cena to further question if he still has it anymore, perhaps promising to retire if he doesn’t win his next big match or something similar.
I imagine we could see some callbacks and homages to Cena’s rivalry with Sikoa’s uncle Umaga during this match which includes one of the best matches in both Cena and Umaga’s careers: their Last Man Standing war at the 2007 Royal Rumble.
Prediction: Cena
Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh
There are no betting odds available for this match, but if there were, I imagine Zayn would be the biggest favorite of the night. This will be a fun match by two very good wrestlers and will give fans a chance to cheer Zayn on.
LA Knight left Roman Reigns laying in the middle of the ring at the conclusion of last night’s SmackDown.
Ahead of their Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel on November 4, Knight & Reigns were the focus of this week’s SmackDown, with a heavy emphasis on establishing Knight as a credible challenger to Reigns and his 1,153-plus day title reign.
Knight interrupted Reigns’ entrance at the top of the program, went toe-to-toe with the champion on the microphone in a contract signing segment, survived an attack from Jimmy Uso in the ring, defeated Uso later in the show’s main event, and put an exclamation point on his night by hitting Reigns with BFT to close the show.
Due to the World Series, tonight’s SmackDown from Milwaukee airs live on FS1 instead of Fox.
The show is taking place with Crown Jewel just eight days away. Roman Reigns and LA Knight will both be on hand to sign the contract for their Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel.
This will be the first time Reigns and Knight have shared the ring since Reigns laid out Knight with a spear on SmackDown two weeks ago.
Also slated for tonight is a tag team match pitting Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar against The Street Profits. Mysterio is gearing up for a United States title defense against Logan Paul at Crown Jewel.
John Cena will address his upcoming match against Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel. Plus, Bianca Belair is scheduled to appear. Belair returned from a hiatus last week and saved Charlotte Flair from a beatdown by Damage CTRL. IYO SKY retained her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte in the main event of the episode after Damage CTRL interference.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Kevin Patrick welcomed everyone in. Corey Graves recapped how People Magazine broke the news that John Cena will face Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel. Roman Reigns’s music hit and Regisn began his 1,295-minute entrance – but wait. As Reigns was posing in the aisle, LA Knight’s music hit and Knight strutted past Reigns to the ring.
The Roman Reigns/LA Knight contract signing
This was one of the better talkie opening segments in recent WWE TV memory. I ate up the lack of respect Knight had for Reigns and all his pomp and circumstance. It was a welcome change of pace for the Roman Reigns presentation and Reigns did a great job selling how much that annoyed him. None of us think Knight is taking that belt off Reigns, but damn if they aren’t doing all they can to convince us Knight has a chance. Of all the good Knight promo segments that have occurred in the last year or so, this ranked up there with the best of them. He felt confident and never out of place in a major position like that – and that’s not easy to do.
The crowd chanted “LA Knight!” as Knight sat at the proverbial head of the literal table, which made Paul Heyman angry. Knight said it was time to sign the deal for the match (yeah!). SmackDown GM Nick Aldis weighed in and welcomed everyone. Knight interrupted Aldis and said, “Let me talk to ya!” Knight said the contract said Roman Reigns will hand over the championship to LA Knight (yeah!). Reigns sat down and said, “Hello, big boy.”
When the crowd calmed down, Reigns said, “Hey, idiot,” to Knight. Reigns called Knight stupid for just “signing away.” Reigns asked Knight if Knight had ever actually had a contract signing as well as a championship match before. Reigns said Knight had no clue what he was doing. Reigns said he would go easy on Knight. Reigns said he’d be gentle with Knight and called Knight “sweetheart.” The pen didn’t work, so Heyman threw it. Reigns got a pen that worked and signed the contract as the crowd chanted “Roman’s scared!” Aldis took the contract and wished both guys the best of luck.
Reigns got up to leave, but Knight stopped him and told Reigns to acknowledge him. Knight said it was sweet of Roman to say he’d be gentle with him. Knight said Reigns is already beat. Knight said it might be his first time in this position, but it happened “after only a single year.” Knight said he climbed to fast, Reigns hasn’t known what’s hit him. Knight said he only needs one time to get Reigns’s title and mocked Reigns for his infamous “sufferin succotash” promo. Knight said there was nothing Roman could do to stop him and that wasn’t an insult, it was “a fact of life.”
Knight said he can’t stop being the man they call the megastar and Knight led the crowd in his chants, but Reigns cut Knight off by flipping the table onto Knight. Reigns threw Knight into the ring post and got another table from under the ring. Reigns set up the table inside the ring and tried to punch Knight, but Knight fought back and stomped a mud hole in Reigns. Jimmy Uso appeared out of nowhere and stomped a mud hole in Knight. Heyman told Jimmy to “get him” when it came to Knight, but Knight caught Jimmy and suplexed Jimmy through the table. Knight’s music hit to end the segment.
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The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated LWO (Carlito & Santos Escobar) [11:52]
From the tenth of a second it was randomly announced that Mysterio wasn’t actually going to participate in this match – even though he was initially announced to wrestle in this match – it was clear who the winners were going to be. I might be in the minority, but I kind of like the Profits working a heel style in the ring. There’s a noticeable difference and if the hope for them and Bobby Lashley ever fails, you can’t say it’s because nobody tried their hardest. That in mind, I’m still concerned about where they go from this program with the LWO. WWE doesn’t get as much flak for investing as much in 50/50 booking as it once did, but you can’t tell me either the Profits or the LWO look great as a result of this story. Either way, the match was fine for what it was, even if the crowd felt indifferent toward Carlito, which in its own right, was a shame.
Dawkins and Escobar started the match out with Dawkins taking control early. After trading a handful of flips and athletic moves, Escobar got the upper hand with a dropkick. Carlito tagged in and muscled Dawkins to the mat. Carlito jawed at Lashley and Dawkins capitalized on it with a series of strikes. Carlito came back with a standing dropkick and with Ford and Dawkins on the outside, Carlito took off his shirt and landed a flip onto the heels before the show cut to a commercial break.
Back from break, Ford was working over Escobar inside the ring. When Escobar tried to fight back, Ford kicked Escobar and landed a splash for a two-count. Ford worked a chin-lock to slow things down. Ford hit an enziguri and stepped on Escobar’s throat. Ford went back to the rear chin-lock. Escobar punched and elbowed his way out, but Ford cut Escobar off with a clothesline. Dawkins tagged in and the Profits dropped Escobar face-first. Dawkins ran at Escobar, but Escobar countered with a knee strike to even things out. Carlito then received the hot tag as Ford tagged in.
Carlito took both Profits out, complete with a spinebuster on Ford for a two-count. Carlito set up a backstabber, but Ford countered into a rollup and a two-count. Carlito came back with a neck-breaker, but Dawkins broke up a pin attempt. Escobar tagged in and Rey Mysterio was shown watching the match backstage … until Logan Paul attacked Mysterio. Carlito ran to the back to help Rey and as a result, despite a valiant effort, the Profits hit The Revelation for the win.
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– Roman Reigns was shown backstage and Paul Heyman showed Reigns a WWE title “made exclusively for the Green Bay Packers.” Heyman said he was going to give the title to LA Knight because it will be the closest Knight or the Green Bay Packers will ever come to becoming champions, which was kind of funny. Jimmy Uso showed up and laid on the couch. Jimmy said he ran the play – but it was “an audible, a hot route.” Reigns said they have to handle Knight tonight, but Jimmy said he was on the IR … until Jimmy said he was off it after a weird look from Roman. Heyman said he was going to talk to Nick Aldis to make the match between Jimmy and Knight for later.
– Logan Paul was shown walking backstage and Cathy Kelley caught up with him. Paul quickly rambled for a second and walked away. Shown standing alongside a wall was Kevin Owens, who Paul dismissed. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller came into the frame and confronted Owens. WWE officials separated Owens and the heels. With Owens seemingly gone, Owens came out of nowhere and put both Waller and Theory down with one punch.
– Kayla Braxton interviewed Dragon Lee. Lee said he was happy to be on SmackDown, but was then interrupted by Cedric Alexander. Alexander said Lee reminded him of himself. Cedric recalled how the crowd once chanted “Please sign Cedric!” Alexander challenged Lee to a match tonight and Lee accepted.
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Shotzi defeated Chelsea Green [3:18]
I maintain that Chelsea Green takes too many losses. She could be a lot of fun as a pest heel who always pulls out wins, but instead, it’s so much harder to take her seriously as someone who holds a belt, but never seems to win. She’s not not entertaining – and on top of that, I’m all for Shotzi getting some wins under her belt – but there has to be a more meaningful way to use both women.
Green attacked Shotzi early. Shotzi fought back and choked Green with her legs. Green rolled to the outside, where Shotzi hit a splash onto Green. Back in the ring, Green landed a sort of Russian Leg Sweep from the middle rope. Green got a two-count out of it. Green landed a missile dropkick for another two-count. Green hit a short-arm clothesline and stepped on Shotzi. Green ran at Shotzi, but Shotzi pulled down the ropes and Green went to the apron. From there, the two went to a corner and the middle rope. It resulted in Green throwing Shotzi down, face-first, onto the canvas. Green posed a little too much and Shotzi rolled Green up for the win.
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The John Cena segment
Yeah, you can’t tell me Cena is working a second beyond Crown Jewel after that. Heyman gave him a great sendoff and there was a lot of hidden respect built into that promo that you have to think Crown Jewel will be the last we see of Cena for a while (if not forever? OK, probably not forever, but you never know). Cena has been fantastic in this latest run and he’s been everything anyone could ask him to be and more. The only question remains: Does he go out on his back and give Sikoa a super-rub, or does Cena get a victory to feel good about before he goes back to Hollywood Land? It might be the most up-for-grabs result on Crown Jewel as we sit right now, eight days removed.
Cena fired up the crowd by saying “This is what SmackDown sounds like from a sold-out Milwaukee, Wisconsin!” Cena said there was a special energy in the building. Cena said the energy for him was a little different because the energy was serious. Cena said he’s had a lot of serious moments in his career, but it hasn’t been this serious in a wild. Cena said for more than 20 years, he and the fans have shared “this” (whatever “this” is, which is apparently impossible to define). Cena talked about how the fans have given him their respect. Cena said he felt he was in jeopardy of losing the fans’ support and respect. Cena himself couldn’t help but laugh at that notion because my God, let’s not pretend like those fans have always been on his side and if there was ever a time they’ve been on his side in recent years, it’s now, but I digress.
Anyway, the crowd chanted “You still got it!” Cena responded with “But what if I don’t?” Cena said if he doesn’t deliver soon, he’ll lose “this” (and again, can we please define with “this” is?). Cena said he wanted to keep the ride going and as a result, there was only one thing left to do at Crown Jewel and that was to win. Cena said Crown Jewel will be both must-see and a must-win. Cena said he knows it takes guts to promise a victory, but Cena said the time is now to deliver. On cue, Paul Heyman’s voice cut through and Heyman walked to the ring.
Heyman said he’s loyal to the truth and he assured Cena he was out there with respect. The crowd chanted “You suck!” at Heyman. Heyman entered the ring after asking Cena if he was allowed to do so. Heyman extended his hand for a handshake. Cena shook Heyman’s hand. Heyman noted how it was a sold out crowd and Heyman actually said, “Thank you for the house,” which got a pop out of me. Heyman said it started when Vince McMahon turned to Heyman 21 years ago and Heyman said Cena was Heyman’s first pick. Heyman said he raised his kids to be more like Cena than Heyman. Heyman told Cena Roman Reigns proved Cena isn’t the greatest of all time in the ring anymore. Heyman followed that up by saying Cena is the greatest at communication in the history of WWE.
Heyman said Cena has a bond with the fans that Heyman could never have because Cena can talk in a way nobody else in the world can talk. Heyman said Cena could have been Heyman – until he “pissed off the Bloodline.” Because of that, the order has come from the top to take Cena out. Heyman said when Sikoa hits Cena with a spike, Cena won’t be able to talk anymore. Heyman said the Bloodline will take Cena away from his WWE Universe. Heyman mocked Cena for saying he has to win at Crown Jewel. Heyman said the one match left that Cena must win, he can’t win. Heyman said that wasn’t a prediction … and Solo Sikoa attacked Cena from behind. Sikoa planted Cena and set up for the spike, which Solo hit. The segment ended with Sikoa and Heyman standing tall and walking to the back.
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– LA Knight was shown backstage and Knight ostensibly accepted the challenge from Jimmy Uso.
Dragon Lee defeated Cedric Alexander [8:10]
So, you do the workers match and you allow Cedric, who has been criminally underused in WWE Land, to go out there and show what he can do … and you lose three minutes of it to a commercial break. Such is the WWE conundrum. Sure, you give fans of this type of wrestling a carrot, but it’s not even enough to make you say what they got was enough. Yes, I’d love to see five more minutes and yes, I’d love to see that without the inconvenience of a commercial break. I also know I can’t be in the minority. Either way, I thought Alexander did everything he could with the time and position he was given and Dragon Lee is clearly getting the proverbial push as the new guy who can both work and fly. This was very good for what it was; I just wanted more.
Both guys countered each other’s best attempts to take control and it resulted in a face-off about 40 seconds into the match. Alexander worked Lee’s arm until the two got back to their feet and Lee worked Alexander’s knee. That was short-lived because Alexander came right back with an arm-drag. Alexander landed a chop and Lee returned the favor. The two then went back and forth with some chops. With the two on the apron, Lee hit a running knee, but Alexander responded by slamming Lee onto the apron as the show went to a commercial break.
When the show returned, Alexander hit a wild Michinoku Driver for a two-count. Lee was on the apron and the two battled on a top turnbuckle. The end result was a high double-stomp from Lee onto Alexander. Lee landed a hell of a sit-out power-bomb for a good near-fall. Alexander tried to slam Lee, but all that meant was both guys went for pin attempts and neither got one that worked. Lee hit what I think is supposed to be his finisher, which was a kind of inverted DDT, for the win. After the match, the two shook hands and Alexander raised Lee’s hand.
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The Bianca Belair segment
This was fairly basic for what it was, but it does set up what should be a nice rematch between Belair and SKY. My guess is next week’s match between Belair and Bayley will be more of an angle than a match, but it’s good to see Belair back nonetheless. I enjoy Belair’s fire when she wants to show it and one has to think if she ends up losing at Crown Jewel, we’ll only see more of it.
Belair said she was so excited to be back on SmackDown. Belair said she was just getting started because while she was away, she only had one thing on her mind. From there, she threw to a video package of her being attacked by Damage CTRL backstage two months ago. Belair said it hurt to watch that. Belair said for the first time, she was out and she sat at home with nothing but her thoughts. Belair said she thought about how she can make Damage CTRL pay. Belair said she couldn’t let it go. Belair said for the first time in her life, she was consumed with vengeance. Belair said she had a plan that she took to Nick Aldis earlier.
As a result, it was official: Belair is going to get her rematch against IYO SKY at Crown Jewel for the WWE Women’s Championship. Belair also said she will face Bayley next week on SmackDown. Belair said she will take out Damage CTRL one by one before she reclaims her title and she slammed down the microphone to end the segment.
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– Next week, Bianca Belair will face Bayley. A weigh-in between Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul will also take place. It sounded like Kevin Patrick had one more match to announce, but he pulled back and to the main event, we went.
LA Knight defeated Jimmy Uso [13:31]
This was one of the better Knight matches in recent WWE television memory. I got a little curious as the show crept up on the last few minutes and a finish didn’t seem to see in sight, but all told, they protected Jimmy for him being on the IR for about 15 seconds earlier in the show. so nobody really loses, but at the same time, this certainly helped Knight become a true contender for Reigns next week. Like I said earlier, they’re trying, and you can’t ask for more than that. to whatever degree that works, we’ll see. They still have a week and a day.
The two jawed at each other to start the match. They then locked up. Jimmy knocked Knight down and posed a bit. Jimmy went for a cheap shot, but Knight countered with a running elbow and a suplex for a two-count. Knight worked Jimmy’s arm and jawed at him while doing so. Knight hit the ropes and kicked Jimmy before landing a serioes of dropkicks to Uso’s head. With Knight on the apron, Jimmy took back control with a snap-suplex. From there, the show went to its final commercial break.
Back from break, Jimmy landed an uppercut that slowed things down. Jimmy hit a hip attack on Knight, who was perched in a corner (though to be fair, Jimmy barely hit Knight when they showed it on replay). Jimmy went for another one, but Knight countered with a clothesline. After fighting back and forth, Jimmy ran Knight into a ring post. Jimmy landed a chop on Knight, but Knight came back with chops of his own. Knight then hit a reverse DDT to try and gain the advantage. Knight landed a combination of moves, which included a Russian Leg Sweep and a DDT for a near-fall.
Knight stomped on Jimmy and ran at Jimmy, but Jimmy rolled to the outside. On the outside, Knight slammed Jimmy’s head into the commentary table repeatedly, which I guess wasn’t a DQ(?). Back in the ring, Knight came off the top, but missed and Jimmy hit a Samoan Drop for a two-count. The crowd launched into a “This is awesome!” chant. Jimmy went to the top, but Knight cut him off. Jimmy fought him off and hit an Uso Splash for a good near-fall. Jimmy went back to the top, but Knight cut him off and landed a super-plex, which turned into the BFT for the win. After the match, Roman Reigns tried to attack Knight, but Knight sidestepped him and hit the BFT on Reigns. Reigns sold the hell out of it and Knight yelled at Reigns to close the show.
A Crown Jewel contract signing is set for next week’s WWE SmackDown on FS1.
Roman Reigns and LA Knight will sign the contract for their upcoming match at Crown Jewel on next week’s SmackDown. The show will air on FS1 next Friday due to the first night of the World Series airing on FOX.
Knight appeared on Friday’s SmackDown and confronted Paul Heyman after Reigns laid him out last Friday. He told Heyman that if anyone was going to put him down, they better put him down for good. He also told Heyman that just as quick as his rise has been, it’ll be just as fast he takes the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship off Reigns.
A tag match for next week has also been set, pitting Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar against the Street Profits. Escobar was pinned by Montez Ford on Friday’s SmackDown thanks to interference from Angelo Dawkins. A brawl ensued after the match until Carlito ran down to make the save.
John LaRocca and I are back with a brand new Fight Game Podcast.
Also back is our top five pro wrestling stories of the week.
Our first story was about the pivot from where the MJF/Juice Robinson storyline seemed to be going last week before Saturday’s Collision and Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. We also looked at the main event for AEW Full Gear and how it’s looking right now.
Some of the other things we talked about on this episode include:
Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight and where to do that match
John Cena’s role in bringing Knight to the main event
The guiding of young Nick Wayne so far
Sting’s retirement
How Jade Cargill is being presented so far
We also had a short Wrestling Prospectus segment on a tag team wrestler who had to go the singles route of late.
LA Knight is officially the next challenger for Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
WWE has confirmed that Reigns will defend the title against Knight at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 4. The announcement of the match was made by the Los Angeles Times on Friday.
At Fastlane, Knight teamed with John Cena to defeat The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa. Knight pinned Jimmy to win the match.
A confrontation between Knight and Reigns then took place when Reigns made his return to SmackDown last Friday. Knight defeated Sikoa in the main event of the episode. Reigns laid out Knight with a spear after the match.
This will be the first title defense Reigns has made since defeating Jey Uso at SummerSlam this August.
Knight has gotten victories at three straight WWE premium live events. Prior to his victory at Fastlane, Knight won the SummerSlam battle royal in August and defeated The Miz at Payback in September.
Crown Jewel will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network starting at 1 p.m. Eastern time on November 4. Here’s what’s been announced for the show so far:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against LA Knight
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Drew McIntyre
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Nia Jax, Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler, and Zoey Stark in a fatal five-way match
A United States Championship match with Logan Paul challenging Rey Mysterio is also planned for Crown Jewel but has not been officially announced yet.
It’s a brand new We’re Live, Pal with Andrew Zarian and I — available for free on YouTube. Just click above to watch.
We opened up the show talking about Ari Emanuel’s quotes about Vince McMahon and McMahon’s current role in TKO and WWE. We also talked about the following:
Bill Simmons’ comments on the Vince McMahon documentary he’s producing
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including several deaths to cover, what’s up with Vince McMahon and WWE creative, Inoki vs. Hogan history, updates on Adam Cole and Harry Smith, Royal Quest notes, Collision, Smackdown and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Suzanne Somers, Lou Gianfriddo, Bill Howard pass away
11:58: Vince McMahon out of WWE creative
15:35: Harry Smith, Sammy Guevara, update
18:13: Story of Hulk Hogan vs. Antonio Inoki from 1983
Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque all made appearances on SmackDown’s season premiere episode last night.
A confrontation between Reigns and Cena opened the show, but it didn’t set up a future match between them. Cena acknowledged Reigns’ historic title reign as being the greatest accomplishment in WWE history. Cena said he wasn’t there to challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship because he hasn’t earned that right. But Cena said he does know someone who has earned it: LA Knight.
Knight told Reigns things have changed during the two months that Reigns has been gone. This is LA Knight’s game now. Knight said Reigns is standing in his way. Jimmy Uso then attacked Knight, but Knight was able to turn the tables on Jimmy and throw him out of the ring.
With Cena helping to fend off interference by Jimmy, Knight defeated Solo Sikoa in last night’s main event. But Reigns laid out Knight with a spear after the match was over.
Levesque was on last night’s show to make an announcement. He stated that Raw and SmackDown will now have their own general managers. Levesque revealed the debuting Nick Aldis as the new SmackDown general manager. Adam Pearce will be the general manager of Raw.
In his first act as GM, Aldis announced that Kevin Owens is now a member of the SmackDown roster. Owens is the trade compensation that SmackDown received for Jey Uso going to Raw.
LA Knight gets his megastar moment as he teams up with John Cena on tonight’s Fastlane pay-per-view from Indianapolis.
Cena & Knight are taking on The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa. Two weeks ago, Knight was revealed as Cena’s Fastlane partner when he saved Cena from a Bloodline attack. AJ Styles was originally aligned with Cena against The Bloodline, but Styles was taken out in a beatdown by Jimmy Uso and Sikoa.
Shinsuke Nakamura gets another chance to become World Heavyweight Champion when he challenges Seth Rollins tonight. Rollins retained the title against Nakamura at Payback last month. Their rematch has a Last Man Standing Stipulation.
IYO SKY defends her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in a triple threat match. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles will also be defended in a match pitting Finn Balor & Damian Priest against Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso.
Plus, Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar will have a mystery partner as they face off against Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits in a six-man tag.
Tonight’s PPV streams live on Peacock/WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There is also an hour-long pre-show leading into the event.
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KICKOFF SHOW
Kayla Braxton welcomed us to the Kickoff show and announced that tonight’s Premium Live Event was sold out with an attendance of 14,529 members of the WWE Universe in Indianapolis, Indiana tonight. Braxton then introduced tonight’s panel of Jackie Redmond, Booker T, Wade Barrett and Peter Rosenberg before the group did a rundown of tonight’s matches.
After they showed a video preview of tonight’s Six-Man Tag Team match, Rey Mysterio was backstage with a concerned Santos Escobar. Escobar wanted to know if Mysterio was able to get through to his contact for tonight’s upcoming match and Rey stated that he knows they read the message but that he hasn’t received a response. Mysterio stated that they would get through this tonight.
Before the panel showed a video preview of the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship match tonight, Byron Saxton was backstage with Paul Heyman. Saxton referred to LA Knight and John Cena as the “Mega Tandem” and Heyman took immediate offense. Heyman stated that it would be an easy victory for The Bloodline tonight because they’re family. Saxton then asked what if The Bloodline lost and Heyman went ballistic on Saxton, making fun of his attire tonight, calling him a canary and requesting that Kayla Braxton do the interview next time.
After they previewed the tag team title match, in what could be the highlight of the night, Booker T and Wade Barrett competed in what could be called a “Trick Off” as they showed Trick Williams’ entrance from NXT No Mercy last Saturday night. Both Booker and Barrett shared their own lyrics and “dance moves” during a replay of William’s entrance which had both Braxton and Redmond in hysterics.
The panel previewed the tag team match between LA Knight & John Cena against The Bloodline but before they could make their picks, Redmond informed us that Cathy Kelley was backstage with Damage CTRL. After Kelley asked a question, Bayley put her down and asked her if this was her first day on the job. Bayley then started praising IYO SKY and the game plan for tonight but SKY cut her off. IYO stated that she had her own game plan and that she didn’t need Damage CTRL tonight before walking off. Bayley then stormed off as well as Dakota Kai looked upset.
In the final moments of the Kickoff show, a long white stretch limo arrived into the arena. When the limo door opened, a stunning looking Jade Cargill appeared and was met by Triple H as the panel watched on with excitement.
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MAIN SHOW
Fastlane opened with former Indianapolis Colt and WWE Superstar Pat McAfee providing the Cold Open.
Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso defeated The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor & Damian Priest) to become the new Undisputed WWE Tag Team champions
This match was great! I fully didn’t expect a title change but with the way JD McDonagh accidentally nailed Damian Priest with the briefcase, it sets up massive implications for the championship match between Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. If they play up an injury to Priest’s leg then we probably won’t see a cash-in tonight. However, if Priest is out for blood after losing his titles after the misstep by McDonagh, he may not want to leave the arena without a championship in hand.
Uso and Priest started the match with Damian outpowering the much smaller Jey in the opening moments but Jey would hold his own using his speed and agility before making the tag to Rhodes. Cody came into the match and immediately focused on the leg of Priest before tagging Uso back into the match.
Priest made the tag to Bálor, once again using his size and strength and after Rhodes and Uso had been showing some great tag team chemistry, the champions started connecting making quick tags back and forth.
As Uso was being worn out by both Bálor and Priest for the next several moments, Rhodes was becoming frustrated on the ring apron not being able to tag in. After a misstep by Priest, Uso was able to finally make the hot tag to Cody.
A fired up Rhodes took out Bálor with a Disaster Kick but could only mange a two count. Bálor would attempt a comeback that included him heading to the top rope for his Coup de Grace but Rhodes caught him and nailed a massive delayed vertical suplex.
Rhodes made the tag to Uso and Bálor was able to make the tag to Priest and some back and forth, Priest attempted to land the Razor’s Edge but Jey escaped and nailed both Bálor and Priest on the outside with a dive through the ropes.
Back inside the ring and Priest was down and out in the middle and Uso went up top and landed his Uso Splash but Bálor was able to make the save before Rhodes nailed him with the Cody Cutter.
It was now back to Uso and Priest in the ring and Jey nailed Damiana with a massive spear but couldn’t capitalize as Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley headed to ringside. Uso would lay out Mysterio on the outside and Ripley got in his face.
Back in the ring and Priest nailed Uso with a hurricanrana and Bálor followed up with his Coup de Grace but Rhodes made the save. Both teams then stood toe to toe before going to battle once more. JD McDonagh then arrived ringside and as chaos was taking place everywhere, Ripley nailed Uso with the briefcase but Bálor could only land a two count and was shocked.
Priest and Rhodes battled on the outside of the ring and as Damian attempted to put him through the announce table, McDonagh accidentally nailed Priest with the briefcase and Rhodes followed up with a Cross Rhodes wiping out Priest.
Bálor was now outnumbered and after Rhodes hustled back into the ring, Cody nailed Bálor with the Cross Rhodes and that was all she wrote as we had new tag team champions!
Backstage, Booker T was with Wade Barrett. Xavier Woods interrupted their conversation and talked out ordering pizza. Barrett looked like he was going to chew out Woods but played him instead. Tonight’s event was being sponsored by Pizza Hut.
The LWO (Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar) & Carlito (w/Zelina Vega) defeated Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits
It was interesting to see them start the match as a 2-on-3 but it played out well with establishing Lashley and the Profits and a potential major force with their strength in numbers, almost completely wiping out The LWO in a matter of twenty-four hours. However, Carlito to the rescue and he got a great pop tonight too!
After Escobar made his entrance with Vega, Mysterio made his entrance with nobody by his side with it looking like it was going to be a 2-on-3 match.
Escobar and Montez Ford began the match and both men looked to gain momentum using speed and technical skills but due to the fact that Ford was a little bit too cocky, Escobar found himself with the advantage.
Escobar followed up with a standing hurricanrana where both men were standing on the top turnbuckle that looked absolutely incredible. Ford followed up with a chop block however and Lashley soon made his way into the match to dominate.
Escobar had made the tag to Mysterio and Rey was on the receiving end of the same beating that presumably began last night on SmackDown with the difference being that the Profits were legally allowed to take part tonight as well.
As Mysterio attempted to make a comeback, Ford yanked Escobar off of the ring apron which prompted Vega to get involved and wipe out Ford. As Vega cheered on a down and out Mysterio in the middle of the ring, a familiar music hit the air and Carlito made his way to the ring!
Carlito ran down to the ring and jumped up on the ring apron and reached his arm out to a relieved Mysterio who quickly made the tag.
Mysterio and Escobar played interference while Carlito looked great inside the ring for the first time since Backlash. As Ford was stunned, Carlito nailed his patented Backstabber to pickup the huge win for a grateful LWO.
– Footage was once again shown of Jade Cargill arriving to the arena in a limo and being met by Triple H backstage.
IYO SKY defeated Asuka & Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
IYO SKY is one of the greatest pure performers, male or female, in the WWE it was great to see her get the pinfall victory over one of the greatest champions in WWE history. It’ll be interesting to see where they take things with Asuka clearly tapping to Charlotte’s Figure Eight but nonetheless, a HUGE victory for “The Genius of the Sky” tonight!
SKY came down to the ring without Damage CTRL and after alll three women were introduced by Mike Rome, the bell rang and after SKY was sent to the outside, Asuka hit the mist to the face of Flair and it was almost a very quick victory for Asuka but SKY was able to save her title.
As Flair was being tended to by the officials on the outside of the ring, it became a singles match for the time being inside of the ring and SKY almost scored a victory of her own. As both women were down, an irate Flair reentered the match, landing a massive boot and started showing her power game to both women.
SKY would regain control of the match and Flair was soon on the outside once again. As both SKY and Asuka remained focused on one another, Flair climbed to the top rope and landed a great crossbody on both women before motioning the title was coming her way.
Flair followed up with a chop fest on both women and then after failing to land a double suplex on both of her opponents, finally was successful. With Flair looking dominant at this point, you almost got the sense that it was a 2-on-1 match.
After SKY looked to pickup the win after landing a sweet springboard sunset flip, action spilled to the outside. All three women hit high flying moves with the crowd booing Flair when she setup for her top rope moonsault to the floor.
Flair attempted to go to the top successfully once more but she was caught by SKY. Flair managed to get SKY up on her shoulders and as she looked to land an avalanche fallaway slam, Asuka caught up with both women and nailed a massive powerbomb.
Asuka attempted to get pins on both ladies but could only get two counts. Asuka attempted to start using her submission game on Flair but Charlotte countered into a Figure Eight but SKY nailed Flair with the Meteora. Both SKY and Asuka then locked in simultaneous submissions on Flair but Charlotte wouldn’t give up.
Asuka followed up by attacking SKY and when Flair recovered, she nailed Asuka with the Spear but could only get a two count. Bayley then made her way to ringside and as SKY was arguing with her, Flair nailed SKY with a boot to the face. Asuka attempted to capitalize on Flair but couldn’t get the victory and soon found herself trapped in the Figure Eight as SKY was nowhere in sight.
Bayley jumped up onto the ring apron to distract the referee as Asuka was purely tapping out. SKY then out of nowhere nailed Flair with her Over The Moonsault, shoved Asuka out of the way and scored the massive 1-2-3 to retain her title.
After the match, SKY and Bayley hugged to celebrate IYO’s victory.
– It was announced that the new WWE Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso would be part of the Fastlane Press Conference immediately following the event tonight.
– LA Knight was shown arriving to the arena earlier in the day in the Slim Jim car he was awarded with for winning the SummerSlam Battle Royal earlier this year.
John Cena & LA Knight defeated The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa) (w/Paul Heyman)
Awesome to see John Cena still wrestling in 2023 but even more awesome to see just how over LA Knight truly is. I didn’t expect the hot tag to Knight to take as long as it did but Cena knows how to sell and when that tag was made, it was an awesome sight to see. Add the fact that Knight was the one to get the victory for his team and it was a great play on old school tag team matches building Knight up to be an even bigger WWE Superstar than he is already.
Before the match began, legendary Indianapolis Colt and WWE Superstar Pat McAfee came down to the ring wearing a Colts championship title. McAfee put over the city of Indianapolis, the fans in attendance and said Indianapolis deserved a WrestleMania. McAfee then introduced John Cena before making his was over to the announce table to call the match.
Cena began the match with Uso as the crowd paid their respect to Cena with a “Let’s go Cena!” chant. After Uso failed to gain the upper hand in the opening moments, he tagged in Sikoa where Cena was ready and willing to battle the enforcer of The Bloodline.
Sikoa challenged Cena to come at him and it was a bad idea by Cena and Sikoa nailed him with a stiff shot. Uso was tagged back in and as Cena was potentially seeing stars, Jimmy started showboating but still controlled the match.
Knight looked like he was starting to get impatient standing on the ring apron but he could do absolutely nothing at this point as Sikoa was tagged back in to dominate Cena with pure brute force.
As Uso and Sikoa continued to make tags and make Cena suffer, Sikoa setup Cena in the corner and landed his massive hip attack as Cena looked like he was done for at this point.
Cena attempted a comeback but Sikoa wiped him out with a spinning heel kick. Uso was tagged back in and as Cena looked even more down and out, he nailed Uso with an Attitude Adjustment out of nowhere. Both men now looking to make tags and while Uso was successful, Sikoa cut off Cena as Knight was getting even more impatient.
Sikoa followed up with a Banzai Drop in the corner but Cena kicked out at two. Sikoa failed to follow it up and when he went for the same move again, Cena got his legs up and it was soon a race to both corners. Sikoa made the tag to Uso and finally, Knight got the hot tag!
Knight entered the ring a house of fire before Uso was able to hit a super kick. Uso went to the top for the Uso Splash but missed and Knight countered with his big elbow drop. Sikoa broke things up and Cena landed a flying crossbody off of the top rope (not a typo) on Sikoa. Uso then landed an Uso Splash on Cena as all four men were now down and out.
Cena went for the AA on Sikoa but was super kicked by Uso. Knight would eventually catch Uso on the top rope and landed a running superplex on Jimmy. Sikoa was knocked out of the ring and after Cena hit the Five Knuckle shuffle, Knight nailed Uso with the BFT to pickup the win for the “Mega Tandem”.
After the match, Knight raised Cena’s hand as the crowd cheered for both men.
– Backstage, The Judgment Day was contemplating not leaving Indianapolis without the World Heavyweight Championship as Priest wanted to cash-in. However, Ripley stated that tonight wasn’t the night as Damian handed his briefcase over to Rhea.
– A video promo aired for WWE Crown Jewel 2023 taking place on November 4th as a Premium Live Event.
Seth “Freakin” Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
I’ll be the first to admit, I definitely didn’t predict this one accurately. But wow, what a main event! Nakamura looked like the Nakamura of old in this match and how Rollins won this has me dumbfounded. When Nakamura spit that mist and Rollins went crashing through the announce table, I thought that was it and you could feel it from the crowd. Same thing when Nakamura hit the Kinshasa through a table and many more moments like that in this stellar main event. With that being said, I feel someone in the WWE is a fan of Rocky Balboa movies as if you’ve ever seen Rocky II, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when it came to the finish.
Nakamura began the match playing a cat and mouse game with Rollins before Seth reached under the ring and grabbed a kendo stick but failed to strike Shinsuke. After the match took to the outside, Rollins hit a suplex on Nakamura and attempted to follow up by ripping up the mat surrounding the ring but Nakamura was too quick for Seth.
It was moments after the match began and it was already starting to look like a car wreck at the Indy 500 as tables, chairs, garbage cans and kendo sticks were scattered everywhere. Nakamura managed to land a shot on the ring apron to Rollins before grabbing nunchuku underneath the ring. Nakamura attacked Rollins with the nunchuku and as Seth was trapped in a garbage can, Shinsuke followed up by attacking the can with kendo sticks.
As Nakamura continued his attack and then shifted once again to the champion’s back, Rollins was able to hit a Sling Blade and then follow it up kendo stick shots before landing a plancha through the ropes to the outside.
We’re back in the ring and Rollins nailed a frog splash but Nakamura was quick to make a comeback. As Rollins was setup in the corner against a table, Nakamura flew across the ring but missed and Seth followed up with the Stomp but Shinsuke was able to recover at the count of eight. Rollins took the match back outside the ring and after setting Nakamura on the announce desk, setup a ladder to create even more of a scene but Shinsuke was able to roll off of the desk before Rollins could fully climb the ladder.
Rollins followed Nakamura and the match was now into the stands but before Seth could capitalize, Nakamura managed to save himself by sending Rollins through a stage several feet below. Rollins recovered just before the count of ten and both men then headed back to the ringside area.
Rollins attempted to hit Nakamura with a Pedigree on the exposed concrete but he failed and back body dropped instead. Rollins once again recovered just before the count of ten and as the match headed back inside the ring, Seth successfully nailed Nakamura with the Pedigree. Nakamura recovered with half a second to spare and as the match headed once again to the outside, Nakamura nailed double knees on Rollins through a table.
As the match furiously went back and forth with neither Superstar wanting to give up, Rollins was hellbent on using the ladder. As he climbed it again, Nakamura climbed up the other side, hit him with red mist and sent Rollins crashing through the table below. Again, Rollins recovered at the count of nine!
We’re back inside the ring and Nakamura nailed Rollins with a massive Kinshasa through a table. Rollins at the count of 9.99 rolled out of the ring and landed on his feet to continue the match. What a match!
Both men then headed back up towards the stage area and Rollins nailed Nakamura with a Stomp. Rollins followed up with a huge Falcon Arrow through a table and as the referee got to the count of nine, Rollins rose and Nakamura collapsed and Rollins miraculously somehow walked away with his championship tonight.
John Cena, LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Cody Rhodes joined forces last night to fend off an alliance between The Bloodline and Judgment Day.
After a tense discussion between Paul Heyman and Rhea Ripley, The Bloodline and Judgment Day were authorized to work together on last night’s SmackDown. They had Cena and Knight outnumbered at the end of the show, but Jey Uso and Rhodes helped even the odds. The babyface side stood tall in a brawl against The Bloodline and Judgment Day. The brawl ended with JD McDonagh being given a BFT from Knight, a superkick by Uso, an Attitude Adjustment from Cena, and a Cross Rhodes from Rhodes.
Knight vs. Jimmy Uso was the main event of the episode. It ended in a disqualification when Solo Sikoa attacked Knight.
Last night’s SmackDown was the go-home show for Fastlane. At Saturday’s pay-per-view, Cena & Knight are teaming up against Jimmy Uso & Sikoa. The PPV also features an Undisputed WWE Tag Team title match with Rhodes & Jey Uso challenging Finn Balor & Damian Priest.
LA Knight says it took him over 20 years to become an overnight success.
Knight’s popularity in WWE has skyrocketed of late. He was the top merchandise seller in the company for the month of September, according to Wrestlenomics. He sold more merchandise than even the recently returned John Cena, whom he’ll team with Saturday at Fastlane.
Knight spoke with CBS Sports about his recent success as well as the journey he’s been on to get where he is today.
“I have been at this for so long…” Knight said. “That’s the craziest part about this. In a weird way, it’s like an overnight success, but it was also 20 years in the making to get to an overnight success. It’s such a juxtaposition in a strange way. I still have a habit of looking over my shoulder and waiting for somebody to pull the rug out from under me.
“I’m used to, ‘No, no, no’ and me having to push, ‘Yeah, yeah!’ It’s me having to create my own opportunities. Even when I’m now put into bigger opportunities, it’s still not a point where I can relax.”
Just last year Knight was performing under the name Max Dupri and aligned with the Maximum Male Models. He was eventually replaced in the role by his storyline sister, Maxxine Dupri. Mace and Mansoor were both released from the company last month.
“In a weird way, I’ve got no business being here,” Knight continued. “Looking just a year ago at where I was and what I was doing, what a hell of a turnaround. It’s damn near unheard of.”
“I’m not the best at letting myself really feel that. Maybe 10 years down the road when I look back. But right now in this situation, I’m just so — I don’t know if you’d say — maniacally focused on making sure that everything hits the mark and that everything is the way I want it to be. It’s tough for me to step back and be like, ‘Wow, this is great!’ Occasionally, I might have that thought but it’s very fleeting.”
Knight missed the September 22 edition of SmackDown after testing positive for COVID-19. However, he returned for last week’s show and signed a contract to be Cena’s partner at Fastlane. The segment with Cena averaged 2,337,000 viewers and 787,000 in the 18-49 demographic. A YouTube video of the segment has over 960,000 views.
Knight also returned to the ring for the first time since getting COVID at house shows last weekend in San Francisco, California, and Tahoe, Nevada, beating Austin Theory on both nights.
John Cena officially has a tag team partner for Fastlane.
One week after the reveal was originally supposed to take place, LA Knight was confirmed as Cena’s partner on SmackDown last night. The main event angle of the episode saw Knight save Cena from an attack by The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Knight then signed the contract to make things official. It will be Cena & Knight vs. Uso & Sikoa at Fastlane on Saturday, October 7.
Uso and Sikoa wreaked havoc throughout last night’s show and were willing to take out anyone who might team up with Cena. In storyline, Cena was late arriving to the show because of travel delays.
Cena finally made it to SmackDown and said he was willing to face The Bloodline by himself if that’s what it took. Uso and Sikoa then launched an attack on Cena and attempted to prevent him from even making it to Fastlane. As Sikoa was about to give Cena a splash through the announce table, Knight’s music hit. Knight ran down and helped Cena fend off both Uso and Sikoa.
As Knight signed the contract for Fastlane, Cena looked shocked at what was happening.
Knight was able to return to SmackDown last night after having missed the previous week’s episode due to testing positive for COVID-19.
LA Knight is all set to team with John Cena at WWE Fastlane.
The end of SmackDown saw Knight make the save for Cena, who was being assaulted two-on-one by Solo Sioka and Jimmy Uso. After laying out both Sioka and Uso, Knight signed the contract to team with Cena at Fastlane on October 7.
A show-long storyline saw Uso and Sikoa wreak havoc backstage in an effort to prevent others from teaming with Cena next weekend. The show last week had Cena originally planning to team with Styles, only for Styles to be laid out backstage by Sikoa and Uso, sending him out of the arena in an ambulance.
Also added to Fastlane is IYO SKY defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in a three-way match. Flair declared her intentions to challenge SKY prior to defeating Bayley on Friday’s show. After the win, Damage CTRL was set to target Charlotte when Asuka came out for the save. Bayley then accepted a three-way on behalf of SKY for Fastlane.
Rey Mysterio and the LWO will also challenge Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits. After Mysterio defeated Santos Escobar to retain the WWE United States title on Friday, the two were about to shake hands when The Street Profits and Bobby Lashley came out and assaulted the two, along with Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro when they attempted to make the save. Mysterio then issued the challenge to Lashley and The Street Profits backstage in the trainer’s room.
Here is the updated lineup for next Sunday’s Fastlane:
Last man standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins defends against Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY defends against Asuka and Charlotte Flair
John Cena & LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso
Rey Mysterio & The LWO vs. Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits
After having to miss last week’s show due to testing positive for COVID-19, LA Knight is expected to be back on SmackDown tonight.
Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Knight is believed to be returning on tonight’s SmackDown. PWInsider reported on Thursday that Knight was expected to return on the show.
Knight was supposed to be revealed as John Cena’s partner for Fastlane on SmackDown last Friday. There was an angle on the episode where Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso laid out Cena and AJ Styles. As part of the angle, Styles was stretchered out and taken away in an ambulance.
WWE is currently advertising that Cena will face Sikoa & Jimmy Uso in a handicap match at Fastlane on Saturday, October 7. We’ll see if Knight ends up being revealed as Cena’s partner tonight.
Meltzer wrote:
Cena & LA Knight vs. Sikoa & Jimmy Uso was scheduled as the main event [of Fastlane]. Knight missed the 9/22 Smackdown due to testing positive for COVID, causing changes in the show. He is believed to be returning on Smackdown on 9/29 and one would expect they go to the original plan. Knight, who is very hot right [now] when it comes to all facets of business and reactions, appears to be groomed for a Roman Reigns title shot in the not too distant future. Reigns has no obvious contender at this point and will be defending on the 11/4 show in Saudi Arabia.
Cena was the special guest referee for Knight’s victory against The Miz at Payback. There was a moment after the match where Cena endorsed Knight.
