Tag: Last Time Is Now tournament

Nic Nemeth reveals WWE contacted him for return multiple times before John Cena tournament 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Nic Nemeth opened up about WWE reaching out to him for a return on numerous occasions before his participation in The Last Time Is Now Tournament. 

Nemeth told That Sweet Pop about his tenure on the independent circuit extending longer than he intended too. He discussed Matt Cardona’s quest focusing on a WWE return which eventually happened six years after his release. 

“Yeah, because there’s people out there like one of my best friends, Matt Cardona, he goes, ‘My goal is to be the best independent wrestler and get to WWE at some point.’ He said that for years and he accomplished that goal. My goal was I’ve been here for 19 and a half years. I overstayed my welcome by a few years, but that’s fine. I’m going elsewhere. I want to see if I was in this bubble with just this certain amount of talent or I’ve talked a lot over the years. Can I back it up in other places where I don’t know the opponents?” 

Nemeth stated he had no ill will towards WWE. He reflected positively on his time there and expressed gratitude for his learnings during his 19 year tenure. 

“And so they (WWE) let me out. I didn’t go ‘Oh, can I come back in two years?’ I go ‘Thank you for everything. This is the greatest job I’ve ever had. Not even close. So many moments. Thank you for this. Now I have to go somewhere else because I have to prove to myself that I don’t just fit in WWE that can adapt everywhere.’”

He revealed WWE reached out to him on several occasions for a comeback but the special request for The Last Time Is Now Tournament was unmissable. 

“They had asked me to come back a couple different times for some other things, and I was like ‘I don’t know. It’s been two years. I don’t really want to,’ and then they said, ‘This is for Cena.’ They said, ‘We’ve had a million matches together. Incredible guy. We’ve done so much. We have a story. We have a history, and I know all the good that he’s done.You could roll down a Santa Claus list of names of everything he’s done, what he’s done for us in the back, what he’s done to help out the guys and girls, what he’s done granting those wishes, everything else on the like, come on. He’s the greatest of all time. We get to call him that. And he’s earned so many things that you’ll probably never even hear about. So now come back for this tournament, ‘Yeah, hell yeah.’” 

On the November 17 edition of Raw in 2025, Nemeth returned to WWE for one match against Solo Sikoa – the first round of the tournament. The spectacle also led to Cardona’s full-time return to the main roster after feuding on TNA and NXT’s crossover matches. 

The tournament was designed to determine John Cena’s final WWE opponent in his retirement match. It featured a mix of former and current WWE wrestlers from the roster, including future prospects to compete on the main stage. 

https://twitter.com/BernardCls/status/1990802050519871664/video/1

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

WWE SmackDown live results: Survivor Series go-home show

Posted on by Marc Quill

On the eve of Saturday’s Survivor Series from San Diego, CA, tonight’s WWE SmackDown will feature a traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match.

The bout will see Solo Sikoa’s MFTs against a team led by Sami Zayn that features the Motor City Machine Guns, Rey Fenix, and Shinsuke Nakamura as a weeks-long feud comes to a head.

The Last Time is Now tournament begins its final approach to completion with Jey Uso vs. Rusev, and LA Knight against a mystery opponent filling in for Sheamus, who had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. The winners advance to the semifinals.

Also expected tonight is an advantage match for Saturday’s women’s WarGames match with representatives from both teams set to face off.

**********

– Our show opened this week with a recap of the developments for the Womens’ WarGames match on last week’s SmackDown, which included AJ Lee joining Rhea Ripley’s team and Becky Lynch joining Nia Jax’s team.

– After the recap, we saw Asuka and Charlotte Flair walking backstage ahead of their WarGames advantage match later tonight. LA Knight was approached by Cathy Kelley about how Sheamus has been taken out of the Last Time is Now Tournament due to injury, with a mystery opponent to replace him. Knight was a bit miffed that he didn’t get a bye, stating that this tournament was starting to piss him off. Knight said he was planning to take out his frustrations on his mystery opponent.

Last Time is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: Rusev vs. Jey Uso

Rusev went on the attack on Uso immediately as the bell rang as he stomped away on his foe in the corner. He then connected with a suplex for an early pin attempt that Uso kicked out of. Uso tried to fight back, but Rusev caught him and slammed him down on the mat as we went to a break in the action.

Our match returned from commercial as Rusev had Uso trapped in a bearhug. The 2025 Royal Rumble winner struggled to break free from the hold, but did so eventually. Uso then began punching away at Rusev, finishing off with his signature Yeet punch. Uso attempted a Samoan Drop, but could not get Rusev up on his shoulders. The Bulgarian tried to apply the Accolade, but Uso fought out of it and forced his opponent to the outside. He then floored Rusev with a suicide dive through the ropes.

Back in the ring, Uso was finally able to hit the Samoan Drop on Rusev for a near-fall. Uso then targeted Rusev for a Spear. However, Rusev somehow kicked out at the count of one after Uso’s Spear. As Jey tried to head up top, he was intercepted by a Machka Kick from Rusev upon landing. One, two… not quite!

Rusev signalled that it was “game over” as he then put Uso in the Accolade submission hold. After a brief struggle, Uso was able to make it to the bottom rope to break the Accolade up. Rusev put Uso up on his shoulders and mocked John Cena as he looked like he was about to deliver an Attitude Adjustment. This gave Uso enough time to escape and then take out Rusev with a Spear, followed by the Uso Splash for the pin and win.

Jey Uso def. Rusev via pinfall to advance to the Last Time is Now Tournament Semifinals

It was your typical Jey Uso match. And given how divisive Jey can be as a wrestler, it’s interesting to see what the reaction will be if Jey were to be Cena’s final opponent.

**********

– Backstage, The Miz was complaining to Nick Aldis about the Last TIme is Now Tournament when R-Truth walked in. Truth was once again talking about his balls being in the running for Cena’s mystery opponent. In the midst of this, Miz sneakily stole one of the balls from Aldis, which led to him being the mystery opponent for LA Knight later on tonight.

– Damian Priest was interviewed about Aleister Black’s remarks about how his “code” was broken. Priest said that Black didn’t accomplish that, and the only thing that was accomplished by Black and Zelina was pissing him off. Zelina interrupted and told Priest that Black was thinking of bigger goals, but if Priest wanted more punishment, Black will be happy to oblige. After Zelina left, Rhea Ripley caught up with her old friend as she and Priest had a friendly chat.

Chelsea Green’s Women’s U.S. Championship Celebration

The new Women’s United States Champion was accompanied by Alba Fyre to the ring as they headed out to celebrate Green’s big win a few weeks back against Giulia. The ring was festooned with the Canadian, American, and Mexican flags, signifying Green’s Canadian heritage, her Women’s U.S. Championship, and the AAA Mixed Tag Titles, respectively.

“Welcome, patriots,” Green started her remarks, as she said that she was proud to be our first and fourth two-time “most dangerous Women’s U.S. Champion”. Green said that it was an honor to serve as the greatest Women’s Champion not only in WWE history or American history, but in the history of the continent of the North Americas. She said that it was now time to kick off this celebration with a “very, very expensive” display of pyrotechnics in her name.

However, no pyro was to be found as the WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill stormed down to the ring. Once Cargill entered the ring, she hit Alba Fyre with a pump kick before she turned her attention to Green and planted her with Jaded. Once Cargill left, the very expensive pyro went off while Green sulked in the ring.

An entertaining segment for sure, but not sure what this means with regards to Giulia’s standing on the SmackDown women’s roster if she’s not even going to get a rematch and we’re just moving right to Jade Cargill targeting Chelsea.

**********

– Backstage, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, along with teammates Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY were discussing plans ahead of Flair’s WarGames advantage match versus Asuka later tonight. AJ Lee appeared and stated that she’d make sure that her team would win WarGames tomorrow night.

– Jade Cargill was interviewed about her attack on Chelsea Green moments ago, declaring that it was a statement made to the entire SmackDown women’s locker room, and that if anyone had a problem with it, they could step up and get stepped on too. As Cargill walked off, B-Fab stared her down and said nothing. Michin then walked up to B-Fab and declared that she might have to step up to keep Cargill’s out of control attitude in check.

Last Time is Now Tournament Quarterfinals: LA Knight vs. The Miz

Knight went on the offensive early as he punched away at Miz before he took him down with a hard clothesline. With his foe stunned in the corner, Knight stomped on him and looked like he was about to drill him with an attack in the corner. Miz retreated and got sneaky in taking the advantage of the match. Knight got hit with a knee to the face by Miz, as he was then hit with a big leg to the back of the head across the middle rope.

Miz’s advantage was stalled by a swinging neckbreaker, but he got it back by throwing him across the barricade outside the ring, followed by a big boot, which was the cue for a break in the action.

This matchup continued from the break with Miz applying a resthold on Knight, which was quickly broken up. The two exchanged sleeper hold attempts until Knight planted Miz with a back suplex, which left both men struggling to get back up. Knight got up first and blasted Miz with punches, before he dropped him with a neckbreaker for the near-fall. Miz got a boot up on Knight and tried to go up top, but he was intercepted for the superplex and another near-fall.

Knight tried to go for the BFT, but Miz rolled him up for a pin attempt. He was then planted head first by a DDT for a near-fall. Knight countered a Skull-Crushing Finale attempt into an inverted DDT. Knight headed up top and tried to hit his signature leg drop, but he was caught by Miz into the Skull-Crushing Finale. One, two… Knight just able to kick out at two!

Miz decided to “pay homage” to John Cena by locking in the STF on Knight, who broke the hold by reaching the bottom rope. Knight looked like he was going to go for an STF of his own, but Miz retreated to the apron. With the referee distracted briefly, Miz poked Knight in the eye and had the rope-assisted roll-up pin on him. However, veteran ref Charles Robinson saw Miz cheating and stopped the count. Miz yelled at Robinson, which opened him up for Knight’s BFT and a swift defeat.

LA Knight def. The Miz to advance to the Last Time is Now Tournament Semifinals

A rather mediocre match, and in all honesty, this Last Time is Now Tournament has been largely a disappointment, which seems to be the unfortunate par for the course with regards to John Cena’s retirement year.

**********

– Becky Lynch chatted with her WarGames team and boasted about her 100% success rate when it came to WarGames. She said that when the door close, it’d be up to her. Nia Jax interrupted and said that it wasn’t about Becky, and that it was up to Asuka to gain the advantage for her WarGames team. Asuka said that the last time Charlotte Flair faced her, she was out for a year, which made her confident about her chances in the WarGames advantage match.

– Cathy Kelley was with U.S. Champion Ilja Dragunov, who was asked about Tama Tonga’s challenges. Dragunov said that if Tama wanted a shot at the U.S. Title, he was right here. Before Dragunov could go further, Tommasso Ciampa rudely interrupted him. He talked about how he took Axiom’s mask, and he was going to take the U.S. Title from Dragunov next. The U.S. Champion said Ciampa made a good point and he was going to think about it as he called his rival a “jackass” before walking off.

WarGames Advantage Match: Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair

Flair and Asuka engaged in a chain wrestling duel to start off with neither woman able to gain a clear advantage so far. Flair took over as she kicked Asuka on the apron with a hard boot to the face. Asuka answered in kind with a boot to Flair’s face as we took a break in the action.

The match continued from commercial as Flair did her dodge over the top rope and then took off with the crossbody on Asuka for the two. Asuka responded with a flurry of strikes, but was hit hard in the face by a boot from Flair as she took a run at her. That, however, wasn’t enough to end the match.

Asuka and Flair exchanged strikes and chops, as the latter gained the upper hand in the battle of chops. Flair then did her somersault into a clothesline to keep Asuka grounded. She then headed up to the top rope and connected with a moonsault to Asuka for a near-fall. Flair connected with a German suplex on Asuka, but found herself taken out by a German suplex from her foe. A sliding knee by Asuka to Flair managed to turn the momentum briefly.

Jumping knee strike by Asuka to Flair was transitioned into an armbar submission. However, Flair used her strength to lift Asuka up into a sitdown powerbomb for yet another near-fall. Following this, Asuka rolled to the outside as a skirmish broke out in front of the announce table. Asuka disappeared from behind announce table and tried to catch Flair with the blue mist. Flair dodged it just in time, as Asuka ended up misting Berkeley the timekeeper instead.

Back in the ring, Asuka countered Flair’s Figure-Eight into an Asuka Lock submission. Flair rolled through and escaped the hold as she then finished Asuka off with her Natural Selection finishing maneuver to secure the advantage for her WarGames team.

Charlotte Flair def. Asuka

This was a great match and probably the best of the night on this week’s SmackDown. It’s also hard to believe that this is the first women’s match on Raw or SmackDown since the 11/17 edition of Raw. In any case, this was solid stuff.

**********

Survivor Series: WarGames final card

  • Intercontinental Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Women’s WarGames: Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and AJ Lee vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and Becky Lynch
  • Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Nikki Bella
  • Men’s WarGames: Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso), and CM Punk vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed), Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, and Brock Lesnar

Traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match: The M.F.T.s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, J.C. Mateo, and Talla Tonga) vs. Sami Zayn, Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley), Rey Fenix, and Shinsuke Nakamura

It was stated that this main event match would be presented commercial-free by Michael Cole before the match started.

This massive main event kicked off with Sabin and Sikoa as the legal men for their teams. Sikoa hit Sabin with a hard lariat before he punched him repeatedly. This gave the M.F.Ts the early edge as Sabin was dragged over to their corner by Sikoa. Loa was tagged in as he continued the attack on Sabin, up until Shelley was tagged in and he was floored by a tag maneuver from the MCMGs. Loa escaped his fate and tagged in Mateo, who found himself chopped down to size before Zayn entered the match for his team.

Mateo used his power to slam Zayn down for the early pin attempt, as he then hit a nice standing moonsault on his opponent. Tama entered the match and provided a distraction to the ref, which allowed Sikoa and Talla to get in a cheap shot on Zayn. The M.F.T.s continued to play the game of isolation on Zayn, which kept him away from his teammates.

Zayn leapfrogged over Sikoa and hit him with a clothesline. This gave Zayn the opening to tag Nakamura into the match. Nakamura hit Loa with a hard knee to the ribs, but he was dropped from behind by Mateo. Nakamura turned that around as he hit his signature sliding German suplex on Mateo. Sikoa broke up the pin as Zayn intercepted him. Things then began to break down between the two teams, as Sabin and Shelley teamed up to throw Talla over the top rope. The Motor City Machine Guns worked in tandem to take Talla down with a dive to the outside. Zayn and Fenix then teamed up to take out Tama and Loa with dives of their own.

Back in the ring, the Motor City Machine Guns scored the first elimination with a nice tandem pin combination to take Mateo out of the match. (JC Mateo eliminated via Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin pinfall) Tanga stepped in for his team and found himself on the receiving end of stereo superkicks from Shelley and Sabin. Nakamura was tagged in as he blasted Tama with an enzuigiri. Nakamura had Tama in sight for the Kinsasha, but Sikoa’s distraction was enough to give Tama the opportunity to hit the not-so-hidden blade of the Cutthroat to eliminate Nakamura. (Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated via Tama Tonga pinfall)

With both teams now down to four men, Tama and Loa joined forces to go on the offensive against legal man Rey Fenix, but couldn’t eliminate him even after a spinebuster. Fenix found himself on Loa’s shoulders, but he turned that into a rollup pin, which got the three and the elimination. (Tonga Loa eliminated via Rey Fenix pinfall) Talla Tonga made an impact right away as he crushed Fenix with a running charge.

Talla threw Fenix down with a pair of scoop slams as Sikoa then tagged himself into the match. Sikoa went for the Samoan Spike, but Fenix avoided it and Sabin entered the match with a tag. Sikoa hit a fierce uppercut on Sabin, and tried for a Samoan Drop. Shelley blind tagged himself in as he and Sabin hit Sikoa with stereo superkicks. As Shelley headed up top to set up Skull and Bones, Tama shoved him down to the outside, as Talla then made the tag and chokeslammed Shelley across the apron for the elimination. (Alex Shelley eliminated via Talla Tonga pinfall)

Sabin tried to go for a crossbody on Talla, but he was caught, and his sunset flip was countered into a hard clothesline by Talla, which earned him an elimination and a 3-2 advantage for the M.F.T.s. (Chris Sabin eliminated via Talla Tonga pinfall)

Fenix entered the match and mounted a bit of offense on Talla. He hit his feint kick on Talla and Sikoa as Tama tagged into the match. Fenix’s attempt of Goodbye Amigo was initially countered by Tama, but the Tongan was turned inside out by a hurricanrana. Fenix then leapt from the top rope to take out Sikoa and Talla outside. Back in the ring, Tama caught Fenix with the Cutthroat to get the eliminating pin, which left Zayn all alone for his team. (Rey Fenix eliminated via Tama Tonga pinfall)

Zayn was left by himself as he went after Talla right away. A huge uppercut from Talla snuffed out the attack as the gargantuan continued his attack on Zayn. Sikoa tagged in and was thrown into the corner for a running hip strike on the stunned Zayn. Tama Tonga was next to enter as he blasted Zayn with two running splashes. At that moment, Zayn woke up and hit Tama with a surprise Helluva Kick to earn the quick elimination. (Tama Tonga eliminated via Sami Zayn pinfall)

Talla didn’t let Zayn get a moment to breathe as he stomped away on him and then threw him into the ringpost. Talla left Zayn stunned right in front of the timekeepers’ area, and looked like he was about take Zayn’s head off. The Canadian avoided the boot from Talla, which sent him flying over into the timekeepers’ area. Zayn rolled himself back into the ring, which led to Talla being eliminated via countout. (Talla Tonga eliminated via countout)

Sikoa entered right away and hit consecutive Spinning Solos on a weakened Zayn for the close near-fall. The M.F.T.s’ leader headed up top and hit a big splash on Zayn, who once again kicked out. Sikoa propped Zayn up to the top rope and looked like he was going to hit an avalanche Samoan Drop, but that was turned into a sunset flip powerbomb by Zayn. One, two… NO! Zayn hyped himself up as he and Sikoa exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. Sikoa gained the upper hand with a headbutt to Zayn.

Zayn intercepted Sikoa’s running hip attack with an exploder suplex as he then had him in sight for the Helluva Kick. Sikoa reversed that into a superkick, but couldn’t land the Samoan Spike as Zayn rolled him up for the pin. Following that exchanged, Sikoa hit the Spike on Zayn to gain the victory.

The M.F.T.s def. Team Sami Zayn via pinfall (Solo Sikoa is Sole Survivor)

Sikoa celebrated his win, but found himself interrupted by the Wyatt Sicks’ blackout. Once the lights came back on, Sikoa found himself surrounded by the Sicks on the apron. Just as the producer credits popped up, Uncle Howdy snuck up on Sikoa and delivered Sister Abigail to him to end the show.

**********

Kind of a weak go-home to Survivor Series for SmackDown, which is a bit of a letdown after last week’s actually-great show. The Flair vs. Asuka match was the standout of the evening, and the M.F.T.s/Team Sami match was at least decent, though really nothing much to write home about. There wasn’t a U.S. Title Open Challenge either to keep things engaging (though, in fairness, this episode was taped last week after the live episode from last week).

Everything else seemed really dull, which is becoming a problem with regards to the Road Dogg-helmed SmackDown. It’s a problem that doesn’t really seem to be getting any better, unfortunately.

Quarterfinals set for WWE Last Time Is Now tournament, bracket revealed

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Following WWE SmackDown, the quarterfinals for The Last Time Is Now tournament are now set. 

Two more men advanced from the opening round on Friday when Carmelo Hayes and Penta won their respective matches. Hayes was the first to advance on Friday, defeating Bronson Reed by countout. Cody Rhodes, who was battered earlier in the night by The Vision ahead of their War Games match at Survivor Series, came out and jumped Reed, pushing him into the steel post. After Rhodes laid him out further with the crossroads, Reed was unable to make it to the ring before the ten count giving Hayes the victory.

In the second opening round match, Penta defeated Finn Balor after hitting the Mexican destroyer. 

After their wins, WWE then revealed the brackets for the remaining matches of the tournament. On one side, Jey Uso will take on Rusev with the winner meeting the winner between LA Knight and a mystery opponent after Sheamus was pulled from the tournament due to a shoulder injury. On the other side, Penta will face Finn Balor with the winner facing either Solo Sikoa or Carmelo Hayes.

The winner of the tournament will face John Cena in his last-ever match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington, D.C..

WWE SmackDown live results: Last Time is Now first round concludes

Posted on by Marc Quill

The Last Time is Now tournament to find John Cena’s final opponent rolls on as part of tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Denver, Colorado.

In the final two first-round bouts, Carmelo Hayes battles The Vision’s Bronson Reed while Penta takes on Finn Balor. The winner of Hayes vs. Reed will move on to face Gunther on this Monday’s Raw while Solo Sikoa awaits the winner of Penta vs. Balor at a date to be announced.

We’ll also find out how WWE plans to move forward with Sheamus having to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.

On their website, WWE is hyping fallout from this past Monday’s show-ending brawl on Raw that included Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and the other combatants for the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series.

The final members for the women’s WarGames match at next weekend’s Survivor Series will also be confirmed tonight.

After weeks of back and forth conflict, DIY and Fraxiom finally get to settle their score in tag team action.

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

**********

– Over a live shot of the University of Colorado stadium and the school’s football mascot posing, we’re welcomed to the show by the voice of Michael Cole. We then see the requisite shots of Penta, Finn Balor, as well as Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair arriving. This then segued into a recap of the goings-on in the men’s WarGames and the new additions to the match happening next week.

The Vision open SmackDown

After the recap, we saw the three members of The Vision’s WarGames team: Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, and Bron Breakker. They were accompanied by Paul Heyman, who started with his usual opening spiel. He then said that at WarGames, five of the crowd’s heroes would be locked inside a double cage where Breakker would “take a bite out of every one of their asses”. They’d be also locked in a double cage where they’d be Tsunami’d over and over again by the “Original Tribal Thief”, Bronson Reed. These five superstars would learn that you’d need an evil and violent strategy to win WarGames, which led to Heyman giving the mic to Logan Paul.

Before Paul could get far, he was interrupted by The Usos, Jimmy and Jey. With a mic in hand, Jey said that nobody wanted to hear what Paul wanted to say. Heyman interjected by saying that Jey pissed off Logan, as well as stating that he created The Bloodline was to make sure that nobody would have to live on the streets. Heyman also pointed out that the one thing he taught them in The Bloodline was the numbers game as he counted the Vision members in the ring.

Jimmy noted that they weren’t showing up to this fight alone, as the sounds of Cody Rhodes’ theme heralded the seeming arrival of the Undisputed WWE Champion. However, he never showed up as the Titantron cut to Drew McIntyre emerging from Rhodes’ bus, leaving behind the champion beaten down. The Usos ran down to check on him.

An okay start to the show, with the McIntyre bus attack on Rhodes, but I’m thinking that this feud is getting a bit stale seeing as while McIntyre gets the upper hand in the attacks, he just ends up losing when it matters, which doesn’t help his standing at all. It kinda feels like they’re going through the motions.

**********

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. J.D. McDonagh

Dragunov and McDonagh locked up to kick off the match as their standoff reached the corner. After McDonagh chopped at Dragunov, he was met with a hard boot to the face by the U.S. Champion. Dragunov knocked McDonagh loopy with an enzuigiri to the head but couldn’t connect with a suplex as he was chopped in the chest against the ropes. McDonagh gained the upper hand by throwing the champion hard into the middle rope, which sent him outside as we took a break at this early juncture of the match.

Live action resumed as McDonagh pummeled away at Dragunov with hard strikes to the face, as well as the Kawada-styled kicks. Dragunov answered with chops to McDanagh, followed by the Constantine Special, as both men struggled to get themselves back up. Once McDonagh and Dragunov got back up, they traded strikes until the U.S. Champion connected with a set of German suplexes that kept McDonagh down and out. Dragunov smashed the back of McDonagh’s head with repeated elbow strikes as he then nailed a nice suplex.

As Dragunov tried for another Constantine Special, McDonagh turned that into a standing Spanish Fly for the near-fall. McDonagh escaped a suplex as he then sent himself and Dragunov out of the ring with a nasty-looking suplex as the match headed into its second commercial break.

The match continued from the break as Dragunov nailed a superplex on McDonagh. Upon impact, McDonagh grabbed at Dragunov’s hair and countered into a brainbuster for an incredibly close near-fall. McDonagh headed to the top rope and missed on a moonsault, which opened him up to a big boot from Dragunov, followed by the standing uranage. Dragunov’s attempt at Torpedo Moscow was intercepted by a running knee from the Irishman, and the challenger took advantage with an incredible moonsault. One, two…. NO!

As both men got themselves up, Dragunov connected with the Torpedo Moscow after absorbing a headbutt from McDonagh. One powerbomb and H-Bomb later, and Dragunov picked up the victory in this hard-fought battle.

Ilja Dragunov def. J.D. McDonagh via pinfall to retain the United States Championship

These U.S. Title Open Challenge matches have remained the highlight of SmackDown for consecutive weeks now and this one was no exception. McDonagh and Dragunov battered the heck out of each other and we got a fantastic match out of it. Incredible way to kick things off in terms of in-ring action.

**********

– After a recap of Charlotte Flair deciding to join the WarGames skirmish on Raw, we saw Flair and Alexa Bliss walking to an unmarked door. The door opened to reveal Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY inside as Bliss left Flair to have a chat with Ripley to work out whatever issues they may have. SKY left soon after as Ripley and Flair stared down one another, presumably getting ready to have that chat.

– Nick Aldis wasn’t able to give an update on Cody Rhodes after what happened as he confronted The Vision about it. Mr. Aldis told Paul Heyman that Drew McIntyre was still persona non grata even after being named to The Vision’s WarGames team. Heyman said that he’d respect Aldis’s request as McIntyre was apparently not at the building after what happened earlier.

– We got more clips of the University of Colorado’s football team as it was mentioned that Bill Goldberg’s son, Gage Goldberg, was a player for the Buffaloes.

– Backstage, Ilja Dragunov was walking, licking his wounds after his U.S. Title match as Tama Tonga silently stared him down before walking off. Tommasso Ciampa then confronted Dragunov and told the champion that he was lucky that he and Johnny Gargano were busy with Fraxiom, because he’d be holding the title instead. Dragunov rebutted by calling Ciampa a “jackass”.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round Qualifier: Carmelo Hayes (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Bronson Reed

Michael Cole gave his condolences to legendary commentator Bob Caudle at the start of the match.

In the ring, Reed easily took down Hayes with a fierce running chop, as he continued the attack in the corner. Reed taunted Hayes, followed by another hard running chop and a headbutt on his downed foe. Reed attempted a powerbomb, but Hayes turned that into a powerbomb for a two-count. Hayes maintained the attack with a springboard DDT, followed by a dropkick to the outside. The Vision’s Logan Paul and Bron Breakker ran out from the back as we took a break in the action.

We returned from the break as Reed applied a resthold on Hayes, having gained the upper hand during the commercial break. Hayes fought out of the hold, but got dropped with a back suplex by Reed for the two-count. Reed tried for another back suplex, but Hayes landed on his feet. As Breakker created a distraction, Paul pulled at Hayes’ feet to give his fellow Vision member an assist. Hayes avoided a senton from Reed and rolled him up for the near-fall.

Hayes stunned Reed with a running knee, followed by the flying clothesline. With Reed trapped in between the middle rope, he was blasted by a leg drop by Hayes. A DDT on to the hardest part of the ring by Hayes was followed by a frog splash on the gargantuan Reed for a near-fall. Hayes’ First 48 was countered into a World’s Strongest Slam, followed by the senton. Reed headed up top for the Tsunami, but Hayes rolled out at the last minute to avoid calamity.

Hayes hit Reed with the First 48 as he then leapt at the three members of The Vision at ringside. Back in the ring, Hayes leapt from the top rope and hit a nice DDT, but that wasn’t enough to pick up the victory. Hayes went up top once again, but missed Nothin’ But Net, as he instead was cracked with a hard lariat by Reed.

Outside the ring, Breakker was setting up Hayes for the super spear, but the Usos interrupted and fought with Breakker and Paul. With the referee still distracted, Cody Rhodes emerged from the crowd and hit Reed with a Cross Rhodes that left him out cold. The referee began his count as Reed struggled to get himself back up. Reed was ultimately unable to reach the ring by the count of ten, which gave Hayes the victory.

After the match, Rhodes took the microphone and said that he no longer wants to be done with Drew McIntyre because of what he did. Rhodes called out each member of The Vision, as he then turned his attention to Paul Heyman, stating that he’ll beat his guys (“you build them and I’ll beat them!”) Rhodes then said that WarGames was his birthright and that he’d see Heyman at San Diego.

Carmelo Hayes def. Bronson Reed via countout

This was an good match and a good showing for Hayes. The inevitable WarGames-adjacent events helped keep things exciting, and did their job of setting up Hayes vs. Gunther on Raw this coming Monday.

**********

– Chelsea Green was fretting about her championship celebration, as she confided with Alba Fyre that maybe she shouldn’t be holding this celebration. As Green called herself the “Greatest Women’s Champion Ever”, Jade Cargill confronted her and took exception to that bold claim.

– Sami Zayn was with Rey Fenix, The Motor City Machine Guns, and Shinsuke Nakamura and had remarks ahead of the big five-man elimination tag match against The M.F.T.s next week on SmackDown. Zayn said that his team was an international assembly of the best wrestlers as he put Fenix, the MCMGs, and Nakamura over.

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommasso Ciampa) vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom)

Fraxiom started off fast as they stunned both Gargano and Ciampa with their fast-paced tandem offense. At ringside, both #DIY members were left shelled by consecutive dives to the outside by Fraxiom. Back in the ring, Frazer hit a splash on Ciampa, but Gargano broke up the pin as he then took out Axiom of the equation. Gargano was now the legal man and continued the attack on Frazer, who countered a back suplex by landing on his feet. Ciampa pulled Frazer out and threw him against the steps, as he and Gargano did their self-pats on the back. We took a break at this point in time.

The match returned from break as Frazer sped things up as only he could with a running moonsault on Gargano for the near-fall. Frazer made the climb to the top rope with Gargano stunned, but he missed on the splash. This opened him up to a Shatter Machine from #DIY for an incredibly close near-fall. Frazer had his knees clipped by Ciampa, but he was able to make the tag to Axiom. A dive from the top from the masked star was met by a hard knee to the face from Ciampa, as #DIY connected with a nice double team move. Frazer managed to break the pin up with a splash.

On the top rope, Axiom connected with an avalanche Spanish Fly, while Frazer flew from the top to take out Ciampa. In the ensuing fracas, Candice LeRae got on the apron and took off Axiom’s mask, which allowed Gargano to get in a sneaky victory for #DIY.

#DIY def. Fraxiom via pinfall

Some solid tag team action to keep up the excellent in-ring action we’ve had so far tonight. If there’s one good thing about the rumored return to three hours for SmackDown, it should be the added focus on the tag division to fill the time, and they deserve that bigger spotlight.

**********

– We got a video of Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley’s conversation, where it simply boiled down to the two acknowledging that they could trust one another for WarGames.

Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round Qualifier: Finn Balor vs. Penta

Balor tried to attack Penta as he was still posturing in the ring, but was cut off at the pass instead as the match got underway here. Balor attacked Penta in the corner, but was met with a hurricanrana, followed by the elevated dropkick in the corner by the fearless masked man.

Penta slammed Balor with a slingblade, as he hit a nice dive over the top rope on his foe to take us into the commercial break.

After the break, we returned on Penta landing a crossbody on Balor as both men tried to get themselves back up on their feet. Balor got to his feet first and teed away on Penta in the corner with a series of punches. However, Penta started to gained some steam with repeated clotheslines, then the superkick on a prone Balor against the middle turnbuckle. Penta tried to hit the Penta Driver, but Balor turned that into a Final Cut for the two-count.

Balor kicked away at Penta, but got a pair of hard chops for his troubles. Penta then hit a modified Muscle Buster on Balor for the close two. Penta pulled at Balor’s arm with his signature armbreaker, but he got rolled up for the near fall. Balor hit the Slingblade, then the shotgun dropkick, which was the final setup for the Coup de Grace. Penta escaped and connected with a variation on his Penta Driver. One, two…. NO!

Balor pushed Penta into the corner, but he found himself in the crosshairs for the Mexican Destroyer as Penta picked up the victory to advance in the Last Time is Now Tournament.

Penta def. Finn Balor via pinfall

A great match to cap off the in-ring action on tonight’s SmackDown, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the matches on tonight’s show. Penta and Balor work together so well, which made this match a fun one.

**********

– Cole and Graves ran down the remaining spots for the Last Time is Now tournament as they mentioned Sheamus’s shoulder injury, which forced him out of the tournament, revealing that a mystery opponent will face LA Knight in the LTiN quarterfinals in place of the injured Sheamus.

Women’s WarGames Match face off

The team of Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, IYO SKY, and Rhea Ripley were out as a united front ahead of next week’s Survivor Series: WarGames.

Ripley had the microphone first and said that she could hear what the Denver crowd was chanting for. She said at MSG, the Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax, and Lash Legend didn’t realize how united they were at that moment in time, and when going into war, she wanted to make sure she’d be going to war with the right people. Ripley pointed out her best friend IYO SKY, someone who would keep fighting even if they went down swinging. Ripley then turned her attention to Bliss and Flair, people who weren’t the best of friends with her, but they could trust people. However, that was only four people, as she introduced the fifth member of their WarGames teams: AJ Lee.

As AJ made her entrance, the heel women attacked Rhea’s team in the ring. Becky Lynch ambushed AJ as she was making her way to the ring. The battle was heating up in the ring, as the heel WarGames team had the upper hand in the ensuing skirmish. The Levesque & Fitting producer credits were up as the heel WarGames team stood tall.

**********

Kind of a standard WarGames setup ending for a surprisingly great SmackDown, but I suppose they had to get that out of the way, even if the setup of adding Lynch and AJ into the mix seemed a bit forced. Even with that, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the in-ring action was this week, which carried a lot of the show this week.

The U.S. Open Challenge, as usual, stood out the most, but the other matches on the night were enjoyable in their own right, which helped make this episode a lot better than previous weeks. However, the big downside that does put a damper on things was how the SmackDown women’s division seemed to be sidelined, especially in favor of the WarGames build.

Jade Cargill, the current Women’s Champion, only got a fifteen-second cameo, and the planned Chelsea Green segment (which likely would’ve involved Giulia crashing the party) got bumped off the show altogether. On top of all that, there was no women’s match on the show. That is a huge disappointment and does not shake off the notion of how poorly booked the SmackDown women’s division is as a whole. This is an issue that’s been a nagging one and something that the women’s WarGames build cannot hide.

WWE Raw live results: John Cena’s final Raw

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: November 17, 2025
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City 

The Big Takeaway —

John Cena was victorious in a six-man tag match in his supposed final Raw match ever. There was no post-match angle, but Cena will be defending his Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series in a rematch against Dominik Mysterio. (Read more below.) 

Gunther and Solo Sikoa advanced in the Last Time is Now tournament with wins over Je’Von Evans and Dolph Ziggler, respectively. 

AJ Lee returned and cost Becky Lynch the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Maxxine Dupri. 

The main event angle saw Brock Lesnar return to join The Vision’s team at WarGames, while Roman Reigns returned to join the team of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. 

**********

Show Recap — 

Becky Lynch, The Vision (with Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre), Solo Sikoa & Talla Tonga, and Gunther arrived at Madison Square Garden. Lynch complained to a staff member that her picture wasn’t on the hallway walls alongside other wrestlers. She stuck a photo of herself over a CM Punk poster. 

It’s a packed house, so the stage just consists of a relatively small screen. 

John Cena kicks off Raw for the final time

Cena entered to a massive ovation. Chants of his name, “Thank you, Cena,” and loud applause. His gear was in the colours of the New York Yankees, and he carried his newly won Intercontinental Championship title belt. 

Alicia Taylor introduced him as “the greatest of all time” and called this his last Monday Night Raw appearance in Madison Square Garden. More chants of “Thank you, Cena.” 

Cena welcomed the enthusiasm. He said New York City makes and breaks careers. And now, at the end of his career, he looked around and saw people as far as the eye could see. He thanked them. 

Madison Square Garden allowed him to step on the stage in these hallowed halls for 23 years. There was some extra enthusiasm in the air because it was the last time they could talk together—at MSG and on Raw. It was a bittersweet moment for some, but a very important one to him. 

Dominik Mysterio interrupted (carrying the AAA Mega Championship). He was booed as he spoke. Dom said Cena was handed a title shot last week, just as he was handed everything else. Dom fought for everything he had. He wanted an IC title rematch. 

Cena was up for it and polled the crowd. They cheered, but Dom said no. Dom said they already did it Cena’s way. Cena had management and his hometown by his side, so now they would do it Dom’s way. The crowd loudly chanted, “Shut the f—k up.” 

Dom wanted the match in his hometown of San Diego at Survivor Series. Cena had no problem with that, so he accepted (and made sure to mention it was on ESPN). 

Cena did have a problem: he told the fans he would have his final Raw match tonight. Cena offered Dom a non-title match and a chance to make history. Cena asked, “Do you feel lucky, punk?” 

Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh entered. Dom said Cena wouldn’t be getting his last match, but a beating instead. 

Judgment Day attacked Cena until Sheamus ran out to make the save, but Judgment Day overwhelmed him, too. 

Dominik Mysterio ran out next and immediately attacked his son. Mysterio, Sheamus and Cena cleared the ring. Cena made a six-man match and called out a referee. 

A referee ran out and called for the bell to start the match—which led to commercial break. 

Six-man tag team match: Intercontinental Champion John Cena, Sheamus & Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio

During the break, Judgment Day tried to bail as the match began, but the babyfaces went after them. Sheamus gave Dom a Claudio big swing during the break, but Judgment Day used a double-team to get the heat as they returned from break. 

Rey got a hot tag and ran wild as Wade Barrett mentioned this was his first match in seven months. Rey went for a 619 but was tripped by Dom from outside. Rey gave Dom a dropkick, but Bálor attacked Rey from behind, allowing Judgment Day to take over ahead of another break. 

The first 10 minutes of Cena’s final Raw match included 6 minutes of commercials. 

During the break, fans chanted, “Who’s your daddy?” right on time for Dom to give Rey the three amigos (the last suplex was a brainbuster). Rey fought back and fought off a double-team by Bálor and McDonagh.

Cena made the much-anticipated hot tag and hit McDonagh with shoulder tackles, a side slam, and five knuckle shuffle. McDonagh landed on his feet off an AA attempt and followed with a headbutt. 

Everyone traded moves, which left Cena alone in the ring. McDonagh hit Cena with a moonsault, Bálor hit a Coup de Grace, and Dom hit a frog splash. The heels covered Cena, but Rey and Sheamus leaped in to break it up. 

Sheamus, Rey and Cena each grabbed members of Judgment Day and hit ten beats of the Bodhrán (Rey did it to his own son). With the heels down, Cena, Rey and Sheamus all did the five knuckle shuffle. 

Rey gave Bálor and McDonagh a double 619, Sheamus gave Bálor a Brogue Kick, and Cena hit McDonagh with an AA for the pinfall win.

The crowd went nuts as Sheamus and Rey hugged Cena. The babyfaces left together and posed on the stage. 

Cena looked into the camera and stated, “Monday Night Raw. That’s all she wrote. Love you. Thank you.” 

Match result: Intercontinental Champion John Cena, Sheamus & Rey Mysterio defeated JD McDonagh, Finn Bálor & Dominik Mysterio (14:42) 

********

Nick Aldis met with Adam Pearce. Pearce wasn’t surprised to see Drew McIntyre game the system on SmackDown. Paul Heyman sauntered in and could tell they were heated. Heyman said what he did was within the rules and regulations (Aldis and Pearce didn’t disagree). 

Heyman said if they were pissed about him picking McIntyre, they should see who he picked next. Heyman handed them a clipboard, and they were not happy to see the name. 

*******

Jackie Redmond introduced Andrew Schulz during a break. Fans weren’t thrilled to see him. Schulz introduced injured New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (who was also at UFC on Saturday). Skattebo wore a New York Rangers Matt Rempe jersey. 

Schulz referred to Dom as a bitch, but Dom and Judgment Day were still at ringside, so Dom got in his face. Skattebo stood up for Schulz and shoved Dom to the ground. Bálor, McDonagh, and Dom attacked Schulz, Skattebo, and other members of the NY Giants until it was broken up. 

After the break, Eric Andre, Ashley Cooke, and members of the Philadelphia Eagles (they were booed) were shown at ringside, as were the Giants whom we saw moments ago. 

********

Stephanie Vaquer and Nikki Bella segment 

Redmond was in the ring to interview Stephanie Vaquer, but Nikki Bella attacked Vaquer from behind during her entrance. Bella said she didn’t come back to be Vaquer’s sidekick. She returned to take back her division. She told Vaquer she would be giving her a shot at the Women’s title, and Vaquer would bow down to the woman who changed this entire industry. Bella posed with the belt. 

(This was a fairly standard angle, but Vaquer had to stay down selling for way too long after Bella’s attack. All Bella did was shove Vaquer once into the video screen.) 

********

Asuka and Kairi Sane approached Bayley and Lyra Valkyria backstage. Asuka said she was feeling kind. They needed five people for WarGames, so she would forgive Bayley for the past if she teamed with her. Bayley laughed maniacally at the idea, considering everything they had done to her. She said no. Asuka and Sane left. 

Valkyria was proud of Bayley for that. She wanted a high five, but Bayley was suddenly in no mood and asked Valkyria if she was five years old (for offering a high five). Bayley walked away while saying, “Let’s go, you idiot.” 

********

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Solo Sikoa (w/ Talla Tonga) vs. Dolph Ziggler 

Dolph Ziggler was the mystery opponent, and he received a big pop and chants of “Welcome back.” Ziggler started with his usual offence: a dropkick, Stinger splash, neckbreaker, and an elbow drop. Ziggler hit a flying elbow drop moments later for just a one count. 

Sikoa took control during a break and hit a Samoan drop when they returned. Ziggler fought back with a leaping DDT and Fameasser for two. Sikoa responded with a Spinning Solo for two. 

Ziggler ducked a spike and applied a schoolboy for two. Ziggler followed with a Zig-Zag for a close nearfall. The fans went nuts for that and told the ref that he sucked. 

Ziggler tuned up the band for a superkick, but Sikoa blocked it. Ziggler managed to hit a superkick anyway, but Sikoa shoved him off and hit a Samoan spike for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Solo Sikoa defeated Dolph Ziggler to advance in The Last Time is Now Tournament (8:53) 

A returning mid-carder who was never taken seriously as a world champion wasn’t the most exciting mystery participant, but it came across well enough thanks to these fans giving him the biggest reaction he was going to get anywhere. 

********

There was a quick video package for Je’Von Evans. 

New Day did their usual commercial break promo alongside Grayson Waller, who wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey for heat. 

Lil Yachty, Aljamain Sterling, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephanie McMahon & Elyse Dudzinski were shown in the crowd. 

Alexa Bliss promo and WarGames angle 

Alexa Bliss entered. She said she hasn’t heard back from Charlotte Flair all weekend. Since Charlotte wasn’t responding, Bliss looked into the camera to address her instead. Bliss knew Charlotte was upset they lost the tag titles, but they could get those back. It would be harder to get back trust. 

Everyone warned her not to trust Charlotte, but she ignored them because she knew who Charlotte was on the inside. But maybe now Charlotte was proving her wrong. Bliss got her ass beat simply because Charlotte didn’t like Rhea Ripley. Charlotte wasn’t there when Bliss needed her best friend. (Bliss was getting ‘What’ chants, but she did a great job dealing with it by incorporating it into her promo.) 

She was interrupted by Asuka, Sane, Nia Jax, and Lash Legend. Jax, as Bliss’ former friend, said she understood why Charlotte left her. The heels surrounded Bliss on the apron, but Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky ran out to join her. 

Ripley and Sky brawled with Asuka and Sane outside the ring, but that left Bliss alone in the ring for Jax and Legend. 

Charlotte ran out with a kendo stick and attacked Jax and Legend until they left the ring. Charlotte helped Bliss to her feet and hugged her. Ripley and Sky were in the other corner of the ring, and upon seeing them hug, Sky quickly hugged Ripley in response. The crowd laughed at the amusing visual, and Charlotte broke out laughing, too. 

********

Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maxxine Dupri

Jessika Carr was the referee. Lynch wasn’t happy with this because she blamed Carr for her previous losses. Lynch got in Dupri’s face during her introduction, and she aggressively handed Carr the title belt. 

Lynch was still arguing with Carr as Carr called for the match to start, so Dupri booted Lynch for a quick nearfall. Lynch took over quickly by knocking Dupri off the top rope, and they went to break 90 seconds into this title match. 

Dupri fought back as soon as they returned from break with clotheslines and a roundhouse kick for two. Dupri hit a fisherman’s suplex, dropped her straps, and hit (missed) a leg drop for two. Lynch booted Dupri’s arm and tried targeting it, but Dupri fought back again. Lynch lifted her out of the corner and hit a powerbomb. 

Lynch tried applying an arm bar, but Dupri bridged out of it. She countered it a second time and applied a cradle for two. Dupri applied an ankle lock and grapevined the legs to avoid a rope break. Lynch still managed to slip out of it, and she kicked Dupri in the arm again. Lynch hit a Man-handle Slam right next to the ropes, so Dupri got a predictable rope break. 

Lynch got in Carr’s face and poked her in the chest. Carr knocked her hand down and told her to get back to the match. 

Lynch chucked Dupri out of the ring and, as Carr checked on Dupri, Lynch tried to expose the top turnbuckle. 

AJ Lee then skipped out to her music, which distracted Lynch, so Dupri caught her with a flying crossbody for the pinfall win. Dupri is the new Women’s Intercontinental Champion. 

Dupri sprinted out of the ring and embraced AJ. Fireworks went off as Dupri posed with her new title belt. Lynch was pissed. 

Match result: Maxxine Dupri defeated Becky Lynch to win the Women’s Intercontinental Championship (9:50)

This match was not good. They tried to manufacture a moment while also getting heat behind a Lynch/AJ Lee singles match. But now Maxxine Dupri is the IC champion. The crowd was not really into Dupri here, and they only popped for the finish. Perhaps they will get behind her more now, but she won’t improve fast enough, and fans can see she isn’t ready. 

********

Byron Saxton interviewed Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez during a break. The most notable thing here was Perez correctly complaining that Bella was getting a title shot despite Perez beating her twice in a row. 

Brandon Marshall, Chuck Zito, and Gabriel Iglesias were in the crowd.  

The Last Time Is Now Tournament Round One: Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther

Gunther dismissively patted Evans on the head, so Evans smacked him. Evans chopped Gunther and countered a few spots until Gunther simply booted him to take over. 

Gunther maintained control through a commercial break, and there was a “Y2J” chant as he did. 

Evans countered a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. It might’ve been a nice nearfall, but the referee stopped counting because Gunther’s shoulders weren’t flush against the mat. Evans followed with a somersault kick, and the crowd started to get into him. He tried a suicide dive, but Gunther caught him and chucked him hard into the side of the ring. 

During a break, Gunther tried a German suplex, but Evans landed on his feet. Gunther cut him off again, this time with a dropkick. Evans countered him again, this time into a sunset flip cradle for two as they returned from break. 

They traded strikes until Evans tried springing off the ropes, but Gunther booted him. Evans countered Gunther once again, this time into a cutter, and he hit a dive over the top rope. Evans followed with a great-looking frog splash for two. (The crowd is fully into this now.) 

Gunther hit an uppercut to the back of Evans’ neck as he came off the top. Gunther followed with a suplex and powerbomb, but Evans kicked out. Gunther applied a sleeper, and Evans tried fighting through it, but Gunther cinched it in, and Evans tapped out. 

— Gunther left the ring, and you could hear the crowd starting to give Evans an ovation, but they cut to the back. 

Match result: Gunther defeated Je’Von Evans to advance in The Last Time is Now Tournament (15:04)

This was really good. Evans and the match would’ve benefited from an extra minute or two, but Evans still came across great. Unlike the previous match, the crowd really got into the underdog as it went along, and it seemed like the fans were ready to give him a big ovation despite the loss. 

*******

Backstage, Dupri (with AJ Lee) told Redmond that this title win meant everything because all the hard work paid off. She beat one of the best of all time, and that meant she finally belonged here. It was all thanks to AJ Lee. 

AJ said the credit belonged to Dupri. AJ hated a bully and just wanted to put Lynch in her place. Otis and Akira Tozawa showed up to celebrate with Dupri, and they left together. 

Redmond asked AJ if she was sticking around. AJ said she initially came back to help her husband, but Lynch lit a fire under her, so we’ll see. Ripley approached AJ and asked if they could chat. AJ left with Ripley. The fans cheered. 

*******

Somebody named Gangster Granny was shown ringside during a break.

Main event WarGames angle 

Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Logan Paul entered together. Drew McIntyre entered separately to join them. Heyman said he walked with the Samoan Swat Team & The Freebirds, with the Dangerous Alliance, and with The Bloodline to the ring for WarGames, but this was the greatest assembly of talent for WarGames ever. 

CM Punk interrupted to his music. He waited ringside as Jey and Jimmy Uso entered to Jey’s music through the crowd. They all waited for Cody Rhodes to come out next to his music. (Rhodes stood side-by-side with Punk and went for a fist bump, but Punk legitimately didn’t see it, so Rhodes forcibly bumped his fist so it didn’t look like he got left hanging.) The babyfaces cleared the ring, and Punk dropped Paul with a bulldog. 

Brock Lesnar entered. Punk went after him, but Lesnar laid him out with a couple of suplexes. Rhodes went after Lesnar, but Lesnar laid him out with suplexes, too. Lesnar stood tall, and they displayed the trademark graphic to fake that the show was over, but it wasn’t. 

Roman Reigns entered and faced off with Lesnar. Lesnar tried to attack, but Reigns ducked a clothesline and knocked Lesnar out of the ring with a Superman punch. 

Security stepped in front of Reigns, so Reed attacked Reigns from behind. Reed went for a Tsunami, but Reigns popped up and gave Reed a Superman punch. 

“NYPD” appeared at ringside as Punk choked out Paul with a kendo stick. NYPD and security tried settling things down, but Reigns speared Reed through the barricade as the show abruptly ended at 10:25 pm ET.

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.