Tag: Randy Orton

Randy Orton thanks John Cena, calls him ‘an inspiration’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Randy Orton took time to thank John Cena on following his final match this past weekend.

Notable by his absence at Saturday Night’s Event, Orton explained on social media that he wasn’t at the Washington D.C. event as he was promoting Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia, where the company will hold the Royal Rumble next month.

“I broke into the wrestling business and grew up for the past 2 decades alongside @johncena I wrestled with or against him 100 times, at least. I would have enjoyed being there in DC for #wwe #snme and witness his emotional send off into retirement. But I know if ANYONE understands my absence, it’s John, because I was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia #KSA promoting #riyadhseason and #royalrumble,” he said.

He further wrote that the two communicated ahead of his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Orton called Cena an inspiration not only to fans, but also to Orton himself.

“The morning of his retirement we exchanged a few texts, and I was honored to speak with him on such a big day. I look forward to following John’s career in Hollywood AND beyond. Skys the limit with this guy. An inspiration not only to generations of fans, but to myself, who was lucky enough to learn firsthand from one of the most OVER wrestlers ever. Thanks for being so good to my family over the years and thanks for making the lockeroom a better place. Take care John, and I’ll see ya around.”

The two sparred many times for the WWE and World Heavyweight titles throughout the years, most prominently in 2009 and in 2014. Their final match together took place at Backlash, where Cena defeated Orton for the last time.

WWE legend criticizes Randy Orton’s current booking direction

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

WWE legend Ric Flair is not a fan of Randy Orton’s current booking.

For over two decades, Randy Orton has remained one of the top stars on the roster. However, since his King of the Ring appearances, Orton has not been featured much in main-event storylines. Speaking on the Doubl3 Coverage podcast, Ric Flair shared his thoughts on Orton’s booking and openly criticized it.

“Randy Orton, I mean, he’s third generation,” Flair noted. “Randy is the best male worker in the company right now. They don’t utilize him the way I would if I was booker, but I’m not. So, he can still work his a** off. But, he’s making a lot of money. He’s doing good. He’s happy. And that’s all that matters.”

At SummerSlam 2025, Orton paired up with Jelly Roll to face the duo of Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul. He was last seen in action on the October 3rd episode of SmackDown, where he and Cody Rhodes lost to The Vision.

Randy Orton’s WWE return date

Out of action for over a month now, recent updates emerged about Randy Orton’s potential return date. The Apex Predator is now advertised at the December 5th SmackDown taping in Austin, Texas. This would mark his return to the blue brand after a gap of nearly two months.

In his last appearance, Orton took a Curb Stomp from Seth Rollins, which effectively ruled him out of WWE programming.

Randy Orton’s potential WWE return date revealed

Posted on by Ian Carey

Randy Orton could be on his way back soon.

He is advertised as appearing at the December 5 SmackDown taping in Austin, Texas, which would be just over two months since his last appearance on the show. Orton took a curb stomp from Seth Rollins and a Tsunami from Bronson Reed in the main event of the October 3 SmackDown and has been gone from WWE programming since.

The November 21 SmackDown will be a double-taping, also including matches for the November 28 show, which will be the go-home episode for WWE Survivor Series: War Games in San Diego the following day.

Orton is currently on the ballot for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. As featured in this week’s edition, Orton received 31.6 percent of the vote. He received above 60 percent of votes among retired wrestlers, finishing sixth in that category. The current issue is available for subscribers here.

WWE SmackDown live results: Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. The Vision

Posted on by Marc Quill

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center will be headlined by WWE Champion Cody Rhodes teaming up with Randy Orton to take on The Vision’s Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker.

Last week, Rhodes confronted Paul Heyman and suggested that the loyalties of World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ “Oracle” may lie with Brock Lesnar once more. This brought Breakker and Reed out to confront Rhodes before Orton evened the odds.

Men’s United States Champion Sami Zayn continues his open challenge series after another successful defense last week against NXT star Je’von Evans. Tonight marks the fifth time Zayn has defended his title since winning it in late August.

Coming off her title defense last Friday, WWE Women’s World Champion Tiffany Stratton will have a contract signing with Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer as their Crown Jewel Championship match approaches.

Plus, Damian Priest said that he plans on issuing a challenge to his rival Aleister Black.

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

**********

– Over shots of the Cincinnati skyline, we were welcomed to tonight’s SmackDown by Michael Cole before we headed to the arena for our opening segment.

Cody Rhodes kicks off SmackDown

The entrance of the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, got things going for tonight’s show as he made his way to the ring with some things to say on his mind ahead of his tag match with Randy Orton against Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed later tonight.

As Rhodes got into the ring, he started off with his usual “what do you want to talk about?” icebreaker. Paul Heyman interrupted him, accompanied by Breakker and Reed at his side. “What would we like to talk about?” asked Heyman.

At the same time, Orton appeared at Rhodes’ side to even the odds as Heyman introduced himself in his usual manner. Heyman said that he and the Brons weren’t here to talk to Rhodes, but rather to Orton. He said that Orton wasn’t taking his calls all week, which meant that he had the Brons corner Rhodes, which would bring out the Viper. According to Heyman, that wasn’t a prediction, but a spoiler.

Heyman pointed out that no matter the strategy that Orton and Rhodes would come up with, it wouldn’t be enough as they’d lose to Breakker and Reed later tonight. Heyman asked Orton what would happen if he and Rhodes lost tonight, attempting to stir the pot. “That’s the Undisputed World Champion, we could do so much more than that,” Heyman asked Orton.

He said, that either way, no matter how we’d look at it, the alliance between Orton and Rhodes would not last, because that’s not a prediction, but rather a prophecy. The Seth Rollins-less Vision made their exit as this segment ended.

Seems like a bit of foreshadowing for what could be a future feud for Cody Rhodes, perhaps for down the line, just not tonight, however. Still, an intriguing start to the show, nonetheless.

**********

– As Carmelo Hayes walked in the locker room, the Miz accosted him and chewed him out for letting him get beat last week. Hayes responded by saying that this partnership between him and Miz was done because Miz was simply standing in his way when he was supposed to be watching his back. Hayes said that he was being cool about this because normally, he shoots first. He told Miz that “we good” before walking off.

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Aleister Black

Before the match, Carmelo Hayes addressed Zayn, saying that this time it’d be different because nobody was here to cloud to his vision or judgement. He said that he’s been the best that he’d ever been. However, before Hayes could actually make his way to the ring, The Miz attacked him with a Skull Crushing Finale, which left him laying. WWE officials shooed Miz away as they checked up on the downed Hayes.

Aleister Black appeared and said he’d take the open challenge as this match got underway officially after that.

Zayn dropped Black with a series of arm drags before he transitioned into an hammerlock following the last one. Black escaped the hold and kicked Zayn in the face as he took over with strikes in the corner. Black maintained control with a boot to the face of Zayn, which left him trapped against the ropes momentarily. Black took us into the commercial break with a springboard moonsault on Zayn, as the challenger still had the upper hand.

We returned from the break with Zayn having fought back and battering Black with punch after punch in the corner, followed by repeated stomps to his foe’s head. Zayn leapfrogged above Black before he clotheslined him out of the ring. He followed that up with a moonsault from the apron that floored Black at ringside. Back in the ring, Zayn caught Black with a nice Michinoku Driver for the close kickout at two.

As Black recovered, he and Zayn got into a standing switch standoff until the challenger blasted him with a kick to the head and a German suplex. One, two… not quite. Zayn avoided a spinning kick and attempted a Blue Thunder Bomb, but got countered into a discus knee by Black instead. The challenger headed to the top rope, but Zayn intercepted and left him staggered long enough for a superplex that took both men out as we got another break in the action here.

Our match continued as Zayn headed to the top and took a leap, but he was skeetshotted with a kick by Black upon landing. That, however, was still not enough for Black to pick up the win and the U.S. Title. With both men on their feet, they exchanged strikes until Black gained the upper hand with strikes in the corner. In the midst of this, Zayn attempted a Helluva Kick, but Black dodged and responded with a top rope Meteora. One, two…. Zayn just managed to kick out! As Zayn was at Black’s mercy, Damian Priest appeared at ringside and created just enough of a distraction for Zayn to catch Black with a Helluva Kick, followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb. One, two, three. This one’s done.

After Zayn left the ring, Priest cleared the commentary table and hoisted the fallen Black above him. He then threw Black through the commentary table with a Razor’s Edge.

Sami Zayn def. Aleister Black via pinfall to retain the United States Championship

This was probably the weakest of Zayn’s U.S. Title Open challenge matches, but it was still an entertaining bout nonetheless. Zayn has proven himself a workhorse in the past few weeks and this match was no exception to that.

**********

– As SmackDown GM Nick Aldis was talking to NXT talents Zaria and Sol Ruca, he was interrupted by Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre, who were looking to recruit the team into the Secret Hervice. However, that turned sideways as the two instead found themselves booked in a match against Zaria and Ruca by Mr. Aldis.

Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre vs. Zaria & Sol Ruca

Zaria and Fyre opened the match for their respective teams with a lockup. Zaria grabbed Fyre by her throat and threw her into the corner and laid into her foe with a strike. As Fyre escaped, Zaria took her to the opposite corner and held her up with an elevated sleeper. The Australian followed that up with a top rope clothesline. After Green tagged herself in, Ruca entered the match and held her with an interesting modified tarantula hold of sorts, followed by an X-Factor for the near-fall.

The Secret Hervice showed some effective teamwork as they took out Ruca with a double team dropkick that sent the Women’s North American Champion to the outside. Zaria was taken out of the equation with a dive from Fyre. With Ruca isolated, Green and Fyre maintained control for a bit. Zaria eventually recovered and threw Fyre into the barricade. Back in the ring, Green fell victim to Ruca’s incredible Sol Snatcher cutter for the victory.

Zaria & Sol Ruca def. Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre via pinfall

A rather short match here, but it’s nice to see some variety in the SmackDown women’s roster in the form of some NXT stars showing up, and their eventual Women’s Tag Title match against Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair should be entertaining.

**********

– Backstage, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss were interviewed about the victorious team of Ruca and Zaria. The Women’s Tag Champions said that their potential challengers have proven themselves, but that they need to be ready when it’s their turn to challenge for Flair & Bliss’s titles. As the champs left, Bliss humorously imitated Flair’s “woooo”.

– A recap of Roman Reigns’ return on Raw this past Monday was shown. Reigns was also advertised to appear on next week’s edition of Raw.

– Cody Rhodes talked with Randy Orton, who said that nobody should care what Paul Heyman said earlier. The two exchanged a fistbump, their alliance seemingly stronger than ever.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Tiffany Stratton contract signing

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis was in the ring to moderate this contract signing for Vaquer vs. Stratton for the Crown Jewel Championship at next week’s Crown Jewel event in Perth. Stratton was introduced first, followed by Vaquer.

Once both women in the ring, Vaquer took to the mic first. She said that she respected Stratton, and that even though she has only been Women’s World Champion for two weeks, she said she’d prove herself to be the best. “Let the best woman win,” said Vaquer.

Stratton answered that although she and Vaquer were the best women right now in WWE, she’d be the one to beat Vaquer at Crown Jewel. Stratton said that it didn’t matter if they were in Cincinnati or Perth or anywhere else, it’d always be Tiffy Time. Both women signed the contract amicably and shook hands. The contract signing ended without incident.

However, as Stratton was walking out, she was ambushed from behind by Giulia. Kiana James told Aldis not to notarize the contract just yet. James then tried to recruit Vaquer for her services, as she said Giulia outshined even Stratton as the top star on SmackDown. As James continued to talk, Stratton pulled James out and attacked her. Vaquer caught Giulia napping and had her hoisted up for the SVB, but the Women’s U.S. Champion managed to escape unscathed.

I low-key enjoyed this segment, if only for giving us something different in terms of Giulia potentially running back her rivalry against Women’s World Champion Vaquer. Even if it’s a tag match with Vaquer and Stratton vs. Giulia and James, it’s something I want to see to break up the monotony that the SmackDown women’s divison has been mired in for the last few months.

**********

– We got Earlier Today footage of Je’von Evans talking with Mr. Aldis about his future potentially involving a move to SmackDown. Rey Fenix appeared and got friendly with Evans, as Los Garza talked trash to the two. This led to Mr. Aldis scheduling a tag match with Fenix & Evans vs. Los Garza.

– A vignette from Jacob Fatu aired. He said that he was tired of people lying and talking out of their ass. Fatu declared that Drew McIntyre was going to the bottom, while he was headed straight to the top at the expense of the Scotsman.

Je’von Evans & Rey Fenix vs. Los Garza (Angel & Berto)

Evans caught Berto with a high-flying crossbody to start things off. Berto responded with a knee to the face as he then attacked Evans with punches to the face, followed by a hard kick. In the corner, Evans attempted to fight out of trouble, but got hit with a dropkick by Berto. The high-flying Evans countered with a springboard hurricanrana on Berto. Los Garza, however, caught the young gun with a double team kick to the face, followed by a punch.

Fenix entered the match and took flight with a tornillo dive that took Angel out. Berto then took out Fenix with a dive of his own. This was then followed by Evans soaring with a big time leap over the top rope that took everyone out as the action headed to a break.

SmackDown returned with Angel punching away at Fenix in the corner, until his foe escaped and caught him with a hard kick to the face. On the other side of the ring, Evans clotheslined Berto out of the ring. Things broke down a bit as Los Garza coordinated with a unique double team move where Berto kicked Evans while Angel held Fenix up. Despite that move, it still wasn’t enough to end this match.

Fenix and Angel took each other out with a clothesline as Evans got the hot tag. Evans hit Berto in with an elevated Cheeky Nandos kick before he dove onto both Angel and the cameraman at ringside. As Evans entered the ring, Berto tried to catch him by surprise with a rope-assisted pin, but the referee broke it up.

As Angel entered the ring, he fell victim to a rebound springboard kick by Evans as Fenix re-entered the match. Fenix lifted Berto up for the Mexican Muscle Buster, while Evans intercepted Angel with an OG Cutter. Fenix pinned Berto to pick up the victory for his team.

Rey Fenix & Je’von Evans def. Los Garza via pinfall

This was a great little match and if it was a tryout of sorts for Evans to be a part of the SmackDown roster moving forward, I’d say he passes, as his high-flying moveset is perfect to pop crowds.

**********

– As Damian Priest was interviewed about how far his rivalry with Aleister Black would go, Kit Wilson interrupted and told him that he’d do everything he can to stand up against what he saw as “toxic masculinity”. Priest answered by pushing Wilson on his wheelchair far enough to send him crashing into some pipes. Ultimately, Priest challenged Black to a Last Man Standing match for next week’s SmackDown.

– A vignette from Solo Sikoa and his M.F.T.s aired, focusing on Talla Tonga.

– The Street Profits were interviewed about their WWE Tag Title matches against the Wyatt Sicks on next week’s SmackDown. Montez Ford said that they weren’t just fighting for the Tag Titles, but they were fighting for each other. The Wyatt Sicks interrupted on the screen behind the Profits, and talked trash to their challengers.

Next Week on SmackDown

  • Tiffany Stratton & Stephanie Vaquer vs. Kiana James & Giulia
  • Last Man Standing: Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black
  • WWE Tag Team Championships: The Wyatt Sicks’ Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy vs. The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
  • Sami Zayn’s U.S. Title Open Challenge

Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed)

Our main event kicked off with Orton facing off against Breakker in the middle of the ring. Orton quickly pushed Breakker into the corner and opened up with an European uppercut, followed by repeated punches to Breakker’s face. Orton followed it up with a clothesline over the top rope as we went to commercial not even a minute into this one.

SmackDown’s main event bout continued as Orton was in the grip of Bronson Reed. During the break, Orton was dropped across the announce table by Reed, which led us to this point in the match. Back to live action, Reed ran shoulder-first into the steel post after Orton dodged at the last second. Rhodes entered the match with a tag, as he took out Reed with a Disaster Kick. Both Reed and Breakker were taken out to the ringside area and fell victim to a suicide dive by the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Back in the ring, Breakker struck Rhodes from behind while Reed had the referee distracted, as Reed seized the opportunity to punish his foe with clubbing blows. Rhodes turned it around with a dropdown uppercut, but found himself on the receiving end of a World’s Strongest Slam by Reed. Breakker tagged in and absolutely blasted Rhodes with a charged clothesline and we once again headed to one last commercial break in the midst of the action.

As we returned from the break, it was still The Vision in the driver’s seat as the Brons kept Rhodes isolated in their corner. Rhodes managed to kick Breakker away in the hopes of getting a tag, but Reed stamped out those hopes. The Undisputed WWE Champion avoided a Reed senton, which finally allowed Orton to get the hot tag.

It was classic Orton at his best as he hit his signature powerslam on both Breakker and Reed. However, the titanic Australian responded with the Jagged Edge on Orton. Reed tried to head to the top rope, but Orton recovered and met him at the pass with a massive superplex. Breakker managed to break up the pin at two. Rhodes and Breakker fought as the hotshot flew from the apron and took out Rhodes with a diving clothesline through the barricade.

In the ring, Orton had Reed scouted for the RKO, but Paul Heyman created a distraction as Seth Rollins stepped in and stomped Orton. This allowed Reed to pick up the victory with a Tsunami.

After the match, Rollins told Breakker and Reed to back off while Rhodes was in the ring to check up on Orton. Heyman advised Rollins not to go in for the kill, but to no avail. Rollins tried to go for a Stomp, but Rhodes avoided it and instead caught Rollins with the Cross Rhodes to end SmackDown.

The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed) def. Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes via pinfall

**********

Above average main event, but the Brons getting the victory was the right call, perhaps to further tease the Orton & Rhodes dissention mentioned at the top of the show.

Despite that, I quite enjoyed this week’s NXT-infused edition of SmackDown. The matches were all good and as a result, the two hours flew by quickly. As always, Sami Zayn’s U.S. Title Open Challenge was the standout (distraction finish aside), but the Evans/Fenix vs. Los Garza tag match was solid action too. All in all, tonight was entertaining.

WWE SmackDown notes: Randy Orton, Je’Von Evans, Nia Jax

Posted on by Ethan Renner

News and notes from Friday’s WWE SmackDown episode including a Randy Orton title match tease, a surprise US title challenger, and new number one contenders.

Randy Orton —

Orton made the save for Cody Rhodes as he was being menaced by The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed at the direction of Paul Heyman. Orton picked up the WWE title belt and stared at it, hinting at a future title challenge against his former protege in Rhodes.

Je’Von Evans —

On the same night he was named as the next challenger for TNA’s X-Division Championship for Bound for Glory, Je’Von Evans answered Sami Zayn’s United States Championship open challenge in a losing effort on Friday’s SmackDown.

The Street Profits —

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins of The Street Profits defeated Carmelo Hayes and The Miz to earn the next shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship on Friday’s show. The Tag titles have been held by Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy of The Wyatt Sicks since they defeated the Profits for them in July.

Booker T —

Booker T filled in for Corey Graves on commentary as it was announced that Graves will miss “weeks” of shows selling injuries sustained when Brock Lesnar attacked him on last week’s SmackDown.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill —

The main event WWE Women’s title three-way between Stratton, Jax, and Cargill fell apart towards the end of the contest. Cargill was busted open while working with Jax.

Later in the bout, Jax didn’t kick out on a pinfall attempt but the referee held up the count as though Jax did kick out.

Stratton retained the title and will face Stephanie Vaquer for the Crown Jewel Women’s Championship at the PLE in Perth, Australia on October 11.

WWE SmackDown live results: Brock Lesnar appears

Posted on by Marc Quill

At the end of another newsworthy week in WWE, tonight’s SmackDown airs live from Norfolk, Virginia — as Wrestlepalooza approaches next weekend.

Ahead of his match against John Cena at the new PLE, Brock Lesnar will appear on tonight’s show. Lesnar issued the challenge last Friday in Chicago after attacking Cena during his United States title match with Sami Zayn.

Zayn will be in action again, defending the title in another open challenge.

In a meeting of former champions, Randy Orton will finally get a chance to face Drew McIntyre in singles action after weeks of targeting his hated rival. The two met in a tag team bout at SummerSlam and last squared off one-on-one at July’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

In a rematch from SummerSlam, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton will defend against Jade Cargill. Stratton has held the gold for 250+ days.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– As Vic Joseph introduced us to tonight’s show, shots of Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Tiffany Stratton, and Jade Cargill arriving to the Scope Arena were shown. We then went to inside the arena, where Joseph was joined by his NXT color commentary partner Booker T. to call tonight’s action.

– A recap of last week’s John Cena vs. Sami Zayn match being crashed by Brock Lesnar was shown.

Brock Lesnar opens SmackDown

Lesnar arrived to the arena, cowboy hat and all, as the crowd was a mix of cheers and boos for his arrival.

With mic in hand, the fans chanted “you suck” at Lesnar before he could speak, and he was soon interrupted by R-Truth, who rapped his way to the ring. Once Truth entered the ring, he asked the Norfolk crowd to make some noise before Lesnar told him to shut up.

Truth responded by saying he was going to be the first WWE superstar to say to Lesnar, “welcome back”. He said that he used to be scared of Lesnar, but not anymore. Lesnar answered by saying that he didn’t know who Truth was and he wanted him to get to the point.

Truth said that Lesnar was disrespecting John Cena, his hero and older brother for the past twenty-five years. Lesnar said he was here to look for John Cena tonight as he asked Truth for his whereabouts. Truth said he didn’t know where Cena was, but he was here to defend the honor of his “older brother”. Truth then told Lesnar that his name was “Ron Cena”.

Lesnar asked again where Cena was, as Truth again answered that he didn’t know. Truth warned Lesnar that “Super Cena” was coming for Lesnar, as he wouldn’t be running from The Beast, he’d be feeding on him. Lesnar had enough and picked Truth up for an F5, which somehow ripped his pants.

Not a very good segment to start the show, but it was mercifully short. The necessity of reverting R-Truth to his pre-Cena heel turn character randomly has hurt his standing and the build (or lack thereof due to Cena’s absence this week) towards Wrestlepalooza’s scheduled main event just isn’t grabbing my attention at all.

**********

– Backstage, Sami Zayn was talking with someone as he was happy to continue the U.S. Open Title Challenge, as he and his opponent would give the crowd a hell of a show tonight. We found out he was talking to Rey Fenix, and their match would be up next.

– We were shown shots of various WWE and AAA officials arriving to the arena in Las Vegas for Worlds Collide, which airs after SmackDown.

– A vignette from Solo Sikoa was shown, where he expressed anger about having lost his Bloodline, Ula Fala, and the United States Champonship. He vowed to take back what he lost, as it was time for others to live in the shadows of his Family Tree.

U.S. Title Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Rey Fenix

We started off fast with Zayn rocking Fenix with repeated arm drags. Fenix responded with an acrobatic arm drag, followed by an attempted dive to the outside. Zayn dodged out of the way, as Fenix feinted between the ropes at the last second to stop himself. We went to a break at this early point in the match.

SmackDown returned with Zayn having the upperhand as he delivered a pitch-perfect tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Fenix for the near-fall. Zayn continued to target Fenix’s shoulders with a submission, but found himself taken out by a kick on the apron. With Zayn stunned outside the ring, Fenix soared above the ropes with a tope con hilo that took the U.S. Champion out.

Back in the ring, Fenix took off from the top rope with a frog splash on Zayn, but couldn’t get the three out of it. Zayn attempted a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Fenix countered him twice in two attempts. Fenix blasted Zayn with a superkick after another feint between the ropes. One, two… not quite. Fenix headed up top, but couldn’t connect with the moonsault, as Zayn dodged.

Zayn had Fenix in position for the Helluva Kick, but the masked star avoided and countered with a DDT, that once again wasn’t able to get him the victory. We got a second break in the action with both men down in the ring.

Our match returned from the break with Fenix once more heading up to the top rope, looking for a high-risk maneuver. Zayn cut him off at the pass and put Fenix on his shoulders. However, Fenix countered and hit an incredible double stomp from the top rope onto a seated Zayn.

Fenix leapt up for his signature moonsault and connected, but Zayn kicked out at the nick of time. In the middle of the ring, both men tried to hit a suplex, but couldn’t. Fenix was first to escape as he bounced off the ropes for a kick, but Zayn caught him for the Blue Thunder Bomb. One, two… 2.9999999!!!!!!!!

Zayn managed to catch Fenix with his Exploder Suplex in the corner and had him targeted for the Helluva Kick. Fenix recovered and hit a hurricanrana instead, but only got a near-fall out of it. Fenix continued the momentum with the Goodbye Amigo kick. He attempted his spin kick in the corner, but Zayn reversed it into another Exploder Suplex. One Helluva Kick later, and it was a succcesful title defense for Sami Zayn.

Sami Zayn def. Rey Fenix via pinfall to retain the United States Championship

That was one heck of a match to kick things off. Both Zayn and Fenix were at the top of their game and I quite enjoyed this from start to finish.

**********

– We got Earlier Today footage of B-Fab being confronted by Giulia and Kiana James. B-Fab said that she might’ve been busy as of late with the Street Profits’ drama, but she wasn’t busy now. This led to a match being made between the two, which was up next.

– A video from the Wyatt Sicks was shown, with Bo Dallas wondering where the Street Profits would go from here. He said that the Profits have failed at every turn, as Erik Rowan said that people never truly appreciate things until it’s gone. Dallas said that the Sicks weren’t the ones who sowed the seeds that sprouted horns, as he told us to follow the buzzards.

Giulia (w/ Kiana James) vs. B-Fab

As B-Fab entered the ring, James got in her face, and paid the price for it. Giulia took exception and kicked B-Fab to the outside, as she threw her around outside the ring. In the ring, James stomped away on B-Fab and teed her up for Giulia’s Arrivederci Knee. They looked like they were going to do further damage to B-Fab until Michin ran in, armed with a kendo stick. Michin struck James with the kendo stick, as she sent Giulia to a retreat.

Giulia vs. B-Fab never happened

**********

– We got remarks from Aleister Black about his win over Damian Priest on last week’s SmackDown. He said that Priest could keep fighting and he could die by that code, and that violence begat violence.

WWE Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill immediately went for a pump kick, but Stratton avoided it soundly. The challenger tried to lift up Stratton, but got met with a high dropkick. Cargill eventually got the advantage with a powerslam on Stratton, as she then followed that up with an attempted suplex. Stratton countered the suplex attempt and went for a rollup to little success. With Cargill out of the ring, Stratton vaulted over the top rope with a dive, as we went to a break in the action.

Our WWE Women’s Title match returned with Cargill hitting a fallaway slam on Stratton. She tried to go for a corner attack, but Stratton countered and eventually hit a spinebuster on Cargill. Stratton tried for a hurricanrana, but Cargill caught her and looked for a powerbomb. Stratton turned that around into a hurricanrana as she then hit a double-footed dropkick on her opponent.

Stratton headed up top and connected with the Swanton Bomb for a near-fall. Cargill recovered and hit a superkick on Stratton that sent her outside. In the ensuing mixup, Stratton attempted a baseball slide, but she got caught by Cargill, who slammed her against the apron. Back in the ring, Cargill failed to connect with a pump kick, but managed to avoid the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. She had Stratton on her shoulders and hit a modified Blue Thunder Bomb for a close near-fall.

Stratton hit a nice rollthrough into an Alabama Slam, as she looked for another Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Cargill avoided calamity and hit the Pump Kick as both women were down in the ring. Cargill and Stratton eventually recovered and mixed it up on the apron with an exchange of strikes. Cargill looked for a Spear, but Stratton dodged, which caused the challenger to hit the ringpost instead.

Stratton missed with the diving moonsault to the outside, as Cargill speared her opponent through the barricade. The match was then ruled a draw due to a double countout.

After the match, Nia Jax attacked both Cargill and Stratton and left both women laying.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill ended in a Double Countout

A decent match that was undercut by the draw ending and Nia Jax showing up once again, really highlighting how bare the cupboard is, when it comes to the top of the SmackDown women’s division. It’s honestly felt like the same set of players in the title picture and it’s really hurt the main event scene as it pertains for the women of SmackDown.

**********

– As Nick Aldis walked out of his office, he was accosted by Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre, who demanded a Women’s Tag Title match. Aldis proposed that the two would face the winners of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss’s title defense on Tuesday’s NXT Homecoming.

– We got a video package ahead of Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Wrestlepalooza that focused on both men’s beginnings in wrestling.

– Over in Las Vegas, Rey Mysterio was interviewed about Worlds Collide, before his son Dominik rolled up and said he’d become the AAA Mega Campeon after tonight’s main event. Rey said he’d put the AAA Mega Campeon belt around Dominik’s waist if he won tonight.

– Back in Norfolk, Sami Zayn was interviewed after his successful U.S. Title defense as Carmelo Hayes called his shot to be Zayn’s next challenger. After Zayn left, The Miz showed up too late and was upset about Hayes taking up Zayn’s U.S. Open Challenge, having been seemingly outsmarted by his Melo Don’t Miz partner.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Both men locked up in the middle of the ring to start before McIntyre went on the attack in the corner. Orton roared back with a clothesline as he got in some shots of his own on the Scotsman with punches in the corner. He then sent McIntyre crashing to the outside with another clothesline over the rope as our main event headed to a break.

SmackDown’s main event came back from the break with McIntyre seemingly having Orton at his mercy, but he fell victim to a suplex instead. With McIntyre down in the ring, Orton targeted him with some stomps to the legs, followed by a knee drop to the face. McIntyre took a shot at Orton’s knee with a clip, followed by a stretch in the corner.

McIntyre maintained the pressure on Orton’s injured knee with a figure-four leglock cinched in tight in the middle of the ring. Orton struggled hard, but managed to turn it over to reverse the pressure of the leglock on McIntyre. In the middle of the ring, Orton dropped his foe with a belly-to-back suplex that sent McIntyre scurrying back out of the ring.

Orton slammed McIntyre against the commentary table, but got raked in the eyes, as he found himself dropped across the table with a back suplex. McIntyre once again clipped at Orton’s knees as our main event headed to one final break in the action.

We returned from the break as McIntyre slammed Orton down to the mat, with the bum knee making contact with the top rope as a result. Orton poked McIntyre in the eye to regain momentum, as he then bashed his opponent’s head across all four corners. McIntyre tried for another figure four, but Orton kicked him aside into the ring post, which sent the Scotsman out of the ring once more.

As McIntyre got himself back in the ring, Orton tried to generate momentum with a signature powerslam to fell his foe. Orton looked like he was going to hit the apron DDT, but McIntyre scurried to the announce table. This opened him up to consecutive back suplexes across the commentary table. Back in the ring, McIntyre connected with the Claymore Kick, but couldn’t capitalize. This gave Orton the opportunity to land an RKO out of nowhere. Out of the ring, McIntyre shoved Orton against the apron.

McIntyre tried to get back into the ring, but he fell victim to the apron DDT from Orton. McIntyre was in position for getting punted by Orton, but the referee got in the way. In the ensuing chaos, this gave McIntyre an opening to hit one final Claymore Kick to get the victory in our main event.

After the match, McIntyre looked like he was going to finish Orton off good with a Claymore against the commentary table, but Cody Rhodes ran in for the save, going after McIntyre right away with a flurry of offense. Rhodes hit a Cody Cutter on McIntyre as he asked for a microphone after the fighting was done. Rhodes said that the champ was back and that he’d face McIntyre at Wrestlepalooza.

**********

An okay main event for an otherwise okay episode of SmackDown. Obviously it was a nice star power-filled match and it did its job of bringing Cody Rhodes back into the mix after a month or so of filming the Street Fighter movie, setting up another Wrestlepalooza match.

The dismal opening segment got things off on a shaky note, but I did enjoy the in-ring action this week, especially with Zayn vs. Fenix in the opening bout. That made for some okay viewing for the rest of the night on this week’s SmackDown.

Jelly Roll loses WWE in-ring debut at SummerSlam

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Jelly Roll put in a strong effort and had the fans on his side, but he ultimately came up short in his WWE in-ring debut.

The 40-year-old country music star teamed with Randy Orton at SummerSlam night one, losing to Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre. It was Paul who got the victory for the heels, pinning Jelly Roll after the two celebrities were the only two left in the ring.

Jelly Roll got off to a good start before Paul took him out with a frog splash through the announce table. WWE teased that Jelly Roll wouldn’t be able to continue, but he refused to abandon his tag partner. Jelly Roll returned to the match, delivering a chokeslam to Paul and a Bossman slam to McIntyre. He then hit a powerslam on Paul, but McIntyre broke up the pin before the referee could count to three.

The closing stretch saw McIntyre hit a Claymore on Jelly Roll before Orton laid out McIntyre with an RKO. Paul then threw Orton into the ring post and hit another frog splash on Jelly Roll for the victory.

Jelly Roll, who has lost approximately 200 pounds since his highest weight, did reach a huge milestone by weighing in at 299 pounds for tonight’s match. It’s the first time he’s been under 300 pounds since grade school.

A longtime WWE fan, Jelly Roll earned respect from wrestlers and fans for how hard he worked to prepare for this match. He was training at the WWE Performance Center “every day” for weeks leading into SummerSlam. In the first week of that training, he suffered a broken pinky finger.

“He’s working as hard as anyone — if not harder — than anyone that I’ve ever seen come into our world,” Orton told ESPN’s Get Up prior to SummerSlam.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted out a video of him and Jelly Roll sharing a moment backstage after the match.

The Miz wants to replace Drew McIntyre at WWE SummerSlam

Posted on by Joseph Currier

If there’s an opening on the WWE SummerSlam card, The Miz wants to be the person to take it.

The Miz cut an Instagram promo today saying that, with Drew McIntyre’s status for SummerSlam in question, he wants to team with Logan Paul at the PLE instead. McIntyre & Paul are currently scheduled to face Randy Orton & Jelly Roll at SummerSlam night one this Saturday, but McIntyre says he stuck in the United Kingdom due to passport issues and might not be able to make it.

“If Drew is out. I want in,” Miz wrote in the caption for his Instagram post.

Back at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, Miz teamed with Paul in what was Paul’s first-ever pro wrestling match. Jelly Roll — a country music star — is now making his debut on Saturday as he becomes the latest celebrity to crossover from being a fan to competing in a WWE ring.

Miz applauded Jelly Roll for how hard he’s worked preparing for his debut, but Miz said there’s a difference between dreaming of being a wrestler and living the reality of it every day.

“This isn’t a bucket list, this is my life,” Miz said. “And I’m sick of waiting for my moment.”

There has been no official announcement by WWE yet regarding McIntyre’s status for SummerSlam or if Miz will be replacing him. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is hosting the two-night event this Saturday and Sunday. Both nights have a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern airing live on Peacock in the United States and Netflix elsewhere.

Jelly Roll appearance, Tag Team title match set for next WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time since winning the WWE Tag Team titles a week ago, the first defense for The Wyatt Sicks will come on next week’s edition of SmackDown.

Made during Friday’s show, Rey Mysterio & Andrade will challenge Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy for the gold they won from The Street Profits. The duo earned the shot in a fatal four-way as they defeated three sets of former champions in #DIY, Fraxiom and the Motor City Machine Guns.

Mysterio last held the gold with Dominik Mysterio in 2021 while Andrade has never held WWE tag team gold.

Jelly Roll, Logan Paul, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre will all be on hand as the build toward their SummerSlam match — and Jelly Roll’s pro wrestling debut — continues.

Ahead of Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair challenging Women’s Tag Team Champions Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez at SummerSlam, Bliss and Perez will go one-on-one.

Here’s the current lineup for Cleveland, Ohio:

  • Jelly Roll, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul appearances
  • WWE Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy) defend against Andrade & Rey Fenix
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez

Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul crash ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ for pre-WWE SummerSlam brawl

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An angle building up WWE SummerSlam went down on late-night TV last night.

Just a couple weeks away from making his WWE in-ring debut, country music star Jelly Roll guest hosted Wednesday night’s edition of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” His upcoming tag partner Randy Orton was a guest on the show. But seven minutes into the interview, the two were interrupted by their SummerSlam opponents.

Drew McIntyre crashed the show, insulting Jelly Roll by calling him “trailer trash.” A brawl between Orton and McIntyre then broke out and spilled backstage. Logan Paul took that opportunity to confront Jelly Roll and bully him by slapping him in the face — but it was Jelly Roll who came out on top after chokeslamming Paul through the talk show’s desk.

Full video of the angle can be watched below:

At Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend, it was confirmed that Orton & Jelly Roll will face McIntyre & Paul at SummerSlam 2025. The two-night PLE will emanate live from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3.

This will be the 40-year-old Jelly Roll’s first match, but he’s a big WWE fan and has made multiple appearances for the company dating back to 2023. Jelly Roll told “The Pat McAfee Show” that, in preparation for this match, he’s been training at the WWE Performance Center training every day for the past few weeks.

Jelly Roll to host Jimmy Kimmel Live, Randy Orton to guest

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Before they team up at WWE SummerSlam, Randy Orton and Jelly Roll will team up on another entertainment venture.

WWE announced during Monday’s Raw that music star Jelly Roll will be the guest host on this Wednesday, July 16 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, with Orton appearing as a guest on the program.

Jelly Roll made an appearance on Friday’s WWE SmackDown to kick off a storyline also involving Orton, Logan Paul, and Drew McIntyre. Orton intervened as Paul menaced Jelly, then McIntyre aligned with Paul in attacking Orton.

Both Paul and Jelly Roll also were involved in this past weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event episode which featured Orton vs. McIntyre in a singles match. When the dust settled, an Orton and Jelly Roll vs. Paul and McIntyre tag team match was made official for the two-night SummerSlam set for August 2 and August 3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in the New York market.

Jimmy Kimmel Live airs each weeknight at 11:35 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.

Jelly Roll to make in-ring debut in WWE SummerSlam tag match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Jelly Roll is officially set to make his in-ring debut at WWE SummerSlam.

The 40-year-old country music star will team up with Randy Orton when they take on Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam. After the build to the match began on Friday’s SmackDown, it was officially confirmed tonight during Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Orton and McIntyre faced off in a singles match tonight with Jelly Roll and Paul in their respective corners. Jelly Roll and Paul got into it at ringside, which led to McIntyre being distracted and losing to an RKO from Orton.

There was then a post-match angle where Paul attacked Orton. Jelly Roll made the save, dropping Paul with a punch. But when Jelly Roll went to check on Orton, McIntyre laid the musician out with a Claymore.

Later in the show, Jelly Roll & Orton did an interview where they challenged Paul & McIntyre for SummerSlam. WWE has since confirmed the match.

Jelly Roll has been nominated for four Grammys in his music career. He’s a big WWE fan who first interacted with Orton on an episode of Raw in 2023. Some of Jelly Roll’s popularity is due to him being seen as an inspirational figure that’s overcome a difficult past where he dealt drugs and spent time in jail. He’s also dropped approximately 200 pounds from his highest weight.

This is the first two-night SummerSlam in history. It’s being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3, and rap star Cardi B will be the host of the show.

Three matches have been announced so far (nights to be announced):

WWE SummerSlam 2025 —

  • Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Cody Rhodes
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
  • Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event live results: Goldberg’s final match

Posted on by Jeff Moss

WWE completes a very busy day in pro wrestling with another edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC/Peacock, headlined by the final match of Goldberg.

The former WWE and WCW titleholder will challenge WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther for the title in the final bout of a career that ended in 1997.

Former champion and Money in the Bank contract holder Seth Rollins will battle former U.S. Champion LA Knight as their feud has continued.

In a clash of veterans, Randy Orton will take on the returning Drew McIntyre with musician Jelly Roll in Orton’s corner.

The main card is rounded out by reigning U.S. Champion Solo Sikoa defending against former Bloodline member Jimmy Uso.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 PM Eastern.

**********

To most, Saturday’s all right for fighting. But to us Wrestling Faithful, Saturday night, as well as Saturday afternoon, Sunday, Friday night and even Thursday are all right for fighting. This weekend has already featured a metric ton of wrestling, but before we turn our attention to Evolution, it’s Saturday Night’s Main Event!

-The show kicked off with the traditional footage of Wrestlers arriving to work. Seth Rollins, LA Knight, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Solo Siko, Jimmy Uso, Gunther and Goldberg were all shown heading into the area. Which makes me wish that more workplaces started their days with footage of people arriving to work. “Here’s Jerry, from accounting! And Phylis from HR!” But I digress.

Randy Orton w/Jelly Roll  vs. Drew McIntyre w/Logan Paul

These two big men just plain out don’t like each other. McIntrye showed as much when he interrupted Orton in a promo segment with Cody Rhodes. That led to Orton giving him a RKO (out of nowhere, as it turned out) and setting up this match. It should be a good brawl between a couple of veteran heavyweights. Also, Jelly Roll will be there to annoy Logan Paul. Something for everyone! 

During the near 10 minute introduction process to this match, I found myself wondering what the other members of 3MB were doing tonight. Then the bell rang and I forgot all about it.

McIntyre sent Orton into the corner off the top, but Orton quickly reversed it and sent McIntyre out to the floor. Orton tried a back suplex on the announce table, but McIntyre reversed it and sent Orton through the table instead.

During a commercial break, Orton recovered though and back in the ring found himself whipped into the corner, McIntyre working the back of Orton. Then he started delivering chops that Orton no sold and knocked McIntyre to the mat. McIntyre went for a stomp, but Orton power slammed him. McIntyre rolled out, followed by Orton who slammed him on the announce table three times for good measure.

Back in the ring, Orton hit a vintage DDT, but Paul caused a distraction, and McIntyre hit Orton with a claymore. On the outside, Jelly Roll and Paul engaged in a war of words that ended up with Jelly Roll shoving PAul to the ground. That aggravated McIntyre who jawed at Jelly Roll, allowing Orton to hit an RKO and pick up the win.

Match Result: Randy Orton defeated Drew McIntyre

After the match, Paul jumped Orton and beat him down in the ring. Jelly Roll had seen enough and walked into the ring to punch his lights out. Then, out of nowhere, McIntyre hit a Claymore on Jelly Roll. Officials yelled at him while medics tended to Jelly Roll.

Sure, that was something. A by-the-numbers match that will pretty obviously set up an Orton/Jelly Roll vs Paul.McIntyre match for SummerSlam.

-Before the next match, Wrestlers like Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley were show at ringside. When they got to Jade Cargill though, Naomi appeared out of nowhere and attacked her. The fight spilled over the barricade to ringside until officials pulled them apart. Naomi and Cargill have a No Holds Barred match tomorrow. It was then announced that Bianca Belair would be the special guest referee for said match!

United States Champion Solo Sikoa vs. Jimmy Uso

My takeaway from this match is simply; Damn, Rikishi has a lot of kids. Uso takes on his other Brother from the same mother here in Sikoa. The two have tangled in various stories and Sikoa has been building a new Bloodline referred to as MFT, to watch his back. However, Jacob Fatu is still lurking in the background and maybe Jey has something to say about his brothers fighting it out? 

The bell rang and the staredown began. Sikoa broke the stare-mate first swinging at Uso and sending him to the mat. Uso recovered though and pulled down the top rope, sending a charging Sikoa to the outside. Uso dove out after him, sending him into the barricade, then retreated back into the ring.

Sikoa joined him and the two traded blows. Uso went up top, but Sikoa caught him and drove him into the mat in a modified Rock Bottom. Sikoa sent Uso to the outside where a waiting Tonga clotheslined him.

Back from commercial, Sikoa was in control of Uso. He hoisted him up on the ring apron (the most brotherly part of the ring) but Uso blocked it and hit Sikoa with a superkick, followed by a German Suplex. Uso hit a crossbody from the top rope, but it only got him a two-count.

Uso went to the opposite top turnbuckle and hit an Uso splash, but Sikoa kicked out at two again. The MFTs wandered around the outside of the ring as Sikoa staggerd to his feet. Uso went for a spear, but Sikoa caught him and set him up for a Samoan Spike. Uso dodged it and hit a couple of superkicks. He then went up top again, but Sikoa rolled out of the ring.

Uso hit a moonsault onto Sikoa and the MFTs, while the crowd chanted things that caused the sound to be muted. Tala Tonga tried to get involved, and Uso kicked him in the face about it. That let Sikoa roll him up and get the pin to retain his title.

Match Result: Solo Sikoa defeated Jimmy Uso

After the match, the MFTs began a beatdown on Uso. They held him while Sikoa hit him with a Samoan Spike. Suddenly, Jacob Fatu arrived and picked off the MFT’s one by one. Tonga climbed over the top rope and stared Fatu down. Fatu leapt into action and sent Tonga over the top rope, diving after him and hitting Sikoa as well.

Another perfectly fine match, but what made it was the crowd. They were 1000% into this match and made very blow and momentum shift feel huge. Really fun stuff.

-Next up, Randy Orton and Jelly Roll were interviewed backstage. You’ll never guess what they said, but it rhymes with “Sag Latch at MummerSlam.” Orton feels bad for putting Jelly Roll in harms way. Jelly Roll wants revenge. They both want Paul & McIntyre at SummerSlam. In a tag match. That was the rhyme.

LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins

At Money In The Bank, Rollins had some help winning via Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed (who I’m choosing to call the Killer B’s 2000). That made Knight really mad as he was prevented from winning by said B’s. Since then, Rollins and Knight have been at each other’s throats and tonight will go one-on-one for the first time ever. 

Rollins taunted Knight off the top, which backfired when Knight ran him into the corner. Rollins came back swinging though and the two traded shots with Knight sending Rollins to the mat. Rollins went for a early pedigree, but Knight sent him out of the ring and then followed him with a dropkick.

Knight grabbed Rollins and began bouncing his head off the announce table (boy that thing’s taking a beating tonight. The table, not Seth’s head). Knight in full control, threw Rollins across the table one more time for good measure.

Back from commercial, Rollins had Knight in a body scissor in the middle of the ring. Knight powered out with some back elbows, but Rollins hoisted him up for a reverse back breaker, followed by a frog splash. All that only got him a two-count though.

Rollins went for a Curb Stomp, but Knight dodged it and worked it into a DDT on Rollins. Knight went to the top rope for a big elbow, but Rollins kicked out at two. Knight began stomping a proverbial mudhole in Rollins in the corner, ending with a big running hip.

Knight went for the BFT, but Rollins pushed out and put a shoulder in Knight’s stomach. Rollins then went up top, but Knight followed and started chopping Rollins on the top turnbuckle. Rollins headbutted Knight off, but he leapt right back up and into Rollins’ arms for a bucklebomb. Rollins hit a superkick and senton followed by a moonsault.

Rollins appeared to hurt his knee, so the Ref held Knight back to see what was going on. A medic entered the ring to check on Rollins, but he was able to staggered up to his feet. LA Knight was waiting though and hit a BFT to get the quick pin.

Match Result: LA Knight defeated Seth Rollins

That was a nice match, but I’m genuinely concerned that Rollins hurt his knee. They cut away very quickly and on the replay showed his knee buckling on the moonsault. I’m sure we will hear more imminently!

And then, before we knew it, it was Main Event time. On Saturday Night no less!

World Heavyweight Champion Gunther vs. Goldberg

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor in which a 64 year old Blue Panther fought for the Pure Title against Lee Moriarty in a great bout. Tonight, 58-year old Goldberg will fight Gunther for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in what promises to be… a bout. As much as I’m in favor of a Sexagenarian Division in pro wrestling, I’m hoping that old men being beaten up by champions will be a rarity after this. 

Anyway, at Bad Blood, Gunther insulted Goldberg and his son, Gage, as Gunther tends to do. Goldberg was so mad about it, he showed up at RAW and told Gunther he was next, as Goldberg tends to do. Gunther seemed pretty OK with that, and here we are. This is being billed as Goldberg’s last match, and WWE has been showing highlights from his career all night.

Goldberg made his way to the ring in his traditional fashion, minus the headbutt concussion. The crowd was absolutely hot for this and they even unearthed the old WCW head of security Doug Dellinger, for the walk.

I’ll be honest, Goldberg has looked, well, old, during the build to this match, but tonight he must be going on pure adrenaline. During his entrance he looked like the Goldberg of old instead of just old.

Lillian Garcia reminded us why she’ll always be the best Ring Announcer, non-Finkel division, and the match was on.

Goldberg took a moment to take in the crowd chanting for him one last time and the two locked up. Goldberg shoved Gunther to the mat, surprising the Champion. Gunther put a boot in Goldberg’s stomach and bounced off the ropes for a shoulder, but Goldberg no-sold it. Gunther began chopping him, but again, nothing from Goldberg.

Goldberg sent Gunther into the corner and began kicking and punching him. He whipped him out and clotheslined him, setting up for the Jackhammer, but Gunther punched out of it. Goldberg began favoring his knee at this point.

Gunther went up top, but Goldberg grabbed him and tossed him into the ring, crouching for a spear. Gunther saw it though and rolled out of the ring. Goldberg followed and Gunther resumed chopping him on the outside. Goldberg went for a spear, but Gunther moved and Goldberg went right through the barricade.

Back from commercial, Gunther was working the knee of Goldberg, stretching him in the middle of the ring. Goldberg threw a flurry of punches to break the hold. The two started trading chops until Goldberg’s knee gave out and he fell to the mat.

Gunther started bullying Gold berg, talking smack and piefacing him. This led to Goldberg hitting a sine buster out of nowhere. In the corner, Goldberg rained down punches on Gunther. Gunther siezed the moment and attacked, but Goldberg hit a back body drop to set up the spear. Unfortunately, Gunther moved, and Goldberg speared the ref, Charles Robinson.

Gunther took advantage of the lack of adult supervision and wrapped Goldberg’s leg around the ropes, pulling the brace off his knee and wrenching it. Gunther then started hitting the knee with the brace. Goldberg staggered to his feet and Gunther hit him in the head with the brace.

Gunther then noticed Gage Goldberg at ring side and started jawing at him. Gage hopped the railing and security put him back. Gunther g=climbed back into the ring just in time to get nailed with a spear from Goldberg.

Grabbing Gunther by the neck, Goldberg hit one last Jackhammer, but there was no official. A new ref arrived, but by then Gunther had recovered enough to kick out at two. Gunther locked in a sleeper hold and Goldberg refused to tap. Goldberg tried to power out of it, but it couldn’t do it.

At 9:57pm EST Goldberg passed out, giving the win to Gunther and ending a 28 year career.

Match Result: Gunther defeated Goldberg

After the match, Goldberg was surrounded by friends and family in the ring. He grabbed a mic and thanked them all. He said that he loved the fans and thanked them too as the show went off the air.

It’s easy to talk smack about Goldberg, especially in the last decade or so. But the truth is, Goldberg was a huge part of what took wresting to the next level and made it a global industry. If this really is the end of Goldberg’s career (and for his health, I kinda hope it is) then he went out with a bang, playing all his greatest hits and never giving up. For that I’ll say congratulations Bill and extend my sincerest thanks as a fan.

Wrestling Weekly: A huge weekend of wrestling

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: AEW

WWE’s counterprogramming has resulted in a huge weekend of wrestling to enjoy.

On a new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa look at it all which includes WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE Evolution, and AEW All In.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton added to WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Drew McIntyre is back, and he’ll be in action next weekend.

After taking some time off, McIntyre appeared in the opening segment of Friday’s SmackDown, attempting to meddle between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. After Orton laid him out with an RKO, McIntyre confronted Aldis backstage about the situation. The match was then made for next Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia.

McIntyre was last seen on the May 24 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, where he lost a steel cage match to Damian Priest. The two finished off their feud that also saw them compete in a Sin City Street Fight at WrestleMania 41, which McIntyre won.

Rhodes and Orton were talking about their match at Night of Champions on SmackDown when McIntyre came out to mock them for their “beta male energy.” He attempted to get under both men’s skin, telling Rhodes that he hoped he would win at SummerSlam as he wanted to be the one to take the title off him. It was then that Orton laid out McIntyre with an RKO. The segment ended with Orton and Rhodes staring each other down.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (Saturday, July 12):

  • World Championship: Gunther defends against Goldberg
  • Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre
  • Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight