After spending a few weeks in Europe, WWE is back in the United States for tonight’s SmackDown.
Former AEW star Fenix will make his WWE debut. No word on what Fenix’s plans are for tonight, but it’s expected that his first WWE program will be against Andrade.
Two weeks from tomorrow, CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins will headline night one of WrestleMania 41. All three competitors are set to appear live tonight. It’ll be a favorable environment for Punk with SmackDown being held in his hometown of Chicago.
A pair of number one contender’s matches are scheduled. Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY will decide the next challengers for WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits — and Jacob Fatu and Braun Strowman will clash with a shot at LA Knight’s United States title on the line.
Plus, there will be a grudge match with B-Fab taking on Naomi.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Following the WWE signature open, we opened with shots of the Chicago skyline, Allegiant Stadium (WrestleMania 41 in 15 days), and subsequent clips of Braun Strowman, Jacob Fatu, LA Knight, #DIY, The Motor City Machine Guns, B-Fab, and Naomi at the arena.
– As always, the dynamic duo of Joe Tessitore & Wade Barrett welcomed us to SmackDown, as we got a recap of last week’s CM Punk/Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns contract signing. Following that, it was back live to the arena as CM Punk himself arrived to a great ovation from his hometown Chicago crowd.
CM Punk opens SmackDown
Punk started by putting over the Chicago crowd for being loud as he took a TV camera to let the fans cheer as loud as they can for the whole world to see. He said that his goal was to make new fans, but tonight, he was here to thank the 16,000 strong hometown crowd that was here to see him tonight. Punk pointed towards the WrestleMania sign as he reminded everyone that he was in the main event of WrestleMania 41 (one of them, at the very least). Punk said that he earned that opportunity and that through all his life, he was told “you were not supposed to be here” and that he had to work hard to be here. He said that now, the hard work begins.
Punk thanked everyone, starting with his wife April and his puppy Larry first. He said that he would not be who he was without the city of Chicago as he once again thanked everyone. Punk promised that he would whoop Seth Rollins’ ass, put a beating to Roman Reigns at the main event of WrestleMania.
Paul Heyman interrupted proceedings with his trademark “ladies and gentlemen” spiel. Heyman apologized for being late and that there was not disrespect intended to his “best friend” Punk by interrupting him. Punk welcomed Heyman into the ring, stating that he was just getting to him. Heyman said, “ask not what Chicago can do for you, but what your Wiseman can do for you.” He said that Punk belonged in the ring and in the main event of WrestleMania.
Heyman reminisced about the time he begged Punk to take him the last time both were in Chicago as he then talked about the WarGames offer to Punk. He thanked Punk for helping save the Bloodline before he said that he had one more favor to ask of Punk. Heyman asked Punk to tell him what the favor that he owed him.
Punk found out from Heyman that Roman Reigns wasn’t in the building yet, as he then told Heyman that he was going to talk about this favor once Reigns arrived in the arena at some point in the evening, and it was one that would have a direct effect on Reigns himself.
A fine opening salvo from Punk to help set up what’s sure to be an interesting payoff for the favor that Heyman owes him.
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Rey Fenix def. Nathan Frazer
Frazer was already in the ring ahead of Fenix’s entrance, as the newest arrival to WWE got a great ovation from the Chicago crowd.
Fenix and Frazer opened with dueling flips as we got an early standoff amidst the chain wrestling action. Fenix hit an impressive dodge between the ropes before he hit Frazer with a side kick. Frazer sent Fenix to the outside as he tried for a dive between the ropes, but he clipped the middle rope and didn’t get all of it. Fenix went up top and soared for a dive onto Frazer at ringside as the action went to a commercial break.
SmackDown returned with Frazer and Fenix battling it out on the top rope. Frazer leapt up from the canvas up top for a springboard superplex and a Final Cut neckbreaker for the two. Frazer went up top and looked for a Phoenix Splash on Fenix, but couldn’t get it.
Fenix had Frazer trapped across the top rope and ran across it for an impressive leaping kick. Fire Driver by Fenix on Frazer got an incredibly close two-count. Frazer nailed Fenix with an enzuigiri to the head, but found himself hit with a superkick. Fenix hit Frazer with the Goodbye Amigo kick, as he then hoisted him on his shoulders to finish this off with the Mexican Muscle Buster for the 1, 2, 3 and the win in his WWE debut.
After the match, Byron Saxton interviewed the victorious Fenix in the ring. Fenix said he had a lot of history in Chicago (he competed in a trios match with Rey Mysterio and Bandido against the Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi at the original All In event in 2018) and that tonight was the rebirth of Rey Fenix. He said he was reborn with rage and animo, as he concluded with “I am WWE! Animo!”
A fun debut match for Fenix, and seeing Nathan Frazer from NXT be his first opponent was a pleasant surprise, especially as someone who watches a lot of NXT for the purpose of keeping abreast for their PLEs. I enjoyed Fenix’s time in AEW, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him in his WWE career.
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– Backstage, Legado Del Fantasma were seen watching Fenix, as Berto said that he was better than Fenix. Santos Escobar told Berto that he was going to talk to Nick Aldis to make that match between Berto and Fenix happen.
– An eyepatch-wearing Drew McIntyre addressed Damian Priest, stating that nobody cared about him unless he was “feasting upon his scraps”. McIntyre talked about how Priest lurked in the shadows last week to ambush him. He said that he was going to pray, as “whenever Drew McIntyre prays, bad things happen.”
– Saxton interviewed Braun Strowman ahead of his Last Man Standing against Jacob Fatu before Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga interrupted. LA Knight barged in and told Strowman to save his energy for Fatu, which led to him trashing Tama as his match against him was up next.
LA Knight def. Tama Tonga (w/ Solo Sikoa)
Knight started off strong with strikes against Tonga, who answered with a dropkick. That wasn’t enough to deter Knight, who dropped Tonga with a suplex. Tonga responded by tripping Knight up, which allowed him to seize advantage, but it didn’t last long. Knight had Tonga trapped in the corner for a series of stomps, followed by a running knee to the face. Knight sent Tonga out of the ring and threw his head repeatedly against the announce table. Solo Sikoa got on the apron to briefly distract the referee, which allowed Tonga to send Knight crasing to the floor below. That took us to a break in the action.
SmackDown returned from break with Knight fighting out of a Tonga resthold as he regained momentum with a victory roll and a two-count. Tonga maintained command with a fierce clothesline that nearly took Knight’s head off, much to the approval of Sikoa at ringside. Tonga got up on the middle turnbuckle and attempted a diving elbow after mocking Knight’s taunt, but he missed big time. Knight fought back and got his second wind with multiple strikes and a neckbreaker. After he slammed Tonga in the middle of the ring, he dropped his signature elbow on Tonga.
Knight had Tonga in position for the BFT, but couldn’t connect. Sikoa tried to hit Knight with the Samoan Spike with the ref distracted. Knight managed to dodge it, however. Rollup by Tonga is reversed as Knight finished this match off with the BFT and the win.
Pretty much a standard match for the U.S. Champion, though Tama Tonga continues to be an entertaining presence.
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– Paul Heyman was interviewed as he addressed the camera that whatever the favor was that he owed CM Punk, the answer was “yes”. A car slowly pulled up behind Heyman, which he assumed was Roman Reigns. Unfortunately for Heyman, it was Seth Rollins, who said that he had a plan for Punk and that he also wanted to be present for when the favor would be revealed later.
– Another smoke-filled teaser aired, giving us a glimpse of someone, as well as a symbol of some sort. Is this Aleister Black? Stay tuned…
Charlotte Flair & Tiffany Stratton Face-Off
Wade Barrett was in the ring to moderate this face-off between challenger Flair and Women’s Champion Stratton.
Flair responded to the fans booing her by saying it was “power” before Barrett asked her why she chose Stratton as her WrestleMania opponent. Flair maintained her claim that Stratton was desperate and that her choice was to show the “smartest fans in the world” that there was no comparison.
Stratton said Flair’s biggest battle wasn’t in the ring, but with the crowd, and it was a battle that Flair would never win. She said that no matter how many titles Flair wins, she’d always come second to her dad Ric Flair, and at WrestleMania, she’d come second to Tiffany Stratton.
The crowd booed Flair loudly, which prompted Stratton to respond by throwing back “it’s power” to her face. Flair tried to talk, but couldn’t get in a complete sentence as the Chicago crowd continued to jeer loudly. Stratton mocked Flair for not being able to say anything, with the fans continuing to boo her. Flair conceded and said that Stratton could have the last word.
Stratton said that at age 25, Flair was failing to get into volleyball and “drinking in daddy’s basement”, while at this age, she was heading into WrestleMania as the World Champion. Stratton said that outside the ring, Flair was the Queen of Shit. Stratton capped off her promo by stating that at WrestleMania, Flair would end up alone, just like outside the ring, as she brought up Flair’s previous failed relationships (“0 for 3”). Stratton walked off and headed up the ramp with her WWE Women’s Title held high above her head.
For better or worse, that segment was memorable. That being said, I wasn’t a fan of it at all. The Stratton vs. Flair WrestleMania feud has felt kind of weak, and I’m not sure if Stratton throwing out zingers about Flair’s failed relationships is the way to heat things up.
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– Nick Aldis was backstage and announced a Women’s Tag Team Gauntlet would happen next week on SmackDown, with the winners going on to face Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s Tag Titles at WrestleMania.
WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match: Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) def. #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
Sabin & Gargano started things off in the ring with chain wrestling. Sabin got the upper hand with arm drags as Ciampa tagged in. Shelley entered the match and hit a nice double team move on Ciampa with Sabin’s help. The Machine Guns’ took advantage as they teed off on both Ciampa & Gargano. As a chase took place at ringside, Gargano got the blind tag and hit Shelley with a slingshot spear, which led to a picture-in-picture break.
We returned to live action with Sabin naling a double crossbody on #DIY as he held his own impressively. Shelley re-entered the fray while Sabin hit a suicide dive on Gargano & Ciampa. The MCMGs had Ciampa isolated and hit him with their array of double team moves for a near-fall. As Ciampa had the referee distracted, Gargano caused Sabin to drop down, which allowed for the top rope turnbuckle to be exposed.
Back in the ring, Ciampa got the near fall on Project Ciampa, as #DIY went to work on Sabin. Shelley made the save and got thrown out for his troubles. Ciampa and Gargano had Sabin in their sights for Meet in the Middle, but Sabin avoided calamity.
Another Skull & Bones attempt is foiled by Gargano as Ciampa tried to use a leverage pin to take advantage, but the referee caught Ciampa in the act. In the end, Sabin sent Ciampa into the exposed turnbuckle, which led to the roll up and the victory for the Machine Guns. Sabin and Shelley are now the number one contenders to the Street Profits’ WWE Tag Team Titles.
The SmackDown tag division is entertaining ring-wise, yes, but I think the biggest flaw plaguing them is the lack of promo time or anything substantial to get us to care about most of these teams. It was mentioned on commentary that the MCMGs and DIY had some shared history, but it would’ve been better if we got that history laid out in promos or segments. That said, I did enjoy this match regardless.
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– The Miz & Carmelo Hayes confronted Pretty Deadly backstage, as they insulted the two for being losers. Elton Prince & Kit Wilson responded by mocking Miz’s role in The Marine movies, as they called him the “Leonardo DiCaprio of tag team wrestling”. They said that Hayes was wasting his time being Miz’s partner, to which Miz replied by citing his past as a nine-time champion.
Naomi def. B-Fab
As Naomi made her entrance, Jade Cargill ambushed her from behind and got in some good shots before security broke it up. Naomi stumbled her way to the ring as the match proper then got underway.
B-Fab held the advantage on Naomi as she was still left shell-shocked by Cargill’s surprise attack. B-Fab hit a nice slam on Naomi that got a count of two. Naomi managed to regain some semblance of control as she dodged a kick from B-Fab and hung her in a tree-of-woe position. Naomi then got the victory with a modified kneeling lungblower on B-Fab.
After the match, Naomi tried to call out Cargill, but was met with a pump kick from the target of her enmity. Cargill tried to hit Naomi with Jaded, but security separated the two. Nick Aldis appeared on stage and announced that Cargill and Naomi would face each other at WrestleMania.
The match itself was what it was, a short affair and meant more to set up the Naomi vs. Jade match at WrestleMania. In that regard, job well done. The match itself should be great and it’s always nice to see a women’s feud culminate at WrestleMania and not revolve around a title.
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– Damian Priest addressed Drew McIntyre and his failures to remain focused on his goals, as he claimed McIntyre repeatedly screwed himself. He called McIntyre a hypocrite and a “junkie” that gets a high from making cheap-ass jokes every week. Priest challenged McIntyre to face him next week in the ring, as he promised to make McIntyre his victim for WrestleMania.
– Kevin Owens was seen walking backstage in casual clothes and a forlorn expression on his face. We’d hear from him coming up next.
Kevin Owens announces injury
Nick Aldis was in the ring and talked about how that this was the part of his job that he didn’t like, and that there was a fine line of being fine and never coming back again. He introduced Kevin Owens as he wanted the fans to hear from the man himself.
Owens entered without his usual pomp and circumstance and took the microphone. He talked about how in the 25 years he’s spent in the ring, he’s gotten to do amazing things and take care of his family as his result. He said that there was a toll that everyone in the locker room had to pay and that it was time for him to pay that toll. Owens said that he’s been wrestling for the past four months with a severe neck injury, to a point that he needs to take time off for surgery.
Owens said that it was an unfortunate timing as he was looking forward to facing Randy Orton at WrestleMania. Owens sincerely said that he was sorry and that he didn’t know when he’d ever return to the ring.
Randy Orton’s music interrupted as the Viper walked out just as Owens was getting ready to leave. Owens left the ring afterwards. Aldis broke the bad news to Orton that with Owens’ injury, he no longer has a match for WrestleMania. Orton looked devastated as he hit an RKO on Aldis in response to this news.
It’s been reported that Kevin Owens’ neck injury is indeed a legitimate one and obviously, it’s terrible news. We wish KO a speedy recovery and we can’t wait to see him return fully healthy in the future.
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Last Man Standing: Jacob Fatu def. Braun Strowman (Winner Faces LA Knight for the U.S. Championship at WrestleMania)
These two monsters didn’t waste any time as Fatu went after Strowman outside the ring to start us off. In the ring, Fatu dropped Strowman with a running neckbreaker and looked to head up top. Strowman intercepted and tried for a Running Powerslam. Fatu fought out of it and hit running elbow. He went up top once again and hit consecutive jumping moonsaults on Strowman. The referee began her count as Strowman was forced to roll out from the ring just to stay on his feet, which led to a commercial break.
We returned to the match with Fatu in firm control as Strowman responded with a spinebuster that sent Fatu crashing to the canvas. As Fatu tried to roll himself back up, Strowman pulled out a table from under the ring. Strowman set the table against a corner of the ring. Strowman tried to run towards Fatu, but got sent outside the ring. Fatu charged from inside the ring right into Strowman, which sent him over the commentary table.
Fatu sent Strowman into the ringpost and had him in position for a charge into the barricade. Instead, he was met with a chair to the face courtesy of Strowman. With a full head of speed, Strowman ran all around ringside and barreled right into Fatu for a trainwreck-like crash through the barricade. Both men struggled as they barely got themselves back up on their feet. We then went to yet another break in the action.
Things picked up from the break with Strowman and Fatu fighting in the production area within the crowd. Strowman lifted Fatu and hit a mighty suplex onto a set of tables. Both Fatu and Strowman once again struggled to stand up, but they made it before the count of ten. As both Fatu and Strowman made their way back to ringside, both of them could barely remain standing. Strowman got himself back in the ring, but was right in the line of fire for a Fatu running hip attack through the table set up in the ring. Fatu managed to get himself to a vertical base as Strowman failed to stand up, which brough this Last Man Standing match to an end.
Just a fun little Last Man Standing match between two big men. With the victory, we now get Jacob Fatu versus LA Knight for the U.S. Championship at WrestleMania, and it should be a good one. With Fatu getting increasingly over with fans, could this match be the time to give him a title? We’ll soon find out in two weeks.
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– We got a recap of Cody Rhodes & John Cena’s confrontation from Raw this past Monday.
– Next Week on SmackDown: Cody Rhodes returns to SmackDown; Women’s Tag Team Gauntlet Match (Winners earn Women’s Tag Title Match at WrestleMania 41); Rey Fenix vs. Berto; Damian Priest & Drew McIntyre Face-to-Face
– Paul Heyman was seen waiting for Roman Reigns in the parking lot, and we’re told that Reigns is arriving at “any minute”. After the break, Reigns arrived in his truck and made his way down to the ring without the usual grandeur.
Paul Heyman’s Favor to CM Punk Revealed
Reigns started things off, as per usual, by asking the Chicago crowd to acknowledge him. He asked his Wise Man if CM Punk was in the building. He asked Heyman if Punk was still asking for the favor, and if he should share a secret with Chicago. Reigns said that Punk wouldn’t be back in WWE if it weren’t for him. He took credit for Punk being in the WrestleMania main event, as he called the Chicago crowd “good people, but not very smart.” Reigns said that Punk may have wrestled everywhere, but he wouldn’t have a sniff at the WrestleMania main event if it weren’t for the Tribal Chief. Reigns then called out Punk so that we could finally hear what the favor was.
Instead of the static of “Cult of Personality”, the cry of “BURN IT DOWN!” from Seth Rollins’ theme played, which brought Rollins himself out to these proceedings. Rollins was his usual trollish self as he made his way into the ring with a mic in his hand. After Rollins did his opening spiel, he said that he wasn’t going to miss this for the world as he might’ve not known what the favor was, but he knew it was going to knock Reigns’ socks off. Rollins said that reality has a history of biting Reigns’ in the ass, bringing up The Heist of the Century from WrestleMania 31 and Cody Rhodes beating Reigns last year at WrestleMania 40.
Rollins said that you cannot underestimate or ignore CM Punk, and the reality is that we now have to live with Punk in the main event of WrestleMania 40 as a result. Rollins noted that he took a break and it gave him perspective on two options: you either get left behind or you adapt and control reality.
Reigns responded by calling Rollins untrustworthy and that he was a man of his word, because he made a promise to CM Punk. Rollins said that there was only thing missing: CM Punk himself. That, of course brought out the Chicago Made Punk himself to complete this trifecta.
With a mic already in his hand, Punk said that this was about friendship, legacy, promises made and promises kept. This was about loyalty. He addressed Heyman and that this goes way back to when he took a chance on Punk when nobody did. Punk brought up the time Heyman left the company and how he mistakenly made it about himself, and he asked what he could do for him. Heyman said at the time that when Punk main evented WrestleMania “force them to deal with us”. Punk said that he was going to force Reigns to leave his comfort zone, as he revealed that the favor was that Paul Heyman would be in Punk’s corner at WrestleMania.
Reigns laughed at the idea of Punk’s favor because Heyman would never turn against Heyman because he loves him and is loyal to his Tribal Chief. Reigns asked Heyman to “let this fool down easy”, to which Heyman apparently refused.
Heyman continued to refuse Reigns’ demand, much to the Tribal Chief’s protestations. Reigns threatened Heyman to tell Punk “no”, but Heyman said “no, my Tribal Chief, I can’t do that. As Heyman was being intimidated by Reigns in the corner, Punk got the jump on Reigns and hit a GTS on him. With Reigns out cold, Punk and Rollins stared one another down briefly, as Rollins made his exit. SmackDown closed out with Punk standing tall.
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Well, the favor didn’t turn out to be something like a future title match as many were expecting, but I don’t hate the idea of it being Paul Heyman managing CM Punk, especially since this whole thing was kickstarted by Punk doing Heyman a solid by joining the Bloodline WarGames team. In any case, this triple threat match at WrestleMania should be a good one and the intrigue of Heyman cornering Punk should make things interesting.
