Our WWE SmackDown results for tonight include the Last Time is Now Tournament Finals featuring LA Knight battling Gunther, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes appearing, Solo Sikoa addressing the Wyatt Sicks, and the shocking ending to last week’s SmackDown, Ilja Dragunov defending the U.S championship in an Open Challenge, Alexa Bliss taking on WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane, and WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
WWE SmackDown Card:
- The Last Time is Now Tournament Finals Match: LA Knight vs Gunther
- Cody Rhodes appears
- Ilja Dragunov’s U.S Title Open Challenge
- Solo Sikoa Addresses Last Week’s Shocking Ending to SmackDown
- Alexa Bliss vs. Kairi Sane
- Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre
WWE SmackDown Results:
A highlight package for Survivor Series WarGames is aired.
Backstage, Drew McIntyre pulls up. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis meets him in the parking lot. Aldis tells McIntyre to leave. McIntyre is still suspended. McIntyre gets back in his car, and Cody Rhodes is in the passenger seat. Rhodes attacks McIntyre. Security pulls Rhodes off of McInyte and out of the vehicle. McIntyre speeds off. Rhodes powerwalks into the arena.
The Undisputed Champion
Rhodes demands that Aldis reinstate McIntyre. McIntyre broke an unwritten rule; he trespassed on the place where Rhodes’ children play, and his wife sleeps. Rhodes proclaims that McIntyre is WWE’s resident cockroach. The crowd cheers as Rhodes begs for Aldis to reinstate McIntyre so Rhodes can do what you do to a cockroach: stomp it out.
Grade: B
Good opening segment. Not sure how Rhodes teleported into McIntyre’s car, but whatever, let’s go with it.
U.S Championship Open Challenge: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes
After a lock up, Dragunov lights Hayes up with chops. Hayes fires back with chops of his own. Hayes goes up top. Dragunov sends Hayes careening to the floor. After the break, Dragunov lands a flurry of German suplexes. Dragunov misses the Constintine Special. Hayes surprises Dragunov with a springboard clothesline. La Mistica by Hayes! Dragunov kicks out!
Dragunov counters the first 48 with a powerbomb! Hayes kicks out. Hayes counters the H-Bomb by getting his knees up. Dragunov lays Hayes out with a head kick. Suplex by Dragunov. Dragunov goes up top. Hayes dropkicks Dragunov off the top. Hayes lands a DDT on the apron. While the referee checks on Dragunov, Hayes goes up top for Nothing but Net. Ciampa hops the barricade and pushes Hayes off the top! Dragunov hits his finish for the win.
Winner and STILL United States Champion, Ilja Dragunov!
After the match, Dragunov sees the replay and goes nuts. Dragunov is pissed that Ciampa got involved. Dragunov storms off.
Grade: B
Good match. Hayes and Dragunov work quite well together. They need to run this one back. Dragunov always looks like he’s murdering his opponent while simultaneously getting murdered by his opponent.
Alexa Bliss w/Charlotte Flair vs. Kairi Sane w/Asuka
Sane and Bliss trade shots. Sane mocks Bliss for being shorter than her. Bliss slaps Sane in the face. Sane rolls out. Asuka trips Bliss on the apron while Bliss is distracted. Sane drives Bliss into the barricade while Flair watches on. After the break, Asuka gets on the apron while Bliss sets up her finish. Flair takes out Asuka. Back in the ring, Sane drops Bliss with a backfist. Sane goes up top for the InSANE Elbow. Bliss catches Sane in mid-air and hits the Sister Abigail DDT for the win.
Winner- Alexa Bliss
After the match, Nia Jax and Lash Legend lay everyone out.
Grade: C+
Fun quick match. The meat of the matter was what happened after. Though Bliss got the win, Jax and Legend stood tall at the end of proceedings.
Read More: Does John Cena Have Any Regrets About His WWE Heel Turn?
WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre w/Chelsea Green
Midway through the match, the former Women’s United States Champion, Guilia, chases Chelsea Green off after she tried to get involved in the match. Fyre walks into a big boot from Cargill. Cargill hits Jaded for the win.
Winner- Jade Cargill
Grade: C
This was way too short to have so much distracting from it outside of the ring. Fyre and Cargll can have a good match, but it’s not happening in four minutes.
Solo has Words
Solo Sikoa proclaims that this is his show and this is his family tree. Sikoa says the Wyatt Sicks have something that belongs to Sikoa’s family. Sikoa looks into the camera, points to the sky, and tells Uncle Howdy to listen closely: everything that belongs to him (Bray), that now belongs to Howdy (Bo), will now belong to Sikoa. Why? Because all he has to do is “Bo-lieve!” The lights go out, and the Wyatt Sicks have surrounded the ring. Uncle Howdy appears in the ring. Sikoa and Howdy brawl. Everyone else joins in. Rowan and Tala Tonga are left in the ring. Rowan knocks Tonga over the top. The Wyatts hold the ring.
Grade: B
Great promo by Sikoa. Sikoa is underrated on the mic at this point. This writer doesn’t care much for this feud, but if Sikoa is going to keep throwing heat like this, maybe this feud deserves all of our attention.
The Last Time is Now Tournament Finals Match: LA Knight vs Gunther
Gunther mushes Knight. Knight drops Gunther with a right hand. Gunther tries a powerbomb. Knight escapes and sends Gunther out of the ring. Rope dropkick by Knight. After the break, Gunther works over Knight. Knight rolls up Gunther. Gunther turns it into a sleeper. Knight turns that into a pin. Gunther kicks out. Burning hammer by Knight. After a series of reversals, Gunther counters a BFT with a German suplex. Gunther works over Knight’s injured neck. Knight reverses Gunther’s Sleeper into a BFT! Gunther gets his bottom foot on the rope. Gunther traps Knight in a modified STF. Knight taps out.
Winner- Gunther
After the match, Gunther gets close to the camera and says he’s going to make Cena tap out!
Grade: B+
Great hard-hitting match. Gunther’s win was telegraphed, but Knight made us all suspend disbelief with his performance tonight. Will Gunther actually make Cena tap out?
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