Smackdown Review – 09.12.25

The week in WWE so far has included: Raw | NXT | Evolve | Impact

Tonight’s show comes to us LIVE IN LIVING TECHNICOLOR on the USA Network from the very wrestling-famous Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA. The presenters for tonight’s show are our good friends from NXT, Vic Joseph and Booker T, while Mark Nash handles ring introductions, and Cathy Kelley provides backstage and breaking news segments.

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

Walk-ins/ups include Randall Keith Orton, Drew McIntyre, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, and Jade Cargill (with a Labubu that she’s speaking with for some reason).

Joseph runs down Booker’s Smackdown accomplishments including being “the worst GM in the history of this brand” and then goes for a high five from “Unc” who refuses. Joseph then throws it to a highlights package of Brock Lesnar wrecking the John Cena-Sami Zayn match on last week‘s show.

Brock Lesnar makes his entrance while Booker does his “No Bread, No Water, Just….MEAT” catchphrase that he usually reserves for NXT hosses. Before he says a word, Ron “R-Truth” Killings makes an entrance while doing a couple verses of “What’s Up”. (I feel like this might be a grave error in judgement on Truth’s part, let’s find out.) Truth says he’s the first WWE superstar to say “Welcome back.” to Lesnar. Truth says he used to be scared of Lesnar but he isn’t anymore, but Lesnar cuts him off and says “I don’t even know who you are.” Truth says Lesnar’s been disrespecting his childhood hero John Cena for 25 years and Lesnar responds by saying “How old are you and what is your name?” Truth says he’s there to defend Cena and that his name is “Ron Cena” which gets a pop from the crowd. Truth threatens Lesnar by mentioning how great Cena has been this year and Lesnar has finally had enough. Lesnar hits an F5 and rips his jeans in doing so. (Luckily he’s wearing underpants – blue, because I know what you’re wondering.) Lesnar thinks it’s pretty funny and shows off his posterior several times before exiting.

WWE Men’s US Champion Sami Zayn chats up his Open Challenge opponent tonight and it’s Rey Fenix. They shake on it and Zayn exits. We go to commercials.

Various performers and WWE honchos are shown arriving to Worlds Collide, including Penta, Dorian Roldan and Marisela Pena, Paul Levesque and Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker.

In a pre-taped vignette, Solo Sikoa to talk about what he did and went through to win the US title including betraying his family. Sikoa says he’s been living in the shadows of others but now it’s time for him and his family tree to emerge. (Extremely effective and to the point, well done Solo.)

WWE Men’s US Championship Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (C) vs Rey Fenix

Zayn hits a series of armdrags but Fenix pops up and takes Zayn on a ropewalk before hitting a springboard armdrag of his own. Zayn dumps a charging Fenix to the apron. Zayn gets hit with a shoulder and a springboard rana as Fenix gains the momentum. Zayn bails to the floor and Fenix wants the tope but he sees Zayn duck out of the way and puts the brakes on. We go to commercials.

Joseph says Zayn has been in control when we come back. Zayn fires off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and covers Fenix for two. Zayn works a shoulder but Fenix slips his way out. Zayn whips Fenix to a corner but Fenix manages to dump Zayn to the apron when he charges. Fenix hits a reverse springboard enziguri and Zayn staggers to the floor. Fenix hits his 450 torneo tope on a dazed Zayn. Zayn staggers back in and Fenix catches him with a flying cross-body. Fenix covers for two.

Zayn fires up but his Blue Thunder Bomb attempt is slipped by Fenix. Fenix hits a sneaky rana and covers Zayn for two. Zayn fires up but Fenix flies off the ropes with a superkick. Another Fenix cover gets two. Fenix poses Zayn but takes forever to go up for his moonsault attempt which Zayn slithers away from. Fenix staggers to a corner but has enough left in the tank to duck out of Zayn’s Helluva Kick attempt. Fenix immediately hits a rolling DDT and covers Zayn for two. We go to commercials.

Fenix goes to a corner but Zayn comes up off the mat to stop whatever Fenix was planning with a slap to the chest. Zayn clubbers away and then yanks Fenix onto his shoulders. Fenix elbows his way off and hits a dazed Zayn with a double stomp from the top rope to the mat. Fenix covers for two. Fenix hits a springboard moonsault and covers for a LONG two.

There’s a skirmish mid-ring that ends with Zayn catching Fenix with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Zayn’s cover gets two. (The crowd is REALLY into this, for the record.) As Zayn tries to raise Fenix to his feet Fenix drops to his knees which pops Zayn’s jaw. Fenix charges and Zayn catches him with the Exploder. Zayn’s Helluva Kick attempt is met mid-ring by a charging Fenix who rolls Zayn up for two.

Fenix pops up and ascends. Fenix runs the top rope and smashes Zayn in the face with a kick. Fenix wastes a little time before charging and this allows Zayn to hit a second Exploder. Zayn finally hits the Helluva Kick and the subsequent cover gets three.

Damn, this was a fine way to open the wrestling portion of the show. The crowd was just super into it, and that says something given the face-face alignments here. These are two top pros and they produced a hell of a match. You can watch a highlights package here. 4*

Winner and STILL WWE Men’s US Champion – Sami Zayn

EARLIER TODAY B-Fab is leaving a message for someone when she’s approached by Kiana James and WWE Women’s US Champion Giulia. They remind B-Fab that they made an example of Michin last week. B-Fab says she was busy with the “Profits drama” but she’s available to fight now. Giulia challenges B-Fab for tonight and it’s agreed to.

Giulia makes her entrance as we go to commercials.

Rey Mysterio is shown arriving in Las Vegas for Worlds Collide. Lola Vice and Mr Iguana with La Yesca are shown arriving ahead of their mixed tag match. El Hijo Del Vikingo arrives prior to his big main event with Dominik Mysterio.

We get a pre-taped promo from The Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy talks about how the Street Profits failed the test in Paris, and Erick Rowan mentions how tough it is to see the Profits like this. Howdy says they just spread the seeds and now they’re sprouting horns. It’s time for the Profits to follow the buzzards, apparently.

WWE Women’s US Championship: Giulia (C) vs B-Fab

Kiana James decides to berate B-Fab who’s standing on the apron, so B-Fab calmly yanks James throat-first over the top rope. A pissed Giulia charges and knocks B-Fab to the floor with a kick. Giulia runs B-Fab into the barrier a couple of times and then fires her into the ring. James puts the boots to B-Fab and then holds her up for the Arrivederci knee. Michin charges out with a kendo stick and hammers a charging James. Michin jumps in the ring but her kendo swing misses as Giulia bails to the floor.

An entirely pointless segment but how about that HEAT? No rating, obviously, since there was never a bell.

No winner – match never began

Drew McIntyre is lifting weights. The champion and challenger for the Women’s title match are shown making their way to the ring as we go to commercials.

Did you know that Wrestlemania 43 is going to Saudi Arabia. Well, you do now, friend. (I have a lot of thoughts on this but I’m not getting into it in this review. Come find me in the daily threads and we can chat.)

Here’s a promo from Aleister Black regarding his match with Damien Priest. Black claims to be both the sickness and the cure and tells Priest that if he keeps fighting him he’ll only be the sickness. Violence begats violence and Black will be its prophet. (Black has been KILLING it with this feud and I’m hoping this means Hunter has him in mind for Cody at some point.)

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

They slug it out to start and Cargill ends it by hoisting Stratton up and getting hammered by a Stratton dropkick. Stratton goes for some gymnastics but Cargill catches her after a backflip. Stratton lands on her feet and ducks a Cargill punch. Cargill catches a charging Stratton with a snap powerslam and covers her for two. Cargill tries a suplex but Stratton is able to awkwardly slip it. Stratton rolls up Cargill for two. Cargill goes to the floor so Stratton uses the ropes to propel herself over the top and on to Cargill. We go to picture-in-picture commercials.

During PIP Stratton dumps Cargill back in and ascends. Cargill pops up and smacks Stratton with a right. Cargill snaps off a superplex and both are down. Cargill makes it to her feet first and props Stratton up on the second rope. Cargill pulls Stratton back and starts whaling away on Stratton’s chest. Cargill pushes Stratton to a corner and puts some stink on a chop. Cargill puts the boots to Stratton and then runs her face-first into a turnbuckle. Cargill dumps Stratton to the floor and then runs her into the barrier. Stratton rolls back in but Cargill continues the assault with a boot to Stratton’s back. Cargill whips Stratton to the mat by her hair but Stratton meets Cargill’s charge with a trip. Stratton hits a prone Cargill with a double knee, but Cargill no-sells it and meets Stratton in the middle of the ring with a huge sidewalk slam. Cargill covers for two. A frustrated Cargill starts dropping rights onto Stratton’s head and then slaps on a side headlock.

Back to full-screen with Cargill hitting a fall-away slam on Stratton before nipping up to a pop. (Stratton is legit getting almost no offense here so far.) Cargill misses a charge and Stratton kind of dumps her over in what Joseph describes as a spinebuster. We’ll go with that. They wallop each other with clotheslines but Cargill manages to catch Stratton. Stratton rolls out of it and snaps off a rana. Stratton crushes Cargill with her back handspring elbow and then waffles Cargill with a shotgun dropkick. (Cargill has to do a better job of positioning herself for stuff without being so obvious what the next spot is going to be.)

Stratton ascends and hits a swanton before covering Cargill for two. Cargill slips off Stratton’s shoulders and fires off a superkick that sends Stratton to the floor. Cargill goes to the apron but Stratton recovers to dump Cargill down. Stratton re-enters the ring and charges but Cargill catches her and slams Stratton face-first on to the apron. Cargill dumps Stratton back in and goes for the pump kick, but Stratton slips it and hoists Cargill on her shoulders. Stratton dumps Cargill down and goes for her Prettiest Moonsault. Cargill springs up and pushes Stratton off the top rope to a seated position. Cargill snatches Stratton up and hits a sit-out powerbomb and that gets two.

Booker points out how much time Cargill is wasting as she goes for a chokeslam. When Cargill hoists Stratton up she rolls through and covers Cargill for two. Stratton manages to catch Cargill for the Alabama Slam. Stratton’s Prettiest Moonault is slipped by Cargill who then wallops Stratton with a pump kick. Both are down and getting a good hand from the crowd. (This crowd has been great the whole show, they should run this building more often. Also, even with the awkward spots, this match is getting better as it goes.)

They both make to their feet and start slugging it out mid-ring. Cargill tries another pump kick but she misses and gets caught up on the ropes. Stratton charges and eats a Cargill forearm. Cargill pulls Stratton to the apron and they slug it out again. Cargill hits a superkick but when she charges Stratton jumps to the floor and Cargill goes very hard into a ring post. Stratton hits another shotgun dropkick on the apron. Stratton ascends as Cargill goes to the floor. Stratton’s top rope moonsault misses and she takes a hard landing on the floor. Cargill charges and runs Stratton through the barrier at the timekeeper’s area and both are down. The ref has been counting the whole time and both are now counted out for a draw.

They went a LONG way for that finish and the post-match angle that keeps these two and Nia Jax going in various combinations forever and ever, apparently. This show’s women’s division needs an overhaul SOON. The match itself had a bunch of awkwardness and Cargill just bullied her way through it, mostly. Not a great display by either but I give Stratton credit for taking an asskicking. The finish knocks the rating down. 2.5*

No winner – Double Countout draw

Post-match sees Nia Jax immediately attack Cargill and hit her with a Samoan Drop on the floor. Stratton charges over and Jax wallops her with a headbutt before dumping Stratton in the ring. Stratton charges and Jax crushes her with a lifted powerbomb. Jax drags Stratton to a corner and hits an Annihilator. A gleeful Jax soaks in the boos from the crowd while she does the “I want the belt” pose.

Here’s Smackdown GM Nick Aldis being accosted by Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre who want a tag team title match. Aldis offers a shot to them after Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss defend the titles at NXT’s Homecoming show this Tuesday. Aldis turns and here’s The Miz to ask about a title shot for himself and Carmelo Hayes. Aldis says Hayes spoke to him already about a title shot which Miz assumes, probably wrongly, was about them fighting for the tag belts. Aldis brushes Miz off and leaves.

Randy Orton is stretching as we go to commercials.

There’s a retrospective look at the Brock Lesnar-John Cena rivalry over the years that you can watch right here. As usual, it’s very well done with actual footage from OVW and comments from Batista and Randy Orton.

Drew McIntyre makes his entrance as we go to commercials.

Vero Rodriguez interviews Rey Mysterio prior to Worlds Collide. Mysterio talks about how important the Mega Title match is and they are interrupted by Dominik Mysterio. Dom tells Rey he should come out after the main event and put the Mega title around the waist of the winner, who will be Dom. Finn Balor joins the scene and tells Dom he should really put a stamp on things by winning the title alone with no help.

Backstage Cathy Kelley is with a jubilant Sami Zayn. (Poor Drew, just having to vamp in the ring while all this is going on.) Zayn puts over Rey Fenix as a future superstar. Kelley asks if there will be more Open Challenges and Zayn starts to say yes when Carmelo Hayes joins the scene. Hayes calls his shot for the Open Challenge and Zayn agrees. Zayn leaves and Hayes turns around to see the Miz, who seems grumpy. Miz says he’s trying to guide Hayes but he didn’t know about Hayes showing up on NXT or this chatter about the US title. Hayes asks Miz to trust him for once as they fist-bump out the bad feelings.

Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre

Joseph brings up the DX Invasion of the Scope and Booker tells him that it was “Marcus Bagwell” who closed the gate to keep DX out of the building.

McIntyre bullies Orton to start and cracks his head on a turnbuckle. McIntyre fires Orton to a corner but Orton fires out with a big lariat to break up the momentum. Orton fires off some uppercuts and then mounts the second rope to throw nine right hands into McIntyre’s head. Orton clotheslines a dazed McIntyre to the floor. We go to commercials.

Back live with McIntyre in control as Joseph mentions Orton might have tweaked a knee. Orton snatches McIntyre over with a suplex. Orton busts out the Garvin Stomp as Booker gives McIntyre credit for being the heart of the “pandemic era”. McIntyre snaps off a kick to Orton’s bad knee and then hits a chop block on Orton from behind. Orton staggers to a corner and eats a giant McIntyre elbow. McIntyre grabs Orton’s bad leg and snaps it down over his shoulder. McIntyre works the knee and then slaps on a Figure Four. Orton rolls McIntyre over so McIntyre grabs the ropes to break it up.

They rise to their feet and start slugging it out. McIntyre misses a right and Orton snatches him up for a belly-to-back suplex. McIntyre rolls to the floor and Orton takes some time to recover before rolling out as well. Orton slams McIntyre’s head on the announce desk but McIntyre rakes the eyes to stop Orton’s attack. McIntyre hoists Orton up for a side slam on the announce table and as Orton staggers away McIntyre hits another vicious chop block on the bad knee. We go to picture-in-picture commercials.

During PIP McIntyre rolls in and tells the ref to start counting Orton (I KNOW they aren’t running two countout finishes on the same show, Drew. Sheesh.) Predictably, Orton makes it back in at nine and a half. A frustrated McIntyre starts dropping elbows on Orton’s knee. McIntyre grabs Orton’s ankle and torques on his knee. McIntyre lets that go and then stomps on Orton’s knee. McIntyre poses Orton’s leg over the bottom rope and does a butt drop on Orton’s knee. McIntyre takes forever as Orton recovers.

They’re slugging it out as we come back to full screen. Orton starts getting the better of it but McIntyre breaks it up with a short kick to Orton’s knee. McIntyre snatches Orton up and slams him legs-first on the ropes. (What a clever and vicious looking spot that was.) Orton bails to the floor to regain his composure and shake off the pain. (Sign in crowd: “Arachnaman and Firebreaker Chip were here: 12/29/1991”. That’s good info to have, thanks!) McIntyre stalks out and starts whaling away on Orton before dumping him back in.

Orton casually pokes McIntyre in the eye and then starts ramming McIntyre’s head into the top turnbuckles in every corner. Orton snaps off an uppercut but McIntyre reverses an irish whip and sends Orton into a corner. Orton sticks his leg up (There’s some weirdness going on here that I can’t quite figure out but Orton seems to be grumpy and maybe just wants to get this over with?) and McIntyre grabs it to go back to the Figure Four. Orton kicks McIntyre off and he goes shoulder-first into a ring post.

McIntyre comes back in and eats an Orton clothesline. McIntyre avoids Orton’s snap powerslam but Orton manages to run McIntyre on to the apron. McIntyre drops a charging Orton throat-first over the top rope. McIntyre charges in and this time Orton successfully hits the snap powerslam. Orton wants the draping DDT but McIntyre slips out of it and goes to the floor. Orton flies out and yanks McIntyre up for a side slam on the announce desk. The crowd wants another one so Orton obliges them. Orton runs McIntyre back inside but his slowness allows McIntyre to waffle him with a Claymore.

Orton bails to the outside so McIntyre goes out and rolls him back in. As McIntyre steps between the ropes Orton pops up with an RKO but can’t make the cover as McIntyre goes to the floor. (Orton looks to have been busted open on the Claymore as he’s got some color on his forehead.) McIntyre fires up and runs Orton into the apron before rolling Orton back in. Orton catches McIntyre re-entering and hits the draping DDT. (Now it comes out why Orton is so pissed. “Twenty five years and no one has ever slammed me on the goddamn ropes!”) Orton wants the Punt but the ref blocks it. Orton goes for it anyway and misses, so McIntyre tries to run Orton into the ref. Orton pulls up but when he turns around McIntyre hits another Claymore and covers for three.

Listen, I’m not sure if McIntyre slamming Orton legs-first on the ropes actually pissed him off or if he was just playing off of it but you could tell at points that this was going kind of sideways. It’s two excellent pro wrestlers so they can pull out 3 stars in their sleep. Physicality was the name of the game here but it almost felt like “you do a move then I’ll do a move and then you do a move” rather than what it could have been with Orton fighting the knee from underneath. I’m going to be maybe generous here. 3.5*

Winner – Drew McIntyre (Claymore Kick)

Post-match sees McIntyre continue the assault by dumping Orton to the exact same spot against the announce table that he used before. WWE Men’s World Champion Cody Rhodes makes his return by sprinting down the aisle and meeting McIntyre in the center of the ring. The roof might actually be coming off of the Scope at this point as Rhodes pounds away at McIntyre’s head. Rhodes throws some bombs and then hits McIntyre with a Cody Cutter. Rhodes gets a microphone to tell McIntyre that it’s on at Wrestlepalooza. The credits roll and we’re out.

Kind of a mixed bag tonight, but the opener was a hell of a deal and the main event had the crowd going. Thumbs in the middle, but again, they DESPERATELY need to mix up both the women’s and tag divisions and SOON.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Go enjoy Worlds Collide!