wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 11.14.25
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Alright everyone, it’s time for another episode of WWE Smackdown. News broke today that Smackdown is going back to 3 hours starting in January, and man if it’s the same quality they’ve been shoveling out recently that’s going to be a rough gig. Tonight we’ve got John Cena tournament matches, Miz vs. Jey Uso and LA Knight vs. Mystery Man. Knight seems like he’s getting shunted down the card again between his losing matches, promos getting cut off, and now getting booted from the WarGames match against whatever the Bronies are doing despite having feuded with that faction for months. So the odds are he’s losing to someone like Joe Hendry. As for Miz and Jey, Jey’s got bigger fish to fry and someone from Heyman’s group costing him the match seems likely. New women’s champion Jade Cargill takes on B-Fab, but man the women’s side of things on Smackdown is pretty dire. Chelsea Green won back the women’s US title last week so Giulia is stuck in limbo again, Lash Legend and Nia Jax are causing issues with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, and most of it just feels kind of heatless. Speaking of heatless, Solo Sikoa and the Moping Flatulent Troubadours are still taking up air time beating up faces who aren’t doing anything while the Wyatt Sicks technically exist in the background. What is going on with any of that? A consistent bright spot is Ilja Dragunov as the US champion, so his open challenge should be good tonight. Still no word on Randy Orton, Tiffany Stratton, or what happened in storyline with Jacob Fatu. In the world title scene Drew McIntyre got suspended last week, which could be how they write him off to film the new Highlander movie but he’s also pretty much the only guy in Cody’s orbit right now. Aleister Black and Damian Priest are still feuding as well. Basically Smackdown is kind of a mess and they need to start sorting things out, especially with Survivor Series coming up so soon. So let’s get to the action.
We start by recapping the woes of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair over the last week, which included losing the tag team belts to the Kabuki Warriors on Monday and basically the set up for the women’s WarGames match. Each team still needs a fifth member but I’m OK with it.
Rhea Ripley shows up to start the show, Iyo Sky is with her. Corey Graves is with Michael Cole on commentary and bring up that a bunch of RAW wrestlers will be here heading into Survivor Series. Rhea and Iyo have mics and Rhea brings up how things have gone since she’s been out of action with a busted nose. She brings up the four women opposite them for WarGames, Iyo then chimes in with the name of WarGames. Rhea then brings out two of their teammates, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Bliss and Charlotte have mics as well and the four women hug, well except for Charlotte and Rhea. Bliss is happy to get all four of their opponents at once, and they’ll be ending this fight. Charlotte can’t pretend though and says she doesn’t like Rhea or trust her, but Rhea probably feels exactly the same way about her. There’s too much bad blood between them, and having the same enemy doesn’t change that so count her out of this. Charlotte leaves and Bliss stays with Rhea and Iyo. OK then.
In the back we see Jade Cargill walk, as does B-Fab and LA Knight. Next we find Jey Uso with the fans then he heads to the ring through the crowd and after this break we’ll get Jey and Miz.
Post break here comes Miz.
Match #1: Jey Uso vs. Miz
They tie up, Miz then goes to striking. Jey fights back with punches of his own but then runs into a Kitchen Sink knee lift. Jey counters a corner attack into a Back Slide for 2 then lands an enziguri. Miz rolls to the apron then slides back in and rolls up Jey for 2. Both men avoid finishers then Jey clotheslines Miz out of the ring then follows with a suicide dive and we head to break.
We come back to Miz in control. Back elbow from Jey but Miz kicks him then hits a Codebreaker and follows through with a DDT for a 2 count. Some kicks from Miz but Jey dodges a Buzzsaw kick and his the back suplex to a neckbreaker for a 2 count. Miz dodges a hip attack and does the Cena 5 Moves of Doom including a 5 Knuckle Shuffle. Jey avoids an Attitude Adjustment and hits a superkick, but Miz counters a Samoan Drop into a Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall. Jey’s actually up first, Miz then puts him up top and climbs up with him. Miz wants an avalanche Skull Crushing Finale but Jey counters by dropping Miz over the ropes then hits a Spear and a Splash to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Jey Uso won in 9:55
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Decent little match, I’m surprised at the outcome as Miz doesn’t have much else going on while Jey does and didn’t really need this win. Then again Miz is kind of locked into his spot so it’s not like a win would help him all that much.
In the back Ilja Dragunov talks with Nick Aldis, then Tommaso Ciampa comes over with Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae. Ciampa whines about not getting his shot. Ilja says they were talking about that, Ilja wanted to do this the right way. That means no opportunities for jackasses. There’s nothing honorable about Ciampa and Ilja wants to wrestle people he respects. Axiom wanders over so it’s him and DIY then head out. Aldis leaves that group and walks, then finds Paul Heyman along with Bronson Reed. Heyman wants to talk with Aldis, Aldis seems amenable and we head to break.
We get more of the John Cena highlights and history, the full interview will be on Youtube before Cena’s final match.
In the back Aldis calls for security to his office to escort Heyman and Reed out of the building. Heyman has the WarGames agreement and says that allows him to bring people to Smackdown. Aldis agrees with the paperwork but says if there’s nothing to discuss they can leave. Cody Rhodes shows up to talk with Heyman, Cody asks what Heyman wants to talk about. Heyman wants to talk about Cody getting involved on Monday, Cody says they put his friends through the fire which means he’s following. If they don’t have real business they need to leave. Reed says he’ll fight, Cody is willing but Heyman wants it to be a title match and Cody tells Aldis to book it. Aldis does.
Match #2 – US Title Match: (c) Ilja Dragunov vs. Axiom
Oh, this just starts so no entrances for either man. They trade some arm takedowns and mat wrestling, Ilja seems a half step ahead thus far. Axiom avoids a corner attack though and they reset. Headlock from Axiom, then he hits the ropes but Ilja shoulder blocks him down. Ilja blocks an arm drag then tries a backslide but Axiom stalls that out so Ilja clocks him and they start trading strikes. A boot from Ilja drops Axiom, but Axiom then counters an H-Bomb into an armbar then a triangle choke but Ilja powers out and chops away at Axiom. Dropkick from Axiom then a gamen giri to send Ilja out of the ring. Axiom tries a springboard but Ilja hits him in the back to stall him on the ropes. Chop from Ilja, Axiom fights back and they trade strikes before Ilja headbutts Axiom to the mat. Ilja up top, and hits a senton for a 2 count. That sends us picture in picture.
Ilja lays in more chops to keep control then hits a suplex as well. Axiom fights out of a front headlock but gets chopped back down. Corner work from Ilja including a running boot that sends Axiom out of the ring. Back in the ring Ilja with headbutts then a throw to Axiom. Now Ilja drops elbows onto Axiom before hitting a German suplex. Another German suplex from Ilja as we come back to broadcast. Axiom hits a Northern Lights throw and both men are down. Hard slap from Axiom then some boots out of the corner, Axiom up top for a flying dropkick and a 2 count. Kicks from Axiom, Ilja then catches one and lands elbows then a boot to floor Axiom. Axiom counters a Konstantin Special into an armbar, then towards a triangle choke but Ilja powers up and hits a release powerbomb. Again Axiom avoids an H-bomb and hits a springboard backflip DDT for a near fall. That was a decent execution of that sequence made famous by Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio. Corner work from Axiom, he gets Ilja up top and climbs up looking for a Spanish Fly but Ilja chops away at him only for Axiom to hit the Spanish Fly anyway. Ilja counters a Golden Ratio with a Torpedo Moscow then he follows with an H-Bomb to retain the title.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Ilja Dragunov retained the title in 11:15
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Really nice finishing stretch but they struggled to keep the crowd involved towards the middle. Face vs. face runs that risk, doubly so when the fans don’t have much of an impression of Axiom.
Post match Ilja and Axiom show respect.
In the back R-Truth again wants his balls in the tumbler for the Cena tournament. Aldis gets him to leave by taking his balls. Truth leaves and Chelsea Green comes over to whine. Green wants a celebration next week, Aldis will do that if she holds Truth’s balls and she does. OK then.
Sami Zayn walks in the back, he’ll talk after this break.
During the break Ciampa attacked Axiom in frustration, that led to Nathan Frazer chasing him off.
Sami heads to the ring to talk. He plays with the crowd a bit and says coming to Smackdown has been full of highs and lows. The first thing he did coming here was beating Solo for the US title and he did great things with that title. All that was great, but the last four weeks he’s had to sit on the sidelines with injury and watch Solo and company on TV. Yeah, that has been rough. He’s had to watch everything and he’s been waiting doing nothing but that ends now. So he knows Solo has a problem with him, and he’s got a problem with him so come out and let’s deal with it face to face. That does bring out Solo with his painted posse. Solo talks on his way to the ring, he asks if Sami really knows who he is. He knows the real Sami, a pathetic, lying, desperate, and selfish man. Solo’s already stumbled over his words. He says Sami doesn’t care about the wrestlers or the fans, he just cares about himself. Solo cares about his family, and their loyalty to him. He says Sami knows nothing of loyalty then threatens to kick Sami’s ass. Then he sends the goons to the apron. Solo trips getting into the ring but says he’ll only crush Sami after Sami’s cleared to wrestle. And once Sami’s cleared he’s gunning for him. Sami says the good news for Solo is that he doesn’t have to wait, because Sami’s been cleared to wrestle as of tonight. So if Solo wants to do something now’s a good time, but remember that Sami didn’t come alone. Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the Motor City Machine Guns attack the goons leaving Solo and Sami in the ring. Sami gets the better of Solo and lines up a Helluva Kick but Talla Tonga pulls Solo out of the ring. JC Mateo, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa attack Sami but the other guys show up to send them out of the ring. Fenix then hits a corkscrew dive, and frankly they do a piss poor job of catching him. The faces stand tall in the ring while Solo points in what is supposed to be dramatic fashion but really is more comedic.
In the back Jey finds Cody and says he’ll have Cody’s back if necessary. Jimmy comes over and says he’s got Cody’s back too and says he’s down for WarGames. All three men separate as Cody returns to warming up.
We’ll get LA Knight and the mystery man after this break.
Post break we find Solo in the back saying he wants to wrestle Sami. Aldis says in two weeks Solo and company can take on Sami and his group in a traditional Survivor Series elimination match on Smackdown. Uncle Howdy can be seen in the background of all this.
LA Knight heads to the ring for our next match. His opponent is Zack Ryder. OK then. Did someone just assume Albany would pop for him like Long Island would have? Because they don’t.
Match #3: LA Knight vs. Zack Ryder
24 minutes between matches, not good. Knight seems mildly befuddled. They tie up, Ryder with a school boy for 2. Another tie up, Knight with some arm wringer work then he avoids a Rough Rider but Ryder sends Knight out of the ring before we head to break.
We come back to Ryder posing in the ring. Back body drop from Knight. They fight over the ropes now, Ryder avoids a suplex but Knight with jabs then a clothesline. Russian leg sweep from Knight then a jumping neckbreaker for a 2 count. Ryder avoids a powerslam and lands some strikes then hits a facebuster. Corner attack from Ryder then a corner face wash for a 2 count. Knight avoids an Unprettier and hits an inverted DDT. Knight with the megastar elbow, Ryder avoids it and hits a Rough Rider for a near fall. Ryder avoids Blunt Force Trauma then lands knees in the corner and tries a leaping hurricanrana but Knight counters with a powerbomb. Blunt Force Trauma and Knight wins.
OFFICIAL RESULT: LA Knight won in 8:36
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: The closing sequence gets that to 2.5, once again a match that struggled to get the crowd really invested into the mechanics of the match. Ryder was a nice little surprise but again face vs. face hurt the dynamic.
In the back Bliss talks with Rhea and Iyo about Charlotte leaving them high and dry. Rhea mentions they need a couple more people now. That leads to a fight as a bunch of women jump them leading to Lash Legend and Nia Jax getting to stand tall, oh and Asuka along with Kairi Sane were there too.
Back to the ring, here’s Jade Cargill for our next match after this break.
Post break B-Fab is mostly in the ring.
Match #4: Jade Cargill vs. B-Fab
Jade blocks a double leg, B-Fab lands a couple of dropkicks then a corner wheel kick. Some loud noises from B-Fab, Jade then clubs her down. Fall away slam from Jade then a chokeslam. Jade tells B-Fab to stay down, then pulls B-Fab up anyway to hit a release powerbomb. The ref checks on B-Fab, Jade then hits the awkward release powerbomb again. She and B-Fab are not on the same page with the timing on that. Jaded follows and we’re done.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Jade Cargill won in 2:15
Rating: Winterhorn. . . SQUASH
Thoughts: I can’t call it a delicious big of squash because of the awkwardness around the powerbombs but it was the squash it needed to be.
Post match Michin checks on b-Fab so Jade insults her. Michin tries to be reasonable but Jade shoves her.
Aldis talks more about the Cena tournament. Next up we’ll have Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed and Penta against Finn Balor. Penta and Balor should be pretty good. Commentary also talk about next week with Fraxiom vs. DIY in addition to both of those tournament matches.
In the back Cathy talks with Hayes, Hayes tells Miz that the war is just beginning. He also takes aim at Cena, he wants to retire Cena and knows he wont miss if he gets that shot at Cena. Reed comes over and says he’s ending Cody Rhodes, then he’ll end Cena after ending Hayes next week. OK then. Reed heads towards the ring and we head to break.
Post break we get a video for Aleister Black. He laughs about fear and says Damian Priest knows there’s no fear between them. The only fear is what Priest has over what they’ve made him become. Zelina says they’ve corrupted him, and Black wants to move beyond him and set his sights on the WWE title. Now he’s everyone’s enemy.
Cody heads to the ring for our main event. Reed follows with Heyman by his side.
Match #5 – WWE Title Match: (c) Cody Rhodes vs. Bronson Reed w/ Paul Heyman
They tie up, Reed shoves Cody off but misses a corner attack and Cody lands a flurry of strikes. Body avalanche from Reed then a jumping elbow drop. They head out of the ring and Reed with another running avalanche to send us picture in picture.
They head back in the ring and Reed retains control with a back elbow. Cody punches out of a headlock but Reed hits a scoop slam then misses another jumping elbow drop. Corner splash from Reed to keep control over things. We come back to Cody flipping out of a back suplex then hitting a Disaster Kick. Jabs from Cody but Reed then hits a Jagged Edge for a 2 count. Reed heads up top for a Tsunami but Cody rolls out of the way then hits a super Cody Cutter for a near fall. Reed rolls out of the ring then lands a right hand when Cody tries a suicide dive. Next Reed charges at Cody but Cody dodges and Reed wipes out into the time keepers area. Cody breaks the refs count then takes apart the announce table but Bron Breakker and Logan Paul show up to cause the DQ.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Cody Rhodes won via disqualification in 5:25
Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts:
Jimmy and Jey Uso run down to even up the odds, they take out Bron and Logan with kicks then a 1D to Logan. Jimmy goes for a table, that gets set up in the ring, they put Logan on it and set for double Splashes but Drew McIntyre shows up to attack Jimmy. Drew saves Logan, Aldis runs down to yell about this. Heyman reiterates he can bring anyone to this. Jey superkicks Drew but Drew knees him then Bron Spears him through a table. Jimmy takes a right hand from Logan. Cody shows up and gets into a fight with everyone until Drew drills him with a Claymore. Drew then holds Cody so Reed can land a Tsunami. Well that’s four men for the Vision for WarGames as Drew shakes hands with Heyman to end the episode.
