Tag: rey mysterio

WWE SmackDown preview 09/29/23: Will John Cena really fight The Bloodline alone?

WWE SmackDown from Sacramento will also see LWO teammates Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar battle for the U.S. title.

Leave it to John Cena to wade right into the biggest storyline in WWE as soon as he was around for a few months. He quickly made enemies of The Bloodline, and now the consequences of that decision will be an important part of tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Sacramento.

Cena thought he had a staunch ally in AJ Styles, who was ready to tag with him to face Jimmy Uso (whose Bloodline status is tenuous but is trying to work through it) and Solo Sikoa at Fastlane. But Uso and Sikoa took him out of the equation last week with a vicious attack that saw Styles leave the arena in an ambulance.

That left Cena to take a beating at the end of the show with no one to save him, and he’s currently slated to fight the Bloodline duo in a 2-on-1 handicap match in Indianapolis. Might that change tonight? Well, there were reports that a certain very popular wrestler with a one-word catchphrase was supposed to come to Cena’s aid until illness scuttled those plans. We’ll see if a Megastar shines on Cena on SmackDown.

Also tonight, Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar haven’t let the United States Championship come between them, even though Mysterio won it during a match that was originally supposed to feature his LWO teammate. Rey has granted Santos a title shot, as friends do, but will their friendship remain intact with the belt up for grabs?

It would be a bit of a bummer if there was a turn involved (imagine if it’s Rey!), but this is pro wrestling we’re talking about.

Those are the big reasons to tune in tonight at 8 p.m. on Fox, and we’ll update this post if and when WWE promotes more matches or segments for tonight’s SmackDown. Until then!

WWE SmackDown results 09/22/23: IYO SKY soars while John Cena falls

John Cena found out on WWE SmackDown that even the GOAT can’t fight The Bloodline alone.

IYO SKY‘s Money in the Bank cash-in was a popular one, and there’s no question that WWE fans are behind her as WWE Women’s Champion. Asuka almost always gets a reaction whether she is a face or heel. Something will have to give tonight on WWE SmackDown, as they meet in Glendale for their first ever televised singles encounter.

Though it’s a tad surprising that this hasn’t happened before, the two women weren’t in the same place at the same time too often in Japan, were mostly teammates when they were, and their paths simply haven’t crossed in WWE except on rare occasions. That said, if there truly is anyone ready for Asuka, it figures to be SKY, and their title match should be fantastic as long as WWE resists the urge to overbook it.

(Unless that leads to an even longer match at, say, Fastlane, then all may be forgiven.)

SmackDown will also get a visit from a certain John Cena, who has become something of a regular over the past few weeks. While the writers and actors strikes are probably to thank for that, it’s fun to have him around to interact with both longtime acquaintances and relative newcomers.

There are rumors buzzing that Cena may actually end up in a match on tonight’s show, which would be a treat. Except for Superstar Spectacle earlier this month in India, which wasn’t televised in North America, he’s been in the ring just once in 2023, when he lost to Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39. You want ratings on a fall Friday night? Cena in action would probably do it.

We’re certainly anxious to see if that is indeed the case.

WWE SmackDown results from Glendale:

(scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • The champ is here: John Cena kicks off the show, saying he wants a match and has AJ Styles as a partner, but Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa look like they want to play some mind games instead
  • Cena and Styles find Adam Pearce, who say booking a match with The Bloodline is “complicated,” but he promises to find Paul Heyman to see if he can make the match
  • Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar def. Street Profits by pinfall after Angelo Dawkins is reluctant to take advantage of interference by Bobby Lashley
  • A highlight video is shown of The Rock’s return on last Friday’s SmackDown, but Austin Theory is upset about it
  • Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn suggest they’ve cursed the women’s tag team titles
  • Pearce yells at Theory for hijacking the show, and the Brawling Brutes mock him until Grayson Waller arrives to support his friend; the Brutes want to fight them and Pearce likes that idea
  • Lashley yells at the Profits and tells them he wants all the suits and jewelry back if they can’t “pull the trigger”
  • IYO SKY def. Asuka by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
  • Pearce drops by The Bloodline dressing room with a contract, but Heyman says it can’t be tonight and is told it’s at Fastlane; Jimmy is fine with that, but Paul tells him decisions like that need approval by the Tribal Chief first, and Solo tells Paul that after tonight, no one will be left to fight them at Fastlane
  • Pretty Deadly takes us through the (very exaggerated) trials of Elton Prince on his road to recovery
  • Austin Theory and Grayson Waller def. Brawling Brutes by pinfall
  • Cena signs the contract, but The Bloodline has other ideas for Styles
  • Styles is loaded in an ambulance, with Karl Anderson noting that he warned AJ not to get involved with Bloodline business
  • The Bloodline hits the ring to end the show, and Cena can’t fight them alone … though he tries

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WWE SmackDown preview 09/22/23: What’s next for John Cena?

WWE SmackDown from Glendale will also feature a highly anticipated WWE Women’s Championship match between IYO SKY and Asuka.

After only appearing on WWE programming a few times in 2022, that John Cena fella sure has become a regular on WWE SmackDown. The writers and actors strikes have delivered the company an unexpected gift in that regard, we reckon.

But while Cena has had some fun interactions with faces both familiar (The Rock!) and new (Grayson Waller), there hasn’t been anything set up for him yet that would point toward a definite match at one of WWE’s upcoming premium live events. You get the feeling that might change tonight in Glendale.

All that WWE has promoted for the show is that Cena will show up and get to talk, something he didn’t do last week as he kept being interrupted. Will we see receive a challenge from Waller or someone else who could benefit from a bout with The Greatest of All Time? That’s one thing to watch for tonight.

UPDATE: PWInsider has a spoiler for what might be planned for Cena, so click here if you’d rather know and not be surprised.

A highly anticipated women’s title match should be another highlight of this week’s SmackDown. IYO SKY and Asuka know each other very well, but they somewhat incredibly have never had a televised singles match against each other. Not only will they change that in Glendale, the meeting will come with high stakes since SKY’s WWE Women’s Championship is on the line.

Plus we’ll see tag team action as well. Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar have remained friends and allies despite Rey having something Santos wants (that would be the United States Championship), resisting efforts by others to drive a wedge between them. They’ll put that bond to the test again when they face the Street Profits, who have only been winning since aligning themselves with Bobby Lashley (though they really should have a group name by now, come on WWE creative).

All this and more awaits at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, your home for SmackDown for the next year or so. Catch it then or join us here at Wrestling Junkie for live results and updates, like we always do about this time.

Rhea Ripley has 2 WWE dream opponents in mind: Edge, Rey Mysterio

Should WWE let Rhea Ripley wrestle male opponents like Rey Mysterio and Edge?

Rhea Ripley has become not only one of WWE’s most dominant performers in the women’s division, but in the entire company. She’s risen to become one of the top stars and is in the midst of a WWE Women’s World Championship reign that began at WrestleMania 39.

Ripley has often gotten into physical fights with male WWE Superstars, including Kevin Owens recently. Although WWE does not usually feature intergender wrestling, she once wrestled Akira Tozawa.

However, if the day ever came, the driving force of The Judgment Day has a few male opponents in mind, In an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Ripley named Edge and Rey Mysterio as the men she would most like to face (h/t Fightful for transcription).

“I got a lot of male dream opponents. Obviously I would love to beat some sense into Dom’s deadbeat father. I think me versus Rey Mysterio would be absolutely amazing, and I would put him in his place. Then there’s also Edge. I would love to face Edge. He was the leader of The Judgment Day at one point, and Mami don’t like getting bossed around by anyone. I don’t like feeling like I have someone in charge, and that’s why The Judgment Day works so well now. So I still have a lot of pent-up aggression against Edge that I would love to get out. But then there’s one more person that everyone keeps throwing at me, and that’s Randy Orton. They want Randy to come back so that I can get RKO’ed because I keep sticking my business in the men’s business. ‘Rhea Ripley keeps hitting the men, they can’t hit her back.’ They can hit me back. They just choose not to. You know why? Because they know their place, they know their role, and they know Mami’s always on top.”

Ripley and Edge have a built-in storyline based on their Judgment Day history if they ever faced off against each other. The same applies to Mysterio, given his son Dominik is part of the faction, and Rey and Ripley interacted several times before WrestleMania 39. But with intergender wrestling incredibly infrequent in WWE, Ripley’s dream of having these matches probably won’t become a reality.

WWE SmackDown results 09/15/23: The Rock returns, John Cena left speechless

As if John Cena on WWE SmackDown wasn’t enough, rumors of another legend making an appearance are swirling today.

Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown from Denver was already slated to have several performers for whom the audience will go nuts to see live. John Cena is one, as he’s going to be a guest on “The Grayson Waller Effect,” where he hopefully will put the obnoxious host in his place and/or set up a match for Fastlane.

Another is the man of the moment in WWE — and a person to whom Cena recently gave his stamp of approval — LA Knight. The Megastar will be in a rematch with The Miz, who just can’t seem to let go of the idea that Knight is bigger than he is right now.

Those two men will get great crowd reactions, to be sure. But you know who would really make the freaking roof blow off Ball Arena (and leave my beloved Denver Nuggets homeless for the start of the upcoming NBA season, but hey)?

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, that’s who.

You might have seen that Mr. Johnson was back in WWE news thanks to his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he claimed a match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 was “locked” … until it wasn’t. He also left the door very wide open for having that match next year instead at WrestleMania 40.

But that’s not all. Here’s what Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp posted just before 5 p.m. ET.

So we’re definitely not saying The Rock will be on SmackDown tonight, but it does feel like there’s a better chance of that happening than in any episode i approximately forever.

(Also worth noting: McAfee’s show was on location today in Boulder, so the logistics for getting the two of them on SmackDown are about as easy as they could be other than already being in the show’s host city.)

There are also some other intriguing matches on the card, including Asuka vs. Bayley and AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor. But let’s be real: You want to see if Cena and The Rock are going to be on the same show and bask in the nostalgia if they are.

We’ll find out together starting now.

WWE SmackDown results from Denver:

(scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Pat McAfee kicks off the show, but it’s The Rock who is the big attraction

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  • Finn Balor def. AJ Styles by pinfall, thanks to assistance from The Judgment Day … and Jimmy Uso
  • McAfee and The Rock laugh about what they did to Theory, before The Rock turns and finds himself face to face with John Cena, who welcomes him home and hugs him
  • Jimmy Uso tells Balor they’re even now, but Finn tries to recruit him to join The Judgment Day, reminding him there are no leaders in the group; Paul Heyman shows up at the end with a questioning look on his face
  • The LWO is in the ring together, and when Santos Escobar asks Rey Mysterio for a title opportunity, he quickly accepts; Bobby Lashley comes out with the Street Profits to mock the LWO “lovefest,” and pretty soon we have ourselves a tag team match
  • Street Profits def. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro by pinfall in what is basically a squash
  • Match Flo takes us back through the beef between The Miz and LA Knight, which leads us to …
  • LA Knight def. The Miz by pinfall, insisting he’s coming for gold …
  • … but backstage, Paul Heyman has to talk Solo Sikoa out of going after Knight and remind him that he needs to focus on the trouble Jimmy is stirring up; Sikoa says he already knows what he has to do and will end it tonight, leaving Heyman flabbergasted and calling Roman Reigns
  • Elton Prince of Pretty Deadly says he’s a shell of the man he was before Ridge Holland injured him, and Adam Pearce wants to know why he’s in a wheelchair if his shoulder is hurt; Kit Wilson inspires Prince to do a big “YES BOY” and the duo insists they’ll be back soon
  • Bayley hopes IYO SKY is ready for Asuka, but Dakota Kai asks her if she’s ready for Asuka
  • Asuka def. Bayley by pinfall after another scare from Shotzi
  • The Grayson Waller Effect welcomes John Cena, but things escalate when Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and eventually, AJ Styles get involved

WWE Payback 2023 results: The Judgment Day rises, Seth Rollins prevails in Pittsburgh

Get full WWE Payback 2023 results from Pittsburgh, including a title changing hands and a new addition to the Raw roster.

While there certainly is, ahem, other pro wrestling news being discussed today, WWE will do its best to take back the attention of the industry with Payback from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Yes, there are no Roman Reigns/Bloodline matches on this card, making it feel somewhat lesser, but this feels like a show where the efforts of the wrestlers themselves can make it shine.

That’s definitely true of the World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. Rollins has spoken often about wanting to be the kind of champion who inspires through his work effort, and a matchup with the King of Strong Style certainly gives him the chance to prove it.

Making their meeting even more interesting is the way Shinsuke has introduced Seth’s real life back issues into his pre-match mind games. It’s not often we see the uber-confident Rollins thrown off his game, which will make his eventual triumph (if that’s what happens) that much more compelling.

The dynamic between Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley is a lot less subtle and easier to understand right away. Raquel Rodriguez has been the one woman in all of WWE able to stand up to Ripley physically, making her a straightforward challenge. Can Mami pass this test and maintain her dominance?

With only six total matches on the Payback card, there’s room for some surprises. Could Damian Priest cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase? Might John Cena, ostensibly in Pittsburgh to host the show, end up in a match? These are all things we’re anxious to find out.

WWE Payback 2023 results:

(click on any match with a link for full details)

  • Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus by pinfall in a Steel Cage match, and things get even worse afterward for Trish as Zoey Stark has enough of her and hits Stratus with the Z-360
  • John Cena makes his appearance and says his job as host is to make the night special by being the guest referee … for The Miz vs. LA Knight; Miz is upset, so Cena asks him for advice as host but still is sticking to his idea
  • LA Knight def. The Miz by pinfall with John Cena as special guest referee
  • Rey Mysterio def. Austin Theory by pinfall to retain the United States Championship
  • Cathy Kelley tries to talk to Lynch backstage when Tiffany Stratton approaches her with some cheerful insults
  • Damian Priest and Finn Balor def. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn by pinfall in a Steel City Street Fight to become the new Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions
  • The Grayson Waller Effect welcomes Cody Rhodes for a big announcement, and he gives it to him: Rhodes got Jey Uso on the Raw roster; naturally Jey Uso ends up superkicking Waller
  • Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez by pinfall to retain the Women’s World Championship
  • Cena interviews Balor and Priest, who say when they’re on the same page, no one can stop The Judgment Day
  • Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

WWE Payback 2023 predictions: Who will prevail in Pittsburgh?

What will WWE Payback give the fans on hand in Pittsburgh? We take our best guess with predictions for every match.

Considering that the name of WWE’s upcoming premium live event in Pittsburgh is Payback, there’s a shocking lack of overall revenge on this year’s card. Oh sure, there are superstars on the card looking to get back at their opponents for attacks or slights over the last few weeks, but it’s not like this is a show bursting at the seems with big rematches.

There’s also notably no Roman Reigns or Bloodline matches scheduled, but there are championships at stake. The men’s tag team titles, Women’s World Championship and United States Championship will all be defended at PPG Paints Arena.

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention that Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura will get a chance to shine in what presumably will be the night’s main event. It’s not a spot they’re always in (particularly Shinsuke), so it’ll be interesting to see if they step up to the challenge.

So what do we think will happen in each bout? Scroll down to see our predictions for Pittsburgh.

WWE SmackDown results 09/01/23: John Cena is back, Jimmy Uso’s loyalties still in question

WWE SmackDown in Hershey ended without solid answers on where Jimmy Uso fits into the Bloodline going forward.

Are you a little bummed out because WWE is between big premium live events right now and Payback isn’t really floating your boat? Maybe you’re feeling a bit blah since the Bloodline hasn’t been appearing as often? If that’s the case, maybe a WWE SmackDown from the wrestler the company now seems to be officially pushing as the Greatest of All Time will help.

You’ve probably heard before now since WWE has been making a big deal of it, but John Cena will be on hand tonight from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. He hasn’t wrestled since SummerSlam, and probably won’t tonight, but the buzz is that he will be sticking around for a bit this time (and definitely will be taking part in the India show later this month).

Could Cena find himself in the middle of something that leads to a match — maybe even one this weekend at Payback? That’s one reason this show is worth watching.

Another is that the Bloodline saga seems like it might be roaring back to life after taking a brief break the last two weeks. Specifically, Jimmy Uso will be in the house to give his two cents on what’s been going through his head since Jey Uso gave his famous “Deuces, Uces!” line. It’s hard to see that not being interesting.

And the night wouldn’t be complete without a Megastar, so we’re getting one of those too. LA Knight is set to go one-on-one with The Miz tomorrow night at Payback, but both men will be in Hershey to get the final word before their match. Also they might throw hands, you never know.

Hit the trumpets, here we go.

WWE SmackDown results from Hershey:

(scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • John Cena’s return is interrupted by Jimmy Uso, and after they say what they think about each other, Cena ends up hitting Jimmy with an Attitude Adjustment
  • Grayson Waller and Austin Theory laugh about Cena and brag about how they’re about to beat Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar
  • Jimmy Uso threatens a poor staffer or intern or someone bckstage
  • Austin Theory and Grayson Waller def. Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar by pinfall
  • Adam Pearce dresses down Jimmy Uso for his behavior and apologizes to Michin as they were having a conversation first
  • AJ Styles agrees that the way Jimmy Uso disrespected Michin was not OK, even if the Good Brothers are less receptive
  • Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are coming for everything
  • Perhaps foreshadowing something, Lashley and the Profits are still on their way out and give Kevin Owns and Sami Zayn some mock applause on their way in
  • Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn def. Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde by pinfall
  • Styles steps to Jimmy Uso backstage, but then Solo Sikoa arrives to throw his muscle into the situation and floors AJ; Solo tells Jimmy he is only out of the Bloodline when he’s told he’s out, but Jimmy responds that no one can tell him what to do, and it looks like he’s out of there for the night
  •  A fired up Styles wants Sikoa tonight, and while the Good Brothers try to talk him out of it, he’s got his mind made up
  • The Miz and LA Knight go at each other pretty hard verbally, then end things with a bit of violence
  • Shotzi def. Bayley by pinfall, with an assist going to Charlotte Flair
  • A hype video is shown for the Seth Rollins-Shinsuke Nakamura title match at Payback
  • Solo Sikoa def. AJ Styles by pinfall, though Solo is in no mood to celebrate Jimmy Uso’s help, and Jimmy beats up on AJ to end the show

WWE SmackDown preview 09/01/23: John Cena returns, Jimmy Uso speaks

Hershey can also expect to see Jimmy Uso as the Bloodline saga cranks back up on WWE SmackDown this week.

There are sooooooo many “you can’t see me” puns we could make here, but we’re skipping all of them since we’re excited that John Cena is making his return to WWE SmackDown tonight in the home of chocolate, Hershey, Pa.

Cena quietly bowed back out to resume his film and TV career after losing to Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 back in the spring. He’s strictly a part-time attraction at this point given his Hollywood success — hey, he was in the most successful movie so far this year, “Barbie.”

But perhaps the most intriguing thing about this particular Cena appearance is that he’s already been promoted for WWE’s upcoming show in India and could be around for more than that. There’s even buzz about him being involved at Payback tomorrow night, so you’ll definitely want to be watching to see how he figures into SmackDown tonight.

Another superstar making a return, albeit from a much shorter absence, is Jimmy Uso. We’ve now had a break of several weeks (for several reasons) from the most recent plot advancement in the story of the Bloodline, which is unusual, to say the least. That ends in Hershey, as Jimmy Uso should have something to say about brother Jey giving the whole company the deuces and what else is going on with his family.

Oh yeah, this is a wrestling show, so there’s some of that as well. Grayson Waller tried his best to sow dissension between Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar, but so far he’s had no luck. Maybe he’ll have more luck with a more hands on approach, as he teams with Austin Theory to take on the two LWO teammates.

That and more should make this trip to Hershey a sweet one. We said we’d avoid Cena puns, not puns altogether. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET, and you can catch it as always in the U.S. on FOX.

WWE SmackDown preview 08/25/23: SKY vs. Vega, Bray Wyatt tribute

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown is said to have a “significant tribute element” for the late Bray Wyatt.

The stunning, unexpected death of Bray Wyatt this week has tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown in Lousiville in a state of flux. Some of what was initially promoted for the show now appears to be off, including a segment with the return of Jimmy Uso.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful says there is expected to be a “significant tribute element” for Wyatt.

Two matches look like they are still on tap for tonight. One will see IYO SKY make her first televised defense of the WWE Women’s Championship against Zelina Vega.

The other match that remains on for now pits Vega’s LWO teammate, Rey Mysterio, against Grayson Waller. Mysterio’s United States Championship is not on the line, but the two men have an ongoing issue that goes beyond the title.

It’s possible that WWE will release additional information about what to expect from the Wyatt tribute elements, and we’ll update this post with more information if and when it comes in. What’s sure to be an emotional WWE SmackDown takes place at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.