Tag: WWE Smackdown

WWE announces full week of L.A. events for WrestleMania 39

If you’re in L.A. for WrestleMania 39, you’ll be able to attend six WWE events over four nights if you hustle.

When WrestleMania 39 hits Los Angeles next year, it won’t be the only event WWE is holding in Hollywood that week.

WWE revealed today its full schedule of shows for L.A. around WrestleMania 39, which will include an NXT premium live event, the annual Hall of Fame ceremony and episodes of Raw and SmackDown, all taking place at Crypto.com arena.

The slate from the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Kings looks like this:

  • Friday, March 31: SmackDown/2023 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
  • Saturday, April 1: NXT Stand and Deliver
  • Monday, April 3: Raw

WrestleMania itself takes place over two nights as has been the recent norm, on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 from Sofi Stadium. That means both NXT and the first night of Mania will take place on Saturday, suggesting an early afternoon start for Stand and Deliver.

Claiming so much of the available time from Friday through Monday helps WWE assure it keeps as much of the spotlight on itself as possible during WrestleMania weekend. In years past, a number of smaller promotions have tended to descend on WrestleMania’s host city to put on their own shows, which is great for fans of pro wrestling writ large but not as optimal for WWE.

Fans interested in attending all three Crypto.com shows will have the opportunity to purchases special combo tickets beginning Monday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. PT on AXS.com. Individual tickets for SmackDown/WWE Hall of Fame, NXT Stand and Deliver and Raw will go on sale Friday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. PT.

Opening Bell: Crown Jewel approaches, All-Atlantic 3-way on Dynamite

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, October 31, American Airlines Center, Dallas

Happy Halloween, everyone! As WWE prepares to head overseas for Crown Jewel (and some of its talent is already in Europe for house shows in the meantime), there’s still some business to attend to first. Fans in Dallas should prepare to acknowledge the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, as he will be on hand. While he’s tried to get the Bloodline on the same page in recent weeks, there are still some cracks in the group’s foundation? Can he get them repaired before he faces Logan Paul?

Brock Lesnar is also being advertised for this week’s show. The Beast Incarnate has a big showdown with Bobby Lashley awaiting him in Saudi Arabia, and while the two men have already traded blows, Lesnar may have a a chance to get in the final word before Saturday.

Here’s what else WWE has in store for Halloween night on Raw:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, November 2, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore

Dynamite returns to Baltimore this week with not one, not two, but three title matches. Orange Cassidy finally won his first AEW singles gold by claiming the All-Atlantic Championship, but he’ll have to work hard to keep it (which isn’t really his style) in a three-way dance with two very different opponents, Luchasaurus and Rey Fenix.

Chris Jericho has vowed to take out anything to do with ROH, including past champions, so he’ll put the ROH World Championship on the line against a mystery former champ. And Jade Cargill will try to fend off a familiar challenger for her TBS Championship in the form of Marina Shafir.

Plus AEW has promoted more for this week’s Dynamite, including:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, November 4, Enterprise Center, St. Louis (recorded on October 28)

Yep, this episode of SmackDown was pre-taped last week because talent and crew members need to be in Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel on Saturday. That means that spoilers for exactly what happens on this show are already out there on the internet.

If you’d rather be surprised by outcomes but still want to know what to expect on SmackDown, keep reading:

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AEW Rampage preview – Friday, November 4, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City

In a bit of role reversal, it’ll be a live episode of Rampage following a pre-taped SmackDown instead of the other way around. The most notable name on the show might not even be one of the wrestlers, as boxing legend Mike Tyson (who has worked with AEW before) is set to join the announce team.

In terms of matches, all we know for sure is that whoever emerges from the three-way dance on Dynamite with the All-Atlantic Championship can pick a dream opponent for Friday night. If that’s Cassidy, it will be a busy week for Freshly Squeezed, which might not be something he’d prefer. We’ll find out Wednesday night.

WWE SmackDown results: Reluctant Ronda Rousey accepts open challenge

Get full WWE SmackDown results for the October 28, 2022 episode from St. Louis, featuring an appearance from Roman Reigns.

WWE fans know Ronda Rousey isn’t afraid of anyone. She doesn’t go by the title of Baddest Woman on the Planet for nothing. But as she made it clear last week, the SmackDown Women’s Champion doesn’t feel like she has to do things just because previous champs did them, and she definitely isn’t about to do things just because the fans want to see them.

So it sounds like Rousey will accept an open challenge tonight, but only on her terms. And if rumors are correct, the person who comes down the ramp just might be someone she doesn’t expect, someone who hasn’t been on SmackDown for quite some time.

The other big thing in store for tonight’s episode from St. Louis is an appearance from the Tribal Chief. Last Friday, he gave instructions to Jey Uso (through Honorary Uce Sami Zayn, because of course) not to mess with Logan Paul. Jey disobeyed and paid the price, getting laid out with the “one lucky shot” that he hopes to land on Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel.

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But that was only one symptom of the dysfunction that’s been spreading through the Bloodline in recent weeks, something that Paul is clearly banking on helping him in Saudi Arabia. Can Reigns restore some decorum within his faction before things get even more out of control? We may learn more on that front on Friday night.

There’s also every chance that Bray Wyatt will show up, given that SmackDown is his home now. Will the masked figure who everyone believed to be called Uncle Howdy make another appearance to mess with Wyatt some more?

That and more are in store for St. Louis. As a public service announcement, don’t forget that SmackDown is on FS1 tonight because FOX is showing Game 1 of the World Series. If you can’t watch live, be sure to bookmark this page and check back throughout the night as we update it with the latest WWE SmackDown results.

Bray Wyatt as SmackDown’s top face makes all the sense in the world

Go ahead and cheer Bray Wyatt, as WWE knows you want to.

Bray Wyatt is good at being bad. But fans want to cheer him right now, and WWE appears ready to lean into that on SmackDown.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported today that “WWE has internally slotted Bray Wyatt as the top babyface for the Smackdown brand,” which is an acknowledgement that fans are going to give him good guy reactions after the excitement around his return. Johnson says Drew McIntyre is listed as the No. 2 face for SmackDown.

Wyatt had been a heel for the large majority of his previous WWE run, both as the leader of the Wyatt Family and later as The Fiend. The most notable exception was when he formed a tag team with Matt Hardy after helping him at WrestleMania 34, though their partnership lasted only a few months.

Big returns almost inevitably lead to face reactions from fans, though WWE has plenty of experience doing immediate pivots to get crowds to boo wrestlers right after their comebacks. That could certainly have been the case with Wyatt as well, but there will be an inherent intrigue to allowing him to continue to be cheered that should be fun to see play out.

On top of that, Johnson reported that Wyatt has been “the company’s top merchandise seller in recent weeks,” and that’s an easier trend to maintain for a face than a heel. WWE has capitalized smartly on Wyatt’s return in that area, even offering White Rabbit t-shirts before he appeared in person at Extreme Rules.

Now the question is who Wyatt will face off against in his first real program on SmackDown. It appears the masked figure who many believe will be revealed as Uncle Howdy (a name WWE has trademarked) will continue to torment Wyatt, but whether it ends up being someone else behind the mask or another aspect of Bray’s famously conflicted personality remains to be seen.

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Opening Bell: Bianca, Bayley at it again on Raw, Mox back to work on Dynamite

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, October 24, Spectrum Center, Charlotte

It’s perhaps only fitting that this week’s Raw is from the Queen City, as two of its hottest stars continue their feud to determine who will rule as Raw Women’s Champion. Bayley would like that title to prove that Damage CTRL has complete control over the women’s division, but Bianca Belair has proven to be resilient even as she’s seen her allies fade away. Bayley couldn’t get the job done at Extreme Rules, so might this be her last shot at Belair for a while if she loses?

The Judgment Day is another faction that has run roughshod over Raw in recent months, but AJ Styles summoning The O.C. to aid him in his fight might have been the first step toward changing that status quo. One of this week’s matches might hold a clue, as Karl Anderson goes one-on-one with Finn Balor. Then again, things rarely stay that way when The Judgment Day is involved …

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, October 26, Chartway Arena, Norfolk, VA

Dynamite is back on its normal night this week, and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley is right back to work. After his title defense last week had to be stopped early due to an unfortunate injury to Hangman Adam Page, Mox is undoubtedly itching to return to action, and he’ll get his chance this week by defending his gold against Penta El Zero M.

Another match with significant championship implications will see FTR take on Swerve In Our Glory for the right to be the No. 1 contenders to The Acclaimed. Will FTR get a chance to add another set of titles to their haul, or will Swerve and Keith Lee earn an opportunity to avenge their own championship defeat?

Also on the card for Norfolk:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, October 28, Enterprise Center, St. Louis

The Tribal Chief doesn’t have to appear on TV every week since he has the Bloodline to watch over his domain. But there have been fractures forming within his wrestling family, ones that his Crown Jewel opponent, Logan Paul, attempted to widen last week before knocking out Jey Uso.

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With that in mind, Roman Reigns will be in the house in St. Louis, attempting to get his own house in order. Can he settle things down within the Bloodline before he defends his titles in Saudi Arabia?

Speaking of the Bloodline, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn have proven to be a tight and cohesive duo. They’ll look to show those qualities off again against the Brawling Brutes team of Butch and Ridge Holland, who should be plenty fired up after the Bloodline laid a beating on Sheamus.

And Hit Row has a new problem in the form of Legado Del Fantasma. Even worse, they’re outnumbered, so will have to find a partner to engage LDF in six-man combat on SmackDown.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, October 28, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Rampage is live again this week, which has been happening more often this fall as next week’s show is also live. With that being the case, it’s a bit surprising that AEW hasn’t revealed any matches yet for Uncasville, but you can bet that will change by Wednesday. Watch Dynamite or read our recap here on Wrestling Junkie to see what the company is cooking up for the end of the week.

WWE SmackDown results: Logan Paul wants to stir up more Bloodline internal strife

Get full WWE SmackDown results for the October 21, 2022 episode from Toledo, including a women’s tag team title match.

Toledo, get ready to welcome the challenger to the Tribal Chief. Logan Paul is back this week on SmackDown, ahead of his showdown with Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel. WWE is pushing the idea that perhaps Paul can capitalize on the cracks forming in the foundation of the Bloodline to gain some sort of mental upper hand. We’ll see if that’s what he decides to do tonight.

Liv Morgan is another superstar whose current state of mind is a bit unknown. Morgan proved she could push herself to new places even in defeat in her Extreme Rules match against Ronda Rousey, but she seems to have been stuck in that same place ever since, taking ever bigger risks. She’ll take on Sonya Deville again in Toledo, and it’ll be interesting to see if she tries to top putting Deville through a table.

The biggest match on the card for this particular Friday should be the Women’s Tag Team Championship bout. Damage CTRL won the titles by defeating Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah, but Aliyah has been out with injury for a bit now. Rodriguez is still looking to win the belts back, but she now has Shotzi as a partner. Will that improve her chances of reclaiming the gold?

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Bray Wyatt, as he’s appearing only on SmackDown for now. Last week, Wyatt offered a very personal speech that seemed to come straight from the heart, only to be interrupted by a masked figure on the Tron that everyone assumed was Wyatt. Is Bray about to have a feud with … himself?

It sounds like another intriguing episode of SmackDown, and definitely worth tuning in live on FOX. If you can’t, just bookmark this page and check back throughout the night as we’ll update it with the latest WWE SmackDown results.

Opening Bell: AEW gold on the line on Tuesday, Brock returns to Raw

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, October 17, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City

What does Brock Lesnar want? That’s a valid question after the Beast Incarnate showed up unexpectedly on Raw last week and destroyed Bobby Lashley. We should get more insight into what he’s got his sights set on now when he appears live this week in OKC.

The beneficiary of Lesnar’s attack was Seth Rollins, who defeated an injured Lashley to become the new United States Champion. He’ll get little time to enjoy it, however, as he has to defend it against heated rival Matt Riddle on Raw.

Dexter Lumis has popped up more than once without warning to torment The Miz, despite not having a WWE contract. That could change after Raw, as the two men will finally go head to head in an official match, with Lumis earning a deal if he wins.

Also scheduled for this week’s episode of Raw:

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AEW Dynamite preview – Tuesday, October 18, Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati

The MLB Playoffs have claimed TBS for this Wednesday evening, so Dynamite is taking over Tuesday night instead. And it’s from the hometown of AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, but he’s not going to have a restful stay at home considering he’s defending his title against Hangman Adam Page.

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But wait, that’s only the first of four, yes four, championship matches scheduled for Dynamite. In what should be a respectful yet fierce encounter, Toni Storm puts her AEW Women’s World Championship on the line against Hikaru Shida. The Ocho, Chris Jericho, will try to fend off a ROH World Championship challenge from Dalton Castle. And the Trios titles will also be up for grabs as Death Triangle defends against Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.

Phew. That is a loaded card, and we’ll also hear from MJF. Fans definitely won’t want to forget Dynamite is on a different night this week.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, October 21, Huntington Center, Toledo, OH

Maybe Ohio is the pro wrestling center of the world for this week, as SmackDown heads to Toledo. We already know there will be a championship match on the card, as the Damage CTRL duo of Dakota Kai and IYO SKY tries to retain their titles against Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez.

A former champion will also be in action, as Liv Morgan faces off with Sonya Deville. Liv’s Extreme Rules confrontation with Ronda Rousey seems to have changed her for good, but is it a change for the better?

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Logan Paul is also scheduled to appear on SmackDown, plus it would be strange if Bray Wyatt didn’t show up as well.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, October 21, Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, FL

Rampage is back in the spiritual home of AEW, Daily’s Place, with a couple of matches already announced. Hook is a man of few words, but he’ll try to let his actions speak for themselves as he defends his FTW Championship against Ari Daivari following Daivari’s unsuccessful attempt to simply buy the title from its holder.

And 10 of the Dark Order has been the subject of numerous recruiting efforts from Jose The Assistant. He’ll try to end them for good by battling Rush, because if 10 wins, Jose must leave him alone going forward.

WWE SmackDown results: Bray Wyatt appears, a big Fatal 4-Way looms

Get full WWE SmackDown results for the October 14, 2022 episode from New Orleans, including an appearance by Bray Wyatt.

Now that Bray Wyatt is back in a big way, what does he have planned next? That’s one of the big questions WWE is leaning into heavily for tonight’s episode of SmackDown, which comes to us from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (one of our favorites names for a sports venue anywhere).

Wyatt made a dramatic return in the closing moments of Extreme Rules, paying off the White Rabbit teases that had been circulating through WWE shows and social media for weeks. He also introduced human versions of his former Firefly Fun House puppet friends, but all they got to do that first night was lurk mysteriously around different parts of the arena.

Will we be more formally introduced to the Wyatt 6 tonight? That’s sure to be a matter of intense interest for many fans.

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Of course, the whole show isn’t about Bray. WWE has promoted several intriguing matches for SmackDown, including a potentially wild Fatal 4-Way to determine a No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship currently held by Gunther. Sheamus, Ricochet, Karrion Kross and Solo Sikoa will all do battle for that honor on Friday night.

Sikoa won’t be the only member of the Bloodline in action. The “Honorary Uce,” Sami Zayn, will test his mettle against Kofi Kingston. And while LA Knight has reclaimed his old identity, he still has unfinished business with Maximum Male Models, as evidenced by his matchup with månsôör (yes, we had to copy/paste that in to get all the punctuation marks correct) on this week’s card.

So yes, Wyatt for sure, but a whole lot more on top of that. The crowd in NOLA should be excited for this one, as are we to watch at home. If you can’t tune in live on FOX, please bookmark this page as we’ll update it with the latest WWE SmackDown results as they happen.

Don’t look for Bray Wyatt to show up on Raw

Looks like it will be videos and teases on Mondays and live appearances on Fridays for Bray Wyatt.

This week’s Raw season premiere had its best ratings since the NFL season began, perhaps partially because fans tuned in to see if Bray Wyatt would show up after his red hot return at Extreme Rules. There was a video from the White Rabbit, imploring us to “revel in what you are,” but Wyatt was not actually in the house live.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, that’s likely to continue to be the case on Monday nights:

Going forward, Bray Wyatt is currently only slated for appearances on the Smackdown brand, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

While it would be great to see Wyatt on both shows — and hope springs eternal for a definitive end to WWE’s brand split — the truth is that it makes sense to focus him on one. SmackDown has a bigger weekly audience thanks to it airing on FOX, so keeping him as an attraction on Friday nights makes sense.

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Raw can still be used to promote Wyatt’s appearances there, as it was this week. Not only was the White Rabbit video played, but a promo card flat out told viewers to watch for him on SmackDown, and the latest viral tease included the numbers “10 14 22,” the date for this week’s show.

That doesn’t mean that Wyatt will never show up on Mondays either, as WWE has been pretty relaxed about floating talent between the two programs when it makes sense to do so to advance certain storylines. Sami Zayn is a good current example; Zayn is technically a member of the SmackDown roster, but has popped up on Raw a number of times over the past few months thanks to his ongoing saga with the Bloodline.

Raw is getting some new blood as well, with Johnson reporting that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson will settle in as part of that show. The Good Brothers made their WWE return this Monday after more than two years away, arriving to back up AJ Styles in his ongoing battle with The Judgment Day.

Opening Bell: DX reunion on Raw’s season premiere, Dynamite goes North

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, October 10, Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Where Brooklyn at? Probably at Barclays Center for the season premiere of Raw. WWE is going hard on the nostalgia front for this one, promoting a DX 25th anniversary reunion that’ll have everyone you know and love except for one blonde guy you may remember who works for another company. But more on Daddy Ass in a bit.

(Also, it’s been 25 years since D-Generation X first hit the scene? Wow.)

Roman Reigns and the Bloodline will also be on hand, because you can’t have a season premiere without your top star. Or you shouldn’t, anyway. With Extreme Rules in the rear view mirror, where Reigns wasn’t booked anyway, he can turn his full attention to Logan Paul, who he’ll face at Crown Jewel in just a few weeks.

Also on the schedule for Raw from Brooklyn:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, October 12, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto

There are few guarantees in pro wrestling or life in general, but for something that is as close to a sure thing as possible, consider the AEW Dynamite debut in Toronto this week and how hot the crowd will be. While numerous people have suggested AEW has perhaps run some eastern and midwest U.S. markets too often, this should be a very live show considering how fans have clamored for the company to do a Canadian swing.

We know a bit about what is planned for Dynamite too. Chris Jericho will put his status as “The Ocho” on the line by defending his ROH World Championship against Bryan Danielson. Jericho will get home country love, but the American Dragon is over everywhere, so this should be a very fun encounter particularly in Toronto.

Billy Gunn, the one DX member who is not invited to the Raw reunion, will have his hands full anyway as he takes on Swerve Strickland. Considering Swerve won’t stay out of the tag team champs’ business, you can bet The Acclaimed will probably arrive for this one as well.

And a former friendship turned sour will be showcased when “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry faces Luchasaurus. The one-time tag team champions were bound to collide when the dinosaur man sided with Christian Cage, making this match as inevitable as Thanos.

Wait, that’s not all (said in infomercial voice)! Orange Cassidy still hasn’t won AEW gold, but he’ll get another chance when he faces Pac again for the All-Atlantic Championship. So this is definitely a worthy debut show all told.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, October 14, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

As is normal when we’re at the beginning of a week, we only have a small snippet of what will happen this Friday on SmackDown in NOLA. Sami Zayn, the Honorary Uce, will take on Kofi Kingston in a match that spun out of things that went down on last week’s show. Can he prove to Jey Uso that he has things under control when left to his own devices?

Also, LA Knight is back! In the latest example of trying to kill something you’ve created. In this case, he’ll be attempting to put his Max Dupri persona behind him when he battles Mansoor of the Maximum Male Models.

Oh yeah, and maybe that Bray Wyatt fellow everyone seems to be talking about will make an appearance on SmackDown …

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, October 14, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto (taped on October 13)

This week’s Rampage is an unusual one: It’s not live, but it’s also not being recorded after Dynamite on Wednesday night. Instead, it will be taped during a separate show in Toronto on Thursday evening.

We’re not sure of any matches definitively set for Rampage, but as is typically the case, we should know at least two by the end of Dynamite.