Tag: WWE Smackdown

Opening Bell: WWE prepares for Extreme Rules, Dynamite going to OT

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, Oct. 3, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

With Extreme Rules beckoning at the end of the week, WWE is pulling out all the stops to drum up that final interest. To wit, there’s a ton advertised for Monday’s Raw in Minnesota — more than usual, for sure.

It’s almost a requirement to have a contract signing for the last Raw before a premium live event, and Bianca Belair and Bayley will have theirs in St. Paul. The champ has been doing a good job of preventing Bayley from living in her head, but will have to stay strong this week ahead of their Ladder Match.

Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins have a feud that’s even more “on sight” than Belair and Bayley, but they’ll also have their face-to-face confrontation on Raw. Because they can’t keep from throwing down when they’re together, WWE says if either man makes contact with each other on Raw, they’re out of their Extreme Rules Fight Pit match. So it’ll be words, not fists, supposedly. And how will the news that UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier is refereeing that match get worked into the mix?

Also on tap for Raw this week:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Oct. 5, Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington D.C.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that’s been revealed about this week’s Dynamite is that it will go an extra 15 minutes. That implies something big, or at the very least a pretty stacked show.

We already know one of the matches will see MJF take on Wheeler Yuta. These two have been going at it since MJF’s return, and though hardly anyone can hang with the self-professed Devil on the mic, Yuta can certainly give him a full night’s work in the ring. Alas, one gets the feeling that The Firm will bail MJF out if he runs into too much trouble.

Another big bout will see Daniel Garcia tag with his idol, Bryan Danielson, to face Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. Garcia has been wavering for a while on his Jericho Appreciation Society membership, and after the American Dragon invited him to jump to the Blackpool Combat Club, this could be the chance for him to make a clean break. But you know “The Ocho” will have something to say about that before it’s all said and done in this battle of teams featuring two ROH champions.

Here’s what else has already been promoted for Dynamite:

  • Darby Allin takes on Jay Lethal, who’s promised to leave his entourage behind this time around
  • Luchasaurus will be in action
  • The Acclaimed will get everyone to help celebrate National Scissoring Day, because everybody loves The Acclaimed

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Oct. 7, DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.

‘Twas the night before Extreme Rules, and it also happens to be the episode that WWE is promoting as the season premiere of SmackDown. So it’s being headlined by a very big match indeed: the rematch between champion Gunther and challenger Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship. These two tore the house down the first time around, so fans are pumped for round two.

Solo Sikoa will be in action on Friday as well, taking on Ricochet. Sikoa’s friendship with Sami Zayn has been one of the most pleasant surprises on recent WWE programming, so you can bet Sami will likely be on hand to support Solo for this one.

And because it’s never too early to start promoting the next big premium live event (and because the Tribal Chief isn’t working Extreme Rules), Roman Reigns and Logan Paul will go face to face. Crown Jewel is only a few weeks away, after all.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Oct. 7, Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington D.C.

It’s two shows in three nights for AEW this week in the nation’s capital, with both of them live. Rampage has a special bonus feature this week too: Battle of the Belts IV will take place live immediately after it at 11:00 p.m. ET. That special is expected to have multiple title matches, with the one announced featuring Pac defending his All-Atlantic Championship against Trent Beretta.

As for Rampage proper, we know the Dark Order’s 10 will face off against Andrade El Idolo with some surprisingly big stakes. If 10 loses, he forfeits his mask, but if he wins, Andrade has to leave AEW. Expect Dynamite to add some more spice to this card as well.

WWE SmackDown results: Solo and Sami are the wrestling buddies we never knew we needed

Get complete WWE SmackDown results for the September 30, 2022 episode from Winnipeg, including Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa teaming up.

Before we get into WWE SmackDown, we want to send our love and support for everyone affected by Hurricane Ian. It’s been reported that the storm might have an affect on tonight’s show, as talent in the Orlando area was told they don’t need to be on hand, and understandably so. But life is so much more important than wrestling, and we hope for the best for all who have suffered from the hurricane.

As for the broadcast, what caught our eye the most was wrestling’s favorite odd couple, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn, teaming against Ricochet and Madcap Moss. One of the real pleasures of the Bloodline saga over these past few months has been the way Sami interacts with each member differently, and the no nonsense Sikoa bonding with him has been unexpectedly terrific. We can’t wait to see what they do tonight.

Two other matches have also been advertised. Shotzi, the rare WWE wrestler who hasn’t had her other name restored since Triple H ascended to head of creative, will take on Bayley. Will she get enough help to fend off inevitable shenanigans from the rest of Damage CTRL? And more importantly, will they finally let her drive the tank?

Hit Row will also be in action against Los Lotharios. We still haven’t quite forgiven Hit Row completely from running through our favorite SmackDown tag team, Maximum Male Models, but we’ll grudgingly admit they’re pretty great in their own right. Plus we remain fascinated by whether Top Dolla will ever hit the dive to the floor he’s always teasing.

So there you go, Winnipeg. Even if not everyone who was planned for the show will be there, it still sounds like a fun night. Make sure to either tune in on FOX or bookmark this page as we’ll update it with the latest WWE SmackDown results as they happen.

All hail the Bloodline: SmackDown pulls in most viewers since 2020

SmackDown found the winning formula for high viewership this past Friday.

Whether it’s a sign of fans happy with the Triple H regime in charge of creative, excitement over the current story with Roman Reigns and the Bloodline or curiosity about the White Rabbit teases and a potential Bray Wyatt return — or more likely, some combination of all of those factors — WWE found the winning formula for SmackDown this past Friday.

As reported by numerous sources, SmackDown pulled in 2.535 million viewers this past Friday, Sept. 23, averaged over the full two hours. That’s the highest viewership number for the show since Dec. 25, 2020, when the audience topped 3 million viewers.

In the all important 18-49 demo, the most recent SmackDown finished with a 0.63 rating, tops on TV for all of Friday night and its best number since the Friday before the Royal Rumble. Whatever fans are gravitating to at the moment, it’s working.

It’s worth noting that Reigns being advertised for the show ahead of time was an obvious plus, seeing as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is working less TV these days. His storyline with the Bloodline, which has now grown to include recently promoted Solo Sikoa and “Honorary Uce” Sami Zayn, feels like it has found new energy in recent weeks, coinciding with the new creative team.

It was also a good night for pro wrestling in general, as AEW Rampage also saw an increase on Friday. The second part of AEW Grand Slam, recorded on Sept. 21 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, averaged 522,000 viewers on TNT. That was Rampage’s highest viewership since April.

Both companies will be glad to get some viewership increases on Friday nights considering how sports affect their shows on other evenings. Monday Night Football is back in full swing and always drags down Raw during the NFL season. Meanwhile, the NBA and NHL will also return to action in the coming weeks, which could draw eyeballs away from and cause occasional schedule changes for Dynamite (and sometimes Rampage, in AEW’s case).

For the time being, though, the ratings numbers are certainly good news, and show that WWE is doing something right. The end of the year is traditionally not its strongest time until the Rumble gets closer, so it could be a stronger than normal fourth quarter as far as interest goes, and that’s a good thing for everyone.

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Opening Bell: Riddle takes on The Judgment Day, AEW rolls into Philly

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, Sept. 26, Rogers Place, Edmonton

Matt Riddle, you may have bitten off more than you can chew.

Just about everyone who has tangled with The Judgment Day has come to regret it, though arguably none more than Rey Mysterio since he lost his son to the group. Nevertheless, Riddle has gotten tangled up with Judgment Day business during his own ongoing vendetta against Seth Rollins, and will try to make the best of it Monday night by defeating Damian Priest.

The trick, of course, is dealing with the rest of the group. He may not even have Rey to back him up since the elder Mysterio has his own match with Rollins to worry about.

Also on tap for this week’s show in Edmonton:

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, Sept. 28, The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia

The Forbidden Door isn’t closed. No sir, as Jon Moxley is about to find out this week on Dynamite, it still is open a crack every now and then, and you never know who might walk through it.

In this case, it’s NJPW’s Juice Robinson, showing up in Philly for an AEW World Championship Eliminator. And while we don’t usually like these “beat the champ to get a shot at the champ’s title” bouts, we’ll make an exception for Rock Hard in this case.

AEW is also promoting these segments for Dynamite:

  • Saraya will speak, following her dramatic debut at Grand Slam.
  • The Jericho Appreciation Society will hold a championship celebration after the seemingly unlikely Chris Jericho ROH World Championship victory … and maybe say something about fellow ROH champ Daniel Garcia too.
  • MJF will be on the show to stir the pot again, probably.

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, Sept. 30, Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg

WWE continues its tour of the North by hitting Winnipeg for SmackDown on Friday night. If you watched any college or NFL football this past weekend, you no doubt heard Michael Cole’s voice on promos advertising a few matches already set for this show.

Most notably, new BFFs Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn will team to face Madcap Moss and Ricochet. The latter duo was only trying to warn Sami about his inevitable heartbreaking betrayal by the Bloodline, but Solo wasn’t trying to hear that talk and gave them a good thrashing.

Two other matches have also already been revealed for SmackDown in Winnipeg:

  • Shotzi, perhaps finally driving her cool tank again, will nonetheless be the underdog when she faces Bayley.
  • After being publicly disrespected by Los Lotharios during their watch party last week, Hit Row will get a chance at some payback.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, Sept. 30, The Liacouras Center, Philadelphia (recorded on Sept. 28)

AEW has actually been doing a nice job of teasing some Rampage matches a week in advance, but that wasn’t the case this time out thanks to Grand Slam being a bigger than normal deal in its own right (and expanding to two hours just for last week).

So surprise! We may know more as we get closer, and certainly by the time Dynamite is on some matches will be revealed before they are taped later Wednesday night, but this show is a question mark for the time being.

WWE SmackDown results: Will the real White Rabbit please stand up?

Get complete WWE SmackDown results for the September 23, 2022 episode from Salt Lake City, including an appearance by Roman Reigns.

So maybe you’ve heard about this White Rabbit thing, eh? The last clues hinted at something happening on 9/23, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s the date for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown from Salt Lake City.

Will it be the re-debut of Bray Wyatt? Does it instead have something to do with Karrion Kross, who’s gone by that moniker in the past? We don’t know yet, but we might by the end of the night.

But enough about the White Rabbit, let’s talk about what WWE has actually talked about. We’ll start with that guy who is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. He’s going to be on hand in Salt Lake City, probably asking for people to acknowledge him. Reigns is likely to address his latest challenger, Logan Paul, who will be facing him at Crown Jewel in November.

Other members of The Bloodline will also be busy on this particular Friday (and not Sami Zayn, though he’s sure to be around too). The Usos are also undisputed champs, and they will put their tag team gold up for grabs against the Brawling Brutes. Ridge Holland and Butch are hot right now, but can they possibly unseat the Usos at the top of the tag team mountain?

Braun Strowman has been back in WWE for a few weeks, but not in an official match just yet. That changes on this episode of SmackDown, as he’ll step in against Otis of Alpha Academy. Two meaty men slapping meat? We should say so.

And yeah, maybe Wyatt will also show up. If not, at least WWE got to sell some t-shirts from all this. The only ways to find out are to tune in live on FOX, or to check in on a recap post of some sort. Maybe like this one right here that’ll have live WWE SmackDown results updated throughout the night. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

WWE SmackDown results: Logan Paul hits the big time

Check out complete WWE SmackDown results for the September 16, 2022 episode from Anaheim, including new No. 1 tag team contenders.

Hey you! Yes, you. Want to see someone go from having two career WWE matches to getting a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship? You might if you watch WWE SmackDown from Anaheim tonight.

OK, we’re getting just a tad ahead of ourselves. Here’s what we know: Logan Paul is going to appear on tonight’s show, and has teased a “massive announcement.” Credible sources have reported that WWE has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow where it will reveal the main event for Crown Jewel in November, and that the main event will be Paul vs. Roman Reigns.

So put two and two together and … yeah.

Now, granted, it could be a non-title match. For WWE storyline purposes, that might even make sense, as Paul has really done nothing to earn a shot at the most prestigious prize in all of pro wrestling, and two matches definitely don’t tend to give on that opportunity in real life.

But who knows? We’ll all find out together tonight on FOX.

There’s more that’s been advertised as well. A Fatal 4-Way will decide which tag team is the No. 1 contender for The Usos. Raquel Rodriguez will go one-on-one with Bayley, and Ricochet will face off against honorary Bloodline member Sami Zayn.

Let’s be real, though, the Paul thing is the big deal, and if it turns out to be true, kind of crazy. Well, crazy any other year than this one, maybe. It’s been quite the ride in pro wrestling in 2022 and it’s not over yet.

Assuming you’re tuning in tonight, you’ll know what’s gone down as soon as we do. If not, please consider bookmarking this page and checking back throughout the night as we update it with the latest WWE SmackDown results as they happen.

WWE SmackDown results in 60 seconds:

  • “What if I land that one lucky shot?” Logan Paul wants to know if Roman Reigns will come to a press conference he’s called tomorrow, and raises the notion of him challenging Roman Reigns to a title match
  • Ricochet vs. Sami Zayn

WWE SmackDown results: Fatal 5-Way to find a contender for Liv

Get WWE SmackDown results for the September 9, 2022 episode from Seattle, with a Fatal 5-Way to determine a contender for Liv Morgan.

What do you do when you have a champion but no one who is the official top contender? Make people get in the ring and fight for the honor, of course. WWE SmackDown will do that tonight at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, with five women competing to determine who will be next to challenge Liv Morgan for her SmackDown Women’s Championship.

That match will be elimination style and feature Sonya Deville, Natalya, Xia Li and a returning Lacey Evans. The fifth competitor is someone who might legitimately feel she has a claim to challenging Liv without going through all this, Ronda Rousey. Can Ronda emerge from the chaos of a Fatal 5-Way?

Speaking of chaos, Braun Strowman arrived on Raw and immediately started sowing some of it. He told the world he’d be headed for SmackDown later in the week, and reports suggest this is the show he’ll call home going forward. Will the Monster Among Men settle in as a top dog on the blue brand?

There’s some tension in tag team land as well, with Maximum Male Models joining forces with Los Lotharios to make life difficult for Hit Row. Fortunately, they got the best possible backup in the form of the Street Profits, and all these teams will collide in an eight-man tag team match in Seattle.

Can’t watch as the action takes place on FOX? That’s why we’re here, delivering hot and tasty WWE SmackDown results with no delivery fee. Bookmark this page and check back throughout the night for the latest.

Pat McAfee to step back from SmackDown to take College GameDay role

Even Pat McAfee, one of the busiest people in sports and entertainment, can’t do it all.

Even though it seems like Pat McAfee can do anything at times, it seems even he has his limits.

The WWE SmackDown announcer (and occasional wrestler), host of  “The Pat McAfee Show” and former NFL punter announced today that he was going to leave his role as color commentator on Friday nights next to Michael Cole due to his new gig on ESPN’s College GameDay.

Media outlets, including the New York Post, reported Tuesday that McAfee had agreed to join College GameDay full time. Those stories indicated that he planned on continuing his WWE role and his daily YouTube show.

“The original thought for me was I could do SmackDown and GameDay,” McAfee said on his show earlier today. But he said WWE told him that traveling back and forth from one show to the other (GameDay airs on Saturday mornings) wouldn’t be good for his health, his family or “anything.” and would welcome him back when the time was right.

“So SmackDown will be on hold for a little bit while I do College GameDay,” McAfee said. “I’m still very much in the WWE family.”

Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted his support for McAfee’s career move as well.

McAfee’s first work with WWE came as a guest commentator for NXT TakeOver shows in 2018, and he joined SmackDown in a full time capacity in April 2021. He’s been a fixture on the Friday night show ever since, providing an enthusiastic, fan-like perspective to Cole’s more straightforward play-by-play persona.

McAfee has also competed in WWE events five times, beginning with a loss to Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver XXX in August 2020. His most recent in-ring appearance came just a few months ago at SummerSlam, where he defeated Happy Corbin.

WWE Smackdown quick results: Drew McIntyre ruins Bloodline celebration

Check out WWE SmackDown results for the September 2, 2022 episode, including a celebration of the two-year title run of Roman Reigns.

Before there can be a Clash, there must be a final Smack … Down.

OK that wasn’t a great lede, we realize. But look, we’re already looking forward to WWE Clash at the Castle, and we’re sure lots of fans are too. SmackDown isn’t even live this week, given the travel involved to Wales, so this week’s episode was taped after last Friday’s live show in Pittsburgh. The results have been out there in spoilers posts for a while.

So while we’re not going to do the usual full-court press on this one, we are going to recap what happened, at least in bullet points. Don’t forget: If you’re a fan in the U.S., Clash at the Castle starts early for you on Saturday: 1:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 a.m. PT.

WWE SmackDown results in 60 seconds:

  • Viking Raiders def. The New Day by pinfall in a Viking Rules match, which features a miniature Viking longship, a hammer that looked like a unicorn version of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, multiple tables and lots more
  • The Usos, and specifically Jey Uso, are concerned that Paul Heyman isn’t on hand for the celebration of Roman Reigns’ two-year anniversary as Universal Champion, but Sami Zayn assures them he has it
  • Liv Morgan interrupts Shayna Baszler with a bold claim that she’ll rip Shayna’s arm off
  • Karrion Kross promises a moment for Drew Gulak tonight that will haunt him for the rest of his life
  • “Ronda Rousey, I call you the single biggest bitch I ever met.” Adam Pearce, distraught that Ronda Rousey’s suspension is over, goes off on her, and she isn’t about to let that go without getting physical in return
  • Hit Row def. Maximum Male Models by pinfall to spoil MMM’s in-ring debut
  • Los Lotharios joins Maximum Male Models in a post-match assault, but the Street Profits quickly even the odds and clear the ring
  • Happy Corbin makes an open challenge … and is somewhat dismayed to see Shinsuke Nakamura answer it
  • Shinsuke Nakamura def. Happy Corbin by pinfall
  • A distraught Corbin is picked up by a limo with horns on it … JBL telling him to get in?
  • Butch def. Ludwig Kaiser by pinfall
  • Sami thinks they should wait for Roman Reigns before starting the celebration, but The Usos assure him they should go out and introduce the Big Uce so the spotlight is all on him when he arrives
  • When Reigns arrives, Drew McIntyre is waiting for him with a Claymore, and he goes on to crush the entire Bloodline before letting Reigns know the same fate awaits him in Cardiff