Posted on 8/09/125 by Bob Magee
– SmackDown opened with a recap of the SummerSlam Sunday
main event between Cody Rhodes and John Cena, as well as the
Brock Lesnar return after the match.
John Cena opens SmackDown
We didn’t waste any time as John Cena opened SmackDown, with
his usual babyface entrance back in full force after
SummerSlam. The Montreal crowd responded with a loud cheer
for Cena as he addressed the camera, telling Stu the
Cameraman “let’s go to work” before he ran down to the ring,
full of vigour.
Ring announcer Mark Nash did the introduction for Cena, but
added that the “Last Real Champion” was here to celebrate
with all the fans.
“Man, we have come a long way,” began Cena. He said for the
longest time, WWE was afraid to come to Montreal because
they thought the audience would hijack the show. Cena said
that he wasn’t afraid of that possibility because he knew
that the audience was the show. If we watched at home, we
could see the crowd go and wish we were there. Cena noted
that the Montreal crowd was so loud that he could barely
hear himself talk.
For the crew in the back, Cena said that it could get scary
if the crowd started singing. “Some performers might get
scared,” but Cena said that he might’ve been afraid, but the
crowd helped him through it by letting him embrace and enjoy
every single second. He said that it didn’t last forever,
unfortunately, as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Cena”.
He said that he’s been coming here for over two decades, and
that he had shared many valuable moments in this ring, and
that all he had to say was: thank you. Cena reminded the
crowd that after tonight, he has 11 dates left before
retirement. Cena admitted that every time a day goes by, he
gets more and more afraid, and he thanked everyone for that.
Cena said that no matter how much he gave to the crowd in
the little amount of time left, that it wouldn’t be enough.
Cena continued by saying that he was also afraid that after
he was gone and WWE moved on without him, he’d be forgotten
as a result. Cena finally addressed Brock Lesnar, stating
that there’d be no universe ever that he’d back down against
Lesnar’s challenge.
Cena said that he’s afraid that Brock Lesnar has just gotten
a “John Cena problem”, and that everyone in the locker room
has also got themselves a “John Cena problem”. Cena declared
that he was ready to go down guns blazing, because the last
time was now. “If you want some, come get some!” challenged
Cena.
The music of Logan Paul heralded the arrival of the so-
called YouTube influencer to the ring. As the crowd booed,
Paul said that this version of John Cena made him sick. Paul
noted how he once respected Cena, but no longer as he
“switched up” in his eyes.
As Paul entered the ring, Cena told him that he might’ve
made the biggest mistake of his life. Paul claimed that the
people didn’t know who John Cena was, and that he did WWE
better than any professional wrestler. Cena responded by
calling Paul the “biggest dumbass he had ever seen in his
life”.
Paul called Cena a liar as he wanted to face him in a match,
if Cena was in the mood for giving matches. Paul said that
we would see this match in a beautiful French-speaking
country… Paris, France. As Paul rambled on, Drew McIntyre
snuck up on Cena and helped Paul ambush him. Cody Rhodes ran
in to make the save to help Cena clear the ring of Paul and
McIntyre.
Cena accepted Paul’s challenge for Clash in Paris, but it
was clear that Paul and McIntyre wanted a fight. He then
threw down the challenge for Paul and McIntyre to take him
on and Rhodes for a tag match tonight. “The Champ is Here!”
declared Cena, referring to our new Undisputed WWE Champion
in the form of Cody Rhodes.
A rather interesting opening segment that seemed more
centered on Cena’s final goodbye than directly addressing
the Brock Lesnar/SummerSlam fallout, as well as giving us a
match for Clash in Paris with Cena vs. Paul. The promo
itself was back to a usual Cena babyface one, and it’s
honestly good to hear it again, because Cena is a natural at
these types of promos as opposed to the ones we got during
his recently-wrapped heel run.
**********
– The Motor City Machine Gunes were asked backstage about
their chances against Talla Tonga and J.C. Mateo of the
M.F.T.s. They said that their road to the top began with
this match.
– Rhodes/Cena vs. Paul/McIntyre was made official for later
tonight.
The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs.
Talla Tonga & J.C. Mateo (w/ Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga)
Mateo and Shelley opened the match as the two traded offense
until Shelley and Sabin used a double team attack to floor
Mateo and send him to the outside. Sabin took down Mateo
with a five-hole suicide dive as the MCMGs did a number on
Talla Tonga.
Tama Tonga got on the apron, which caused a distraction and
gave Talla the time to pick Sabin off the apron and throw
him into the barricade, which sent us to a break in the
action.
We returned to the match as Talla had Shelley locked in a
bearhug before he slammed the tag veteran to the mat.
Shelley found a way to create separation as he elbowed Mateo
before he got the tag on Sabin.
Sabin attempted to take down Mateo, but had to hit multiple
superkicks before he did the job with a springboard DDT for
a near-fall. The Machine Guns then attempted a double team
on Mateo as they took Talla down from the apron. This gave
Mateo time to recover and slam down Sabin. The cover, but
Shelley broke it up.
A double superkick from Sabin and Shelley stunned Mateo, but
Talla got involved and prevented the Skull and Bones with a
boot to Shelley on the top rope. He then chokeslammed Sabin
to pick up the victory for the M.F.T.s.
Talla Tonga & J.C. Mateo def. Motor City Machine Guns via
pinfall
An okay match. Nothing really much to say, but does seem to
set up Talla and J.C. as challengers for the Wyatt Sicks.
Not sure what that will look like, but it’s at least worth
keeping an eye on.
**********
After the match, Solo Sikoa got on the microphone and
declared that he and his M.F.T.s were what greatness looked
like. He said that we were looking at the soon-to-be WWE Tag
Team Champions and the most dominant United States Champion.
Sikoa said he was feeling good and ready for a fight, but
the problem is that nobody was wanted to fight him. He said
that this was the last place that he wanted to fight so he
was ready to celebrate.
SmackDown GM Nick Aldis interrupted him and that he found
someone who was also ready for a fight. That someone being a
person that Sikoa knew all too well and one that Montreal
knew well. Sami Zayn then entered to a raucous ovation from
the hometown crowd.
Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn
The match officially kicked off after a commercial break as
Zayn and Sikoa stared down one another across the ring. The
crowd broke out in an “ole ole ole” singalong as this was
happening. Zayn and Sikoa finally locked horns in the middle
of the ring as the latter forced his opponent into the
corner. Sikoa tried to beg off Zayn by throwing up the
Bloodline ones, but got a slap in the face for his troubles.
Zayn responded with punches in the corner before Sikoa
regained control with a running shoulder block. The United
States Champion chopped at Zayn in the corner before he
struck with some punches of his own. Zayn escaped and once
again hammered away at Sikoa in the corner. Zayn sent Sikoa
to the outside with a clothesline and sized him up for a
dive. He soared over the top rope with a dive that took down
Sikoa, but soon found himself surrounded by the M.F.T.s by
the commentary table.
In the ring, Sikoa provided a distraction, which allowed
Tama Tonga to hit Zayn with a clothesline from the apron,
which took us to a break in the action.
We came back from the break with Zayn connecting on a sunset
flip powerbomb to Sikoa from the top rope for a close near-
fall. Zayn followed that up by attempting to lift Sikoa up,
but to no avail. An attempted Blue Thunder Bomb was met by a
Spinning Solo from the United States Champion. One, two…
Zayn just managed to kick out.
Sikoa sized Zayn up for a Samoan Spike, but Zayn got a boot
up and threw him in the corner for an Exploder Suplex. Zayn
locked in and looked like he was about to hit a Helluva
Kick, but Tama Tonga provided the distraction. Another
Exploder was followed by an attempted Helluva Kick, but J.C.
Mateo this time provided a distraction. Talla Tonga got up
on the apron and faced off with a defiant Zayn, but this
opened him up for a superkick from Sikoa. The U.S. Champion
looked to have this won with a Samoan Spike, but Zayn turned
that around and got the surprise rollup pinfall win to a
huge ovation from the hometown crowd. Zayn immediately
rolled out of the ring to avoid an M.F.T. beatdown as Sikoa
looked stunned at losing in such shocking fashion.
Sami Zayn def. Solo Sikoa via pinfall
This was a nice little match, and Sami getting the hometown
hero win was a good change of pace.
**********
– We got a promo from the Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy said that
the Sicks would never lead us astray, and that when they
spoke, they only spoke the truth. The Sicks said they woke
the SmackDown tag division up to their true reality. This
was clear that this was about something bigger than the Tag
Titles, and that there were more lessons to be learned.
– Backstage, the Street Profits and #DIY got into an
argument, with Tommasso Ciampa calling the Profits a bunch
of “motherkillers” for what happened to Candice LeRae. The
bickering continued until Nick Aldis interrupted. He said
that the TLC match didn’t keep everyone in check, but that
would start next week with #DIY vs. the Profits next week on
SmackDown.
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair’s Championship Celebration
The new WWE Women’s Tag Champions had themselves a
Championship Celebration, which happened to fall on Bliss’s
birthday. In the ring, was a cake that said “Congratulations
Charlotte! – Alexa”, which Flair tried to pass off as a
birthday gift to Bliss.
Flair said that if Bliss and her were tag partners, then
Lilly the doll needed a tag partner of her own. Flair then
unveiled “Charlie”, a doll that looked quite similar to
Lilly. Bliss thanked Flair for the appreciation, but it
wasn’t enough. Flair said that she needed something and
Montreal needed something. And that something was a hug.
Bliss said she didn’t know if that was necessary, but Flair
beckoned her partner to give her a hug.
Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice interrupted before we
got a hug. Green said that while she was a proud Canadian,
seeing the Montreal crowd cheer for Bliss and Flair made her
want to turn her passport in. She dissed the Montreal
Canadiens and then said that the we should be celebrating
her homecoming instead.
Flair said that she had one more gift for Bliss: kicking
Chelsea Green’s ass tonight. As Green tried to back away,
Nick Aldis appeared with a referee who wore a bowtie. The
referee was apparently a “birthday gift” for Bliss as Aldis
then made Flair vs. Green official, and we’d see that match
after the break.
– Backstage, Carmelo Hayes tried to pay a visit to Nick
Aldis, but was met by The Miz instead. Hayes was upset that
Miz ignored him for two months and he wanted to get a shot
at the United Staes Championship. Miz said that he
supposedly got a tag team match for him and Hayes next week.
Hayes tentatively agreed and left. Nick Aldis appeared and
it was clear that Miz had not spoken to to the SmackDown GM
about this supposed tag match.
Charlotte Flair vs. Chelsea Green
Flair had the advantage early on as she forced Green out of
the ring for the time being. Green got the upper hand in the
ring with a boot to the face. Green then slammed Flair’s
face on the turnbuckle, but got countered and hit with a
chop to the face.
On the apron, Flair fended off Alba Fyre and Piper Niven
before she took the top rope and hit a diving crossbody for
the near-fall. The Secret Hervice provided a momentary
distraction, that didn’t provide any sort of advantage for
Green. A rollup attempt by Flair was turned into a moment of
opportunity for Green as she pushed her into the middle
turnbuckle. That took us into an oddly-placed ad break.
We returned to the match and we found out that the birthday
cake from the birthday celebration for Bliss was placed
outside the ring while the match was in progress.
Flair blased Green with chops followed by a walkover
clothesline and a high-angle German suplex on the Canadian.
Flair then connected with Natural Selection, but Green
kicked out at two. As Flair tried to run at Green, she was
met with a big boot. Flair quickly recovered and tried to
head up top. Green stunned Flair and landed a superplex for
the close near-fall. A flustered Green motioned to the
Secret Hervice to bring the birthday cake to her, as Fyre
and Niven slid it into the ring.
On the outside, Bliss took out both members of the Secret
Hervice with a dive. In the ring, Green set Flair up for a
Un-Pretty-Her on the cake, but Flair reversed it and
delivered an Un-Pretty-Her of her own on Green instead. In
the end, Flair made Green submit to the Figure Eight for the
win.
Charlotte Flair def. Chelsea Green via submission
A fun little segment and an entertaining match afterwards
with a funny finish to the proceedings.
**********
– Tiffany Stratton was interviewed about what was next for
her. She said that she’d just keep on doing what she had
been doing for the past 216 days. Jade Cargill interrupted
and promised that it’d be different next time she and
Stratton faced off. Stratton said that it’d be a different
story, but with the same ending: her winning out. As
Stratton left, Cargill was confronted by Kiana James and
Giulia. Cargill said that she’d go after Giulia’s Women’s
U.S. Title on her own time. Finally, Michin showed up and
offered to help Cargill out against Giulia and Kiana.
– We got a video from Aleister Black, where he said that he
was granted the power to use violence to stop a greater
violence being committed. Black said that he is an eye for
an limb and and an eye for a life kind of guy. Black took
credit for giving Damian Priest a hairline fraction in his
jaw following his attack on last week’s SmackDown.
– John Cena was walking backstage and was met by Ron
Killings/R-Truth, who seemed happy that the “real” Cena was
back. Cena played along and acted like Truth had turned heel
for the past five months and only since turned back face.
Cena gave Truth an appreciative pat before he walked off for
our main event up next.
Cody Rhodes & John Cena vs. Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre
Rhodes and Paul started off our main event with a tie up in
the middle of the ring, as Rhodes took him down with a
running shoulder block. Paul responded with a standing
headlock that he failed to keep on as Rhodes fought back
with his signature drop down slap to the face. After a
suplex, Rhodes tried to tag Cena, but Paul rolled him up and
dragged the Undisputed WWE Champion back to the his corner
as McIntyre tagged into the match.
McIntyre failed to get any momentum as Rhodes slammed him
with a running powerslam. Meanwhile, Paul ran a distraction,
which gave McIntyre the chance to blast Rhodes with the
Glasgow Kiss headbutt. In the ring, McIntyre provided a
distraction of his own as Paul hit Rhodes with a clothesline
at ringside, which took us to the final ad break of the
night with about 7 minutes to 10:00pm.
We returned to our main event with McIntyre attempting to
prevent Rhodes from making the tag to Cena. Rhodes managed
to create some needed separation as he avoided a shoulder
charge from McIntyre, which sent the Scotsman crashing into
the corner. This allowed Cena to get the hot tag as he
unleashed his Five Moves of Doom on legal man Paul. The
Montreal crowd was on fire as Cena delivered the Five
Knuckle Shuffle, followed by the Attitude Adjustment.
McIntyre made the save by breaking up the pin. McIntyre
tried to target Cena for a Claymore Kick, but Rhodes
intervened.
In the ring, Cena was hit by a low blow from Paul to cause
the DQ finish. After the match, Paul and Cena brawled to the
back while Rhodes and McIntyre continued to mix it up at
ringside. The fight took a turn as McIntyre smacked Rhodes
across the face with the Undisputed WWE Championship. With
the Champion prone next to the edge of the commentary table,
McIntyre delivered a particularly vicious Claymore Kick that
managed to break the bottom of the commentary table entirely
to end our night.
Cody Rhodes & John Cena def. Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre via
Disqualification
**********
Kind of a hard reset of sorts, particularly with the past
five months for John Cena as he abruptly turned back face.
Main event was fine, and the post-match extracurriculars set
up the already-announced Cena vs. Paul match and a presumed
Undisputed WWE Championship match (and presumably writing
Cody Rhodes off until Clash in Paris so he can film Street
Fighter).
All in all, an average SmackDown at best.