Latest news with #CodyRhodes
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
WWE: Backstage updates on plans for SummerSlam PLE 2025
(Image via X/@WWE) After Nights of Champion and Evolution 2 PLE, WWE is back with another edition of SummerSlam Premium Live Event for the year 2025, adding much excitement and thrill amongst the fans and in the WWE Universe. Following WrestleMania 41, this will be the only event hosted for two consecutive days. According to WWE, SummerSlam PLE 2025 is scheduled to take place on August 2-3, 2025. The 38th edition of the show will emanate live from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Backstage reports on SummerSlam PLE 2025 As the SummerSlam 2025 PLE is just a few weeks away from happening, backstage reports have emerged recentl related to the much anticipated event. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the two-night WWE SummerSlam premium live event (PLE) was initially set to feature John Cena facing Cody Rhodes as the main event for night two, with discussions about an undecided stipulation at that time. The report further stated that Gunther was scheduled to compete against CM Punk on night one, which would have concluded with Seth Rollins cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. But, following Seth Rollins' injury at the Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME), his appearance in the event remains questionable. In addition to this, the announced matches from the planned lineup till now only include the Women's World Championship Match, Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena, Gunther vs. CM Punk, Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill, Randy Orton and Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul, Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu for the United States Championship in a Steel Cage Match, and Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria replacing Bayley. Updated lineup for WWE SummerSlam 2025 WWE has recently confirmed the detailed match card for the upcoming SummerSlam. Here's in detail of the confirmed lineup till the writing of this report for the WWE Premium Live Event: John Cena (c) vs Cody Rhodes - WWE Undisputed Championship Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Jade Cargill - WWE Women's Championship Gunther (c) vs CM Punk - World Heavyweight Championship Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker Dominik Mysterio vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Intercontinental Championship Also Read : What is the real reason behind Solo Sikoa's car crash that led to his arrest? | WWE News - Times of India Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed A TLC match with SmackDown tag teams including Street Profits, Motor City Machine Guns, Wyatts, DIY, Fraxiom, and Angel and Berto Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu- United States Championship title Naomi (c) vs Iyo Sky vs Rhea Ripley - Women's World Championship Becky Lynch (c) vs Lyra Valkyria - Women's Intercontinental Championship Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I think John Cena is signing away the WWE title to Cody Rhodes
SmackDown airs tonight (July 18) with a live show emanating from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. This is the first episode of SmackDown during the three week build towards SummerSlam, which takes place on the weekend of August 2 & 3. WWE Champion John Cena and Cody Rhodes are both under one roof tonight, this time for a contract signing to make their title match official at SummerSlam. Cena has lost several steps and can't really rely on his own skills to beat Rhodes. At WrestleMania 41, he needed Cody's hesitation and an assist from rapper Travis Scott to win the top prize in WWE. At least one of those elements is off the board for SummerSlam because Cody has learned from his dumbass mistake and won't hesitate again. That's exactly what Randy Orton pointed out when he said Cody showed no hesitation in targeting his vulnerable back to win the King of the Ring tournament. Cena will need to come up with a good plan for beating Rhodes again that goes beyond Travis Scott. It sure would help if the Final Boss showed up to throw his power around, but that guy ditched WWE and this story almost as soon as it began. During their promos in the build to WrestleMania, Cena point-blank told Cody how he planned to beat him, and his words came true. Will Cena be bold enough tonight to reveal his latest plan for beating Rhodes again at SummerSlam? Or is John essentially signing the WWE title away to Rhodes when he puts pen to paper on that contract? Most importantly, will Finn Balor crash the segment and sign his name on the contract to get a chance for revenge on Cena for stealing his SummerSlam title match back in 2021? Tune into SmackDown tonight to see how John Cena plans to beat Cody Rhodes a second time as they make their SummerSlam match official. - Naomi is now on the Raw roster after cashing in her Money in the Bank contract on IYO SKY at Evolution. Does that mean the path is clear for Jade Cargill and WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton to fight each other at SummerSlam with no outside parties getting involved? Or does someone like Nia Jax plan to insert herself into their business? - Jacob Fatu is coming after United States Champion Solo Sikoa and his MFTs. Will the Samoan Werewolf have to go through Tala Tonga before he gets a rematch with Sikoa? - Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss came up short in their quest to win the WWE women's tag team titles at Evolution. Is this the part where the Allies of Convenience have some outside-the-ring bonding segments like Daniel Bryan and Kane did in order to grow stronger as a unit? - Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre find themselves caught up in WWE's celebrity angle for SummerSlam. Does Drew have an update on how YouTube douchebag Logan Paul is doing after Jelly Roll chokeslammed him through Jimmy Kimmel's desk earlier this week? Will Orton show up to the ring wearing an RK-Roll shirt? - The rest of the SmackDown tag team division is terrified now that the Wyatt Sicks are the new WWE tag team champions. Will Uncle Howdy explain how this is part of his grand plan to take over WWE? Will the new team of Rey Fenix and Andrade continue to steer clear of the Wyatts while they work their way up the ranks? - Carmelo Hayes is going nowhere fast in WWE. Where's The Miz when you really need him? - Aleister Black laid out Damian Priest last week after being embarrassed in a loss against Ron Killings. Does Aleister need to find a henchman to help him deal with these guys going forward? - LA Knight can't really settle his business with the Paul Heyman Guys on SmackDown. Will Heyman show up tonight for another talk with LA, this time focusing on Seth Rollins' mysterious injury? - Women's United States Champion Giulia is still waiting for her first title defense. Who will her first unlucky victim be? - Where the f*** is Shinsuke Nakamura? What will you be looking for on SmackDown? More from Not everyone is marking out about Eva Marie's return Mansoor's Raw Debut was classic WWE Is this who caught Lilly's eye? Former WWE champs face off on (checks notes) Main Event Yes, Angel Garza shoved a rose up Drew Gulak's butt on Raw Raw recap & reactions: Flip the switch Flair already added to title match at WrestleMania Backlash EVA MARIE IS BACK
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE SmackDown results, highlights (July 18): Cody Rhodes, John Cena set for SummerSlam street fight
San Antonio was the host city for this week's episode of "WWE SmackDown," which served as a major building block as the promotion heads toward its next marquee show — the first two-night SummerSlam in WWE history. Let's jump right in! Legally, this wouldn't fly The night's biggest teased event closed the show, with a contract signing between Cody Rhodes and John Cena taking place, and you knew there were going to be shenanigans. Very early in the night, Rhodes asked to see the contract to review it — presumably to ensure some kind of stipulation was added without Cena knowing. As the show entered its final stages, Rhodes made his way to the ring, signed the contract and cut a very strong promo. All standard fare for the American Nightmare. Once it was Cena's turn to sign, the 17-time champion claimed he would not be competing at SummerSlam because he has a film obligation and is just emotionally drained. It was the most Cena that Cena has sounded in a WWE ring since his heel turn earlier this year, a subtle, but brilliant move to make you wonder if there was any truth to his excuse. As he rambled, Rhodes grew angry and unloaded on Cena, hitting him with the championship belt and then driving him through a table with a frog splash. Rhodes then signed the contract for Cena and revealed it would also be a street fight. I'm no lawyer, but if Cena wanted to mount a kayfabe legal defense, the added street fight stipulation and signing the contract under duress would more than likely allow for it to be thrown out. I'm not saying WWE should explore this angle, but it would be pretty fun and get some more heat on Cena as he tries to duck Rhodes. Either way, there are a two key takeaways here. First, Rhodes showed with his promo and by using the title to incapacitate Cena that he has overcome one of the flaws that cost him at WrestleMania 41. Second, making this a street fight significantly ups the ante from their aforementioned clash at WrestleMania. This segment worked very well and should be the last we see of these two together until SummerSlam in two weeks. 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 WWE has struck gold with the Alexa Bliss-Charlotte Flair pairing and, in turn, is rejuvenating the women's tag team division. The first in-ring action of the night came in the form of a Flair match against Raquel Rodriguez, which we learned beforehand would serve as a precursor for a championship match that was set for SummerSlam. Bliss and Roxanne Perez will flip things for a single match next week. The promo before the match worked, the shared Flair-Bliss entrance worked — with Bliss even coming close to breaking Flair in the ring — and there's a clear path forward for these titles and the division for the first time in a long time. Make no mistake, Bliss and Flair need to walk out of MetLife Stadium next month as champions and WWE should let these two run together as a team for an extended period. Could you imagine how funny it would be for these polar opposites to do things like try out each other's entrances? Think about Charlotte Flair with her own version of Lilly. Wrestling is supposed to be fun and creative at times, that's what this is. 🚘 Car crash of the night 🚘 OK, Riggs usually uses this for a high-impact clash in the ring, but SmackDown actually opened at the scene of a car crash involving the MFT and a mystery driver. It was implied later in the night that Jacob Fatu was behind the incident and he was taken away by aspiring pro wrestlers — ahem, police. All of this was to set up a segment later in the night where Solo Sikoa and the MFT cut a promo on Fatu, only to see him exonerated and then take out the whole group with the help of Jimmy Uso. After all of this transpired, Adam Pearce made a United States Championship match official for SummerSlam, pitting Fatu and Sikoa against one another in a steel cage. As good as that match will likely be, I can't help but wonder why we needed some contrived car crash segment to get to our destination. Fatu has a legitimate reason to be heated when it comes to Sikoa and MFT and him going after the group completely outnumbered works well with his character — this should not be overlooked, because it doesn't apply to everyone. Considering the star power and relative (pun intended) stakes in this ongoing feud, I also wonder how much this feud really needs a championship attached to it (more on this later). Tag chaos reigns supreme The best match of the night was the fatal 4-way tag match between Fraxiom, DIY, Motor City Machine Guns and Andrade and Rey Fenix. As the San Antonio audience chanted during the match, this was awesome and showcased the depth and intensity of the SmackDown tag team division. If you watch one thing from Friday's show, it should be this contest. So, why didn't this get the coveted Uncrowned Gem of the Night? Because it doesn't really matter, does it? Riggs has alluded to this in previous SmackDown recaps — WWE has booked itself into a corner with the Wyatt Sicks, especially as tag team champions. Andrade and Fenix were the winners on Friday and will get a title shot next week, that there's realistically no chance they win because it would bury the Wyatt Sicks. I understand the hype and the desire for the Wyatt Sicks to be this big thing — Bray Wyatt's legacy deserves to continue — but this just doesn't work and feels forced, especially in the SmackDown tag division. 🇺🇸 Stars and Straps 🇺🇸 Carmelo Hayes and Damian Priest put on an excellent TV match. When is the last time Priest has put on a bad match? I can't remember, with the point being he's as consistent of a performer as WWE has on its roster and he is able to mesh with a variety of archetypes, from Hayes to Gunther and everyone in between. Now, if you remember a little earlier in our recap, I hinted that the Fatu-Sikoa feud might not need the United States Championship. The reason for my belief there is firmly rooted in matches like this one and what we're going to inevitably see between Priest and Aleister Black. Black's turn continued on Friday as he attacked Priest during his match against Hayes. We're very clearly building to something bigger here, I can't help but wonder how much more impactful all of this would be with some gold attached to it. 🤷 IT HAPPENED 🤷 1. Stephanie Vaquer squashed Alba Fyre, maybe continuing a push toward a tag match alongside Nikki Bella at SummerSlam. With Vaquer locked into a championship opportunity after winning the battle royal at Evolution, this is a fine, brief detour for a few weeks. 2. We got a video package promotion Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill's WWE Women's Championship match at SummerSlam. It was a solid way to start an abbreviated build toward their showdown. Both women have such momentum behind them that this might be the hardest match for us would-be bookers to plan for August. 👑 The good certainly outweighed the bad as it's now full steam ahead toward SummerSlam. I give this show a Crown score of: 7/10. 👑
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
WWE SmackDown Full Results And Grades
John Cena and Cody Rhodes SummerSlam 2025 contract signing. WWE SmackDown advertised a contract signing between John Cena and Cody Rhodes ahead of their WWE Championship rematch at SummerSlam. SmackDown also advertised Jacob Fatu's return and Stephanie Vaquer in action. Last week's broadcast of SmackDown did 1.399 million viewers for July 11, 2025. WWE SmackDown Ratings And Viewership WWE SmackDown Results On July 18, 2025 WWE SmackDown Ticket Sales WWE SmackDown Highlights, Winners And Grades Charlotte Flair Def. Raquel Rodriguez SmackDown opened, not with the arrivals, but with a crime scene as there had been a car accident. San Antonio police were speaking with MFT as they were searching for answers. Backstage, Charlotte Flair begrudgingly asked her 'not-friend' Alexa Bliss to corner her against Raquel Rodriguez. The two will have a Women's Tag Team Championship match at SummerSlam. Roxanne Perez tried distracting Flair by jumping on the apron, but Flair barreled into Perez and sent her to the floor. Bliss took advantage of this distraction to hit Rodriguez with one of her pom-poms, helping Charlotte win. Backstage, San Antonio's finest wanted to speak with Jacob Fatu, a situation that he's familiar with. Damian Priest Def. Carmelo Hayes By DQ Carmelo Hayes came out of the brakes hot, but Damian Priest cut him off with a big boot before Priest even took his robe off. Carmelo Hayes shined throughout this match, like when he got the crowd riled up by (sarcastically) tuning up the band for Sweet Chin Music in homage to San Antonio's own Shawn Michaels. The more Joe Tessitore talked up the possibility of Carmelo scoring a 'signature upset,' the less I believed it was going to happen. A 'This is awesome' type match ended in disqualification when Aleister Black hit Damian Priest with the Black Mass two times. Carmelo backed down from Black as fans chanted 'You suck!' at Aleister. 'I heard you're looking for me,' said Black. Solo Sikoa Appears Live There was massive heat for Solo Sikoa, who spent his promo accusing Jacob Fatu of being guilty of SmackDown's car accident shenanigans. 'Once a criminal, always a criminal,' said Solo. Fans also gave Solo the 'What' treatment. Mid-promo, Fatu was shown as being released by the 'Punk-ass police,' as Fatu called them. He was accompanied by Jimmy Uso, who also jumped MFT from behind. Fatu and Jimmy hit four super kicks and an assisted cross body to finally knock Talla Tonga off his feet. Fatu obliterated Solo, but was cut off by JC Mateo before he could pillmanize him. Fatu beat down the MFTs with a steel chair. This brought out Adam Pearce, who announced a US Title match between Fatu and Solo at SummerSlam. To add incarceration to injury, Solo Sikoa was arrested. Stephanie Vaquer Def. Alba Fyre Stephanie Vaquer hit the Devil's Kiss early in the match, even though Tessitore told Wade Barrett not to get his hopes up. She then finished off Alba Fyre with an SVB in what was essentially a squash match. Vaquer fought off the Secret Hervice after the match and posed as the announcers talked up her future championship match at Clash in Paris. Andrade And Rey Fenix Def. MCMG, DIY And Fraxiom Rey Fenix was fully covered like Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc '97. This was a party match with every team taking turns getting their stuff in. Very entertaining, but fans treated this as more of a comedown match as John Cena and Cody Rhodes were on deck. Coming out of commercial break, Rey Fenix singlehandedly got this crowd into this match with an insane Lucha Libre comeback. Gargano misfired on a superkick on Ciampa. This opened the door for Fenix to fly to the outside with The Message on Gargano. Andrade picked up the win. If this wasn't a one-match rehabilitation mission for Fenix in WWE, it was close. I consider this an upset as it earned Fenix and Andrade a Tag Team Title match in Johnny Gargano's hometown of Cleveland, OH. Cody Rhodes And John Cena Contract Signing Cody Rhodes was slightly booed, but he still said 'I appreciate the reception," unironically. He noted his father and brother were Texans, and got huge pops. Cody said he did not flinch in a variety of trying situations, including when the Final Boss tried to use politics to steal his soul. Fans went wild for John Cena, dressed in a San Antonio Spurs-influenced t-shirt. Cena is still playing a heel. Cena insisted he will not be at SummerSlam since he is filming a big movie for Netflix in New York City. Cena is 'Emotionally exhausted,' and the Netflix team felt that he should not continue to exhaust himself. Fans were furious. Cena thanked the fans and said he appreciated their understanding. They booed the heel out of him as he attempted to leave the arena. Heel commentator Wade Barrett celebrated when babyface Cody Rhodes chased down Cena and attacked him. Cena quickly took control of Cody red socks and attempted to hit Cody with the title. Cody absconded the title and pulled the trigger, hitting Cena in the head with it. Cody hit a flying splash through the table and forced Cena to sign the contract to a huge pop. 'Check the fine print, it's not just a match for the title at SummerSlam. It's a Street Fight!' said Cody.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
WWE Friday Night Smackdown: UK start time and matches so far for July 18 2025
With SummerSlam in two weeks time, Cody Rhodes and John Cena sign their title contract on tonight's WWE Smackdown. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... John Cena and Cody Rhodes are set to meet ahead of their SummerSlam 2025 match on this evening's WWE Smackdown. The pair as set to sign the contract for the WWE Undisputed Championship - but will it be a simple signing or will shenanigans be afoot? Here's your preview for this evening's WWE Smackdown, UK start time and the current card for WWE SummerSlam 2025. It's little more than two weeks before one of the WWE's 'Big Four' PLEs takes place – and for the first time in history, WWE SummerSlam is taking place over two nights. The event, being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is already shaping up to have a cast of celebrities appear. Jelly Roll is set to team with Randy Orton against Logan Paul, who will tag with Drew McIntyre. Cardi B is also set to serve as the hostess of this year's event. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But it is the title matches that many people are keeping their eye on, especially in the case of CM Punk. Punk is set to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship after winning a gauntlet match on the past episode of WWE Raw. Seth Rollins, his nemesis, is sadly out injured after tweaking his knee during a match against LA Knight at Saturday Night's Main Event. Though we don't know the extent of the injury, as in a recent interview with Rich Eisen, Rollins admitted they didn't press on with an MRI scan as his knee was too swollen. Some of us are taking that at face value... but he is 'The Architect' after all, and as wrestling leans into what is reported in the real world at times, could Mr. Money in the Bank recover miraculously and cost CM Punk that coveted title? Sounds like it could be a very interesting road to Royal Rumble and WrestleMania next year for CM Punk and fans (including myself) if that is the case. But enough fantasy booking – here's your preview of what's been announced so far for WWE Smackdown this evening, UK start time, and your current WWE SummerSlam 2025 card. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad WWE Smackdown preview - July 18 2025 John Cena and Cody Rhodes comes face to face once again as they sign their contract for the WWE Undisputed Championship match at SummerSlam 2025. | WWE John Cena and Cody Rhodes sign their WWE Undisputed Title match contract for SummerSlam 2025 As of writing, the only announcement made for WWE Smackdown is a contract signing for SummerSlam 2025, but what a contract signing it is set to be. The WWE Undisputed champion, John Cena, will defend his title against the very person he 'stole' it from back at WrestleMania earlier this year - Cody Rhodes. Rhodes won the right to challenge Cena after winning the 2025 King of The Ring Tournament, and the WWE's quarterback will be looking to finally claim the coveted title he lost through less-than-fair methods. However, with Cena still hell bent on 'ruining' wrestling, could he have a trick up his sleeve at this year's two-night SummerSlam event? The Final Boss has been very conspicuous with his absence lately and SummerSlam is very much a 'Big 4' WWE event. What time is WWE Smackdown starting in the UK this evening? It's a late one once again for UK WWE fans, as this evening's episode is once again starting on Netflix from 1am BST on July 19 2025. For those who can't stay up late thought, on demand repeats will be available once the broadcast has concluded. What matches have been announced so far for WWE SummerSlam 2025? Alongside Cody Rhodes challenging John Cena for the WWE Undisputed Championship, SummerSlam will once again see celebrity involvement, as Jelly Roll is set to tag up with Randy Orton to take on Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad WWE SummerSlam 2025 - current matches announced Matches have yet to be determined to occur on Night 1 or Night 2 WWE Undisputed Championship : John Cena (c) v Cody Rhodes : John Cena (c) v Cody Rhodes WWE Women's Championship : Tiffany Stratton (c) v Jade Cargill : Tiffany Stratton (c) v Jade Cargill World Heavyweight Championship : Gunther (c) v CM Punk : Gunther (c) v CM Punk Women's World Championship : Naomi (c) v Rhea Ripley v IYO SKY : Naomi (c) v Rhea Ripley v IYO SKY WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship : Becky Lynch (c) v Lyra Valkyria : Becky Lynch (c) v Lyra Valkyria Randy Orton and Jelly Roll v Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul Will SummerSlam be the moment we get back 'Good Guy' John Cena, and could Cody Rhodes turn to the dark side to reclaim the title he fought for two years to finally finish his story? Make your predictions what's going to happen in the WWE Universe by leaving a comment down below.
