Latest news with #JohnCena
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SmackDown recap & reactions: Polish the Peacemaker
The main event segment of this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown from Knoxville was all about WWE Champion John Cena making his return and Cody Rhodes following him up. These two finally met again at Saturday Night's Main Event this past weekend, and it set the stage for a tag team match at Money in the Bank. Advertisement So how would they build to that? Rhodes was out first to talk about how he felt in the wake of losing the championship at WrestleMania. He retreated within for a time, maybe had a drink or two, and confided in a friend about it. He asked 'was I a good champion?' He was told he faced some really difficult challenges and responded to them well. Yes, he was a good champion. Rhodes thought about the year he had, AJ Styles getting the drop on him, his friend sucker punching him, his boss pushing him, The Final Boss asking for his soul and how sincere he was with all of it. And he also thought about none other than John Cena. Advertisement He did exactly what he said he was going to do, forcing Cody to make a choice, and 'I hesitated.' If Cena ruins wrestling like he says he's going to, Rhodes says he's partially to blame for that. 'If you are listening, champ, I need you to know that I will never hesitate with you again.' Character growth? He got back to chatting with the fans and said he's finally back and came with a surprise. They already knew what it was — YEET! They worked the gimmick — including doing the encore — but before Jey could speak, Cena made his way out. He called the two of them 'John Cena wannabes' and it makes him sick. Rhodes wants his fame and Jey wants his money but they're too desperate and too lazy to get either. Advertisement There's only one other human being in WWE who embodies hustle, loyalty, and respect with the fortune, fame, and followers to back that up. Cena introduced that man, his partner at Money in the Bank. Friggin' Logan Paul, man. The boos were tremendous. Cena got some cheers mixed in, because that's just how it's always going to be. Paul rightfully pointed out he could walk on water and the fans who just say it's only because he can't swim. He ran down Jey and Cody, calling them 'nepo babies born on third thinking they hit a triple' while he and Cena are self made men. Paul also put over Cena as the Last Real Champion and called himself the future of this company. It was actually a damn good promo, especially considering who he was cutting it in front of. Advertisement Jey told them they could run it right now. John tried to leave when Logan tapped him and told him they should tussle. A brief argument ended when Rhodes made a joke about Logan polishing the Peacemaker. The ensuing physical confrontation saw the babyfaces get the best of it, and Rhodes celebrate by holding up the title he lost. I never thought I would see the day that Logan Paul is carrying some of the weight for John Cena but here we are. And it kind of rules. I'm ready for this one, folks. WWE was in Knoxville for this show, and despite the fact that she's still injured, Bianca Belair made her return. They treated it like a big homecoming, threw on Rocky Top, and let everyone sing and have a good time. Fun was had. Advertisement Belair called it not just home but her 'safe space.' She's been through so much, she just wanted to come back home to heal up. She promised to continue doing everything she can to get back to the ring fully healthy and the fans all cheered. It was a decent little feel good moment for all involved. And then Naomi showed up. They booed her like she was Dirty Dominik Mysterio in literally any city in America. Naomi claimed she wanted to talk to Belair about everything that happened between them, and then outright begged for forgiveness. Then it got weird. Real weird. Naomi admitted to going by Belair's parent's house, and even letting herself in when they weren't home. She found a photo album and went through it, finding satisfaction in how happy Bianca was and allowing that to remind her of the good times they had together. Advertisement Belair, of course, was disgusted and again shut Naomi down. Tears were shed. They gave way to maniacal rage and threats on the family. This Naomi character is utterly unhinged, and it's maybe the best thing she's ever done. I thought it was overdone at first but she's gotten much more comfortable with it and has become deeply unsettling in the best way possible. Jade Cargill showed up to fight Naomi off and then Nia Jax joined the party so they could go right into their triple threat Money in the Bank qualifying match. They had a relatively hard fought battle all around before a superplex powerbomb led to Jax going for an Annihilator but only hitting Cargill. Jax rolled her up off that and got the pin to advance. This was absolutely the right call and for my money they should push as hard as they can with this character. She's fantastic. Advertisement They gave her a confrontation with current Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton backstage a bit later. They also had Alexa Bliss show up to remind us she, too, is in the Money in the Bank ladder match. She's great too but I'm all the way behind Naomi at this point. All the rest R-Truth met JC Mateo and called him 'husky' before asking Solo Sikoa to take him to the ring and teach him a lesson. They're big boned, Truth said. Sikoa just wanted to have fun but Jacob Fatu left them to their own devices for all that because he had other business to attend to. Meanwhile, you'll never guess what happened when Truth met Mateo in the ring. Oh, you think it was a glorified squash match? Then yeah, you totally could guess. Jimmy Uso made the save after the match and commentary reminded us Solo wants to woo him back to the group. Mateo laid him out anyway and it sure looks like a reunion isn't even necessary. Anyway, I think we've all moved on from this thing haven't we? Chelsea Green's nose is broken so she had the Secret Hervice hold up a photo of her in front of her face while talking to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. This is the kind of ridiculous fun pro wrestling is great for. Green is the best in roles like this. They chatted until they got Alba Fyre booked to wrestle Zelina Vega. Later in the evening, Vega overcame THAT DAMN NUMBERS GAME to defeat Fyre after the Code Red. They're pushing Vega as crafty and resilient, someone who always finds a way. It's a good angle for her. Of course, they teased Giulia coming after her, so she'll need to be every bit of that soon enough if that's the direction they go. Sounds fun to me! The Street Profits called the tag team division on the blue brand the best of any promotion. Naturally, pretty much the entirety of the division showed up to say they deserve the next shot at the titles. Tommaso Ciampa actually said the division has been killed by the rest of them and asked for a moment of silence. Naturally, that's when the lights went down and The Wyatt Sicks showed up to crash the party, effectively wiping everyone out and kinda sorta proving Ciampa right. If you're into this, it's great, if you're not, well, at least it's not the worst thing? I can never decide how I feel about it from week to week. Je'Von Evans got to work a match on this week's show, teaming up with Rey Fenix to take on Legado del Fantasma as a way to preview Worlds Collide and get some play for NXT, as North American Champion Ethan Page was also on commentary for it. There was a time that would have felt like the most bizarre thing in the world, huh? Anyway, Evans looked great, like it won't be long before he's a main roster mainstay winning a lot of Intercontinental championships. He came up short here, however, as Los Garza took care of business thanks to Page interfering. This was all pretty well done, and a solid showing for everyone involved. The Miz claimed he gave up his chance to be in the Money in the Bank qualifying match so that Carmelo Hayes could be in it. Miz promised to lead him to greatness if he wins too. Hayes rebuked all of this, claimed he's here on his own talent, and drove a wedge right between them. It sure looks like these two will be done sooner rather than later. Damian Priest got some time on the mic to say that he put Drew McIntyre in the past with that Con-Chair-To at Saturday Night's Main Event. He still can't stand McIntyre but the guy who went into the cage with him was the old Drew, the warrior, and he appreciated that. As for what's next, he said there's a champion he considers the most badass right now and it's someone he has unfinished business with — Jacob Fatu. He respects him and he's proud of him but he doesn't respect the crew he follows around. He promised to come for him sooner rather than later. That match could be fun. As he was heading to the back, Fatu came out for his qualifier. They shared a brief staredown and a nod of the head. Sure. That qualifier happened right after all this, and it was a damn fun match. At the end, Sikoa and Mateo hit the ring to get involved but Jimmy Uso showed up again to throw Mateo out of the way. Fatu was distracted by it all, and ended up getting knocked into Sikoa and taken out of the ring by Hayes. Andrade took advantage of the confusion and punched his ticket by taking down Hayes. Immediately, Fatu was arguing with his crew ringside while Andrade celebrated on his way to the back. This was probably the right call here but it feels wrong seeing Fatu lose matches like this, even when he doesn't have to take the pin. They ended on Fatu angrily storming off from Sikoa backstage. This was a solid show from the blue brand. Grade: B Your turn. More from
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE SmackDown results, highlights (May 30): Cody Rhodes goes after John Cena, Logan Paul
John Cena and Cody Rhodes are back in each other's orbit after a brief break between WrestleMania 41 and last weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event. "WWE SmackDown" closed with the continuation of the championship feud, as the company gears up for Money In the Bank when they'll face off in a tag team match alongside partners, Logan Paul and World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso. Advertisement First and foremost, it's nice to have Rhodes back, and it definitely feels weird seeing him without the Undisputed WWE championship. Recycling We have to accept the meta nature of this whole Cena heel run at this point. As much as it might be overly crediting those behind the scenes, I'm convinced they actually want this all to be awful because going the route of Cena and Paul vs. Rhodes and Uso is crazy. Not only is it a waste of Cena's last stretch of matches, but it is also a waste of Rhodes, who is far and away the best total package of all four of these wrestlers. Rhodes addressed his time away as soon as he hit the ring, and addressed his run as champion with some minor mentions of The Rock. It's better than nothing to bring that colossal part of the story to light, but we still could have gotten more. Ultimately, Rhodes promised never to hesitate with Cena again like he did in their match. Therefore, setting up the showdown between both sides of the coin as everyone entered the ring. Advertisement Cena just praised Paul and called his foes wannabes. That's about all there is to this now, and Paul jumped on the mic (for far too long) to essentially ram home why he and Cena are better than the opposition. His best line was stating that Uso needed Rhodes to beat him at Saturday Night's Main Event, but everything eventually broke down into a sloppy brawl. The predictability of Rhodes and Cena's story continuing, and likely culminating with Rhodes regaining the title from Cena, could have been seen from a mile away. This just doesn't feel like the right rekindling point whatsoever. There was never a chance it would happen, but Cena losing to someone else on his way out before Rhodes regained the title would even be welcomed. It's all messy, but again, to an extent, it almost feels like it's supposed to be. So, take it for what it is. Ruining quality Instead of clearing up or resolving the tag team division issue that closed out last week's "WWE SmackDown," things got even more convoluted on this show. Advertisement The title-holding Street Profits tried to justify that they were on their way to winning against Fraxiom before the Wyatt Sicks gave them the DQ win. Every other team came out to ring to spout substanceless nonsense. That was all before The Wyatt Sicks hit the blackout and took them all out. So, what is happening here? Apparently, too much for WWE to organize with all these talented teams, because this looks like some crazy five-way tag team match might come out of it. At least, that — or a tournament — would be the logical move at this stage. The big problem with the inclusion of The Wyatt Sicks in the title scene is similar to when Bray Wyatt was The Fiend. Supernatural characters don't need, and probably shouldn't want, to be champions. Their motives historically are to ... well, kill people, essentially. Do you remember when Wyatt drowned Braun Strowman? It's weird, man. Advertisement I love the creativity of it all, but it's so, so difficult to do right in this day and age. Their motives should be exclusively story and history-based, but there's none of that for the group. Strowman is gone, and former rivals or links like Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are all way higher up on the billing to where WWE wouldn't dare bother circling back. Maybe with Orton, but even for him, we're kind of past that. If anything, The New Day would have been perfect over on "WWE Raw," but alas, here we are. 🐌Quicksand of the Night It's a sad, sad, sad, sad day. Triple H managed to give us an atrocious triple-threat match. My soul is still quivering. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax was the worst three-way affair in quite some time. It legitimately felt like everything was happening in slow motion. Thankfully, the right woman won to advance to the Money In the Bank ladder match, and that was Naomi. The result came as somewhat of a surprise, considering how Naomi has been booked since she turned heel. She's done tremendous work, but has not seen many positive results from it. Advertisement The women's ladder match only gets more unpredictable with Naomi's addition. She'd be a great choice to have win, and ultimately, if she won and waited to cash in on Bianca Belair after the "EST" regains a title, that would be pretty solid full circle storytelling, especially after the threats each made to the other before the match, including a nasty wheelchair line from Naomi. Somehow, WWE needs to cap off that story with a big blow-off or extended rivalry. Cargill's consistent attacks have gotten boring, and they could use some time away from each other. Unlike that triple threat match, however, the men delivered in spades for our... 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 WWE dropped quite the swerve on us, putting Andrade over Carmelo Hayes and Jacob Fatu to qualify for the Money In the Bank ladder match. Advertisement This was genuinely stunning. Between all three, Andrade has had the least amount of story or airtime given to him in recent weeks. What we have seen has been his inclusion with Legado Del Fantasma, and nothing of significance in the singles department. But unsurprisingly, the match as a whole was just fantastic. Interferences were expected, and came earlier from The Miz in Hayes' corner before Fatu took him out. The U.S. champ ultimately came up short after Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo prompted him to hit another moonsault on Andrade, causing a distraction. Fatu stayed protected, as Hayes ate the pin. The latter appears headed for a split with The Miz, but the booking of all of this was executed borderline perfectly. 👍FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE👍 1. Los Garza beat Rey Fenix and Je'von Evans with the assist from Ethan Page ringside. The NXT North American champion was a very fun listen on commentary, and only out there because of the impending match he'll have with the two men at Worlds Collide. It was a little rough to have Evans take the pin in his "WWE SmackDown" debut, but he looked like a million bucks, and Los Garza riding into the event off a win is good. It all worked well. 2. We finally have some new direction for Damian Priest after moving on from Drew McIntyre. The former World Heavyweight Champion set his sights on the United States titlist with an in-ring promo. I love it. Something new, something fresh, and Priest even congratulated him, showing respect. However, he admitted he has no respect for the likes of Sikoa and Mateo, which adds a little wrinkle. It should be interesting to see how this all plays out, especially as the breakaway from Sikoa still needs to happen for Fatu. 🤷IT HAPPENED🤷 1. R-Truth lost a quick match to Mateo after roasting him and Sikoa backstage. The brief interaction was funny, then Mateo rightfully won before continuing the attack. Jimmy Uso made the save, and that was that. 👎DOWN & OUT👎 1. The never-ending United States Championship feud between Zelina Vega and Chelsea Green's squad continues to never end, as Vega won a match against Alba Fyre. Just because. Advertisement Did WWE forget about the rest of the women on the roster? It legitimately feels like it. That was until Giulia teased a pursuit of the US title backstage — despite being in the Money In the Bank ladder match. So much for her winning that, I guess. 👑 I give this show a Crown score of: 6.5/10.👑
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
WWE SmackDown Results, Winners And Grades On May 30, 2025
John Cena and Cody Rhodes come face-to-face on WWE SmackDown. WWE SmackDown advertised a loaded show with Bianca Belair's return in her hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., Cody Rhodes' return to SmackDown to confront John Cena after his surprise appearance at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event. WWE also advertised two Money in the Bank qualifiers as Jacob Fatu took on Andrade and Carmelo Hayes and Jade Cargill faced Naomi and Nia Jax. Last week's broadcast of SmackDown garnered 1.38 million viewers. Bianca received a unanimously babyface reaction. She led her hometown fans in singing 'Rocky Top.' Belair, who was still sporting a splint on her hand, was interrupted by Naomi. Naomi was booed heavily. She said she wanted to reunite with Bianca, and even went by her house. Since Bianca's parents weren't there, Naomi let herself in and went through Bianca Belair's photo album. Belair was not interested in a reunion, and said if Naomi ever comes near her family, what Naomi did to Jade Cargill will be nothing compared to what Belair will do to Naomi. Naomi threatened to put both Belair in a wheelchair just like her mother. Cargill crashed the segment and attacked Naomi before a tense moment with Belair. SmackDown returned from break with this match underway and Naomi in control. Fans chanted 'Let's go Jade!' after Nia Jax hit her with a hip attack, but Cargill eventually sprung an impressive comeback that was broken up by Nia Jax. Naomi hit brutal leg drop from the second rope on Naomi for a nearfall. Cargill hit Naomi with Jaded, but Nia Jax broke it up. Nia regained control over the majority of the match from here, where she hit a Super Samoan Drop on Naomi, only to take a splash from a flying Jade Cargill. 'This is Awesome!' Jax hit the Annihilator on Cargill, but Naomi rolled up Jax for the win. Backstage R-Truth mocked JC Mateo, whom he accused of being Solo Sikoa's son. The artist formerly known as Jeff Cobb wore his full gear for this match. Mateo's new theme music isn't great (what is from Def Rebel, but it's better than half the roster. Mateo hit an impressive standing moonsault on R-Truth, but Truth came back with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Mateo sold quite a bit for Truth, but throughout the match Truth had truble lifting him up. Truth collapsed after going for the AA and Mateo finished him off with a Tour of the Islands. Jimmy Uso saved R-Truth, but Mateo attacked Jimmy. The Street Profits, DIY, Fraxiom and MCMG all appeared one-after-another in a very tame speaking segment. Tommaso Ciampa asked for a moment of silence for the tag team division. The crowd booed. TheWyatt Sicks interrupted and all of them took out every member of the tag team division that was in the ring. Wade Barrett questioned what the Wyatt Sicks wanted, but clearly it was tag team gold. Je'Von looked like a seasoned OG on the main roster, and as dazzled as the crowd was, nobody enjoyed his work more than Joe Tessitore. This was Rey Fenix's best showing since coming to the main roster in a match promoting next weekend's Worlds Collide show. New North American champion Ethan Page appeared on commentary, and cost Evans the match. Tessitore was beside himself and put over Evans for his great showcase. Before Tessitore and Barrett could finish arguing, the screen cut out to a cryptic promo from Uncle Howdy, who teased coming after the Tag Team Titles. Backstage, Chelsea Green—sporting a bedazzled mask after breaking her nose at SNME, thrust Alba fyre into a match against Zelina Vega. Piper Niven tripped Vega while Green was distracting the referee before Raw went to break. Fans barely reacted to this match until the finish, where Green unmasked and accidentally struck Niven with her mask. Vega won with the Code Red. Damian Priest was received faint 'what' chants, but showed respect to Drew McIntyre. Priest needs to turn heel just as much as McIntyre needs to turn babyface. Priest, sporting a black eye, called out Jacob Fatu. If WWE is trying to rehabilitate Priest as a babyface, this is not the way. Priest remained respectful about Fatu, but said the family he follows around 'can catch a fresh one, too." Jacob Fatu shared a showdown with Damian Priest before going about his business. Miz and Carmelo teased tensions backstage after Carmelo Hayes told Miz he doesn't need him to get to the next level. Miz tripped Fatu as Fatu built a head of steam and hit the ropes. Fatu answered with a running hip attack against the barricade. Fatu set up Carmelo Hayes for a second running hip attack, but Andrade pulled Hayes out of the way, and Fatu went crashing through the barricade. Fatu came back from the dead and tossed both Andrade and Hayes from the top rope in something of an assisted Spanish Fly. Fatu essentially dominated the match every time he was on two feet, and the announce team marveled at his offense. Solo and JC hit the ring to give Fatu unsolicited advice. Both of them forcefully ordered him to do a moonsault off the top rope after he had already done one. Jimmy Uso attacked Mateo, Andrade capitalized by bumping a distracted Fatu out of the ring and hit The Message on Melo. Cody Rhodes received a warm ovation, and vowed to never hesitate again since hesitation cost him the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes surprised the crowd with a Jey Uso appearance. After an encore, Jey was interrupted by John Cena. Cena called Uso and Cody Rhodes wannabes. John Cena brought out Logan Paul, who Cena said was better than all the 'professional wrestlers' in the business. Cena said Logan Paul doesn't have to pay his dues because he pais their mortgages. 80% of this segment was entrances. Fans chanted STFU, which threw Logan Paul off. Cena was giving Paul time cues as the 8 pm PST hour approached. After a long Logan Paul promo, Jey Uso said they don't have to wait until Money in the Bank. Cena and Paul argued about whether or not they were gonna brawl. Rhodes taunted Cena and Paul, telling Paul 'What are you gonna go polish his Peacemaker?' A brawl ensued, and the babyfaces stood taul.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
WWE SmackDown preview and streaming details (05/30/25): Full match card, confirmed segments, how to watch, start timings, and more
(Image via WWE) WWE witnessed some major developments in the Saturday Night's Main Event on May 24, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. The Stamford-based promotion is back with another edition of SmackDown, bringing some more developments for the upcoming Money in the Bank PLE. In the Saturday Night's Main Event, fans saw the return of Bronson Reed and The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes after WrestleMania 41. As John Cena will now team with Logan Paul to take on Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso at Money in the Bank, but before next Saturday rolls around, both Cena and Rhodes will appear for an intense feud for the first time after the Show of Shows. The May 30 episode of SmackDown is all set to emanate live from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The promotion will feature Bianca Belair's homecoming and two MITB Qualifying matches. Here's the detailed preview, streaming details, confirmed matches, and more for the May 30 episode of WWE SmackDown. Confirmed match segments for May 30, 2025 John Cena & Cody Rhodes under one roof Andrade vs Jacob Fatu vs Carmelo Hayes – Men's MITB Qualifying match Bianca Belair returns Jade Cargill vs Nia Jax vs Naomi – Women's MITB Qualifying match John Cena & Cody Rhodes under one roof This edition of SmackDown will get more exciting as John Cena and Cody Rhodes will be seen under one roof for the first time after WrestleMania 41. The arch-rivals will appear tonight in Knoxville before they head forward for the much-awaited Tag team match at the Money in the Bank on June 7, 2025. Earlier, Rhodes made a surprise return to television this past Saturday night at Saturday Night's Main Event, where he helped World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso defend his title against Logan Paul. During the match, Cena interfered, leading to the announcement that Rhodes and Jey Uso will team up to face Cena and Paul at Money in the Bank on June 7th at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. It will be interesting to watch what the duo will bring to the table this Friday on SmackDown. Andrade vs Jacob Fatu vs Carmelo Hayes – Men's MITB Qualifying match The promotion has announced the fifth qualifier match for the men's MITB Qualifying match. It will feature United States Champion Jacob Fatu, Andrade, and Carmelo Hayes to secure the fifth spot. Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, Penta, and Seth Rollins have qualified for the match and are awaiting the remaining two participants for the match in June. Who will win the right to battle in the high-stakes showdown at WWE Money in the Bank? Jade Cargill vs Nia Jax vs Naomi – Women's MITB Qualifying match Alexa Bliss, Roxanne Perez, Rhea Ripley, and Giulia have secured their places in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match at the PLE of the same name next month. Nevertheless, the match still has two open positions. This week's Blue Brand will determine the fifth spot, as Jade Cargill, Nia Jax, and Naomi compete in a triple-threat match to qualify for the ladder match. How to watch WWE SmackDown Match 2025? In the United States, Alaska, Hawaii & Puerto Rico, the show can be watched live at 08 PM ET, 07 PM CT & 05 PM ET every Friday on the USA Network. Fans in the UK and Ireland can watch it at 01 AM on Netflix. In Canada, the show will be broadcast live at 08 PM ET. In India, the SmackDown match will be broadcast at 05:30 AM IST ( May 31, 2025) on Netflix. Also Read: What is Cody Rhodes' net worth in 2025? Current salary and more explored | WWE News - Times of India Viewers in Saudi Arabia can watch the show at 03 AM AST on Netflix. In Australia, the show will be broadcast at 10 AM AEDT. In France, the show will be live at 2 AM CET on AB1.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
WWE SmackDown preview May 30: John Cena, Cody Rhodes and Bianca Belair set to appear
At WrestleMania 41, John Cena shocked the world by defeating Cody Rhodes in the main event. Now, Rhodes is back, and he's looking for payback. After saving Jey Uso from an ambush by Cena, the 'QB1' is set to confront the 17-time World Champion face-to-face on SmackDown.
