Latest news with #SmackDown
Extra.ie
31 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Inside John Cena's WWE career as he comes to Dublin one last time
John Cena will be making his final appearance in Dublin (as a wrestler) this weekend, when the WWE come to town. For the first time ever, the WWE will be airing live out of the capital, when Friday Night SmackDown comes to the 3Arena this Friday (August 22) — with 17-time World Champion John bringing his retirement tour to Dublin ahead of his final appearance as a professional wrestler this December. But after 22 years of what is often considered the greatest career ever, just how did we get here? Cena debuted in 2002 to answer Kurt Angle's open challenge. Pic: Michael Owens/WWE via Getty Images Answering an open challenge from Kurt Angle, an unassuming muscular Massachusetts wrestler named John Cena appeared for the first time, telling Angle that he had 'ruthless aggression' — something that would end up being used as the WWE's 'era' for six years — and from there… nothing really happened of note. Cena was put into a feud in 2002 with Chris Jericho, but was mainly relegated to shows such as Velocity (if you remember that, it's essentially the show 'before the show' such as SmackDown.) And even by his own admission, he had a feeling that he was going to be released later that year. However, on the Halloween episode of SmackDown, he dressed up as Vanilla Ice and began rapping in front of Stephanie McMahon, the then on-screen General Manager. From there, his fortunes changed drastically. In 2003, Cena got his huge break as the Dr of Thuganomics, a white rapper who'd freestyle as a way of doing his promos. Pic: Dexter A. Jones/FilmMagic Cena began the 'white rapper' gimmick as the Dr of Thuganomics (a course available in the School of Hard Knocks, ya see), where he'd dress up in throwback jerseys — which was the style at the time — and freestyle rap as a way of dressing down his opponents. Starting out as a heel (bad guy), the character became incredibly popular, with him becoming a babyface (good guy) in 2003: a position where he'd remain until February of this year. He'd win the United States Championship in 2004, beating The Big Show at WrestleMania 20, before defeating John 'Bradshaw' Layfield one year later for the WWE Championship. He was then drafted to Monday Night Raw a few months later, where he'd be the flag bearer for the company for the next two decades. Kicking off his acting career in the 2005 action flick The Marine, Cena went on to a huge career on the big and small screen — with his most recent role being Peacemaker. Pic:Some people who may know John Cena as an actor will have no trouble telling you that his debut as a leading man (minus work as an extra on Ready to Rumble — never forget) was in The Marine, as the excellently named John Triton. His other credits during the next eight years included action film 12 Rounds, drama Legendary, and a recurring role in the Fred: The Movie series, where he played the then YouTube star Fred Figglehorn's imaginary father. Good times. In the ring, Cena's popularity began waning as he stopped rapping and became, in all essence, a superhero — with him catering more to the children who were fans of his rather than adults, who'd deride him as 'Super Cena' and cause a stink surrounding him 'always' winning and being the same babyface. He'd go on to have some of his most memorable feuds throughout this period, however — including with Edge on-and-off from 2006, Randy Orton from 2007, CM Punk in 2011, and of course, fellow wrestler-turned-actor The Rock; who he faced twice at WrestleManias 28 and 29 in 2012 and 2013. Cena received acclaim from wrestling critics for his US Open Challenge, which kicked off in 2015. Pic:After winning the United States Championship in 2015, Cena began the US Open Challenge — where he'd challenge wrestlers in a match against him for the belt every week on Monday Night Raw. It was there where detractors finally began warming to him, as he put on — to quote Dublin wrestler Sheamus — banger after banger after banger, with him going on to have critically acclaimed feuds with AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt in the 'Firefly Funhouse' match during WrestleMania 36 which took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (seriously, if you think the Firefly Funhouse match is bizarre in 2025, try watching it live as it happened at 4am like I did!) In 2024, Cena made a surprise appearance at the Money in the Bank PLE (Premium Live Event) in Toronto, where he announced that he was retiring in 2025. Cena announced his retirement last year, with his final match in a WWE ring to take place this December. Pic: Michael Owens/WWE via Getty Images Which brings us here. It's been a weird one, to say the least, when it comes to the 'John Cena retirement tour.' In February at Elimination Chamber, he finally turned heel (became a bad guy) for the first time in 22 years when he turned on Cody Rhodes at the behest of The Rock (who was never seen after that…) He won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 from Cody in a match that was reviled by critics, but two days before SummerSlam earlier this month, he became a good guy again after denouncing his wicked ways in a hasty 'ok, I'm a good guy again' moment. But hey, fans were happy to have him back! He proceeded to lose the belt to Cody in the exact opposite of their WrestleMania match, an acclaimed affair. This Friday, Cena will be at the 3Arena in Dublin as part of WWE's Clash in Paris tour, where he'll be building to his match in France against… *sigh* Logan Paul. From there, he's advertised for two more events in October, before one final match in December against an opponent that's TBD. After that, the memes will finally come true as in the ring, we can't see him anymore.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
WWE Raw Live Results, Winners And Grades On August 18, 2025
WWE Raw returned to the states with a show emanating from Philadelphia, Pa. Raw advertised Naomi's return amid rumors of her status. Naomi was not medically cleared for a previously advertised match against Iyo Sky last week, leading to speculation on her status, and multiple reports that she may not be competing for a very long time. Naomi was appeared on Stephanie McMahon's 'What's Your Story?' podcast alongside Jimmy Uso, and many expected a major announcement about Naomi's future. This announcement was instead saved for tonight's broadcast of Raw. Naomi turned heel on the March 7, 2025 broadcast of SmackDown after she revealed herself as Jade Cargill's mystery attacker. Cargill returned six days prior at WWE Elimination Chamber when she promptly attacked then-babyface Naomi inside the steel structure. Naomi's tearful heel turn was one of the best segments of the year, and led to a sustained push where she competed in the first non-title singles match in WrestleMania history. Despite losing the historic match to Cargill, Naomi's rise continued this past June at WWE Money in the Bank when she became the first Black woman to win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Naomi cashed in the briefcase in grand fashion at WWE Evolution, winning the WWE Women's World Heavyweight Championship. Naomi's thrilling cash-in spoiled quite possibly the greatest women's match in WWE history between Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley. The reigning WWE women's world heavyweight champion doubled down on her success by winning a Triple Threat Match. WWE and Naomi have been tight-lipped about her whereabouts, but she clarified her status on Raw. WWE Raw Match Card And Results WWE Raw On Netflix Ratings And Viewership WWE Raw Ticket Sales When Does WWE Raw Start? How To Watch Stay Tuned For WWE Raw Live Results
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
John Cena insists he 'failed' with controversial WWE heel turn
WWE legend John Cena has bluntly opened up about his controversial character twists during this year's farewell tour. The 48-year-old wrestler and Hollywood star is in the midst of his ongoing retirement run before calling it quits in December 2025, and it's been a wild ride on and off-screen. Fans were reeling in March when Cena finally turned heel (wrestling slang for becoming a bad guy) in one of the most shocking twists in the history of the business. However, viewers soon became critical of the run, with aspects like the involvement of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and rapper Travis Scott largely abandoned. On the August 1 edition of SmackDown, on the eve of SummerSlam, Cena flipped back to his superhero-esque ways and embraced the fans, with his heel turn resigned to the history books. Now, the Peacemaker star has hinted it was doomed to fail from the very beginning. He cut his first heel promo in Brussels on the road to WrestleMania, but fan reaction on the night was mixed, with some people cheering while others gave Cena the boos he desired. During an appearance at Fan Expo Chicago over the weekend, he was asked if the mixed reaction bothered him. 'I wasn't upset. No, I failed,' he claimed. 'Ain't nothing wrong with that. You can learn from failure, right? I went up there and bombed. S**t happens.' According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cena's is $80million, combining his WWE earnings, acting career and other projects He hinted that fans will have to wait until January, once the dust has settled on his retirement, before he really opens up about the nuts and bolts of the final run. Up next, Cena – who lost his 17th world championship to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam – will be facing Logan Paul in France during the Clash In Paris premium live event on August 31. 'I think he's underrated, I think he gets a bad rap. He's not an outsider,' he added at the Chicago fan event. 'I think his best days are ahead of him, I think he's got championships in his future.' Meanwhile, Cena suggested he's more than ready to deliver in Paris after treating fans to the best match of his retirement run earlier this month. 'I'm training hard, Cody Rhodes brought out the best in me at SummerSlam, he reignited a fire in me,' he admitted. Cena has been open about his past skin cancer diagnosis, after neglecting sunscreen from childhood, which continued into his 20s as he moved to Florida. 'I didn't want to have a routine and I also thought the problem would never reach me,' he told PEOPLE earlier this year. More Trending 'It wasn't until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec. View More » 'I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn't alone.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Nickelodeon star files for divorce from pregnant wife after 4 years of marriage MORE: Logan Paul marries Nina Agdal in Lake Como wedding after birth of first child MORE: Sophie Turner reveals which 'vile' onscreen kiss left her retching
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE SmackDown results, highlights (Aug. 15): Sami Zayn targets the U.S. Championship
Boston played host to a loaded night of tag team action on "SmackDown." With Clash in Paris nearing, the storylines for the big return to France progressed throughout the night, but the entire focus of this show was multi-person-based. From the Women's Tag Team Champions to old teams reuniting, it was largely a great show between the ropes. 🧐Mixed Feelings of the Night Let's talk about MFT, around which this "SmackDown" was centered around. I'm over anything even remotely related to The Bloodline story of yesteryear. WWE completely exhausted that storyline, and rightfully so, but it needs a breather. MFT is just the most obvious hang-on attempt that could be done. Also, how about the name? It stands for "My Family Tree," but commentary addresses the members as "MFTs." So, that means they're being called Solo Sikoa's "My Family Trees." That's just bad English. MFT ruining Sami Zayn's match against Rusev on "Monday Night Raw" was dumb. However, WWE salvaged it pretty well with Zayn confronting the group to start "SmackDown." OK, I admittedly rolled my eyes when Zayn's music hit, but his promo was creative, as he thanked Sikoa for giving him pressure relief from his world title aspirations — even though Zayn won the Rusev match by DQ because of him. Therefore, this has led Zayn to seek the only other title he has never held: Sikoa's U.S. Championship. This is a perfectly fine divergent path for Zayn, especially since he doesn't fit into either of the world title scenes right now. Oh, Zayn also mentioned that he's officially a SmackDown superstar now — like that matters. To expand on this, we need to highlight the real story, which was ... 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 While MFT might be a bust, Sikoa is far, far, far, far from it. This guy has come into his own, surpassing anything that could have been expected from him throughout those aforementioned Bloodline days. There are still some tweaks to be made to his character for an eventual solo (no pun intended) run that maintains his current integrity. Sikoa's reactions are hysterical. When Zayn thanked him and he happily replied with "anytime" before making fun of Zayn's eyes, I died laughing. He has become so insanely entertaining, and isn't the worst wrestler either. That's why it's ridiculous to have him lose matches and be surrounded by a bunch of goons. At the same time, this is a fitting person to have as a mid-card champion. Numerous great things can be expanded on for Sikoa, and hopefully, we will get them sooner rather than later. An interferenceless main event I mentioned Sikoa and his losses. Well, it happened again when Zayn got the win for his team by pinning Sikoa off a Helluva Kick. The match was fine, and thankfully, it capped off a night of clean match finishes. Who would have thought? This just further aligns with the mixed feelings though, because it feels way too clear that Zayn will win the title, and this booking indicates it will come by burying Sikoa along the way. ♻️Recycling of the Night You've got to be kidding me. The Women's U.S. title is so beyond dead in the water it's legitimately unbelievable. Something interesting appeared to be brewing when Giulia's manager Kiana James approached Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton backstage for a potential alliance. That was until Stratton shut it down — then Michin confronted James to tell her she's next for Giulia. You mean the same Michin who has been in the U.S. title scene since its inception, who countlessly rehashed matches with the former champion Green? It doesn't make sense how WWE can continuously overlook half of its female single stars. 👍FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE👍 1. Melo Don't Miz defeated Fraxiom clean when The Miz hit Nathan Frazer with a Skull-Crushing Finale. The Wyatt Sicks randomly appeared in the crowd as the match started, which actually has a nice tie-in with The Miz and their history. Ultimately, I'm stunned that there were no interferences in this match, as the story was clearly intended to advance an eventual fallout between Carmelo Hayes and Miz, thanks to Miz stealing the finish from his teammate. I'll say the quiet part out loud: Hayes absolutely rules, as does Fraxiom. So, this was a big win, and hopefully, it will get us to a Hayes push very, very soon. But first, a match against Motor City Machine Guns next week. 2. Drew McIntyre cut a promo explaining his "attack" on Cody Rhodes last week. Well, he claimed it wasn't an attack and that Rhodes attacked him, mentioning how he's been screwed out of all his world title opportunities. He went on to speculate whether Rhodes' mysterious health status was a conspiracy, and maintained his unhinged brilliance. It was a good use of his time, concise and effective. Sadly, McIntyre has fallen into a boat where he's right for the most part and deserves better, but surely won't be the one to dethrone Rhodes. 3. Another clean win came when Street Profits defeated #DIY in a phenomenal match. This was just good old-fashioned tag team wrestling between two of the world's best. OK, maybe not entirely good, clean and old-fashioned, because there were moments that Candice LeRae and B-Fab got involved, of course. But it was another surprisingly well-booked match. WWE seemingly has too much on its hands with its tag teams now, which is why it's such a shame that the injection of The Wyatts as champions has muddied things a bit. Overall, there's objectively more good than bad. 4. Similarly to John Cena's heel turn, WWE botched R-Truth's comeback. Badly. However, the interaction between Truth and Aleister Black backstage, snapping Truth back into Ron Killings, was well done and interesting. Surely, it will be a vehicle for Damian Priest's return when he saves Killings from being killed by Black next week. 👎DOWN & OUT👎 1. Alexa Bliss beat Piper Niven clean with a roll-up, avoiding Secret Hervice shenanigans. The result was correct, and the match was fine at best. The problem here was primarily what happened afterward, which was The Secret Hervice standing tall over Bliss and Charlotte Flair. I couldn't be any less interested in a feud between these teams because WWE has given us zero reason to believe The Secret Hervice is a real threat in any way, shape or form. Yet, suddenly, this post-match beatdown made Chelsea Green look like the female Seth Rollins alongside "The Brons." 2. Jade Cargill complained to "SmackDown" general manager Nick Aldis about getting another title shot against Stratton — without doing anything to earn it. This is the worst and most unnecessary way for Cargill's character to act, considering her presentation. What really made this segment vomit-inducing was Nia Jax's appearance. She actually made great points, jabbing at Cargill, but Jax simply breathing the same air as Stratton after how overextended their rivalry was is lunacy. No one wants to see these two together again. 3. How much money did PJ Byrne spend to get as many commercials and shoutouts as he did throughout this show? I mean, seriously. 👑 I give this show a Crown score of: 7/10.👑
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE SmackDown results, highlights (Aug. 15): Sami Zayn targets the U.S. Championship
Boston played host to a loaded night of tag team action on "SmackDown." With Clash in Paris nearing, the storylines for the big return to France progressed throughout the night, but the entire focus of this show was multi-person-based. From the Women's Tag Team Champions to old teams reuniting, it was largely a great show between the ropes. 🧐Mixed Feelings of the Night Let's talk about MFT, around which this "SmackDown" was centered around. I'm over anything even remotely related to The Bloodline story of yesteryear. WWE completely exhausted that storyline, and rightfully so, but it needs a breather. MFT is just the most obvious hang-on attempt that could be done. Also, how about the name? It stands for "My Family Tree," but commentary addresses the members as "MFTs." So, that means they're being called Solo Sikoa's "My Family Trees." That's just bad English. MFT ruining Sami Zayn's match against Rusev on "Monday Night Raw" was dumb. However, WWE salvaged it pretty well with Zayn confronting the group to start "SmackDown." OK, I admittedly rolled my eyes when Zayn's music hit, but his promo was creative, as he thanked Sikoa for giving him pressure relief from his world title aspirations — even though Zayn won the Rusev match by DQ because of him. Therefore, this has led Zayn to seek the only other title he has never held: Sikoa's U.S. Championship. This is a perfectly fine divergent path for Zayn, especially since he doesn't fit into either of the world title scenes right now. Oh, Zayn also mentioned that he's officially a SmackDown superstar now — like that matters. To expand on this, we need to highlight the real story, which was ... 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 While MFT might be a bust, Sikoa is far, far, far, far from it. This guy has come into his own, surpassing anything that could have been expected from him throughout those aforementioned Bloodline days. There are still some tweaks to be made to his character for an eventual solo (no pun intended) run that maintains his current integrity. Sikoa's reactions are hysterical. When Zayn thanked him and he happily replied with "anytime" before making fun of Zayn's eyes, I died laughing. He has become so insanely entertaining, and isn't the worst wrestler either. That's why it's ridiculous to have him lose matches and be surrounded by a bunch of goons. At the same time, this is a fitting person to have as a mid-card champion. Numerous great things can be expanded on for Sikoa, and hopefully, we will get them sooner rather than later. An interferenceless main event I mentioned Sikoa and his losses. Well, it happened again when Zayn got the win for his team by pinning Sikoa off a Helluva Kick. The match was fine, and thankfully, it capped off a night of clean match finishes. Who would have thought? This just further aligns with the mixed feelings though, because it feels way too clear that Zayn will win the title, and this booking indicates it will come by burying Sikoa along the way. ♻️Recycling of the Night You've got to be kidding me. The Women's U.S. title is so beyond dead in the water it's legitimately unbelievable. Something interesting appeared to be brewing when Giulia's manager Kiana James approached Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton backstage for a potential alliance. That was until Stratton shut it down — then Michin confronted James to tell her she's next for Giulia. You mean the same Michin who has been in the U.S. title scene since its inception, who countlessly rehashed matches with the former champion Green? It doesn't make sense how WWE can continuously overlook half of its female single stars. 👍FRIDAY NIGHT FIRE👍 1. Melo Don't Miz defeated Fraxiom clean when The Miz hit Nathan Frazer with a Skull-Crushing Finale. The Wyatt Sicks randomly appeared in the crowd as the match started, which actually has a nice tie-in with The Miz and their history. Ultimately, I'm stunned that there were no interferences in this match, as the story was clearly intended to advance an eventual fallout between Carmelo Hayes and Miz, thanks to Miz stealing the finish from his teammate. I'll say the quiet part out loud: Hayes absolutely rules, as does Fraxiom. So, this was a big win, and hopefully, it will get us to a Hayes push very, very soon. But first, a match against Motor City Machine Guns next week. 2. Drew McIntyre cut a promo explaining his "attack" on Cody Rhodes last week. Well, he claimed it wasn't an attack and that Rhodes attacked him, mentioning how he's been screwed out of all his world title opportunities. He went on to speculate whether Rhodes' mysterious health status was a conspiracy, and maintained his unhinged brilliance. It was a good use of his time, concise and effective. Sadly, McIntyre has fallen into a boat where he's right for the most part and deserves better, but surely won't be the one to dethrone Rhodes. 3. Another clean win came when Street Profits defeated #DIY in a phenomenal match. This was just good old-fashioned tag team wrestling between two of the world's best. OK, maybe not entirely good, clean and old-fashioned, because there were moments that Candice LeRae and B-Fab got involved, of course. But it was another surprisingly well-booked match. WWE seemingly has too much on its hands with its tag teams now, which is why it's such a shame that the injection of The Wyatts as champions has muddied things a bit. Overall, there's objectively more good than bad. 4. Similarly to John Cena's heel turn, WWE botched R-Truth's comeback. Badly. However, the interaction between Truth and Aleister Black backstage, snapping Truth back into Ron Killings, was well done and interesting. Surely, it will be a vehicle for Damian Priest's return when he saves Killings from being killed by Black next week. 👎DOWN & OUT👎 1. Alexa Bliss beat Piper Niven clean with a roll-up, avoiding Secret Hervice shenanigans. The result was correct, and the match was fine at best. The problem here was primarily what happened afterward, which was The Secret Hervice standing tall over Bliss and Charlotte Flair. I couldn't be any less interested in a feud between these teams because WWE has given us zero reason to believe The Secret Hervice is a real threat in any way, shape or form. Yet, suddenly, this post-match beatdown made Chelsea Green look like the female Seth Rollins alongside "The Brons." 2. Jade Cargill complained to "SmackDown" general manager Nick Aldis about getting another title shot against Stratton — without doing anything to earn it. This is the worst and most unnecessary way for Cargill's character to act, considering her presentation. What really made this segment vomit-inducing was Nia Jax's appearance. She actually made great points, jabbing at Cargill, but Jax simply breathing the same air as Stratton after how overextended their rivalry was is lunacy. No one wants to see these two together again. 3. How much money did PJ Byrne spend to get as many commercials and shoutouts as he did throughout this show? I mean, seriously. 👑 I give this show a Crown score of: 7/10.👑
