This Friday night, WWE will host another live edition of SmackDown, straight from Oakland Arena in Oakland, California. Check out the highlights announced for the show below:
- Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill;
- Kevin Owens will return to SmackDown after becoming the new No. 1 Contender for CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship;
- Randy Orton cost Cody Rhodes the top title in WWE at SummerSlam. The Viper will be in attendance tonight;
- Chelsea Green will make her first appearance as Interim WWE Women’s Champion;
You can follow real-time coverage of the show starting at 8/7c, right here on Wrestling Noticias.
Results:
This week’s show opens with footage from earlier today, showing the arrivals of the night’s biggest names, including Trick Williams, Baron Corbin, Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill.
Cody Rhodes heads to the ring, officially opening the broadcast. Rhodes demands that Randy Orton come out so he can settle their issues once and for all, bringing up The Viper’s return at SummerSlam, which cost him the Undisputed WWE Championship match.
CM Punk interrupts Rhodes and also makes his way to the ring. The champion says he is just as furious as Rhodes, so he suggests they head backstage, find Orton and beat the hell out of him. Rhodes refuses and says he wants to handle this on his own before settling his unfinished business with Punk. Rhodes and Punk smile as The American Nightmare leaves the ring.
As Rhodes was heading backstage, Kevin Owens’ music hit on the entrance ramp. The Prizefighter came face-to-face with Rhodes before Rhodes handed him the microphone. Once Owens reached the ring, he confronted Punk, and a heated argument broke out.
SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis came out and said he didn’t want things getting out of control. Punk asked Owens if he wanted to fight. The Canadian said he had been waiting 17 months for this and, despite all the doubt, he proved at SummerSlam that he could do it.
Owens talks about Punk’s arrogance, saying that, despite what many believe, Punk is still the same asshole he has always been. Punk fires back, saying he continues to prove that he is the Best in the World, and the title around his waist proves it. Punk mocks Owens’ physique, saying the Canadian only made it to WWE because of Punk’s so-called arrogance, since WWE never would have given someone like Owens a chance.
Owens says he spent a lot of time thinking about his return and what it would be like to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion. Owens guarantees that nothing would be better than doing it by beating the hell out of Punk. Owens acknowledges that Punk opened the door to WWE for him, but says he is grateful every day that he never became an asshole like Punk. The two start shoving each other, setting off a huge brawl.
At that moment, Aldis and several officials enter the ring to separate them. Punk leaves the ring, while Owens remains tangled up with several officials, bringing the segment to an end.
Backstage, during an interview with Cathy Kelley, Charlotte Flair vows that tonight’s match against Jade Cargill, despite not having a title on the line, will be about defending Alexa Bliss’ honor.
At the Gorilla Position, Trick Williams vows to overcome Baron Corbin’s cheating at WWE SummerSlam and regain the United States Championship.
WWE United States Championship Match: Baron Corbin (c) vs. Trick Williams
– Corbin hits Williams with the title belt behind the referee’s back to get the pinfall.
Backstage, Sami Zayn confronts Nick Aldis, claiming that Aldis sabotaged his title opportunity at SummerSlam by adding Gunther and Kevin Owens to the match. Owens appears and tells Aldis that he wants his match against CM Punk on the 21st in Toronto. Aldis walks away.
Zayn tells Owens that he owes him an apology for sabotaging him on Sunday. Owens says he is sorry, but he knows Zayn would have done the same thing. The two shake hands, but Zayn makes it clear that he still has not given up on the title.
Backstage, while Baron Corbin celebrates another victory over Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes appears and attacks him. Hayes says that next week, he will challenge the Lone Wolf for the title.
Chelsea Green, now the Interim WWE Women’s Champion, makes her entrance to celebrate her SummerSlam victory. Tiffany Stratton also comes out to celebrate with Green. However, Fatal Influence interrupts the celebration. Jacy Jayne says she is coming after the Women’s United States Championship to leave Stratton without any titles. Stratton accepts, as long as Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid put the Tag Team Titles on the line right now. Fatal Influence agrees.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid (c) w/ Jacy Jayne) vs. Interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green and WWE Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton
– Reid and Henley hit Green with a Fatal Flaw, followed by the pinfall.
After the match, Nia Jax and Lash Legend come out to attack Green and Stratton.
Backstage, during an interview with Cathy Kelley, Damian Priest vows to take down the MFT, saying he does not fear them. The War Raiders show up, furious over the group’s interference in last week’s title match. Truth guarantees the War Raiders another shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship next week. Erik and Ivar agree and leave. Priest questions Truth about the announcement, since the AAA World Tag Team Championship will not be on the line this time.
Randy Orton makes his way to the ring. However, before The Viper can even speak, Cody Rhodes comes out, forcing him to retreat. Rhodes demands that Orton come back and give him an explanation. Orton says he owes Rhodes nothing, since Rhodes himself asked for the best version of him at WrestleMania 42. Orton congratulates Rhodes on his victory in April, but says he has realized that the worst version of himself is the only one that will get him to his goal of winning his fifteenth world championship. Rhodes says he is also tired of being the nice guy. Rhodes points out that if Orton is a Legend Killer, he needs to be careful not to become the victim of an attack before he gets the chance to strike.
Backstage, Sami Zayn vents his frustration to Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano, saying he is willing to prove that CM Punk is a fraud. Punk appears and an argument breaks out. Zayn says he is injured, because otherwise he would beat Punk down. The champion mocks Zayn, saying he would be more likely to give LeRae a title shot than the Canadian, because Zayn needs to go back to the end of the line.
Elsewhere, Michin and B-Fab tell Jade Cargill that the WWE Women’s Championship is the only thing missing from her résumé. Cargill says that once she is done with Charlotte Flair tonight, she will go back after her main goal.
In a video recorded earlier, Nikki Bella says that when she got injured at WrestleMania 42, Paige took advantage of the opportunity, became champion, and took her spot. Now, her sister Brie is injured. Nikki promises to make Paige pay for her suffering.
In another video, Shinsuke Nakamura promises to start a war against the MFT.
Singles Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill w/ Michin & B-Fab
– After repeated interference from B-Fab and Michin, Alexa Bliss’ music hits. Bliss, despite coming out with her arm still injured, holds up her Lilly doll, causing the arena to go dark. When the lights come back on, Tatum Paxley appears in one of the ring corners, hitting Michin and B-Fab with a Crossbody. In the ring, Flair hits Cargill with Natural Selection, followed by the pinfall.
End of show.