WWE SmackDown live results: CM Punk appears in Chicago

After costing Drew McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship at Clash at the Castle, CM Punk is slated to appear on tonight’s SmackDown live from his native Chicago.

Punk has been out since the Royal Rumble, when he tore his triceps, but he’s repeatedly found ways to terrorize McIntyre during his time away from the ring. The most recent example of such came last Saturday when Punk donned a referee’s shirt and refused to count to three when it appeared McIntyre was about to win the title in Glasgow.

Punk has said that he will provide a health update on tonight’s show.

Also on tap, Cody Rhodes responds to The Bloodline’s attack on him at Clash at the Castle. Rhodes took the beating after retaining his Undisputed WWE Championship in an “I Quit” match against AJ Styles.

Three Money in the Bank qualifying matches will take place. Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller vs. Andrade and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga vs. Carmelo Hayes will be tonight’s men’s qualifiers, and there will be a women’s qualifier with Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green vs. Michin.

Plus, after weeks of bickering, LA Knight is scheduled to confront United States Champion Logan Paul.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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– A video recapping CM Punk’s involvement at last weekend’s Clash at the Castle began the show. From there, we got footage of Drew McIntyre quitting WWE on Raw.

– Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show, noting how they were in Chicago. “CM Punk!” chants were heard from the crowd. Cue Living Colour. Punk made his entrance.

The CM Punk segment

This was very good. Very, very good. Promos that open episodes of SmackDown are hit or miss anymore, but everything here was pitch perfect. The crowd. Punk. Heyman. The Bloodline. Cody. Very good stuff all around. The only question now will be … can the crowd stay hot for the rest of the show now that they’ve seen their hometown hero out there already? My guess is yes because Chicago crowds tend to always be some of the best in the United States, but we’ll see. In the meantime, will tonight perhaps mark another Bloodline debut? As I write this in real time, I know no inside baseball information. But something feels like it’s up.

Punk sat cross-legged in the middle of the ring as the crowd chanted his name. Punk was given a microphone and the crowd’s chants grew louder. Punk said it’s great to be alive in Chicago on a Friday night. He played up the pressure of it being live TV. Punk talked more about pressure and wondered if he could handle pressure. Punk referenced 2011 when he said he would walk out WWE Champion. Punk asked the crowd if he embarrassed Chicago and the fans repeatedly yelled “No!” Before long, Punk brought up McIntyre and said he kicked both Punk and Chicago. Punk outlined three options, stay down, turn the other cheek or essentially kill Drew’s career. Shockingly, it was the third option that Punk chose.

The talk turned to Drew quitting. Punk said Drew couldn’t take the pressure and Punk made bad things happen to Drew. Out of nowhere, Paul Heyman’s voice appeared with the “Ladies and gentlemen” line and the crowd gasped before beginning a loud “ECW!” chant. Heyman walked to the ring and said he was running late. Heyman noted how Punk sat next to Heyman’s children when Heyman was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Heyman remembered how he said Punk is his best friend. The crowd began a “We want Roman!” chant, which was awfully loud.

Heyman entered the ring and hugged Punk. The crowd erupted. Heyman teared up and said he needed that hug. Heyman said that he heard on the radio that Chicago is CM Punk’s town. Heyman noted how that pissed off Solo Sikoa. Heyman described Sikoa as the head of the table, but only begrudgingly. Heyman said he was out there to tell Punk that if he doesn’t leave, Sikoa and the Bloodline will come for Punk. Heyman pointed out the extra security there and said Sikoa and his guys are taking things too far. Heyman asked Punk to “please get the hell out of here right now.” Those words inspired more “CM Punk!” chants.

Punk asked if Heyman was serious about Punk leaving. Sikoa’s music hit and he walked to the ring with Tonga Loa & Tama Tonga. Sikoa said Punk had two options. One, Punk pays his respect to the Bloodline or two, they make sure Punk never gets cleared to wrestle again. Punk turned to Heyman, who said if Punk leaves, he wants a favor: For Punk to take Heyman with him. “Yes!” chants began. Punk said he acknowledges the fact that he sees a bunch of “fake-ass Usos” in front of him and a phony Tribal Chief. Punk squared up as the Bloodline got in the ring. Cody Rhodes appeared out of nowhere with a couple baseball bats and the Bloodline retreated.

Cody grabbed a microphone and said he’s already beaten one head of the table, so Sikoa should go backstage. Cody challenged Sikoa to a match later. Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

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– Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were shown talking backstage. Cargill said she needed to talk to Nick Aldis about a rematch for their tag titles. Belair’s music hit and she made her entrance for the show’s first match.

– Cody vs. Sikoa was made official for later in the show. Cody was shown walking backstage and he ran into Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Orton asked Cody if he really wanted to face Sikoa later. Cody told them to trust him. Owens said the Bloodline always has a plan. Cody said he knows that, but he has a plan, too.

Chelsea Green defeated Michin & Bianca Belair in a triple threat to qualify for the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match [7:25]

A very fun TV match with a surprising outcome. I love the decision to have Green steal the win. If nothing else, it creates the notion that perhaps these MITB qualifiers aren’t as much of a slam dunk as they seem on paper. Green constantly acting surprised at everything she does also kind of cracks me up more than it should. Presumably this means Cargill won’t qualify for the MITB match either next week, so are we finally getting to the part where Cargill and Belair break up?

Michin and Belair teamed up on Green to start the match and Green rolled out of the ring. From there, Michin and Belair went one-on-one for a minute. Green returned to the ring and punched Belair, but Green was quickly dispatched. The action spilled outside, where Belair punched Michin and Michin punched Belair. Out of nowhere, Green landed a suicide dive and acted surprised. The show then went to a commercial break with Green standing tall.

The show returned and Green was the recipient of a tandem back suplex from the top rope. Belair and Michin got to their feet and exchanged strikes until Belair caught Michin and lifted her. Michin countered with a sunset flip and ultimately, Eat Defeat. With Belair on the outside, Green rolled up Michin for a two-count. Green slapped Michin and Michin headbutted Green. From there, Michin hit a Styles Clash on Green and may have won the match if Belair didn’t break up the pin. Belair hit a released German Suplex on Michin and followed that up with a KOD. But wouldn’t you know it – Green threw Belair out of the ring and stole the pin for the win. The crowd went nuts.

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– Bayley was shown standing backstage and Blair Davenport approached Bayley. Davenport said she will cash in her MITB briefcase on her after she wins it.

– Sikoa was shown talking to Heyman in the Bloodline room. Sikoa told Heyman to tell the Tongans something, but the audio cut out. Heyman looked nervous and Sikoa said if he tells Heyman to do something, Heyman better do it. Sikoa said that he and Heyman also need to have a talk later.

– A video recapping the Grayson Waller/Austin Theory/#DIY developments from last week aired. Waller was interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton. Theory was at home so Waller said he would win the MITB qualifying match in Theory’s honor. #DIY walked in the frame and the garage door behind them opened up. A bloody CM Punk was shown laid out as Drew McIntyre stood over Punk. McIntyre fireman-carried Punk from the outside through the backstage and to the ring. McIntyre threw Punk on the ground in the entrance way and kneeled down to take Punk’s friendship bracelet from Punk’s wrist. Nick Aldis appeared and engaged in a shoving match with McIntyre. WWE officials appeared and Punk did a stretcher job. The show went to a break with no commentary.

– Aldis accompanied Punk to an ambulance and told Punk it would be OK after the show returned from break. Punk was not responsive as the ambulance drove off.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Tama Tonga & Randy Orton in a triple threat to qualify for the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match [9:33]

I like it. Just when I was about to make some snarky comment about how Hayes’s entrance wasn’t televised and he’s going to become the latest NXT call-up to stall out once they make it to The Dance … well, look at that. An Orton win seemed too predictable and you had to think the Bloodline would play some sort of role in him not going over, so Hayes as the one who advances to the MITB ladder match is a nice wrinkle, both for Hayes and the actual ladder match itself. Here’s hoping he has a good showing and it can kickstart some momentum for the former NXT champion. As for this match, it was fine. Nothing to write home about, but nothing offensive (save for that odd face-buster from Tonga on Orton). All told, it was a solid television triple threat.

Hayes’s introduction was not televised. Orton stared town Tonga and the heels attacked Orton to start the match. Tonga shoved Hayes so he could stomp Orton and that led to the heels arguing. The action spilled outside, where Orton set up for a back suplex on Tonga, but Hayes stopped Orton. Tonga returned the favor for Hayes. Tonga and Hayes took turns attacking Orton … until Orton inevitably hit that signature back suplex – the first on Tonga and the second on Hayes – onto the commentary table. The show quickly went to a commercial break.

Hayes and Tonga were battling inside the ring as the show came back. Tonga momentarily got the better of Hayes, until Hayes planted Tonga and got a two-count. Tonga came back with a back-breaker, but Orton reappeared and broke up Tonga’s pin attempt. Orton hit a snap powerslam on Tonga and a super-plex on Melo from the second rope. Tonga broke up a pin attempt and worked a sleeper hold on Orton until Orton worked out of it. Tonga hit a clunky facebuster on Orton but Hayes broke up the pin attempt. Hayes and Tonga then started to fight again. Orton came back into the mix and landed a stereo draping DDT on Hayes and Tonga at the same time.

Orton set up for an RKO, but Tonga Loa ran out to distract Orton. As a result, Hayes rolled up Orton and got the win. Hayes posed on the commentary table after the match.

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The LA Knight/Logan Paul/Santos Escobar segment

I have no idea how they stretch Paul vs. Knight out to Summerslam if that’s the plan, but the summer is young. For now, the promos, despite Knight still being super over with the live crowds, are starting to get a bit repetitive. And Paul can only be a chicken-s@#* heel for so long with so many people before that starts getting old, too. We’ll see.

Knight told Paul to come to the ring, but nothing happened. Knight recalled how he told Paul he wanted the U.S. title. Knight said Paul no-showed Chicago. Knight said time is running out and next week, after the MITB qualifier between him, Paul and Santos Escobar, Knight will come looking for Paul. Escobar’s music hit and Escobar walked out with a microphone. Escobar said the truth is Knight is delusional and called Knight a desperate fanboy. Escobar said next week, Knight would be wise to remember he’s dealing with Escobar. Knight noted how he beat Escobar each time he met him. This soon led to Escobar eating a BFT.

Knight started to talk into the camera and Paul showed up to attack Knight. From there, Paul knocked Knight out and yelled at the camera while holding his phone.

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Andrade defeated Kevin Owens & Grayson Waller in a triple threat to qualify for the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match [9:56]

Good for Andrade. Everything I said about Carmelo Hayes before this, apply it to Andrade as well. He’ll be a sneaky-good addition to the MITB match. Speaking of the current match at hand, it was probably the best of the three MITB qualifiers on this night. The Owens knee story gave things a little more drama and Waller is very good at being Grayson Waller in these types of situations. He probably won’t win, but he always makes you guess a little bit. Good action and a good outcome.

During Owens’s entrance, Owens was attacked by the Bloodline until Randy Orton appeared with a chair and ran the Bloodline off. Owens’s knee was messed up and Owens limped to the ring. Early in the match, Andrade hit Waller with a spinning elbow and got a nice near-fall. The action spilled outside, where Owens hit a Swanton. The three fought on the apron. Andrade somehow hit a Sunset Flip over the top and into a powerbomb on Waller and the show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and the three were battling inside the ring. Waller briefly had control until Andrade sent Waller into a turnbuckle. Andrade had a brief time to shine until Owens got to his feet and the two brawled. Waller returned and planted both guys, but couldn’t steal a pin. Waller yelled “A-Town Down” and lifted Owens, but Owens worked out of it. Waller took Owens out by kicking his knee. Andrade chopped the hell out of Waller and the two battled on the second rope until Owens popped up and slammed both opponents. Owens went to the top and landed a Swanton on Andrade which led to a good near-fall.

Owens ultimately hit a Stunner on Andrade and went for the pin, but Waller broke it up. Waller kicked Owens’s knee and went for a rolling move on Andrade, but Andrade caught Waller and hit his finisher to get the victory.

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– Michin was shown backstage and Tiffany Stratton walked in. Stratton tried to hit Michin, but Michin blocked it and punched Stratton. Nia Jax then showed up and ran Michin into a dresser.

– Next week, there will be three MITB qualifying matches. Candice LeRae, Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton will compete against each other. Naomi, Indi Hartwell and Blair Davenport will be the wrestlers in the second qualifying match. And then there will be the aforementioned Logan Paul, LA Knight and Santos Escobar qualifying match.

Solo Sikoa and Cody Rhodes fought to a no contest [1:40]

Oh goodness gracious, I’ve never seen Jacob Fatu look this trim. Wowzers. That guy looked incredible. His booking was great, too. It was precisely the shot of energy the Bloodline Wolfpack 2.0 needed to get things going. I’m not sure I can fully get on board with Fatu falling into the same Crazed Samoan persona his cousins have taken on since coming over to WWE – and I say that only because Fatu is a great promo and an even better interview, if you’re ever lucky enough to sit down with him for a chat – but I’ll reserve judgment on that for another day. For now … wow. I’m very glad to see him finally make it to this stage, but I’m even happier to see him look healthier than he’s ever looked in a wrestling ring and kick the snot out of people in a way only he can. Hey. I’m a fan of the guy. What can I say?

Cody made his entrance first, which screamed “Angle Alert.” Well, that and the fact there was only eight minutes left in the show. Sikoa and Heyman talked backstage. Heyman CM Punk is very personal to him and even Roman Reigns said Punk is off limits. Heyman called Reigns the Tribal Chief and that didn’t sit well with Sikoa, who noted how Roman Reigns is “not coming back,” whatever that means. Sikoa then walked to the ring and left Heyman dumbfounded. Graves said they’d stick with the match for as long as it took.

After the bell rang, Cody and Solo stood in the ring and stared at each other. Sikoa ran at Cody and the action spilled outside quickly. Cody hit a suicide dive and ran Sikoa into the ring steps. Cody set up for a Crossroads, but Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa ran in to attack Cody. Randy Orton’s music hit and Orton, with Owens, ran to the ring. The six wrestlers brawled as Heyman looked dejected. The babyfaces had the upper hand and were left alone with Sikoa after taking care of Tonga and Loa. They cornered Sikoa and Sikoa smirked. From there, a slimmed down Jacob Fatu appeared and gave Owens a Samoan Drop on the ring steps. Fatu speared Orton through the barricade. Cody tried Fatu, but that led to Fatu slamming Cody onto the ring apron. Fatu put Cody onto the commentary table and climbed to the top rope to hit a splash onto Cody, putting Cody through the table. A “Holy S*@!” chant broke out. Sikoa hugged Fatu and both guys raised their fingers. Loa and Tonga returned to the ring and did the same. The four Bloodline members posed with their fingers in the air to end the show.