WWE SmackDown live results: CM Punk, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins sign WrestleMania contract
A week after their confrontation to close out last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns, CM Punk and Seth Rollins are set to appear on Friday’s show from London, England, for a contract signing to make their WWE WrestleMania 41 match official.
The three didn’t say much last Friday as they came face-to-face-to-face as a brawl quickly broke out between everybody. The show went off the air as the pull-apart continued.
After showing up to Raw earlier this week to confront John Cena, undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes will make an appearance.
Two title matches are also on tap as LA Knight will defend his WWE United States title against Braun Strowman who earned the title shot after defeating Jacob Fatu last week via disqualification.
The Street Profits will put their WWE Tag Team Titles on the line as they square off against Pretty Deadly, who earned a title shot earlier this month.
Our live coverage begins at 8 PM Eastern.
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– Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone into the show as footage of London was shown. Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, Michin, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair and Braun Strowman were shown walking backstage. Rhodes was the final person shown and the camera followed him through the curtain as he made his entrance.
The Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton/Drew McIntyre segment
This was longer than it needed to be, but pretty good, all things considered. It felt less like another beat in the road to WrestleMania and more like a, “Let’s throw the two biggest babyfaces we can out there and hope that carries the first half-hour of the show” situation. It worked in its own way, albeit even if that way happened to veer into being boring occasionally. Drew showing up injected some life into things, but he wasn’t out there long enough to really make a difference. These European crowds have been great for SmackDown because SmackDown is the worst WWE TV show these days, but I can’t say I’m not looking forward to wrestlers not having to soak in random cheers all the time before they talk whenever they grab a microphone. It feels so self-aggrandizing at this point, it’s lost its novelty. Perhaps I’m just grumpy. Perhaps both.
The crowd sang Cody’s song once it ended and then showered him with their own sing-song Cody Rhodes chant. Cody soaked it in and stood in the middle of the ring. Cody then asked London what they wanted to talk about. The crowd broke into a bunch of different chants. Cody said at WrestleMania, he will face John Cena as he goes to break the record and win his 17th world title. Cody said in a few nights he will stand face-to-face with Cena at the same arena. Randy Orton’s music then hit out of nowhere (get it?). Orton made his entrance.
Orton grabbed a microphone and said he wasn’t the sentimental type, but for London, he said, “Screw it.” Orton paused as the crowd chanted “RKO!” Orton turned his attention to Cody and asked him to look at the man he is now along with where he came from. Cue the Cody Rhodes Singalong European Chant (trademark that). Orton talked about how Cody used to “bust his ass” harder than anyone else. Orton said Cody wasn’t treated fairly in a WWE locker room and because of that, Cody left and changed the business singlehandedly when he left. Cody teared up a bunch. The crowd went back to the singalong.
Orton asked the crowd if they remembered Cody facing Seth Rollins a Hell In A Cell. Orton noted how the color purple on Cody’s body that night was a color he’s never seen before. From there, Orton talked about how Cody finished his story against Roman Reigns. Orton said Cody is in charge of his legacy and it’s a privilege to watch it and he essentially said the wrestling business as a whole is thriving 99.9 percent only because of Cody. Orton put his arm around Cody and said he’s “very, very proud of him.”
Orton brought up WrestleMania and said he was going to kick Kevin Owens so hard in the head, he can feel it already. Orton said Cody will beat the hell out of John Cena all up and down the Las Vegas Strip. Orton said after all the dust settles, he’ll want to go after his 15th world title reign. Orton said he wouldn’t kick Cody in the balls, “like some coward,” and instead, Orton will look Cody in the eye and tell Cody that he’s coming for Cody’s title. Drew McIntyre’s music then hit and McIntyre walked out with a microphone. The crowd cheered heavily for Drew.
Drew stood in the entrance way and called Orton and Cody Nepo Babies and it made him sick to see them standing in the ring. Drew asked Orton what he’s done to deserve a title shot. Drew told Orton to get to the back of the line. Drew told Cody he should have listened to Drew, but instead, Cody attacked Drew, and from there, Drew harped on the fact that he warned everybody about John Cena. Drew brought up Damian Priest and walked into the ring. The crowd gave Drew his own singalong chant. Drew said he’d take the belt from Cody if Cody gets through and instead, Drew will take it from Cody.
Drew told Orton that Owens might actually have a point and Orton’s voices know Drew very well. Drew said Orton looks great – absolutely jacked, even. Drew said that was on the outside, but on the inside, he knows Orton’s back is hanging by a thread. Drew walked towards Cody and Cody kicked Drew. Orton went for an RKO, but Drew slid out of the ring to avoid it. Cody’s music hit to end the segment.
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– Turns out, Drew McIntyre will now face Randy Orton later in the show.
The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship [7:55]
The Profits seemed to know their role going into this – nobody was booing Pretty Deadly in their home country and the Profits looked to be more than happy to lean into playing the heel role (which they already kind of/sort of do maybe? Sometimes?). The finish was fun as the crowd really rallied behind Pretty Deadly and then subsequently showed their dissatisfaction once it turned into The Profits going over. It would have meant more if this tag division didn’t feel like such a throwaway division for so long. They play hot potato with the titles, too many teams never actually get wins, and in general … well … it’s a mess. Even so, these four guys showed up and had a fun TV match that was made more entertaining because of the love the crowd showed for Pretty Deadly.
Pretty Deadly got a nice ovation during their entrance. Dawkins and Wilson started the match. Prince soon tagged in and Pretty Deadly took care of Dawkins and Ford. Wilson and Prince posed for the crowd as the Profits rolled outside. The show went to a commercial break. The show returned and Prince and Ford were going at it. Dawkins and Wilson tagged in after a weird moment between Prince and Ford. Dawkins lifted Wilson for the Profits’ finisher, but Wilson worked out of it and clotheslined Dawkins. Prince tagged in and the Pretty Deadly duo did their catapult Codebreaker spot on Dawkins for a two-count.
Dawkins came back and slammed Prince before he tagged Ford. Ford hit a frog splash on Wilson, to took the hit and Prince followed up with a pin attempt, but Ford kicked out. Dawkins tagged in and back-suplexed Prince, but Wilson broke up the pin attempt. All four wrestlers were down. “Pretty Deadly!” chants broke out. Each wrestler was in a corner and all four met int he middle of the ring. Pretty Deadly hit their finisher on Dawkins and it looked like they might get the pin, but Ford broke up the pin attempt. Dawkins lifted Ford and the crowd booed. The Profits hit the Doomsday Blockbuster on Wilson and got the win.
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– Footage from earlier today aired and it featured Zelina Vega talking to Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. Chelsea Green, Piper Niven and Alba Fyre walked in. A tag match was made between Chance & Carter and Niven & Fyre.
– The WWE Hall Of Fame will now induct the WreslteMania 13 match between Steve Austin and Bret Hart because I guess inducting matches is now a thing (dubbed an “Immortal Moment”). Hart and Austin will be at the ceremony now because of this.
– Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns were shown getting out of a car and walking into the building.
The Secret Hervice (Piper Niven & Alba Fyre) defeated Kayden Carter and Katana Chance [7:01]
A fine-enough match that had a tough time finding a groove. Tessitore noted how we haven’t seen Chance or Carter on SmackDown in something like over a year, so you knew how this would end. Still, Chance and Carter got their signature flashy moves in while Fyre and Niven worked well as a team, considering this was their first bout. The crowd was super behind Green and her crew – to the point that I felt bad for Vega, Chance and Carter by the time all this wound down. Something tell me this won’t be a problem that simply stays in Europe even after the circus returns to the States.
Chance and Fyre began the match. Carter tagged in quick after and the babyfaces worked a series of double-team moves on Fyre until Fyre got an elbow up and tagged in Niven. With Carter and Chance on the outside, Niven hit a Cannonball on Carter and Chance. Niven saluted the crowd and the show went to a commercial break. The show returned and Carter was leveling Fyre with a bunch of elbows. Carter landed a big boot on Fyre and followed that up with a springboard leg-drop for a two-count.
Niven tagged in, but Carter realize and pinned Fyre, who was the recipient of an accidental Senton from Niven after Cater moved out of the way. Chance tagged in, Carter dropped Niven and Carter and Chance hit the Keg Stand, but Fyre broke up the pin attempt. Carter hit a splash on Fyre on the outside of the ring. Cater tagged in and Green hopped on the apron to distract the referee. This stifled the momentum of Carter and Chance. As a result, Niven hit a Piper Drive on Carter for the win.
After the match, the heels attacked the babyfaces until Zelina Vega ran out for the save. Vega went for a Destroyer, but Fyre kicked Vega in the face to break things up. Green, Niven and Fyre stood tall.
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Braun Strowman defeated LA Knight via DQ [7:07]
The expected outcome, considering how it seems inevitable that we are on one slow march towards a multi-man U.S. title match at WrestleMania. Knight and Strowman aren’t necessarily known for their in-ring work, so this going seven minutes was the right call and in the meantime, Strowman showcased his strength while Knight showcased his resilience. Again. The expected outcome. I’m glad to see Fatu get his heat back, though. Conspicuous by their absences were Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga. Perhaps time will explain why they weren’t there.
The two locked up repeatedly and Strowman got the best of it repeatedly. Knight tried to lift Strowman, but that wasn’t happening. Strowman ultimately landed a high hip-toss for a two-count. Strowman ran at Knight in a corner and hit a splash. Strowman found himself on the outside of the ring and Knight hit two sliding dropkicks through the ropes. Knight then turned into a big boot from Strowman. The show went to a commercial break after that.
Back from the break, the two were back in the ring and Knight tried to lift Strowman, but Strowman wasn’t having it again. Knight hit a bulldog off the second rope to slow things down. Strowman set up for a powerslam, but Knight fought out of it and countered with a back suplex. Knight dropped an elbow on Strowman for a two-count. Knight set up for a BFT, but Strowman pushed Knight away and clotheslined Knight over the top and to the floor. Strowman ripped his shirt off and set up for the Strowman Express, but Strowman instead ran into an elbow from Jacob Fatu to end the match.
After the match, Fatu hit a Samoan Drop on Strowman onto the commentary desk. The action spilled into the ring and Fatu worked over Strowman with headbutts. Fatu went for a hip attack, but Knight re-instered himself into things … but Fatu hit a pop-up Samoan Drop on Knight. Fatu then successfully hit a series of hip attacks on Strowman. Fatu ended the segment by hitting a jump-up moonsault on Strowman. And then another one.
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– Jackie Redmond interviewed Jimmy Uso backstage. Redmond referenced Jimmy’s slap on Gunther on Raw. Jimmy said Gunther isn’t unbeatable and he will go Raw and bust Gunther’s ass and then Jey will go to WrestleMania and bust Gunther’s ass. Jimmy walked away and ran into The Miz and Carmelo Hayes. The Miz said Gunther is the main character and Jimmy and Jey will not beat Gunther. Miz said Jimmy will never know what it means to carry the industry and made a threat to Jimmy if Jimmy were to slap Miz. Jimmy faked like he was going to slap Miz and instead said he was going to ask Nick Aldis for a match against Miz later in the show.
– Well, this answers my previous question: Fatu ran into Tonga and Sikoa backstage. Sikoa told Fatu to lower his tone when he speaks to Sikoa. Fatu told them when it comes to Strowman, he will be the last man standing and they better “get in where they fit in.” Fatu said he will bring the U.S. title home to the family – and he’ll do it with them or without them.
– A Naomi vignette aired. Naomi said she always wants to do the right thing. Naomi asked Bianca Belair why her attack on Jade Cargill wasn’t the right thing. Naomi started crying and questioned how Cargill took Naomi’s place. Naomi asked Belair to ask herself who has always had her back. Naomi said it was her and not Jade. Naomi said what she’s learned is you teach people how to treat you and she’s done being pushed to the side and underappreciated. Naomi said moving forward, her message to Cargill is that if she continues to be in Naomi’s way, she strongly advises Cargill to proceed with caution. This was great.
– Cargill was shown talking to Nick Aldis backstage. Aldis told Cargill Naomi wasn’t there and Cargill then ran into Michin and B-Fab, the latter of whom said what Naomi did was trash. B-Fab said Naomi deserves everything that’s coming to her.
– Michin made her entrance for her match with Charlotte, but Naomi popped up out of nowhere and attacked Michin and B-Fab before Charlotte could make her entrance. Naomi ran B-Fab into the crowd barrier. Naomi slammed B-Fab into the announce desk. Jade Cargill’s music hit and Cargill ran out to chase Naomi away. Cargill helped B-Fab to the back. As she was doing so, Charlotte’s music hit and Charlotte and Cargill engaged in a stare down.
Charlotte Flair defeated Michin [8:17]
I’m glad Charlotte gave Michin as much as she gave her here because I was under the impression we were getting a squash after that pre-match attack. Good on Charlotte for allowing Michin to get everything in – including her finisher, which didn’t receive the response the live crowd should have given it … which was, really, just any response at all. I wonder if they did a pre-tape with Tiffy because of how odd the split-screen segment came across last week, what with Charlotte constantly cutting her off and making things feel a bit too real. After the last few weeks, I’m a little surprised Tiffy and Charlotte didn’t have a physical confrontation because that could have made up for last week’s disaster. Onward and upward, I suppose.
Charlotte started the match with a big boot to the recovering Michin and went for a pin, but Michin kicked out. The show then went to a commercial break. The show returned and Michin tried to fire up via a tornado DDT, which was good enough for a two count. Michin ran at Charlotte, but Charlotte got her boot up. Michin came right back with a boot, but missed a Cannonball. Charlotte hit a super-kick and stepped over Michin. Charlotte went to the top, but Michin cut her off and landed a powerbomb for a two-count.
Michin hit a Pele Kick and a running knee for a two-count. Michin tried to suplex Charlotte, but Charlotte elbowed and chopped her way out of it. Michin came back with a back suplex. Michin followed up with a Cannonball that connected and set up for Eat Defeat, ultimately getting it, but Charlotte got her foot on the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Michin went for a running knee on the outside, but Charlotte moved and Michin kicked the steel steps. Back inside the ring, Charlotte went to work on Michin’s leg and locked in the Figure Eight for the win.
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– Redmond interviewed Tiffany Stratton backstage and brought up how hard Charlotte came at Tiffy last week. Tiffy said Charlotte is still so insecure, she wouldn’t let a rookie get a word out last week. Tiffy said if she loses at Mania, she loses to Charlotte, a legend. But if Charlotte loses, she loses to a little girl rookie. Tiffy said she’ll make damn sure that what stays in Vegas is her massive ego. Tiffy said she will walk out of Vegas as the WWE Women’s Champion.
Drew McIntyre defeated Kevin Owens [7:58]
The weirdest thing about this was the fact that it clearly could have been a PLE match with some build behind it – and, to be even more frank, this could have packed more of a punch than whatever McIntyre and Priest are trying to build. And yet, it lasted less than eight minutes on a SmackDown and the finish wasn’t entirely clean, but it’s not like Owens interfered. Orton just took a Claymore Kick and that was that. Interesting. It was fun while it lasted, I guess. One of the things about having no buffer between an early Elimination Chamber and a late WrestleMania is that some of these programs are struggling to stay interesting on a week to week basis. Orton and Owens are getting dangerously close to that line of demarcation.
The two locked up to begin the match and Drew got the best of Orton early on. Orton came back with a series of punches in a corner. Orton then threw Drew into the ring post. The action spilled outside and … wouldn’t you know it … Orton suplexed Drew onto the top of the commentary table to complete Track One of Randy Orton’s Greatest Hits. The show then went to a commercial break.
The show went to a commercial break and Drew had control, complete with some chops. Drew threw Orton into a corner and Orton came out with a clothesline. Orton followed that up with a snap powerslam. With Drew on the apron, Orton hit his draping DDT. Orton got the crowd all types of pumped up for an RKO. Sadly, that didn’t happen because Kevin Owens walked out, sans music or anything. Orton gave Owens his attention and Drew hit a Claymore Kick on Orton to get the win.
After the match, Owens put Orton on the commentary desk and set up for a piledriver, but Orton fought out of it. Orton set up for a punt kick on Owens, but Owens ran through the crowd and got away. Security kept Orton from chasing Owens. Orton’s music hit to end the segment.
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– A Rey Fenix teaser aired and they actually called him “Rey Fenix.” He’ll be on the show next week. Also next week, B-Fab will face Naomi.
Jimmy Uso defeated The Miz [8:37]
What if I told you Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz went 39 seconds longer than Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton on a television show that aires during WrestleMania season in the year 2025? This probably serves as this week’s Exhibit A for SmackDown being in the absolute lowest end of pro wrestling television these days. It seems like each week has one of these Exhibit A’s anymore. I digress. Anyway, the guys worked hard, so good for them. Meanwhile, Andrade sits on the bench. Carmelo Hayes sits on the bench. Give it four weeks and Rey Fenix will be sitting on the bench, too. But The Miz gets nine minutes. Make it make sense and I’ll stop whining.
The two locked up to begin things and Miz went for a chop, but Jimmy ducked and chopped Miz. Jimmy then worked a ground-and-pound before hitting a clothesline. Jimmy chopped Miz, but Miz came back with a boot to the face. Miz went to work on Jimmy’s back and put a knee to the back of Jimmy’s head. Miz went for a knee, but Jimmy moved and clotheslined Miz over the top to the outside. Jimmy set up for a dive, but Miz moved, so Jimmy rolled outside and punched Miz into the timekeeper’s area. The show then went to a commercial break.
The show returned and Jimmy clotheslined Miz. Jimmy followed that up with a Samoan Drop. Miz came back with a short-arm clothesline. Miz set up for his finisher, but Jimmy rolled Miz up for a two-count. Miz came back with a kneeling DDT for a two-count. The Miz then hit his Miz Kicks. Miz landed a running boot and got a nice near-fall out of it. Miz connected with a splash in the corner and went for a springboard move, but Miz ran into a super-kick. Jimmy followed that up with an Uso Splash for the win.
After the match, Jimmy took a commentary headset and said he’s coming for Gunther’s ass on Monday. Jimmy said Gunther will salute Big Jim by the end of it all.
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– Drew McIntyre ran into Lewis Capaldi backstage and they exchanged pleasantries. Redmond showed up and congratulated Drew on his win. Drew said he didn’t care about other people’s business and when nobody gets involved with his business, he wins. McIntyre said he’s going out on the town and opened the door to leave, but Damian Priest was waiting and Priest brawled with Drew on a car. Everything ended with Priest giving Drew a South Of Heaven to Drew on top of the windshield. Real glass? I kid.
– CM Punk was shown walking backstage and stopped to look at McIntyre reeling on top of the car. Punk smirked and kept walking to the ring.
– A video recapping John Cena’s diatribes on Raw aired.
The Roman Reigns/CM Punk/Seth Rollins contract signing
I loved the last bit with Punk telling Roman this still isn’t the favor he was owed. In fact, I’d probably venture to say that’s the only thing that could save this program between these three wrestlers on their way to WrestleMania. I spent too many words writing a column on another website earlier this week about how WWE has a Roman Reigns problem, and part of that argument dealt with the idea that I don’t think this triple threat will be viewed as anything more than a “chapter in the longer story we are trying to tell between CM Punk and Roman Reigns,” per WWE speak, and that bugs me. Now that this mere “chapter” will officially main event a night of WrestleMania, I can only say that I’m more annoyed by this story, this triple threat, the whole thing. I loved Punk’s emotion here, and I even really liked Reigns’s audacity. Even so, these promos between these three feel rushed and nobody ever feels like they get enough time to talk. It’s a forced situation and one I simply can’t buy into. I’m probably in the minority – and I honestly hate to be so down on all of this – but we have a few weeks left and I’m still not interested in this program. Maybe that will change. We’ll see.
Reigns was out first. Paul Heyman was alongside him. Security flanked them. The show went to a commercial break as Reigns made his way to the ring. When the show returned, the crowd was chanting “OTC!” Heyman gave Reigns a microphone and Reigns smirked. The crowd launched into a Roman Reigns singalong. Reigns smiled and screamed, “London! Acknowledge me!” The crowd complied and sweetened the deal with “OTC!” chants. Reigns said the crowd singalong was beautiful, the way they sang to their Tribal Chief. That inspired the crowd to keep going. Even Heyman joined in. Reigns called himself the biggest star on the planet. Reigns said he was there for two reasons: One, to be acknowledged and two, to sign the contract. Reigns then signed the contract and he said he checked his boxes. Reigns tried to speak more, but Seth Rollins’s music hit and out came Rollins.
The crowd, naturally, kept singing Rollins’s music after it stopped playing. Rollins grabbed a microphone and tried to get Heyman to sing along, too, but Heyman just looked pissed. Rollins laughed into the microphone and said the crowd had beautiful singing voices. Rollins noted how he and Roman have a lot of history in that building they were in. Rollins said back then, they were ready to remake that company in their image. Rollins said there’s been a little bit of love and a whole lot of hate between he and Reigns, but he dare say that he and Reigns accomplished their mission. “CM Punk!” chants started.
Reigns said they died a long time ago and they, in fact, did not accomplish their mission. Reigns said he had done all the work and made the place what it is today. Reigns said he took them to where they are today. Reigns said he was the one who made them desirable to Netflix. Rollins said it’s Reigns’s mindset that makes Rollins always want to screw him. Rollins said Reigns lets the biggest snake in the world, CM Punk, into the garden. Rollins said Reigns wouldn’t let Rollins finish Punk and now, Rollins has to clean up Reigns’s mess again. Rollins then signed the contract. Punk’s music hit and Punk came out.
Punk stood on the top rope and said, “I have come here to chew bubblegum and sign a contract, and I’m all out of bubblegum.” God bless you, Roddy Piper. Punk sat down immediately and actualyl read through the contract before signing it. Reigns asked Punk if he needed a highlighter. Reigns pushed Punk to sign it. Reigns told Heyman to smarten Punk up. Heyman walked over to Punk and told Punk he knew what he was looking for, and it “was in there – he’s going to close the show at WreslteMania.” Heyman said Punk he will get to live his dream of all dreams and CM Punk will be a WrestleMania main eventer. Punk’s eyes got a litter teary.
Reigns said one man’s dream is another man’s check. Rollins flipped out and said Punk doesn’t deserve it. Rollins said main eventing WrestleMania is sacred and it means more to him than anything. Rollins said Punk doesn’t deserve it and it’s Reigns’s and Heyman’s fault. Loud “CM Punk!” chants broke out. Punk wiped tears out of his eyes. Punk thanked London, Chicago, Louisville and the fans who chanted his name for 10 long years. Reigns cut Punk off and said Punk needed to thank his Tribal Chief. The credits rolled and Reigns said punk needed to thank Reigns “the right way.” Punk got down on one knee and said, “Thank you, my Tribal Chief,” for allowing a kid from Chicago to be graced by his presence. Punk mockingly said “Because of you, I will see you in the main event of WrestleMania.” The crowd chanted “You deserve it!” Punk thanked Reigns again, but said that’s also not the favor he was owed. The show then went dark and that was it.