WWE SmackDown live results: Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill, CM Punk and Kevin Owens face to face
WWE SmackDown is from Philadelphia tonight.
This week’s show is set for the Xfinity Mobile Arena and will be the first episode following last weekend’s WWE SummerSlam.
WWE.com is advertising a segment with Kevin Owens and CM Punk for tonight. Owens returned to WWE on the second night of SummerSlam and won a number one contender four-way match against Gunther, Sami Zayn, and Finn Balor.
Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill will go one-on-one tonight after both competed in the interim WWE Women’s Championship ladder match at SummerSlam, which was won by Chelsea Green.
Speaking of the new champion, Green will be on tonight’s show as she is coming off her title win on Sunday.
Although he has not been announced for the show, the Xfinity Mobile Arena is advertising that Randy Orton will be on SmackDown tonight. Orton returned to WWE at SummerSlam, RKOing Cody Rhodes and allowing Punk to pick up the win in their match.
Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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– We opened with a memorial graphic for the late, great Dory Funk Jr., who passed away this week. May he rest in eternal peace.
– After the signature open, we saw the arrivals of Baron Corbin, Trick Williams, Charlotte Flair, plus Jade Cargill and her Baddies. Following that, we went to Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett, who welcomed us to the show. We learned that the first thirty minutes tonight would be commercial-free, as Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring to kick us off.
Cody Rhodes opens SmackDown
Rhodes walked down to the ring, days removed from being screwed over by Randy Orton at SummerSlam in Minneapolis.
Rhodes didn’t waste any time and called out Orton to face him in the ring, right here and right now. He went into the “what do you want to talk about” spiel when Orton didn’t show up. Rhodes discussed how the wrestling world lost a “champion’s champion” in Dory Funk Jr., before he shifted to the memories he had in Philadelphia at WrestleMania 40 when he finished the story. Rhodes then talked about how he lost to the Best in the World on Saturday, as he assumed that CM Punk did not know about Orton’s intervention.
The mere mention of Punk brought the Undisputed WWE Champion himself to the ring. Punk took a mic and said that it sounded like his friend wanted to ask him a question, so he got right to it. Rhodes asked Punk if he knew about Orton’s return. Punk said that it kinda hurt that he was asked, but he said that knew nothing about Orton before offering he and Rhodes go backstage and beat Orton’s ass. Rhodes declined and said that he will beat Orton up himself before giving the ring to Punk.
As Rhodes left, Punk talked about the unfinished business that they had, noting “say when”. At that moment, Kevin Owens appeared on the stage, perhaps ready to talk to CM Punk about being the new contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Owens and Rhodes stared down before the latter offered a microphone silently.
Inside the ring, Owens walked right up to Punk’s face and shared some words with the Champion as Nick Aldis appeared. Owens looked towards Aldis and told him that he’d be professional about it. Punk asked if Owens wanted to wrestle, to which the new No. 1 Contender said that it was all he wanted to do. Owens said that for 17 months, he lived in uncertainty due to a career-threatening injury, but he was proving people wrong for his entire career and here he was. Owens said that people had come up to him and told him that “CM Punk was a changed man”, but Punk was actually proving him right by offering Cody Rhodes a shot over him. Owens called Punk an “arrogant sociopath”, one that he’s always been.
Punk responded by saying that he was the Best in the World, and that some people didn’t like he did so, but he backed it up time and time again. The fact that Punk was the Undisputed WWE Champion meant that he was the Best in the World. Punk talked about how Owens benefitted from his arrogance, and from what he had been through. He was called “skinny fat” in the past, as he asked if WWE was watiing around, holding their breath for Kevin Owens.
Owens said how he spent years picturing the perfect way to be a Champion, and that it involved winning and humbling CM Punk to do so. Punk mocked Owens, stating that he’d be working a 9-to-5 job every day and working weekend indy dates without him and that Owens should be grateful for him. Owens said that Punk was right in that… but, Punk also showed Owens about what not to be, namely how somebody’s ego could be affected by calling themselves “The Best in the World”. Owens thanked Punk because it showed him how to not let this business turn him into a “miserable piece of shit” like him. The staredown got tense before Aldis and the assembled referees and security agents got in the way before any fighting can start.
This was a hot start, yes. Kevin Owens is a fantastic promo, but I’m kind of burnt out on worked shoot angles and it seems like almost all of CM Punk’s angles in WWE are in that realm. At the very least, Owens did his part of the promo really well. Interesting start to the show.
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Men’s United States Championship: Baron Corbin (c) vs. Trick Williams
Corbin took down Williams to start the match, but he got hit with a jumping clothesline by the former U.S. Champion afterwards. Outside the ring, Corbin was thrown all around by Williams, right over the timekeeper’s area. Williams leapt over the barricade and wiped out Corbin with a jumping lariat as we took a commercial break (with the advertised “commercial free half-hour” being dominated by the Punk/Owens opening promo and the U.S. Title match entrances).
Back from the break with Corbin in control of the match. Corbin punched at Williams’ head twice before he grabbed him by the hair and threw him into the corner. That seemed to fire Williams up, who hit Corbin with two side kicks, followed by the flapjack. Williams then gave Corbin the slap to the face as he stomped away at him in the corner. Williams dropped Corbin with the sit-down Death Valley Driver, but that only got a near-fall. Williams looked for the uranage, but Corbin countered it. That just led to Corbin getting hit by the spinning kick to the face by Williams.
Williams attempted the Trick Shot, but Corbin turned him around for the Deep Six and a very close two-count. Both men got to their knees and exchanged strikes as they eventually rose to their feet. The trading of blows continued until Williams hit Corbin with the jumping neckbreaker. Outside the ring, Corbin rammed Williams into the ring post. As Corbin threw Williams into the ring, he took the U.S. Championship belt. That opened him up for the Book-End. The cover, but Corbin kicked out at two. Williams once again targeted Corbin, but that got countered into the End of Days. However, Williams reversed that and got a head of speed to hit Corbin with the Trick Shot. The cover, but Corbin got a foot on the ropes. Corbin rolled out of the ring and smashed the U.S. Championship belt across Williams’ face to get the cover and the title retention.
Baron Corbin def. Trick Williams via pinfall to retain the Men’s U.S. Championship
This match was decent, but I’m just not feeling Corbin in his return. He was never really a particularly good wrestler and I don’t think much has changed since his WWE exit.
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– Sami Zayn approached Nick Aldis and whined about his predicament as Kevin Owens appeared. Owens talked to Aldis and said he wanted a shot at CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship in a couple of weeks time in Toronto. Zayn complained that Owens’ return messed things up for him and demanded an apology. Owens did so, but he noted that Zayn would do it if he was in Owens’ position. Owens said that he’d take care of it on his own, even with Zayn’s offer to help. “Don’t expect me to stop chasing what I want just because it happens to be what you want,” said Zayn.
WWE SmackDown recapper. Former NXT PLE/WWE Saturday Night's Main Event/fill-in recapper.