WWE SmackDown live results: Fallout from Gunther’s attack on Nick Aldis
WWE SmackDown is live from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York, tonight.
It will be the go-home show for Saturday Night’s Main Event, where CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are scheduled to team together against Sami Zayn and Gunther.
Rhodes is scheduled to “react to teaming with Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk” on tonight’s show.
Also booked for SmackDown is a singles match between Finn Balor and Talla Tonga.
We will also learn more about the fallout from Gunther’s attack on SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis on last week’s show. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce is set to fill in as general manager tonight and says he will have “a ton to address.”
The advertised lineup is listed below:
- Cody Rhodes reacts to teaming with CM Punk
- Finn Balor vs. Tama Tonga
- Fallout from Gunther’s attack on Nick Aldis
- Adam Pearce fills in as SmackDown general manager
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– We got a recap of last week’s SmackDown, where Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk for SummerSlam was made, as well as Gunther brutally attacking Nick Aldis to end the show.
Gunther kicks off SmackDown
The self-professed “Ring General” opened the show to address his actions from last week. As Gunther got into the ring, the crowd loudly booed him before he addressed everyone.
Gunther said that his career prided himself on being an outstanding professional, but he felt that he’s been mistreated since joining SmackDown. He didn’t know what it as with Nick Aldis, but the truth was that Gunther should be the WWE Champion now. Gunther blamed Aldis for making this personal by forcing him to team with Sami Zayn tomorrow night at Saturday Night’s Main Event against CM Punk & Cody Rhodes. Gunther said that Zayn was beneath him until interim GM Adam Pearce interrupted.
Pearce said that on the subject of Nick Aldis, Gunther should be thanking him for saving his job. Pearce pointed out what Gunther did to Cody Rhodes and Mr. Aldis in the past few weeks. And if it was to Pearce, he would’ve fired Gunther… but someone high up made a decision that was above both Pearce and Gunther. We then found out the stakes for the tag match tomorrow: if Gunther and Zayn win, they get added to the Undisputed WWE Title match at SummerSlam.
This announcement brought out Cody Rhodes, who walked down the ramp with pomp, circumstance, and a fight. He ran right into the ring to fight Gunther as he drove him out of the ring. Rhodes shouted “ENOUGH!” as he talked about the stipulation and how the road to Saturday Night’s Main Event runs through Albany. He challenged Gunther to a one-on-one match tonight, with Adam Pearce making the match official.
The stakes for the SNME tag match tomorrow does add some interesting implications if Gunther and Zayn win, but it’s clear that they ain’t winning, unfortunately.
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– A video from Adam Pearce talked about how Rhea Ripley’s injury has left her unable to compete at SummerSlam, which meant that beginning tonight, qualifying matches will determine the five women who will compete in a ladder match in Minneapolis to crown a new interim WWE Women’s Championship while Ripley is injured. Tonight, we’ll see Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne & Nia Jax vs.Jade Cargill in two such matches.
Finn Balor vs. Talla Tonga
Balor sized up Talla to begin the match as he found himself cornered. Balor avoided Talla and tried to get on the offensive. Balor chopped Talla, who withstood it, so Balor went after the legs. Talla took Balor down with a clothesline as he then gained momentum. The throw to the corner put Balor on the ground as Talla grabbed his head from behind afterwards. Balor attempted to strike back in the centre of the ring as he avoided a slam from Talla. Balor sent him out of the ring, then attempting to push Talla to the ground. Talla blocked the offense and sent Balor into the turnbuckle, which sent us to the commercial break.
Back to SmackDown as Talla dropped him with a running powerslam that only got a two-count. Talla swung and missed on the running splash as Balor dodged, which allowed the Balor Club leader to fight back with a big drop. Instantly, however, Talla hit a Samoan Drop on Balor, which sent him to the apron. Balor recovered and drove his shoulder into Talla’s rib and knocked him down with a kick. Balor looked for the Coup-de-Grace, but Talla had him for the T-Bomb. Balor reversed that into a DDT as Tama Tonga ran interference. This gave Talla the opportunity to hit Balor with a big boot.
Talla found himself trapped on the top rope as Balor shook the ropes to give him a most painful ride. Tama was taken care of with a Slingblade at ringside. Balor then put an end to this with a double-double of Coup de Graces for the pin and win.
Finn Balor def. Talla Tonga
i can’t say this match was anything to write home about, but Balor picking up the win here was the right call, especially if the play is to make him a key player on SmackDown. For years, fans have asked for Balor to be booked with importance, so this is a step in the right direction at least.
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– After CM Punk chatted with Adam Pearce regarding tonight’s Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes main event match, he was met by Damian Priest, who called his shot for Punk’s Undisputed WWE Title if he got past Rhodes at SummerSlam. Punk teased that maybe he and Rhodes might go after Priest and R-Truth’s WWE Tag Titles when the time was right.
– We got an excerpt from WWE Unreal where Cody Rhodes was shown visiting the WWE Warehouse.
Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne
Fatal Influence unleashed a three-on-one attack on Stratton before the bell could even ring as Paige and Brie Bella ran in to even the odds. Paige and Brie fought with Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid all the way up the ramp to keep Stratton vs. Jayne an even match.
As the bell finally rang, Stratton went on the attack against Jayne in the corner with a chop to the chest. Jayne hit Stratton with a kick to the face, but that only got her a hip attack from Stratton. The shotgun dropkick by Stratton took us to the commercial break.
We returned from commercial as Stratton kicked out of a slam by Jayne. Stratton’s back was clubbed by Jayne, but she avoided the running senton. The double down between the two women came after a criss-cross double crossbody. Stratton and Jayne recovered as the two exchanged strikes. Superkick by Jayne was followed by a nice enzuigiri. Stratton responded with a pair of clotheslines, the spinning elbow, and the floatover Alabama Slam. Stratton to the top rope, but Jayne intercepted her at the pass, which left Stratton at the mercy of an elevated swinging DDT for the near-fall.
Jayne went for Rolling Encore, but Stratton dodged it and connected with the springboard Stunner. Rolling senton by Stratton was followed by the PME and the three, which qualified Tiffy for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match.
Tiffany Stratton def. Jacy Jayne via pinfall (Qualifies for Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match)
This was an okay match. Not sure if I’m feeling Stratton in the World Title scene, but I guess it’s fine.
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– We got remarks from Baron Corbin, who had some words for Trick Williams, as he stated that he was coming for it all. After Corbin’s comments, we heard from Williams, who called Corbin a “big, bald-headed bitch”. Williams’ rant was interrupted by Carmelo Hayes. Williams was once again told by Hayes that he was better than him. The two talked trash to one another, as per usual.
– Filling time here was a recap of the latest in the Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi feud from this past Monday’s Raw.
Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill
Cargill missed with the pump kick, as Jax then got her with the Samoan Drop. Leg drop by Jax only got a two-count. Jax missed with the Annihilator, which gave Cargill the opening to hit the Spinebuster. At ringside, a vengeful Charlotte Flair attacked The Baddies before she turned her attention to Cargill in the ring to cause the DQ.
After the match, Flair went to stomp Cargill’s arm while wrapped around the chair, but B-Fab and Michin pulled her out. An angry Jax took out Flair, which opened up the Baddies to pick up the pieces with a Jaded from Cargill.
Jade Cargill def. Nia Jax via disqualification (Qualifies for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match)
I can’t even assess this as an actual match. I can, however, assess this as an angle and I can succintly say that this is not grabbing my attention in the slightest. It’s hard to get invested when much of this Flair/Cargill feud has been mostly the Baddies standing tall and generally looking strong most of the time. Charlotte honestly comes across as stupid most of the time.
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– After Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano “confronted” Gunther, Blake Monroe launched an attack on LeRae as she introduced herself.
– Adam Pearce told Nia Jax that she’d face Charlotte Flair in a ladder qualifier next week.
Fraxiom (Axiom & Nathan Frazer) vs. The War Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
Frazer had to deal with Erik to start the match, but he used his speed to avoid the attacks initially. Erik took him down with a hard elbow as Ivar tagged in and splashed right into Frazer. Big elbow by Erik kept Frazer grounded as he was left isolated by the War Raiders.
Frazer tried to fight back against legal man Erik as he hit a high-flying kick. The tag to Axiom allowed for Fraxiom to stun Erik with their speedy offense. Attempted suicide dive by Frazer was blocked by Erik and Ivar, but Axiom took off with the moonsault to take out the Raiders as we took a commercial break.
Back from the break as Axiom got slammed by Ivar after an attempt at a running crossbody. Ivar took both Frazer and Axiom and stacked them on top of one another as he looked for a mammoth moonsault. Fraxiom dodged at the last second, which gave them a needed opening. Frazer connected with the springboard 450 for the near-fall. Meanwhile, Axiom’s splash was caught by Ivar, who then took his masked foe down. The tag to Erik, who threw Ivar onto a prone Axiom. Big slam by Erik on Axiom, but Frazer broke the pin up with a splash.
Axiom valiantly fought out of the War Raiders corner, as Frazer unintentionally missed with a suicide dive on Ivar, but Axiom got all of his attempt. Superkick by Ivar stunned Axiom, but not for long. Axiom got on the top rope before Frazer joined in for the double superplex. Phoenix Splash by Frazer, but Erik made the save to break the count just before the three. Aximo and Erik were the legal men after tags as the two men exchanged their best offense. Blind tag by Ivar allowed for the big man to take out both Frazer and Axiom with the Ragnarok double chokeslam for the pin and win.
War Raiders def. Fraxiom via pinfall
This was probably the best match of the night so far. War Raiders & Fraxiom gelled together really well and it gave us a nice contrasts of styles. Not bad. Not bad at all.
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– We got remarks from LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys at Fanatics Fest New York earlier today, ahead of the inexplicable trio’s six-man tag match vs. The Usos and Jacob Fatu. After that, more Fanatics Fest footage was shown. Cody Rhodes’ failed attempt at a field goal was omitted.
– CM Punk told Cody Rhodes that he’d watch his back in our main event match.
– Because more time needs to be filled, we had a recap of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns’ contract signing from Raw.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Card:
- Roman Reigns & Jalen Brunson scheduled to appear
- Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Brie Bella & Paige (c) vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and/or Lainey Reid)
- Cody Rhodes & CM Punk vs. Gunther & Sami Zayn (if Gunther/Zayn win, they’re added to the SummerSlam Undisputed WWE Championship match)
- No Disqualifications: Danhausen vs. J.D. McDonagh
– Danhausen was messsing around in his laboratory as Jackie Redmond interviewed him. Danhausen said that he had a “secret weapon” for the McDonagh match tomorrow: a stuffed cat. He pointed out that the cat would be a good weapon as you’d be cursed if you crossed paths.
Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther
A fast and furious start as Rhodes went after Gunther right away with a flurry of offense. That ended the moment when his springboard attack was blocked by Gunther pushing him out of the ring, as we took a break.
We returned to the main event as Gunther maintained his control over Rhodes with a chop to the chest, fuollowed by consecutive knees to the gut. Gunther then felled Rhodes with a standing chop to the chest. Rhodes avoided a clothesline from Gunther and leapt off the ropes for the Cody Cutter. Rhodes rallied with the scoop powerslam, followed by the Disaster Kick. Rhodes went for one more Cody Cutter that shelled Gunther. The Cross Rhodes attempt was blocked by Gunther, who then kicked at the back of Rhodes’ leg. Gunther dragged Rhodes to the corner and smashed Rhodes’ hurt leg against the ringpost, which brought CM Punk out to the ring.
Gunther mocked Punk and looked like he was going to go for the GTS, but Rhodes took him down with a lariat as we took one final commercial break.
Back to our match as Gunther applied a single-leg crab that would make Lance Storm proud. Rhodes struggled to pull himself towards the ropes, but to no avail. Rhodes, however, did kick Gunther away to create some needed separataion. Gunther missed with a running big boot as Rhodes targeted the right leg of the big man. Dragon screw by Rhodes was followed by the figure-four leg-lock from Rhodes. Sami Zayn appeared at ringside and attacked Punk. Sleeper by Gunther was countered as Rhodes hit Zayn with a suicide dive. Zayn attacked Rhodes to cause the DQ and the fight escalated further.
Things broke down as all four men brawled at ringside before the usual motley crew of referees and road agents streamed in to stop this. And that’s how we end things on the night.
Cody Rhodes def. Gunther via disqualification
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I will say things did pick up there at the end and the Punk/Gunther/Zayn/Rhodes stuff was a wildly chaotic way to end the show. The outcome does seem like.a foregone conclusion tomorrow with Cody/Punk winning and Gunther’s beef with Nick Aldis building towards a match between those two at SummerSlam.
Other than that, it was just an average episode of SmackDown with nothing overly bad or exciting sticking out whatsoever. While that doesn’t sound bad on the surface, when it comes to building towards SummerSlam, it’s not a positive sign at all. Beyond the Lesnar vs. Femi match, a lot of the card feels a bit underwhelming, moreso on the SmackDown side of things, where the Cody vs. Punk match is the only one that’s set. That, of course could change with Aldis vs. Gunther happening and the interim women’s championship ladder match, but it’s honestly clear that the road to SummerSlam seems a bit dull at this point with a couple of weeks to go.
WWE SmackDown recapper. Former NXT PLE/WWE Saturday Night's Main Event/fill-in recapper.