The John Report: WWE SmackDown 08/22/25 Review
This is WWE SmackDown featuring an appearance from John Cena, Charlotte Flair facing Piper Niven, Motor City Machine Guns against Melo Don’t Miz, and more.
It’s an afternoon show review for me on Netflix since SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland, so that means a 3 p.m. ET start time since it’s 8 p.m. locally. It should be a great crowd in Ireland. Several of the Irish wrestlers like Sheamus, Becky Lynch, Finn Balor, and Lyra Valkyria are on the Raw brand, so we’ll see if any of them show up on SmackDown in their home country.
The next two Raw episodes, next week’s SmackDown, and Clash in Paris also have an earlier start time. I’m all for it. I also love the European cards, so here’s hoping they make the shows even better.
From the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, this is SmackDown for episode #1357. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
It’s the first time ever that WWE is broadcasting a live event from Dublin, Ireland, so that is pretty cool. They showed some superstar arrivals of newly married Logan Paul, The Street Profits, Solo Sikoa with the MFTs, Charlotte Flair, and Piper Niven with friends.
Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett were on microphones welcoming us to the show while the Dublin crowd was fired up. Wade mentioned they gave an Englishman like him a big ovation. Mark Nash is the ring announcer.
Let’s Hear from Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch made her entrance as the Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Lynch is a Raw superstar, but it makes sense to put her on SmackDown in her home country. The fans gave her a huge ovation.
There were loud “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants. Lynch was on fire, hyping up the crowd for the first live televised WWE event in Dublin, Ireland. The fans chanted, “We deserve it.” Lynch shared her memories of coming here as a fan, including the moment Randy Orton made eye contact with her, which changed her life. Lynch said she always dreamed that they could have TV here.
Lynch told the fans that they don’t deserve it, so the fans booed because Lynch claimed they don’t deserve to be on TV. Lynch claimed she petitioned to try to get the show cancelled. The fans chanted, “We Want Lyra” who is always Irish. Lynch said that Lyra will never get a shot at her title ever again. Lynch said that none of the fans have a face for TV. Lynch said that she is aghast at the lack of media coverage that she received in Ireland. Lynch said she is you’re hero and she shouldn’t have to tell you she’s your hero. The fans chanted “Shut the f**k up” and the censors were muting the swear word. Lynch said that she is let down by each and every one of you. Lynch bragged about being the greatest of all time, while adding that she has achieved things that people thought were impossible. Lynch bragged about being the first woman to win the first women’s main event of WrestleMania. Lynch bragged about being a New York Times bestselling author. Lynch bragged about making history and she has a very hot American husband (hey Seth Rollins). Lynch claimed you should give her a parade. There were “CM Punk” chants to counter the Rollins chants. Lynch shut that down: “Nobody wants that old ass.” Lynch complained about how she had to get off her jet, and she didn’t see her face, but she saw rugby players. Lynch mentioned some famous Irish people and told Bono to take his sunglasses off when he’s inside because only wrestlers get to do that. Here comes the interruption from Tiffany Stratton.
Analysis: Good heel promo work from Becky Lynch in her home country. I enjoyed it, but it did go a bit long.
The WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton made her entrance wearing her championship, and the fans cheered for her. Lynch was rambling on a lot, so I think the fans were clamoring for an interruption.
Stratton told Lynch that she is on the wrong show and said everybody knows what time it is, which led to the fans saying, “Tiffy Time.” Stratton told Lynch to leave, but then she said on behalf of everybody in Ireland, Stratton will make you leave.
Nia Jax showed up in her wrestling gear while wondering why Stratton has a problem with Lynch. Jax said that Lynch was right about Dublin because it sucks. Jax told Stratton that she is a bigger problem for Stratton, so Jax punched Stratton to knock the champion down. Lynch joined Jax in stomping on Stratton.
Jade Cargill made the save by punching Jax. Jade ran the ropes and hit a pump kick on Jax to knock Nia out of the ring. Lynch tried an attack from behind, but Jade stared at her and the fans chanted, “You f**ked up” at Lynch. Stratton dropkicked Jax off the apron and Lynch bailed from the ring.
The SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, showed up to book the tag team main event. Aldis said he talked to Adam Pearce from Raw, and he okayed Lynch being in a match, so Aldis announced it: Becky Lynch & Nia Jax against Tiffany Stratton & Jade Cargill. The fans cheered, but Lynch wasn’t happy about it.
Analysis: It’s a formula we have seen hundreds of times over the year, with a promo to open the show, leading to a tag team match in the main event. It’s something that they have been doing a lot lately, and it’s a bit frustrating because it’s so repetitive. The Tiffany Stratton promo was very formulaic for her as a babyface where she really just says stuff to get cheers. It never has that much substance. Nia Jax is fine in her heel role, and they set up Jade Cargill to get the big pop by making the save. I thought maybe Lyra Valkyria would show up since it’s Ireland, but it makes sense for SmackDown to have Tiffany and Jade as a team as two top women on the brand.
Carmelo Hayes spoke to Fraxiom backstage. Axiom congratulated Hayes on the win last week. Nathan Frazer told Melo to worry about The Miz because he’s a schemer. The Miz interrupted, so Carmelo defended Miz. Melo bragged about Miz being a future Hall of Famer and Melo put over Miz being smarter than everyone. The Miz said they are Awes-him. While that was going on, The Wyatt Sicks duo of Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy were watching in the background with the WWE Tag Team Titles.
The Miz and Carmelo Hayes entered for tag team action.
A commercial aired for WWE Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, September 20th, when WWE makes its ESPN streaming debut for those of you in the US.
(Commercial)
Motor City Machine Guns – Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin vs. Melo Don’t Miz – Carmelo Hayes & The Miz
The fans were on fire as Sabin started with Melo. There were quick tags early on. The Guns double clotheslined Miz out of the ring and sent Melo out of the ring. The Guns hit baseball slide dropkicks. Sabin hit a suicide dive onto both opponents and landed on his feet. They went to break for some fans as the match continued. The fans chanted “Motor City” as Shelley worked over punches, but then Melo and Miz used the referee, leading to a chop shot by Miz on the apron. Melo hit a leg drop and Miz was getting cheered by the fans as he hit a boot to the face. Miz hit a running kick on Shelley for two. Melo tagged in with a kick, the fans chanted, “We Want Miz” and Miz choked Shelley against the ropes. Miz splashed Shelley against the ropes and when Melo tagged in, the fans chanted, “We Want Miz” again. Miz hit Shelley with a cheap shot kick to the back.
The match continued after the break for some fans as Sabin tagged in against Miz and hit a cross body block off the top. Sabin hit a running elbow on Miz and Sabin followed up with a Tornado DDT for two. Shelley got the tag, leading to the Guns hitting some combo moves. Melo went in illegally, so the Guns hit an atomic drop followed by a running dropkick to Melo’s face. I think there was a “TNA” chant for The Guns as Miz stopped a double team move. Sabin gave Miz a headscissors while Melo did a blind tag. Melo spun around Sabin leading to a slam into the mat. Melo went up top, but Miz tagged in and Melo wasn’t happy about that. Sabin shoved Melo into Miz on the apron. Melo hit a Lung Blower on Sabin and Shelley clotheslined Melo out of the ring. Miz crawled over to Miz and covered Sabin for the pinfall win of the move that Melo did. It went about 8 minutes. The announcer bickered about it while Joe mentioned Melo’s move won the match for the team.
Winners by pinfall: Melo Don’t Miz – Carmelo Hayes & The Miz
Analysis: **3/4 It was a pretty good match that was all about furthering the story of Miz stealing the spotlight from Melo, but they did get the win, so I guess Melo can’t complain about it. This whole thing is likely leading to Melo being a babyface since the crowds have been cheering for Melo a lot lately, although these Irish fans loved Miz on this show. The Guns are a great team as usual, but it didn’t get enough time for me to rate it that highly.
It was mentioned by Wade Barrett that Melo Don’t Miz will be in a number one contender’s match next week on SmackDown.
Jimmy Uso was interviewed by Cathy Kelley, who congratulated Jimmy on the baby news and happy birthday to The Usos (Happy 40th birthday to The Usos!). Sami Zayn interrupted and hugged Jimmy. Zayn said he’s so happy and texted them congratulations all week. Zayn said that the baby has always got an uncle in Sammy Uso. Solo Sikoa and MFTs also walked in and told Cathy to leave. Solo said that when the newborn baby arrives, there will be plenty of uncles in his family. Solo told brother Jimmy to name the baby after Uncle Solo. Jimmy shut that down with a “No Yeet.” Sami Zayn told Solo to worry about holding onto the US Championship. Zayn said you’re not dealing with underdog Zayn because you’re dealing with WrestleMania main eventer Sami Zayn, and Jimmy said he knows. Solo and MFTs left.
Analysis: It furthers the story about Sami Zayn going after Solo Sikoa’s US Title, and Jimmy has Sami’s back. Happy 40th birthday to The Usos as well. Congrats again to Jimmy and Naomi on the baby news. The Bloodline family keeps on getting bigger.
The Charlotte Flair-Piper Niven match was up next.
(Commercial)
Charlotte Flair’s entrance was shown as one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions. No sign of tag team partner Alexa Bliss, who probably stayed back in the US with her young daughter.
Piper Niven (w/Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre) vs. Charlotte Flair
Niven is from Scotland, which is not far from Ireland. Niven hit a shoulder tackle and a hair-pull takedown. The fans chanted “We Want Chelsea” for Green, who they know is a great star. Flair got some offense going with a cross body block off the top for a two count. Flair kicked Niven in the head to knock her down. Green distracted Flair, so Niven pulled Flair off the ropes. Niven hit a great Bossman Slam for a two count. They went to break as Niven was in full control. The fans chanted “Chelsea, Chelsea Green” as Fyre sent Flair into the ring post. Niven hit a body slam. Niven grounded Flair with a chinlock. After Flair broke free, Niven hit a cross body block for two. Niven remained in control with a cannonball splash.
The action continued with Niven going for a splash off the turnbuckle, but Flair moved and Niven splashed the mat. Flair chopped Niven several times, followed by a cartwheel clothesline and a superkick. Flair kicked Niven two more times. Flair hit a running boot to the head. Flair saluted Green with a crotch chop. Flair went up top and jumped off with a moonsault for a two count. Flair nailed it perfectly. Niven blocked a Figure Eight attempt by kicking Flair away, but Flair came back with a Spear for two. Green was on the apron, so Flair punched her. Fyre was on the apron, the referee was distracted and Green raked Flair’s eyes. Niven splashed Flair against the turnbuckle. Niven hit a Piper Driver (Michinoku Driver) for the pinfall win. It went about 9 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Piper Niven
Analysis: *** It’s an upset win just because Piper Niven isn’t at the level of Charlotte Flair, but Niven won thanks to Fyre’s distraction and Green’s interference. That’s a classic example of the numbers game helping a heel win a match. They did it that way to set up the Niven/Fyre team for a Women’s Tag Team Title shot against Flair & Bliss, who likely won’t lose the titles to Secret Hervice. The fan reaction to Chelsea Green was great. They liked Charlotte, too.
The Women’s US Champion Giulia was talking to Kiana James backstage, who said she had some deal she was working on. Michin walked up to Giulia and told her she was coming for her. The creepy Nikki Cross was lurking in the background. Michin said that if you want to get Giulia then you have to go through James first. Michin said that she doesn’t have a problem having to beat James to get to Giulia, who said she was not worried.
Analysis: That Women’s US Title is rarely defended, but at least they are trying to tell a story with Michin coming after Giulia. I’d like to see that title featured more.
This Monday on Raw: Roman Reigns kicks off the show from Birmingham, UK. It’s a 3 p.m. ET start worldwide.
(Commercial)
A video aired promoting WWE PLE’s coming to ESPN streaming starting on September 20th with Wrestlepalooza. Once again, that’s for US fans only.
Analysis: I think it’s a great deal for WWE. I know that for some fans it’s going to lead to more money, but if you subscribe to ESPN for sports and other stuff, then hopefully you’ll be covered.
Let’s Hear from John Cena…and Logan Paul
John Cena received a massive ovation from the Dublin crowd, wearing black and making his energetic entrance as usual. Cena ran down to the ring, and the fans exploded again. What an incredible ovation for Cena, who absolutely deserves the love. The fans were going crazy, cheering for Cena and doing “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants. Cena pointed to the ring announcer Mark Nash, who announced Cena as “The greatest of all time, never seen 17, celebrating with each and every one of you one last time here in Dublin, he’s the last real champion….John Cena.” Loud “Cena” chants after that.
Logan Paul made his entrance. Wade: “Yes! What a treat for us.” Wade is great. The fans booed. Paul made his entrance to boos from the crowd. Paul was wearing his wedding ring since he got married last week. There were “F**k you, Logan” chants.
Paul called the fans leprechauns and said that if he spat in their face, they would do nothing. Paul called Cena a professional pretender, and at this point, an actor who knows how to wrestle. Paul chanted, “Shut the f**k up” at Paul, who said they are bleeping you from TV. Paul said that he can’t stand the disrespect from fans. Paul said that people call him an outsider, but he’s been doing this for four years, and every match is great, while he claims he’s been doing this for longer than half the roster. Paul said that he is exactly who he says he is. Paul called Cena a corporate pawn who will do whatever the bosses do. Paul claimed he does whatever he wants, and if he wants attention, he doesn’t have to get naked at the Oscars to get it. Paul said that Cena said it himself and Paul yelled at the fans to shut up. Paul said that one of them is the imposter. Paul bragged about putting on great matches, while Cena has been doing the same five moves for 23 years. Paul said Cena leaves to be somebody else while Paul is himself. Paul said he cannot wait to share the ring with Cena in Paris and Paul said that this is his now.
Analysis: Good heel promo from Logan Paul. The fans hated him, of course, and to Logan’s credit, he wasn’t rattled that much by it, so he was able to get through it.
Cena called Paul an undeniable presence, a tremendous athlete, a future WWE Champion, and a future WrestleMania main event. Cena said that these are things he believes to be true, and they make him upset. Cena said it makes the fans upset, too. Cena said for years they have been calling Paul everything, so the fans chanted “Wanker” at Paul. Cena said that Dublin chooses “Wanker” but Cena said that fans think that Paul is an outsider. Cena called Paul a disappointment. Cena said that they were so excited when he came here, and instead of respecting this house, Paul uses WWE as a branding opportunity to buy another Pokémon card. Cena shoved over the Prime drink stand at ringside. The fans cheered.
Cena said that on top of that, Paul insults the fans and brags about a grand total of 23 matches. Cena said that 23 is an amazing number because he’s given his heart and soul to this business for 23 years. Cena said that’s not just PLEs, TVs, that’s non-televised events for Dublin, and in 2010, he was facing Sheamus with no cameras, while Paul was making Vine videos with his brother. Cena said that whether he has 100 moves, five moves, or one move, the one question is: “What can I give to this business?” Cena said that the fans can see that Paul is slimy. Cena said that Paul thinks about what he can take from this business. Cena said it doesn’t matter what you can do, and Cena said that they know Paul is there for the wrong reasons. Cena called Paul a “parasite,” so the fans chanted that. Cena said that Paul is sucking Cena’s final moments of guys who could be in the ring with him, like Dom Mysterio, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, The Usos, Jacob Fatu, just to name a few. There were “Logan sucks” chants and “AJ Styles” chants. Cena said they want to see those legendary matches, and they think Cena is wasting his time with Paul. Cena said that Paul was first in line, asked for a match, and now he’s got one.
Cena told Paul that Clash in Paris is the most important match in his life. Cena said Paul knows about hustle, but he knows nothing about loyalty or respect. Cena said that this is never your house because Cena learned the hard way that this is their world. Cena mentioned that he read the news, and Paul has legal trouble. Cena told Paul to bring his A game because his opponent is the greatest of all time. Cena said that if you think Cena is going to let Paul walk into Clash in Paris and beat him. Cena said that Paul is going to learn to understand why Cena loves this business, or Cena will beat the ever-loving “shite” out of him. The fans popped. Paul knocked Cena’s hat off, and Paul shoved Cena. Paul went for a punch, Cena ducked it, Cena put Paul on his shoulders and Cena hit an Attitude Adjustment. Cena left. I thought Cena should have done a Five Knuckle Shuffle after that to pop the crowd some more, but that was it.
Analysis: I thought it was an outstanding promo from John Cena. I’ve written about it for decades now, but the man is one of the best talkers and maybe we didn’t always respect it the way we should have. When Cena gets serious in promos like that, he always delivers the goods, and I thought that promo was a perfect example of that. Cena trashed Paul throughout the promo by calling him a parasite rather than an outsider. I thought Cena made his points very well and it was very much a babyface, “I’m a WWE legend” style promo that Cena could have done all year if he didn’t turn heel for five months. Anyway, I thought that promo by Cena was excellent. Great job, John.
Tiffany Stratton approached Jade Cargill backstage. Stratton said she didn’t want help from Jade. Jade said she wanted Stratton at 100% and Jade said after they win, Jade is coming for the WWE Women’s Title.
The Street Profits, with B-Fab, entered for tag team action.
(Commercial)
Logan Paul walked down a hallway, and Drew McIntyre was there. Drew told Paul that he was scared of Cena, but Drew said that’s not 2010 Cena. Drew told Paul that he had to make a statement tonight just like Drew did to Cody Rhodes a few weeks ago. Drew told Paul to do whatever it takes. Paul said, “Yes, sir,” to him. Drew emphasized: “Whatever it takes.” While Drew was talking, the fans were singing, “Oh, Drew McIntyre” for the Scotsman.
The Street Profits – Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins (w/B-Fab) vs. MFT – JC Mateo & Tonga Loa (w/Solo Sikoa & Talla Tonga)
Solo Sikoa is the US Champion, but he didn’t have his title with him. Loa knocked Dawkins down with a shoulder tackle. Dawkins hit a dropkick on Loa. Ford tagged in with a dropkick on Loa, and Ford hit a standing moonsault. Loa tackled Ford into the turnbuckle, and JC tagged in with punches. Ford kicked JC in the gut and hit a Fameasser leg drop into the mat. Ford went to the apron, Loa tripped him up, and Loa sent Ford into the ring post. They went to a break for some fans as the heel MFT guys took over and beat up Ford for a few minutes.
Ford was able to break free by sending Loa out of the ring. JC made the tag, but Dawkins made the hot tag and Dawkins unloaded with clotheslines. Dawkins hit a jumping back elbow and a slam sending Loa face first into the mat. Dawkins splashed JC against the turnbuckle and hit a jumping kick to the head. Ford tagged back in as the Profits hit the spinebuster/neckbreaker combo on JC. Ford clotheslined Loa out of the ring. Ford hit a jumping knee to knock JC down. Solo caused a distraction, so Talla shoved Ford down from the turnbuckle. JC hit his Tour of the Islands slam on Ford for a two count. Jimmy Uso showed up at ringside and hit Talla with a steel chair to Talla’s back. Talla clotheslined Jimmy over the barricade. Solo went on the apron, so Zayn tripped up Solo. Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on Solo to knock him down. Ford hit a somersault dive over the top onto Loa. Dawkins hit a Sky High on JC in the ring. Ford went up top and hit the From The Heavens (Frog Splash) on JC for the pinfall win after 11 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: The Street Profits
Analysis: *** It ended up being a pretty good tag team match. We have seen MFTs win matches because of the help from their guys outside the ring, but this time the help was neutralized by Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn, which allowed The Street Profits to make the comeback and get the win. Tonga Loa is probably one of the least impressive guys on the main roster, but he is usually just there for the numbers game and to lose matches. It was the right call to have the Profits get the win. Ford was a standout in the match, while Dawkins did great after the hot tag.
The win means The Street Profits will face Melo Don’t Miz next week for a WWE Tag Team Title shot.
Aleister Black was shown getting ready for his match up next.
(Commercial)
The end of the Aleister Black entrance was shown.
R-Truth appeared in a video message claiming he flew to Dublin, Georgia, and not Dublin, Ireland. Truth said it was his bad. Truth said that he made a call to his friend, so he said hello to his little friend.
Damian Priest went to the ring, and he went after Black by throwing punches. Priest threw Black over the top to the floor. The announcers mentioned Priest was taken out by Black three weeks ago. The bell didn’t ring, so there was no match. Priest wanted to do a move through the commentary table, but security and WWE Officials stopped that. Black kicked Priest, but Priest kicked Black out of the ring. There were security guys who pulled Black away, and Priest went after Black with punches. They went fighting to the backstage area.
Analysis: That’s some classic R-Truth comedy. The match with Truth and Black was promoted, but it didn’t happen, and there’s the return of Priest going after Black. The fans reacted to it well. I don’t mind a Priest-Black feud. It’s good for both guys.
There was a replay of Drew McIntyre hitting Cody Rhodes with a Claymore Kick into the bottom of the commentary table. Joe claimed there was no medical update on Cody.
Analysis: It is likely that Cody is off for a few weeks to film the new Street Fighter movie. It’s not necessarily a big movie project, but it will lead to some time off for the WWE Champion.
Let’s Hear from Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre showed up at ringside and the fans cheered for him. Drew asked if there was a medical update on Cody, but there was none. The fans sang “Oh, Drew McIntyre” for the Scotsman.
Drew went into the ring and said that Cody Rhodes is a little bitch. Drew said that he’s done Cody a favor because he’s given him more time. Drew told Cody to hold onto the WWE Title tight. Drew said Cody should take some selfies with it because at some point, you are going to defend it against Drew McIntyre. Drew said next time he pins Cody, he’ll be the WWE Champion. Drew claimed that Cody had no friends left in WWE…and the fans were going crazy for something. There’s Randy Orton right behind McIntyre! Drew turned around, and Orton dropped Drew with an RKO! The fans popped huge for that.
Analysis: Welcome back to Randy Orton after three weeks away, when he lost the tag team match with Jelly Roll at SummerSlam. Drew did a good job of trashing Cody. This might lead to a Drew match against Orton, which Drew would probably win, and then that can lead to Drew against Cody at Wrestlepalooza.
Looks like @CodyRhodes does have one friend… 👀🐍 pic.twitter.com/oPBkuLeO5f
— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2025
Becky Lynch and Nia Jax were backstage getting ready for their match. Jax told Lynch to get on the same page. Lynch claimed they are still mortal enemies while telling Jax to be on the same page as her. Jax said, “Sounds good,” and she’ll see Lynch out there.
(Commercial)
Next week on SmackDown in Lyon, France:
* United States Championship: Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn
* The Street Profits – Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins vs. Melo Don’t Miz – Carmelo Hayes & The Miz
* Women’s Tag Team Championships: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Secret Hervice – Piper Niven & Alba Fyre (w/Chelsea Green)
Analysis: That will be one of the best crowds of the year.
Tiffany Stratton & Jade Cargill vs. Becky Lynch & Nia Jax
They showed the end of Jax’s entrance and Lynch’s full entrance. Tiffany and Jade’s entrances weren’t shown. Stratton was in control early on against Lynch and Stratton dropkicked Lynch out of the ring. Stratton hit a Swanton Bomb off the top onto both opponents on the floor. Lynch held onto Stratton’s foot as Jax hit a leg drop for two. They went on a break for some fans as the action continued. The heel team of Jax and Lynch worked over Stratton for a few minutes.
The match returned with Jade tagging in against Lynch, which led to Jade hitting some forearms and a spinebuster. Jade charged at Lynch, who got a boot up. Jade followed up with a fallaway slam. Jade hit a running splash on Lynch against the turnbuckle. Jade superkicked Lynch and Jade hit a spinning sitout Powerbomb for a two count. Jade charged, Lynch moved and Jade hit the turnbuckle. Jax got the tag while Jade tossed Lynch across the ring. Jax hit Jade in the back, followed by a senton splash. Jax went to the turnbuckle, but Jade picked her up and hit a Powebromb. Stratton hit a Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Jade went up top and hit a Frog Splash for the pinfall win. The announcers said that Lynch walked away from the match even though we didn’t see her leaving. It went about 7 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Tiffany Stratton & Jade Cargill
Analysis: **1/2 There wasn’t much time left in the show, so they rushed through the match. They didn’t even show Lynch walking away from the match. We had to rely on the announcers telling us. It’s a win for Stratton and Cargill, who don’t really have a storyline at this point, even though they faced off at SummerSlam. It’s not like this result led to anything new for either of them, except maybe we’ll see them in a rematch at some point.
John Cena was shown leaving his dressing room. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis told Cena he just heard from Brock Lesnar. Logan Paul showed up out of nowhere and punched Cena in the jaw! Cena bumped to the ground, Aldis yelled at Paul, and Paul ran away. Aldis checked on Cena on the ground. That was the end of the show.
Analysis: That means that Logan Paul listened to the advice from Drew McIntyre and delivered a message to John Cena by hitting Cena with a cheap shot. As for what Aldis was going to say to Cena about Lesnar, we never found out what that was, which is a bit of a cliffhanger for the viewer. We know the Cena-Lesnar plan is for Wrestlepalooza, but there’s no point in announcing it yet, so wait until Clash in Paris to do it.
Looks like @LoganPaul got the last laugh ahead of WWE Clash in Paris 👀 pic.twitter.com/i2xzBaoVET
— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2025
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Three Stars of the Show
- John Cena
- Becky Lynch
- The Street Profits
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The Scoreboard
7.25 out of 10
Last week: 7
2025 Average: 7.32
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Final Thoughts on WWE SmackDown
I thought the John Cena promo directed at Logan Paul was the best part of the show. It was a nice reminder of how great a talker Cena is, and the fans absolutely loved hearing Cena eviscerate Paul like that.
SmackDown hasn’t been on a roll lately, and this episode was just okay in a lot of ways, but the vocal Dublin crowd helped quite a bit. While it was cool to see Becky Lynch and have her go heel on the crowd, I also would have liked to see Sheamus just because I believe he would have gotten one of the biggest ovations of his career.
It would be nice to see an outstanding match on SmackDown once in a while. Most weeks, it’s just average in-ring matches, and I think that’s a big reason why the quality of the show has gone down. And I don’t miss three-hour SmackDown. I think two-hour shows are better. However, I find SmackDown’s booking to be uninteresting most weeks. The WWE creative team needs to figure out how to make SmackDown more interesting again. It’s not my job. I’m just saying it needs to be better, like in The Bloodline days, when it was the best WWE show every week.
The next WWE PLE is Clash in Paris on Sunday, August 31st. Here’s the lineup so far.
* World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. CM Punk vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso
* John Cena vs. Logan Paul
* Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed
* Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match: Sheamus vs. Rusev
You can watch WWE Clash in Paris, streaming live on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
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Thanks for reading. Go Toronto Blue Jays. You can contact me using any of the methods below.
John Canton
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @johnreport