The John Report: WWE SmackDown 11/21/25 Review
This is WWE SmackDown featuring the Last Time Is Now Tournament, plus more on the road to Survivor Series.
The WWE Survivor Series PLE is just eight days away on November 29th. They are taping next week’s SmackDown after this week’s show because of the Thanksgiving holiday next Thursday, the 27th, so that will give some WWE talent some time off.
Last week’s SmackDown ended with Drew McIntyre joining Paul Heyman’s heel team for WarGames. That was followed up on Raw with Brock Lesnar joining Heyman’s team as the fifth man, while Roman Reigns is on the CM Punk team as the fifth guy.
From the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, this is SmackDown for episode #1370. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.
They showed some pre-show walking of Charlotte Flair with Alexa Bliss, Finn Balor with JD McDonagh, Penta, The Vision’s Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, and Paul Heyman.
A video package aired recapping the chaos from SmackDown last week and Raw this past Monday to set up the Men’s WarGames match.
Let’s Hear from The Vision
The WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman was in the ring with The Vision’s Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Logan Paul. Heyman said he has a vision for WarGames and he’ll share that wisdom with us. Heyman said that five of your heroes will be locked inside a double cage where Bron Breakker will take a bite out of every one of their asses and they will be Tsunami’d multiple times by Reed. Heyman said that they will need a strategy, and Heyman kept on ranting before introducing Logan Paul, which drew boos.
Logan told Denver to shut their mouths because he has a lot to say. Logan was about to read off his hand, but here’s an interruption.
The Usos appeared with the fans Yeeting along with Jimmy and Jey, who made their entrance in the aisle. Jey told Logan that nobody wants to hear him. Jey reminded Heyman that they dropped Heyman’s crew on Raw.
Heyman said you made the mistake of pissing off Logan Paul. Heyman said he created The Bloodline so that they could eat without Roman Reigns. Heyman said he taught them that the numbers game always wins. Heyman pointed out they were outnumbered, or are they just that freakin’ stupid?
Jimmy said that they learned from Heyman, and they learned from the best. The fans were chanting for CM Punk. Jimmy asked if you actually thought that they would show up alone…and here comes the WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
There was no sign of Cody Rhodes while his music was playing, and then the music stopped.
They showed Cody’s bus where Drew McIntyre was shown leaving it. Cody was upside down by the front of the bus with some visible scarring on his head. The Usos ran out to check on Cody as the show went to break.
Analysis: The promos were fine by everybody involved to continue the build to the WarGames match. Drew has had a long feud with Cody, so it was not a surprise to see a cheap attack like that.
(Commercial)
Cody Rhodes was shown getting checked on by the WWE Medical team, The Usos, GM Nick Aldis and others. Drew McIntyre drove by in a car and he was laughing about what he did to Cody. Drew said he’d see them at WarGames.
The commentary team of Michael Cole and Corey Graves welcomed us to the show. Mark Nash was the ring announcer.
Ilja Dragunov made his entrance as the US Champion for another open challenge. JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day answered the challenge.
United States Championship: Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh
These guys worked together in NXT quite a bit, so there’s a lot of familiarity there. They exchanged strikes. It is the 13th week in a row with the US Title defended on SmackDown. JD sent Ilja face-first into the middle rope, so Ilja sold that great. They went on a break for some fans as the action continued. JD hit a belly-to-back suplex. JD hit a running leg drop to the back of the head. Ilja hit some chops, but JD came back to send Ilja face/chest first into the turnbuckle. That was a nasty bump by Ilja, who is insane. JD hit a backbreaker and a diving elbow smash off the middle turnbuckle for a two count.
The two men exchanged holds as Ilja hit the Constantine Special lariat, leading to JD doing a great flip bump. Ilja punched JD and hit a German Suplex. Ilja hit a second German Suplex. Ilja: “This is fun! It is fun!” llja worked over JD with elbow smashes and an overhead suplex. Ilja went up top, jumped off, JD moved and JD caught a charging Ilja, leading to a Spanish Fly for a two count. It looked like Ilja was bleeding from the nose. They did a spot near the ropes where JD tried a suplex, but Ilja fought it and they flipped over the top to the floor. That’s a nasty bump, but both guys appeared to be fine. They went on a break for some fans as it continued on Netflix. JD sent Ilja into the commentary table, but both guys beat the ten count. JD hit a jawbreaker, so Graves could make fun of JD having a giant head. Ilja fired up with some rabid fire chops, followed by a headbutt. JD hit a snap suplex.
The match continued with JD going up top, but Ilja met him there and hit a superplex off the top. JD grabbed Ilja’s hair and spiked Ilja with a brainbuster for two. JD hit a boot to the face, followed by a belly-to-back suplex into a spinebuster. Ilja charged, but JD countered with a knee smash. JD went up top and hit a moonsault off the top for a two count. The fans thought that was it. The fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. JD hit a headbutt, but Ilja bounced off the ropes with a headbutt and Ilja hit the H-Bomb forearm smash for the pinfall win after 17 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Ilja Dragunov
Analysis: ***3/4 It was another awesome match for the US Title with Ilja and JD having a very physical match. It took a while for the fans to get into it, but as it continued, they got into it more. JD got plenty of offense and hit that moonsault late in the match for a believable nearfall. The US Title match remains a highlight of SmackDown every week, and it’s been 13 weeks in a row, as mentioned by Cole earlier in the night. Dragunov remains one of the best in-ring performers in WWE, while JD is a guy who can really deliver in the ring as well. They showed it here.
A clip aired of last week on SmackDown when Charlotte Flair said she can’t team with Rhea Ripley due to their past issues. On Monday’s Raw, Charlotte Flair saved Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, and Iyo Sky against their WarGames opponents. That means Flair is on the WarGames team after all.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss were shown talking backstage. Bliss thanked Flair for helping her. Flair said she only did for this Bliss, and she didn’t trust anybody else. Bliss walked Flair into a room where Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky were. Bliss said they needed to have a chat, so Sky left, too. Ripley looked at Flair as the scene cut away.
The SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, was interviewed by Cathy Kelley. Nick didn’t have an update on Cody Rhodes because he’s being checked out by medical. Aldis walked up to The Vision. Aldis said he knows Heyman has nothing good planned. Aldis said Reed is here because he has a match. Aldis said as far as he’s concerned, Drew McIntyre is still persona non grata in this show. Heyman said that Drew is outside, and he asked Drew to leave because they respected Aldis’ suspension for McIntyre. Heyman talked about Reed beating Carmelo Hayes, and The Vision left.
Carmelo Hayes made his entrance, and he’s in babyface mode officially now, so he was cheered.
A WrestleMania 42 commercial aired. Tickets on sale now.
(Commercial)
Ilja Dragunov was shown walking backstage. Tama Tonga told him, “It’s coming.” Tommaso Ciampa said that the guy taking that title from him is Ciampa. Ciampa said you’re lucky he’s in a match tonight or else he’d be holding that title. Ilja called him a jackass and left. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae showed up to tell Ciampa not to worry about that.
Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: “Big” Bronson Reed (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Carmelo Hayes
Cole paid tribute to the late, great, legendary announcer Bob Caudle before this match. That’s nice. Rest in peace, Bob.
Reed nailed Melo with an elbow smash, and a headbutt. Reed chopped Melo and punched him in the head. Reed overpowered Melo with punches, along with a headbutt. Reed went for a Powerbomb, but Melo countered with a DDT for two. Melo jumped off the ropes, leading to a DDT. Melo dropkicked Reed out of the ring. Bron Breakker and Logan Paul showed up to check on Reed. They went on a break for some fans and I’ll take a break too. Reed was in control for the next few minutes.
The powerhouse Reed was in control as he sent Melo hard into the turnbuckle. Melo broke free for a moment, but Reed came back with a belly-to-back suplex. Melo landed on his feet to counter a move, then he ran the ropes and Logan tripped up Melo because Bron provided a distraction. Reed hit an elbow drop for two. Reed went for a running senton, but Melo avoided it and got a rollup for two. Melo hit an enziguri kick, along with a running knee. Melo hit a springboard lariat. Melo kicked Reed and Melo hit a springboard leg drop to the head. Melo jumped over the top and hit a DDT on the apron. Melo went up top and hit a Frog Splash for two. Melo went for the knee attack, but Reed caught him and hit a front slam. Reed hit a senton splash. Reed went up top, jumped off with a Tsunami, and Hayes rolled out of the way, so Reed hit the mat. Melo hit the First 48 double knee attack to send Reed out of the ring. Melo hit a somersault dive over the top onto the heels on the floor. Melo went up top and jumped off with a diving DDT for a two count. Reed hit a clothesline to knock Melo out of the ring. Bron wanted to attack Melo, but The Usos showed up to stop that. The Usos went fighting into the crowd with Bron and Logan. Reed sent Melo into the commentary table. Heyman was arguing with the referee on the apron. That’s when Cody Rhodes showed up. Cody sent Reed into the ring post and Cody gave Reed a Cross Rhodes on the floor. The referee counted out Reed, who was still on the floor. Reed got up at 9, but Reed wasn’t able to get into the ring. Melo wins! It went about 13 minutes.
Winner by countout: Carmelo Hayes
Analysis: ***1/4 A pretty good match with the babyfaces getting the upper hand on the heels, which led to Melo beating Reed by countout in an upset. That kind of finish protects Reed from losing clean, while it also advances the story going into WarGames. Melo did a nice job as usual in taking a beating and then making the babyface comeback.
Following that win, Carmelo Hayes will face Gunther on Raw in the quarterfinals.
Cody Rhodes did a promo that was so great, and I’ll write it out here.
“Drew McIntyre, I said I was done with you, and now I don’t want to be done at all. And your friends, Bronson, you’re probably the best in that group, but you won’t figure it out until you’re looking up at the lights. Bron Breakker, where’s he at? Historically speaking, a Steiner is never better than a Rhodes. Logan Paul, get your drone up, do a flip, none of us care.
And Brock Lesnar…Brock Lesnar, don’t forget the last person who beat you here was me, and not once, but twice!
Mr. Heyman, look at me. If I learned anything from that WrestleMania photo, you’ve represented every one of those guys on screen. You know what I’ve discovered…is our relationship, you build them, and I’ll beat them. WarGames, the match beyond. It’s not just a match, it’s my damn birthright, and I’ll see you in San Diego!”
Analysis: Awesome promo from Cody. Saying WarGames is his birthright makes sense since his father, Dusty Rhodes, created the WarGames match about 40 years ago.
Chelsea Green was backstage with the Women’s US Championship, talking to Alba Fyre, and Green bragged about being the greatest champion. Green told Fyre to reschedule her championship celebration. Giulia and Kiana James were there too, but I didn’t get what was said, and they moved on quickly. The WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill walked up to Green and wondered what Green said about being the best champion, so Green left like a coward.
The Fraxiom team made their entrance for tag team action.
(Commercial)
Sami Zayn did a promo with Shinsuke Nakamura, Motor City Machine Guns and Rey Fenix. Zayn said that they are an international coalition who are five of the best wrestlers from all over the planet. Alex Shelley said that they’ve known Zayn for a long time. Chris Sabin said they are brothers and they have each other’s backs. Shinsuke Nakamura spoke in Japanese. Rey Fenix spoke in Spanish. Zayn said that next week it’s a 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination match and the MFTs are going down.
Analysis: Nice job of doing a classic Survivor Series promo.
Fraxiom – Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs. #DIY – Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano (w/Candice LeRae)
Ciampa was wearing a, “Don’t Call Me A Jackass” shirt. Gargano was wearing a, “Don’t Call My Best Friend A Jackass” shirt. The Fraxiom boys were on fire early on and hit suicide dives. Frazer hit a splash off the top on Ciampa for a two count. Gargano tried a suplex, Frazer landed on his feet and Gargano superkicked Axiom. Ciampa sent Frazer into the stele steps. They went on a break and I’ll take a break too.
The pace picked up as Frazer was a flurry of offense and hit a running SSP for two. Frazer went up top, jumped off, Gargano avoided it and Ciampa was in to deliver a Shatter Machine that The Revival (FTR) uses. Frazer got a rollup for two. Ciampa hit a stomp to the fingers. Axiom jumped off the top and was met by a knee by Ciampa. Gargano hit a superkick into a move by Ciampa for a two count. Axiom fought back to deliver a Spanish Fly on Gargano for two. Frazer hit a spinning dive over the top onto Ciampa on the floor. Candice took Axiom’s mask off, so Axiom covered his head with his arms. Graves: “He’s hideous!” Gargano covered Axiom for the pinfall win after about 9 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: #DIY – Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano
Analysis: ***1/4 A crafty, cheap win by the heels thanks to Candice getting involved with the dreaded mask pulling. Both teams are very good, but it didn’t get enough time to really stand out that match. I’m fine with #DIY getting a win like that because it could go either way.
After the match, Frazer put a towel over Axiom’s head while Gargano held the mask in his hands.
Rhea Ripley talked to Charlotte Flair saying their past issues were about proving who was the best. Ripley said that maybe one day they’ll go back to that point again, but at WarGames, she’ll push it to the side. Ripley said that she always respected Flair. Ripley said she would love to stand side by side with Flair. Flair stood up, “Yes, yes you can.” Ripley said great and you can trust her too. They shook hands.
Analysis: Simple enough. Easy way to show they’re on the same page.
John Cena was shown in his exclusive interview talking about his career. Cena spoke about how he rapped on the back of the bus during a European tour and it impressed everybody on the bus. Stephanie McMahon was impressed by it. That led to him bringing that rapper character to television, and it saved his career.
Finn Balor made his entrance for singles action.
This Monday on Raw: Roman Reigns kicks off the show, the road to WarGames continues and the Last Time Is Now tournament heats up.
(Commercial)
Last Time Is Now Tournament First Round: Penta vs. Finn Balor
Penta hit a hurricanrana into the turnbuckle, a jumping kick and a handstand kick. Balor tried to get some offense going, but Penta slammed him face first into the mat to knock Balor out of the ring. Penta hit a dive over the top onto Balor on the floor. They went on a break for some fans as the action continued. Penta kicked Balor in the back of the left leg a few times. Penta kicked Balor in the ribs, but Balor countered that and hit a back body drop. Balor punched Penta a few times. Balor hit a Russian legsweep for two. Balor hit an elbow drop for two. They battled by the turnbuckle.
It was Penta in control as he headbutted Balor off the turnbuckle. Penta jumped off the top with a cross body block. Penta kicked Balor, followed by two clotheslines. Penta tripped Balor into the turnbuckle and Penta hit a superkick for two. Balor countered a move, leading to a reverse DDT with an elbow to the chest for a two count. Penta blocked a kick and hit two chops. Penta hit a backbreaker. Penta hit a modified Fisherman’s Suplex for a two count. Penta pulled on the right arm, but Balor came back with a rollup for two. Balor hit a Slingblade and a dropkick into the turnbuckle. Balor went up top, jumped off with Coup de Grace, but Penta avoided it and Penta got a cradle for two. Penta hit a Penta Driver for a two count, which used to be a finisher for Penta. Balor tackled Penta into the turnbuckle, but Penta came back with the Mexican Destroyer for the pinfall win after about 10 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Penta
Analysis: ***1/4 A clean win for Penta, which is certainly fine with me because I like both guys a lot. I’m sure some fans will complain about Balor losing, but it’s not like he lost to a scrub. This match was essentially a toss-up, and it was Penta finding a way to win.
Penta goes on to the semifinals of the Last Time Is Now Tournament against Solo Sikoa. That match is on Raw.
They finally showed brackets for The Last Time Is Now Tournament. It’s Jimmy Uso vs. Rusev, LA Knight vs. ???, Penta vs. Solo Sikoa, and Gunther vs. Carmelo Hayes. The GM’s are deciding who will take the spot of Sheamus, who is injured.
Solo Sikoa was backstage with the MFTs. Solo said that Penta’s time is up and Solo’s time is now. Solo shouted out about Sami Zayn, thinking that his team could beat the MFTs in the Survivor Series elimination match. Solo ran down everybody on the other team. Solo said when the smoke clears, when it’s him and Sami, Solo will put him away for good.
The babyface women’s team of Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss was shown walking backstage for a promo segment in the main event.
A commercial aired for Elimination Chamber on February 28th in Chicago.
(Commercial)
Let’s Hear from A Women’s WarGames Team
The babyface women’s team of Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley made their individual entrances. They went into the ring for a promo.
Ripley said that at MSG, the Kabuki Warriors, Nia and Lash didn’t realize they were as prepared as they are. Ripley said if she’s going to war with someone, she has to go to war with the right people. Ripley put over her friend Iyo Sky for being skilled and dangerous. Ripley said Sky would be the first one swinging if something goes down. Ripley put over Flair and Bliss as two of the most decorated women in this division. The fans were chanting “Woo” a lot. Ripley said that she knows she can trust them and her teammates can trust her. Ripley said in WarGames you need five, so she introduced her fifth member…AJ Lee.
As AJ Lee made her entrance, the foursome of Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka and Kairi Sane attacked Ripley, Sky, Flair and Bliss in the ring. As Lee went down to the ring, Becky Lynch showed up and ran over Lee on the floor. The four heels in the ring were dominant. Ripley tried to fight back, but Lynch held Ripley’s foot. Jax splashed Ripley against the turnbuckle. Jax hit the Annihilator on Ripley.
Becky Lynch joined the foursome of Asuka, Sky, Jax, and Lash in the ring. Lynch shook hands with Asuka to officially join the team. The fans booed them. That was the end of the show.
Analysis: It was obvious that Becky Lynch and AJ Lee would be joining the teams based on last Monday’s Raw, so now it’s official. They didn’t have that much time for this segment, which made it feel a bit rushed, but they got through it, and the heels looked dominant to end it. There’s a lot of star power in the Women’s WarGames match, just like the men. I have enjoyed the build to it.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Ilja Dragunov
- Penta
- Carmelo Hayes
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The Scoreboard
7.5 out of 10
Last week: 7.5
2025 Average: 7.35
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Final Thoughts on WWE SmackDown
It felt like a usual SmackDown with Ilja Dragunov having the best match again, and then the WarGames matches were built up fairly well. The other matches were all solid too.
I actually rated it a 7.25 last night, but going through it again this morning, I bumped it up to a 7.5 because the match quality was really good and I liked the WarGames stories advancing.
The next WWE PLE is Survivor Series on November 29th in San Diego. Here’s the lineup so far:
* Men’s War Games Match: CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Drew McIntyre & Brock Lesnar
* Women’s War Games Match: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair & AJ Lee vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, Karii Sane & Becky Lynch
* Intercontinental Championship: John Cena vs. Dominik Mysterio
* Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Nikki Bella
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Thanks for reading. Go Los Angeles Rams, Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs. You can contact me using any of the methods below.
John Canton
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @johnreport