WWE SmackDown Results 9/22 - We Hear From John Cena, Women's Title Match
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results for "WWE SmackDown" on September 22, 2023, coming to you live from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona!
John Cena made his return to WWE on the September 1 episode of "SmackDown", and found himself in a verbal encounter with Jimmy Uso which ultimately resulted in Cena landing an Attitude Adjustment on the former multi-time WWE tag team champion. Then last week, Jimmy confronted Cena during his appearance on "The Grayson Waller Effect" and the pair found themselves in another physical exchange also involving with Solo Sikoa and AJ Styles. In light of all that, Cena will be making an appearance on tonight's show with something on his mind to share.
The WWE Women's Championship will be on the line, as IYO SKY defends against Asuka. Tensions between the pair have grown over the past couple weeks, with "The Empress of Tomorrow" picking up a win over Bayley last week to gain some momentum heading into tonight's bout.
Elsewhere, a major tag team match is set, as United States Champion Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar go head-to-head with The Street Profits. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeated Rey and Escobar's LWO teammates Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in quick fashion last week after a verbal exchange had ensued.
We are live! Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Kevin Patrick greet audiences at home as John Cena makes his way down to the ring.
We Hear From John Cena
Cena welcomes fans to "SmackDown", then says he's been able to do a lot since coming back in both Pennsylvania and Colorado. He says he didn't come back to be a referee, a host, or a backstage correspondent because he came back to compete and he wants a match tonight. He says he's happy to hear fans want the same thing after asking them, then says he's angry at The Bloodline, more specifically Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. He then says he thinks he's found himself a tag team partner.
AJ Styles' music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. He clarifies that Cena wants him to be his tag team partner to face The Bloodline, then accepts his offer and tells The Bloodline to come and get some.
Jimmy Uso's music hits, and he appears alongside Solo Sikoa. The two of them stare down Cena and Styles before backing down.
LWO then heads down to the ring.
Back from the break, we see John Cena and AJ Styles demanding their tag team match against The Bloodline from Adam Pearce. Pearce tells them that he'll try and find Paul Heyman to work things out and make it happen.
Back at ringside, The Street Profits and Bobby Lashley head down.
The Street Profits (w/ Bobby Lashley) vs. LWO (w/ Zelina Vega)
Escobar and Dawkins begin the action. The bell rings and the two lock up. Dawkins lands a shoulder tackle, but Escobar fires back with a dropkick and tags in Rey. Rey delivers a hurricanrana, but Dawkins fires back with a forearm and tags in Ford. Ford levels Rey, but Rey delivers a springboard crossbody and sends Ford crashing out of the ring. He looks to go flying, but Dawkins pulls Ford out of the way and Rey collides with the floor. Escobar looks to check on Rey, but Dawkins takes him out.
Back from the break, Ford delivers a clothesline to Rey and a right hand to his spine. Rey lands a pair of kicks and looks to tag out to Escobar, but Ford prevents him from doing so and gets him in an Electric Chair position. Rey manages to send Ford crashing into the middle turnbuckle face first and tags in Escobar.
Escobar levels Ford with a pair of flying right hands before hitting an enzuigiri from the apron and a crossbody off the top rope. Ford responds with a running kick and a standing splash, then ascends to the top. Escobar meets him up there and executes a hurricanrana. He goes for a pin, but Ford kicks out. Escobar then lands a running meteora and sets up for the Phantom Driver, but Ford escapes and tags in Dawkins. Dawkins plants Escobar, but Escobar delivers a knee to his head and tags in Rey. Rey delivers a DDT and a low dropkick that sends Dawkins into the ropes. He looks to dial it up with the 619, but Dawkins catches him with a spinebuster and goes for a pin. Escobar breaks the fall and Ford dumps him out of the ring. Dawkins then tosses Escobar and Rey on the outside and distracts the referee as Lashley chokeslams Rey on the ring apron. Dawkins looks for a powerbomb instead of going for a pin, but Rey rolls him up for the win.
Winners: LWO
We then head over to a video recapping the confrontation between Austin Theory and The Rock last week. Back at ringside, Austin Theory appears by the announce desk and starts yelling about the way things played out for him.
Back from the break, we head to a video from Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, implying that they are responsible for the curse of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
We then head backstage to a heated exchange between The Brawling Brutes, and Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Adam Pearce makes a tag team match between the two teams official. Back in the locker room, Bobby Lashley chews out The Street Profits for losing their match and demands they give him all the stuff that he gave them back. He tells them that if they can't get the job done, they can sit in catering while he finds someone who can.
Back at ringside, Asuka makes her way down.
Back from the break, we see Adam Pearce chatting with Paul Heyman.
Back at ringside, Damage CTRL heads down.
IYO SKY (w/ Damage CTRL) (c) vs. Asuka for the WWE Women's Championship
Before the match kicks off, Charlotte Flair's music hits and she appears at ringside to take a seat at the announce desk and watch the action.
The bell rings and the two lock up. They take turns locking one another in submission holds before they end up in the corner and SKY delivers an arm drag to Asuka from the middle rope.
Back from the break, SKY delivers a pair of missile dropkicks from the top rope. She follows it up with a double stomp to Asuka's chest and a meteora. Asuka drapes SKY across the top turnbuckle and lands several rapid fire kicks before delivering a superplex and going for a pin. SKY kicks out and Asuka catches her with a vicious knee to her midsection. SKY responds with a German suplex, but Asuka locks in an Arm Bar. SKY fights her way out and delivers a kneeling roundhouse kick to Asuka's head, but Asuka lands one of her own and follows it up with a dropkick off the top rope. She then delivers a series of kicks and goes for a pin, but SKY kicks out.
Asuka ascends to the top, but SKY catches her with a kick to her head that sends her crashing to the outside. Asuka hops up on the apron, and SKY looks for a Sunset Flip. Asuka tries to hang on, but SKY pulls her down. Asuka then looks for a kick, but SKY ducks out of the way and Asuka's foot is sent crashing into the ring post before SKY lands a moonsault out of the corner.
Back from another break, SKY delivers a German suplex and locks in a Crossface. Asuka escapes and cinches in the Asuka Lock, but SKY counters into a pin and Asuka is forced to relinquish the hold. Asuka lands a kick on SKY's knee and delivers a dropkick off the top rope. The pair then go back and forth with right hands before Asuka cinches in the Asuka Lock. SKY escapes, but Asuka keeps the hold locked in. Bayley gets SKY's foot on the bottom rope to break the hold before Flair levels her. SKY surprises Asuka with the double knees to the back of her neck and the Over the Moonsault for the win.
Winner (and still): IYO SKY
We then head backstage to Adam Pearce, Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa, and Jimmy Uso. Heyman says he's fine with Jimmy and Sikoa having a tag team match with John Cena and AJ Styles, as long as it isn't tonight. Pearce clarifies that it will be at WWE Fastlane, and Jimmy says he'll be at ringside to sign the contract. Heyman says decisions like that usually need approval, but Jimmy disregards him and walks off. Sikoa follows after a cryptic message and Heyman calls Roman Reigns.
Back at ringside, The Brawling Brutes head down. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory follow.
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory vs. The Brawling Brutes
The bell rings and Theory levels Butch. He rains down right hands on him and tags in Waller. Waller delivers three knees to Butch's head before Holland tags in and sends Waller for a ride. He lands a double underhook suplex and a splash in the corner, then tags Butch back in. Butch delivers a double stomp to Waller's chest, then follows it up with a dropkick. The action spills to the outside, and Butch delivers The Ten Beats of the Bodhran to Waller using the barricade in front of the timekeeper's area.
Back from the break, Theory rains down right hands on Butch in the center of the ring. Waller tags back in and delivers a pair of knees to his midsection before tagging Theory back in. Waller tags in and Theory delivers a clothesline to Butch in the corner. Waller then sets up for The Ten Beats of the Bodhran, but Butch snaps his fingers and tags Holland in. He delivers a back body drop to Waller, then follows it up with a double underhook suplex. Theory makes the blind tag and Waller executes a chop block on Holland. He sets up for the Rolling Stunner, but Holland catches him with a shoulder pounce. Theory charges at him, but Holland plants him with a powerslam as Butch delivers a moonsault out of the corner to Waller on the outside.
Theory gets Holland on his shoulders and looks for A-Town Down, but Holland escapes his grasp and plants him with an Alabama Slam. Holland locks in a Boston Crab as Butch holds Waller off with a Sleeper. Waller fights Butch off and sends him into the ring post spine first. He lands a Rolling Stunner on Holland to break the hold, and Theory follows it up with A-Town Down for the win.
Winners: Grayson Waller and Austin Theory
Back from the break, Adam Pearce is waiting in the ring.
John Cena, AJ Styles, and The Bloodline's Contract Signing For Their Tag Team Match at WWE Fastlane Goes Awry
Pearce introduces John Cena and he makes his way down to the ring. He wastes no time signing the contract, and Pearce then introduces AJ Styles. Styles doesn't appear, and we quickly find out the reason why: he has been blindsided by Jimmy Uso backstage. He sends him crashing into a road case as Cena runs to the back. Solo Sikoa, standing on top of some technical equipment, then delivers a splash to Styles. Officials then enter to provide Styles with help as Cena checks on him.
Back from the break, Styles has been loaded on a stretcher and into an ambulance as Paul Heyman saunters down to ringside with Jimmy and Sikoa right behind him.
Sikoa tosses the chairs and the table out of the ring before Heyman introduces himself as boos rain down from the crowd. He says he's holding the contract signed by Cena, but Cena now doesn't have a partner. Jimmy grabs the mic out of his hand and says this is what happens when you mess with The Bloodline. He tells Cena if he's smart, then he would hop in the ambulance with Styles to go far away from The Bloodline. He says Cena will end up in an ambulance regardless.
Cena then runs back down to ringside and takes Sikoa down on the outside. He plants Jimmy inside the ring, and Sikoa charges at him looking for the Samoan Spike. Cena ducks out of the way and sets up for an Attitude Adjustment, but Jimmy superkicks him to save Sikoa. Sikoa then delivers a Samoan Spike as Jimmy sits himself on the top rope and mocks Cena. He then delivers an Uso Splash and signs the contract. He hands it over to Sikoa, and Sikoa follows suit. Jimmy then lands a second Uso Splash and holds up The One symbol.