John Cena joined The Grayson Waller Effect on SmackDown Friday night, sharing the screen with the young Australian for the second time this year in the most hyped segment of the show.
It headlined a broadcast that also featured a highly anticipated rematch between LA Knight and The Miz.
What happened in that promo segment and the Payback rematch?
Find out with this recap of the latest Fox show.
The following were announced in advance for the broadcast on September 15th:
- The Grayson Waller Effect with John Cena
- AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
- Asuka vs. Bayley
- LA Knight vs. The Miz
Aric Becker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pat McAfee caused a surprise with his return to SmackDown, live from Denver, delighting both fans and commentator Michael Cole. After a short, energetic promo, Austin Theory entered the ring and interrupted his former rival.
After an insulting response, McAfee told Theory that SmackDown was the people’s show that brought about The Rock’s return. The roof of the arena flew off as The Great One made his way to the ring.
An extended chant that went on for far too long gave way to The Rock performing the sassy young paragraph and delivering a big People’s Elbow, which was followed by an electrifying response.
McAfee added his own, capping off a fantastic, surprising opening segment. Pro wrestling is great when it can deliver the unexpected, and this was certainly unexpected.
Degree
A+
Top moments and takeaways
- Surprises reign!
- Describing himself as “the real Austin” and a “real ass-kicker,” Theory poked fun at “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and his historic rivalry with Rock.
- The big one that defied broadcast rules and had the whole crowd chanting “A-hole” was fun, especially because the censors rushed to remove it from the show.
Photo credit: WWE.com
AJ Styles and Finn Balor are so talented that even a mediocre match between them, interrupted by a commercial break in the middle of the match, is still pretty darn good.
Such was the case on Friday when the former world champions faced off in a competitive match that saw Judgment Day’s Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio thrown from ringside after attempting to interfere, but Jimmy Uso interfered in the bout, setting up Balors Victory ahead.
The ending suggests that the battles between Styles and Uso are not over just yet and allows Judgment Day to continue to gain momentum, especially as they appear on all three WWE brands.
Thanks to the solid effort of everyone involved, this was a great continuation of the explosive opening show.
Result
Balor defeated Styles
Degree
b
Top moments and takeaways
- Styles and Balor are both former Bullet Club leaders and are among the most influential and important wrestlers of the last 20 years.
- Priest tried to intervene, but the official ejected him and Dominik Mysterio from ringside.
- Jimmy Uso tried to interfere, but Styles caught him with a right hand. Balor took advantage of the distraction to get the tenuous victory.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Backstage, Finn Balor tried to lure Jimmy Uso into joining The Judgment Day based on the idea that there are no leaders, no one to answer to. Uso seemed somewhat interested.
Back in the arena, LWO’s Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde were in the ring for a special promo.
After Escobar respectfully challenged Mysterio for the United States Championship, the unnamed trio Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits interrupted the celebrations, resulting in a tag team match.
Montez Ford and Angel Dawkins defeated Del Toro and Wilde in a quick match, defeating the babyfaces in a fight that was anything but competitive. An attack after the game further consolidated the group.
That was fine, but Del Toro and Wilde are quickly losing credibility after the squash loss to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn two weeks ago and this quick loss here. LWO is as strong as the sum of its parts and viewing two of the five as glorified enhancement stars will ultimately hurt the group’s overall value.
Mysterio vs. Escobar should be fun, but after that, it wouldn’t be surprising if Lashley ends up being the one to dethrone the Hall of Famer.
Result
The Street Profits defeated the LWO
Degree
C+
Top moments and takeaways
- “Do you know what this means? There is no Roman,” Balor told Uso, trying to convince him to join Judgment Day.
- Escobar asked Mysterio for a championship opportunity, which the US champion accepted.
- The Street Profits need new theme music if they’re going to be heels. Your current theme is too optimistic and energetic.
Photo credit: WWE.com
LA Knight went 2-0 against The Miz since Payback, defeating the former WWE Champion with Blunt Force Trauma.
The crowd was red-hot for Knight and Miz was great as the opposing heel. The match was never more than it needed to be, which was an extended showcase for Knight as he builds momentum towards an apparent showdown with Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
At least based on the teases surrounding Paul Heyman over the last two weeks.
Result
Knight defeated The Miz
Degree
b
Top moments and takeaways
- LA Knight’s pop remains strong, even on a night where the Denver faithful have already been electrified by Pat McAfee, The Rock, AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio.
- “Who calls themselves ‘The Megastar’? “It sounds terribly selfish,” Corey Graves said. “Who call themselves ‘The Hollywood A-Listers,'” Cole replied. “The A-listers!” Graves exclaimed, making a good point.
- “It doesn’t matter if it’s Rey Mysterio. It doesn’t matter if it’s Gunther. It makes no difference if it’s Seth Rollins. It sure as hell doesn’t matter if it’s Roman Reigns,” Knight said, putting his voice to his claim to championship gold and his intention to fight for it.
- Backstage, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman watched as Knight left the arena, hinting at the possibility of a showdown with Reigns for the second time in a row.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Like Balor and Styles earlier in the evening, Asuka and Bayley are capable of great work in the ring every time they step into the squared circle. Great may not be the right word to describe their game on Friday, but it was still very good.
Just like Styles and Balor, there was a crazy, interference-filled finish where Shotzi caused a distraction and allowed The Empress of Tomorrow to score the win.
It was a repetitive ending, particularly as it kept the storyline alive for the loser while also reinforcing the momentum for the winner. If there’s a weakness of Triple H’s as head of creative, it’s not always recognizing when he’s put the same target on the card more than once.
When you clean that up, the idea of intertwining feuds is hardly a bad one.
Result
Asuka defeated Bayley
Degree
b
Top moments and takeaways
- The commentary team chalked up Iyo Sky’s absence to her being at home training for her WWE Women’s Championship defense against Asuka next week.
- Did…did Cole just mention Triple Tails? From SMASH and Pro Wrestling Wave? Damn CUTE! (Yes, it’s not the first time. No, it’s always great that the commentary team is now touching on the story in other promotions.)
- Shotzi appeared, startling Bayley and creating a distraction that Asuka took advantage of to win. It would have been a more effective finish if we hadn’t just seen an identical finish in the opening match between Balor and Styles.
Photo credit: WWE.com
The Grayson Waller effect with John Cena could have used a little more…John Cena.
The greatest of all time didn’t utter a word when the reserved Australian, then Jey Uso, interrupted him and confronted him on the microphone. A brawl broke out, Solo Sikoa jumped in and AJ Styles stormed into the ring to make the save and end the night with big babyfaces.
This was a chaotic stretch that didn’t achieve or promote much. It continued Styles and Cena’s respective feuds with Uso, added Sikoa, and couldn’t justify Waller’s involvement other than sharing the squared circle with Cena once again.
Maybe we’ll get a cool tag team match out of this, but this felt like a rather disappointing effort from Cena on a night that started off so electrifying with The Rock.
Degree
C+
Top moments and takeaways
- Waller responded to Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell’s comments about Colorado State head coach Deion Sanders, drawing the ire of Denver fans.
- Waller claimed that Cena no longer wanted to be a wrestler.
- Uso, Sikoa and Styles all entered the ring before the babyfaces got up to end the show.
The show opened with the return of Pat McAfee and The Rock and there isn’t much that can top a wrestling show. WWE gave it a try, featuring three matches with top-tier talent, the start of Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits’ heel run, and another primetime show for LA Knight.
The show felt a bit rushed at times, but focused on the superstars and segments that were of utmost importance and was therefore a success.
However, for whatever reason, the main event promo segment felt off. Hopefully there’s more to this than a predictable tag match, because John Cena and the others involved deserve better.
Overall grade: B+