By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Smackdown (Episode 1,356)
August 15, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts, at TD Garden
Simulcast live on USA Network and internationally on Netflix
[Hour One] Joe Tessitore checked in on commentary while shots aired of the host city and the host venue. Tessitore, who was joined on commentary by Wade Barrett, said Boston was hosting Smackdown for the 19th time. Drew McIntyre was shown walking backstage while footage aired of him attacking Cody Rhodes at the end of last week’s show…
U.S. Champion Solo Sikoa led “MFT” Talla Tonga, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa to the ring while ring announcer Mark Nash introduced them. Once in the ring, Solo said they run Smackdown. Solo boasted that they stomped out Sami Zayn, Jimmy Uso, and Jacob Fatu were all stomped out. Solo started to make a challenge to anyone backstage, but he was interrupted by entrance music.
Sami Zayn walked out dressed in non-wrestling attire and headed to the ring. Solo remained in the ring while the MFT headed to ringside. Zayn said everyone had heard him talk about becoming a world champion. Zayn said that had he beaten Rusev on Raw, he may have been in the World Heavyweight Championship match at Clash in Paris.
Zayn said he actually felt liberated. He said he had been spinning his wheels, and now he could go back to doing other things he set out to do. Zayn thanked Solo. He said the U.S. Championship is another title that he hasn’t held in WWE. Solo barked that Zayn wouldn’t hold it soon and told him to get off his show and out of his ring.
Zayn informed Solo that he is officially a Smackdown wrestler. Zayn said he is coming for the Solo and the U.S. Championship. Solo threw a punch that Zayn blocked. Talla, Mateo, and Loa entered the ring and put Zayn down.
Jimmy Uso ran out and tried to fight off Solo’s crew, but Talla knocked him down. Talla set up for a chokeslam, but he stopped when he heard the entrance music.
Jacob Fatu headed to the ring. Fatu helped Zayn and Uso clear three heels from the ring, and then they all worked together to send Talla over the top rope to the floor.
Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis walked out and booked three members of Solo’s crew vs. Zayn, Uso, and Fatu in a six-man tag team match. Tessitore said the match would be the main event of Smackdown…
Powell’s POV: I’m cool with Zayn moving to Smackdown, but the way they announce these things is weak. It looks like they essentially traded LA Knight for Sami Zayn, but they never bothered to announce it. I think they would generate some extra interest if they announced that a trade had been made and used it as a hook for one of the weekly television shows. Then again, there’s also the issue of the rules of the brand split rarely actually being enforced.
Backstage, Byron Saxton interviewed Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, and Alba Fyre. Saxton mentioned Niven’s match with Alexa Bliss, then asked Green how they got here. Green said she bravely broke up a birthday party. Niven and Fyre spoke briefly, and then the trio exited the area…
Alexa Bliss made her entrance for the opening match and was accompanied by Charlotte Flair… [C] The Boston skyline was shown while Tessitore said the city has hosted 14 premium live events… Piper Niven made her entrance with Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre…
1. Alexa Bliss (w/Charlotte Flair) vs. Piper Niven (w/Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre). Niven put Bliss down with an early Black Hole Slam. Niven stood up and saluted as the show cut to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Bliss took control and went up top for her finisher. Green climbed on the apron to distract Bliss. Flair tripped Green to knock her off the apron. Bliss dropped down from the ropes and took out Fyre. Bliss avoided a charging Niven and then rolled her up and got the three count.
Alexa Bliss beat Piper Niven in 7:35.
Afterward, the referee raised Bliss’s hand, and then Fyre superkicked Bliss. Flair worked over Green with chops, but Niven knocked Flair down and performed a senton. Green ran Flair into the ring post and then threw her into the timekeepers’ area. In the ring, Niven splashed Bliss in the corner. Fyre hit her finisher on Bliss, and then Niven splashed her from the ropes…
Powell’s POV: The match was fine. The post-match angle was an effective heat spot, but there’s still the issue of the heel trio’s gimmick being fun, yet too lighthearted to take all that seriously.
Backstage, Nick Aldis stood between WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill and eventually stopped them from bickering. Nia Jax showed up and took issue with Jade wanting a rematch. Jax suggested that Jade fall back and let her take care of Stratton. Jade said she wouldn’t fall back for anyone. Stratton said the result of her facing Jax would always be the same. She said if she had to prove it to Jax before she proves it to Jade, they should both bring it…
The Miz and Carmelo Hayes made their entrance… [C] Tessitore hyped the AAA Triplemania show, and then he and Barrett ran through the lineup…
Powell’s POV: Join John Moore for his live review of AAA Triplemania as the show streams on the WWE YouTube page on Saturday night at 8CT/9ET. John will also be recording an audio review that will be available for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
Nathan Frazer and Axiom made their entrance for a flat reaction…
2. “Fraxiom” Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. Carmelo Hayes and The Miz. Hayes wanted to start the match, but Miz tagged himself in. Miz looked into the crowd and spotted Joe Gacy wearing a mask at the top of the steps on the first level of the venue. Dexter Lumis showed up wearing a mask in a similar spot located a section away from his tag team partner. There was a light “Let’s go, Melo,” chant for the Massachusetts native. Frazer and Axiom hit suicide dives on the heels. [C]
Frazer had Hayes pinned after hitting him with a Phoenix splash, but Miz jumped off Frazer’s back to break up the pin and then hit Axiom with a DDT on the way down. A “this is awesome” chant broke out. Hayes hit Frazer with a cutter after both men had been on the top rope. Hayes went to the ropes, but Miz tagged himself in. Miz hit Frazer with the Skull Crushing Finale and then scored the pin…
Carmelo Hayes and The Miz beat “Fraxiom” Nathan Frazer and Axiom in 12:20.
Powell’s POV: A good match with more drama from Miz and Hayes. But this was also another example of a full-time tag team putting over a couple of singles wrestlers who feel like a temporary tag team. Why does this keep happening on Smackdown?
Tessitore and Barrett spoke at ringside. Tessitore said there was no medical update regarding Cody Rhodes… A video package recapped Drew McIntyre’s attack on Cody… [C]
[Hour Two] Tessitore hyped two-day combo tickets for WrestleMania going on sale on September 24…
Backstage, Kiana James approached Tiffany Stratton and advised her to get some backup. James said there was no one better for that than her and Giulia. Stratton said she’s a champion already and doesn’t need backup. James said that if Stratton isn’t with them, then she’s against them. She spoke about how Giulia could take the WWE Women’s Championship. Michin showed up after Stratton walked away and said that if James had taken her calls, she’d know that she had Giulia next. James said that would be under advisement and then walked away… [C]
Drew McIntyre made his entrance for an in-ring promo. McIntyre said people had been asking him all week why he Claymore kicked Cody’s head through the front of the broadcast table. McIntyre said it was so violent that he felt everyone needed to see it again. McIntyre had the spot shown on the big screen.
McIntyre said he did not attack Cody. He asked Tessitore about a medical update. When Tessitore said there wasn’t one, McIntyre questioned if someone from management was hiding it because he took out their golden boy.
McIntyre said he doesn’t hate Cody; he feels sorry for him. He said Cody cares about what the fans and management think about him. McIntyre said he was like that five years ago, but he evolved. McIntyre said he realized that the fans forget about them once they retire.
McIntyre said he does it for his family and the big paycheck, but Cody needs the WWE Championship. He asked who Cody is without his story. McIntyre once again said he didn’t attack Cody; he said Cody attacked him. McIntyre recalled Cody slamming his face into the ring post and then clearing the broadcast table. McIntyre said Cody was going to put him through the table and take him out. McIntyre said he defended himself.
McIntyre said he’s not a bad guy, but he will do very violent things if he’s provoked. “If you provoke me, I’m the real nightmare,” McIntyre said before tossing the mic down. McIntyre looked into the camera and told Cody to get better soon…
Powell’s POV: The usual strong mic work from McIntyre. I’m having a tough time buying into the Claymore spot being as damaging as they are making it out to be, but perhaps I’m desensitized more than most viewers. By the way, the King of the Hill on Hulu logo is in the middle of the ring tonight.
Byron Saxton interviewed “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, who were with B-Fab in a backstage area. Saxton brought up their match with DIY and asked if they felt they’d be in line for another tag title shot with a win.
Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa showed up. Solo took issue with the Profits going after the titles. Solo said that if the Profits want the tag titles, they would have to run through him and his crew. The Profits blew them off and, yes, they still want the smoke.
After the Profits walked away, Solo noticed Talla looking behind him and asked if he was okay. Talla said he was good. After they walked away, it looked like Erick Rowan was wearing his Rambling Rabbit in the distance…
“DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa made their entrance with Candice LeRae… [C]
While hyping the WWE podcasts, Tessitore mentioned that Women’s World Champion Naomi will appear on Monday’s Raw…
“The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins made their entrance with B-Fab…
3. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins (w/B-Fab) vs. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa (w/Candice LeRae). Dawkins chased Ciampa at ringside, but Ciampa stood behind LeRae. Ciampa returned to the ring and caught Dawkins with a kick when he tried to follow. The heels sat on the ring apron and patted themselves on the back. [C]
The Profits set up for their double-team Blockbuster on Ciampa. LeRae ran over and shoved B-Fab into the ring steps, which caused a distraction. The DIY duo rallied, and Gargano had Ford pinned until Dawkins broke it up.
A short time later, Gargano went for a suicide dive, but Ford caught him with a punch from the apron. LeRae jumped from the top rope and performed a huracanrana on Ford, which sent him crashing into Dawkins. Gargano got Ford back in the ring and DDT’d him before covering him for a two count.
B-Fab recovered and performed a clunky kick on LeRae at ringside. Dawkins hit Sky High on Ciampa, and then Ford followed up with a top rope frog splash. Dawkins covered Ciampa and got the pin…
“The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins beat “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in 9:30.
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match. A part of me is surprised they didn’t send out a random makeshift team such as Shinsuke Nakamura and Santos Escobar to beat up both established tag teams.
Backstage, Carmelo Hayes interrupted a conversation that Nick Aldis was having with “The Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. Hayes asked what he had to do to get a U.S. Championship match. The Miz showed up and apologized for Hayes. Sabin called out Hayes for letting Miz manipulate him. Shelley said Miz and Hayes wrestle like two guys who just met in catering. Aldis booked the two teams against one another for next week’s Smackdown. Miz was all for it, but Hayes said it’s what Miz wanted…
An ad aired for Monday’s Raw and focused on The Vision faction. Naomi will “sound off on the state of the Women’s World Championship”… [C]
A video package recapped the John Cena and Logan Paul segment from last week’s show…
Aleister Black interrupted Byron Saxton’s interview with R-Truth, who was happy that John Cena was back. Black asked about Damian Priest and said that with friends like Truth, who needs enemies? Truth asked him how he could tell him who he is. Black said he’d see Truth next week…
Backstage, Sami Zayn spoke with Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu. Zayn thanked Fatu for having his back earlier. Fatu said he was helping Jimmy. Zayn said Jimmy is his brother too, and asked if they could work together in the main event. Fatu told Jimmy to make sure Zayn stays out of his way…
Solo Sikoa and his crew made their entrance for the main event… [C]
The following matches and segments were advertised for Friday’s Smackdown in Dublin, Ireland: John Cena appears, “The Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin vs. Carmelo Hayes and The Miz, and Aleister Black vs. R-Truth…
The babyface trio made their entrances…
4. Jacob Fatu, Jimmy Uso, and Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa (w/Talla Tonga). Loa dumped Zayn to ringside. While the ref bickered with Loa, Talla hit Zayn with a big boot on the floor. [C]
Fatu took a hot tag and worked over all three opponents. Fatu held the top rope down while Jimmy dove over it and onto Mateo on the floor. Fatu ducked a clothesline from Loa and then put him down with a pop-up Samoan Drop. Fatu went up top and had to kick Solo away. Fatu went for a Swanton, but Loa put his knees up. Solo tagged in and hit a top rope splash on Fatu for a near fall.
A weary Fatu reluctantly tagged Zayn, who hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Solo. Mateo broke up the pin. Fatu cleared Loa from the ring and then hit a top rope splash. Solo went for a Samoan Spike, but Sami blocked it and hit him with an exploder suplex. Zayn followed up with a Helluva Kick and then pinned Solo.
Jacob Fatu, Jimmy Uso, and Sami Zayn defeated Solo Sikoa, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa in 11:00.
After the match, Jimmy hugged Fatu and Zayn, then motioned for them to come together. Fatu and Zayn shook hands and hugged while the executive producer credits were shown to close the episode…
Powell’s POV: They did a nice job of creating a little tension between Fatu and Zayn to give the match a little something extra. Zayn pinned Fatu again, so he should be getting his U.S. Title shot soon. Overall, this was an uneventful show by Smackdown standards. I would put it in the “fine if you saw it, fine if you missed it” category that AEW Collision often lands in. I will be back shortly with my weekly same-night audio review of Raw. Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading the show below.
I like that NXT opens with wrestling. This past week with Jax/Legend. What a match! Raw and Smackdown seem to always open with a talking segment. Can we change it up please?
Sami Zayn….ugh!
This is a brutal tv show
To Jason’s point about makeshift teams routinely beating established teams:
It’s made even worse because after so so long, they’re finally investing a lot of TV time into making the tag titles feel important. Spending that time building up the teams is a bonus. Spending that extra time while also defining your real teams down makes that bad problem even worse.
And I’m getting the vibes that we are gonna see some intergender matches coming. Candace and B-Fab and maybe more.
Two things:
1. Melo is incredible at emoting. I think he’s an immensely talented wrestler anyway, but he’s SO good at the drama aspects. He knows what to show and how to show it. I thought that when he wrestled Strowman the first time and I thought that tonight in his reactions with Miz at the end of the match. I thoroughly enjoy watching him perform.
2. That may have been one of Drew’s best promos. His logic, his delivery… he’s on a Jake The Snake kind of level with his psychology and is probably one of my favorite heels of all time. I really wish they’d give him a true heel run with the belt and see what that looks like. I LOVE that he’s Cody’s next opponent but I don’t love that he’s essentially one of those “pass the time” ones.