WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades and Highlights After Clash in Paris 2025
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on September 5.
During Monday's Raw, CM Punk got into an altercation with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. As he was leaving, Punk asked Adam Pearce where SmackDown was located this week. When Pearce said Chicago, The Second City Savior looked excited.
Punk was scheduled to appear on the show this week, but everyone was waiting to see if AJ Lee would show up and join her husband in his fight against Lynch and Rollins.
This week also marked Cena's final scheduled appearance in the Windy City, and Sami Zayn returned to the blue brand as the new United States champion.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's SmackDown.
One Last Time in the Windy City
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SmackDown opened with a quick recap of Clash in Paris before Cena made his way to the ring to kick off his final appearance in Chicago. He soaked in the response from the crowd for a bit before speaking. The crowd chanted, "Thank you, Cena," and he said it meant a lot coming from the Chicago crowd.
He said he came out with nothing planned and was just happy to be there and hear the crowd chant his name. Cena also said this was not just his last time in Chicago, but it was his last time appearing on SmackDown.
He reminisced about making his debut in the same building over 20 years ago. He acted like he was about to leave when Sami Zayn's music hit. He reminded Cena that he made his debut by challenging him for the U.S. title, and now he holds that belt, so he wants to bring back the open challenges with Cena's permission.
Cena said it was a great idea, and then Zayn suggested they fight over the title right then and there. After some prodding, Cena finally agreed.
This was a good promo from Cena because it felt genuine, and having it lead into a match against Zayn was the icing on the cake.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- It's kind of wild to think that there was once a time when Cena was guaranteed to get booed in Chicago. The crowd gave him a warm welcome.
- Cena's new shirt had a reference to the Cubs in the design.
- Cena implied that it was the Chicago fans who brought CM Punk back to WWE and not the fact that he was fired from AEW.
- For some reason, Zayn was getting some boos.
John Cena vs. Sami Zayn (U.S. Title)
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The match got started when we returned from a commercial. They began with a simple lockup sequence that led to Zayn hitting an arm drag.
The Underdog From the Underground had the upper hand for a few minutes but kept the pace somewhat slow. Cena sold each move a little more than he needed to, but it led to the crowd popping for his comeback.
Both men took some big bumps during the break, including a Blue Thunder Bomb from Zayn. Cena hit the AA when we returned, but he only managed to get a two-count.
Zayn managed to kick out of a second AA before hitting an exploder suplex followed by a Helluva Kick for a two-count. Cena even hit a GTS, but he still couldn't get the pin.
Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment from the middle rope, but he was unable to follow it up with a cover. That is when Brock Lesnar's music hit. He grabbed Zayn and hit the F-5 before hitting one on Cena.
These two have always worked well together, so there was little doubt that this would be enjoyable. It might not have been the kind of match they could have put on 10 years ago, but both guys looked good. It would have been nice to get a clean finish but Lesnar appearing was almost a foregone conclusion.
Result: No Contest
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black
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As Damien Priest was making his way to the ring, Aleister Black attacked him from behind and drove him into the apron. He sent Priest over the barricade with a running knee and then sat in the middle of the ring while officials tended to his opponent.
We returned to see Priest heading back to the ring despite medics telling him not to. As soon as he got in, Black started kicking him.
By the time the bell rang, The Archer of Infamy looked like he didn't even know where he was. Black went right back on offense as a dazed Priest kept trying to get up.
We returned from another break to see The Dutch Destroyer getting mad that he couldn't put Priest away. The former world champion began building up some momentum as he made a comeback.
He slammed Black onto the announce table with a Razor's Edge, but Black was able to use the ref as a distraction to hit Black Mass for the win a few moments later.
The way this match began made it seem like it would be short, but they ended up fighting through two more segments and had a decent showing along the way. Both men like to use a lot of strikes, so this bout had some stiff shots.
Result: Black defeated Priest.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The Miz and Melo were shown asking Nick Aldis for a tag title match backstage as Becky Lynch was arriving in an SUV.
- The kick Black hit at ringside looked brutal.
- Black's meteora looked great.
Giulia vs. Michin (U.S. Title)
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Our second United States Championship match of the night saw Giulia defend the title against the woman who beat Kiana James last week, Michin.
They wasted little time picking up the pace. Michin sent Giulia out of the ring, but that allowed The Beautiful Madness to hit a neckbreaker on the floor.
We returned from the break to see both women throwing punches and headbutts. With a little help from Kiana James, Giulia was able to hit her finisher for the pin.
Both of these Superstars are talented competitors, so they found their groove right away and worked well together to put in a solid performance. If this had been longer or didn't have a break in the middle, it would have been much better.
Result: Giulia defeated Michin
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- The video package for Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton was good.
- The amount of time between the beginning of the match and the break was way too short. WWE has been doing that a lot lately and it makes it harder to get into the match right away.
She's Back
5 of 6Rollins appeared in the crowd before the final break, and when we returned, Lynch arrived in the ring. The Man admonished the crowd for chanting for someone else as soon as she got the mic.
She proceeded to insult every Chicago sports team to get as much heat as possible. This is when Punk decided to show up.
They traded some insults and Lynch slapped Punk in the face several more times. The Straight-Edge Superstar finally brought out AJ Lee to a massive pop.
Becky tried to attack, but AJ took her down and started beating on her. Punk watched with a smile as his wife took care of business.
The show ended with AJ jumping into Punk's arms as the crowd cheered. This was highly predictable and telegraphed, but it didn't stop this from being a great moment. AJ has been missed for so long and it's great to have her back, even if it's just temporary.
Result: B+
The Final Word
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Friday's SmackDown was light on matches with only three taking place across the entire two-hour show. Everything else was promos, video packages and backstage segments.
Zayn and Cena kicked things off with a fun match that had an abrupt ending thanks to Lesnar's interference, Black and Priest beat each other senseless, and Giulia and Michin had a short but decent match.
There were two things that people tuned in for this week. This was Cena's final appearance in Chicago, but even that didn't seem to have the crowd as invested as the return of AJ Lee.
Ending the show with Rollins, Lynch, Punk and Lee was the right call. Cena and Zayn had the best match, but there was no way this show could end with anything other than the two married couples.
As a whole, this episode was strange because it felt too light on action, but the big moments were done well.
Grade: B-
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