WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Mexico City

The September 11 edition of WWE SmackDown promised two world title matches and a grudge match collision in Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico.

CM Punk and Sami Zayn collided again for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Chelsea Green defended the WWE Women's Championship against Nia Jax.

Nikki Bella and Paige hoped to settle their rivalry in the ring. The War Raiders defended the AAA Tag Team Championships against Damian Priest and R-Truth. Ricky Saints challenge Rey Fénix for the AAA Cruiserweight Championship.

Check out the winners, grades and highlights from a special SmackDown.

Randy Orton Turns His Focus to Number 15

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Randy Orton

Randy Orton started the show to call Cody Rhodes "a good man" and "not a killer" like The Viper.

He then turned his focus to number 15, promising to go after whoever emerged from the Undisputed WWE Championship match in the main event.

This was a fine opening promo from Orton, who has always sounded more comfortable as a heel.

However, as a heel, he continues to be too popular to get booed most of the time, especially while feuding with The American Nightmare.

He might get booed though in a direct conflict with CM Punk, which looks to be the next direction.

This does further muddle the title picture given Kevin Owens, Gunther and Finn Bálor are still also after the gold.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The crowd sang "Voices" throughout Orton's entrance then cheered him while booing any references to Rhodes.
• Orton cheekily opened with Rhodes' own "What do you want to talk about?"
• After the opener, Michael Cole introduced a memorial package for 9/11 narrated by Triple H.

AAA Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Fénix (c) vs. Ricky Saints

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Rey Fénix

Last Time in Action: Rey Fénix lost to Penta in the finals of the World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament (Raw, August 28); Ricky Saints defeated Axiom (Main Event, July 31).

Fénix had Saints' number early until The Absolute One sent him to the floor and landed a Revolution DDT on the floor to send the match to commercial break.

The athleticism of Fénix got him back into the action, but he couldn't keep Saints down. The challenger nearly took the win with a Revolution DDT in the ring.

The champion caught Saints with a Springboard Cutter then knocked him out on the top rope with a kick followed by the Mexican Muscle Buster for the win.

Even with a hot crowd for Fénix, this never felt like it went anywhere. Saints and Fénix traded flashy moves without drama or flow.

By the end, it was a foregone conclusion that Saints was not at the same level as Fénix, yet he gave him too much offense throughout to establish himself as a dominant champion.

The right man absolutely won, but WWE needs to figure out what Saints is doing on SmackDown. He seems lost on this roster, losing to everyone with no direction.

Perhaps his growing frustration could fuel a more vicious direction. Until then, he is just a body on this roster, taking the fall for bigger stars.

Result

Fénix def. Saints by pinfall to retain the Cruiserweight Championship.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

• Saints got no entrance for this title match to quickly establish that he had no chance against Fénix.
• The crowd was unsurprisingly heavily behind the Cruiserweight champion. It is a shame US fans have not embraced him nearly as much.
• Fénix offered a handshake afterward, but Saints refused it with frustration.

Paige vs. Nikki Bella

Last Time in Action: Paige lost to Jacy Jayne for the Women's United States Championship (SmackDown, August 28); Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Paige lost to Fatal Influence (SummerSlam Night 1, August 1).

Paige stormed to the ring for her entrance, going right after Nikki. It was a dominant showing until Nikki caught her with a Double Leg Takedown into a pin with her feet on the ropes to steal the win.

This was barely a match despite the supposed legendary history between these two women. Three minutes of Paige in control shifted to a flat ending with Nikki escaping.

If this is what fans are supposed to expect from these two fighting going forward, there is no reason to get excited for any of it.

With Brie Bella out of action for the foreseeable future, maybe it would be best to simply move past this rivalry and try to pair up Paige and Nikki with younger rivals that can make them look better.

Result

Nikki def. Paige by pinfall.

Grade

F

Notable Moments and Observations

• Before the match, Michael Cole hyped up the AAA Trios Championships match for TripleMania.
• The crowd was hyped for Paige and fairly muted for Nikki.

Baron Corbin Lays Out Trick Williams and Lil Yachty

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Baron Corbin

Trick Williams arrived to celebrate his newly recaptured United States Championship.

He wanted to celebrate with Lil Yachty, who was late to arrive. Baron Corbin beat down Yachty on the stage until Trick made the save.

Corbin ran to the back, grabbed a kendo stick and blasted Trick with the kendo stick. He stood over both men to the boos of the crowd.

This is a feud that never ends, and it did not have much heat to start.

Corbin using a kendo stick is clearly a set up for a Hardcore match of some kind to decide this feud, but these two would need to massively improve together to make that interesting.

Trick has so many more interesting challengers and should be in the conversation for Money in the Bank rather than fighting off The Nomad again.

Grade

D

Notable Moments and Observations

• The crowd was live for Trick, though they also chanted for Julián Quiñones. Trick compared himself to the footballer and kicked a ball into the crowd.
• Backstage, Finn Bálor asked Nick Aldis for the next shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship. Aldis mentioned Money in the Bank, which drew the ear of a nosy Danhausen.
• Gunther interrupted the talk and got slapped by The Prince.
• Michael Cole talked up the big night for TKO including the AAA Latin American Championship triple threat at TripleMania.

WWE Women's Championship: Chelsea Green (c) (w/ Tiffany Stratton) vs. Nia Jax (w/ Lash Legend)

Last Time in Action: Nia Jax alongside Lash Legend defeated Chelsea Green alongside Lash Legend (SmackDown, September 4).

The attempts of Green to take any early advantage were shut down by the power and size of Nia, who ran over the champion until Green knocked her off the ropes.

Legend tried to take out Green on the floor, but Stratton took the shot for her friend.

The challenger tried to take advantage of the distraction with the Annihilator. The champion managed to duck it then knock out Jax with a masked Headbutt followed by an Un-Pretty-Her for the win.

This was rushed and led to some noticeable slip-ups, especially at the end of the match. With the WWE Women's Championship on the line, these two should have gotten at least twice the time.

On the plus side, Green and Jax flowed well together and could run this David vs. Goliath dynamic back at a later date with more time.

For now, what matters is that Green managed to pull off the big win in front of a hot crowd and solidified her title reign.

Result

Green def. Jax by pinfall to retain the WWE Women's Championship.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Earlier in the night, Green promised Nick Aldis she would keep her mask on, which did not always prove true in the match.
• In a backstage interview beforehand, Jax promised victory to come.
• Jax came out in US colors while Green wore Mexican colors
• Green was the most popular babyface of the show to this point.

AAA World Tag Team Championships: The War Raiders (c) vs. Damian Priest and R-Truth

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Damian Priest

Last Time in Action: The War Raiders defeated Fraxiom (Main Event, August 21); R-Truth and Damian Priest lost to The MFTs for the WWE Tag Team Championships (SmackDown, August 21).

Erik and Ivar managed to isolate Truth early, but a hot tag to Priest sped up the pace of the contest and sent The War Raiders into retreat into the commercial break.

Truth fought hard against The War Raiders back from break, but Erik and Ivar sent Priest to the floor followed by a Ragnarok for the victory.

Afterward, an annoyed Priest helped up Truth, only to lay him out with a Clothesline and South of Heaven.

The pace of this match was flat, especially after the break. Everyone hit their moves into a predictable finish.

War Raiders were not losing the gold before TripleMania, and Truth and Priest were clearly struggling to keep their footing as a team.

If the complete lack of team offense from the two men was any indication, this turn was inevitable.

Perhaps this is the answer to make The Archer of Infamy interesting again because his team with Truth has never fully landed.

A focused and well-booked heel Priest could be a force on SmackDown that could go straight for the WWE Championship.

Result

Erik and Ivar def. Truth and Priest by pinfall to retain the AAA World Tag Team Championships.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Truth arrived in a large sombrero to the surprised amusement of Priest. Afterward, he got his hat back for him before the turn.
• Truth pulled out a Five Knuckle Shuffle on Erik and Attitude Adjustment on Ivar in honor of his "Childhood Hero".
• Afterward, backstage, Fatal Influence mocked Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss until Tatum Paxley arrived. The Queen then questioned if she could trust Paxley.

Undisputed WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Sami Zayn

Last Time in Action: CM Punk def. Johnny Gargano (Raw, September 4); Sami Zayn lost to Kevin Owens alongside Gunther and Finn Bálor (SummerSlam Night 2, August 2).

Punk and Zayn started heavy with strikes into a quick Picture-in-Picture break.

The Best in the World's left knee gave out on him early, and the referee had to stop the action to check on the champion. The Last Real Good Guy then went after the knee.

Punk fought back by going after the left wrist of Zayn, ripping off his cast. This allowed The Best in the World to take over into a second PIP break.

Right back from break, Zayn laid into Punk with a Superplex. The Best in the World attempted a Bulldog, but his knee buckled. Zayn then hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for the near-fall.

Punk finally managed to connect on a GTS, but the damage to his knee led to slow cover and kick-out.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae arrived to distract the referee from an Anaconda Vice tap-out. Gargano tried to use the WWE Championship on Punk but took a GTS instead.

Kevin Owens arrived and accidentally hit Punk with the championship. Zayn then low blowed KO followed by a Helluva Kick to The Best in the World to win.

Both men leaned into a technical focus, highlighting two injuries that the opponent pinpointed consistently.

This gave them an easy excuse to work a slower pace throughout, especially Punk, which he may have needed as he consistently looked out of breath.

This may have been due to Mexico City's elevation, though Zayn looked like he was in significantly better shape throughout.

When the pace finally picked up, the contest became a massive overbooking nightmare.

It all led to the weakest match between these two, but the win was a satisfying continuation to Zayn's story. After all his talk of justice, he lied and cheated his way to stealing the title back.

With so many different wrestlers calling for shots at the WWE Championship, this is a great time to keep the title scene fresh, especially continuing to move the title on TV over waiting for premium live events.

Zayn needed a second win to solidify himself as a world champion, and it should be interesting to see how he does this time around. Hopefully, he at least gets a couple months.

Result

Zayn def. Punk by pinfall to become the new Undisputed WWE champion.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Earlier in the night, Sami Zayn promised justice in the main event then promised Gargano the first shot at the WWE Championship after he won.
• In a backstage interview, Punk mocked Zayn, calling him a fluke.
• Right before the main event, Ricky Saints finally shook Rey Fénix's hand only to then lay him out.
• Punk wore a jacket highlighting the masks of the luchadors of WWE, highlighted by Michael Cole.
• The Best in the World got a strong reaction, though he and Chelsea Green were close for most popular of the night.
• Mark Nash's cadence was odd for most of the night, but he especially missed on CM Punk introduction, too fast for the crowd.
• In the final tease for TripleMania, Michael Cole talked up Rey Mysterio vs. Omos.

Final Word

Mexico City was a fantastic crowd for SmackDown and delivered big reactions for just about everyone on the night.

It is a shame that crowd got just a lackluster show full of rushed matches and overbooking.

This show could have done with one less segment or match to give time to the underserved matches, especially the two women's matches.

Damian Priest's heel turn and Sami Zayn regaining the Undisputed WWE Championship made for a necessary one-two punch of moments on an otherwise predictable night.

WWE clearly knew this was an important show with a rare broadcast in Mexico, but the pacing of the night betrayed WWE's lack of care for the in-ring action despite the spectacle.

Final Grade: C-