WWE Smackdown results: John Cena & Logan Paul take down Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso ahead of MITB

June 6, 2025 Jack Wannan NEWS, RECOMMENDED, Show Reports
Photo Courtesy: WWE

Quick results

  1. Jimmy Uso def. JC Mateo (13:40)
  2. Zelina Vega def. Piper Niven (10:45) (Bakersfield Brawl)
  3. LA Knight def. Aleister Black (DQ) (13:20)
  4. Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley & Stephanie Vaquer def. Giulia, Naomi & Roxanne Perez (12:02)
  5. Penta & Andrade def. Julius Creed & Brutus Creed (7:56)

Seth Rollins and Solo Sikoa go face-to-face

Tonight’s episode of Smackdown started with wrestler arrivals, including Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss, Stephanie Vaquer, Naomi, Giulia, and Roxanne Perez.

Seth Rollins, flanked by Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman, made his way to the ring for the opening segment. A “CM Punk” chant broke out before Rollins could begin speaking.

Rollins addressed his Money in the Bank ladder match, set for Saturday night: “Tomorrow night, I take everything.” An “OTC” chant started, causing Rollins to say that he put Roman Reigns on the “island of irrelevancy.”

After giving his speech about how nobody can stop him once he wins the briefcase, he was interrupted. Out came fellow upcoming MITB competitor Solo Sikoa, alongside Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo.

Sikoa confronted Rollins over the idea that nobody can stop him. “Well, we’re standing right here, so.” Sikoa mocked Rollins’ faction, asking if it’s his own version of The Bloodline. He called Breakker their Jey Uso, and Reed their Sami Zayn.

Rollins didn’t like the trash talk: “Choose your next words very carefully.” It then became Rollins’ turn to take shots. He called Fatu “Solo’s b****,” and attempted to anger him by mentioning how he’s held back by Sikoa.

A face-off between these two teams got intense, but the Rollins crew left before any physicality popped off. Coming out of this in-ring chat, it felt like Rollins and Sikoa were established as the two frontrunners in the men’s ladder match.

Just as the segment was coming to an end, Jimmy Uso came from behind and attacked Sikoa’s team. It was announced just before a commercial break that Mateo and Uso will face off in the opening match of the night.

Dirty tactics backfire for JC Mateo

The opening match of the night, Jimmy Uso vs. JC Mateo, started during a commercial break. Mateo got a jump on Uso due to a distraction from Solo Sikoa, although Uso got back in control of the match as the live feed returned.

Uso came off the top with a crossbody, but earned just a one-count from the move. Mateo escaped a sleeper hold and threw Uso into the ropes for a belly-to-belly German Suplex. Uso climbed back into the match just past the five-minute mark, throwing Mateo out of the ring for a tope suicida.

Uso climbed to the top rope, but chatter with Sikoa at ringside caused him to take a dropkick from Mateo that sent him tumbling back to the ground. The match went to another commercial break right after this spot.

Sikoa mocked Uso as Mateo picked on him during the commercial break. He kept telling Uso that he can “come back” into the group if he wants. Uso started to power out of a sleeper just as the match returned, approaching the 10-minute mark.

Mateo kept the pressure on Uso after the submission, scoring his famous standing moonsault. Uso escaped a move in the corner from Mateo for a Samoan Drop, beginning to finally claw back into the match. He connected with a series of strikes, then a Whisper in the Wind for a two-count.

After a series of reversals, Mateo scored a Tour of the Islands for a near fall. Uso escaped a move in the corner from Mateo, then connected a pair of superkicks. Uso flyng off the ropes with a spear, then climbed to the top. Sikoa and Fatu climbed to the ring apron, distracting Uso, and causing him to get back down to the ring canvas. Mateo tried to attack Uso, but he moved out of the way, causing the forearm strike to instead hit Fatu, sending him flying off the apron. Uso then rolled up Mateo for a pinfall victory in 13:40.

Mateo shouted at Fatu as the segment ended. “He’s the problem, not me,” he proclaimed.

Backstage, Zelina Vega told Giulia that if she wants the Women’s United States Championship, she’ll have to “pry it from my lifeless body.”

Damian Priest told Jacob Fatu that he sympathizes with his faction issues, but said he nonetheless wants to take his United States Championship soon. Fatu accepted the challenge.

Giulia helps Zelina Vega win “Bakersfield Brawl,” SlimJim table debuts

In the next bout, Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega faced off against The Secret Hervice’s Piper Niven in a “Bakersfield Brawl.”

Vega brought weapons into the brawl early. After Niven threw her out of the ring, Vega pulled out a kendo stick. She started to unload with shots to Niven, hitting her a trio of times in the ring. Vega scored a Codebreaker for a two count, causing Niven to roll out of the ring.

Crowd started to chant “We want tables.” Chelsea Green, at ringside in support of Niven, didn’t like the idea: “No, we don’t!” Vega came off the steel stairs for a hurricanrana but was caught by Niven, who tossed her face-first onto the ring apron. Niven scored a crossbody onto Vega, who was seated up against a ringside LED board, as the match went to a break.

Niven teased the crowd with a table during the commercial break, before instead taking a pair of steel chairs out. Niven wedged a chair in-between two turnbuckles, then threw Vega into it. She sat Vega on a steel chair and tried for a cannonball, but Vega dodged the move. Vega came off the ropes with a Meteora, then tried for another move that Niven reversed into a sidewalk slam to regain control in the match.

Niven wrapped a chain around the mouth of Vega, then stomped her head into a turnbuckle – that looked nasty! Vega countered a move from Niven into a DDT, landing onto a standing chair. Niven rolled to ringside, but Vega followed her, coming flying down a moonsault off the top rope and to the outside, landing on Niven, Green and Alba Fyre.

Vega climbed to the top once again, but Niven stopped her momentum with a slap. Vega eventually scored a Code Red off the second rope, but a follow-up pin attempt was stopped, as the referee was dragged out of the ring by Fyre and Green. It’s no DQ, so it’s fine if the poor ref gets dragged around.

Niven scored a nasty slam on the ground as Green and Fyre set up a SlimJim table in the ring (I think that’s the first time we’ve seen that). As Niven set up for a Piper Bomb out of the corner, Giulia appeared at ringside. After taking out Fyre and Green with a kendo stick, Giulia struck the weapon onto the back of Niven. This helped Vega score a powerbomb out of the corner and through a table for a pinfall win at 10:45, winning a “Bakersfield Brawl.”

Giulia raised Vega’s hand after the match, but then attacked her. Giulia laid out Vega with a slam, then lifted her WWE Women’s United States Championship.

Seth Rollins interrupts LA Knight vs. Aleister Black

A video package with Aleister Black addressed how LA Knight stole his Money In The Bank qualifier win from him on a recent episode of Smackdown. “If you beat me LA Knight, I will look you in the eyes, I will shake your hand, and I will admit defeat.”

In the next match, LA Knight looked to close out his brief rivalry with Aleister Black. Knight cut a promo before the match, running down the Money in the Bank men’s ladder match entrants, and justified why he stole Black’s win in a qualifier match (I mean, he was in the match so I don’t see why he has to justify it, but…)

Like tonight’s opener, this match kicked off during the U.S. commercial break with a relatively slow start. There were some fun reveal sequences between these two once the show returned. A streak of moves from Black was broken after Knight blocked a springboard move from him, sending them both tumbling over the ropes and to the outside.

Knight got a two-count from a springboard shoulder tackle. He tried for a neckbreaker, but Black shook off the move. Black climbed to the top, but Knight stopped him from doing a move. After some back-and-forth in the corner, Knight got pushed back down to the ring mat. A long series of reversals ended with a springboard moonsault from Black for a two-count.

Both wrestlers couldn’t land their finishers in a reversal-heavy sequence. Knight scored a neckbreaker and then a slam, but had an elbow drop off the top stopped by Black. Another quick sequence of reversals culminated with Knight preventing yet another springboard move from Black, scoring a Burning Hammer instead.

As Black rolled out of the ring, Seth Rollins appeared and delivered a Curbstomp to Knight, causing the match to come to an end via disqualification. Rollins tried to set up for another stomp, but Black, protecting a man who was his in-ring rival just moments before, got in his way.

As Black turned around, Brok Breakker speared him. Knight was hit with a Senton from Bronson Reed, then a spear from Breakker. Rollins stood tall as the segment came to a close. Knight will head into Money in the Bank tomorrow banged up.

After the match, details regarding this year’s King and Queen of the Ring tournaments were revealed. Four fatal four-way matches will determine the semi-finalists in the tournaments, beginning next week. Of course, the grand finals of the tournament will take place at Night of Champions. Winners of the bracket will get a title shot at Summerslam.

Backstage, Jade Cargill announced in an interview that she’ll be competing in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Byron Saxton asked Cargill what her relationship with Bianca Belair has been like recently. Before she could answer, Charlotte Flair entered the frame. She told Cargill to be careful with who she chooses as her friends, then mentions that she’s going to win Queen of the Ring. “There’s only one queen in the WWE,” she said. Tiffany Stratton walked by and wished them both luck.

Tiffany Stratton appears ahead of MITB preview match

Ahead of their tag match at Worlds Collide tomorrow afternoon, Legado del Fantasma declared in a video package that they will “establish who owns the world of lucha libre.” They’re taking on El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Pagano, and Psycho Clown on Saturday.

Chad Gable, who will meet El Hijo del Vikingo at Worlds Collide, was interviewed backstage. While talking about how he’s going to take home the AAA Mega Championship, Andrade and Penta walked into the shot. Mad at their bickering, Gable told them that El Grande Americano is going to beat them in the Money in the Bank match tomorrow.

American Made’s Brutus and Julius Creed got in the faces of Andrade and Penta. General Manager Nick Aldis was nearby and declared that the two teams will face off later tonight.

It’s Tiffy Time. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton came to the ring for the next segment.

Stratton addressed the upcoming women’s Money in the Bank match, since the winner will possibly pursue a title shot against her after. Her promo was interrupted by Rhea Ripley, who marched to the ring and said that she missed the feeling of being a champion.

After Ripley’s brief comments, it was announced that the six-woman tag featuring all Money in the Bank competitors is next. Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley and Stephanie Vaquer will team up to face Giulia, Naomi and Roxanne Perez.

Ripley, Vaquer and Bliss win ahead of MITB match

Next it was six-woman tag time, with all those set to appear in Money in the Bank action facing off. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer started things off with a quick series of roll-up pin attempts. Vaquer tried for her Devil’s Kiss move, but Giulia avoided it and instead scored a brutal head-stomp move.

Naomi got tagged in and tried for a Devil’s Kiss of her own. Vaquer avoided the move. As others in the match started to brawl, Naomi took a Devil’s Kiss from Vaquer.

Vaquer’s momentum was taken away by Naomi, who was able to get control of the match and isolate the former NXT double champ in the heel corner of the ring. Bliss got a hot tag, but, like Vaquer, eventually found herself also getting isolated by the heels.

The match built up to a hot tag onto Ripley just after a commercial break. Ripley hit Perez with a fallaway slam, dropkicked Naomi off the ring apron, then a brutal Razor’s Edge and a follow-up dropkick onto Perez. A pin attempt was broken up by Naomi.

All the non-legal wrestlers got into the ring after the pin break for a fast series of moves. Bliss gave Giulia a Sister Abgail before a kick from Perez got her out of the ring as well.

After the ring was cleared out, Ripley scored a headbutt on Perez. She tried for a Riptide, but Perez reversed the move into a DDT, laying them both out in the middle of the ring.

Back up to her feet, Perez looked for a tag to Naomi. However, Naomi dropped off the apron right before the potential tag. Perez got picked apart by the three babyfaces in a sequence ending with a Riptide from Ripley, stopping the match at 12:02.

Ripley, Bliss and Vaquer stood together after the win, but there was a clear tension since they’ll be opponents tomorrow night.

Backstage, Solo Sikoa was seen talking to JC Mateo about tomorrow’s Money in the Bank match. Sikoa laid out his plan on how they can help him win the ladder match, but Mateo expressed concern that Jacob Fatu won’t be able to do his job tomorrow.

Sikoa says Fatu can be trusted, but also rips into him: “He’s not all the way smart in the head. All this man does is literally think about himself.” As Sikoa and Mateo leave the shot, it’s shown that Fatu was nearby listening to the conversation.

Smackdown’s tag division is worried about the Wyatts

A Wyatts video package played as the show returned from a commercial break. Backstage, the tag division expressed concern about the Wyatts. The Street Profits mentioned that the division should stop focusing on their titles since the group is a threat to everyone. Fraxiom pitches that they should teach the Wyatts a lesson. Motor City Machine Guns, who said they also want to face The Wyatts, admitted they’ll put their rivalry with #DIY on the back burner for now. #DIY liked the idea of other teams facing The Wyatts.

Seth Rollins returns for another beatdown

The tag match made earlier on the show – Andrade & Penta vs. The Creed Brothers – was next. AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo was shown at ringside watching the match.

Andrade and Penta jumped the Creeds, diving over the top rope and to the outside as the brothers made their way to the ring. Brutus was tossed into the ring by Andrade, giving an official start to the match. Andrade did a running double knees to both of the Creeds before tagging in Penta.

Penta continued to pick on both of the brothers, delivering dropkicks in the corner to each of them. Andrade climbed to the top, but was stopped by a brutal knee strike from Julius, jumping off the back of Brutus and going flying up to the top turnbuckle to connect with the blow. That moment shifted the momentum, putting the Creeds in control as the show went to a break.

Penta got a hot tag as the match returned from a commercial break. He was on a roll in the ring, but had his momentum slowed by Chad Gable, who appeared on the ring apron and attempted to take off his mask. This was saved by Vikingo, who brawled with Gable into the crowd.

Penta and Andrade didn’t let their grip of the match slip due Gable’s antics. Andrade hit both Brutus and Julius with spinning back elbows, then Penta came off the ropes with a Mexican Destroyer onto Julius for the pinfall at 7:56.

Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed appeared at ringside once again after the match. A brawl broke out, but it was a three-on-two situation, so Andrade and Penta predictably got picked apart. Andrade took a spear, and Penta took a senton, and Rollins gave them both a Curbstomp. Reed came off the top with a Tsunami to Penta as the segment came to an end.

‘You can’t handle our truth’

Back from the break, Rollins and his crew were still in the ring. Paul Heyman cut a promo about the group’s growing influence and his belief that Rollins will win Money in the Bank tomorrow night. As Heyman mentioned how he looks forward to when he can introduce Rollins as a champ, he was interrupted by Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes came face-to-face with Rollins in the ring, no mic in hand. As Jey Uso’s music hit, Rollins et al. filed their way out of the ring. They’re not going to be involved in tonight’s final segment.

Back from a commercial break, Uso’s music came to an end. Bakersfield got their YEET’ing out of the way for the night.

Rhodes put together a roast on Cena, calling him “desperate.” He mentioned Cena’s appearance on Twitch streamer Kai Cenat’s show last year, considering it a plea to seem cool and hip. Rhodes said Cena threw away years of goodwill at Wrestlemania when he won via distraction.

Cena’s music hit, and the Undisputed WWE Champion appeared on the stage. Donning Lakers-inspired merch, Cena ordered the ring announcer to introduce him again: “The greatest of all time. The never-seen, 17, gracing Bakersfield with his presence one last time, he is the last real champion, John Cena!”

Right after this introduction ended, Logan Paul suddenly appeared in the ring. He laid out Uso with a right hand. Rhodes avoided a punch from Paul, but was hit with Cena’s WWE Championship while trying for a Cross Rhodes.

Cena gave Uso an Attitude Adjustment, then Paul scored with his Paul-veriser. After getting tripped up in the corner, Paul landed a frogsplash onto Rhodes. Uso got one as well.

Cena grabbed a mic after taking out the babyfaces. “Take a good look,” Cena said. “No one is coming to save you. I’ve been telling you this for half of a year. Your dream of what the WWE is will be ruined. This is your future.”

While Cena held his title, Paul held Uso’s world championship.

Cena wasn’t done beating up the babyfaces. Rhodes got an Atititude Adjustment, then Paul gave Uso a knockout blow. The crowd chanted “We want Truth.” Cena played into this: “You can’t handle the truth!”

“You hypocrites cheer for Truth? You are all pathetic liars,” he said. “This is why you’re losers. Take a good look, because it’s my last time here in Bakersfield. And remember these words: Winners write the history books. Ladies and gentlemen, your future champion and the last real champion.”

Cena and Paul posted as the show came to a close.

About Jack Wannan 771 Articles
Jack Wannan is a journalist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He writes and reports on professional wrestling, along with other topics like MMA, boxing, music, local news, and more. He graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]
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