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WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
DECEMBER 5, 2025
WILES-BARRE, PA. AT MOHEGAN ARENA AT CASEY PLACE
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
Attendance: WrestleTix reports as of earlier today 5,388 tickets were distributed so far; the arena was set up for 6,004. The arena has a capacity of 10,000 spectators when configured for concerts. The previous time WWE ran the arena was May 10, 2024 for Smackdown and it drew 7,935, so another bit drop of around 2,500 from the previous visit.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch’s Chris Lansdell to review WWE Smackdown LIVE on YouTube. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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[HOUR ONE]
-After the “Then, Now, Together, Forever” brand stamp, a video package recapped last week’s happenings between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes.
-They cut to the exterior of the arena as Michael Cole introduced the show. He and Corey Graves spoke about John Cena briefly. Cole then said news broke earlier in the day on WWE social media and they’d play a message from G.M. Nick Aldis.
-Aldis said Drew was suspended and he has been trying to justify reinstating him. He said Drew hasn’t been returning his calls and texts, so he’s using this platform to invite him to come to the arena so they could discuss a resolution to bring him back to Smackdown.
-They cut backstage to Cody arriving. He asked Aldis if Drew was there. He said Drew’s attorney’s have claimed he has an unsafe work environment and he won’t return until that issue is resolved. Aldis said his plan is to go to Drew’s house this week to resolve this once and for all. Cody looked at the attorney letter, then crumpled it up and threw it aside.
-Cody made his ring entrance. Graves talked about Cody’s match against Oba Femi tomorrow night on WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. He asked, “What do you want to talk about?” He said they’d talk about Drew and how he claims he’s in an unsafe working environment. He said Drew is only half in and that’s why he doesn’t sweat him. He said if he was Drew’s boss, he’d fire him. He said he’s not his boss, so he can’t fire him, but he can whip his ass. The lights dimmed and turned green as Oba Femi’s theme played.
Oba walked out. Grave said, “The Ruler has arrived.” Cole said he beat Ricky Saints to regain his NXT Title and this is Cody’s opponent tomorrow night. Cole warned Cody not to be preoccupied with Drew “and look past this man.” Oba stepped up to Cody and told him that he is worried about the wrong person. He said he’s worried about Drew, but Drew is not there. “But the NXT Champion is in the building tonight,” he said. He introduced himself. He said he is the mountain that he cannot climb and a man he cannot conquer.
He said it has been pitched as the present vs. the future, and everyone is acting like the future is something you can see only from far away, but he disagrees because he is knocking on his front door and the future stands before him. “Your time is up and my time is now,” he said. Cody said that’s a John Cena quote and he’s glad that’s someone he looks up to. “We share that,” he said. Cody said he’s the man who beat Cena for the WWE Title. As Cody began to walk away, Oba grabbed his arm and stopped him. Fans “oooh’d.” Oba held up his belt. Cody held up his belt. Cody’s music played. Cole asked, “Is it Oba Femi’s time?”
-They showed Aleister Black & Zelina Vega walking backstage, then their opponents Damien Priest & Rhea Ripley. Then they showed Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair and then Lash Legend & Nia Jax. And finally Ilja Dragunov. He was approached by Nathan Frazer and Axiom telling Dragunov they have his back if Tomasso Ciampa tries anything. Dragunov said he wants to carry the U.S. Title with honor, even if it’s the most painful way. He said he must put Ciampa in his place alone. He said Cena never backed down from a fight and he will show Ciampa he is inspired by that and he will teach that jackass that “if he plays with a mad dragon, he will burn and pain will entertain him.” He then clapped. Frazer and Axiom wished him luck.
-Tomasso Ciampa made his ring entrance to his singles theme. [c]
(1) ILJA DRAGUNOV vs. TOMASSO CIAMPA – U.S. Title match
Graves said Ciampa looks like a man ready for war. Dragunov then made his entrance. The bell rang 23 minutes into the hour. Ciampa stopped Dragunov’s early momentum with a kick to his knee that has a brace on it. They cut to a break at 3:00 with Ciampa in control at ringside. [c]
Dragunov rallied after the break. Ciampa landed a side slam on the ring apron at 9:00 and scored a two count back in the ring. Ciampa then put Dragunov on the top rope turnbuckle, but Dragunov fought back and landed a top rope dropkick. They cut to a double-box break at 10:00. [c/db]
Ciampa landed a leaping Air Raid Crash off the top rope onto Dragunov who was bleeding pretty heavily from his nose at this point. The blood was stripping over his body and Ciampa’s. Dragunov and Ciampa stood and exchanged wild swings. Ciampa gave Dragunov a back suplex, but Dragunov fired back with a Torpedo Moscow. Johnny Gargano then showed up at ringside. He stood on the ring apron and distracted the ref. Candice LeRae stood on the other side of the ring and snapped Dragunov’s neck over the top rope. Ciampa then landed a running high knee and scored a dramatic near fall on Dragunov. Ciampa then went for a Fairy Tale Ending, but Dragunov flipped out of it and leveraged Ciampa’s shoulders down for a three count.
WINNER: Dragunov in 17:00.
-Afterward, Carmelo Hayes saved Dragunov from a post-match beating. He then helped Dragunov to his feet and had some words for him that looked friendly but also taking aim at his title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Not sure they topped “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Kyle Fletcher on Wednesday, but if any match scheduled this week was going to get close, this was it.)
-In another clip from Tom Rinaldi, Cena said he has signed on for another five years. He said he’ll be an ambassador for the company. “People want people on their team who are passionate about the team,” he said. He said he has a lot he can pass along to others even if he doesn’t compete anymore. He said he’s looking forward to that stuff.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s not a team sport. Not in the cannon of the shows, at least.)
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Je’Von Evans. She said he has perhaps the biggest match of his career tomorrow night. He said he’s not alone, as Leon Slater will be with him. Miz interrupted and said he isn’t on SNME, but Evans is and he wasn’t even born when Cena started his career. Evans said that’s not his problem, it’s a Miz problem. Evans challenged Miz to face him tonight. Miz said he’s going to Aldis and he’ll get that match scheduled. He said if he gets injured, then he won’t make it to SNME. Kelley wished Evans luck.
-A Wyatt Sicks video message interrupted and just featured Uncle Howdy saying, “We’re here!” And then he laughed.
-Another cinematic vignette on WrestleMania Vegas aired, featuring the top women with narration by Paul LeVesque. [c]
-The Wyatt Sicks made their way to the ring. After some clips aired of the Wyatts interactions with Solo Sikoa, Uncle Howdy addressed Solo from a rocking chair mid-ring. He said Solo might not have the power to look within himself, “but we do.” He said the reality is their real family has all turned their backs on him because he uses and abuses those he claims to love. He said he is disillusioned and out of his mind by saying the MFTs run Smackdown. “Rip the scales from your eyes,”; he said. He said the MFTs have nothing, while they have “these.” They placed the tag title belts on the mat. He told the MFTs that if they want the titles, “come and get them.” Solo’s music played and they marched out.
Solo and the MFTs appeared on the big screen. He said they aren’t going to march out there and meet them on their turf. He said he’s the one calling the shots, not them. He said they’ll do things their way. He said they are coming to take their tag titles next week, so they better be ready for war. He said if they want to keep their family safe, give them the tag titles because if they don’t, their only choice is to run.
(Keller’s Analysis: The Wyatts segment was pretty dead on arrival and got worse the longer Uncle Howdy talked. Their characters have been so ill-defined and inconsistent. Howdy seemed to lose his train of thought at least once and his cadence led to the words just trying everyone’s patience.)
-Charlotte gave Alexa Bliss a pep talk about her match against Lash. She said she has more experience and she’s going to win, and then they’ll focus on winning the tag team titles back. Ripley walked in and said, “When it comes to who is next, it’s me and Iyo.” Bliss said they respect them, but they’re stepping aside for anybody. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-A vignette aired with Tom Brody, Eli Manning, Snoop Dogg, Peyton Manning, Jelly Roll, and Jimmy Fallon saying nice things about Cena as headed into his final match.
-Cole said Cena wants to put the spotlight on the next wave of new stars including Sol Ruca. They showed Ruca in the crowd. Then they showed Bayley.
(2) ALEXA BLISS (w/Charlotte) vs. LASH LEGEND (w/Nia Jax)
Charlotte accompanied Bliss to the ring. As Lash came out, accompanied by Jax, Cole said that Triple H, Bayley, Jax, Bliss, and Charlotte all say Lash is going to be a player and has all the tools to be a major star. He said even more than being a player, she can be a game changer in the division after her time honing her craft in NXT. Graves said she feels she could have been on Smackdown a year ago and she took out that anger on opponents the last year.
The bell rang 5 minutes into the hour. Lash beat up Bliss at ringside a minute in. Graves said Jax knows what it feels like to be frustrated with your place on the card and not get the opportunities you think you deserve. Lash scored a two count on Bliss. She splashed her and scored another two count. Graves said Lash might suffer from overconfidence. Jax swept Bliss’s leg on the ring apron as Lash occupied the ref. Charlotte ducked Jax and kicked her.Lash gave Charlotte a boot to the chest. Lash then rolled back into the ring. Bliss went for a DDT, but Lash blocked it and shifted her into her Lash Extension for the win.
WINNER: Lash 4:00.
-Kelley approached Aleister and Zelina backstage for a word about their match. Vega said Priest is wrong if he thinks he can phone a friend and it’ll make him whole. Black said Priest is apparently keen on dragging his friends to hell with him. “So be it,” he said.
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. Cole announced that Smackdown returns to three hours starting on Jan. 2.
-Miz’s ring entrance aired. [c]
(3) THE MIZ vs. JE’VON EVANS
Miz’s music faded after the break. Cole said Miz is upset he can’t be Cena’s final opponent, but he had two chances in the tournament and came up short. Je’Von’s entrance took place. The bell rang 17 minutes into the hour. They cut to an early break at 2:00. [c]
They fought back and forth. Je’Von blocked a Skull Crushing Finale and rolled up Miz for a two count. He then hit his OG Cutter for the win.
WINNER: Je’Von in 9:00.
-Backstage, Lash and Jax approached Ripley. Jax asked if she saw what they did to Charlotte and Alexa. Lash said things have changed around there. Ripley asked if that was a threat. She said she is a problem they do not want to have. She said she and Iyo will take the tag titles if they decide they want them. Priest approached Ripley and asked if she’s good. She said she is. Priest said he can’t wait to see her bring that energy to the match. Jade Cargill then approached Ripley and eyed her briefly before continuing to walk. [c]
-A soundbite aired with Michin from backstage. She said she’ll be bringing Jade everything she’s got. She said nothing pisses her off more than a bully. Jade then attacked Mia from the side. Cole said they were supposed to have a match. Jade then asked for her music. She made her way to the ring. Jade said that’s a lesson of what happens when people don’t knows their place in the back. She said anybody can step up and get stepped on “because I’m that bitch.” Michin came out with a kendo stick in hand and bashed Jade with it several times at ringside. Jade kicked Michin as Michin was pulling a table out from under the ring. Jade rolled the table back under the ring and then chokeslammed Michiin in the ring. She kneeled over her and had a few words before leaving the ring.
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. Cole asked Graves who can stop Jade. Graves said he didn’t know, but it probably won’t be Michin.
-A video package aired on John Cena’s retirement year.
-The ring entrance aired for Black and Vega. [c]
(4) RHEA RIPLEY & DAMIEN PRIEST vs. ZELINA VEGA & DAMIEN PRIEST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch’s Chris Lansdell to review WWE Smackdown LIVE on YouTube. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
LINK TO BE A CALLER: https://streamyard.com/n75jb96v46
Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine).
OPEN TO EVERYONE – LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
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