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WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
DECEMBER 5, 2025
AUSTIN, TEX. AT MOODY CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK (Taped 11/21)
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
Attendance: WrestleTix reports as of today 7,136 tickets were distributed so far. The arena has a capacity of 16,223 spectators when configured for concerts.
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 Javier Machado 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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OPEN TO EVERYONE – LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a video package on Survivor Series.
-Michael Cole introduced the show with a view of downtown Austin, Tex. Then they showed wrestlers arriving including L.A. Knight and Gunther.
-Drew McIntyre got out of a pick up truck. Nick Aldis and security approached him. “What part of ‘suspended’ do you not understand?” Drew said he won at WarGames, and if Bron Breakker gets a title match as a result, he should have his suspension lifted. Aldis said that’s not how it works. He told him to get into his car and leave. He said Aldis isn’t hurting him, he’s hurting the fans. He got back in the car and then Cody Rhodes leaped in the passenger side and attacked Drew. “What the hell!?” yelled Drew. Cody yelled, “Reinstate him! Reinstate” Drew sped off. Aldis told Cody to calm down. “Come on, dude,” he said. Cole said Drew attacked Cody in his bus and now Cody is “extremely upset.”
-Cody marched to the ring to his theme song. Corey Graves said he’s known Cody for years and he’s never seen him this angry. Cody entered the ring and told Aldis to reinstate Drew. He said Drew broke “an unwritten rule of our sport” that you don’t invade the space where his wife sleeps and his children play. He said Drew is WWE’s resident cockroach. He said he wants to stomp him out. His music played.
Cole said Cody has put Aldis in a tough spot to either do what Cody wants or maintain the suspension “for the integrity of his brand.” Graves said Cody came out there for a reason, which was to plead his case.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good opening segment. I’m happy to see a babyface lobbying to a neutral authority figure to have a suspension lifted on a heel. That’s an old effective angle going back decades. Cody showed a real effective intensity and rage here.)
-Backstage, Tomaso Ciampa told Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae that he was going to insist to Aldis he get a U.S. Title shot. Gargano talked about becoming tag team champions. Ciampa said he would be U.S. Champion as soon as he got his match against Ilja Dragunov. Carmelo Hayes walked up to them and told Ciampa that he’s out of luck this week. [c]
-A vignette aired with Damien Priest saying Aleister Black is delusional if he thinks he’s going to break him after burning his face. He said he’s not going to walk away. He said Black brought his wife into it, so he’s bringing Rhea Ripley to his side. Ripley stepped up and said he’s willing to be by Priest’s side for this fight. She said they have signed their death wish because they’re going to face off next week. “You’ll find out real quick why no one survives the Terror Twins,” she said. Priest smiled.
(1) ILJA DRAGUNOV vs. CARMELO HAYES – U.S. Title Open Challenge match
As Hayes made his entrance, Cole noted these two had a rivalry in NXT in 2023. Cole touted the list of wrestlers Dragunov has defeated in his open challengers so far. The bell rang 20 minutes into the hour. Dragunov kicked Hayes to the floor. Cole said Hayes might have injured his knee as he landed. They cut to an early break. [c]
Hayes came back with a springboard clothesline at 7:00 followed by a float-over tilt-a-whirl facebuster for a near fall. When Dragunov went for an H-Bomb, Hayes lifted his knees.
Hayes landed a leaping DDT onto the ring apron and then threw Dragunov into the ring. Ciampa shoved Hayes off the top rope as the ref was checking on Dragunov. Dragunov landed Torpedo Moscow and then an H-Bomb for the win. They showed Ciampa hiding in the time keeper’s area laughing.
Dragunov’s celebration turned to anger when he saw the interference by Ciampa, tainting his win.
WINNERS: Dragunov in 10:00 to retain the U.S. Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good action, as you’d expect. I really liked Dragunov being upset with how the match ended.)
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Charlotte and Alexa Bliss backstage. She asked Charlotte if their win was in part due to her putting her differences with Ripley aside. Charlotte said she did it for Alexa, who would be lost without her. Alexa said their win at WarGames made their bond stronger. Charlotte said WarGames was fun, but now they’re back to focusing on the tag team titles and beating Kairi Sane. [c]
-A vignette aired on John Cena’s tournament with soundbites by Knight and Gunther.
-Cole and Graves commented on Knight vs. Gunther. Graves picked Knight. Cole said Gunther “retired Goldberg” and he could do the same to Cena.
-Kelley interviewed Knight backstage. She asked what a win tonight would mean to him. Knight said if he beats Cena, it cements his legacy. He said the last time is now for either him or Gunther. He said Gunther might be a former IC Champion and World Champion, but he doesn’t know who he’ll be looking at across the ring from him. He said he’ll drop him on his head like all the rest.
-Kairi Sane made her entrance accompanied by Asuka. [c]
-A video aired of Miz, A.J. Styles, Kevin Owens, and Charlotte with kind words for Cena.
-They showed Tony Hinchcliffe in the front row, the comedian who has been embraced by WWE after he landed on the national radar when he called Puerto Rico literally a floating island of trash when speaking on behalf of Donald Trump last year. (He has refused to apologize for the the joke because it was based on his knowledge of a Federal grant for clean up of a landfill – a single site (a steel plant) in Puerto Rico, which was just one of over 100 sites across the United States that were funded for cleanup during President Biden’s presidency.)
(2) KAIRI SANE (w/Asuka) vs. ALEXA BLISS (w/Charlotte Flair)
Bliss made her entrance with Charlotte. The bell rang 50 minutes into the hour. Bliss landed a running somersault senton and then set up a leap off the ring apron. Kairi walked away. Charlotte confronted Kairi. Asuka yanked Bliss off the ring apron. Kairi then took over, slamming Bliss onto the ringside barricade. They cut to an early break less than two minutes into the match. [c]
Bliss rallied after the break. When she set up Sister Abigail, Asuka stood on the ring apron and caused a distraction. Kairi rolled up Bliss for a two count. Charlotte yanked Asuka off the ring apron and then kicked her. Kairi landed a spinning backfist on Bliss and then leaped off the top rope. Bliss caught her and gave her a Sister Abigail for the win.
WINNER: Bliss in 7:00.
-Nia Jax and Lash Legend attacked Bliss and Charlotte after the match. When they turned to Kairi in the ring, Asuka made the save. Jax ended up dropping Asuka hard to teh mat. Lash then gave Kairi a boot to the face (that showed some light).
(Keller’s Analysis: Another Paul Levesque Special where fans, who are encouraged to boo an act one second, are then given conflicting reason to root for them a minute later when they’re attacked by other heels, muddying up the emotions that drive fan passion to root for and against certain wrestlers.)
[HOUR TWO]
-Aldis told a referee to keep her eyes on the parking lot the rest of the night. Cody then walked up to Aldis and said he’s calmed down and he was ready to talk. Aldis got sidetracked when he walked past Ricky Starks and Oba Femi in his “open concept” office. Starks said he was surprised to get a message from Aldis to show up to Smackdown when he has a big match at Deadline. Cody said in the spirit of Cody giving opportunities to wrestle to others, he told Starks and Femi that whoever wins tomorrow night can face him next week on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
(Keller’s Analysis: This points strongly toward Saints retaining his title against Femi since WWE is unlikely to give away Femi’s first WWE Title match without a full story behind it, and Starks and Cody are good friends going back to their days in AEW. It’s a clever way to increase interest in Heat Wave, though.)
-Jade Cargill made her entrance. [c]
-Cathy Kelley ran up to Jax and Lash and asked if it was really necessary to attack those wrestlers before the break. Jax took exception to startling them. She said the Kabuki Warriors got what they deserves because Asuka misted Lash’s eyes at War Games. Lash said that’s just a taste of what they’re capable of and they’re coming after the tag titles. Kelley looked nervous as they walked away.
-A clip aired of Chelsea Green celebrating her U.S. Title win last week when Jade interrupted.
(3) ALBA FYRE (w/Chelsea Green) vs. JADE CARGILL
The bell rang 9 minutes into the hour. Green stood on the ring apron and distraced Jade by mouthing off at her. Fyre kicked Jade as Jade was looking at Green. Jade shoved Fyre down, but Fyre returned fire with a head scissors. Early, Giulia and Kiana James showed up and went after Green. Green tried to run to the back, but Giulia chased her down and attacked her. Fyre turned to Green out of concern. When she turned around, Jade landed a spinebuster and then a big boot and Jaded for the win.
WINNER: Jade in 90 seconds.
-Nathan Fraser and Axiom lobbied Aldis for a match. An angry and frustrated Dragunov ran up to Aldis and demanded a match against Ciampa for his interference. He told Fraxiom he can have whatever scraps are left of him. Tama Tonga then showed up and had a brief staredown with Dragunov. Solo Sikoa put his hand on Tama’s shoulder and indicated it was time to move on. [c]
-Backstage, Jade crossed paths with B-Fab. Jade asked if B-Fab said something. She said she has seen what she did to Fyre. Michin then walked in with a kendo stick and said B-Fab is her friend, a concept Jade isn’t familiar with. Jade told her to go ask Aldis for a match. Jade said she’ll step up and get stepped on.
-Solo Sikoa made his entrance with the MFTs. Solo said they promised to take care of Sami Zayn and then did just that. He said they are ready to move on to the Wyatt Sicks. He said this is his ring, his show, and his family tree. He said the Wyatts have to learn they can’t attack them from behind and get away with it. Solo said everything that is his will soon belong to him. He said all he has to do is “Bo-lieve. The lights went out and the Wyatts then showed up in the ring. Solo and Uncle Howdy (Bo Dallas) had a staredown before a brawl broke out with everyone. The Wyatts cleared the ring.
-Backstage, Miz had a conversation with Aldis, taking issue with not being booked for SNME next week. Aldis said that not just anyone gets to be booked for that show. Bayley then walked in and asked about her match at SNME. Miz stormed off, frustrated. Aldis said Bayley will face Sol Ruca from NXT. Bayley said Smackdown is a whole other level. Ruca said she was ready. Bayley said she’s scout her match on NXT Deadline tomorrow.
-Kelley interviewed Gunther about facing Knight. Gunther said it doesn’t matter where you live or what language you speak, the name Gunther translates to “victory.” He said he’ll beat Knight and then beat Cena in his final match. He sent condolences to everyone because the tournament result is a foregone conclusion. He addressed Cena and told him to pay attention not just to him beating Knight, but the way he beats him. [c]
-A vignette aired with Aleister Black and Zelina Vega about their feud with Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley.
-Graves said the match is official for next week. Cole said Dragunov vs. Ciampa is official also for next week. Graves announced Bliss vs. Lash next week.
-A vignette aired with Cena saying “WWE does a good job of pointing people in the right direction nowadays,” but 26 years ago, it was “a very protected carnival business” where everyone protected their place and didn’t offer advice. He said now it’s great because they get the best of people. He said the school Triple H was trained at was 25 minutes from his house and he never knew it was there.
(4) GUNTHER vs. L.A. KNIGHT – Last Time is Now Final
Knight’s entrance took place. Then Gunther’s. After formal ring introductions, the bell rang 41 minutes into the hour. They cut to a very early break after some action at ringside. [c]
Gunther dominated for several minutes after the break. Knight made a comeback at 8:00. Gunther caught Knight with a surprise sleeper, but Knight leveraged Gunther’s shoulders down for a quick two count. Knight gave Gunther an Attitude Adjustment. He followed with Burning Hammer for a two count. They cut to a double-box break at 9:00. [c/db]
Knight landed a DDT and a top rope elbow for a near fall. Knight caught Gunther on the top rope after the break and set up a superplex. Gunther shoved Knight down and then landed a top rope splash. He followed with another top rope splash onto Knight’s back for a two count. He followed with a clothesline and a powerbomb for a two count at 15:00. Knight caught Gunther with a sudden BFT for a dramatic near fall, with Gunther draping his boot on the bottom rope to force a break.
Both were down and slow to get up. Knight held his neck. Gunther applied a sleeper and then some elbow strikes. He then applied the sleeper again and Knight tried to fight out of it. Knight and escaped and tried to lift Gunther. Gunther blocked him and dropped more elbow strikes and then applied a submission hold. Knight held on fora while, but then tapped out.
Gunther yelled into the camera afterward to Cena that he would make him tap out next week.
WINNER: Gunther in 18:00 to win the Last Time is Now Tournament.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match with an especially strong final couple minutes.)
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 Javier Machado 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/66vv9kspeb
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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