{"id":205122,"date":"2025-09-27T18:11:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T23:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=205122"},"modified":"2025-09-27T18:11:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T23:11:50","slug":"wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-9-26-botched-finish-in-stratton-vs-cargill-vs-jax-main-event-sami-vs-jevon-evans-heyman-cody-brons-drew-mcintyres-reaction-to-wrestlepalooza-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/09\/27\/wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-9-26-botched-finish-in-stratton-vs-cargill-vs-jax-main-event-sami-vs-jevon-evans-heyman-cody-brons-drew-mcintyres-reaction-to-wrestlepalooza-more\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &#038; MISSES (9\/26): Botched finish in Stratton vs. Cargill vs. Jax main event, Sami vs. Je&#8217;Von Evans, Heyman-Cody-Brons, Drew McIntyre&#8217;s reaction to Wrestlepalooza, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3846284476\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>This was a bizarre episode of Smackdown, full of unintended surprises, great wrestling, and a Crimson Mask! Smackdown\u2019s inconsistency, though, shows again, and I wonder if each episode is written and structured by completely different teams. Compared to Raw, Smackdown feels formulaic and tired, with infrequent flashes of energy and excitement. Let\u2019s get to it, friends! As always, I\u2019m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I\u2019ve Missed!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>PAUL HEYMAN, CODY RHODES, AND THE BRONS: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My initial reaction to this promo and the whole segment was one of admiration and praise. In particular, it was Cody Rhodes calling out Paul Heyman that made this segment a hit. Running down Heyman\u2019s history of going into business for himself cast doubt in the minds of Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, both of whom came out looking less than menacing. Randy Orton\u2019s run-in created an opportunity for him to eye the prize that is the WWE Championship. All in all, a fine yet fun way to open the show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>STREET PROFITS VS. MELO DON\u2019T MIZ: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match was decent, not outstanding. Nothing was outright bad, but nothing really stood out as a truly memorable sequence. What will be remembered is the face of Carmelo Hayes\u2019 face as he watched the Miz take a pinfall. Like a cold-hearted killer, he watched his partner get pinned and suffer defeat without a hint of emotion. I was initially critical of the pairing of Hayes and the Miz, but the tension they&#8217;ve been playing with has been surprisingly rich. Unfortunately, I\u2019ve come around to liking their pairing just as it seems they&#8217;re about to split. If they split before the Street Profits, then their partnership simply won\u2019t get the recognition it deserves. Regarding the Profits, I\u2019m excited to see singles runs from both, but hope it happens without an actual breakup. Let Angelo Dawkins be the corner man for Montez Ford, and vice versa. Teammates don\u2019t have to hate each other to move beyond the tag division. A little positivity, please!<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;The Nicky&#8217;s Club&#8221; with Nick Barbati, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/the-nicky-s-club-nick-barbati-breaks-down-fallout-from-wrestlepalooza-reacts-to-news-of-stephanie-s-hof-induction-revisits-fall-of-1997--67904208\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Nicky\u2019s Club - Nick Barbati breaks down fallout from Wrestlepalooza, reacts to news of Stephanie\u2019s HOF induction, revisits Fall of 1997\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=67904208&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>GIULIA, JAMES, B-FAB, AND MICHIN: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All four of these performers deserved more crowd reaction. At least there was more than crickets by the end of the match. It\u2019s Michin I feel the worst for, as I really enjoy her work, but I must admit that she has yet to establish a strong connection with the crowd. She has it all though: skill, attitude, and natural charisma. There is much to develop in B-Fab, yet she is promising in every aspect. She needs to prove her mettle quickly though, as she could fall to the bottom of the card faster than Hit Row imploded. Giulia and Kiana James seem like odd bedfellows, and if the purpose of pairing them was to give Giulia a mouthpiece, they\u2019re failing. Neither of them has commanded the mic. Props to Kiana James for her selling, though, appearing as if she was unconscious like a true rag doll. This match was a hit, but just barely.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4240143941\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>DREW MCINTYRE PROMO: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Seeing Drew McIntyre in an orthopedic boot was worth the price of admission alone. His dour face walking down the aisle gave way to a sullen, self-pitying promo, his specialty of late. He is great in this role, as his own worst enemy. A new feud was thrown into focus with the arrival of Jacob Fatu in the ring, which bodes well for Friday nights. Their chemistry, especially the aggressive back-and-forth exchange of the microphone, was comedy gold. Babyface Fatu FTW!<\/p>\n<p><strong>SAMI ZAYN AND JE\u2019VON EVANS: HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The match of the night. Sami Zayn\u2019s Open Challenge for the United States Championship has delivered some incredible matches, but this one reigns supreme. Je\u2019Von Evans shined in the spotlight, and Sami was as generous as anyone could be. He sold Evans\u2019 moves, allowed him literally fly, and showed him respect in the end. In fact, this match felt like it could have gone the other way, with Evans taking the title. When you can inject that kind of tension into the conflict, making it feel natural and organic, you\u2019ve succeeded in making professional wrestling more than just pantomimed fighting. They made it real. Amazing!<\/p>\n<p><strong>NIA JAX, JADE CARGILL, AND TIFFANY STRATTON: MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What an unfortunate series of events! The match had a fairly good flow, although it often felt like a typical one-on-one with alternating opponents. It fell apart badly after Jade Cargill was busted open and joined the club of the Crimson Mask. Reviewing the footage, it seems both Stratton and Jax were waiting for Cargill to break open the pin. She didn&#8217;t, and we got a botched finish that made the referee seem responsible when it was a trainwreck all around with no one person to blame.<\/p>\n<p>Nia Jax\u2019s attitude, including flipping off the referee, was good heel behavior but strange for SmackDown. She likely knows her bloodline keeps her safer than others. Overall, something good turned into something bad, but that\u2019s okay. All three wrestlers made sacrifices for us, and I appreciate it. I just can\u2019t call it a hit.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (9\/26) - WWE Smackdown w\/Wells &amp; Adams\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rICgW5_u5cc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1070655831\"><div id=\"pwtor-3172110689\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>This was a bizarre episode of Smackdown, full of unintended surprises, great wrestling, and a Crimson Mask! Smackdown\u2019s inconsistency, though, shows again, and I wonder if each episode is written and structured by completely different <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/09\/27\/wwe-smackdown-hits-misses-9-26-botched-finish-in-stratton-vs-cargill-vs-jax-main-event-sami-vs-jevon-evans-heyman-cody-brons-drew-mcintyres-reaction-to-wrestlepalooza-more\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN HITS &#038; MISSES (9\/26): Botched finish in Stratton vs. Cargill vs. Jax main event, Sami vs. Je&#8217;Von Evans, Heyman-Cody-Brons, Drew McIntyre&#8217;s reaction to Wrestlepalooza, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":205123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-27-at-6.10.08-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205124,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205122\/revisions\/205124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}