WWE SmackDown Results & Winners (November 22, 2024): CM Punk returns to join OG faction for WarGames
(Courtesy : WWE)
Paul Heyman returns, Cody Rhodes starts a fight with Carmelo Hayes, Shinsuke Nakamura attacks again & more!
The November 22 edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown was broadcast live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, the home of the Utah Jazz. This episode promised to build on the dramatic developments from last week and deliver exciting matches and segments for fans of the Blue Brand.
Ahead of the Survivor Series: WarGames 2024, the promotion continued to build storylines for the announced matches.
Get to know what happened this Friday, as we have the complete summary, highlights, results, and winner’s list for the 11/22 episode of WWE SmackDown.
WWE SmackDown Summary and Highlights
Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline
Solo Sikoa’s music hit as he appeared alongside the rogue Bloodline. Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Bronson Reed made their way into the ring with their Tribal Chief. Sikoa picked up the mic as the crowd started chanting ‘OTC.’ Solo addressed the Salt Lake City crowd and asked them to acknowledge him.
Solo reminded everyone that they were one week away from Survivor Series and his crew was ready to dominate.
Solo reiterated that they were ready, unlike Roman Reigns, who wasn’t even in the arena. Sikoa then addressed Reigns, telling him to accept him for the surrender that night. After the surrender, Reigns’ crew would have to acknowledge Sikoa as their Tribal Chief.
Women’s United States Championship Tournament – Bianca Belair vs Chelsea Green vs Blair Davenport
Bianca Belair made her way into the ring for the second match of the WWE Women’s US Title tournament. After the commercials, Blair Davenport made her way to the ring for the triple threat action.
Chelsea Green was the last woman to enter the ring. The bell rang as the three stars tried to pin each other for a quick victory. Belair and Green brawled in the ring as Green went for a cover, which Davenport broke up.
Davenport took control of the match, landing a stomp from the top rope to Belair’s spine, who was near the edge of the ring.
The action continued as we went into commercials. Upon returning, Belair was in control, landing heavy shots from the top rope on Davenport. Green grabbed Belair by the hair, taking her out, then shifted her attention to Davenport, who landed her own offense.
Belair hit a double German suplex on both Davenport and Green, trying for the cover on Blair, but Green broke it up.
Green climbed to the top and hit a superplex on Davenport, while Bianca landed a 450 splash on Davenport, but Green took Bianca out of the ring. Bianca came back, took out Green, and attempted another cover, but Blair kicked out.
A shot of Jade Cargill lying injured on top of the broken windshield was shown. Bianca looked concerned and rushed backstage to check on her tag partner.
Green stepped into the ring as she and Davenport continued the match. Green landed the Unprettier on Davenport and went for the cover. Green won the triple threat match, advancing in the tournament to join Bayley in the semi-finals.
Bianca Belair
Back from the commercials, Bianca rushed to the ambulance to check on Jade Cargill. Naomi and Bayley stood alongside GM Nick Aldis as Bianca climbed into the ambulance and left for the hospital.
LA Knight vs Santos Escobar
United States Champion LA Knight made his way into the ring as WWE recapped Shinsuke Nakamura’s attack on the champion last week. Santos Escobar of Legado Del Fantasma entered the arena with his crew for the title match. The entrance was interrupted by a video of Shinsuke Nakamura, where he addressed LA Knight.
Nakamura stated that he had watched and studied the champion, even better than Knight himself. Nakamura criticized Knight for being riddled with insecurities and urged the crowd to chant his name.
He delivered a cryptic message before Escobar attacked Knight, preventing the match from officially beginning.
Back from the commercials, Escobar was in control of the match as Knight remained distracted by Nakamura’s promo. Knight tried to fight back, but Santos landed a flying move from the top rope and went for the cover.
Knight rallied, stopping Escobar’s offense and shoulder-tackling him to take control. He hit a neckbreaker and went for the cover, but Escobar kicked out at two.
The champion climbed to the top rope, rallying the crowd, but was distracted again by Shinsuke Nakamura, who stood at the entrance.
Escobar took advantage of the interference, landing a frog splash on the champion and going for the Phantom Driver. However, Knight countered with the BFT to retain his title. Nakamura charged into the ring and brutalized Knight, sending him shoulder-first into the ring post.
Nakamura then landed a brutal running knee to the back of Knight’s neck before leaving the ring, leaving Knight coughing in pain.
Backstage
Johnny Gargano was with the Tag Champs, MCMG, and asked them for a tag title opportunity. Gargano urged the tag champs to put everything behind them, suggesting that a shot at the tag titles would solve the issues. Ciampa, frustrated, expressed that #DIY hadn’t received their deserved chance.
MCMG countered, stating that the Street Profits deserved another shot, as their last match ended in a no-contest due to Ciampa’s attack. The Street Profits then walked in, mocking #DIY. Montez Ford called Ciampa a snake hiding in the grass.
The camera panned as the OG faction consisting of ‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns, along with Sami Zayn, Jimmy, and Jey Uso, made their way into the arena.
Backstage
Nick Aldis was with WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax as the GM asked Jax if she knew anything about the attacks on Jade Cargill.
Jax denied the claim, stating that she had nothing to do with the attack, as she had been helping Candice and Tiffany prepare for their upcoming match tonight.
Aldis then rushed to catch up with Cody Rhodes, who was walking toward the ring. Aldis explained that he had advertised a face-off between Rhodes and Owens, but Owens was not in the arena. Rhodes expressed disbelief and made his way into the arena.
Cody Rhodes – Kevin Owens face off
The American Nightmare picked up the mic and stated that it was “face-to-face” time. Rhodes reiterated that he didn’t believe Owens was truly absent from the arena, urging him to come to the ring because he knew Owens was there.
Owens made his way into the arena from the crowd, saying he felt insulted for being summoned by Rhodes. Rhodes reminded him that he was called to step into the ring, not to stand among the crowd.
Kevin told Rhodes he wouldn’t do what he was told and that he wouldn’t jump just because Rhodes told him to.
Owens then asked why Rhodes was so angry and wanted to brawl instead of just talking. Kevin ranted about his issue with Roman Reigns, explaining how he stood by Rhodes, helped him win the title, and even celebrated his victory—but then Rhodes teamed up with Reigns.
Kevin reminded Rhodes of what Reigns did to him and claimed everything that happened was because of Rhodes. Rhodes countered that his partnership with Roman had nothing to do with Owens, accusing Kevin of wanting to play the victim.
Cody stated that no one was holding Kevin back except for himself, adding that he was the face of WWE. Rhodes went on, claiming that Owens was so fixated on himself that he didn’t recognize his own greatness and was self-sabotaging.
He also mentioned that Owens had crossed the line by landing a banned move on Randy Orton. Cody then proposed a match tonight, at Survivor Series, or at Saturday’s Main Event.
Kevin responded that the match would happen on his terms, not when Rhodes wanted it. As the crowd began to boo, Owens made it clear the match wouldn’t take place that night.
Owens declared that Rhodes thought he was afraid to pull the trigger, but he wasn’t worried. He said he loved Orton but hated Cody. Cody fired back, stating that Owens hated himself, and made it clear he wouldn’t hold back either when facing Owens.
Backstage
We are in the locker room with the OG faction, where Zayn expresses disbelief over Sikoa wanting them to surrender. Jey reminds everyone that they still need to find the fifth member for their WarGames match.
Jey suggests recruiting Cody Rhodes, with Zayn and Jimmy agreeing, but The OTC disagrees. Zayn proposes reapproaching Rollins, but Reigns shuts the idea down once again.
Reigns states that they are all they need and that they’ll take on the rogue faction, adding that if they die, they die.
Zayn agrees, saying he’s in, and Jey and Jimmy nod in agreement. Zayn then asks The OTC if they have a plan, to which Reigns replies, “I don’t know!”
Backstage
Carmelo Hayes stated that he was telling the truth when Cody Rhodes, who was walking past, stopped and asked him what he was saying. Hayes replied, claiming that Owens was telling the truth, and added that the only thing lying was Randy Orton’s neck.
Rhodes lost his cool and pushed Hayes, prompting Nick Aldis and security to rush in and diffuse the situation. Rhodes told Hayes that it was time to re-evaluate his first-round draft pick.
Bayley & Naomi vs Canice LeRae & Tiffany Stratton
Bayley and Naomi made their way into the ring for the tag action on tonight’s card, followed by LeRae and Stratton, who entered alongside the Women’s Champion, Nia Jax.
Stratton and Naomi started the action, with Naomi landing a flying knee on the Miss Money in the Bank. After the commercials, Stratton and LeRae took control of the match. Bayley tried to tag Naomi back in, but Tiffany stopped her.
LeRae tagged herself in, which frustrated Stratton, leading to a heated argument between the two. LeRae then shifted her focus to Bayley.
In the final moments of the match, Bayley attempted to tag in Naomi, but Nia Jax interfered, pulling Naomi from the ring, and resulting in a disqualification.
Jax, Tiffany, and Candice attacked Naomi and Bayley, but Iyo Sky walked in to help her friends. Raquel and Morgan entered, sparking a brawl ahead of their WarGames clash.
Rhea Ripley appeared with a kendo stick, and Morgan called her out. Rhea entered the ring with the candlestick, using it as an equalizer.
Raquel attacked Morgan, but Raquel was hit with a brutal shot from the kendo stick. LeRae attempted to control Rhea but also ate a harsh blow.
Jax and her group retreated from the ring, leaving Ripley standing tall with the candlestick in hand as Sky, Naomi, and Bayley slowly got back to their feet.
Tomasso Ciampa vs Montez Ford
Ciampa of the #DIY faction faced off against Montez Ford of the Street Profits as their recent disputes over a shot at the tag titles reached a boiling point.
Ford took control early, showcasing his athleticism with high-flying moves that took Ciampa down. After the commercials, the one-on-one action resumed with Ford landing a powerbomb from the top rope, taking Ciampa out.
Ford followed up with a back suplex and rallied the crowd as he prepared for a moonsault. He landed the moonsault and went for the cover.
In the final moments of the match, Ford attempted another high-flying move from the top rope, but Ciampa countered with a brutal knee.
Ciampa tried to seal the victory, but Ford rolled him up for the cover. Montez Ford secured the win and celebrated, but Ciampa attacked him after the match. Angelo Dawkins rushed to Ford’s aid and unloaded on Ciampa.
Johnny Gargano entered to try and diffuse the situation, but Ciampa took advantage, attacking Dawkins. Johnny and Ciampa began arguing, with Ciampa pushing Johnny down and yelling while standing over him. The tag champs, MCMG, darted into the arena, and Ciampa quickly slipped out of the ring.
Announcements
The third match of the Women’s United States Championship Tournament is announced as Piper Niven will take on Michin and an undisclosed mystery opponent in the next week’s episode.
After their backstage scuffle, a match between Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Carmelo Hayes is set for next week’s episode.
The Bloodline Saga
Solo Sikoa, accompanied by the Bloodline, made his way into the ring as he picked up the mic to address the crowd. Suddenly, The OTC’s music hit. Roman Reigns and his company entered the ring, ready for the confrontation.
The two factions stared each other down as Jimmy, Jey, Zayn, and Reigns stepped into the ring. The crowd erupted in ‘OTC’ chants as Sikoa addressed the tension, stating that he wasn’t there to fight. In fact, he still held love for all four members of the OG faction.
Sikoa suggested that if the OG faction joined his side, they would dominate the company for decades. He pointed out that the OG faction still lacked their fifth member and didn’t even have their Wiseman.
He insisted the OG faction surrender, warning that they would “die here” if they didn’t. Roman Reigns then picked up the mic to respond, and at that moment, Paul Heyman’s voice interrupted as he made his return to Friday Night SmackDown.
Paul Heyman returns
Heyman addressed the crowd in his signature style, claiming that his math was a little off. He explained that there was no way a WarGames match could be four versus five.
But Heyman quickly corrected himself, stating that it wouldn’t be four versus five – it would be five versus five. Just as the tension mounted, CM Punk’s music hit, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
CM Punk is here!
The Second City Saint made his entrance as the OG faction unleashed chaos on the rogue faction. Reigns delivered a Superman Punch, while the OG faction teamed up to overpower Bronson Reed.
The Usos and Sami Zayn followed up with a high-flying assault, taking out the remaining members of the opposing faction.
Punk and Reigns then joined forces to eliminate Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, leaving the two legends standing. As they locked eyes, the tension between the two grew, signaling a fierce rivalry to come.
‘This is Awesome’ chants erupt from the crowd, as the OG faction stands in front of CM Punk and Heyman is ringside as Punks points to the Wiseman signaling that he is here because of him not for the Bloodline.
Punk is the fifth member of the OG faction at the Survivor Series: WarGames 2024 against the rogue faction. The Friday Night Show comes to an end with two electrifying returns as the Survivor Series approaches.
SmackDown Results
- Chelsea Green defeated Bianca Belair & Blair Davenport – Women’s United States Championship Tournament
- LA Knigth defeated Santos Escobar – United States Championship
- Bayley & Naomi vs Candice LeRe & Chelsea Green ended in a disqualification
- Montez Ford (Street Profits) defetaed Tommaso Ciampa (#DIY)
- ‘The Wiseman’ Paul Heyman returned to SmackDown with CM Punk
- ‘The Second City Saint’ CM Punk is the fifth member of the OG faction at WarGames
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