WWE Smackdown On-Site Report (9/22): Cena’s match after Smackdown ended, Becky Lynch wrestles off-TV, in arena notes, crowd reactions
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
GLENDALE, ARIZ.
REPORT BY BRIAN ALSTON, PWTORCH VIP MEMBER
LIVE NOTES
-The arena looked to be 99 percent full. There were fans dressed up as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.
-There were no negative chants or boos for John Cena at all in the crowd.
-The crowd wasn’t really into Iyo Sky vs. Asuka at the start, but they got more into it the more the match progressed. They were more into Sky than Asuka. There was a minor “This is awesome!” chant once or twice. The crowd applauded the match at the end.
-Austin Theory and Grayson Waller got the most boos until Paul Heyman came out. The boos were so loud we could barely hear him.
DARK MATCH AFTER SMACKDOWN
(A) John Cena beat Montez Ford (w/Angelo Dawkins). After Smackdown ended, Cena was still on his back as Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso left the ringside area. The Street Profits music then played and Ford challenged Cena to a match. Ford got in a lot of offense and several near falls before Cena made a comeback and won. The match lasted roughly four minutes. Dawkins interfered, which led to the ref kicking him out.
(Note: Fightful Select has reported that L.A. Knight tested positive for COVID and was thus pulled from Smackdown, where he was supposed to make the save for Cena at the end of the show which would have led to a Cena & Knight vs. Profits tag match after Smackdown ended instead.)
(B) Becky Lynch beat Zoey Stark. Becky was on Raw, on NXT, and now on Smackdown, so she had a busy week. She got a lot of cheers. After Cena’s match, some fans left, but the vast majority stuck around.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS (9/22): McDonald’s “alt perspective” report on Cena appearance, Sky vs. Asuka Women’s Title, Mysterio/Escobar vs. Street Profits
OR CHECK TIHS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: WWE Talent Cut Tracker: The latest list of wrestler releases