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- Rhodes' Title Match, new champion on SmackDown & backstage change
Rhodes' Title Match, new champion on SmackDown & backstage change
Inside: Michael Cole Replaced In Huge Changes Made To WWE SmackDown
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A huge SmackDown match was canceled tonight thanks to a real-life injury, but that was not all, as Cody Rhodes arrived on the scene. He chose to put his title on the line instead. Jacob Fatu vs Drew McIntyre was canceled, but Cody Rhodes changed everythingRhodes has not had the easiest week, with the loss to Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel. Now, he was left even more upset after a match was canceled on WWE SmackDown.The match was supposed to take place, but Fatu was found injured backstage. As a result, he could not make it out to the bout, and Nick Aldis canceled it. Drew McIntyre denied having any role in it.
In reality, the match was canceled due to a real-life injury that Fatu is suffering from at the moment. While it may be some time before the star is back on TV, Cody Rhodes came out to continue the story for Drew McIntyre. He said that he had had enough and blamed McIntyre for the attack on Fatu.McIntyre demanded that he be named the No. 1 contender for the title, but Rhodes had had enough. He declared that since McIntyre wanted the title, he could have the shot, but right there.
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 A shocking title change happened on SmackDown as Sami Zayn's United States Championship reign has officially come to an end. A returning superstar made his triumphant comeback and became a 3-time champion. This week on SmackDown, Sami Zayn had an issue with Nick Aldis backstage. The General Manager intentionally didn't book Sami on the show, as he feared what the MFT would do to him, as well as his open challenge opponent. Last week, they took out Sami and the returning Shinsuke Nakamura. Aldis insisted that he wanted Nakamura to get a fair rematch, but he was in Japan. Regardless, Sami went out and got his open challenge. It was none other than Ilja Dragunov who would make his triumphant return after 382 days. It was a huge moment, and the match was evenly matched, but in the end, it was Solo Sikoa who made an appearance, standing at the ramp and distracting Sami Zayn. Soon after, Dragunov would end up dethroning Sami to become the new United States Champion. This was undeniably a huge moment on SmackDown, although many WWE fans will likely be disappointed that Sami is no longer the United States Champion. |  Michael Cole has now been replaced in a huge update on WWE SmackDown. The show has seen several changes made for the night. Michael Cole has been replaced by commentator Vic Joseph, but now, Corey Graves is backCole was gone from tonight's show, missing the episode of SmackDown in an unusual turn of events. The star usually never misses a show, but he was nowhere to be seen in tonight's event. Now, replacing him on the show was regular NXT commentator Vic Joseph. Joseph has stepped up to fill in on gaps on the main roster commentary team several times in the last few months, and tonight was no exception. On top of that, there was another change on the show. Usually, Booker T has been filling in on the show ever since Brock Lesnar attacked Corey Graves. However, the star was gone tonight, and replacing him on SmackDown was the returning Graves.. |
FROM THE RUMOR MILL
WWE reportedly made an unexpected change to the promotion's creative process. The promotion is currently on the road to Saturday Night's Main Event on November 1. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the promotion recently hired Cyrus Kowsari as Senior Director of Creative Strategy in WWE. Triple H introduced Kowsari to the creative staff, and it was revealed that he would lead the company's transition into AI-based storylines while also helping to integrate AI into video and graphics.
It was also noted that Triple H is assuming more political responsibilities, and Kowsari will serve as a liaison to the White House. The company currently has a contract with Writer AI, and so far, the software has reportedly come up with subpar storylines.
TOP FEATURES
This week's episode of WWE RAW saw CM Punk earn himself a World Heavyweight Championship match, possibly at Saturday Night's Main Event XLI. However, it is now likely that he will face a different opponent at the upcoming event instead of Seth Rollins. The Second City Saint defeated LA Knight and Jey Uso in a Triple Threat Match to emerge as the number-one contender for Rollins' world title. However, after the high-stakes main event, The Vision came out and attacked the exhausted babyfaces before betraying their leader, Seth Freakin Rollins, to close the show.
Given the recent reports and speculations surrounding the World Heavyweight Champion being injured, he might be compelled to vacate the title if the rumors are proven to be true. If this happens, the company might plan for Brock Lesnar to return and face The Best in the World for the vacant championship at SNME XLI.
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Roman Reigns to walk away from WWE for a while after what went down at Crown Jewel? - Will you miss him?
ANALYSIS CORNER
WWE SmackDown after Crown Jewel 2025 witnessed an unexpected title change when Ilja Dragunov made his return and dethroned Sami Zayn to become the new United States Champion. The Mad Dragon's comeback was already a surprise for the WWE Universe, and this title switch was something no one predicted.
In this article, we will discuss four possible reasons why Zayn lost the US Title on Friday Night SmackDown.#4. WWE wants to push the Mad DragonWrestle Ops @WrestleOpsLINKAND NEW Ilja Dragunov has defeated Sami Zayn to become the NEW United States Champion. #SmackDownOne of the major reasons behind the title change could be WWE's intention to push Dragunov as a single star in the company. Before suffering from injury, he was working in the main roster but hadn't achieved any major feat. With his comeback, the Stamford-based promotion may want to elevate him, and giving him the mid-card title is a perfect way to set the stage for a monster push.
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3 Mistakes WWE made on RAW after Crown Jewel - Do you agree?
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