Tonight, WWE is in Denver, CO for the next episode of Smackdown. Here’s what’s on tap for the show and we will have full WWE Smackdown results:
- The Last Time is Now tournament match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed
- The Last Time is Now tournament match: Penta vs. Finn Balor
- Announcement on Sheamus’ withdrawal from the tournament & possible replacement
- Fallout from Monday’s WWE Raw, men’s WarGames competitors
- Final members of women’s WarGames match to be announced
- DIY vs. Fraxiom in tag team action
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS (NOVEMBER 21, 2025): DENVER, CO.
“WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.” kicks things off as always. We then shoot inside Ball Arena in Denver. CO., where Michael Cole welcomes us to the show on commentary, as we see some usual show-starting Superstar arrival shots.
The Vision Kick Things Off
We then see highlights of the explosive conclusion to this past Monday night’s episode of WWE Raw, which featured Brock Lesnar returning to join The Vision’s team for WarGames, and Roman Reigns returning to join the opposing team.
Live inside Ball Arena we return, as the ring announcer introduces “The Oracle” Paul Heyman and The Vision. The group are already standing in the ring, with Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker, Logan Paul and Paul Heyman all standing side-by-side.
Paul Heyman gets on the microphone to start things off. He introduces his group and talks about his ‘vision’ for WarGames. He then passes the stick off to Logan Paul, who reacts to loud boos from the Denver crowd by shouting back at them to shut up because he has a lot to say.
He says he has five things to say, actually. Before he can say any one of them, he is cut off by the familiar sounds of ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso’s theme music. Out he comes accompanied by his brother, Jimmy Uso. Jey says no one wants to hear what Logan has to say.
Heyman responds by telling Uso he just pissed Logan off. He makes a few more comments but is cut off by the familiar sounds of Cody Rhodes’ theme. After a delay, “The American Nightmare” never shows up. The camera cuts outside of the arena.
We see Cody Rhodes’ infamous “American Nightmare” branded tour bus. The door pops open and out with a “Scottish Psychopath”-style look on his face comes Drew McIntyre. He walks off and the camera zooms in to show Rhodes hanging upside down with his head covered in blood leaning out the bus door.
Upon seeing this on the big screen from inside the arena, The Usos immediately run to the back, where cameras follow them as they make their way to the tour bus to help out their WarGames teammate and friend. The show heads to a commercial. We return and see Drew driving by taunting The Usos as they stand by medics tending to Cody.
WWE United States Championship (Open Challenge)
Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. JD McDonagh
Inside the arena again we return live, where the familiar sounds of Ilja Dragunov’s theme hits the house speakers. “The Mad Dragon” makes his way out to the ring in his usual over-sized entrance coat. He settles inside the squared circle and poses with his WWE United States Championship.
Dragunov’s music dies down and the theme for his opponent hits. The Judgment Day entrance tune plays as JD McDonagh from WWE Raw makes his way to the ring to challenge Dragunov for his U.S. title in this week’s latest installment of the ongoing U.S. title open challenge series.
The bell sound and we’re officially off-and-running with our high stakes opening match of the evening. Dragunov and McDonagh go at it until the champ is sent to the corner. Ilja takes JD down with a big boot. McDonagh blocks a suplex attempt by Dragunov and send him to the floor as we head to a mid-match break.
When the show returns, we see a shot of the U.S. title belt on the podium at ringside. The camera pans over to the ring, where we see McDonagh is still in the offensive lead. Dragunov tries firing up, but McDonagh kicks him in the nose. Dragunov still fights on, hitting McDonagh with a wide-variety of strikes that ultimately lays him out.
After a couple more minutes of back-and-forth action, we see both guys on the top rope. They each end up crashing and burning on the floor at ringside with authority. Michael Cole questions if they’re ok as the show heads into another mid-match commercial break.
The show returns and we see both guys have recovered and are back and going at it inside the ring. Following another few minutes of offensive-shifting action, we see things come to a close when Dragunov connects with an H-Bomb for the pin to retain.
Winner and STILL WWE United States Champion: Ilja Dragunov
Charlotte Flair To Hash Things Out With Rhea Ripley
We see highlights of what has been going on with everyone involved on the road to Women’s WarGames at WWE Survivor Series. We return live, where we see Alexa Bliss urging Charlotte Flair to come into a locker room, where we see Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. She tells Charlotte to talk it out with them. Ripley walks up to her as we cut away.
Nick Aldis Has A Word With Paul Heyman & The Vision
Cathy Kelley is with SmackDown G.M. Nick Aldis for an update on Cody Rhodes. Aldis, with his serious voice, says he doesn’t have one but is working on it. He notices Paul Heyman and The Vision and goes over to have a word with them.
Aldis tells Heyman that Drew McIntyre being on his team for WarGames was a clever loophole that he exploited, but made it clear he is still suspended and not allowed on SmackDown. Heyman says he understands that and respects that.
He continues, pointing out that McIntyre never stepped foot into the arena, and furthermore, Heyman asked him to leave. He gloats and smiles and walks off as Breakker hard-stares Aldis in intimidating fashion. Heyman gets him to leave too and we move on.
The Last Time Is Now Tournament
Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed
Back inside the arena, we hear the familiar sounds of Carmelo Hayes’ entrance tune. As he makes his way to the ring for our first of two matches in “The Last Time Is Now” tournament, we shift gears and head into a quick pre-match commercial break.
The show returns and we see Dragunov banged up and walking backstage. He is stopped by Tommaso Ciampa and DIY for the latest weekly excuse to call Ciampa a jackass. After that, we return inside the arena where the familiar sounds of Bronson Reed’s theme hits.
Reed settles inside the ring as Michael Cole pays homage to the late Bob Caudle on commentary. Reed stares down Hayes. The bell sounds and Hayes charges right at Reed firing away with punches and chops. Reed throws him out of the corner and then decks him with one stiff shot.
We see them mix it up for another minute or so before we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the match continues. When the show returns, we see Reed has Melo in the corner as he cinches in a chin-lock. He continues the attack with a slam and a two count.
Hayes back on his feet with a thrust kick on Reed, but Bron distracts the ref allowing Logan to hit Melo, but it’s not enough to keep him down as he kicks out of a cover by Reed at two. Bronson goes back to work on Melo, but Hayes dodges a senton for a rollup and a two count.
Running knee connects as Carmelo hits the ropes for a clothesline. Reed takes a boot on the ropes by Hayes, who takes him to the apron with a DDT before climbing up top for a frog splash. Cover by Melo, but it’s only good for a near-fall.
He heads to the corner, looking for The First 48, but Reed counters for a World’s Strongest Slam and a fall forward slam. Reed goes up top for a Tsunami, but Melo rolls out of the way! Hayes connects with First 48 as Reed rolls to the outside, only to take a dive by Hayes that lands on The Vision.
Hayes brings Reed back into the ring and climbs up for a DDT to the mat. Nothing But Net, and the cover, but Bronson kicks out. He goes for another Nothing But Net, but Reed dodges it before Hayes ends up on the outside. This allows Bron a chance to go after Hayes with a spear, but he’s cut off by Jey Uso.
The Usos and The Vision go at it, the fight going through the crowd as Reed looks to go back after Hayes, but with the ref distracted, Cody Rhodes makes his return to take Reed out with Cross Rhodes. Reed and Hayes are both out, but Carmelo makes it to his feet first.
He eventually makes his way back into the squared circle. The ref begins the count as Reed is motionless. As the referee gets closer to ten, we see Reed start to get up. He goes to pull himself up onto the apron around the count of nine, but falls back down as the referee hits ten. Hayes wins via count out and advances.
Winner via Count Out and ADVANCING: Carmelo Hayes
Cody Rhodes Is Fired Up
Paul Heyman goes to check on Bronson Reed when we see Cody Rhodes come back to ringside for a microphone. He stands up on top of the commentary table and is super fired up. He goes on to cut a hell of a promo on the opposing team that culminates in talking about Heyman building up new stars and Cody beating them down.
Chelsea Green Wants No Part Of Jade Cargill
We cut backstage, where Chelsea Green talks about rescheduling her championship celebration because “the vibes aren’t vibing” and “the moods aren’t mooding.” She then has a confrontation with Giulia. Jade Cargill steps in to run her down for calling herself the greatest women’s champion there is. Chelsea looks afraid and quickly bails.
Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match Teams For Next Week
We go backstage, where Sami Zayn is joined by Motor City Machine Guns, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rey Fenix as they address Solo Sikoa and The MFT’s, calling them out for a Survivor Series Elimination Match next week on the eve of Survivor Series itself. Afterwards, the match graphic flashes on the screen to make it official.
DIY vs. FrAxiom
We head back to ringside where FrAxiom make their entrance, ready to take on DIY when we come back from commercial break. When the show returns, we head back to ringside, where DIY make their entrance. Tag-team is action is up next. The bell sounds to get things officially off-and-running.
Frazer and Ciampa kick things off for their respective teams at the onset. It doesn’t take long for things to break down with all four men going at it, mainly FrAxiom sending DIY to the outside for a dive. Axiom brings Ciampa back into the ring as Frazer tags back in for a near-fall.
Gargano brings his pal back to his corner for the tag, going after the hair of Nathan before bringing him back down to the mat. Tag made to Axiom, but DIY take control before patting themselves on the back on the apron. On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
When the show returns, we see Axiom dodge a clothesline to make the tag to Frazer. He sends Ciampa off the apron before landing a standing 450 splash on Gargano for a two count. He climbs up top for a Phoenix Splash, but Gargano rolls out of the way for a tag to Ciampa.
DIY land a Shatter Machine on Frazer, but The Revival / FTR nod only gets a two count. Axiom gets a tag to go after Ciampa, who fends him off before tagging in Gargano. Johnny takes Axiom down for the cover but Frazer breaks the pin.
Ciampa sends Frazer away, only to be knocked down by Axiom, who catches Gargano on the turnbuckle for a Spanish Fly for a two-count. Ciampa gets involved, allowing Candice LeRae to get involved. She tears Axiom’s mask off, and as he hides his grill, he is rolled up and pinned by Gargano.
Winners: DIY
Checking In With Charlotte Flair & Rhea Ripley
Now we shoot to what looks-and-feels like a ‘cinematic experience’-type of segment where we check in on the talk between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley regarding their past issues, if they can trust each other, and the upcoming Women’s WarGames. They ultimately decide they can trust each other.
The Last Time Is Now Tournament
Penta vs. Finn Balor
Another excerpt from John Cena’s sit-down interview that will premiere in full soon is shown, this time with Cena talking about the infamous back-of-the-bus freestyle rap session that caught the attention of Stephanie McMahon and ultimately resulted in the character shift and opportunity in WWE that led to his legendary career on top.
Speaking of Cena, we return live back inside Ball Arena, where Finn Balor’s theme hits. He makes his way out for our second of two opening round matches in “The Last Time Is Now” tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent.
As he settles inside the squared circle, we shift gears and head to a quick pre-match commercial break. When the show returns, Penta’s theme hits, fireworks and pyro explodes, and the crowd goes wild as the masked man makes his way to the ring. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this tourney tilt.
Penta takes control of the offense coming strong out of the gate early on, however it doesn’t take long for Balor to fight back and begin to shift the momentum. He gets the upper hand until Penta sends him to the outside, where he lands a dive on the floor. As it re-airs in super slow-motion, we head to a mid-match break.
When the show returns, we see the action still ongoing in the ring, with Balor now in a comfortable offensive lead. The fans begin rallying behind his opposition with loud chants of “Penta! Penta!” On cue, the masked fan-favorite begins to fight back into competitive form, before ultimately taking over on offense and getting the win to advance.
Winner and ADVANCING: Penta
Update On Sheamus Being Pulled From “The Last Time Is Now” Tournament
The commentary team at ringside addresses the tournament situation in light of Sheamus sustaining a shoulder injury and being pulled from “The Last Time Is Now” brackets. Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce will discuss the matter and make an official announcement ahead of LA Knight’s match next week.
A Quick Word From Solo Sikoa & The MFT’s
We cut to a vignette showing Solo Sikoa surrounded by The MFT’s. They address Penta advancing, where Solo promises to take him down next Monday on WWE Raw. He also vows to destroy Sami Zayn and his team in next week’s traditional Survivor Series elimination match on SmackDown.
Women’s WarGames Update
It’s main event (segment) time!
But first, we shoot backstage, where we see the New Best Friends Crew consisting of Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. The commentators tease that we will find out who the fifth and final member of the team will be when we return.
On that note, the show heads into another commercial break. When the show returns, the individual ring entrances for all of the aforementioned Women’s WarGames New Best Friends Crew team begin to take place. They all settle in the ring and Rhea Ripley begins on the microphone first.
“Mami”, still wearing the face-protector for her healing broken nose, addresses how loud the fans are, and this gets them even louder. Ripley addresses what went down on Raw at MSG, and the show of unity between her team. In moments like those, you find out who is real and who is fake.
She continues by saying If Rhea is going to war with someone, she wants to make sure she is going to war with the right people. People like her friend Iyo Sky, who she knows will go down swinging if it comes down to it. Then you have Alexa and Charlotte, two of the most decorated women in the division.
Rhea might not be friends with them, but at the end of the day she knows they can trust each other. She says that is still just four people, and at War Games you need five. With that said, she introduces AJ Lee as the fifth member. She comes out skipping on the stage to a huge roar from the Denver crowd.
As she does, however, she is ambushed from behind and attacked by The Kabuki Warriors duo of Asuka and Kairi Sane, as well as their current Women’s WarGames teammates for WWE Survivor Series, Nia Jax and Lash Legend. They all brawl with the opposing team.
The now former WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch emerges out of nowhere, and begins fighting alongside the Asuka, Sane, Jax and Legend team, beating down the opposition, with “The Man” primarily focusing on beating down her foe AJ Lee, as well as Ripley. The show ends. Thanks for joining us!
