WWE SmackDown Results – Sept. 5, 2025 – John Cena Makes Final Chicago Appearance, Michin vs. Giulia

WWE SmackDown Results
Sep 5, 2025

September 5, 2025
Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
Commentary – Michael Cole and Corey Graves
Results via Alex Kahrs of WrestleView.com

Quick Match Results

  1. WWE United States Championship Open Challenge Series match – John Cena vs. Sami Zayn (c) went to a No Contest
  2. Aleister Black defeated Damian Priest via Black Mass (pinfall)
  3. WWE Women’s United States Championship – Giulia (c) defeated Michin via Arrivederci (pinfall)

Pre-show Arrivals

We get a look at Superstar arrivals, including CM Punk (despite WWE apparently pulling him from the lineup).

Video: WWE Clash in Paris Recap

A video package with highlights from Clash in Paris. The big focus is on John Cena’s win over Logan Paul and Seth Rollins retaining the World Heavyweight Championship thanks to help from Becky Lynch.

In-Ring: John Cena, Sami Zayn

We head back to ringside as John Cena comes out to a big pop for his final appearance in (the vicinity of) Chicago. He acknowledges that “Stu” is back before heading down the ramp, where he gets the ring introduction while the crowd continues to cheer in appreciation of the 17-time world champion. Cena doesn’t get to speak just yet as the fans chant “Thank you Cena,” before he finally chimes in saying they don’t know what it means having that come from Chicago. He talks about this being a special night.

When he first announced his retirement tour, people kept telling him to enjoy this. He came off a lot of bad years and needed to get his mojo back. So he wanted to find his soul again and leave it all in the ring, and he says this because he came out here with absolutely nothing planned. Tonight, he wanted to have fun.

For over half this tour he’s had to overcome hurdles and the fans have been there with him, but tonight he’s just going to take it in. “Cena” chants erupt, something that he admit feels weird coming from Chicago. He points out a couple fans that he says they all used to look like, saying something else. “F-U Cena” and you can fill in the blanks. He then talks about these fans bringing people back, and curiously this brings up an “AJ Lee” chant from the crowd…to which Cena says this is going to be a fun night.

He talks about making his big WWE debut in this very city, walking down the ramp in his skimpy tights and slapping Kurt Angle to get this crazy ride strike. He talks about matches with Triple H and others in this building, and how he came up second in a world title match with that title ending up in CM Punk’s refrigerator. He says this is the greatest crowd in WWE. For some there might be an argument, but there is none from him.

He thanks this crowd for being there for him, for keeping him humble and letting him experience failure and humility. Another “thank you Cena” chant as he says for one last time, when he needed it most, they helped him experience joy. He has no other words, just to thank the fans here in Chicago. Enjoy a hell of a night tonight!

Before he can leave, however, Cena is interrupted by the arrival of Sami Zayn. The crowd sings along with the theme of the new United States Champion as he heads to the ring, asking for a microphone of his own. The crowd, curiously, begins booing Zayn as he says he just wanted to tell Cena that after watching him on this tour–Cena tries to calm the crowd down saying it’s happy hour here in Chicago, and he’s here for the “boos.” This gets a nice pop, though they start to boo Zayn again until he makes it clear he’s here to thank Cena.

This gets a nice reaction as he thanks Cena for everything. He acknowledges making his debut in WWE against Cena, and going after the United States Championship…and now, he stands here as that very champion. He acknowledges the United States Open Challenge and asks for Cena’s permission to carry on the legacy of offering that opportunity.

Cena appreciates this, saying he gives his blessing as he starts to leave…but Sami says not to leave just yet. He says that he had barely one foot in the door when Cena gave him that opportunity, and now Cena has one foot out the door. If this is truly Cena’s last time here in Chicago, and if this is the last chance for Zayn to share a ring with him, then he would love to offer Cena that very opportunity at the U.S. Championship!

He doesn’t want to do this in a month, or in a week, he wants that here in Chicago…right now. To quote the Greatest of All Time…if you want some, come get some!

Cena confirms the offer being made…and accepts! He takes his shirt off as he gets ready to go, and that match is up next!

WWE United States Championship Open Challenge Series Match
John Cena vs. Sami Zayn (c)

We come back from break just as the match gets underway, a slow start as they circle the mat before locking up. Cena hits the ropes only to be taken to the canvas with an arm drag by Zayn, who keeps a hold on the arm until Cena fights to his feet. Zayn hits the ropes as Cena leapfrogs him, before taking the champ down with an arm drag of his own!

Zayn up to his feet but Cena gets a side headlock, sending the champ to the ropes…but Sami catches the challenger with a clothesline for a two count. Vertical suplex follows and Zayn gets another nearfall for his effort. Dueling chants of “Let’s go Cena” and “Sami sucks” as a fight for control leads to Cena hitting a suplex on Zayn. Sami heads to the corner, dodging an attack from the challenger before bringing him back up.

Hammer throw to the opposite corner gets some boos from the crowd. He brings Cena back to his feet for another hammer throw, and the impact forces Cena to drop to the mat. Crowd continuing to dislike what they see, until Cena reverses a hammer throw sending the champ into the corner as we go to picture-in-picture.

Picture-in-Picture: Both men slowly get to their feet, but the pace picks up when Cena goes for an AA…only for Sami to counter out, taking the challenger down for a two count. Sami brings Cena back to his feet for just a moment, taking him back down before climbing the turnbuckle. He gets the drop on Cena, but only gets a nearfall for it. Cena turns things around, connecting with a Five-Knuckle Shuffle on the champ…but Sami escapes an AA for a Blue Thunder Bomb and a close two count as we come back from break!

Sami looks to stay in control as he brings Cena back up, but Cena fights back and catches Sami on his shoulders for an AA. Cover by Cena, but the champ manages to kick out to save his title! Both men are down now, the ref checking on them as Sami starts to stir first. Sami heads to the corner, where he goes for an exploder…but Cena counters, hitting a pop-up powerbomb on the champ for a two count of his own.

Both men back up, as Sami sends the challenger to the corner for a Helluva Kick…but Cena manages to dodge it, hitting what looks like an Angle Slam on Zayn for a nearfall. Cena is in control now as he brings the champ to his feet, but Sami fights back leading to an exchange of strikes. It leads to a double down as the two men drop to the mat, before we go to another picture-in-picture break.

Picture-in-Picture: Cena once again calls back to his first match in WWE with an ankle lock on Zayn, but the champ manages to roll through…only for Cena to transition to an STF! Sami is struggling as he crawls to the ropes, but Cena pulls him to the middle of the ring to cinch the hold in even tighter. Sami once again approaches the ropes, but Cena pulls him back again…and this allows Zayn to break free, rising to his feet to land an AA on Cena! Cena is in the corner as Sami struggles to capitalize, finally managing to get back to his feet so he can head to the corner. He sets up for a Helluva Kick, but runs into another AA by Cena…and once again manages to just barely kick out! Both men are barely stirring on the canvas, as we come back from break.

Cena slowly getting to his feet, and as we get a replay of the AA moments ago we miss Zayn hitting an exploder that sends the challenger into the turnbuckle. This is followed by a Helluva Kick by the champ, and he makes the cover only to get a two count. He gets back up, climbing the turnbuckle only for Cena to catch him once again…this time hitting Zayn with a GTS shades of CM Punk for the cover…but Sami is just able to kick out before three!

Cena heads to the corner, and it we finally see what he has in mind when he hits a spear on Zayn, shades of Edg–I mean, Roman Reigns–for another close two count. Cena is trying to figure out what to do next, and the crowd encourages him with an “RKO” chant. Cena goes for one, but gets blocked by the champ.

Cena props him up on the turnbuckle, and despite some resistance from Zayn he manages to land an avalanche AA (a AAA?) sending the champ down hard to the mat! We get a (justified) “this is awesome” chant, when suddenly Brock Lesnar’s music hits…and The Beast has arrived in Chicago! He heads down the ramp, pulling the ref out of the ring before sliding in to hit an F5 on Sami Zayn.

He lands one on Cena for good measure as the initial pop for Lesnar quickly turns to boos. Lesnar pays no mind to all this as he brings Cena up for another F5. He leaves the ring as it appears this match has ended in a No Contest(?) before we head to commercial.

Winner: None. Sami Zayn retains the WWE United States Championship.

Replay: Brock Lesnar, Sami Zayn, John Cena

We take a look back at the closing moments of the opening match, focused on the attack from Brock Lesnar who laid out Cena with two F5s.

Backstage: Brock Lesnar

Backstage, Lesnar walks through Gorilla Position letting Cena know he’ll see John at Wrestlepalooza. We get a graphic confirming the match, before cutting away.

Backstage: Nick Aldis, Melo Don’t Miz, Becky Lynch

Elsewhere, Nick Aldis is interrupted by Melo Don’t Miz before agreeing to Miz’s request for a tag title match. He walks away, and we see Melo was not really interested in said match as we pan to an arriving limo, with Becky Lynch stepping out.

Video: Aleister Black

Video Package: Aleister Black addresses Damian Priest ahead of their match tonight.

Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black

We head back to ringside as Damien Priest heads down the ramp for our next match…only to be blindsided by Aleister Black! He continues the assault by sending Priest into the barricade, finally stepping into the ring as the ref checks on Priest as we go to commercial.

We come back to see Black continuing to lay into Priest, finally bringing him back into the ring to get this match underway!

Priest is struggling to get to his feet in the corner, as Aleister lays in some hard strikes. Priest fights back with a headbutt, but Black clutches his arms to bring him to the mat for a nearfall. Priest back up first, sending Aleister into the corner before struggling on his feet once more. This gives Black an opening as he takes Damian down with a Meteora, but it’s only good for a two count as he sits in the corner before we go to commercial.

Back from break, Priest turns things around catching Black in the turnbuckle. He sets up for a Razor’s Edge but Aleister breaks free. He also stops a South of Heaven for a kick that gets Aleister a nearfall. Black sends Priest to the corner, taking a couple shots from Damian before looking for another kick…only to get dropped to the mat by Priest!

Both men make it to their feet as Priest lands a set of boots on Black, hitting the ropes only to run into a kick by Aleister…and responding with another boot sending Black to the canvas. Priest goes Old School on Aleister, who rolls out of the ring. Damian follows, landing a Flatliner that sends Aleister face-first onto the apron before setting the table up to land a Razor’s Edge that slams Black onto the announce table!

Aleister IS the table as the announce table doesn’t break, before Priest brings him back into the ring. Black backs off into the corner but is pulled into a South of Heaven by Damian. He gets the ref in the way, getting him the opening he needs for a Black Mass to get the win!

Winner: Aleister Black via Pinfall.

Video: WWE x AAA Worlds Collide Card Rundown

A video aired running down the card for the next WWE x AAA Worlds Collide event on September 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Video: Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre

Twisted Tea presents a look at the feud between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre.

Next Week’s Show Card Rundown

Commentary hypes up Orton vs. McIntyre for next week, as well as Brock Lesnary set to appear and a WWE Women’s Championship match as Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill.

Backstage: Tiffany Stratton

Backstage, we hear from the champ who runs down Jade ahead of that match. She says Jade won’t have to worry about her foot being on the ropes, because Tiffy’s foot will be right up her…let’s just say, eye of the storm.

Backstage: Jade Cargill, Nia Jax

We cut away as Jade has it out with Nia Jax, the two trading heated words over their recent losses to the champ. Jade tells Jax to back off or she will catch these hands. Braun Strowman presumably nods in approval from wherever he’s watching.

Backstage: Becky Lynch, Nick Aldis

Backstage, Nick Aldis talks to Becky Lynch addressing that CM Punk is in the building. He says there cannot be any issues tonight, something The Man insists won’t be a problem as she leaves the office.

WWE Women’s United States Championship
Michin vs. Giulia (c)

Back at ringside, Giulia is accompanied by Kiana James as she heads down the ramp. She is set to defend her Women’s United States Championship against Michin, up next …

Back at ringside, Giulia awaits her challenger as Michin makes her entrance. She heads down the ramp to zero pop (sorry Mia, but it’s true) as we look back at Giulia’s attack on Michin last week. With both women in the ring we get this match underway!

Michin goes on the offense quickly, forcing the champ to the outside before bringing Giulia back in. She confronts James before getting back in the ring herself, taking the champ through the ropes to the outside once more…but Giulia catches her in the ropes, blocking a baseball slide to take the challenger to the floor as we go to commercial.

Back from break, both women are in the ring as Giulia lands some headbutts on Michin. German suplex from the champ is responded to in kind by the challenger, and they take each other out with a kick to drop to the mat. Michin is the first to her feet, landing a kick on the champ before sending her to the corner for a cannonball.

She pulls Giulia to the middle of the ring for a two count, but Giulia counters a Eat Defeat to land a Northern Lights Bomb for a nearfall of her own. Michin manages to fight back with a sitout powerbomb for another two count as Kiana steps onto the apron to intervene, only to be dropped to the mat with a headscissors…but this gives the champ an opening for the running knee! Arrivederci says the champ, who picks up the win to retain the title!

Winner: Giulia via Pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s United States Championship.

Giulia starts to attack Michin again after the match, with James joining in before the ref manages to break it up.

Backstage: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss

We take a look back at the Women’s Tag Team Championship match being called off after Charlotte Flair was attacked, before heading backstage. Charlotte is waiting to get cleared as Alexa and “Dr. Lily” show up. Bliss offers some words of advice, leaving Lily with Charlotte before walking away.

In Crowd: Seth Rollins

“BURN IT DOWN”

We head back to ringside to see Seth Rollins in the crowd with his World Heavyweight Championship in hand and everything. With CM Punk and Becky Lynch already in the building, one can only wonder what’s going to happen next as we go to commercial break. Yeah, gee whiz, I wonder…

In-Ring: Becky Lynch, CM Punk, AJ Lee

We’re back, and Seth Rollins has a microphone. Rollins says tonight, we are all witnesses to history…because the legend of your hero CM Punk dies tonight! This gets a “CM Punk” chant, something Seth delights in before introducing the greatest female wrestler of all time. She is the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, and Seth’s sexy wife. He gives you…The Man, Becky Lynch! Out comes The Man herself, a chorus of boos as the champ makes her way down the ramp. We cut between her entrance and Seth cheering her on.

She enters the ring to more boos from the crowd. The music fades and up rises an “AJ Lee” chant, much to the shock of Becky Lynch. She says how dare you, how dare you chant another person’s name while she’s standing in this ring. She says she’s the greatest female wrestler of all time. It’s not just her, other people are saying it. Sports Illustrated says it. The Chicago Tribune says it.

She says she wouldn’t expect Chicago to know what greatness looks like. Their teams all suck. They suck so bad they’re trading Coby White away from the Bulls. This textbook heel promo gets cut off by the music of CM Punk. After a moment, Punk steps out onto the stage as the crowd sings his theme. Punk walks down the ramp, giving some appreciation to fans in the front row on his way to the ring.

We get a really nice wide shot showing Seth up in the crowd, waving at Punk as the latter poses on the apron and on the turnbuckle before getting into the ring itself. He stares down Lynch before getting a microphone. Crowd chants Punk’s name, and Punk says this isn’t about Becky, it’s about her coward of a husband…but Lynch insists it IS about her.

She asks if Punk is embarrassed, but Punk says he isn’t. Not as embarrassed as her coward of a husband, hiding behind Paul Heyman and his goons. Becky asks Punk how his face is doing, how his pride is doing. Another “AJ Lee” chant gets shut down by Becky, but Punk says she will let them chant the name of AJ Lee. If it bothers her so much, she shouldn’t have stuck her nose where it doesn’t belong.

We’re in Chicago, you don’t think he can just snap his fingers and have one of his sisters come beat Becky up? He brings up Bayley, to which Becky says she beat her already. He also brings up Rhea Ripley before Lynch responds by slapping Punk over and over again. Punk refuses to fight back on this, leaving the ring as Becky tells him to run away.

Punk says this is the type of situation he never wanted to be in. He would never put his hands on a lady…but he knows somebody who will!

“LIGHT IT UP”

AJ Lee steps out onto the stage to a huge pop from the Chicago crowd. She skips down the ramp, not losing a step from when we last saw her as she circles the ring before smiling at Punk. She then turns her attention to Becky as she gets on the apron, stepping through the ropes as the crowd gets more and more electric. “Holy s–t” chants muted like crazy by USA Network, as Becky charges at Lee…who drops the champ to the mat for some punches!

Becky tries to leave the ring, but AJ pulls her back in for some more damage. She brings Becky to the corner for some more strikes, before lining The Man up for a slap that sends Becky roling out of the ring. She retreats from the ring as Punk steps in, with Rollins scrambling through the crowd to regroup with his wife up the ramp. Punk and Lee embrace in the ring, before AJ climbs the turnbuckle to one more big pop as we end SmackDown with a stare down between the two couples.

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