WWE SmackDown Results – July 23, 2021 – Cena & Reigns, Storm Debuts

Jul 23, 2021

Results by Roy Nemer of Wrestleview.com

July 23, 2021
Cleveland, OH (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) and Miami Gardens, FL (The Rolling Loud Music Festival)
Commentary: Michael Cole and Pat McAfee

Quick Match Results

Finn Balor defeated Sami Zayn via Coup de Grace
Angelo Dawkins defeated Chad Gable via spinebuster
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) defeated Carmella via KOD
Toni Storm defeated Zelina Vega via Storm One
Jimmy Uso defeated Dominik Mysterio via pinfall with leverage from Jey Uso

In-Ring: John Cena, Paul Heyman

WWE SmackDown kicks off in Cleveland and it’s John Cena kicking off the show as he makes his way down to the ring. Cena says it has been one hell of a week. A big surprise at Money in the Bank, that was fun. He was so excited that he had to crash Raw. He says he’s the guy who they can call to check Roman Reigns. He came back to challenge Roman Reigns at SummerSlam for the WWE Universal Championship.

Cena says he knows he knows why they are excited and it’s because it’s SmackDown. And everyone knows that we are a few heart beats away from John Cena and Roman Reigns face to face in the ring, right now. And he could not think of a better place to do this than Cleveland. Big sports news out of Cleveland but he went and changed his middle names to Guardians because someone needs to protect the small amount of respect WWE has left. Cena says because SmackDown with Roman Reigns as its Champion absolutely sucks.

He says that is his perspective and opinions. He says he knows there are many Roman fans somewhere and they deserve to stand up and be heard. No more LED screens, we are live and in your face. He says SummerSlam is not just a match for the Universal Championship. It is a chance for all of us to stand up for what we believe in. What do the fans believe in? Who’s team are you on? The fans chant Cena.

He asks if they are on team hustle, loyalty and respect or on a team the fans always reject. Are you on team Cena? The fans pop or are you on team Roman Reigns? Some fans jeer. Cena says speaking of Roman, where is he. He says he knows that Roman can’t see him and after SummerSlam, he is going to realize that the champ is here. The fans chant Cena. He calls out Roman Reigns to the ring.

Out comes Paul Heyman. He says ladies, gentleman, fiends that live in Cleveland. He tells Cena he has it all wrong. He says Roman can’t see him? No, Roman can’t hear him because Cena is simply not worth him listening to. Heyman tells Cena that he gives him his word that tonight he will get an answer to his challenge. When but only when Roman Reigns decides to come out and show him and everyone here live that the tribal chief is here. Heyman hums Cena’s theme song and walks to the back.

Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn

The bell rings an we are under way. An arm bar by Sami but Finn reverses out of it and a right hand by Sami. Right hands by Sami in the middle of the ring. Sami throws Finn to the outside of the ring. A forearm by Sami as he throws Finn back in the ring. Sami gets in but Finn takes him out. Finn throws Sami to the outside of the ring and a flip over the ropes onto Sami.

Back from commercial and a clothesline by Sami takes Balor down. A headlock by Sami in the middle of the ring and a DDT by Sami takes Finn down. Sami goes for the Helluva Kick but Finn with the sling blade. Finn runs towards Sami but Sami slams Finn down. He goes for the cover but Finn kicks out. Sami goes for the suplex but Finn blocks it and throws Sami in the turnbuckle.

Finn rolls Sami up and double stomps onto him. Finn climbs the top rope and hits him with the Coup de Grace. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.

Winner: Finn Balor

Backstage: Baron Corbin

Kayla is backstage with Baron Corbin. She asks him about last week about how he started a funding website. He tells her he lost money on the website because the guy he found to build the website ghosted him after he paid him. He said he thinks the guy stole his identity because his credit is down. He said he had to bus it here today. He says it smelled like gym socks. He asks her what happened to him as he walks away.

In-Ring: Big E, Apollo Crews, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro

“Cleveland!” screams Big E. Fans started chanting, “You deserve it”. Sunday July 18, was a night Big E will never forget. When he made that final climb and grabbed the briefcase and earned the contract.

Apollo Crews’ music hits and he interrupts the promo. He said this is not the same thing like winning a championship like he did it (referring when he beat Big E).

Dolph Ziggler and Roode come out. Just as about they started talking…

Rick Boogs’ comes out with Nakamura.

Cesaro’s music hits, and he comes out. Cesaro wants that title and it’s swing time in Cleveland.

A brawl breaks out. Big E sends Azeez over the top rope. Cesaro takes Apollo for a swing. Big E, Cesaro and Nakamura are left standing in the ring.

Chad Gable vs. Angelo Dawkins

Results of this match by Matt Boone of Rajah.com

Wale walks out to a gorgeous stage set up at the music festival. Wale starts call and return, or attempts to with the crowd, trying to get the crowd to chant “we want the smoke.” Wale escorts the Street Profits down a long ramp and into the heart of the crowd. The camera pans over the massive festival, showing the huge crowd.

We return from our break and find a ring set up amidst the crowd. The air is hazy/smokey. Gable and Dawkins lock up, with Dawkins wearing older maroon and gold tights. Both men put on a short match. They keep their offense more traditional, using small holds and a few technical moves to hype up the crowd. Gable comes up short in this losing effort. Dawkins won with a spinebuster.

Winner: Angelo Dawkins

WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Carmella

The bell rings and we are under way. A drop kick by Bianca and Carmella on the ring apron. Carmella hangs her up on the top rope. Carmella with a head scissors. Both women up and Bianca with a shoulder block. Bianca goes for the KOD but Carmella lands on the ring apron. A right hand by Bianca as both women are on the ring apron. Carmella knocks Bianca down and gets her back in the ring.

Carmella goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out. Both women back as Carmella geos for Code of Silence but Bianca with a back breaker. Carmella on the ring apron as she hits Bianca with a right hand. Carmella with a cross body off the top rope but Bianca catches her and hits her with a fall away slam. Bianca with a moon sault. She goes for the cover but Carmella kicks out. Carmella with a jaw breaker. She hits her with the face buster. She goes for the cover but Bianca kicks out. Carmella goes for a kick but Bianca moves out of the way. Bianca hits her with the KOD. She goes for the cover and gets the pin.

Winner: Still WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bianca Belair

Backstage: Shotzi, Nox, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin

Back in Cleveland, Nox is with Shotzi and they’re fixing their car. Kevin Owens asks them if they tried hitting it and they said yeah. Owens says that’s all he has as he walks away. Corbin says he needs his help and Owens reluctantly gives him some money. Corbin thanks him as Shotzi shoots a nerf ball from her tank into Corbin’s crotch, knocking him down in pain. Ziggler and Roode walk in and take his money. Owens comes in with a chair as they run away.

In-Ring: Edge, Seth Rollins

Edge comes out to the ring to a loud pop. He says he has a lot of history, they know how hard he fought to get this back. He says the fans know how much he fought to get all of them back. And if you watched Money in the Bank, you also know that he should be standing as Universal Champion. But he’s not and there’s one reason why and that is Seth Rollins. He says he thought he had his bases covered, he had The Mysterio’s covering his back for the Usos but he didn’t think Seth would attack. But he realized that this goes back to 2014 when they first met.

He says Seth didn’t pull the trigger to get the job done because he didn’t think Edge would be back but he is back. And he is in Seth’s way. He tells Seth that he has no idea about pandora’s box of pain that he has opened. He learned from the most evil minds of this industry. He says he was in the Brood. He was in the Ministry of Darkness. He has no idea the depths that he will sink to to get the job done. But he will find out.

Seth’s music hits and out comes Seth to the ring. He says it’s grandpa Edge who is in the ring talking about the man that he used to be. Seth laughs as Edge tells him to shut up, he is embarrassing himself. Edge tells him to come down to the ring, he promises he will not put his hands on him. Seth says he is on his way. He knows Edge is not as stupid as he looks, he knows Edge won’t put a hand on him as he knows what he is capable of doing to him.

Rollins tells him full disclosure, he was going to come out and talk about how much he despises this city. How he despises people like Edge and John Cena who want to come back when they want. They’ll jump the line, take opportunities they don’t deserve from people like him who earned their opportunities. Seth says he was going to talk about those things but the more he thought about it, the more he agrees with the people of Cleveland. He is thrilled that Edge is in the ring. He calls Edge grandpa Edge. He is thrilled Edge can’t keep his name out of his mouth.

Seth says Edge has been such a scumbag to him that nothing would make him happier than to crush his dreams. Nothing would make him happier than to be the man who put an end to the come back story. He says Edge keeps pushing him. When they talk about the Hall of Fame career of Edge, they won’t talk about Edge, they will talk about the man who ended him, Seth Rollins. He says he had the chance to end him once before 7 years ago when he brought the Authority back but he hesitated.

The fans chant you suck to Rollins. And when he gets that opportunity again and he has his boot on the back of his surgically repaired neck, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger. Bang. Seth laughs. Edge says about if he remembers abut not putting his hands on him, he’s a liar. Edge knocks Seth down as both man fight. Edge with the Edgecution on Rollins. He goes for the spear but Seth rolls to the outside of the ring.

Toni Storm vs. Zelina Vega

The bell rings and we are under way. A big boot by Storm knocks Vega down. Vega rolls to the outside of the ring as does Storm but Vega slams Storm into the announce table. She throws Storm back in the ring. A kick to the face by Vega followed by a knee to the face. She goes for the cover but Storm kicks out.

Vega runs to the ropes but a headbutt by Storm and both women are down. Storm with a German suplex as she goes for the cover but Vega kicks out. Storm grabs Vega but Vega with the sunset flip. She goes for the cover but Storm kicks out. Vega grabs Storm but Storm reverses it as she slams Vega with the Storm One. She goes for the cover and gets the pin.

Winner: Toni Storm

Jimmy Uso vs. Dominik Mysterio

The bell rings and we are under way. Jimmy with a shoulder block. Both men back up and a hip toss by Dominik takes Jimmy down. Dominik climbs the top rope but Jimmy trips him up. Jimmy with a super kick. He slams Dominik into the turnbuckle. Jimmy goes for the cover but Dominik kicks out. Jimmy with a kick to the side of the head. He goes for the cover but Dominik kicks out.

Jimmy sends Dominik to the ropes but Dominik trips Jimmy up on the ropes. He goes for the 619 but Jey pulls Jimmy to the outside. Rey jumps off the ring apron onto Jey. Dominik flies over the top rope onto Jimmy on the outside.

Back from commercial, Dominik goes for the three amigos suplex. He lands the first one but the second one is blocked by Jimmy as he knocks Dominik down. Jimmy runs towards Dominik but Dominik trips him up and hits him with the 619. Dominik climbs the top rope, Jey gets on the ring apron as Rey knocks him down. Dominik jumps but Jimmy hits him with the super kick. Jimmy goes for the cover but Dominik kicks out.

Jimmy picks Dominik up but Dominik rolls him up but Jimmy kicks out. Dominik to the outside as he knocks Jey down. Dominik on the ring apron, flips to the ring but Jimmy catches him, Dominik goes for the sunset flip, Jimmy sits down on Dominik as Jey supports Jimmy from the outside, Jimmy goes for the cover and gets the pin.

Winner: Jimmy Uso

In-Ring: Roman Reigns, Finn Balor

Roman’s music hits and out he comes with Paul Heyman. Roman tells Cleveland to acknowledge him. He looks at the camera and says for that person sitting at home, to acknowledge him. You might as well, everyone is acknowledging him. John Cena has acknowledged him. Cena did that at Money in the Bank, at Raw and earlier tonight. He tells Heyman that to be honest, he wanted to acknowledge John. He really did. Hollywood fooled him. They put a whole new paint job on John, he thought they were going to get something new, something special. But what happened at Money in the Bank, he came out and put on a nostalgia act.

Roman says he came out, it was the same entrance, music, outfit, insults, everything. If he wanted that, all he had to do was search online for 2005 John Cena. It’s the same thing, over and over. It’s like missionary position every single night. Reigns says in the tribal chief, the head of the table, we are not interested in that. He says they don’t get motivated or inspired by that. Roman says John is right. He cannot see him, he doesn’t want to see him, he doesn’t need to see him, he has no desire to see him. And they will not see him in the main event of SummerSlam.

Reigns says his answer to Cena’s challenge is no.

Finn Balor’s music hits and he comes down to the ring. Roman says his special council told him that Balor is out here to do what Cena does and acknowledge him. Balor tells him he is not here to acknowledge him but if he is not interested in Cena’s challenge, maybe he is interested in his. Roman laughs as the fans chant Roman’s scared.

Roman tells him challenge accepted.