Browsing: Grueling

The finals of the Last Time Is Now Tournament took place on the December 5, 2025 episode of WWE SmackDown at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. LA Knight and Gunther met in the closing match of a bracket, and everyone was watching that match go down.

John Cenaâ€s final opponent for Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event on December 13, 2025 has been decided. Now, it looks like all WWE needs to do is hype the match over the next week. Only time will tell how it all turns out, but the IC Title isnâ€t in the picture after Cena dropped the title back to Dominik Mysterio at Survivor Series: WarGames.

This match went down as the main event of the show, and it had a lot of hype behind it. Fans were rallying online for LA Knight to get the win, but GUNTHER was also a very stiff competitor. GUNTHER was entering this match with an impressive statistic, as he had never lost a non-title singles match in his WWE career.

Mark Nash really gave this match a big fight feel thanks to his ring introductions. After they traded some stiff shots, the match went to a commercial break. When we got back to the match, LA Knight was able to hit an AA and a burning hammer, a move that is usually banned, for a long two count before they cut to another commercial break.

GUNTHER took some more offense from LA Knight, including a suplex off a reversal. Fans were all behind Knight, but then GUNTHER nailed a T-Rex dropkick, but LA Knight countered a powerbomb into a DDT. Then, Knight climbed the top rope and hit an elbow drop for a near fall.

Near the end, GUNTHER hit two splashes on LA Knight for a near fall. GUNTHER powerbombed Knight after that, but the Mega Star kicked out of that as well. LA Knight hit a BFT out of nowhere, but GUNTHER got his foot on the bottom rope. Finally, GUNTHER got his sleeper hold in, and he wore Knight down with elbow strikes until he got Knight down with the hold still on. Knight tried to fight out of it, and he got GUNTHER on his shoulders, but then the Ring General pummeled him down with more elbows and then he got a crossface on. Finally, LA Knight tapped out, giving the win to GUNTHER.

In the semifinal round, LA Knight defeated Jey Uso, and Gunther beat Solo Sikoa. Those results set up the final match between Knight and Gunther. This was quite a match to close out SmackDown, and it will set up an amazing final match for John Cena in Washington, DC.

Whatâ€s your take on John Cenaâ€s final opponent? Who do you think will win at Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

December 5, 2025 10:04 pm

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The United States Championship is one of the companyâ€s most defended titles, and thereâ€s a reason for that. Open challenges give new competitors a chance to show off, and this week was no exception.

WWE SmackDown took place on October 31 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The same venue will hold Saturday Nightâ€s Main Event on November 1. The crowd filled the arena and was ready for the buildup to Saturdayâ€s show. That included a US Title match.

Ilja Dragunov won the United States Title in shocking fashion during the October 17 episode of SmackDown. He will carry on John Cena and Sami Zaynâ€s legacy with the title, so the open challenge continued.

This match went down as the first contest of the night. Fans had no idea who would come out to face the US Champion, and then Axiom came out. Nathan Frazer was in his ring gear, and he was ready for a fight. Tommaso Ciampa came out to disrupt them. He didnâ€t want Frazer to get a shot, and he mocked the idea that Frazer could get that opportunity. To that, Dragunov said that itâ€s an open opportunity, and the match carried on.

This match carried on, and it stretched through a commercial break. Dragunov was busted open in the process, but Nathan Frazer wasnâ€t able to put the champion away. There were several near falls as fans in Salt Lake City cheered both competitors in this match on.

Fans chanted “this is awesome†as they continued, and Nathan Frazer continued with a chopped up chest, as it resembled hamburger meat. Frazer was able to land a massive dive, but he got a near fall prior to another commercial break. This match went way longer than some may have first thought.

The match kept going, and Frazer nailed a Phoenix Splash for a near fall. This was his match to lose at a point, but Dragunov kept kicking out. Fans started another “this is awesome†chant as the contest continued. Frazer also kicked out of everything that the champion could throw at him. Both men were certainly leaving it all in the ring. Eventually, Dragunov nailed his H-Bomb finisher and got the pin to retain his title.

Although the champion retained his title, Nathan Frazer certainly took him to the limit. Only time will tell how long he will keep that title, but Frazer also earned his respect as they hugged it out in the middle of the ring.

After that, as Nathan Frazer was leaving, Tommaso Ciampa ran in with a sneak attack and took the Fraxiom member down. He obviously had some bad blood remaining after not getting a shot at the US Title. We will have to see how long it takes for Ciampa to get a title shot of his own.

Whatâ€s your take on how the US Title has been booked on SmackDown? Do you think that the title is in the right hands? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

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By Ella Jay

Sept. 24, 2025 8:30 am EST

Irvin Rivera/Getty Images

With nearly 2,000 matches under his belt, AEW’s Bryan Danielson has tackled a wide variety of in-ring scenarios in his wrestling career. During a recent interview with “Fightful,” Danielson revealed two grueling matches of his that he remains the most proud of.

“So I did an hour with Hangman Page, and the other one I was going to say and I did an Iron Man Match with MJF, which was actually over an hour. I was proud of both of those because I’ve always been a wrestling geek,” Danielson said.

“I love like 80s NWA Ric Flair always doing these 60-minute draws. Not just 80s Ric Flair, like you look at the 70s NWA World Champions, they’re always doing like these hour-long draws and I love that style. I love that thing. I was very proud of both of those matches because I thought we did a good job in the modern era where everybody, I don’t want to say everybody, but so many people watch their TVs with their phone in their hand, and the second they stop being entertained they go [to look at their phone] and then they don’t go back to that.”

Danielson’s bout with “Hangman” Adam Page occurred at “AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming” in December 2021, with Page’s AEW World Championship on the line. As Danielson noted, this title match reached the 60-minute time limit, resulting in a draw between the competitors. At AEW Revolution 2023, Daniels surpassed the 60-minute mark as he and then-AEW World Champion MJF went into overtime in their Iron Man match due to a 3-3 tie. MJF eventually broke tie by hitting Danielson with an oxygen tank, then forcing him to tap out to the LeBell Lock.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Fightful” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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