WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 18, 2021) with a show from the ThunderDome at Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida. This is the go-home show for the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view (PPV) set to take place on June 20 in the very same venue.
Roman Reigns defends the Universal championship against Rey Mysterio in tonight’s main event. The match will take place inside Hell in a Cell.
Also advertised for tonight: Commander Azeez makes his in-ring debut in a tag team match, Shinsuke Nakamura and Baron Corbin fight over possession of the king’s crown, Angelo Dawkins goes one-on-one with Otis, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JUNE 18
We snicker and we sneer, for they do not revere the incessant gadgetry we incessantly deploy to incessantly extract and incessantly destroy. You don’t worship us, but me? I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with recap of Rey Mysterio calling Roman Reigns out.
Mysterio makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He talks about his feelings of pain and hurt and sadness and how he told Dominik about the risks that come with competing in the ring, but this was his dream. He’s able to walk but nobody knows when he’ll be cleared to wrestle, and he talks about the helpless look he saw in Dom’s eyes while he suffered and how he’s never going to forget that Roman did this.
He says he wants his title match tonight and he knows Roman accepted his challenge on Twitter but he wants to hear it from him in person.
The cell lowers and Roman Reigns makes his entrance.
Reigns says what he did last week is PG compared to what he’s gonna do to Rey tonight, and he gives him one last chance to back out of the match. Rey refuses to back down, Roman leaves, and we’ll have the match later.
Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez make their entrance and get an inset promo where he talks about how Azeez is his secret weapon and going to win the match for him.
This sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Big E and Kevin Owens are interviewed in Gorilla.
Owens says Commander Azeez is huge and clearly dangerous but he’s not worried, because Big E is the strongest man in the locker room, bar none, and a nine-time tag team champion to boot. He couldn’t have a better partner tonight, and Big says KO is very talented also. Owens complains about not getting the same praise he offered back, but E says the wound is still fresh.
Kev says that’s fair, Big fires up and says their opponents are gonna feel the power, and they leave for entrances.
Before the match can begin, Sami Zayn makes his entrance and joins the commentary desk.
Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez vs. Big E & Kevin Owens
Crews and E to start, Big is in control and throwing him around, quick tag to Owens, Big Splash, running senton, cover for one! Eventually Apollo gets away and tags Azeez in and he drops KO with a boot! The Commander stands tall on the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Azeez has a Cobra Clutch locked on E, manhandling him with a straight suplex, putting him into the corner and generally dominating him. Crews tags in, enzuigiri puts Big on the apron, fireman’s carry but E fights out and hits a gourdbuster on the apron! Back inside, tag to Owens, pop-up powerbomb... AZEEZ BREAKS IT UP!
Tagging in, wiping E out on the floor with a lariat, Owens out after him but he gets distracted arguing with Sami Zayn and when he returns...
Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez win by pinfall with the Nigerian Nail from Azeez on Kevin Owens.
Post-match, Sami Zayn dances on the ramp while Azeez hits another Nigerian Nail on Kevin Owens!
Sami goes to Gorilla and fawns over KO gasping and dry heaving in agony, calling it cosmic justice and pledging to do it forever.
We get a hype reel for Nakamura vs. Corbin and we go to break.
Back from commercial, five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are chatting when Kevin Owens rolls up, gasping and choking, to demand a match against Sami Zayn. Pearce agrees to give him the match and he coughs his way out of the room.
King Baron Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Battle for the Crown)
Corbin with a schoolboy out the gates but it’s not enough! Knee lift, overhead elbow, Nakamura turns things around, sliding German Suplex through the ropes and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Corbin is in control, grinding Nakamura down with a half nelson chinlock. Shinsuke fights to his feet, body blows to break, off the ropes and he gets caught with Deep Six... NOPE! Float over a slam, Nakamura with a lungblower into a sleeper hold, a kick, a snapmare, sliding knee... NOPE!
Baron with a back suplex, cover for two, Nakamura fires back with an STO that gets two of his own and follows it with falling knees! Into the corner, fired up, but Corbin wipes him out with a lariat! Up in the corner, Shinsuke with a kick, diving Kinshasa, Baron still on his feet but a second one staggers him!
Up again, a third gets caught but Nakamura counters the chokeslam with a knee lift! Charging in...
Shinsuke Nakamura wins by pinfall with Kinshasa.
Post-match, Nakamura takes a seat in the throne set up on the stage and Boogs crowns him.
We see Bianca Belair walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for WWE’s Dadication program, which I constantly read as “dadification” and I’d rather be mommified, if you catch my drift.
Bianca Belair makes her entrance and gets on the mic.
She jokes about Bayley’s Ding Dong, Hello! turning to goodbye and calls her a bully who can dish it out but can’t take it, and calls her out in the process. Bayley doesn’t come down and Bianca continues, saying Bayley put her back in her childhood, when she got bullied, but she doesn’t let anybody define her anymore, and she scratched and clawed to get to where she is today, loud and proud and unapologetically herself.
She wants to say it to Bayley’s face but she keeps dodging her, so here goes— on Sunday, she doesn’t just want her in the ring, she wants her inside of Hell in a Cell!
After her promo concludes, Bayley blindsides Belair and they brawl! To the floor, Bayley yanks on Bianca’s braid and puts her into the barricade! Back into the ring... Roseplant!
We get a recap of the Reigns family situation.
Jimmy Uso rolls up on Roman Reigns and says he’s thought about what he said about representing the family and he’s right. He might not agree with everything he says or does, but they’re blood. Jey isn’t here, but if Roman needs his help tonight, Jimmy offers it. Reigns says he doesn’t want his help, he needs him to find his brother, because he needs Jey.
Roman senses that that isn’t working and shifts to say that they need Jey, they need the family complete, and he needs to look out for his brother.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Chad Gable with a cheap shot before the bell, Angelo Dawkins chases him around the ring and Otis Dozovic runs him over! Otis continues the attack while referee Danilo Anfibio tries to calm things down enough to start the match, back inside and Alpha Academy drop Angelo with a discus lariat Hart Attack!
They leave Dawkins gasping on the floor, and the match is off.
We see Rey Mysterio praying backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we see Roman Reigns strapping his gauntlet on backstage.
Cesaro is interviewed backstage.
He talks about his rivalry with Seth Rollins and Seth rolls up to say they have their match and he’s not here to fight, he just wants to have a conversation. He sits down and tells Cesaro that he disgusts him and everything he does and stands for is a disgrace.
Cesaro shoves him out of his seat and Rollins gets up and trembles at him.
Rey Mysterio makes his entrance and we go to break ahead of our main event.
Rey Mysterio vs. Roman Reigns (c) (WWE Universal Championship Hell in a Cell Match)
Mysterio goes right under the ring for a chair and whacks Roman with it! Reigns catches it and wrenches it away, discarding it and prowling out after Rey on the floor. Mysterio with a fire extinguisher, cracking Roman in the dome with it! Reigns staggered and in pain... AND REY RAMS HIM WITH A TOOLBOX TO SEND US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Mysterio is still in control and whacking Roman with a steel chair! Choking him with the chair, horsecollaring him, Rey rams him throat-first into the steel cage wall! A second time! Sunset flip powerbomb blocked, Roman hoists him up, Rey punches him to block, Frankensteiner blocked and Reigns swings him into the wall!
Roman lifts him up and throws him into the cage and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Reigns still in control and he hits a Superman Punch! Jawing, powerbomb lift, reversed into a Frankensteiner and Roman goes into the ropes! Off the ropes, Reigns recovers, big right hand! Rey recenters and gets the 619 before walloping Roman with the chair over and over! Up top, diving splash... ROMAN KICKS OUT!
Powerbomb lift... REIGNS POWERBOMBS REY OVER THE ROPES AND INTO THE WALL OF THE CELL! Back inside, guillotine choke applied...
Roman Reigns wins by submission with the guillotine choke to retain the WWE Universal Championship.
Post-match, the cell is lifted and Jimmy Uso arrives to raise his cousin’s hand.
Roman puts the choke back on to make sure Rey stays down!
That’s the show, folks.