by As the road to Clash in Paris continues, WWE SmackDown aired live from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Here’s a full recap of the results, biggest moments, and key happenings from the two-hour blue-brand spectacular.
The biggest highlight of the night was John Cena competing on SmackDown, with just nine farewell tour appearances left. Cena teamed with Cody Rhodes in the main event against Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre. In another heartwarming moment, Charlotte Flair organized a special in-ring birthday celebration for Alexa Bliss. Keep reading for all the details from the show.
WWE SmackDown 8 August 2025 Complete Results — Winners and Losers
- The MFTs (JC Mateo & Talla Tonga) def. Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) via pinfall (Talla pinned Alex)
- Sami Zayn def. Solo Sikoa via pinfall
- Charlotte Flair def. Chelsea Green via pinfall
- John Cena and Cody Rhodes def. Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre via DQ (Logan low blows Cena)
All highlights and major happenings from the show
- The night kicked off with John Cena entering the ring, grabbing the mic, and delivering his signature babyface promo in front of the Montreal crowd. Referencing the shocking end to SummerSlam 2025, Cena declared that Brock Lesnar now had a “John Cena problem.” Logan Paul interrupted, challenging Cena to a singles match at Clash in Paris, which led to Cena calling Paul a “dumbass.” Drew McIntyre attacked Cena from behind, but Cody Rhodes rushed in for the save, and the two stood tall. Cena later accepted Paul’s challenge and proposed that he and Rhodes face Paul and McIntyre in a tag team match that night.
- After The MFTs beat The Motor City Machine Guns, Solo Sikoa grabbed the microphone, boasting that his group was destined for tag team gold and that he was a dominant United States Champion. Frustrated at the lack of challengers, Sikoa declared Montreal “unworthy” before attempting to leave—only for General Manager Nick Aldis to introduce hometown hero Sami Zayn, who entered to a massive ovation.
- WWE made a major announcement, revealing a new deal with ESPN. Starting in 2026, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service will be the exclusive home of all WWE Premium Live Events in the United States.
- General Manager Nick Aldis also announced #DIY vs. The Street Profits for next week’s SmackDown.
- In a segment that was both cute and a little awkward, Charlotte Flair accompanied Alexa Bliss to the ring for an early birthday celebration. Charlotte grabbed the microphone, explained she was sharing the spotlight to mark both occasions, and presented a cake labelled “Charlotte Flair” (noticeably placed over Alexa’s name). Suspicious of a pink gift box, Bliss hesitated before Charlotte unveiled a new Lilly doll (wearing a “We’re Not Friends” T-shirt) and “Charlie”—the Charlotte doll Bliss gave her years ago. When Charlotte invited Alexa to hug her, Chelsea Green and her Secret Hervice entourage interrupted, mocking Montreal, the dolls, and claiming her group deserved the attention. After promising Alexa she’d “give Chelsea Green’s ass a kick” as a final “gift,” Charlotte issued a challenge that General Manager Nick Aldis instantly sanctioned—sending in a new referee to officiate an immediate match between Charlotte and Chelsea.
- Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviewed WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, who expressed her plan to keep defending the title. Jade Cargill interrupted, suggesting the outcome might be different next time, but Stratton remained confident. After they left, Giulia and Kiana James arrived, with Kiana giving Cargill a business card in case she wanted to challenge Giulia for the Women’s United States Championship. When Michin appeared, Cargill handed her the same card.
- A pre-taped interview featured Aleister Black, who justified his use of violence to prevent greater violence, claiming conviction is the real difference between good and evil. He described himself as “an eye for any other limb,” not just “an eye for an eye,” and noted Damian Priest was at home recovering from a hairline jaw fracture. Black concluded by stating that while Priest would push back, he would push his opponent off a cliff—and if that makes him evil, so be it.
- Backstage, Ron Killings encounters John Cena. The two engage in a “mirror man” routine, each declaring that if the real John Cena is back, then so is R-Truth. Cena playfully turns the joke back on Killings while explaining himself, and he adds that it’s good to have R-Truth back. The segment was particularly silly, further underscoring WWE’s apparent desire for fans to forget the past six months—specifically Cena’s much-criticized heel turn and Killings’ forgettable stint under his real name, which had little impact. It seems WWE is determined to “reset the universe,” almost as if they’re attempting to erase recent storylines through their own version of a Men in Black-style “memory wipe.”
- After the main event tag team match, John Cena and Logan Paul continued their brawl all the way to the backstage area. Meanwhile, outside the ring, Cody Rhodes remained locked in combat with Drew McIntyre. McIntyre struck Cody with the Undisputed WWE Championship to the face, then paused to look at the title before delivering a Claymore Kick to Cody, driving him through the bottom of the announce table.
