Brock Lesnar Rips Into 'Ron Cena:' Top Moments from SmackDown September 12, 2025, Full Results

5. Vic Joseph and Booker T

Vic Joseph proved last night that he has the voice, credibility, and acumen to be a flagship play-by-play voice in WWE. NXT is a good spot for him now, but I would not be mad if he became the permanent voice of SmackDown. Booker T was his usual over-the-top entertaining self. It was nice to see him back on SmackDown.

Vic and Booker's chemistry is great. Color coordinating to match the blue brand was a nice touch.

4. Part I of Cena-Lesnar Career Retrospective

Speaking of announcers, Joe Tessitore does a fantastic job narrating these video packages. I think he should be used exclusively as an analyst, host, and voiceover guy.

In Cena's absence and without an explanation from Lesnar as to why he attacked Cena at SummerSlam, this was the perfect way to tell the story of the match. For those of us who lived through those early years, it was nice to relive those moments.

As I watched the package, I thought of how many younger or newer fans have little to no knowledge of the extent of their background. Even for a Ruthless Aggression fan, I had forgotten some of the details of Cena and Lesnar's early feud. That's why these packages are so important.

I also like that they are splitting it between two weeks. This is one of the few rivalries in professional wrestling that has spanned three decades, and there is a story to keep telling.

3. The Champ is Back: Cody Returns

It was great to see Cody back. I could tell Drew and Randy were crunched for time at the end, so I'm glad USA was generous with the few extra seconds.

I like it when Cody doesn't wear a suit. It fits for certain occasions, but the tracksuit feels more relatable.

He and Drew will have a good match at WrestlePalooza. Randy's could have been a placeholder for Rhodes while he was gone, or we could be set up for Randy's heel turn at WrestlePalooza.

2. Brock Lesnar and R-Truth Are The Duo We Didn’t Know We Needed

No one expected Lesnar and R-Truth to be in the ring together, but everything about this worked. No, it wasn't a "serious" segment, but it didn't need to be. Lesnar vs. Cena was sold the moment Brock returned. This was an easy way to give Lesnar an in-ring interaction with a Cena surrogate in his absence. It is his younger brother after all!

Even though Lesnar is working a heel, this segment showed that the "cowboy" version of "The Beast" fans came to love before his hiatus is still part of his character. He's a monster heel who can laugh with the fans when he rips his pants on national television.

I would welcome more of Lesnar and R-Truth as a recurring act over the next few years.

1. Sami Zayn Brings Mid 2000's SmackDown to 2025  

Going into last week's SmackDown in Chicago, I expected Sami to stay mixed up with Solo Sikoa and the MFTs. I love that WWE has gone in a different, fresh direction with his character and the US Championship.

Sami's character for the past 5 years has been in the trenches of personal battles (Bloodline, Kevin Owens), but the version of him that's emerging is simply about the championship and competition.

Sami and Rey Fenix put on a great television match. His match next week against Carmello Hayes will be the same.

Maybe it's the rub from Cena, but something about this feels different. It feels like the mid-2000s when guys like Edge, Kurt Angle, and Rey Mysterio made SmackDown the "wrestling" show.

This level of competition has been lacking from SmackDown in recent months, but as the United States Championship Open Challenge becomes a staple of the show, fans will tune in to see competitive matches that elevate careers.

Overall Show

This was a good episode of SmackDown. It had a unique energy throughout because of Worlds Collide. The back-and-forth feeds between arenas in separate states made viewers feel like they were watching something bigger. That's an unintended bonus of hosting two live shows in one night.

Full Match Results

• Sami Zayn (c) def. Rey Fenix to retain the United States Championship
• Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill ends in a draw due to countout, Stratton retains the WWE Women's Championship
• Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton