Tonight’s WWE SmackDown: 5 Hits & Misses (November 21)

by

With WWE’s Survivor Series just a week away, tonight’s SmackDown show aimed to build excitement for the biggest matches. The show heavily featured the upcoming Men’s and Women’s WarGames contests, while also continuing other storylines and progressing the John Cena tournament. We’ll break down all the key moments from tonight’s SmackDown, highlighting what worked and what didn’t, starting with the first match.

5. Hit: Ilja Dragunov’s SmackDown Reign

Ilja Dragunov recently defended his WWE United States Championship, and like his previous matches, it was an incredible performance. Since returning from injury and joining the SmackDown roster, Dragunov has been on a winning streak, and this style of championship defense is clearly working well for him.

Ilja Dragunov connects with fans through his powerful in-ring presence and intense matches, rather than his speaking ability, and WWE has consistently highlighted this since he joined SmackDown. Although he had good matches on Raw when he first moved to the main roster, his run on SmackDown has been far more successful – similar to what made him popular in NXT. Dragunov excels when he can display his aggression and energy in the ring. His blend of classic wrestling style with modern athleticism makes him stand out and offers fans something unique, qualities that are ideal for a United States Champion. Hopefully, this momentum continues, as there’s no need to change a winning formula.

4. Hit: The Last Time Is Now Finally Gets Inspired Winners

The matches in The Last Time Is Now tournament have been really good, and some of the pairings were creative. However, the outcomes have mostly been obvious, and some felt uninspired. That changed tonight with the two tournament matches, and the winners have added some much-needed excitement to the competition.

Tonight’s SmackDown featured two exciting matches: Penta against Finn Balor, and Carmelo Hayes versus Bronson Reed. Both fights were action-packed, with Penta and Balor trading creative moves and counters. The Hayes-Reed match also advanced the ongoing storyline involving The Vision, and the result helped determine who would move forward.

Hayes and Penta have advanced in the tournament, and even though they might not ultimately win, they’re bringing an exciting new dynamic to the competition. The current matchups are Jey Uso against Rusev, LA Knight facing an unknown opponent, Penta versus Solo Sikoa, and Gunther against Carmelo Hayes.

3. Hit: Welcome Back Cody

The good guys in the Men’s WarGames match started the show with a tough loss. Before the match even began, Drew McIntyre attacked Cody Rhodes, leaving him injured. Throughout this rivalry, some fans felt Rhodes was being overshadowed, especially with Roman Reigns back in the picture. But tonight, Rhodes took center stage and got some significant revenge, giving his team a big lift.

After a vicious attack earlier in the evening, Cody Rhodes surprisingly returned to wrestle. He timed it perfectly, interrupting the match between Reed and Hayes and hitting Reed with his signature move, Cross Rhodes. This not only saved Hayes from a dangerous spot – being slammed into the announcer’s table – but also allowed Rhodes to put Hayes back in the ring, causing Reed to be counted out and Hayes to win. It was a clear statement that Rhodes remains a central figure, and tonight proved just that.

2. Miss: Where Are Giulia and Kiana?

Okay, let’s talk about what’s been bugging me about SmackDown lately. The show really hyped up Giulia when she moved to the main roster, and the pairing with Kiana James, coming back from injury, seemed promising. But honestly, it feels like they’ve just… dropped the ball. James has been losing consistently, and Giulia’s run with the title was short-lived and kind of all over the place before Chelsea Green took it. The whole thing feels directionless, and I’m left wondering where these two suddenly went? It’s a frustrating situation, and a real head-scratcher for a fan like me.

Currently, both Giulia and Kiana have disappeared from WWE television, with no appearances or even brief mentions to hint at future storylines. Throughout most of Giulia’s time on the main roster, her storylines haven’t been very impactful, and Kiana’s haven’t fared much better. Without regular TV time, it’s unlikely either wrestler’s story will improve.

1. Hit: Women’s WarGames Is All-Star Level

Tonight’s SmackDown heavily featured the upcoming Women’s WarGames match. A video package showed Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley agreeing to a truce, and Ripley then announced AJ Lee as the fifth member of their team. However, the celebration was quickly interrupted by the opposing team – and their own new fifth member, Becky Lynch.

The ongoing feuds between the competitors make this WarGames match incredibly exciting, and adding Lee and Lynch makes it even better. The post-match fight hints that the good guys will win, but it won’t be easy. With so much talent involved, this match has the potential to be the best of the night. Plus, it feels like Sky always does something with a trash can during WarGames – it’s become a tradition!

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/list/3-wwe-storylines-currently-going-nowhere/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-22 08:42