A major SmackDown development.
WWE taped the September 4th episode of the Blue Branded show from Cleveland tonight. The episode featured the final build for Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6.
The show saw a major development when the WWE Champion CM Punk confronted Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae backstage. Punk offered a WWE title match to the former NXT Champion, and Gargano finally stood up after months to accept the challenge.
Johnny Gargano Wrestles First Match Since April
The match was the main event of the show with Johnny using his Rebel Heart NXT theme for the entrance in his hometown. The bout itself was riddled with interference, with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Gunther and Finn Balor all showing up at the ringside.
At one point, Zayn managed to hit Punk with the WWE title belt when the referee wasn’t looking. Gargano then went for the pin but the defending champion somehow kicked out. CM Punk then picked up the victory with a GTS as Nick Aldis showed up to argue with Sami.
Cody Rhodes came out after the bell to save CM Punk from a beatdown at the hands of Sami Zayn. The night finally ended with Johnny Gargano cutting a promo for the crowd as Punk, Rhodes and LeRae joined him in the ring.
