Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown recap for June 20, 2025

LA Knight heads to the ring to start tonight's show. Knight talks about Seth "Freakin'" Rollins and company screwed him out of King of the Ring and how he could not let it slide and how he had to pay them back, and it got him thinking. Heyman then says he happens to be "the biggest LA Knight fan in all of WWE" and that LA Knight needs to get the ell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan or else something bad will happen to him before the end of the night. LA Knight takes this as an empty threat and says that Rollins is the latest person that Heyman is leeching onto, and tells him that he would usually punch his wisdom teeth down his throat, but he will not do that...yet. Knight decides to have a match with Heyman that he could have had with Rollins, then gives Heyman the first shot with his back turned. Heyman instead leaves the ring and stands on the outside. Heyman tells Knight that the "something bad" was a spoiler, not a prediction (or an empty threat), and Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed show up and attack LA Knight. LA Knight fights back with a metal folding chair, and Heyman has to hold Breakker and Bronson back.

Backstage, Paul Heyman tells Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed that everything is in their favor when Byron Saxton shows up for an interview. After Breakker barks at Byron, Byron announces that Bronson Reed will take on LA Knight. Heyman tells Bronson that patience is not a virtue; it is a strategy.

Asuka beats Alexa Bliss to advance in the Queen of the Ring Tournament after getting the knees up for Twisted Bliss.

Backstage, Michin, B-Fab and Jade Cargill are backstage. Michin and B-Fab say they should be making their own statements like Asuka and leave, then Byron Saxton shows up and interviews Cargill. Jade Cargill says Roxanne Perez has potential but is still trying to prove herself. She says this is a throne room, not a proving ground, and she is in this to win this.

Backstage, Alexa Bliss is met by Chelsea Green and The Secret Hervice (Piper Niven and Alba Fyre). Charlotte Flair shows up as they argue, and says she will make Chelsea tap tonight. Alexa tells Charlotte she did not need her help, but Charlotte says she was not here to help her.

Before the next match, Ron Killings suddenly shows up and attacks Kit Wilson before putting him in the STF. Killings demands John Cena get in the ring, and officials have to pull Killings off Kit Wilson.

Backstage, Jamie Noble tells Ron Killings to calm down. Aleister Black shows up wanting to know why Killings is getting involved in his match. Killings says it is nothing personal, then Damian Priest stands between them, wanting a word with Killings. Aleister leaves, and Priest tells Killings to focus his energy on his match with Cena tonight and maybe they could celebrate. Killings loves the sound of this.

"The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes heads to the ring. Before Cody can say anything, "Main Event" Jey Uso heads to the ring from the crowd. Jey tells Cody that they have done a lot together, but on Monday, there is only room for one of them, and he knows they are gunning for the same thing. Sami Zayn shows up and heads to the ring, and says that he is sharing with two great friends and two of the best the business has to offer, yet he has never won the World Heavyweight Championship. He says he was there to congratulate Jey when he won the World Heavyweight Championship, and that he was one of the first to congratulate Cody when he finished his story and beat Roman Reigns. Sami says it is time for him to finish his story when Randy Orton shows up and states that while he respects everyone else in the ring, he will have no problem going through them. He also says Sami will be a world champion one day, but not at SummerSlam, as he will beat him tonight.

Randy Orton beats Sami Zayn to advance in the King of the Ring Tournament after countering the Helluva Kick with an RKO.

Nia Jax heads to the ring. Nia Jax says Tiffany Stratton went under her wing because of what she could do for her, but now she has betrayed her and now has her title. Suddenly, Tiffany shows up. Tiffany says Nia is like a toxic ex she cannot get away from, then tells Nia to get over it and realize she is better than her. Nia Jax demands a title rematch, then Tiffany says this is her lucky day because she has that match next week and that she will have more fun adding more scars to her "five-head" of hers, as it will be Last Woman Standing. Nia goes for a cheap shot, starting a brawl, and ends up getting the last word before raising up the WWE Women's Championship, teasing leaving the ring, and hitting Tiffany with another leg drop. As Nia Jax tells the commentary team that she is taking her title back, Naomi tries to cash in on Tiffany, but Nia pulls her out of the ring. This leads to Tiffany taking out the both of them.

We see a video package chronicling the history between John Cena and CM Punk.

Charlotte Flair beats Chelsea Green by submission with the Figure Eight. After the match, The Secret Hervice attack Charlotte, but Alexa Bliss gets in the ring and hits Chelsea with Sister Abigail while Charlotte cleans house. Alexa extends her hands, but Charlotte walks past her.

Backstage, Solo Sikoa tells JC Mateo that he will smooth things over with Jacob Fatu, then tells him to be ready for a fight.

Solo Sikoa heads to the ring. Solo Sikoa asks Jacob Fatu to come to the ring so they can clear the area. Jacob Fatu shows up and heads to the ring. Solo tells Jacob that he does not want to fight him and that he has always loved him, and that being Tribal Chief has taught him to love and take care of his family, even as family fights and makes up all the time.He says that he wants the both of them to move forward, even when he was the only one to see something in Jacob Fatu and bring him to WWE to change his life and put food on the table for his family, which he did because he loves him. Solo says that he does not have anybody else but Jacob, and asks Jacob to come back to the family. This leads to the fans chanting "Bullshit!" Jacob says that Solo has been using him to gain power, fight his battles and stay Tribal Chief, and that Solo brought him in to enrich himself. He says that since he won the United States title, Solo is the one that is acting differently, and that the United States title just might be the problem here. He then says that if it is, then Solo will have to fight him for it. Jacob also warns Solo that he knows what he is about and that he knows what will happens if he challenges him. Solo goes for a cheat shot, but Jacob blocks it and headbutts him. JC Mateo shows up and gets involved, and as Solo and Mateo gang up on Jacob, Jimmy Uso shows up only to be overpowered as well. Jacob sees what is going on, gets up, and gets the better of both Solo and Mateo. He then looks at Jimmy Uso before going for a moonsault, and Solo rolls out of the ring before he can hit it.

LA Knight beats Bronson Reed by disqualification after Bron Breakker hits LA Knight with a Spear. After the match, Bronson holds Knight down for another Spear, then goes for not one, not two, but three Tsunamis and hits them all.

Backstage, Jacob Fatu says that next week, he will dog walk Solo Sikoa for the United States Championship.

Ron Killings beats John Cena by disqualification. During the match, John Cena tries to walk out of the match with the WWE Championship, but when Ron Killings goes after him, Cena hits him with the WWE Championship. After the match, CM Punk shows up and fights Cena, but Cena hits Punk with a kick to the groin before hitting him with the WWE Championship and producing a table from underneath the ring. Cena then puts Punk through the table with an Attitude Adjustment before cutting his own "pipe bomb" on Punk, telling him that before he leaves in six months with the WWE Championship, he has a lot to get off his chest. He says that he, not Punk, is not just the best in the world but the greatest of all time, then calls Punk "the best bullshitter in the world" and admits he is jealous of Punk for convincing everyone he is the best in the world and getting everyone to chant for him. He then says that nobody believes a word Punk says before he asks Claudio Castagnoli, Nic Nemeth and Matt Cardona how they are doing and saying that Punk is "Mr. TKO" and that his tweets are strong but his actions are weak. Cena states that Punk was the best in the world for seven minutes back in 2011 and that if he still believes that after next week, then it is a small world after all. He tells CM Punk to bring his A-game, as the mood is starting to change. A referee checks on Punk, but Cena says he does not need to do more damage, as Punk has a big match ahead of him. He says that while the fans will chant for Punk, everyone will be smart enough to know the truth: the champ is here. He tells USA Network to keep the last two minutes as he does not need a pipe bomb to blow up the building, then thanks Punk for letting him borrow his promo to make him look even more foolish.

Here are the highlights for tonight's show!