Hey-yo Straight Shoot fam, this Friday drop is stacked.

We are officially in the final week before one of you walks away with the graded John Cena card live on stream at Saturday Night’s Main Event. If you are subscribed, you are already entered. If you know anyone who has been lurking and not signed up yet, this is the time to nudge them.

Today we break down a strong SmackDown where Gunther locked in his shot at Cena, an NXT Deadline that crowned the next generation, and then we close with something big. The final piece of this newsletter pulls back the curtain on Straight Shoot’s full 2026 plans. More content, more video, more drops, and a full scale push heading into WrestleMania season in Las Vegas.

SmackDown delivered. Deadline delivered. Straight Shoot is gearing up to deliver even bigger. And in less than a week, one of you takes home the Cena grail card. Stay tuned and stay subscribed.

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Gunther Rises, But The Cody And Drew Problem Looms …

🔥 Opening Thoughts

SmackDown hit the Moody Center in Austin with a clear mission. Finish The Last Time Is Now Tournament and lock in John Cena’s final opponent for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

On that front, the show delivered. Gunther and LA Knight had a physical, decisive main event. Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes brought pure NXT energy to Fox. The women’s tag division kept swelling with contenders around the Kabuki Warriors.

Under all that though, one shadow hung over the night. The unresolved Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre feud. The show opened hot with Cody demanding Drew’s reinstatement, then never touched it again. If this story heads to another title match and Drew loses clean, that will be one of the weakest calls WWE could make heading into Royal Rumble season.

🥊 Cody Rhodes Demands Drew’s Return
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

No pyro. Straight to a problem.

Drew McIntyre arrived in the parking lot, still suspended, arguing with Nick Aldis about being kept off television. Cody Rhodes exploded out of his tour bus, grabbed Drew by the face, and had to be peeled off by security. This felt less like a champion and more like a husband and father reacting to someone who invaded his family space last week.

Cody then stormed to the ring without the WWE Title, no usual posing, just pure rage. On the mic he called Drew a cockroach who stepped into his “home away from home” where his wife sleeps and kids play, and demanded Aldis reinstate him so he could stomp him out.

Short, intense, effective. It sold the personal stakes and framed Drew as dangerous, not just another challenger.

The concern is simple. After this strong open, the show never circled back. No Drew attack. No rebuttal. No escalation. If this is heading to another Cody win, especially in a title match, they risk turning a red hot feud into another notch on Cody’s belt at the worst possible time.

🇺🇸 Ilja Dragunov vs Carmelo Hayes
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ilja Dragunov’s United States Title open challenge delivered what happens whenever he and Carmelo Hayes share a ring. Intensity, physicality, and urgency, even on free television.

Commentary wisely leaned into their NXT history. For ten minutes they went hard. Ilja’s relentless pressure against Melo’s explosive counters, the crowd riding every near fall.

Then Tommaso Ciampa arrived.

With the referee distracted, Ciampa crotched Melo on the top rope, handing Dragunov an opening for Torpedo Moscow and the H Bomb to retain. Ilja immediately looked annoyed when he saw the replay, selling that he wants to win clean and protect the integrity of the US Title.

From a booking angle, it tracks. Ciampa keeps sabotaging US Title matches to force his way into Dragunov’s orbit, and now he finally gets his one on one shot next week. As good as Ilja vs Ciampa will be, this was still another great TV match cut off by interference just as it was getting hot.

👭 Alexa Bliss vs Kairi Sane
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Alexa Bliss got a much needed singles win and the women’s tag picture tightened up.

With Charlotte Flair in her corner and Asuka backing Kairi, this felt more like a live preview of where the division is going than a one off. Asuka tried to tilt it toward Kairi, Charlotte neutralized her, and Bliss capitalized with Sister Abigail for the win.

The result did what it needed. Bliss and Flair now feel like credible threats to the Kabuki Warriors.

The real story came after the bell. Nia Jax and Lash Legend hit the ring, wrecked everyone, and finished by holding the Women’s Tag Titles over all four women.

Between Flair and Bliss, the Kabuki Warriors, Lash and Nia, and the Judgment Day trio looming from Raw, the division is suddenly crowded in a good way. A multi team ladder match or car crash style title bout feels inevitable.

👑 Jade Cargill Crushes Alba Fyre
Match Rating: ⭐⭐½

Jade Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship reign continued with another dominant win, this time over Alba Fyre.

Fyre got a brief burst of offense, but the match existed to spotlight chaos around the ring. Chelsea Green was blindsided by Giulia and Kiana James, the distraction opened the door, and Jade hit a spinebuster, pump kick, and Jaded to finish it in under two minutes.

Presentation wise, Jade looks every bit like the top star WWE wants her to be. The problem is the repetition. Quick squash, minimal struggle, lots of post match noise. Same pattern.

Backstage, Jade brushed off B Fab and essentially invited Michin to step up and get stepped on, setting the next short term defense. Soon though, Jade needs a program where she sells, struggles, and survives. Without that, these wins feel more hollow than historic.

📺 Backstage Moves And Saturday Night’s Main Event Build
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

SmackDown did a lot of quiet table setting for the next few weeks.

Cody Rhodes appeared in Nick Aldis’ office with NXT Champion Ricky Saints and Oba Femi, announcing that whoever wins at Deadline will face him at Saturday Night’s Main Event. That is a huge spotlight for NXT and a clever way to keep Cody busy without rushing straight back to a Drew title match.

Damian Priest officially realigned on screen with Rhea Ripley as the “Terror Twins,” setting up a mixed tag against Aleister Black and Zelina Vega next week. Between Priest’s frustration and Black’s promise to drag him through the fire, this could become one of SmackDown’s better non title stories.

The Miz once again whined to Aldis about not being booked for Saturday Night’s Main Event, only to be brushed aside while Bayley was told she would face Sol Ruca. It is a fun contrast. A fading veteran clawing for relevance while a rising NXT star gets the spotlight.

None of these segments stole the show, but they laid out a clear path for the next three weeks of television.

🌑 Solo Sikoa, The Family Tree And The Wyatt Sicks
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Solo Sikoa, flanked by My Family Tree, stepped into the ring to declare mission accomplished on Sami Zayn and stake a claim to SmackDown itself.

The most interesting piece of his promo was not about Sami. It was his direct challenge to the Wyatt Sicks. Solo said he was coming for everything that once belonged to Bray Wyatt and promised to take the Wyatt name away. He told Uncle Howdy to “Bo lieve.”

That line said the quiet part out loud.

The lights cut, the Wyatt Sicks appeared, and things broke down. Nikki Cross jumped on JC Mateo’s back, Rowan and Talla Tonga brawled, and the scene ended with The Family Tree backing off after Rowan dumped Talla to the floor.

This was about tone more than workrate. SmackDown now has a supernatural adjacent faction war with real weight. The logical next step is a WWE Tag Title program with heavy story importance. If handled carefully, it can anchor the blue brand deep into WrestleMania season.

🏆 Gunther vs LA Knight – Tournament Final
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Time Is Now Tournament final felt like exactly what it needed to be. Physical, deliberate, and tense enough that fans could believe LA Knight might actually shock the world.

Knight came in with momentum after wins over Zack Ryder, The Miz, and Jey Uso. Gunther walked in as the favorite. Former Intercontinental and World Champion. Workhorse monster. Body and soul breaker.

Knight fired up early, landed his big elbow drop, and even hit an Attitude Adjustment style slam to pop the Austin crowd. Gunther kept yanking him back into deep water, targeting the neck, grinding his offense down, making Knight sell desperation as much as damage.

The near fall after BFT had the building rocking before Gunther got his foot on the bottom rope. From that point, the finish felt inevitable. Sleeper. Vicious cravat. Cranked neck. Tap out.

No roll up. No interference. No shortcuts. One man broken down by another.

Gunther now goes to Saturday Night’s Main Event to face John Cena in what is almost certainly Cena’s last match. His post match message was simple and terrifying. He does not just want to beat Cena. He wants to make him submit.

On its own, it is strong booking. The question is what happens to LA Knight now that his shot at Cena and a world title opportunity have both slipped through his fingers for the moment.

📊 Overall Thoughts
Straight Shoot Rating: 7 out of 10

As a wrestling show, this was a very good SmackDown.

Gunther vs LA Knight delivered a hard hitting main event with a clean, decisive finish.
Dragunov vs Hayes was a blast until Ciampa cut it off.
The women’s singles and tag pictures feel busy and layered.
The Wyatt Sicks vs Family Tree tension has real potential.
Priest with Rhea, Cody versus the NXT winner, and Jade’s reign all give SmackDown plenty to chew on heading into the Rumble stretch.

Hovering over everything though is Cody Rhodes against Drew McIntyre.

Right now the story is beautifully simple. Drew crossed a line by attacking Cody’s family space. Cody wants revenge. The title is the biggest chess piece between them. The danger sits in the payoff.

If this feud builds to a major title match and Drew loses again, it risks turning a top tier main eventer into a permanently cold act at the exact moment WWE needs fresh top guys.

SmackDown did a lot right this week. How they handle Cody and Drew from here will decide whether this run becomes a hot road to the Rumble or a giant missed chance.

⭐ Top 5 Most Impressive

⭐ Gunther – Dominated the tournament, submitted Knight, walked into a dream match with Cena feeling inevitable and terrifying.
⭐ LA Knight – Took the fight to Gunther, sold the neck story perfectly, kept the crowd with him the whole way.
⭐ Ilja Dragunov – Another intense title defense, worked beautifully with Melo even with Ciampa circling.
⭐ Carmelo Hayes – Looked like he belonged on SmackDown instantly. His chemistry with Ilja translates perfectly to the main roster.
⭐ The Women’s Tag Scene (collective) – Bliss, Flair, Kabuki Warriors, Nia, Lash, and the Judgment Day trio all circling the same belts has that division more alive than it has been in years.

❌ The 3 Misses

❌ Cody and Drew Follow Through – Hot opening with no follow up. For a feud this personal, that felt like a missed beat.
❌ Jade’s Squash Formula – Same layout again. Short win, distraction, post match noise. She needs a real test soon.
❌ Overreliance On Interference Around The US Title – Ciampa’s interference works for the story, but Dragunov’s open challenges are starting to feel cursed instead of prestigious.

🌟 Three Stars Of The Show

🌟 Gunther
🌟 LA Knight
🌟 Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes (shared)

Youth Movement Delivers One of NXT’s Best PLEs of 2025

🔥 Opening Thoughts

NXT Deadline closed out the brand’s PLE calendar with a statement: the future has arrived. Across five matches in just under three hours, NXT went all in on its youth movement. A new NXT Champion, two breakout Iron Survivor winners, and a card that reminded everyone why this brand still hits different when it is locked in.

With Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, and Kendal Grey all walking out with career making nights, Deadline did not just feel like a good show. It very likely stands as one of NXT’s best PLEs of 2025, sitting comfortably alongside Stand & Deliver as a benchmark.

Overall Show Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8.5 out of 10)

🏆 NXT Championship - Oba Femi regains his throne vs Ricky Saints
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (3.75 out of 5)

Opening a PLE with the NXT Championship is a statement, and Oba Femi vs Ricky Saints earned that spot. This rematch flipped their No Mercy story. The unstoppable force did not get out wrestled this time. He adjusted, endured, and finished the job.

Ricky went after the arm and leg early, using speed and creativity to chop Oba down. The Tornado DDT on the steps, the rope walking shots, the spear, he threw everything at the former champion. Oba refused to break. Once he absorbed the storm, the tone shifted.

The first Fall From Grace looked like the finish. Ricky kicking out kept hope alive for one more heartbeat. The second Fall From Grace crushed that hope and closed the story. Oba Femi is NXT Champion again, and it feels less like pressing rewind and more like correcting the timeline.

The post match handshake was a perfect visual. Respect earned, not given. Whether they run it back for a rubber match or Ricky’s ticket gets punched to the main roster, this was a fitting end to their chapter for now.

💣 Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge - Kendal Grey arrives as a made woman
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kendal Grey, Kelani Jordan, Jordynne Grace, Sol Ruca, and Lola Vice delivered a frantic, layered, genuinely thrilling Iron Survivor that showcased everything NXT’s women’s division is getting right.

Grey and Jordan opening set the tone. Two elite athletes going high pace from the bell. Jordynne Grace brought power and credibility, Vice brought swagger and violence, and Sol Ruca tried to steal the match the second her music hit. The “injured and removed, then sprinting back in to rack up falls” beat for Sol leaned straight into her underdog aura.

The magic was not just in the big spots, although Sol hitting Soul Snatcher on two people at once and the closing scramble absolutely ruled. It was in the pacing. Falls felt earned, not cheap. Everyone got shine. Everyone felt dangerous. The scoreboard told the story, with all five women sitting on at least two falls before the final steal.

Grey hitting Shades of Grey with three seconds left to edge the field was the right call. It cemented her as far more than “the Evolve champ who hangs.” Now she is staring down Jacy Jayne at New Year’s Evil with real momentum. NXT may have quietly found its next long term pillar.

📺 NXT North American Championship - Ethan Page (c) vs Mr Iguana
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

On paper, this looked like the comedy buffer. In execution, it was exactly what it needed to be. A character heavy showcase that still reminded everyone Ethan Page is a dangerous, smug champion who can flick the switch when he wants.

Mr Iguana brought charisma, crowd engagement, green paint, and La Yesca. Page brought contempt. Every time Iguana surged with something creative, a hurricanrana on the floor or the big diving headbutt, Page yanked it back to reality with boots and heavy slams.

The turning point came when Page disrespected Yesca, spitting on and tossing the mascot aside. From there he dropped the games and finished Iguana clean with the Twisted Grin cutter.

This was never meant to be a classic. It was meant to reinforce Page as the smug, beatable but dangerous midcard gatekeeper. Mission accomplished. With Myles Borne circling the division, the seeds for something bigger are clearly in place.

🩸 Izzi Dame vs Tatum Paxley - Emotion over spectacle
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Not every match on a great PLE has to be a sprint or bomb fest. Izzi Dame vs Tatum Paxley leaned into character, psychology, and emotional fallout. It mostly landed.

Paxley came in looking broken and frayed, still carrying the emotional damage of Izzi’s betrayal. Dame played the manipulative ex mentor perfectly, switching between cruelty and condescension and constantly trying to drag Tatum back under her thumb.

The pace built slowly. Dame grinding her down with backbreakers and submissions, Paxley firing up through the pain, only to hesitate when Izzi twisted the emotional knife. The dolls spot, Spears handing Paxley the representations of their “partnership” only to rip one apart, was on the nose but effective. That hesitation was all Dame needed. Big boot and spinebuster followed for the three count.

Letting Dame win the first big chapter is the right call. Tatum’s eventual revenge will hit harder if she has to climb through more heartbreak to get there.

🚀 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge - Je’Von Evans becomes the Young OG
Match Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Leon Slater, Je’Von Evans, Myles Borne, Dion Lennox, and Joe Hendry went into the Men’s Iron Survivor with one goal. Do not just follow the women. Match them.

From the opening bell with Slater and Evans, it felt like the future of wrestling bouncing off every rope in the building. Those two together are pure highlight reel. Borne brought the grounding power game, Lennox brought menace and leadership, and Hendry brought volume. Say his name and the crowd responds.

Every entrant changed the match temperature. The double Coast to Coast on Hendry. The chaos around the penalty box. Borne chaining Born Again finishers and quietly looking like a favorite. Lennox having bursts where it felt like destiny was tapping him on the shoulder.

In the end, Deadline became Je’Von Evans’ night. Surviving a Swanton 450, scrambling for position, and stealing the final pin on Borne with three seconds left was perfect Iron Survivor theatre. It echoed Trick Williams’ win last year without feeling like a rerun.

Evans finishing with two falls while everyone else sat on one told the story clean. In a field full of future main eventers, he is the one NXT is ready to strap a rocket to.

🧨 Tony D’Angelo returns - The past crashes into the future
Segment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Just when it looked like Deadline had fully handed the keys to the next generation, the lights dropped and the past walked back in.

Tony D’Angelo’s surprise return, new look, heavier energy, made it clear he did not come back to smile and wave. Dropping Je’Von with a spinebuster and scattering the same black material Ava received on NXT signaled something colder and more calculated than his old “Don of NXT” run.

The silent, distant stare in Oba Femi’s direction was the exclamation point. NXT did not just set up Femi vs Evans for New Year’s Evil. It quietly laid the ground for a three way collision at the top of the brand. Deadline did not end with closure. It ended with a warning.

📊 Overall Thoughts - One of NXT’s best PLEs of 2025

NXT Deadline felt focused rather than bloated. Intentional rather than scattered.

The highs were very high:

The middle of the card did its job without dragging anything down. Nothing felt like dead weight. Add the sub three hour runtime and the clear emphasis on young talent and you have a show that not only entertained in the moment, but also set up NXT’s 2026 landscape in a very real way.

Is it the best NXT PLE of the year? The debate is between Deadline and Stand & Deliver, but this is absolutely in that conversation. As a season finale for NXT’s 2025 PLE run, this hit exactly where it needed to.

Overall Show Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8.5 out of 10)

🥇 Top 5 Most Impressive

⭐ Je’Von Evans - Big match clutch gene on full display, star making Iron Survivor win
⭐ Kendal Grey - Went the full distance and stole the match at the buzzer, future centerpiece energy
⭐ Oba Femi - Re established as a monster champion without sacrificing Ricky’s credibility
⭐ Ricky Saints - Sold, fought, and created drama, even in defeat he felt every bit like “the guy”
⭐ The full Iron Survivor fields - Both matches delivered at a level that made the stip feel must see, not just a gimmick

❌ The 3 Misses

❌ Mr Iguana’s title shot felt unearned on paper, fun match but NXT needs to be careful about overdoing random challenger programs
❌ Izzi and Paxley’s finish flirted with being overdone, the doll spot worked for story but risked undercutting Tatum’s fire in the closing stretch
❌ Some big names left off the card, which is a sign of depth but also a reminder that a stacked roster means some acts will struggle for PLE spotlight

🌟 Three Stars Of The Show

🌟 Je’Von Evans
🌟 Kendal Grey
🌟 Oba Femi

The Straight Shoot Unfiltered YouTube channel is stepping into a whole new era — and the momentum is already building. Over the past few months, the drive-in style video posts have become a signature part of the channel’s identity, offering raw, unfiltered reactions straight from the road. Fans have connected with that authenticity, and it’s helped fuel the channel’s fastest growth yet.

Now, December marks a major turning point.

For the entire month, MrTeshk and Jack Ohara (@jackoharatv on IG) are delivering daily videos, pushing the pace and setting the tone for what’s shaping up to be the biggest year in Straight Shoot history. This isn’t just a holiday content push — it’s the warm-up lap.

Because once 2026 hits?
The floodgates open.

Straight Shoot Unfiltered is gearing up for a surge of new content formats, expanded coverage, and deeper analysis across WWE, AEW, TNA, and the entire wrestling landscape. With WrestleMania season returning to Las Vegas, the team is already mapping out special projects, predictions, tier lists, live reactions, and on-the-ground coverage that will carry the Straight Shoot community into one of the most electric wrestling seasons ever.

If 2025 was the build…
2026 is the breakout.

Stay locked in, stay subscribed, and get ready — Straight Shoot Unfiltered is just getting started.

Be Good People🤘
mr.teshk

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