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The Kingpin on the John Cena promo at the start of SmackDown

Posted: Aug 3rd 2025 By: Mike Iles

I saw a couple of social media posts about the opening segment of SmackDown this past Friday. So I hopped on over to the USA Network app and watched it. I enjoyed immensely. Let me tell you why.

People used to say that Dusty Rhodes could "talk people into the building". That is a 100% true statement. After watching the SmackDown open, John Cena did the same and WWE did it right. From Cena's shirt and hat being in New York Jets green and the front logo on the hat having the oval on it like the Jets logo (they were in Newark, NJ about a half hour from the stadium that the Jets play in), to the well worded promo, it probably talked people that were on the fence into watching SummerSlam tonight. Me being one of them.

When I got into wrestling in 2004, Raymon Downey told me I would probably stop watching wrestling on TV. I thought he was crazy. I was still watching it every chance it was on TV. Sometimes recorded, sometimes live. It was why I wanted to get into the business. I was a couple of months shy of turning 35, so I felt I was too old (and to be honest, too out of shape) to start wrestling. I knew I had a decent voice so ring announcing it was. But Raymon said that and it turned out he was right. I knew how wrestling "worked", but yet I didn't at the same time and then it all made sense. It was like the curtain was pulled back and The Great and Powerful Oz was just The Wizard, who was really just a huckster from Kansas. Or a magician that shows you how the trick is done. But I digress.

I have had Peacock since before WWE was added, but the last PLE I have watched was night 1 of "WrestleMania XL" in 2024. But to be fair, I was watching it on my phone while at the Tulsa Oilers indoor football game. So my attention was occasionally diverted. To be even more fair, and probably no shock to anyone that knows me, I watched because it was in Philadelphia and I was pretty sure Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles (Go Birds!) would be there. Of course, they were and they helped Rey Mysterio & Andrade in their match against Dominik Mysterio & Santos Escobar. I did not watch any of night 2.

So now I am interested in tonight's "SummerSlam" night 2 event. Cena did his job. He talked at least one person into watching the PLE, and probably thousands more. Will he turn on Cody Rhodes yet again? Will Cody turn on Cena? Will The Rock be there to side with either? Plenty of questions surround this match. I was very critical when Cena turned on Cody. But on "SmackDown" he walked out to the ring to boos and being hated. He left the ring to cheers and being loved again. Like I said, very well done.