WWE SmackDown is going to have a hard time following up an eventful Raw at Madison Square Garden this week, where the fans witnessed a surprise appearance by Dolph Ziggler in the "Last Time Is Now" Tournament, a new Intercontinental Champion in Maxxine Dupri, as well as epic returns by AJ Lee, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns. Chelsea Green is scheduled to celebrate her U.S. Title over Giulia, and Ilja Dragunov's U.S. Title Open Challenges will likely resume this week. WWE will also continue the build to Survivor Series, where War Games Matches for both divisions will take place.
WWE already has four matches official for the event: Team Punk vs. Team Vision, Team AJ Lee vs. Team Becky Lynch, Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Nikki Bella for the World Title, and John Cena (c) vs. Dirty Dom for the IC Title. WWE will likely add another match to the card, as Sami Zayn has assembled a team to battle the MFTs in a faction war. This week on SmackDown, three matches have been officially scheduled: Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed, Penta vs. Finn Balor, and Fraxiom vs. DIY. Without further ado, here are the official SmackDown Predictions for November 21, 2025.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed ["Last Time Is Now" Tournament]
The winner of this match will battle the heel Gunther on Raw this Monday, so that means it is more likely for a babyface to win here. Carmelo Hayes fits that description here, as he recently turned babyface in his feud with The Miz. He might actually get lucky here because Reed is quite busy with his War Games Match against Team Punk to the point that he does not need a victory in this John Cena tournament as much as Hayes, who actually debuted in NXT in a similar manner to how Cena did in his debut against Kurt Angle. Henceforth, he should be a top candidate to advance to round 2.
Prediction: Carmelo Hayes
Penta vs. Finn Balor ["Last Time Is Now" Tournament]
The winner of this match will battle the heel Solo Sikoa on Raw this Monday, so that means it is more likely for a babyface to win here. Penta fits that description here, as he has been a babyface since signing with the WWE. There was a moment in 2018 when Cena put over Balor in a huge way on his road to battling for the Universal Title. However, now that Balor's days are numbered in the main event scene, Penta would be a better investment as a fresh rising star who could benefit greatly in the ring with Cena. The online meme pertaining to "Pin Balor" will continue, even fpr this tournament.
Prediction: Penta
Fraxiom vs. DIY [Tag Match]
These teams had a faceoff backstage due to their frustrations with being held back in the tag division as the Wyatt Sicks run roughshod as tag champs. DIY are former tag champs who should be taken more seriously on the main roster due to their impeccable storytelling in NXT. Fraxiom were also prestigious tag champs in NXT but they have not yet won gold on the main roster. They need the win more to finally get that opportunity, but they need a storyline reason to defeat the established DIY. This feud will continue beyond one match, but DIY definitely needs to put them in their place first.
Prediction: DIY
Confirmed Match Card & Segments for 11/21 WWE SmackDown Episode:
- Carmelo Hayes vs Bronson Reed in the "Last Time is Now" Tournament
- Penta vs. Finn Balor in the "Last Time is Now" Tournament
- Fraxiom vs DIY in a Tag Team Match
- Chelsea Green U.S. Title Celebration
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