Warning: The following copy has SPOILERS for WWE SmackDown (Jan 10,2025)
WWE continued its hot streak in Portland, OR, as WWE SmackDown continued its road to the 2025 Royal Rumble. Paul Heyman and Cody Rhodes opened the show with an intense discussion about one of the biggest events on WWE's calendar. Chelsea Green defended her women's United States Championship against Michin, and SmackDown's impressive Tag division continued to gather momentum with Los Garza vs Pretty Deadly, and Motor City Machine Guns vs A-Town Down Under, making the path to DIY's Tag Team Championship a little clearer.
In a rematch of their Survivor Series encounter, Shinsuke Nakamura and LA Knight battled for the United States Championship. Tiffany Stratton celebrated her WWE Women's Championship victory, but not everybody was happy for the new champion. Cody Rhodes and Jimmy Uso joined forces to take on The Bloodline in the night's Main Event.
Paul Heyman opened SmackDown, before calling out Cody Rhodes. He says Roman Reigns is now coming for "his" WWE Championship and declares for the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble match.
Before Cody could respond, Kevin Owens interrupted from the crowd. KO is now irate that Cody has made peace with The Rock. Cody fought KO into the crowd, leaving Paul Heyman alone in the ring.
Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu hit the ring and stalked Heyman. Jimmy Uso attempted to make the save, The Bloodline took the upper hand, before Cody returned to save Jimmy and Heyman. The Bloodline were then locked out of the arena by LA Knight.
Chelsea Green pinned Michin via roll-up. The challenger attempted to attack Green after the bell, but was cut down by Piper Niven.
Los Garza defeated Pretty Deadly, with interference from Santos Escobar helping secure the victory.
LA Knight defeated Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ, as The Bloodline returned to leave Knight on the canvas. Jimmy Uso & Cody Rhodes arrived to challenge The Bloodline in the night's Main Event.
Motor City Machine Guns were victorious over A-Town Down Under in a lengthy, PLE Quality match.
Tiffany Stratton celebrated her WWE Women's Championship victory until Nia Jax, Bayley, Naomi, and Bianca Belair interrupted. Tiffany then took them all out with a Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
Bayley emerged as the leading contender for Stratton's title. Nick Aldis put Bayley, Nia, Naomi and Bianca in a Fatal Four Way match, and Bayley Rose Planted Naomi for the win.
Tiffany Stratton vs Bayley for the Women's Championship will now take place next week, alongisde Solo Sikoa's return and Motor City Machine Guns vs Los Garza.
The Bloodline defeated Cody Rhodes and Jimmy Uso, as Jacob Fatu pinned Jimmy to win the match. Kevin Owens interfered, with Cody and KO fighting all the way to the back of the arena, before Cody speared KO off of flight cases and through a table as SmackDown went off the air.
Roman Reigns Enters The 2025 Royal Rumble
It doesn’t get much bigger than Paul Heyman opening SmackDown and calling out the WWE Champion. After defeating Solo Sikoa on this week’s Monday Night Raw debut on Netflix, The Wiseman was on hand to deliver the message to Rhodes that Reigns was coming back for "his championship", and didn’t want to blindside Cody with his plans on how he plans to get it. It's simple. Roman Reigns is declaring for the 2025 Royal Rumble and putting the whole roster on notice in the meantime.
After John Cena and CM Punk (unofficially) declared themselves for the match on Raw, the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble match is threatening to be one of the most stacked in history. WWE have opened with three of the biggest names in the history of wrestling entering the fray, and with the likes of Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, and Jey Uso potentially joining the party, this is a thrilling start to this year’s Rumble season and a really difficult year to predict a winner.
All the things that stand between John Cena and glory at WrestleMania (and how he can overcome them all) at the 2025 Royal Rumble.
LA Knight Pokes The Bloodline
The Megastar was made to pay the price for interfering with The Bloodline earlier in the night, as Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga cost LA Knight the United States Championship. After a largely entertaining match, LA Knight managed to plant Shinsuke Nakamura with a BLT, but his pinfall was halted by The Bloodline. It seemed like a bold decision for Knight to remove the Samoans from the building earlier in the night, and so it came to pass. With The Show Of Shows in sight, could WWE be looking at Jacob Fatu or Solo Sikoa to be LA Knight’s WrestleMania opponent?
Bayley Is SmackDown's Number One Contender For The Women's Championship
On a week that was largely about Monday Night Raw and its enormous Netflix viewership, SmackDown benefitted from some great spontaneity in the Women’s Championship scene. Fresh from Tiffany Stratton’s thrilling cash-in on last week’s show, the Champion was keen to let everybody know that it is about to be Tiffy Time for the foreseeable future. It was a confident and fun promo that suggests she's more than capable of carrying her first single's title on the main roster.
Stratton’s Championship celebration was interrupted four times, as Nia Jax, Tag Team Champions Naomi and Bianca Belair, and Bayley took their shot at the champ, before they were all thrown into an impromptu Number One’s Contender Fatal Four Way match. Bayley picked up the win and will face Stratton in her first title defence on next week’s SmackDown. As she pointed out, Bayley has never lost to Stratton in single's competition.
Tag Team Title Picture Gets A Little Clearer
After weeks of bickering, interference, and superstar matches, Motor City Machine Guns and Legado Del Fantasma’s Los Garza both made strong claims to be number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Pretty Deadly called out for DIY, hoping to capitalize on scratching the champions back in recent weeks, but their cries fell on deaf ears as Los Garza picked up the victory in their match early into the evening.
Motor City Machine Guns then defeated A-Town Down Under in a sensational match, Skull And Bones earning the veterans the pinfall. DIY were quick to dismiss Pretty Deadly backstage, and now Motor City Machine Guns vs Los Garza is set for next week’s SmackDown in a Number One Contender's match, with The Street Profits waiting in the wings. No doubt about it, Ciampa and Gargano are wanted men.
Cody And Kevin Owens Won't Be Stopped
Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens have decided that nothing is going to come between them, as their rivalry gets more violent and personal on the road to their Ladder Match at the upcoming Royal Rumble. Fighting on Raw, was followed by brawling in the crowd on SmackDown, and finally Kevin Owens interrupted the night's Main Event for more action with Cody Rhodes. Rhodes would put KO through a table at the back of the arena, leaving both men writhing in pain at the end of the show. Cody remains favorite for their Rumble title encounter, but Owens's stock (and that of the Kevin Is Right campaign) rises every time he's given airtime.
It was a deceptively big week for WWE's blue brand, but SmackDown put on a phenomenal show in a week where all the chatter has been about Raw's Netflix debut. SmackDown continues to be vital WWE programming, and any notion that WWE's programming would be all about Raw can be entirely dismissed. This week's show threw up a shock women's Fatal Four Way Number One Contender match, two title defenses, the Only Tribal Chief declaring for the Royal Rumble, sensational tag team wrestling, and an incredible spot from the WWE Champion and his Number One Contender to build towards their Royal Rumble Ladder Match to close.
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