WWE wrapped up SmackDown for 2024 with a great show from Tampa, FL. Cody Rhodes returned and will face Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble in a Ladder Match. Kevin Owens has retained ownership of the Winged Eagle Belt, and Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline got the upper hand on Sami Zayn. This came after Zayn defeated Carmelo Hayes in a great match.
Chelsea Green addressed her adoring public as Women's United States Champion, and Tiffany Stratton flirted cashing in on Nia Jax as they and Candace LeRae were defeated by Bayley, Bianca Belair, and Naomi. Braun Strowman defeated Austin Theory while also feuding with Carmelo Hayes and The Bloodline, and the tag team division is in chaos. Street Profits defeated Legado Del Fantasma, as Pretty Deadly, Motor City Machine Guns, and DIY all had something to say for themselves in a great end to 2024 on the Blue Brand.
- Nick Aldis declares Kevin Owens must relinquish the Winged Eagle Championship by the end of the evening.
- Naomi, Bayley, and Bianca Belair defeated Nia Jax, Candace LeRae, and Tiffany Stratton
- Sami Zayn arrived on SmackDown to talk to Nick Aldis. Sami vs Carmelo Hayes was made after an altercation between them.
- Braun Strowman defeated Austin Theory
- Michin Interrupted Chelsea Green's US Title Celebration
- Street Profits defeated Legado Del Fantasma.
- Cody Rhodes returned
- Cody vs Kevin Owens in a ladder match for the WWE Championship is official for the 2025 Royal Rumble.
1 Kevin Owens Refuses To Give Up The Winged Eagle Belt
For the past 2 weeks, Kevin Owens has paraded around the WWE Universe, brandishing the classic and coveted Winged Eagle Championship and declaring himself the WWE Champion. It may not be official, but it has been very, very fun. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis told KO to give up the belt by the end of the evening, as everyone in the audience and at home let out a collective "good luck with that".
This is the first Ladder Match at the Royal Rumble since Chris Jericho defeated Chris Benoit for the Intercontinental Championship in 2001.
Arriving with the Winged Eagle Championship at the end of the show, Kevin Owens was confronted by a returning Cody Rhodes carrying the official WWE Championship. Cody refuses to make KO a martyr, and Kevin Owens remains furious that a referee's mistake cost him the title at Saturday Night's Main Event. Kevin Owens vs Cody Rhodes in a WWE Championship ladder match at the Royal Rumble is now official. It is a tantalizing prospect as a match, and a red-hot start to WWE's PLE schedule in 2025.
2 Nia Puts A Cat Among The Pigeons
One of SmackDown's biggest current stories revolves around the mystery of who injured Jade Cargill. Having been off camera for a few weeks now, Bianca Belair and Naomi look like a legitimate Tag Team, but WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax cut a promo ahead of the match accusing Bianca Belair of injuring Jade Cargill. She would be better served to keep an eye on her own doorstep, as the gap between herself and Ms Money In The Bank, Tiffany Stratton, continues to widen.
SmackDown's women are doing a great job of creating intriguing drama. Between Crown Jewel and WarGames, the whole women's division suffered a giant disruption to the momentum of their rivalries. As we head into Netflix, every one of these women has character, a motive, and a purpose. This column has suspected Naomi from the beginning when it comes to Jade's injury and we are not changing our vote now.
3 The Monster Lives On SmackDown
Braun Strowman has had a very busy start to life on SmackDown in the first three weeks since his move from Raw. Defeating Carmelo Hayes on his first night on the Blue Brand, and last week he destroyed the set of The Grayson Waller Effect after being a guest on the show. This week, Strowman picked up another W against Austin Theory in a very entertaining match, showing Braun's power and the underrated personality of A-Town Down Under. But he wasn't done for the night.
In an era where everyone is getting their shot, it is a big show of faith that Braun Strowman would later be involved in a great segment with the Bloodline and Sami Zayn. Braun Strowman is being booked as a threat again, and maybe it's that he's lost the cheesier, "more Vince-friendly" side of his game, but this is a whole new monster.
4 A Red, White, And Green Celebration
As had to be expected when she made WWE history, Chelsea Green is gloriously insufferable as United States Champion. Her celebration, delivered while dressed as the Statue of Liberty and quoting Fergie Ferg, was as obnoxious as you'd expect, but there's something special going on with Ms Green. Not only is her star continuing to sore, but Chelsea Green is elevating all who work with her. Piper Niven continues to improve as her suffering sidekick, Michin receives a hero's welcome to shut up, and Green excels more and more with every passing week.
Most encouragingly for everybody, it feels like there is a wealth of mid-card talent for Chelsea to work with. This reign and Championship has real promise, even more so when there's an extra hour of television from next week on. Michin and Chelsea Green are stepping up to the challenge of making the US Championship matter. There's plenty more where that came from.
5 Tag Team Turmoil Continues
After being laid out ahead of their Tag Team Championship match a few weeks ago, the Street Profits are finally ready to make whoever injured them pay. The smart money remains on DIY, but Pretty Deadly intervened to suspiciously accuse Garza and Berto of Legado Del Fantasma. Despite his reluctance to believe them, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis booked a match for Street Profits to "get their revenge".
Montez and Dawkins picked up a win in SmackDown's ultra-competitive Tag Team division, and Apollo Crews suggested that Pretty Deadly were lying about who injured them and DIY are to blame. All this and Motor City Machine Guns were also involved in putting their name into the title picture. The tag division is having a real moment on SmackDown.
Only The Bloodline has beaten Street Profits in two-on-two competition since June.
6 Melo Is Money And Sami's In Trouble
Carmelo Hayes feels like he is set to explode on the Main Roster in 2025. His outburst in Nick Aldis's office to Sami Zayn landed him in the ring with one of the finest professional wrestlers of the last 15 years. Sami vs Melo was every bit as good as expected, only furthering the fact that Melo is ready for the next stage of his evolution. Melo threw out Xmas cards that had Braun Strowman laid out from last week's show, angering the monster and furthering their feud.
It may be veering dangerously into Fantasy Booking territory, but the thought of Carmelo Hayes eliminating the Kaiju-sized Strauman at the Royal Rumble is easy to get behind. He has been given plenty of opportunities this year, and, as his nickname suggests, Melo has not missed. This match went to a No Contest as The Bloodline arrived to destroy Sami Zayn in an awesome segment (with Braun Strowman in the mix too), but Hayes earned his share of the spotlight.
- SmackDown will run for 3 hours as of next week's show.
- Grayson Waller is a star. Everything he does is pure gold. Watch him go in 2025.
- Andrade vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Nia Jax defending her Championship against Naom are set for next week's SmackDown.
- Austin Theory has not won a singles match since January 26th vs Carmelo Hayes.
- If loving Pretty Deadly is wrong, we don't want to be right. Yes, boy.
- The mic work from Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes in their feud has been immaculate.
- Cody Rhodes's last WWE ladder match was as Stardust in a seven-man Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 32.
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