Our WWE SmackDown results for tonight include Motor City Machine Guns battling Los Garzas, Bianca Belair and Naomi defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against former WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax and Candice LeRae, Solo Sikoa returns to SmackDown after losing in Tribal Combat to the OTC Roman Reigns, Bayley challenging Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California..
WWE SmackDown Card:
- WWE Women’s Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Bayley
- Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Los Garzas (Angel & Berto)
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Bianca Belair and Naomi (c) vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae
- Solo Sikoa Returns to SmackDown
WWE SmackDown Results:
Wade Barret and Joe Tessitore intro the show while walking through the back of the arena. SmackDown will open up with San Diego’s own, Rey Mysterio.
Rey Mysterio’s Announcement
Mysterio puts over the crowd and his home town. Mysterio officially announces he will be in the 2025 Royal Rumble. The crowd cheers as Mysterio notes that when he last won the Royal Rumble he did it for a friend that we all know and love. The crowd chants “Eddie,” but before Mysterio can finish his thought, the Real World Champion Kevin Owens inturupts. Owens notes that he respect Mysterio more than anyone else in the industry. Owens puts over his winged eagle championship and that he is the true champion. There is one thing left for him to accomplish and that is stepping in the ring and having a match with Mysterio.
Owens is rooting for Mysterio in the Royal Rumble and asks him to pick him to face at WrestleMania if Mysterio wins the Royal Rumble. Mysterio says he loves competition, but Owens isn’t the champion, Cody Rhodes is. Owens scoffs. Mysterio says if Owens beats Rhodes at the Royal Rumble, he would be happy to challenge Owens at WrestleMania. Owen goes nuts because Mysterio says he isn’t the champion. Mysterio says first Drew McIntyre, no Owens. Owens is acting delusional like Mysterio’s son Dominik. Owens takes a swing at Mysterio. Mysterio fights Owens off.
Grade: B-
Decent opening segment. Having the hometown hero open the show makes sense. Not sure we need a Owens and Mysterio match, but here we are.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Bianca Belair and Naomi (c) vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae
Naomi and Belair are in control early, but Jax and LeRae take control during the break after a cheapshot from LeRae. After the break, Naomi gets the hot tag and floors Jax with a slingshot x-factor. Split-legged moonsault by Naomi. LeRae breaks up the pin. Belair spears Jax. Belair tries the superstar press, but LeRae dropkicks Belair mid flip. Step up senton by LeRae. Jax lands a senton. Belair kicks out. Belair lands a superstar press on LeRae. Jax tries to break up Belair’s pin with a leg drop, but Belair moves out of the way. Jax flattens LeRae. Belair those sJax out of the ring. Naomi lands a Bubba Bomb for the win.
Winners- Bianca Belair and Naomi
Grade: B
Good tag team match. Not 100% sure were this LeRae/Jax thing is going now that Jax dropped the title to Stratton. On the other end, it almost seems to obvious for Naomi to be the one who attacked Belair’s original partner Jade Cargill. Maybe Belair was actually behind it? What do you all think?
Read More: Nic Nemeth: A John Cena Appearance Would Be Game-Changing For TNA
Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes
Jimmy is on control early, as he attacks Hayes before the bell rings. Hayes stumbles as Jimmy puts on his shades to mocks HIM. After the break, Hayes is working over Jimmy. Jimmy fights out of a avalanche back suplex attempt from Hayes. Jimmy misses the whisper in the wind. Reverse springboard DDT by Hayes. Jimmy kicks out. After a double clothesline, both man fall with their hands across each other’s chest. The referee counts both men down. Both men kick out.
Jimmy fires up and lands a flurry of offense. Hayes surprises Jimmy with his patented head scissor face buster. Jimmy responds with a pop-up Samoan drop. Hayes kicks out. Jimmy tries the Uso Splash. Hayes counters with the first 48. Jimmy kicks out. Hayes misses Nothing but Net. Jimmy lands a nasty Superkick. Hayes kicks at two. Jimmy lands a Spear out of nowhere. Jimmy goes up top. Jacob Fatu appear son the apron. Tama Tonga pushes Jimmy off the top, causing a disqualification.
Winner- Jimmy Uso
Fatu and Tonga beatdown Jimmy. Hayes tries to join in and gets destroyed by a lariat from Fatu. Fatu obliterates Jimmy with two hip attacks. Solo Sikoa’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring.
Grade: B
Great match. Awesome aftermath. Match of the night so far.
The Former Tribal Chief…
The crowd boos as Sikoa stands there with the mic. Sikoa drops the mic, and leaves through the crowd. Tonga and Fatu stare at Sikoa as he leaves. Fatu grabs the mic and asks if this is what it comes to. He’s tired of the disrespect and hate. Fatu can feel the envy. On their best day, no one can touch Fatu. Everyone thinks he’s crazy, but the crazy thing about this situation is he’s just getting started. LA Knight‘s music hits. Knight attacks Fatu and Tonga from behind. Fatu and Tonga take out Knight. Braun Strowman powerwalks to the ring. Tonga tries a dive, but Strowman catches Tonga and tosses him into the barricade. Fatu and Strowman square off. Before they can clash, Tonga pulls Fatu out of the ring.
Grade: B
Interesting segment… We still have no idea what’s next for Sikoa, but it looks like Fatu is taking charge. Are we entering the Jacob Fatu Era? The real proof will be if he gets to destroy Strowman, which has to be the direction this is headed.
Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Los Garzas (Angel & Berto)
Angel and Berto are in control for most of the match, working over Sabin. Sabin and Shelley fire up and set up Skull and Bones. Pretty Deadly tries to cost MCMG the match, but it doesn’t work. Shelley and Sabin hit Skull and Bones for the win
Winners- MCMG
Grade: B
This writer is a fan of the Machine Guns and Los Garza, but this match was good until the finish. Every match doesn’t need outside interference.
Piper Niven w/Chelesa Green vs. B-Fab
B-Fab starts hot and lands a modified neckbreaker. Uranage by Niven. Niven misses a senton. B-Fab boots Niven out of the ring. Green mocks B-Fab. B-Fab dives off the apron and clotheslines Green. As B-Fab rolls back into the ring, Niven flattens B-Fab with a senton. Pop-up Driver by Niven. Niven pins B-Fab.
Winner- Piper Niven
After the match, Green and Niven beatdown B-Fab. Michin makes the save with a kendo stick.
Grade: C+
B-Fab looks better each time we see her in the ring. Niven is underutilized, but having her go over here makes sense. Niven has been on quite the losing streak and it’s hard to take someone seriously as a heater if they never beat anyone. Did it have to be B-Fab? No, but any and all in-ring reps are useful to B-Fab’s development.
The Real World Champion Kevin Owens vs. Rey Mysterio
Owens is in control early. Mysterio tries to fire up and gets shoulder blocked out of the ring. Owens counters Mysterio’s head scissor attempt and flattens him with a senton. Mysterio sends Owens into the barricade with a rana. Mysterio slides under the bottom rope and crushes Owens with a tadpole splash. After the break, Owens ducks a springboard from Mysterio and hits the Stunner! Mysterio kick out! Owens tries a swanton, but Mysterio gets his knees up. 619 by Mysterio. Mysterio goes up top. Owens crotches Mysterio and lands a pop-up powerbomb for the win.
Winner- Kevin Owens
After the match, Owens tries to package piledrive Mysterio. Cody Rhodes hits the ring and attacks Owens. Both men are separated by security.
Grade: B-
Good TV match. Crazy to see Mysterio kick out of a Stunner, but fall to a pop-up powerbomb. The brawl at the end highlighted the anamis between Rhodes and Owens. It’s interesting how we essentially see the same thing every week with these fueds (big pull apart brawls) but WWE somehow manages to make (most of these) feel different. It doesn’t take away from anything, which is an achievement.
NXT’s Roxanne Perez is in the crowd to watch the next match.
WWE Women’s Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Bayley
Bayley and Stratton trade strikes and takedowns. Bayley sends Stratton out of the ring with a clothesline. After the break, Stratton is working over Bayley’s shoulder. Bayley fires up and drops Stratton on the ring apron. Bayley tries a dive, but Stratton blasts her with an elbow strike. Stratton wraps Bayley up in the ring skirt and lands a running hip attack. After the break, Bayley lands a superplex. Stratton kicks out. Bayley goes up top, but Stratton stuns her arm on the top rope. Swanton by Stratton. Stratton follows that with a powerbomb for a near fall. Stratton immediately locks Bayley in a Fujiwara armbar.
Bayley turns it into a pin. Stratton kicks out and the fight spills out of the ring. Bayley suplexes Stratton on the commentary desk, then off of the commentary desk. Bayley takes a moment to jaw with Perez at ringside before landing a diving elbow for another near fall. Bayley lands the Bayley-to-belly for a near fall. Stratton surprise Bayley with an armDT. Stratton goes up top. Bayley cuts Stratton off and lands a sunset flip bomb into the corner. Stratton kicks out. Bayley tries the Rose Plant, but Stratton reverses it into a cartwheel Alabama slam. Prettiest Moonsault Every by Stratton. Stratton pins Bayley.
Winner- Tiffany Stratton
Grade: B
Good match with a creative finish. This writer is shocked that Perez didn’t get involved in the finish, but Stratton getting a strong win to start her reign is for the best.
WWE SmackDown Review:
This weeks show didn’t move like last weeks did. There wasn’t a ton of storyline advancement here, but there was a ton of solid in-ring action. Match of the night was the main event between Stratton and Bayley, but Hayes vs. Jimmy Uso was a close second.
Rating: B-
This event is ongoing. This information will be updated as the event progresses.
WrestleZone features weekly audio and video content on Facebook, YouTube, and your favorite podcast apps like Apple, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Subscribe now for hours of exciting wrestling content, including exclusive interviews, previews, reviews, and more!
