Our WWE SmackDown results for tonight include WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton set to address the WWE Universe, Shinsuke Nakamura defending the United States Championship against the former champion LA Knight, and Women’s United States Champion defending against Michin. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
WWE SmackDown Card:
- United States Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. LA Knight
- WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton set to address the WWE Universe
- Women’s United States Championship Match: Chelsea Green (c) vs. Michin
WWE SmackDown Results:
As the show kicks off, Paul Heyman makes his way into he arena.
The Wiseman Cometh
Heyman says he is proud to be here tonight to announce that there is only one Tribal Chief. The crowd goes wild. Heyman notes that Roman Reigns has authorized him to share what he plans on doing next. He’s sharing this news, and it needs to be delivered to a specific person fast to face. That person is the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. Heyman politely asks Rhodes to join him in the ring. The champion obliges.
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Heyman puts over Rhodes and notes that Rhodes has earned the respect of Reigns. The message that Heyman is here to deliver is that now that Reigns has the ‘Ula Fala back, he wants his title back. Reigns wants Rhodes to know how he will get his title back. Heyman proclaims that Reigns is officially entering the 2025 Royal Rumble and will challenge Rhodes at WrestleMania. With that in mind, Heyman asks Rhodes what he wants to talk about.
Before Rhodes can answer, Kevin Owens interrupts from the crowd. Owens complains about Rhodes shaking hands with The Rock on Raw and shaking hands with Heyman tonight. Rhodes hops out of the ring and brawls with Owens in the crowd. Back in the ring, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga hit the ring and surround Heyman. Jimmy Uso’s music hits. Jimmy runs to the ring, landing a flurry of superkicks and hip attacks. Tonga gets laid out with a chair.
Jimmy wacks Fatu with the chair, but it has no effect. Fatu surprises Jimmy with a running body block. Tonga and Fatu wrap a chair around Jimmy’s neck. Referees and officials try to break this up. Fatu superkicks a referee and Keny Dykstra. Rhodes eventually makes his way back to the ring and makes the save.
Grade: B
Another good opening segment for SmackDown. The road to the Royal Rumble is fully underway with big names, in this case, Roman Reigns, declaring for the match. Rhodes has several targets on his back, and that’s precisely how it should be for the champion. Owens is still very clearly the only person on the roster who watches the show; he constantly points out the hypocrisy of people like Rhodes, and this writer loves him for it.
Women’s United States Championship Match: Chelsea Green (c) w/Piper Niven vs. Michin
Michin immediately tries to finish. Green rolls out of the ring. Michin is all over Green. Green avoids a dive from Michin and sends her careening out of the ring. Green launches Michin into the barricade. Michin rolls in before she gets counted out. After the break, Niven tries to get involved. Michin takes Niven out with a cannonball off the apron. Michin tries a top ropes crossbody. Green rolls through and grabs a handful of tights for the win.
Winner- Chelsea Green
After the match, Michin goes after Green. Niven runs over Michin and flattens her with a senton.
Grade: C+
It was a fun TV match, but this suffered from an obvious winner syndrome; in some cases, that wouldn’t detract from the match. But they haven’t done enough to build Michin as a contender in this case. Yes, she lost to the current champ in the finals of the tournament. There isn’t a single person who thought Michin would win that match. Maybe spend a few weeks giving Michin wins over people other than Piper Niven to build up instead of rushing to this match. Also, and this is a side note, but does Michin not have any friends? Not one person came out to save her at the end of that. Crazy stuff.
Los Garza w/Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez vs. Pretty Deadly
Angel and Berto land dives before the match starts. Los Garza is firmly in control, landing a big move on Prince and Wilson. Pretty Deadly takes control after Berto is low bridges by Wilson. After the break, Berto manages to tag in Angel. Angel clears the ring. Wilson screams for #DIY’s help, but of course, they are nowhere to be found. Prince sneak attacks Angel while the referee is distracted. Lopez hops on the apron to distract the referee. Escobar crotches Prince on the top rope. Berto and Angel hit the NTY on Prince for the win.
Winners- Los Garza
Grade: B-
This match was both fun and hilarious. Matches featuring two bad-guy teams rarely work, but watching Pretty Deadly and Los Garza try to out-cheat each other was fun. Angel and Berto are both amazing in the ring, and Prince and Wilson’s bad guy Shtick harkens back to ’80s heels (bad guys who cheat to win and aren’t worried about being “cool”), which is something today’s wrestling is missing.
United States Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. LA Knight
Knight and Nakamura get tied up in the corner. Nakamura tries a cheapshot, but Knight slips it and lands a flurry of strikes. Nakamura retreats to the ropes. Knight charges in. Nakamura stuns Knight and lands a running knee strike on the apron. Nakamura works over Knight. Knight sends Nakamura over the top. Diving dropkick through the ropes by Knight. Knight slams Nakamura’s head into the commentary desk. Nakamura sends Knight into the ring post twice.
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After the break, Knight fires up and locks Nakamura in an inverted Boston Crab. Nakamura gets to the rope. After a series of reversals, Nakamura lands the Kinshasa. Knight gets his foot on the bottom rope. Knight lands the BFT. Before Knight can make the pin, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga hop the barricade and attack Knight, causing a disqualification.
Winner- LA Knight
After the match, Fatu and Tonga beat down Knight. Rhodes and Jimmy make the save. Rhodes demands a tag match against Fatu and Tonga tonight. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis books the match.
Grade: B-
It was a good match and a predictable ending.
Motor City Machine Gun vs. A-Town Down Under
Theory and Waller are in control early, working over Shelley. Sabin and Shelley eventually land Skull and Bones on Theory for the win.
Winners- Motor City Machine Guns
Grade: C
… Why does Theory eat every pin?
It’s Tiffy Time!
Tiffany Stratton is in the ring with Byron Saxton. Saxton congratulates Stratton. Stratton screams that it’s Tiffy time! Stratton puts herself over as better than all of the WWE Universe’s favorites and the new WWE Women’s Champion. Saxton asks Stratton about putting up with bullying from the former champion Nia Jax. Stratton exclaims that this was all part of her plan, she got close to Jax to lull her into a sense of security. Everyone better put some respect on Stratton’s name. Nia Jax interrupts.
Jax calls Stratton a little sh*t. Jax yells that she made Stratton. Stratton would be nothing without her. Jax says Tiffy’s time is up. Either Stratton gives Jax her title back, or Jax will take it from her. Bayley interrupts and says if this was Stratton’s plan all along, well done because Bayley was convinced Stratton was stupid. Bayley knows Jax is stupid. Jax rolls her eyes. Bayley notes that Jax only had the title because of Stratton, so it’s only fitting that Bayley gets the first shot. Naomi and Bianca Belair interrupt.
Naomi says she had Jax beat last week. Jax tells Naomi no one cares about her. Jax gets in Bianca’s face and mushes Naomi. Naomi gets in Jax’s face. Everyone brawls as Stratton rolls out of the ring. While everyone else fights, Stratton takes everyone out with the prettiest moonsault ever. As Stratton walks up the ramp, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis walks out on the stage and books a four-way number one contender’s match that starts right now.
Number One Contender’s Match: Bianca Belair vs. Naomi vs. Nia Jax vs. Bayley
Jax clears the ring early. Belair and Naomi try to suplex Jax, but they end up getting suplexes by Jax. Bayley sends Jax out of the ring. Bayley and Naomi trade shots. Naomi slides under a clothesline from Bayley an twerks at her. Jax pulls Bayley out of the ring and launches her into the barricade. Naomi tries a rana, but Jax reverses it into a powerbomb. Belair breaks up the pin. Belair trades shots with Jax. Jax counters Belair’s corner ten punches with a powerbomb. Bayley breaks up the pin with a running knee.
Jax sets up a top rope Samoan drop on Bayley. Naomi and Belair turn it into a tower of doom, powerbombing Bayley and Jax off the top. After the break, everyone lands a big move on Jax. Belair, Naomi, and Bayley try to pin Jax at the same time, but the referee refuses to count. Candice LeRae walks to ringside to support Jax. Belair picks up Bayley for the KOD. LeRae pulls Belair’s braid, so she drops Bayley. Belair accidentally whips Naomi with her hair. Jax pulls Belair out of the ring. Jax and Belair tumble over the commentary desk, fighting. Back in the ring, Bayley lands the Rose Plant on Naomi for the win.
Winner- Bayley
Grade: B-
This wasn’t the best multi-person match in recent memory, but it was solid. Belair, Jax, Naomi, and Bayley all work well together, specifically with Jax doing her best work when in the ring with one of those three women. Interestingly, Jax didn’t win here, but considering LeRae’s involvement in the finish, it’s safe to assume that this match didn’t just line up Stratton’s first challenger but the Women’s Tag Team Champions’ next challengers as well (Jax and LeRae).
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Jimmy Uso vs. Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga
Roads works over Tonga’s arm. Jimmy tags in and lands an ax handle on Tonga’s arm. During the break, Fatu takes over on Jimmy. Tonga and Fatu take turns working over Jimmy. Jimmy eventually manages to tag in Rhodes. Rhodes blasts Tonga with a disaster kick. Rhodes sends Fatu and Tonga flying out of the ring. Suicide dive by Rhodes. Rhodes unloads on Tonga with a bit of flip, flop, and fly. Bionic elbow by Rhodes. Tonga escapes Crossroads and lands a guillotine DDT.
Rhodes kicks out. Rhodes superplexes Tonga as Jimmy dives off the top and lands a splash. Fatu breaks up the pin. Super Cody Cutter by Rhodes. Jimmy sends Fatu over to the commentary desk. Kevin Owens appears on the ramp. Rhode attacks Owens. Owens and Rhodes fight to the back. Back in the ring, Jimmy lands a Spear. Uso Splash by Jimmy. Fatu pulls Jimmy out of the ring and slams him into the commentary desk—Impaler DDT by Fatu. Fatu hits the Best Moonsault Ever for the win.
Winners- Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga
After the match, Owens and Rhode are fighting on top of a line of road crates. Rhodes tackles Owens off the crates through a table. Both men are down. Referees and officials check on both men.
Grade: B
Solid TV main event. Fatu continues to shine every time he in on our TV screens. The Bloodline got a much-needed win, and Owens and Rhodes furthered their feud with a short but effective brawl after the match.
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