Cody Rhodes Starts the Show, Shinsuke Nakamura VS Andrade
The first 3-hour SmackDown kicked off with Cody Rhodes as the Undisputed WWE Champion came out to talk about Kevin Owens! Before Cody could say much though, Drew McIntyre’s music hit as Drew arrived and hugged The American Nightmare in what was a very strange and surprising moment! McIntyre then went on to say he’s here to help Rhodes, not hurt him, but Cody didn’t buy this which is when Drew said “You need to watch your back” before he left! As soon as that happened, Kevin Owens attacked Cody Rhodes from behind before officials broke them up! This was certainly an interesting segment, and that’s definitely a good thing!
Grade: B-
We then headed straight into the first match of the night as Shinsuke Nakamura clashed with Andrade! This was a decent contest, it got plenty of time, and it’s not really a surprise given these men are both former NXT Champions! Andrade was rolling at certain moments, particularly following his vicious double knees, but in the end, a Kinshasa was enough for Shinsuke to get the win! After the match, LA Knight arrived to take out Nakamura, but the United States Champion was able to escape before The Megastar said he’s coming back for his Title!
Grade: C+
Michin VS Piper Niven, Solo Sikoa Interrupts Paul Heyman
Pretty Deadly were talking with Apollo Crews backstage before Legado Del Fantasma came over to them and made their feelings clear when it comes to PD lying about Los Garza last week! Nick Aldis then broke things up to have a chat with Kit Wilson and Elton Prince, but DIY came over to back their “friends” up! This is exactly what I needed! Michin then made her way down to the ring as she went one-on-one with Piper Niven! This was a decent little match, both women are talented, and there were some good spots! However, it was also pretty standard at times, especially with the crowd, but in the end, Michin was able to beat Niven with Eat Defeat to the disdain of one Chelsea Green!
Grade: C+
After a Naomi video package, Paul Heyman was in the ring as The Wiseman wanted to address the upcoming Tribal Combat Match between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa! Paul said him and Roman trained Solo up as the next in line, but Sikoa stole the Ulafala after WrestleMania meaning he was never going to have people Acknowledge Him! That’s the reason why Sikoa brought in the likes of Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu, but this is when Solo arrived to give Heyman an offer of his own! If Roman wins on Monday, Sikoa will Acknowledge him as The Tribal Chief! However, “when” Solo wins, not only will Reigns have to Acknowledge him as The Tribal Chief, but Heyman must join him as his Wiseman forever! You could tell that this scared Paul Heyman to the point that he left without saying anything, this was very good!
Grade: B
WWE Tag Team Championships: DIY VS Motor City Machine Guns, Nia Jax VS Naomi: WWE Women’s Championship
After a video promo, the Motor City Machine Guns headed down to the ring to try and recapture the WWE Tag Team Championships from DIY! This was the best match of the night in-ring-wise, it was really good and competitive, and I expect both teams to have pretty strong 2025’s! In the end, though, we didn’t actually get a proper finish as Pretty Deadly arrived to cause a distraction before a brawl with Los Garza broke through into the ring, causing the referee to call for the bell! What was good about this though is DIY were absolutely delighted, mainly because they were close to losing their Gold (again)!
Grade: B-
Candice LeRae was getting in the ear of Nia Jax backstage before Sami Zayn bumped into Carmelo Hayes! Melo called his shot for a rematch against Sami, but this is when The Usos showed up before Hayes walked off! Zayn then left to get his gear as Jey Uso bumped into Kevin Owens (which is very interesting) before Cody Rhodes told Nick Aldis that he will drop KO on sight when he sees him next! It was then time for the second Championship match of the night as Nia Jax put her WWE Women’s Title on the line against Naomi! This started off slow and a bit clunky, but in fairness, the action did pick up a lot in the final 5 minutes! Nia and Naomi work well together which is a good thing, but ultimately, this match was all about the ending! See, Tiffany Stratton ran down to cash in her Money in the Bank Briefcase, but this was all a ruse as Tiffany nailed Naomi in the head with her Briefcase before Nia hit the Annihilator to get the win! After the match, more shocks occurred as Stratton hit Jax in the back with the Briefcase before Bianca Belair (who wasn’t aware of what happened) dropped Queen Nia with a K.O.D. as Stratton then dumped Belair over the announce table! Tiffy then properly cashed in her MITB contract as she nailed Nia Jax with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to get the win meaning Tiffany Stratton is the new WWE Women’s Champion! This so good, Tiffany came across as a genius here, and it was a great way to start the new year!
Grade: B+ (Match and Post-Match Angle Combined)
The Bloodline VS The O.G. Bloodline
After LA Knight confirmed he’s getting a rematch with Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship next week, it was Main Event time as The Bloodline clashed with The Usos and Sami Zayn of The O.G. Bloodline! Due to the extra hour, each match got a lot more time than it usually would, and it was no different here! This took up pretty much the last half an hour of the show, and I thought it was fun to watch! Jacob Fatu did most of the work, with him destroying Jimmy Uso with a couple of high-flying manoeuvres, and Drew McIntyre also made his presence known at ringside! In the end, Solo Sikoa was able to get the win for his team, but by pinning Jey Uso which was a big surprise! Still, the result made sense, even though it pretty much confirms that Sikoa is losing on Monday!
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