Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," and the first one where the show clocked in at three hours long! Technically the Bloodline vs. Bloodline six-man tag team match was the main event, but the real highlight of the episode was Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Nia Jax to win the WWE Women's Championship, which was absolutely the main event in our hearts.We'll talk about that here, along with Drew McIntyre returning to "SmackDown," a tag title match with a non-finish, and more!
Alas, the days of the WINC staff's opinions mostly covering an entire "SmackDown" are over, but rest assured that as ever, any info on stuff you missed can be found on our "SmackDown" results page. Instead of being comprehensive, we must resort to being restrictive, as we will only talk about the stuff that gave us the strongest positive or negative feelings. 2025 might be the start of a new era, but one thing around here will never change these are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 1/3/25 episode of "WWE SmackDown!"
A highlight of recent WWE TV has been the unhinged portrayal of the "Scottish Psychopath" by Drew McIntyre, and as well as making it somewhat clear he will be continuing on the "SmackDown" brand, he has found an organic way to inject himself into most of the major angles currently. Since his return, having taken time off after an already much-acclaimed feud with CM Punk, he has been systematically ambushing everyone that re-joined Roman Reigns in the Original Bloodline, igniting feuds with Sami Zayn, Jey and Jimmy Uso presumably with the ultimate goal of getting to Reigns as well as teasing an alliance with Seth Rollins as he himself has issues with Reigns and Punk. On Friday night, he added himself to yet another plotline, interrupting WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at the beginning of the show. Rhodes had only joined forces with Reigns in October, so given McIntyre's recent quest against Reigns and his allies there was a sense of tension over where the former championship partners stood. McIntyre fed into that idea, leaning in and hugging Rhodes (who was just as confused as the rest of us) before saying he wanted to help him before he destroys his life's work.
It was clear he was playing some form of game, but neither we as the audience or Rhodes knew what he was after, and even after being offered a WWE Championship opportunity he refused to truly give up the game. He did give Rhodes some double-edged warning, telling him he needed to watch his back with Rhodes taking it as a threat only for Kevin Owens to blindside him immediately. So that left the question as to whether he extended the same offer to KO as he did Rollins before, especially given Owens is himself feuding with Rhodes over his teaming with Reigns. But that wouldn't even be the last we saw of McIntyre in the show, as he later returned during the main event to distract the OG Bloodline against the New Bloodline. Yet again, it was a cameo that played into the wider game of chess he has been playing in recent weeks, having extended a truce with Solo Sikoa in light of their common foe(s). In some way or another, McIntyre is involved with most of the names you can think of in the upper midcard to main event level, and that is certainly something that bodes well heading into WrestleMania season.
Written by Max Everett
I used to be a fan of LA Knight. In fact, my very first piece for Wrestling Inc. was about Knight, and as a fellow Southern Californian, I felt like Knight was my kin. I was willing to overlook some of his cringy or overplayed moments to root for someone with roots in California's independent scene.
Now? Different story.
Knight's shine has dulled for me, and I'm not talking about the shine from his oiled-up biceps. On Friday's edition of "WWE SmackDown," Knight attacked current United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura after a non-title match with Andrade, and cut a ... questionable promo at the end. Not even "questionable" in a personally insensitive way, as one might equate to his divisive mispronunciation of Solo Sikoa's ula fala. It was questionable because it didn't make a lick of sense.
Knight took to the microphone after his attack on Shinsuke Nakamura and began with a bunch of "Yeah"s, which isn't my personal taste, but I get that it's his brand. Then, he accused Nakamura of stealing his title, which ... no. Nakamura won the title from Knight pretty cleanly at Survivor Series 2024, and Nakamura overpowered Knight so much, that commentary noted how Knight could not "get anything going" during their match.
Then, Knight made a really weird analogy to the cold or flu that seems to be traversing around the United States after the holiday season, and while I get the appeal behind a truly timely call-out, Knight's phrasing was just downright weird. Apparently, what goes around comes around, but it's not the flu or the cold that is going around, it's Knight, seeking out his revenge. If Knight is the one going around ... wouldn't he get what's proverbially coming to him? Did you want to do a second take on that one? I even tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, and I tried to rework it in my head to make it more cohesive so that I could, once again, look past its awkwardness. No, it just doesn't work, unless Knight is okay with calling himself a disease, which doesn't quite fit with his babyface alignment in this feud.
I don't even think Knight is washed. He's still performing at an okay capacity, albeit a little old-school (which is part of his appeal). There's something a bit more sinister going on. I think that Knight is just crumbling because he is being surrounded with better talent. Remember, Knight's main opponent during his United States Champion run was Logan Paul. At least with Paul, Knight could kind of get away with just yelling things, since Paul was operating on that same level. Against Shinsuke, though, who is not only a phenomenal in-ring competitor, but someone who is willing to take risks with the evolution of his character? I think Knight might out of his league.
What goes around comes around, and it's not the flu ... I can't even make a good one-liner out of this. What on Earth was he trying to say?
Written by Angeline Phu
I won't rant too much here about how bad I thought the pacing of Friday's show was as the first of the three-hour "SmackDown" era, but I have to make note of it, because I really thought Paul Heyman's in-ring promo would help the show along, so I was really looking forward to it. I was sadly mistaken, because this was a promotional promo, if that makes any sense, promoting the Tribal Combat match on Monday between Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns. I guess with an extra hour on "SmackDown," WWE thought it would be okay to try and drum up some more interest in the match, but I really don't think this accomplished much, even with Heyman trying his hardest.
Heyman got to the ring and basically just started running down the recent history of what's happened in the Bloodline, saying that he and Reigns trained Sikoa to be the next tribal chief, and when Cody Rhodes got lucky and defeated Reigns, Sikoa seized the moment and stole the ulafala from Reigns. He went on for a bit before Sikoa's music finally hit. Heyman then had a line here that I really didn't like, even for Heyman who has always been a bit of a chicken s***. He said something along the lines of "I want you to know I'm about 10 seconds away from pissing my pants." And, okay, Sikoa of course would scare the hell out of Heyman, but Heyman is always so good at looking scared out of his mind and not actually saying things like that. That's where I think I really fell out of this segment.
We eventually got to the meat of this segment, which was that Sikoa wants Heyman to be the person who holds on to the ulafala during the match. He said he needs someone "trustworthy" who "loves his family." In that case, why would Sikoa pick Heyman? He's disrespected Sikoa and has completely sided with Reigns, so while I understand that Heyman would respect the ulafala, this seemed a bit out of character for Sikoa. He said he would acknowledge Reigns if he does lose, but if Sikoa wins Tribal Combat, he demanded Heyman be his Wise Man forever, and Reigns will have no choice but to acknowledge him.
That all makes sense at the end of it, but the way we got there in this segment was long-winded and a bit unnecessary. The first three hour "SmackDown" could have absolutely used some Reigns, but even a face-to-face with Sikoa probably still would have felt just like a promotion for Monday. If anything, this episode made me more excited for a hopefully much more fast-paced "Raw."
Written by DaisyRuth
Friday's episode of "SmackDown" promised two can't-miss title matches, one of them being the highly anticipated rematch between Motor City Machine Guns (MCMG) and #DIY for the WWE Tag Team Championships. While the match was sure to satisfy, especially with wrestlers as talented as #DIY and MCMG, nobody could have predicted the absolute chaos the match unfolded into.
#DIY and MCMG make complete magic in the ring with each other, full stop. WWE has often been accused of having its own particular style of wrestling (whether that is a positive or negative accusation is up to you), so it was good to see #DIY and MCMG lock up in a show that has the influence of the independent scene striped through it. MCMG showed why they were one of WWE's hottest signees in 2024, and #DIY got to relive some of their glory moments from NXT's black and gold days. This match had something for everyone, whether you are a subscriber to the WWE style or someone who is always on the search for the next independent darling. That is the magic of a #DIY and MCMG match-up.
Some would say that the match's finish was an unsatisfying mess, and others (me, particularly) would say that this kind of finish is best saved for companies who are notorious for erring on the unserious side of things. However, I wasn't at all upset with the interference from Pretty Deadly and Legado Del Fantasma's Angel and Berto. At the behest of #DIY, Pretty Deadly attempted to distract MCMG for the win, only to be chased down by Angel and Berto. The match devolved into chaos shortly after, and when it seemed like MCMG were just about to make both champions tap out, Elton Prince and Angel crashed into them, resulting in a disqualification finish and a title retention for #DIY.
Not only was this thoroughly entertaining, courtesy of Pretty Deadly's tactics and overall goofy demeanor, but I think that as unsatisfying as a disqualification finish may be this was the right decision for this particular match. It is far too early to take the tag titles off of #DIY, especially when they are just now starting to be taken seriously as heels, and MCMG are far too over to take a clean loss without causing riots on the streets of Phoenix. While this was a huge broadcast for "SmackDown," it also felt like not big enough of an occasion to fully put the #DIY/MCMG saga to bed, either. By having an inconclusive finish, both #DIY and MCMG are protected, and a rematch between the two teams is practically guaranteed. This finish also brought out four men out from the backstage area, and, even if it is by approximation, put them into the hottest storyline in the WWE tag team division, period
This is certainly not the end of #DIY and MCMG's saga. It is, however, a spectacular step in their story, and one all eight men have ought to be proud of.
Written by Angeline Phu
When it comes to main eventing a maiden three-hour broadcast of "SmackDown," one might have hoped for there to have been a little more to the main event and the show's supposed climax, rather than the tried and tired six-man tag match format which held down "WWE Raw" in the early 2010s. Once again, it was the OG Bloodline against the New Bloodline, with Sami Zayn and the Usos teaming against Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga; the match itself was fairly good if nothing spectacular, and certainly an odd choice to close a show with a Women's World title change via Money in the Bank cash-in, but it certainly wasn't a case that any of the performers under-delivered in the ring.
What it does boil down to is this was a show doubling up as the first three-hour "SmackDown" as well as the effective go-home for the "Raw" Netflix premiere, which will be main evented by Sikoa vs. Roman Reigns in Tribal Combat. Therefore, it feels like a sorely missed opportunity to give any form of substantial direction for the story ahead of Monday, with the absence of Reigns felt in a merely transitional narrative treading of water and another asterisked win that did little to cement Sikoa. There were little sparks of promise that something of note might happen in the earlier promo segment between Sikoa and Paul Heyman, but nothing in the main event truly felt like it needed to happen and that was acutely felt after three hours. It just didn't feel like Sikoa standing tall at the end of yet another "SmackDown" had the intended effect heading into Tribal Combat, and it certainly didn't feel like it deserved to be the show-closer.
Written byMax Everett
This was the real main event, and this Barbie is your new WWE Women's World Champion.
"WWE SmackDown's" inaugural three-hour broadcast was not something I was looking forward to, as loyal readers of this opinion column are definitely aware of. While I do think the blue brand has some pacing issues to iron out, I do want to give credit where credit is due: I was not expecting Stratton to cash in this week, and the fact that she did the fact that WWE creative planned for this in their program, albeit at the last minute makes me happy that this was three hours.
First off, hats off to Nia Jax and Naomi. They fought an absolutely awesome match. Even though I'm typically skeptical of running match-ups back too soon, Naomi and Jax performed so well, I can't be mad at it. Both of them played to their strengths incredibly well, with Jax being that immovable object to Naomi's unstoppable force. I mean, their match together probably would have made this list even if Stratton didn't cash in, because they are just that good. I mean, Jax's Spinning Uranagi to standing elbow drop to resting hold sequence is leaps and bounds better than her matches back when she was just a contender for the WWE Women's Championship. That Samoan Drop from Naomi was crazy (and props to Jax for jumping as high as she did to help Naomi make it look awesome). They did everything they could to stand out, and their already good match set the bar high for Stratton's cash-in.
Stratton should consider going into pole vaulting on the side, because she cleared that bar like nobody's business. This might go down as one of the best women's Money in the Bank cash-ins of all time. At first, I was groaning and moaning (shocking, I know), because WWE has teased this cash-in so many times, it was one failed attempt away from becoming an unfortunate Theory in the Bank situation. When Stratton went to celebrate with Jax, they practically had me fooled, and I was ready to write about this event as a Hated piece like, where did Stratton's whole character development go?
You cannot ignore the parallels between Stratton striking Jax with her briefcase and Seth Rollins striking Roman Reigns with a steel chair. Of course, they're two different scenarios, but I draw that comparison just to hype up how elated I was that Stratton was finally, finally cashing in. This cash-in was practically perfect, and I'd even go as far to say this Money in the Bank reign has been practically perfect Stratton has shown that she wears the accolades she is given, and not the other way around. Her sense of character is strong enough to withstand the intoxicating power these accolades bestow, and she is able to display a wide range of emotions within that strong character. She deserved this perfect cash-in, and deserves a strong and action-packed reign.
Congratulations, Tiffany Stratton. In every sense of the phrase, you deserve it.
Written by Angeline Phu
