Another episode of Friday Night SmackDown is in the books as the female superstars of Team Blue took over San Diego, Californias Pechanga Arena for what was a busy night in the womens division.
Womens Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair was getting ready backstage when Naomi walked in to let her know that after speaking to Nick Aldis, there was still no lead on who attacked Jade. While not the response the EST expected, she plans on continuing to push through as they are set to face Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. Belair also wants to apologize to Naomi for accidentally hitting her in last weeks #1 contenders fatal four-way match, reminding her that if LeRae hadnt pulled on her hair, it would not have happened. Naomi reassures her and knows she meant no harm, telling her that they need to focus as even though they may not be facing Tiffany Stratton later on, they are still champions and will be able to get back at Candice and Nia. Just one more thing, though: before they go out, Naomi wants Bianca to wrap her braid around so that nothing happens tonight.
After both teams made their entrances, the match started with Jax cheap-shotting Naomi, sending her out of the ring and leading to the heel team having a two-on-one advantage over Belair, who fought them off successfully.Naomi would get back up on the ramp, and with her partner still in the ring, control of the match remained in their favor. Naomi would be taken out by Jax yet again, being pulled down and thrown into the barricade, but got up again and would be tagged in, taking out Jax for two near falls, the second near-fall coming via a split-legged moonsault, which failed to put the former Womens Champion away.
Despite showing visible signs of exhaustion, Belair stayed alive, frustrating both Jax and LeRae who became increasingly irate at their inability to inflict any sort of long-term damage, leading to a miscommunication where Jax mistakenly performed a leg drop, intended for Belair, onto LeRae. It wasnt long after that Naomi grabbed the victory after executing the Bubba Bomb (a full nelson bomb) onto the Poison Pixie.
Commentary would soon announce that Naomi and Belair would be defending their Womens Tag Team Championships in Atlanta, Georgia on the January 28th episode of NXT against The Meta Girls (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson). The Meta Girls earned their shot after defeating the Unholy Union (Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre) earlier this week during Tuesdays episode of the show.
Byron Saxton took some time to speak with Bayley several hours before SmackDown opened its doors to the fans in San Diego. Asking her what her main event match against Womens Champion Tiffany Stratton means to her, especially considering that it is in her home state, Bayley says that every Superstar dreams of being in the main event of SmackDown. This night is huge to Bayley, who thinks back to where she was at this time last year, having just won the 2024 Womens Royal Rumble and going on to face and beat IYO SKY, a former best friend but someone she respects so much, at WrestleMania XL for the Womens Championship. Winning the title felt like the peak of her career where she thought she was going to do something different and change the world, but if shes being honest, she doesnt know if she really fulfilled her potential during that reign. She took the title all around the world, defending it many times, but she always felt she was winning at the skin of her teeth and that her reign was cut short due to Tiffany Stratton aiding Nia Jax in winning the belt at SummerSlam later that year, so tonight is a big night for her.
Saxton then asks Bayley how she feels that tonights opportunity differs from other opportunities she has had in the past to regain the title. The Role Model says that weve seen what Tiffany Stratton can do throughout the past year, and within the past few months, weve seen how shes willing to turn on her best friend to get to the Tiffy Top as she says, with Bayley stating that a part of her kinda respects that, but the other part of her makes her want to beat Stratton that much more, and tonight, its personal. Saxton wishes her good luck.
A backstage segment then took place with Michin talking to B-Fab in the locker room about how the Womens United States Championship should be hers, but Chelsea Green and Piper Niven always use the numbers game to their advantage. B-Fab agrees with this, additionally telling Michin to keep her head up, because she knows for a fact that shes going to get another opportunity to take her down, but before B-Fab can continue talking, Piper walks in, and in true Secret Service fashion, states that there is absolutely no threats detected, allowing the Madame Champion, Chelsea, to enter.
Green says that Mimi should stand up and congratulate her considering that she is the only woman to successfully defend the Womens United States Championship in history. Michin stands up, but its B-Fab who confronts the champ, saying that if it wasnt for her mall cop, she would have never been champion. Green hides behind Niven, who takes her shades off and warns The Fab Female to take one more step towards Green, and it will be her last.
B-Fab retorts and says that if thats how Niven wants to play it, shes got a better idea: shell go and talk to Nick Aldis and she can handle this little problem tonight, and then when shes done with her, warns Green to watch her back. B-Fab and Michin walk off, with Green telling Niven that she needs to neutralize her tonight.
Elektra Lopez and Santos Escobar appeared with Los Garza, who have been caught in the crossfire of the tag team division, before their match with the Motor City Machine Guns. After beating Pretty Deadly last week for accusing them of attacking The Street Profits, Lopez reminded the two that just one win wont make them Tag Team Champions. Los Garza would not go on to win their match after a distraction from Pretty Deadly led to them losing focus on the action.
Piper Niven and Chelsea Green would come down the aisle for Nivens singles match with B-Fab. B-Fab made her entrance solo, sporting a confident demeanor.
B-Fab started with some kicks to Niven and was able to duck Nivens power-based offense. With Green annoying her at ringside, Niven would take advantage to perform a pop-up driver to win quickly, but the duo would attack her afterwards only for Michin to come to B-Fabs rescue with her signature kendo stick, making it clear that World War Green is far from over.
A video package recapping Tiffany Strattons cash-in and Womens Championship victory was shown, with Stratton being interviewed afterwards. The Buff Barbie corrects Byron Saxton when he tries to say that she made history, saying that she made Tiffstory. When Saxton requests some comments after mentioning how driven Bayley is to win the title, Stratton says that Bayley is right about having a ton of big moments last year, in fact, Bayleys had a career of big moments, but so has she. She has been on SmackDown for less than a year, becoming the youngest Ms. Money in the Bank and now, she is the WWE Womens Champion. Unlike Bayley, she doesnt need to recreate these moments because she is those moments, and says that her opponent will have to sit back and watch her dreams die because now, its Tiffy Time.
With thirty minutes left in the show, it was now time for the big Womens Championship main event between Bayley, the challenger looking to reclaim the title that was once hers, and Tiffany Stratton, the rising star and young opportunist who would be defending her championship for the first time. NXT Womens Champion Roxanne Perez, who Bayley had an in-ring promo with on Tuesdays edition of NXT, had a glimpse of camera time as she was seen in the crowd.
A vignette for the returning Charlotte Flair aired unexpectedly before Stratton made her entrance. I for one, thought for a brief second it would be a hype package for the champ, but I cant say that im opposed to seeing The Queen again after a long absence owing to injuries. Welcome back!
Anyways, the match between the two started off with a brief lock-up, but things quickly progressed to several near-falls with The Role Model sending Stratton onto the outside before a commercial break. The show returned with Bayley still in control, but the Buff Barbie took advantage once they were at ringside. Stratton started targeting one of Bayleys legs, which did not deter the challenger from her goal one bit. Another commercial break flew by with the champion trying even harder to put Bayley away, with a powerbomb not keeping her down and an armbar doing little damage.
Bayley would find Roxanne sitting front row behind the commentary table, exchanging brief words before returning to the ring. Stratton executed a spinebuster to no avail, and the two continued to try and hit their best shots in an attempt to get a definitive win. Stratton would retain after hitting an Alabama Slam followed by the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
Friday Night SmackDown will be airing next week from inside the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, but nothing so far has been advertised for the women.
Make sure to share your thoughts on tonights episode of SmackDown in the comments below!
