Friday Night SmackDown Review - April 4, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Paul Heyman Confronted CM Punk

Punk didn't say anything of note before Heyman came out, but the Chicago was, of course, super hot for him, regardless. Although nothing was necessarily revealed here, they did a decent job of recapping everything that led to this and it did serve as an effective cliffhanger for the rest of the show as to what Punk's favor from Heyman would be and waiting until Roman Reigns arrived to announce it.

Rey Fenix def. NXT Tag Team Champion Nathan Frazer

Frazer obviously isn't a regular member of the main roster (though he should be at this point), but it speaks volumes that he was brought in to help Fenix to shine in his WWE debut. They had the exciting sprint you'd expect from them, even if they were a tad overzealous at times. Much like Penta did when he debuted, Fenix getting some post-match mic time was the right call to establish who he is.

United States Champion LA Knight def. Tama Tonga (Non-Title)

I'm a fan of Tonga's and I'd love to see him get more opportunities in singles competition. Granted, there was zero uncertainty surrounding the outcome here, but he and Knight had a good match in the time they were allotted and there was no need for this to last any longer than it did. It also tied into Knight's seemingly-never-ending feud with the remnants of The Bloodline, which will continue into WrestleMania 41 when he defends against Jacob Fatu.

WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair Exchanged Words

I've have my fair share of criticisms of this storyline since it started and I thought this was another step in the right direction from them. Granted, Flair continues to come off as extremely rattled by the boos from the crowd (despite her being a heel), but perhaps that's the point. This was an improvement over their split-screen interview a few weeks ago, especially with Stratton sounding much more confident this time. I was hoping they'd make matters more personal and they did just that.

The Motor City Machine Guns def. #DIY in a WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Match​

These teams have a handful of matches dating back to October and every single one has been a quality encounter, this one being no exception. I'm sure they could have an all-out banger with more time, but I still enjoyed this for what it was. Machine Guns vs. The Street Profits should be a blast, though I'm not sure it'll be saved for WrestleMania. Also, are #DIY headed for a split sooner rather than later?

Naomi def. B-Fab

While I don't ever envision B-Fab holding gold on her own, I do applaud her effort to get better. Her screen time has become much more consistent this year and, to her credit, she's making the most of it. That said, I had no issue with this being brief. Naomi was attacked by Jade Cargill beforehand and still won in roughly two minutes. It was a perfectly fine outing. Speaking of Naomi and Cargill, Nick Aldis emerged afterward to make that match official for WrestleMania.

Kevin Owens Announced That He's Injured; Randy Orton Attacked Nick Aldis

There were some rumblings online in the last day or two that Owens might be injured, but I still hoped it was a work to add to his rivalry with Orton. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case. Owens wasn't in heel mode when he discussed suffering a nick injury and needing immediate surgery. Here's wishing him a full and speedy recovery. Although Orton is without a 'Mania match at the moment, his attack on Aldis might indicate that's the direction WWE is headed in. I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I find that to be a worthy backup plan.

Jacob Fatu def. Braun Strowman in a United States Championship No. 1 Contender's Last Man Standing Match

Fatu and Strowman have been at odds for so long that it lost its luster a while ago, but I'm glad they got to close it out on a high note with a gimmick match befitting of their feud. They made excellent use of the stipulation and the lack of interference from the rest of The Bloodline was refreshing. Fatu vs. Knight at WrestleMania doesn't have much story behind it, but it'll be a solid match and it'll be cool for Fatu to get a WrestleMania moment this early into his career when he presumably wins the U.S. title.

CM Punk Attacked Roman Reigns and Faced Off with Seth Rollins

The crowd was clearly impatient when it came to finding out what Punk's favor was, but I thought Reigns and Rollins had another nice verbal exchange before Punk came out. The focus then shifted to Punk and Reigns with Punk confirming that the favor will be Heyman being in his corner for the Triple Threat match at WrestleMania. It still feels like something else should be at stake, but I appreciate that the build for this bout has gotten better in the past two weeks as this was their second strong segment together.

Overall Show

This was quite the newsworthy edition of SmackDown, to say the least. Fenix had a hot debut, Owens announced his injury, Punk revealed his favor from Heyman, and multiple 'Mania matches were made official. Plus, Chicago was lively (and thankfully not as obnoxious as some of the crowds overseas were recently) all night long, not to mention that the segment with Stratton and Flair will get a lot of people talking. This was easily an above-average episode and one that the blue brand needed so close to the biggest pay-per-view of the year.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews