Friday Night SmackDown Review - January 3, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Was Interrupted by Drew McIntyre and Attacked by Kevin Owens

Remember when McIntyre told Sami Zayn two weeks ago that only one person called to check up on him while he was gone after Bad Blood? Yeah, I think it's safe to assume it was Owens. That wasn't confirmed here, but it's not like McIntyre helped Rhodes fend off Owens despite McIntyre telling Rhodes he could have his back. I enjoyed their exchange as it planted the seeds for a future feud between the two. After all, McIntyre was the last person to pin Rhodes one-on-one.

​United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura def. Andrade (Non-Title)

Nakamura beat Andrade in his first bout back before Survivor Series, so this latest loss for Andrade should eliminate him from being in contention for the United States Championship. This was a nice match that would've been better had it not been cut short by the commercial break. LA Knight got a big pop from the crowd when he emerged afterward and made it clear he's coming back after the belt. That rematch was later made official for next week's episode.

Michin def. Piper Niven

I feel like I'm watching a rerun of the rivalry Michin had with Niven and Chelsea Green a few months ago. The only difference is that Michin wants Green's Women's United States Championship. The quality of the matches hasn't changed because this was fairly forgettable. You'd think they would've gotten a little more time with SmackDown being three hours, but no such luck. The new rumor is that Michin and Green will face off again for the title on the next Saturday Night's Main Event special at the end of the month.

Solo Sikoa Confronted Paul Heyman

Heyman did a better job hyping Tribal Combat between Sikoa and Roman Reigns on Raw's Netflix premiere this Monday than almost anything else we've seen in recent weeks. He spoke with excellent intensity and effectively recapped everything that's led up to it. Sikoa also played his part well and vowed that Heyman will be his Wiseman forever if he defeats Reigns, which all but guarantees that Reigns will win.

WWE Tag Team Champions #DIY vs. The Motor City Machine Guns Ended in a No Contest

Why wasn't this advertised a week in advance? That aside, this was a damn fun match between two super talented teams. The crowd was quiet at the start, but they got them into the action as it progressed. The tag team division on the whole can greatly benefit from SmackDown expanding to three hours if they continue to get more time for their matches and storylines. The non-finish wasn't ideal, but it protected the Guns in defeat and kept the feud alive. Where where The Street Profits during the brawl at the end?

WWE Women's Champion Nia Jax def. Naomi; Tiffany Stratton Cashed in Her Money in the Bank Contract on Jax to Win the WWE Women's Championship

Jax and Naomi last clashed for the WWE Women's Championship back in November. The title was in less jeopardy here than it was then, but once again, they worked well together and produced a very good match. The swerve with Stratton helping Jax retain only to actually cash in on her afterward was wonderfully executed and made for an awesome moment. The constant teases were getting old and I'm happy they finally pulled the trigger on the title change.

The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga) def. The Usos and Sami Zayn

This was a logical match to do before Solo takes on Reigns this Monday, but it was safe to assume Sikoa's squad would go over here so he'd look strong going into that. Thus, the outcome didn't shock me, but I appreciated that this received an ample amount of time and it was entertaining because of who was involved. McIntyre made his presence felt at ringside before he faces Jey on Raw.

Overall Show

First and foremost, SmackDown expanding to three hours was incredibly unnecessary. I've seen the reports about how WWE feels it will a positive move for underutilized stars such as Blair Davenport who don't get much television time, but I'm not sold yet. Although I'm not overly optimistic as of now, this was a thumbs-up episode thanks to a strong second half. The Money in the Bank cash-in was obviously the highlight of the night, but they did manage to keep things interesting throughout the three hours and heavily hype the Raw Netflix premiere as well as next week's SmackDown.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews