It is time for our SmackDown results for January 3rd, 2025, and a belated happy New Year to every one of our readers!
Also Read: RAW Results for December 30, 2024
Quick Results:
- Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Andrade. Post-match, LA Knight comes out to a huge pop and attacks the champ.
- Michin defeated Piper Niven
- DIY retain the tag titles over the Motor City Machine Guns due to outside interference.
- Nia Jax retained her title over Naomi. However, post-match, Tiffany Stratton attacked and cashed in. Tiffy is our new WWE Women’s World Champion.
- The Bloodline defeated Sami Zayn and The Usos in our six man tag main event. Some distraction from Drew McIntyre perhaps aided things.
Best Match:
For me, the highlight of the evening was, without a doubt, Tiffany cashing in. Was done well, and it does keep things interesting. As much as it seemed she would be doing a face turn, she did also attack Naomi and Bianca, so she’s not making any friends.
Worst Match:
Michin and Piper didn’t do much. My knock here in general, not on this match, is that SmackDown hasn’t had to keep us entertained for three hours in a good bit. Have to get used to run times and such, I would bet. You may recall that the first couple of RAWs after it dropped down to two hours had some timing issues too.
Holy S@#! Moments:
I totally forgot that tonight, SmackDown was back to three hours. I will miss the two hour shows.
I think LA Knight got the loudest pop of the night. If not top, it was close.
Paul Heyman came out to “set the record straight” prior to RAW. He confirmed the long-term story telling of Reigns going for revenge on Rollins, costing him the gold.
Solo came out, told Heyman he wanted the Wise Man to hold the Ula Fala during the match, and that when Sikoa wins? Heyman would be his Wise Man forever.
I really expected the bullying of Tiffy to drag out a wee bit more before she turned. And, before she cashed in, if she was even doing it on Nia.
But, it didn’t drag out, and she did cash in on Nia Jax, and Tiffany Stratton is our new champ. The swerve before the cash-in was top notch, of course.
Noteworthy Moments:
New mat color for the first three hour SmackDown in a while.
If I had to guess, we are heading to a fatal fourway for the tag titles. DIY had to defend against the Machine Guns, and with MCMG doing their thing we had issues from Los Garzas and Pretty Deadly.
I like the layers with McIntyre. He certainly seemed like he was trying to be a friend, but also effectively kept Rhodes’ back turned for Owens.
Speaking of layers, Tiffany Stratton. That was a really good cash-in, even if I did not expect it at an otherwise “insignificant” SmackDown.
Lowlights:
If you are a brand loyalist, you might be bothered about how much hype there was for the RAW Netflix debut. There was a time during the fading brand split that I’d have griped too.
But the reality is-and Cody Rhodes said it during his opening segment-Monday is a huge deal for WWE. For pro wrestling too, in theory. Should all parties wish, there’s no reason why they can’t push more boundaries. Buckle up.
Highlights:
It was a fun first show of the new year. The best for me as I already probably made clear? Tiffany Stratton is now champion. Her ascension, by the way? Nothing short of remarkable, and it serves as a major selling point for future NIL types for WWE.
After all, Stratton has been wrestling professionally for all of four years. It’s a testament to her drive, her talents and her training in Orlando.
Also Read: Who does Netflix want on RAW
After the final bell:
Well, that was a more eventful three hours than I had expected, to be completely honest. But it was a really strong SmackDown. Heading into a massive, PLE-type RAW on Monday, the blue brand has indeed set a high bar.
