WWE SmackDown presented the April 18th, 2025, edition of the show from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was the final episode of the blue brand before WrestleMania 41, set to take place this weekend at the Allegiant Stadium.
The night kicked off with the traditional Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and was followed by some exciting in-ring showdowns and moments. The show was capped by the confrontation between John Cena and Cody Rhodes in the last segment.
Quick Results
- Carmelo Hayes won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
- The Street Profits defeated The Motor City Machine Guns via Disqualification in a WWE Tag Team title match.
- Zelina Vega defeated Chelsea Green in a non-title match.
- LA Knight & Braun Strowman defeated Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu in a tag team match.
- The LWO defeated American Made in a six-man tag team match.
Best match
The best match of the night was the opening contest, i.e., the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It featured 20+ superstars from both RAW and SmackDown competing for the prestigious accolade. It was a thrilling match that saw various moments and led to the fans erupting in a ‘This is Awesome’ chant.
It eventually came down to the two formidable rivals, Andrade El Idolo and Carmelo, adding one more chapter in their rivalry. Following a back-and-forth, it was ‘Him’ who tossed Andrade over the top rope to win the battle royal.
Worst match
Much like last week, the same match was the worst bout on the card of WWE SmackDown before WrestleMania 41, i.e., Chelsea Green facing Zelina Vega in a non-title match. The bout was a lackluster affair with no interest shown by the crowd. The only saving grace was Zelina’s epic Code Red from the top rope and a surprising win.
Noteworthy moments
A major noteworthy moment from WWE SmackDown this week was Randy Orton refusing to sit out for WrestleMania 41. Orton revealed to the fans of Las Vegas that he will arrive at the Allegiant Stadium in his wrestling gear and be ready for a match in his 20th WrestleMania appearance.
Related: 5 Mystery Replacement Opponents For Randy Orton At WrestleMania 41, Including Malakai Black
Another important highlight was the segment between multiple women competing at WrestleMania 41. It started with Rhea Ripley and then joined by Bianca Belair and IYO Sky. Following that, Naomi and Jade Cargill joined the fray and a brawl ensured between all the superstars.
The last interesting moment from WWE SmackDown was DIY interfering in the WWE tag team title match between The Street Profits and Motor City Machine Guns. They attacked both teams and took off with the tag team titles and were trying to escape with it, only to be reprimanded by GM Nick Aldis and the security personnel.
Holy Sh!@ Moments
A major Holy Sh!@ moment happened during the intense face-off between John Cena and Cody Rhodes. After Cena made some scratching remarks, Rhodes made his comeback extremely personal. He called Cena overrated, in overtime, tore down physically, and was an errand boy for the Hollywood people. The segment closed with Cena cheap-shotting Cody Rhodes and trying to deliver an AA. However, Rhodes countered it with a Cross Rhodes and left Cena on the mat to stand tall.
Related: John Cena Offers Surprise Opinion Of Former Boss Vince McMahon Amid Scandals: ‘I Love Vince’
Another jaw-dropping moment from the show was IYO Sky’s impressive moonsault from the top rope, laying out multiple WWE superstars of the women’s division and personnel.
Lowlights
The two tag team matches seemed more like fillers for the show. The first one was LA Knight’s match against Solo Sikoa, which turned into a tag team match with Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu joining their sides. It needs with LA Knight hitting the BFT on Solo to pick the win for himself and Strowman.
The next one was a six-man tag team match between LWO and American Made. It was not a stellar match, but a good showcase of tag team wrestling that saw Dragon Lee score the pinfall over Julius Creed to win the match for his team.
What’s in store for WWE SmackDown next week
Only one match was announced for WWE SmackDown after WrestleMania 41. After Nick Aldis recovered the WWE tag team titles from DIY, he announced a TLC match between the Motor City Machine Guns, The Street Profits, and DIY.