WWE Smackdown Results January 3, 2025: New Women’s Champion Crowned
There is a new WWE Women’s World Champion, and it’s Tiffany Stratton. Ms. Money in the Bank finally graduated, and it was really well orchestrated.
After Nia Jax defeated Naomi in an awesome match—thanks to Stratton’s help—the latter turned on the champion and Candice LeRae, using Bianca Belair to get the drop on Jax.
Here is a look at the sequence.
After winning the women’s Money in the Bank match on July 6, Stratton had a number of teases, but on the first episode of SmackDown on USA, Tiffy struck.
Stratton, 25, became the fourth youngest female to ever win the Women’s Championship. While the crowd in Phoenix may not have been as electric as they were when Dolph Ziggler cashed in on Alberto Del Rio in April 2013, or when Seth Rollins cashed in on Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31 in 2015, from a pure storytelling and structural standpoint, Stratton’s cash-in was money.
It was definitely the best cash-in in women’s history.
The cash-in was so strong, it has given Stratton a powerful push into her title reign and set her up for multiple feuds.
Stratton tossed Bianca Belair, who may want revenge and her title back. Naomi got hit with the briefcase, and Nia was betrayed. Let’s not forget Jade Cargill, who will likely be in the championship picture when she returns.
The SmackDown women’s division has some life.
WWE SmackDown Results, Winners And Grades As Solo Destroys Roman Reigns
WWE SmackDown advertised Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa face-to-face. SmackDown also advertised Cody Rhodes addressing his upcoming match against GUNTHER at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
Last week’s broadcast of SmackDown garnered 1.652 million viewers.
Fans loudly chanted “OTC” as Solo Sikoa opened SmackDown following a long recap of The Bloodline Saga dating back to Bad Blood.
Just as Solo Sikoa was getting started, he was interrupted by a surprise appearance from Jey Uso. Wade Barrett pointed out how The Bloodline was allowing Jey to stand on the ropes and yeet with no consequence.
Jey said he wasn’t out here to fight Solo because Solo is still Jey’s little brother. Jey said Jimmy and Roman weren’t here yet, which was a wise on WWE’s part because it kept Jey apart from Reigns and Jimmy until the emotional reunion. It also gave a them an out in the event Jey got beat down.
There was a lot of heat for a staredown between Jacob Fatu and Jey Uso, especially when Jey said he was going to knock Fatu’s ass out. This segment doesn’t bode well for Uso’s upcoming title defense against Bron Breakker.
Both Pretty Deadly and The Street Profits wore pink, but only Pretty Deadly received chants of “you look stupid!”
There was a rollup by Montez Ford right before SmackDown went to break, so SmackDown actually cut from the break and went back to the rollup. The show then went to picture-in-picture.
The match ended with a wild sequence where Montez Ford and Tommaso Ciampa scored pinfalls at the same time, but Kit Wilson was the legal man so DIY’s pin counted. Maybe the Street Profits will turn heel all over again coming out of this.
WWE had to change a tag team match since Tiffany Stratton had the flu. Jax’s new tag team partner was not Liv Morgan, but rather the very random Candice LeRae.
This was an impressive showcase of Lash Legend throwing Piper Niven around like a rag doll. Legend won the match with an impressive finisher, and Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill were shown looking shocked/terrified.
Cody Rhodes ran down a bunch of “what-ifs,” including what if Goldberg faced Stone Cold Steve Austin, and what if Harley Race faced Bruno Sammartino.
When Cody tried to put over the gaudy Crown Jewel Championship, fans did not seem all that impressed with it. I don’t know whether the lack of reaction was because of the over-the-top belt, or the polarizing nature of Saudi Arabia.
Rhodes invited GUNTHER to next Friday’s SmackDown to learn his reasons for wanting to win the Crown Jewel Championship.
Kevin Owens cut a promo from his car, and his cell phone camera. Given how clean-cut and produced Cody Rhodes’ promos are, Owens’ gritty, surveillance production might mess around and make him a sympathetic figure in this feud.
The Motor City Machine Guns received a great entrance with solid new music and a lot of pyro. Corey Graves introduced them as “your favorite tag team’s favorite tag team.” Fans chanted “Motor City!” as the match began.
MCMG played their hits and got over big in front of South Carolina.
MCMG won the match with a big splash from Alex Shelley and they pinned Humberto, so the breakup tease between A-Town Down will continue.
MCMG vs. DIY is set to be one excellent battle of acronyms.
Naomi did a great spot where she was jiggling while standing on Nia Jax’s back.
Candice LeRae scored the upset victory over Bayley, which was clearly meant for Tiffany Stratton to continue to build up the tensions between Nia and Tiffany.
During a backstage segment, Roman Reigns said he was going to acknowledge Solo Sikoa. Nobody in the building believed this was true. Not even Solo Sikoa.
Reigns kept up with the bit, saying “maybe for the last time...Acknowledge me!”
Solo Sikoa walked out in full gear despite the fact he was not scheduled to wrestle tonight, and Reigns was still in street clothes.
Reigns brought up his late father, saying he told his father that he could fix this. When Reigns asked what he had to do to fix this, Solo responded by saying he had to acknowledge him. Reigns then said “I acknowledge you as South Carolina let out a heartbroken gasp.”
When asked to acknowledge Solo as his Tribal Chief, fans chanted “no” and Reigns declined.
Solo snapped his fingers and out came The Bloodline dragging Jimmy Uso from the back. Reigns ran roughshod on The Bloodline until the numbers advantage was just too much, especially after The OTC got his hands on the Sacred Ula Fala.
Despite chants of “Yeet,” Jey Uso was nowhere to be seen. This will likely cost him the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Monday night.
WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Drew McIntyre turns attention and rage to Solo Sikoa
Drew McIntyre shares common enemies with Solo Sikoa but they are not friends. Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn are recent victims of McIntyre's ongoing Bloodline revenge tour. This week on WWE SmackDown, McIntyre warned Sikoa that his time is coming.
McIntyre has been dominant since returning to WWE programming in recent weeks but he may soon have more enemies than he can handle. The Scotsman's turned his attention to Sikoa on Friday, but his recent attacks on Zayn and Uso caught up with him.
SmackDown also featured a WWE women's tag tag team title match, The Bloodline in action and the ongoing feud between #DIY and Motor City Machine Guns.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
McIntyre sends Sikoa a warning message
Sikoa kicked off SmackDown by promoting his match with Roman Reigns on the Jan. 6 episode of Raw. He was soon interrupted by Drew McIntyre. Sikoa applauded McIntyre for attacking Uso last week. McIntyre asked Sikoa if he wondered when McIntyre would come for him. Sikoa welcomed a potential conflict once Reigns was dealt with. Before their conversation could go further, Uso -- who broke his toe at Survivor Series: WarGames -- attacked McIntyre with a crutch. McIntyre fled as Uso hobbled after him.
The Bloodline (Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga) def. LA Knight, Andrade and Apollo Crews via pinfall after Sikoa hit Crews with a Samoan Spike. Andrade and Crews started hot with tandem dives on The Bloodline. Crews became the primary target once The Bloodline took control. Crews made the tag to Andrade following an extended beatdown, but Andrade was quickly overwhelmed. The tide turned once Knight got the hot tag. Knight rolled over Tonga with a flurry of offense, including a jumping neckbreaker. Knight tagged Crews back in. All was well for the heroes before Shinsuke Nakamura blindsided Knight with a Kinshasa. Sikoa tagged himself in, dropped Crews with Spinning Solo and finished him with a Samoan Spike.
This week's pre-holiday show felt like a throwaway. The segment most worth revisiting is SmackDown's opener. McIntyre was the evening's MVP, much like he's been all year. McIntyre's revenge tour is compelling because he isn't exclusively targeting faces or heels. He's after everyone who is complicit in The Bloodline's crimes. McIntyre's methods are extreme but his motivations are easy to sympathize with. Grade: B
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Kevin Owens took no responsibility for attacking Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night's Main Event in a pre-taped vignette.
- "The Grayson Waller Effect" hosted Braun Strowman.
- Carmelo Hayes def. Strowman via count-out. Backstage, Hayes attacked Strowman from behind.
- Johnny Gargano def. Alex Shelley via pinfall with a small package and a handful of tights.
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship -- Bianca Belair and Naomi (c) def. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae via pinfall after Naomi hit LeRae with her finisher. Jax was busted open during the match.
WWE SmackDown Results: Winners And Grades As The Bloodline Reunites
WWE SmackDown advertised a Bloodline acknowledgment ceremony, a potential Bloodline reunion between OG members Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns.
WWE tag team champions Motor City Machine Guns faced A-Town Down Under, and SmackDown also advertised Bayley vs. Candice LeRae as their rivalry continues dating back to their days as up-and-comers in California.
Last week’s SmackDown garnered 1.428 million viewers.
Sami Zayn cut a phenomenal promo after all the OG Bloodline members walked out one-by-one. It felt like The Beatles getting back together. Sami said the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Sami doesn’t think Roman is indifferent to Sami. Sami said he thinks Roman loves him. Zayn then said he wanted an apology, but not to Sami Zayn—to Jey Uso.
Roman then went into heel mode and said he’s sorry that Sami ever became a part of this. Reigns said Sami is not part of the family and this was all about “Solo!” Sami walked out.
Jacob Fatu appeared on screen declaring Solo the Tribal Chief while Reigns was just like everyone else.
WWE continued to tell the story of Bayley and Candice LeRae’s friendship-turned-rivalry while on the Northern California wrestling circuit.
The finish came when Candice LeRae faked an injury, but Bayley was smart to it and was able to roll Candice up for the win. Bayley reminded Candice that she knows her, and all of her old tricks. I’m really into this story.
Backstage, Heel Roman Reigns continued show signs of his old Tribal Chief character. This led to a falling out with Jey Uso. Then Tommaso Ciampa scolded Johnny Gargano for kissing up to DIY, who “took their spot.” It’s highly likely DIY will turn heel, something they desperately need to do outside of feuding with one another.
Randy Orton stormed past DIY in the same segment and called out Kevin Owens. Owens was wearing a “Kevin was Right” t-shirt and the two quickly brawled. Owens delivered a piledriver, sending Randy Orton right to the hospital.
Michael Cole called KO a “sicko,” before correcting himself and calling him a “lunatic.”
Tommaso went wild on both members of Pretty Deadly as a concerned Gargano looked on. The announce team really played up being worried about Orton.
Gargano smoked both members of Pretty Deadly and even pinned Elton Prince with no help from Gargano whatsoever. Cole said it reminded him of the old Ciampa, the Blackheart from NXT.
Backstage, Tiffany Stratton teased Candice LeRae over losing to Bayley.
Jade Cargill was in the ring for a while to start the match, and did not fail to impress. Fans went absolutely nuts when Bianca hit her hot tag.
Stratton countered a handstand backflip by Bianca by putting up her knees. Bianca then avoided a charging Jax and teased a KOD to the tune of “oohs” and “ahs.”
Stratton and Jax hit an impressive double-team Samoan Drop-Blockbuster combo, but Jade broke it up. Jade and Jax then started each other down and Jax got the better of their exchange.
LeRae interfered to get into the good graces of Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton. Stratton said she didn’t need LeRae’s help. Naomi attacked LeRae, allowing Belair to hit the KOD OnStratton for the win. A great match.
MCMG showcased their moveset and a got over in the building despite a mostly unfamiliar fanbase.
Waller hit his finisher on Chris Sabin, but Shelley broke up the pinfall and won the match with a splash. A-Town Down Under’s window to break up seems to have passed, even though they inevitably will.
In a vignette, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced a new Women’s United States Championship.
Reigns challenged Solo one-on-one, winner-take-all as the Only Tribal Chief. Solo laughed in his face and said Roman can’t be a Tribal Chief without a tribe.
Solo then counter-challenged Roman to a WarGames match. Reigns said he only sees four of them, but Solo said the fifth man is Sami Zayn. Sami walked out and Reigns got jumped. The Usos came to the rescue as Sami stayed at the top of the entranceway.
Sikoa instructed Samy To kick Roman in the face. Sami then hit a Helluva Kick on Solo Sikoa to a big pop as the OG Bloodline took control.
