As we all approach the road to WWE WrestleMania 41 starting this Saturday at WWE Royal Rumble (2025) in Indianapolis, Indiana. WWE SmackDown went to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN for the final SmackDown before the Rumble.
Announced in advance of Friday’s show:
- Chelsea Green (C) vs. Michin “WWE Women’s United States Championship”
- DIY and Pretty Deadly vs. MCMG and Los Garzas – 8-man Tag Team Match
- Naomi vs. Liv Morgan
- Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes
Kevin Owens kicks off the last WWE SmackDown before the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble
The show began with Michael Cole calling Pat McAfee to a podium near the stage, as Joe Tessitore welcomed Kevin Owens to the ring for an interview ahead of his ladder match against Cody Rhodes at WWE Royal Rumble (2025). Owens didn’t seem to be in the mood for an interview as he pulled down the WWE Winged Eagle Championship and started to walk away before CM Punk arrived on the show.
Punk told Owens that if he won the 2025 Men’s WWE Royal Rumble match and Owens won his ladder match, he would challenge him at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. Owens responded by simply saying it would not happen as he would never win the Rumble, calling Punk a failure. Punk then reminds Owens about his 5 championship losses at WWE Royal Rumble PLEs over the years.
A backstage segment featuring The Miz on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown then went backstage where The Miz was talking to GM Nick Aldis about what happened last week when Miz tried to align Andrade with but he refused. Aldis then made a singles match official between the two for later on the show.
Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes
After Carmelo Hayes attacked Jimmy Uso before his match against Kevin Owens last week here on WWE SmackDown, the two men now collide in a singles match to settle their differences. Hayes looked incredible as he took the fight to Jimmy in the early moments of the match. Hayes found himself in deep trouble as Jimmy started to turn the match in his control.
Hayes tried to use the ring ropes to his advantage during a rollup pinfall attempt but got caught by the referee. Jimmy then took advantage as he rolled up Hayes, getting a hold of his pants and pinning him to win the match.
Result: Jimmy Uso def Carmelo Hayes
Ratings: 7 /10
Chelsea Green (C) vs. Michin – WWE Women’s United States Championship
After Michin pinned Chelsea Green last week here on WWE SmackDown during the Tag Team match, she now found herself with an opportunity to challenge Mrs.Green for her WWE Women’s United States Championship.
Michin had the match nearly won when she hit Green with her signature Eat Defeat before Piper Niven pulled Green out of the ring.
Green then attacked Michin with her kendo stick causing the match to end via disqualification. Michin won the match but Green retained the WWE Women’s United States Championship for now.
Result: Michin def Chelsea Green (C) via disqualification
Ratings: 6 /10
Backstage segment featuring Bianca Belair and Naomi on WWE SmackDown
Bianca Belair and Naomi then appeared on a backstage interview segment saying that one of them will win at the end of the 2025 Women’s WWE Royal Rumble match. WWE SmackDown also featured a video package featuring the returning Charlotte Flair.
Damian Priest on WWE SmackDown
After arriving on WWE SmackDown last week, Damian Priest talked about his journey in WWE. He then declared his participation in the 2025 Men’s WWE Royal Rumble match before Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga arrived on the scene. Fatu reminded Priest about who runs the things here on WWE SmackDown before laying out Tama Tonga on the mat.
Priest and Fatu then took the fight to each other, before Tonga joined his cousin and began a 2-on-1 assault. LA Knight then arrived on the scene to help Priest. Knight then challenged Fatu and Tonga in a tag team match later on the show.
DIY and Pretty Deadly battles Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garzas in an 8-man Tag Team Match
Motor City Machine Guns then went to Legado Del Fantasma asking them to be on the same page for their match tonight. Sabin and Shelley told Angel and Berto that they would have their back. Things have been really interesting between these four teams in the recent episodes of WWE SmackDown. Motor City Machine Guns are also going to be facing DIY for their WWE Tag Team Championship in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match at WWE Royal Rumble (2025).
Los Garzas walked out on Motor City Machine Guns during the match after the ongoing tag issues between the two teams. Sabin and Shelley continued to fight but they were clearly outnumbered. Ciampa also took out Elton Prince during the match, which allowed Sabin to take advantage of the situation and pin Ciampa to win the match.
Result: Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garzas defeated Pretty Deadly and DIY
Ratings: 7 /10
A backstage segment featuring DIY and Pretty Deadly
WWE SmackDown then went backstage where #DIY ran into Tama Tonga and then Pretty Deadly. Pretty Deadly told both Gargano and Ciampa that they would be on their own against Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match at WWE Royal Rumble (2025).
Naomi battles Liv Morgan on WWE SmackDown
After defeating Bianca Belair and Naomi in a Non-Title Tag Team match on the Jan. 27 edition of WWE Raw, Liv Morgan now faced Naomi in a singles match. Raquel Rodriguez on the ringside also tried to get involved in the match, meanwhile, Bianca Belair continued to look on.
Belair finally had enough and went after Rodriguez when she interrupted Naomi right when she was about to win the match for herself. Morgan took the advantage but Naomi still managed to pin her and get the win. Incredible ending.
Rodriguez and Morgan then attacked Belair and Naomi after the match. I think that we are heading towards a possible feud for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Result: Naomi def Liv Morgan
Ratings: 7.5 /10
The Miz vs. Andrade
After running into Andrade earlier on the show, The Miz now finds himself in a singles match against him. Miz has been trying to find some friends for himself as the Wyatt Sicks are now also on WWE SmackDown.
Andrade ended the match with a sudden back elbow, which left Miz in shock and fans in surprise. I was really expecting to see some kind of involvement from the Wyatt Sicks but nothing happened. Let’s see how WWE uses them in the coming weeks.
Result: Andrade def The Miz
Ratings: 8 /10
A backstage segment featuring Damian Priest, Tiffany Stratton, and Everybody
Damian Priest met Santos Escobar backstage who told him that Legado Del Fantasma is willing to help him if he says. Priest denied the offer before he met R-Truth. Priest then met his partner for tonight LA Knight.
Tiffany Stratton then met Zelina Vega who told her that she was coming after her after winning the 2025 Women’s WWE Royal Rumble match.
Tiffany Stratton arrives for an interview segment with Michael Cole and Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee laid out the ground reality for Tiffany Stratton asking what will happen if the 2025 Women’s WWE Royal Rumble match winner picks her. Candice LeRae then arrived on the scene as she declared her participation in the 2025 Women’s WWE Royal Rumble match. Nia Jax then attacked Stratton from the back.
LA Knight and Damian Priest vs. Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu – Tag Team Match
Knight and Priest were in no mood for waiting as they took the fight to Tonga and Fatu before the bell even rang. All four men delivered an amazing fight throughout the match. Priest looked incredible in the match as stood toe to toe with Fatu.
Knight and Priest delivered an impressive performance and got the big win over Tonga and Fatu after a hard-fought battle. Fatu continued to attack Priest even after the match ended.
Result: LA Knight and Damian Priest def Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu
Ratings: 9 /10
WWE SmackDown, Jan 31: Results Highlights
Singles Match:
Jimmy Uso defeated Carmelo Hayes
WWE Women’s United States Championship:
Michin defeated Chelsea Green via disqualification
8-man Tag Team Match:
Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garzas defeated Pretty Deadly and DIY
Singles Match:
Naomi defeated Liv Morgan
Singles Match:
Andrade defeated The Miz
Tag Team Match:
LA Knight and Damian Priest defeated Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu
My thoughts on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown
On the last WWE SmackDown before the WWE Royal Rumble (2025), WWE managed to pull off a very interesting episode. The show began with Kevin Owens, who ran into CM Punk ahead of his ladder match against Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Punk told Owens that he would love to fight him at WrestleMania 41 if they walk out victorious this Saturday. I would love to see how this turns out for both of them in the near future.
The show featured some really incredible matches throughout the night. I really liked the 8-man Tag Team match between Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garzas versus Pretty Deadly and DIY. Machine Guns have their own score to settle against DIY at WWE Royal Rumble 2025, which I am really excited to see.
The women’s side of things is also picking up the fire as Naomi defeated Liv Morgan in a singles match after losing in a Non-Title Tag Team match on this past WWE Raw. I think this could be the start of an epic tag team rivalry heading into the Road to WrestleMania 41.
WWE also experimented with new camera angles and separate table for both Michael Cole and Pat McAfee which I really liked. That’s all from me, let me know your thoughts in the comments down below and I will see you soon on the Road to WrestleMania.
My Ratings for the show: 8 /10
