As a precursor to Royal Rumble, and Saturday Night's Main Event, WWE SmackDown on January 25 from Austin, Texas was a high-profile one, which featured every wrestler from the Blue Brand. However, the highlight of the episode remained WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. WWE on Netflix Gets Costlier After OTT Platform Confirms Significant Rise in Plan Prices.
MCMG beats Pretty Deadly
The show started with Motor City Machine Guns taking on Pretty Deadly in a grudge match. In a back-and-forth match, the duo of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley got the better of Elton Prince and Wilson and headed into their Tag Team Championship match in Royal Rumble with momentum.
Damien Priest Defeats Carmelo Hayes
In an impromptu match, former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest faced Carmelo Hayes. The clash was an entertaining one, where both wrestlers showcased their best offenses, with Priest eventually winning the match thanks to a chokeslam.
Six Women Tag Match
WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton came down the ring cutting short Charlotte Flair's promo video, which prompted Rhea Ripley to make an entrance. Ripley praised Tiffany but taunted Nia Jax, who then came out to disrupt the World Champion from RAW, after which Bianca Belair, Naomi, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriquez also came out and started a brawl.
The brawl got converted into a six-women tag match, which witnessed Bianca Belair, Naomi, & Rhea Ripley take on Candice LeRae, Liv Morgan, & Nia Jax. Despite Rhea Ripley controlling the contest, in the end, Liv Morgan claimed a sneaky victory by pinning Bianca after her signature move.
Liv Morgan Picks Up Win For Her Team
View this post on Instagram
LA Knight Wins Against Tama Tonga
The former US champion came out all blazing against Bloodline 2.0 member but soon found himself on the receiving end. In a match that saw both wrestlers beat each other outside the ring mostly, LA Knight picked up a victory despite interference from Jacob Fatu. CM Punk Mocks John Cena, Roman Reigns and Others Declaring Himself Winner Ahead of Royal Rumble 2025 (Watch Video).
Kevin Owens Gains Hard-Fought Win Over Jimmy Uso
Kevin Owens started the match with his usual heel antics, which saw Jimmy Uso take the battle to the wrestler outside the ring. In a clash, where Uso kept on coming back, Owens claimed a hard-fought victory. Just when Owens looked to take Uso out permanently on the announce table, WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes came out and attacked the challenger, with the show ending with the duo hitting each other in the ring.
Cody Rhodes Gives Kevin Owens A Beat-Down
View this post on Instagram
In the other two matches on Friday Night SmackDown, firstly, Apollo Crews went up against Johnny Gargano, where the former picked up the win after some disturbance from MCMG, and secondly, Women's US Champion Chelsea along with her tag partner Piper Niven lost to B-Fab and Michin.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2025 12:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).