Smackdown – May 2, 2025: They Can’t All Be Winners

Smackdown
Date: May 2, 2025
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re just over a week away from Backlash and that means it is time to fill up a lot of the card. The big Smackdown match is already set though as John Cena will defend against Randy Orton. That’s enough to carry the main event portion but we need something besides just that one match. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Damian Priest almost got in a fight with Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu but LA Knight (facing Priest for a US Title shot against Fatu later tonight) walks past.

Here is Knight for a chat. Knight lost the US Title to Fatu and his chance at a rematch and a lot of that was due to Sikoa. Priest didn’t help things and while Knight has no problem with him…and here is Priest to interrupt. Priest says Sikoa got involved but Knight is the one who lost his title at Wrestlemania. Knight did lose but he’s not getting a title shot because of Priest. That doesn’t work for Priest, but Knight says they don’t have a problem so far, though that might change. Priest wants a referee down here right now so let’s go.

Damian Priest vs. LA Knight

For a future US Title shot. We’re joined in progress with Knight working on the arm but Priest faceplants him down to cut that off. It’s too early for the BFT and Priest hits a superkick for two. Old School is broken up and Knight’s jumping neckbreaker gets two. The jumping elbow is countered into a choke, with Priest hitting a heck of a clothesline for two. A DDT plants Priest again and the jumping top rope elbow is good for another near fall.

We take a break and come back with Priest hitting a Razor’s Edge for two. The Broken Arrow connects and Priest goes up top, where Knight runs the corner and superplexes him back down for two more. They go to the floor where Priest hits a lifting Downward Spiral onto the apron but here is Solo Sikoa to go after Priest for the DQ at 11:02 shown.

Rating: B-. They were getting going rather well at the end there and I was wanting to see where it went. At the same time, it’s not overly surprising that it went to a DQ, as you don’t want either of them taking a fall. There is a good chance that the two of them, likely with Drew McIntyre, will be getting a title match in the near future. Like say at Backlash.

Post match Knight and Priest get together to beat Sikoa down. Cue Jacob Fatu though and the good guys are taken out rather quickly.

We look back at Fraxiom’s debut last week.

Fraxiom is ready to face Pretty Deadly tonight so here is Pretty Deadly to interrupt. The villains talk a bunch of fairly friendly trash and we’re ready to go.

Pretty Deadly vs. Fraxiom

Axiom and Wilson start things off with the latter working on a wristlock. It’s off to Frazer for a rather fast running kick to the face and he kicks Prince away without much trouble. Fraxiom is up with the string of dives and it’s time to crank on the arms back inside. Axiom is dropped onto Wilson’s feet though and the Clothesline From El (clever) drops him as we take a break. Back again with Axiom rolling over for the tag off to Frazer and it’s time to clean house. The running shooting star press gets two on Prince and the super Spanish fly puts Wilson down. Frazer’s Phoenix splash finishes at 9:30.

Rating: C+. Take two teams who can do some good stuff in the ring and it worked well for Fraxiom again here. Fraxiom continues to look good in their start on Smackdown, which comes with a pair of wins so far. Good stuff here, and odds are Fraxiom will be put into an actual story sooner or later, perhaps with one of the teams from last week’s TLC match.

Michin and B-Fab want the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The Secret Hervice brings in Chelsea Green, whose title was hijacked by the deep state. Green wants a recount but instead Nick Aldis has Piper Niven facing Zelina Vega. Maybe Niven can get the title shot and become champion! Green nearly faints.

We look at Randy Orton vs. John Cena at TLC 2013.

Here is Nia Jax, who is so happy the fans are glad she’s back. She’s here to get the Women’s Title back from Tiffany Stratton, so here is Stratton to interrupt. Stratton says this isn’t the same version of her who has been around for so long but she’s ready to fight anytime. Cue Naomi to interrupt and bring up the things that Stratton and Jax put her through. Naomi runs down Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill, the latter who comes out to go after Naomi in a frenzy. Nick Aldis comes out to make the tag match for later tonight.

Carmelo Hayes gives Miz a pep talk before he gets to face Aleister Black.

Aleister Black vs. The Miz

Black misses an early kick to the face to start but takes Miz down, only for Miz to knee his way out of trouble. The threat of another kick sends Miz outside and Black drops him again back inside. Miz is able to send Black into the ring board though and we take a break. Back with Miz knocking him to the floor again, followed by the short DDT for two back inside. The YES Kicks wake Black up and he hits Miz in the jaw to take over. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered with a cartwheel (sweet) but Carmelo Hayes offers a distraction. Back up and Black Mass takes Miz’s head off for the win at 9:30.

Rating: C+. What else were you expecting here? Other than maybe Black running through Miz, this was a perfectly fine way to go. Black got to show what he can do in the ring and hit his big finisher. That’s the big point of everything he does and it’s what made the most sense here. There is a good chance that Hayes is next for Black and there are far worse ideas.

Santos Escobar mocks Rey Fenix for losing to El Grande Americano, even as Rey Mysterio’s handpicked replacement. Escobar thinks he should be Mysterio’s replacement but Fenix would rather fight him tonight instead. Deal.

Zelina Vega vs. Piper Niven

Non-title and Alba Fyre and Chelsea Green are here with Niven. Vega kicks her own to start but Niven is right back to knock Vega outside. Something like a reverse powerbomb out of the corner drops Vega again and we take a break. Back with Niven swinging her around in a cobra clutch, only for Vega to come back with a Codebreaker.

Niven drops her for a backsplash but gets caught with a middle rope Meteora for two. Niven’s cannonball misses and Vega grabs a spinning DDT. The moonsault gets two on Niven but Green gets on the apron for a distraction. That doesn’t work either as Vega comes back with a jackknife rollup for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. Having a match between two wrestlers with such different sizes is a hard way to go but they made it work well enough here. Vega getting the win is the right way to go and I’m glad to see her not losing so soon into her title reign. It wouldn’t surprise me to see her have another match with Chelsea Green, who will be fine as long as she can keep getting on camera.

Jacob Fatu is ready to fight so Nick Aldis gives him a triple threat match at Backlash against LA Knight and Damian Priest. Solo Sikoa brings up Drew McIntyre winning the match last week so Aldis makes it a four way. Sikoa says Aldis is screwing Fatu over, but Aldis says Sikoa is the one screwing Fatu. Good response there.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. Orton talks about how he has seen John Cena for years and knows that Cena was a walking talking cartoon character during the PG Era. At the same time, Orton was doing everything he could to get to the top and talks about all of Cena’s obsession with merchandising which made him that much more money. Last week Cena said that he raised a bunch of children but the only thing he raised was the price of his merchandise so the parents had to work harder.

What happened to the loyalty and respect? Cena has promised to end the Orton Legacy but that isn’t going to happen. Orton sees Cena as the latest legend he has to kill and promises to punt his “Lego shaped head” through the St. Louis Arch. This was a fired up Orton and as sick as I’ve gotten of this feud over the years, my goodness this is feeling like a major showdown, with Orton bringing the emotion.

Nia Jax wants Naomi to stay out of her way in the main event. Naomi: “Sure.”

Randy Orton runs into R-Truth, who says Orton has no chance. Jimmy Uso comes in to say he’s got this and tells R-Truth to cool it with that. R-Truth

Rey Fenix vs. Santos Escobar

Fenix spins away from Escobar to start until Escobar wins a chop off and yells a lot. Back up and Fenix knocks him to the floor but Escobar is right back up with the big suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Escobar kicking him out of the corner. A slingshot hilo gets two but Fenix is quickly out of an armbar.

Fenix hits a double springboard moonsault for two but Escobar knees him in the face for a double down. Back up and Fenix gets sent into the corner for some running knees to the chest. Fenix is right back with a kick to the chest though and it’s a top rope Meteora for the pin on Escobar at 12:25.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the Fraxiom match, as the idea is to make Fenix look good as he’s still starting up his time on Smackdown. Unfortunately Fenix is in a weird spot as he had to be put into the Wrestlemania match in Rey Mysterio’s place and take his first loss. Wins like this one should give him a nice start to his comeback, which should go somewhere soon.

Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill bicker over the tag match. Next week though, Cargill is facing Nia Jax in a #1 contenders match.

We look back at last week’s TLC match with the Street Profits retaining the Tag Team Titles in an instant classic.

Santos Escobar yells at Los Garza for not being there when Andrade comes in. Escobar doesn’t like Andrade, who is still trying to get into Berto’s head.

Jade Cargill/Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax/Naomi

It’s a big brawl as they start fast, with Jax sending Stratton into the barricade. We settle down to Naomi pulling on Cargill’s arms in the corner but Cargill is back up with a big boot. Jax drops Cargill from behind though and we take a break. Back with Jax crashing onto Cargill for two, allowing Naomi to come in and hammer away. Cargill manages a faceplant and gets the tag off to Stratton to clean house.

Jax cuts her off with a Samoan drop but Stratton gets the knees up to block Naomi’s split legged moonsault. Cargill comes back in for a fireman’s carry flapjack to Naomi and a chokeslam gets two. Jax runs Cargill over but Stratton is in for the save with a Swanton. A missed charge hits Naomi in the corner and Cargill powerbombs Jax out of the corner for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. Cargill got to look good in the end with the powerbomb and staying in the ring for awhile gives her some extra ring time. That should help her a bit, and working with someone experienced like Naomi should help. This is at least a slightly different cast going after the title, even if it’s hard to buy Naomi in this spot after Cargill has beaten her so thoroughly.

Post match Cargill grabs the title but gets decked by Naomi, who holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this show as much as it felt like the show designed to get ready for the other stuff. That being said, we’re coming off last week’s TLC match so taking a bit of a breather isn’t a bad thing. This wasn’t a terrible show or even a bad one, but it was the kind of week where a recap might be better than watching the whole thing.

Results
Damian Priest b. LA Knight via DQ when Solo Sikoa interfered
Fraxiom b. Pretty Deadly – Phoenix splash to Wilson
Aleister Black b. The Miz – Black Mass
Zelina Vega b. Piper Niven – Jackknife rollup
Rey Fenix b. Santos Escobar – Top rope Meteora
Jade Cargill/Tiffany Stratton b. Naomi/Nia Jax – Powerbomb to Jax

 

 

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