.jpg?w=1280)
WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Highlights After Survivor Series 2025
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on December 5.
Not only did this show deal with the fallout from Survivor Series, but we also got the finals of the Last Time is Now tournament to determine who will fight John Cena in his retirement match at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Friday's show:
- Gunther vs. LA Knight
- U.S. title open challenge
- Cody Rhodes speaks
- Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre
- Alexa Bliss vs. Kairi Sane
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's show.
Opening Segment
1 of 6
SmackDown opened with a video recapping the events of Survivor Series before we got the usual shots of people walking backstage. Nick Aldis was shown telling Drew McIntyre he was still suspended and ordered him to leave, but Cody Rhodes attacked him in his truck.
Drew drove off, so Rhodes marched his way to the ring looking angry. He grabbed a mic and demanded Aldis reinstate McIntyre so he could get revenge for McIntyre invading his tour bus.
The recap video, backstage stuff and Rhodes' promo all combined for roughly 10 minutes to open the show. It was the perfect amount of time to sell this feud without overstaying its welcome.
The American Nightmare was convincing with his rage, and McIntyre played his part well. This was a solid way to open the show with a little action.
Grade: B
Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes
2 of 6
Last time in action: Dragunov defeated JD McDonagh (SD, Nov. 12), Hayes lost to Gunther (Raw, Nov. 24)
Dragunov's run of open challenges for the United States Championship continued this week when he put the belt on the line against Hayes.
Most of the people The Mad Dragon has faced in these open challenges have not felt like they had a chance to beat him. Hayes is the first one who has had success over him in the past, so it created a more interesting dynamic.
Hayes wasn't intimidated. He was his usual cocky self, which is exactly what he needed to be for this to be as good as it was. They didn't hold back and got right into the action as soon as the bell rang.
These are two guys who are both great at what they do, so having them in the first match was practically guaranteed the start the show on a high note. Dragunov has been SmackDown's strongest performer since he returned, but Hayes might have shone a bit brighter here.
Unfortunately for him, Tommaso Ciampa tripped him on the top rope while the ref was distracted, allowing the champion to hit his finisher to retain the title. Once Dragunov found out what happened, he had a crazed look in his eyes. He is definitely going to take out his anger on Ciampa when they finally meet.
Result: Dragunov defeated Hayes
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- WWE is really trying to make the jackass nickname stick for Ciampa. Hayes used it backstage when he told Ciampa he would have to wait for his U.S. title shot because he was up next.
- Michael Cole referencing the trio of matches these two had in NXT was a nice touch.
- The running kick Dragunov hit to send Hayes out of the ring was great.
- The way Dragunov sold the apron DDT was perfect.
Alexa Bliss vs. Kairi Sane
3 of 6
Last time in action: Sane's team lost to Bliss's team (Survivor Series: WarGames)
Bliss battled Sane in the second match on this week's show. These two have been feuding over the tag titles and fought in the WarGames match last weekend, so they have no shortage of animosity.
This was a back-and-forth match, but Sane may have had a little more offense than Bliss. Flair and Asuka cheered on their respective partners as The Goddess began making a comeback.
The Queen and The Empress got into it at ringside while Sane set Bliss up for her InSane Elbow. Bliss popped up and grabbed her to hit Sister Abigail out of nowhere for the win.
This was a decent bout that didn't overstay its welcome. The attack by Lash Legend and Nia Jax adds another duo to the tag title feud. They may have been teammates with Asuka and Sane in WarGames, but that didn't stop them from fighting.
Result: Bliss defeated Sane
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre
4 of 6
Last time in action: Cargill defeated B-Fab (SD, Nov. 14), Fyre lost to Thea Hail (NXT, Nov. 11)
Cargill took on Fyre in what was easily the most predictable outcome of the night. Cargill is on her first run as a world champion while Fyre just lost to Hail in NXT. They are simply not at the same level right now.
That being said, Fyre is a great wrestler who has done a lot to put other talent over. She was mad that the champ was paying more attention to Chelsea Green than to her, so she hit a dropkick and took control right away.
Kiana James and Giulia showed up at ringside and attacked Green, driving her away from the ring. Fyre was distracted, which allowed Jade to hit a spinebuster, a pump kick and Jaded for the win.
This was too short to be anything special, and it certainly didn't do much to help Jade's reign as champion. She doesn't need squash wins. She needs good performances against worthy challengers.
Result: Cargill defeated Fyre
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Cargill isn't getting enough heat. She should either be the most beloved or hated person on the roster, but she doesn't feel like ither one right now.
Gunther vs. LA Knight
5 of 6
Last time in action: Gunther defeated Hayes (Raw, Nov. 24), Knight defeated Jey Uso (Raw, Dec. 1)
Solo Sikoa and the MFTs gave a promo focusing on The Wyatt Sicks. This led to the Wyatts coming out for a standoff that turned into a fight. Talla Tonga and Erick Rowan had the biggest exchange as the segment ended.
The main event of this week's show saw Knight battle Gunther for the right to be Cena's final opponent at SNME.
Knight surprised Gunther and got the upper hand early, sending The Ring General out of the ring. As the match progressed, it became an even fight with both men getting in a lot of offense.
They had the last 20 minutes of the show to work, so they had enough time to do a lot while still taking time to sell. This was one of Knight's best matches in quite some time, and another in a long line of great Gunther performances.
Even though the result felt predictable, they did a good job making it seem like either guy might win at different points. Knight even hit his finisher, but Gunther got his foot on the bottom rope to break the count.
This was the best match of the tournament, which is exactly how it should be. After putting up a good fight, Knight succumbed to a submission and tapped out.
Result: Gunther defeated Knight
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Nikki Cross going after JC Mateo was hilarious.
- Having Gunther's old music back has been so good for him. It feels right.
- They had the lights dimmed for the official introductions, which is usually reserved for title bouts.
- Gunther has such an ugly splash, but it works for him because he is not trying to do something pretty. He is just trying to land all of his weight on someone.
The Final Word
6 of 6Friday's SmackDown had its highs and lows. The match with Cargill being too quick was the only major complaint from this week.
The opening bout between Dragunov and Hayes was outstanding and would have stolen the whole show if it had a clean ending.
However, the main event with Gunther and Knight ended up being the biggest highlight of the night. Gunther looked great as he always does, but Knight looked more impressive than usual, which is really saying something since he lost.
The show being bookended by its two best matches helped open and close on a high note. Other than SNME, we have a long break between now and The Royal Rumble, so WWE has lots of time to build up potential winners.
Grade: B
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
