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WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reactions and Highlights From Jan. 2
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on January 2.
It's the first WWE show of the new year, so WWE has booked a big grudge match with a stipulation in the hopes of creating interest.
Here's a look at what was advertised for this week's show:
This week also marked the blue brand's jump to three hours every week. Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's SmackDown.
The Airing of Grievances
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The main focus of the recap that opened the show was the segment with Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre from last week's show.
As Corey Graves and Michael Cole were trying to give an introduction to the show, The Miz interrupted and said we don't get to celebrate the new year until he airs his grievances for 2025.
He said not being part of John Cena's retirement tour was a huge mistake. He insulted the fans and said he deserves everyone's respect. He also called out Timothée Chalamet, who was a guest on Rhodes' podcast recently.
He also brought up the "Tiny balls" allegations, among other grievances. This is when Randy Orton's music hit to a big pop from the crowd. The Miz didn't seem all that upset to see him and even tried to get the crowd to cheer louder for him.
The Miz tried to bring Orton into his rant and said they are the locker room leaders. He also suggested forming a tag team, MizKO. Orton didn't say a word and just hit an RKO, which got the biggest pop of the entire segment. He picked him up and wished him a happy new year before hitting another RKO.
This could have easily just been any other random segment to start a feud, but they hit all the right notes. This was funny and didn't feel like it overstayed its welcome. Orton being back in the fold is going to make things more interesting, too.
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax and Lash Legend vs. RhIyo, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair
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Last time in action: Bliss and Flair vs. Ripley and Sky ended in a no contest (Raw, Dec. 1), Jax and Legend defeated Kabuki Warriors (SD, Dec. 15)
The first match of the night was the big eight-woman tag match with Ripley, Sky, Bliss and Flair taking on Asuka, Kairi Sane, Jax and Legend.
The heels attacked the babyfaces before the ref could call for the bell. It came down to Ripley and Asuka as the first legal competitors once everyone else was cleared from the ring.
We returned from the break to see the heels still controlling the pace. Bliss began to build a little momentum before making the hot tag to The Queen.
Most of the action in this match was good, but the biggest problem was that it felt like the commercial breaks took up almost as much time as the match itself. All eight women worked hard to make this fun, but this is one of those times when the flow was damaged by the need for advertising.
Other than a couple of moves that didn't land, this was a solid match that was given enough time to breathe across a few segments. Sky got the win for her team with the Over the Moonsault on Sane.
Result: Sky, Ripley, Flair and Bliss defeated Asuka, Sane, Legend and Jax
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Asuka constantly yelling at Kairi Sane shouldn't be as funny as it is.
- The combination of Sky and Ripley has been a great way to keep both women busy while others are fighting over the top titles. They work well together.
- Asuka went for her running hip check when Sky was clearly not in the place she was aiming. It was a weird moment.
- Legend has already made a good impression on the main roster. She's become a reliable worker after having a rough start in NXT a few years ago.
- Sane's attempt at a neckbreaker on Sky did not go as planned.
Kit Wilson vs. Matt Cardona
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Last time in action: Kit Wilson lost to Shinsuke Nakamura (Main Event, Dec. 5), Lexis King defeated Matt Cardona (TNA, Dec. 6)
Green was shown trying to get out of her match tonight, but Aldis put a stop to that. Back in the arena, Kit Wilson made his way to the ring with new gear and new entrance music.
The former Zack Ryder came out to face Wilson as himself, Matt Cardona. Cole and Graves talked about how we just saw him as Ryder a few months ago as the match began.
Wilson jumped him as soon as he got in the ring to take control. Cardona was able to regain his footing and take control for a moment, but he was tripped on the middle rope and fell hard on the mat.
Cardona won with the Rough Ryder after a short but decent back-and-forth fight. Cole noted that this was his first WWE win in over six years, which is wild to think about.
Result: Cardona defeated Wilson
Grade: C-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
- Jordynne Grace was shown talking to Nick Aldis about a possible move to SmackDown.
- Wilson getting his own entrance music does not bode well for Elton Prince returning anytime soon.
- Cole announced that Cardona was officially part of the SmackDown roster now.
Sami Zayn Wants Gold, But So Does Trick Williams
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After a break, Sami Zayn made his way to the ring in street clothes. He talked about how much fun he had getting to enjoy a show from the front row with his son when Cena retired.
He said his son asking him how many times he has won a world title got to him. He declared that it's finally time for him to chase the title that has been eluding him, but that led to Trick Williams interrupting him.
He introduced himself to Zayn and called himself a combination of Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson and Michael Jackson. Williams said he wants to be the world champion and it won't take him 20 years like Zayn.
Zayn said he knows Williams is good but isn't afraid to humble him and teach him a lesson. Zayn left the ring without any fighting, but it's clear this will be Trick's first feud on SmackDown. He has a great dance partner in Zayn.
This was a pretty standard segment, but it created a little intrigue for their potential feud, so it did its job.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Carmelo Hayes vs. Johnny Gargano
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Last time in action: Carmelo Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov (SD, Dec. 19), Hayes and Dragunov defeated DIY (SD, Dec. 15)
Johnny Gargano got a chance to fight for the United States Championship this week when he challenged Carmelo Hayes for the title. As usual, Candice LeRae was by his side for support, but Tommaso Ciampa was nowhere to be seen.
Melo went right after Gargano as soon as he hit the ring. The ref finally called for the bell when Johnny Wrestling got back into the ring and ate a dropkick from the champion.
They did a great job making this feel like a personal fight right away, which made sense after Gargano ambushed Hayes backstage following his title win.
Even though these two have had a handful of tag team and multi-man matches over the years, this was their first one-on-one encounter. Both men are known for their in-ring ability, so the pressure was high for them to put on a good show.
Thankfully for us, they did not disappoint. Both of these guys are capable of putting on a show-stealing performance on any given night. They lived up to their potential and gave us a fun and fast-paced bout with some great spots along the way.
It seemed unlikely that Hayes would lose his title in his first defense, but Gargano was a great first challenger to help establish him as a fighting champion. Melo scored the win with a huge diving leg drop.
Result: Hayes defeated Gargano
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Dragunov and Hayes were shown having a friendly encounter backstage. Hayes also ran into The Miz and thanked him for leaving him alone so he could achieve his goals.
- It would be nice if LeRae had more to do in the women's division. She is such an underrated talent.
- Gargano's slingshot spear is always a thing of beauty.
- The Fade Away leg drop Hayes uses is such a cool move, but it looks like it would be easy to misjudge, too.
Which Stages of Hell Will We Get?
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Rhodes had a brief encounter with Zayn backstage before he told Aldis he was heading to the ring and wanted McIntyre to announce the stipulations for their Three Stages of Hell match next week.
He came out and gave a promo about his mentality about being the WWE champion. He said nobody works as hard or is as prepared as he is for what's to come. McIntyre finally appeared, but he was on the big screen in front of Rhodes' bus instead of joining him in the ring.
He said the first stage would be a standard wrestling match, the second would be a Falls Count Anywhere match, and the third would be a cage match.
McIntyre revealed he took a picture of Cody and Dusty Rhodes from his tour bus and stomped on it. Rhodes took off to go find him backstage and the cameras followed him. McIntyre ended up tricking him and showed up in the ring with a garbage can.
He set the photo on fire and dropped it into the can, but it seemed to take longer than expected for the picture to ignite. Several officials held Cody back as Drew taunted him from inches away.
Even with several other segments between these two in recent weeks, this one stood out for being one of the most personal. McIntyre has settled into his role as a heel nicely.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Nakamura and Tama Tonga had a backstage interaction in Japanese that seemed to be a callback to their time in NJPW together where they had dozens of matches from 2010-2015.
- Jade Cargill took credit for injuring Michin in their last match. Grace showed up and said she wanted to take a good look at the champion before choosing if she signs with SmackDown.
- We got another video package for Oba Femi, so his move to SmackDown seems inevitable.
Chelsea Green vs. Giulia
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Last time in action: Giulia and Kiana James defeated Green and Alba Fyre (SD, Dec. 19)
We got the men's U.S. title earlier in the show, but now it was time for the women's United States Championship to take center stage as Giulia challenged Green.
There was no shortage of history between these two, with Green having defeated Giulia for the belt in November. The Beautiful Madness immediately took control and started throwing the champion all over the ring.
Fyre provided a distraction that allowed Green to hit a suicide dive that sent us into a break. We returned to see the two competitors trading punches in the middle of the ring. The crowd seemed to be on Green's side and cheered whenever she hit something successfully.
These two have had time to get to know each other, so they were able to put on a fun encounter that showed off how much their chemistry has grown since their first showdown.
In a somewhat surprising outcome, Giulia ended up getting the win with a Northern Lights Bomb. James helped her celebrate winning the title for the second time. Starting the year off with a title change was a good call on WWE's part.
Result: Giulia defeated Green
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Giulia's gear was especially cool this week.
- Does anyone else miss Piper Niven? We do.
- Green and Cardona need to have some segments together soon. Everyone knows they are married, so WWE should lean into it.
- We got picture-in-picture during this bout, but it felt like most of the matches before this didn't have it. It would have benefitted some of them.
- Giulia's double underhook superplex was awesome.
Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black
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Last time in action: Ripley and Priest defeated Black and Vega (SD, Dec. 12)
The main event of this week's show was the Ambulance match between Priest and Black. WWE hyped the match throughout the night with a couple of short backstage segments and a video package, so it looked like this would be their final encounter for now.
It didn't take them long to start fighting toward the ambulance. Priest even pulled a stretcher and some other equipment out of the back of the ambulance and slammed black on top of it before the show cut to a break.
They made their way back toward the ring eventually and Priest launched Black over the announce table with a running pounce.
Ambulance matches and similar stipulations are a good way to change things up sometimes because it's a different win condition, but you also need to put the right people in these bouts to make them work.
Priest and Black have proved they work well together on multiple occasions, so they were a safe bet to make this kind of match work. They made sure to include plenty of weapons and table spots to spice up the action, too.
WWE gave them a long time to work, so they were able to take their time and sell the bigger moments. When Vega opened the door to the ambulance, Ripley appeared and chased her into the ring so she could hit the Riptide.
Priest ended up blinding Black with a fireball just like Black had done to him months ago. They ended up on top of the ambulance, where Priest sent Black crashing through two tables on the floor.
Priest put Black inside the ambulance and shut the doors to get the win. They made this a hard-fought contest that will definitely leave some marks on both men.
Result: Priest defeated Black
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Flair and Bliss had a funny moment with Sky and Ripley backstage.
- Gargano and LeRae had a backstage segment with Fraxiom.
- The Ambulance not having any specific local logos and just the word "Ambulance" written on the side was unintentionally funny.
- Priest send Black into the windshield of the ambulance with a Razor's Edge.
The Final Word
9 of 9When Raw was running at three hours every week, the show started to become sluggish, so there were worries that the same would happen to SmackDown.
This may only be the first episode, but it felt like the show struck the right balance between in-ring action and non-wrestling segments. It did a good job featuring a mix of top talent and up-and-coming Superstars, too.
The return of Cardona to WWE on a full-time basis is going to be a point of discussion among fans, as will the title change in the Giulia vs. Green bout.
Most of the matches were decent, but Hayes and Gargano stole the show with their U.S. title showdown, which continued the trend began by Zayn and carried on by Dragunov of the U.S. title bouts often being the best thing on the show.
Rhodes and McIntyre did a great job hyping their big match next week, and Black and Priest closed the episode with a physical performance that capped off their feud.
All in all, this wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours on a Friday night.
Grade: B
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