With the Royal Rumble just around the corner, the January 17 episode of WWE SmackDown was full of surprises. From Rey Mysterio announcing his entry into the Royal Rumble to the “Samouan Werewolf” coming face-to-face with the “Monster Among Men,” here’s everything that went down on Friday night.
The legendary Rey Mysterio kicked off the show to a thunderous ovation and chants of “619” from his hometown crowd. The WWE Hall of Famer announced his entry into the 2025 Royal Rumble, reminiscing about his iconic victory in 2006 and hyping up the stacked list of entrants for this year’s event.
However, the moment was interrupted by Kevin Owens, who accused Rey of living in the past and being delusional about his chances of winning. The two exchanged heated words, with Rey comparing Owens’ behavior to his estranged son Dominik, which escalated into a physical altercation. This set the stage for their first-ever one-on-one match later in the night.
The powerhouse duo of Bianca Belair and Naomi overcame the formidable team of Nia Jax and Candice LeRae in a hard-fought tag team match.
The match began with Belair and LeRae exchanging holds, but Jax’s interference during the picture-in-picture sequence gave her team the upper hand. Belair endured a brutal beating but managed to shift the momentum with a flying crossbody on Jax.
Naomi capitalized on a miscommunication between Jax and LeRae, with Jax accidentally hitting a leg drop on her own partner. Naomi then delivered a Bubba Bomb to LeRae for the pinfall victory.
A backstage confrontation from last week led to Jimmy Uso facing Carmelo Hayes in a highly anticipated match. The bout showcased both Superstars’ unique styles, with Hayes dazzling the crowd with his high-flying moves and Jimmy countering with his hard-hitting offense.
The match was interrupted when Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga attacked Jimmy, causing a disqualification. Solo Sikoa appeared but shockingly left through the crowd without intervening, leaving everyone, including Fatu and Tonga, confused.
Fatu grabbed a mic and delivered an intense promo, but before he could finish, LA Knight attacked him and Tonga from behind. The numbers game quickly caught up to Knight until Braun Strowman stormed the ring to make the save. Strowman had a brief confrontation with Fatu, but the segment ended anticlimactically as Fatu and Tonga retreated.
Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, collectively known as the Motor City Machine Guns, scored a major victory over Los Garza in a fast-paced tag team match on WWE SmackDown.
Despite interference from Pretty Deadly, the Machine Guns hit their signature Skull and Bones finisher to secure the win. This victory puts them in contention for a future tag team championship opportunity.
Earlier in the night, B-Fab challenged Piper Niven to a match during a backstage segment. Accompanied by Chelsea Green, Niven used her size and power advantage to dominate the match.
B-Fab managed to hold her own for a while, using her speed and agility to stay in the fight. However, Green’s distraction allowed Niven to hit a senton followed by her devastating finisher to pick up the win.
In their first-ever singles match, Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio delivered a thrilling main event. Mysterio used his speed and experience to keep Owens off balance, even managing to hit his signature 619. However, Owens proved too resilient, countering Mysterio’s offense and hitting a Pop-Up Powerbomb for the victory.
After the match, Owens attempted to deliver a Package Piledriver to Mysterio, but WWE Champion Cody Rhodes stormed the ring to stop him. This led to a massive brawl between Owens and Rhodes.
In the final match of the night, Tiffany Stratton successfully defended her WWE Women’s Championship against Bayley.
The two Superstars engaged in a fierce back-and-forth battle, with Bayley coming close to victory on several occasions. However, Stratton capitalized on a small opening to hit her Prettiest Moonsault Ever and retain her title.
NXT’s Roxanne Perez, who was seated at ringside, watched the match intently, hinting at a potential future confrontation with Stratton.
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Non-Tile Tag Team Match | Bianca Belair & Naomi def. Nia Jax & Candice LeRae |
| Singles Match | No Contest (interference by Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga) |
| Tag Team Match | Motor City Machine Guns def. Los Garza |
| Singles Match | Piper Niven def. B-Fab |
| Singles Match | Kevin Owens def. Rey Mysterio |
| WWE Women’s Championship | Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Bayley |