Nia Jax defended her WWE Women’s Championship against Naomi to kick off the new year with some title action. Shinsuke Nakamura, the champion of the United States, was also competing against Andrade; however, it was a non-title match.
With around a month to go before the Royal Rumble, WWE has a lot of time to fill, especially to put up a card that will mostly consist of the two Rumble matchups.
Contents
- 1 Cody Rhodes’s 2025 Opening
- 2 Results of WWE SmackDown on January 3, 2025:
- 3 WWE SmackDown Results: Andrade against Nakamura Shinsuke
- 4 WWE SmackDown Results: Mitchin vs. Piper Niven
- 5 WWE SmackDown Results: Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY
- 6 WWE SmackDown Results: Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax, Naomi vs. Nia Jax
- 7 WWE SmackDown Results: The New Bloodline versus the OG Bloodline
Cody Rhodes’s 2025 Opening
Cody Rhodes declared that the first WWE SmackDown of 2025 marked the start of a new era in the company. Cody wanted to participate more in tonight’s program, but Kevin Owens prevented him from competing.
Thanks to the transfer window, Drew McIntyre returned to SmackDown, claiming to be there to support the Undisputed WWE Champion. He didn’t believe Drew, the latter remarked.
As he left the ring, McIntyre insisted that he wasn’t there to harm Cody and advised him to keep an eye on his back.
A fight started when Cody was attacked from behind by Kevin Owens as Drew was leaving. Before Owens retreated backstage, officials moved quickly to separate them and were able to peel them apart.
Results of WWE SmackDown on January 3, 2025:

- DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns concluded without a contest.
- Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Andrade.
- Michin, Michen def. defeated Piper Niven Nia.
- Nia Jax def. Naomi wins the WWE Women’s Championship after defeating Naomi.
- After defeating Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton emerged as the new WWE Women’s Champion.
WWE SmackDown Results: Andrade against Nakamura Shinsuke
Nakamura returned to the WWE ring to face Andrade in a non-title match a few days after making an appearance at Pro Wrestling NOAH. These two put up a fantastic display, much to the surprise of no one.
Andrade lost to Nakamura’s Kinshasa after striking his head on the ring post, but his celebration was cut short as LA Knight seemed to attack him.
Result: Andrade lost to Nakamura.
Grade: B+
WWE SmackDown Results: Mitchin vs. Piper Niven
After missing out on winning the U.S. title, Michin planned to exact revenge on Piper Niven, Chelsea Green’s best friend.
This game went according to plan. When she could, Niven utilised her bulk and strength to push her opponent around, while Michin used her skills to keep the behemoth on her toes.
It was a good fight, and Michin won by defeating Niven. Being given more ring time in recent months has been fantastic for Michin, one of WWE’s most underappreciated performers.
Result: Niven lost against Michin.
Grade: B-
WWE SmackDown Results: Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY
The match began with Ciampa and Sabin, and the challengers isolated the tag champion. After they were sent outdoors, Sabin made a huge dive.
Before Gargano entered and accepted a neckbreaker for a near fall, Ciampa received an uppercut and Sabin delivered a massive boot back in the ring.
After we had a series of superkicks, Ciampa broke up a pin attempt. Before Los Garza attacking them, the Pretty Deadly arrived and rescued Gargano from the Skull and Bones.
Los Garza and the Deadly battled their way into the ring after Sabin struck Ciampa with the STF and the match was cancelled,
Result: D.N.F
Grade: B
WWE SmackDown Results: Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax, Naomi vs. Nia Jax
With Candice LeRae at her side, Bianca Belair escorted Naomi to the ring for her title matchup with Jax. The absence of Tiffany Stratten instantly raised suspicions among fans about a possible cash-in.
As soon as the match began, Naomi took charge with her quickness, but she could only hold the upper hand for so long before Jax’s strength overwhelmed her.
Naomi was stunned by the champion both during and after the commercial break. Jax and Naomi put a lot of effort into making this a face-to-face interaction.
At ringside, Belair and LeRae got into a fight, which Jax broke up. When Tiffy’s music started playing, Naomi had time to gather herself before she rushed to the ring with a second referee.
At the last second, she threw the referee over the barricade and then threw the briefcase at Naomi while the referee was not looking. To keep her championship, Jax pinned Naomi, and Tiffany joined her in the ring to celebrate.
She suddenly assaulted LeRae and Jax, then let Belair hit Jax with a KOD. Belair was thrown out of the ring and over the announce table by Miss MITB before she formally cashed in.
She pinned Jax with her signature moonsault to become the new WWE women’s champion.
Result: Naomi was defeated by Jax and later Stratton defeated Jax to win the the title
Grade: B+
WWE SmackDown Results: The New Bloodline versus the OG Bloodline

WWE’s SmackDown Sami Zayn and The Usos faced Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga in a six-man tag match this week.
As soon as the referee rang the bell, the six men began fighting. There was nothing the referee could do to stop it, so he just kind of sat back. After the new Bloodline was thrown out of the ring, the show ended.
Jey and Tama faced off as the legal men once we got back from our break and everything was back in order. Once Solo’s team gained the upper hand, the tempo drastically decreased. With a Samoan Spike to Jey, Solo ultimately secured the victory for his team.
Result: The OH Bloodline was defeated by the New Bloodline defeated
Grade: B
The Bloodline rejoiced in the ring as the commentary crew promoted the RAW Netflix premiere, and SmacKDown ended.