SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Before we get started, a few notable updates to go over:
•Braun Strowman and The Wyatt Sicks are two of the acts confirmed to transfer to Smackdown on the road to Wrestlemania 41. Interestingly, both were in the midst of active feuds on their current brands before transferring. Whether this was intentional to signify the transfer window’s ramifications or a way to pivot from lackluster booking is anyone’s guess. Both acts will need to regain some much-needed momentum if they want to make an impact on the increasingly short PPV cards of Triple H’s WWE.
•It was announced that The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) will be out of action due to injuries sustained on the 2024 WWE Holiday Tour. The Profits spent late 2024 being built up as the chasing underdogs to the WWE Tag Team Championships, after being repeatedly screwed over by heel champs DIY. Wishing both wrestlers a speedy recovery.
•Corey Graves recently made an incendiary remark on Twitter/X about being demoted to NXT. Graves has since made no appearances on WWE programming. Rumors abound that Graves was shooting, and is now on ice. Fingers crossed all parties involved can make nice and that Graves returns to programming soon.
Personal Note: Some of you may have noticed there was no Smackdown Feud Tracker column last week. That was because I had to briefly evacuate my home due to the Los Angeles wildfires. Luckily my loved ones and I are safe and sound, and the worst of it seems to be behind us. LA often gets a bad rap, being known as a city full of shallow cutthroat airheads obsessed with their own looks. But underneath the glitz and glamour, no city is more adept at banding together and staying resilient through hard times.
Plus, we booed Hulk Hogan out of the Intuit Dome, which was hilarious.
In the past two weeks, I’ve been so so proud of my community, and encourage any readers with money to spare to consider donating to recovery efforts.
But on to this week’s column: Since both WWE primetime shows settled into their new formats, I’ve noticed a conscious change in their aesthetics. I expected the glitz and technology to be scaled up in 2025, but to my surprise there’s instead been a shift to a more grungy, bare style. More muted colors, a black mat, dimmed lights. It feels closer to Black & Gold NXT than the PG era. And this made me ruminate on the company’s objectives in 2025. While many critics claim that the actual wrestling in WWE matters less than ever, I’ve noticed the opposite in recent months.
For example, Penta’s debut on Monday Night Raw. Yes, he got all the bells and whistles, but the reason he came across as a star was his lengthy debut match and trademark moves. The Canadian Destroyer was the most talked about spot of the evening. And while Penta certainly has a recognizable brand, it felt like the company was allowing it to a base for his character rather than the entirety of his character (*cough Lucha House Party). It bodes well for workrate-oriented wrestlers on the roster who may not have previously been given the space to build their aura through sheer in-ring work alone.
As we head into tonight’s episode, where do things stand on the blue brand? Let’s take a look.
CHELSEA GREEN vs. MICHIN
Latest Developments:
At the inaugural Saturday Night’s Main Event, Chelsea Green (with help from her ally Piper Niven) defeated Michin to become the inaugural Women’s US Champion, following a long-term rivalry between the two throughout most of 2024.
The two continued their feud in the following weeks, trading insults. Michin won a singles match against Niven two weeks ago, earning a shot at the title as Green’s first challenger.
Last week, Green defeated Michin yet again to retain the Women’s US Championship thanks to interference from Niven. Post-match, Michin tried to attack Green but Niven again intervened.
Analysis:
As I look back on Green and Michin’s feud, I realized just how much the two anchored the Smackdown midcard throughout 2024. With the top titles being intertwined in long-term stories, much of the division felt directionless for most of the year. Green and Michin were two beacons for lower-card talent to bounce off: one hoss babyface and one weaselly egotistical heel.
As such, their feud immediately allowed the Women’s US Championship to slot in neatly to Friday Night Smackdown programming. It feels like there’s a concerted effort across the title scenes to establish new contenders on the road to the Royal Rumble. Both the WWE Women’s Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championships focused on that last week. Building the Women’s US Championship off of an existing feud allowed the writing to avoid repetition, which hugely benefits the programming.
Last week’s match sneakily paid off the deepening relationship between the two. Michin was much more aggressive from the start, anticipating Niven’s interference from their past encounters. Green, meanwhile, managed to avoid Michin’s powerhouse moves this time around. While it was hilarious seeing Green get ragdolled, little touches like this make each feud feel so much more lived-in. Characters feel consistent and develop in-ring, like old AJPW King’s Road matches. This match also smoothly established a precedent for Green’s title defense style: get a sneaky win by any means, and bring in Niven if all else fails.
It doesn’t feel like there’s much more for this feud, however. I doubt WWE plans to turn Michin heel, and she can only lose so many times before the sheen wears off. It’d be nice to see a blowoff match at a PPV on the road to Wrestlemania, perhaps a hardcore match. That style would play to the rhythm mentioned above perfectly, and be a callback to the dumpster match the two had last year, the match that initially cemented their forever rivalry in the midcard.
Grade: B
TAG TITLE #1 CONTENDERS
Latest Developments:
After turning heel, DIY succeeded in their long-awaited quest to reclaim the WWE Tag Team Championship by attacking #1 contenders The Street Profits backstage and taking their place, defeating the Motor City Machine Guns later that night.
In the aftermath, Pretty Deadly covered for DIY by pinning Los Garzas as the Profits’ attackers. This began an alliance where DIY offered a title shot to Pretty Deadly if they ensured DIY remained champs, which Pretty Deadly delivered by costing the Motor City Machine Guns their rematch for the titles.
Last week, the entire tag division clamored for a title shot, causing Nick Aldis to establish a tournament. Motor City Machine Guns defeated A-Town Down Under, while Los Garzas (now aware of Pretty Deadly throwing them under the bus) defeated Pretty Deadly thanks to DIY refusing to help them.
Post-match, DIY made excuses but promised Pretty Deadly would get their title shot soon.
Analysis:
Lots to discuss here. I love that Smackdown is slowly returning to its heyday as a faction-oriented show. Tag team wrestling made its name on weekly TV, and the multiple feuds swirling around the champs make for much more compelling TV than one-on-one feuds, given the sheer fun watching these diverse wrestlers play off each other.
With The Profits built up as the ultimate babyfaces to DIY’s run, it feels like this point in the narrative is laying the groundwork for DIY’s arc: they’re able to squirm their way out of any enemies by throwing other enemies at them. Given their 2024 arc relying on determination, one can surmise The Profits will be the only team to not fall for DIY’s mind games to eventually dethrone them.
Last week’s arc centered around DIY’s manipulation of Pretty Deadly. While always entertaining, Pretty Deadly comes across inauthentic as the de-facto babyfaces in the feud. It’s hard to sympathize with them being strung along because they’re so overdramatic. If WWE wants to position them as faces, they need to lean either into a more charismatic anti-hero dynamic or tone down the smarminess. Right now, I find myself automatically buying into DIY as the good guys simply because they’re down-to-earth.
Motor City Machine Guns remain ahead of the pack by sheer in-ring creativity. WWE’s producers continually display MCMG as apex predators in the ring. DIY twice relied on low blows to beat them, and last week A-Town Down Under was firing on all cylinders but MCMG beat them clean. It’s simple booking, but not overdone. MCMG still feel like three-dimensional people. They have fatal flaws, they’re newcomers, they make mistakes. But their elite in-ring history carry them through. It’s a more nuanced take on the archetype.
I love the slow rehabilitation of Los Garzas. After a cold losing streak, it’s nice to see them with proper motivation outside of being the heavies for Santos Escobar. Angel and Berto play “vengeful” better than anyone, and if WWE commits to turning Pretty Deadly face, I could see Los Garzas being positioned as a filler feud for them. And those “filler feuds” are the anchor for WWE. Outside of the title scene, tag teams getting character-based feuds is a huge development, one that keeps players involved and diversifies programming. Last year, it felt like 3-4 teams were on ice waiting for a shot, hopefully we can move away from that even with limited screentime.
The timeline of the tourney seems to suggest DIY’s title defense will be at SNME on 1/25. Given Triple H’s slower storytelling, it’s likely that we’ll get a filler defense there but fully plant the seeds for DIY vs. Pretty Deadly in the future.
All in all, everyone came out a little brighter. Except A-Town Down Under, who have firmly been reduced to comedic fodder. They keep threatening to go to Raw, and at this point I’d welcome it, if only for a change of pace.
Grade: B+
APOLLO CREWS: PROFESSIONAL INSTIGATOR
Latest Developments:
Two weeks ago, Apollo Crews told Los Garzas that Pretty Deadly set them up. The following week, Pretty Deadly came looking for revenge but Los Garzas diverted attention from Crews to kickstart a beatdown.
Last week, Crews taunted Pretty Deadly again, following DIY going back on their deal.
Analysis:
It’s a small throughline, but I love little moments like this. Not only does it make the roster feel connected and alive, but it gives lower-card talent like Crews authentic ways to get involved with higher-profile players.
There was no history between Crews and either tag team, he just called out liars when he saw them. It maintains his babyface character, introduces a unique wild card in an otherwise typical tag team filler feud, and is a unique riff on the “I learned you betrayed me” archetype often seen in wrestling.
Now Crews has something (barely, but still) to build off of if a push is due for him in the near future. With the increasingly crowded roster going into 2025, this could be a much cleaner way to cycle talents in and out of major pushes.
Grade: A+
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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TIFFANY STRATTON vs. NIA JAX
Latest Developments:
On the premiere episode of Friday Night Smackdown in 2025, Tiffany Stratton successfully cashed in her MITB contract on WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax, after months of their relationship breaking down due to Jax’s increasing hostility and paranoia over Stratton eclipsing her.
Last week, Stratton was interviewed in-ring by Byron Saxton. She spoke about how proud she was to be the new champion, and trashing Jax for mistreating her. Jax appeared, angrily insulting Stratton and vowing to take back her title.
Analysis:
This in-ring segment led into a #1 contender’s four-way match, which we’ll talk about below. Right now, I’d like to focus on Stratton’s character. While the cash-in itself was delayed, Stratton worked hard to give fans a feel-good moment, hinting at a babyface turn. Last week’s promo confirmed that. Despite still maintaining a bratty edge, Stratton noticeably gave into the cheers, hinting that the company is committing to presenting her as a face. The real tell is, she didn’t insult Byron Saxton. Only a true babyface could avoid that.
Curiously, it felt like the Stratton-Jax dynamic wasn’t the centerpiece of last week’s segment as I expected. Jax vs. Stratton always felt like the endgame for Wrestlemania 41, but the structure of the segment presented Jax as just one of several challengers rather than Stratton’s ultimate rival. Given how long their relationship lasted, this feels like a missed opportunity to keep a feud hot. Jax’s performance in the ensuing four-way didn’t feel particularly dominant, nor did they explicitly set up Jax being screwed out of a win and wanting a rematch. If anything, it felt like WWE is trying to transition Jax away from Stratton, which is a strange choice going into Wrestlemania season.
I’m curious to see where it goes, but last week felt like a muted end to a dynamic with more potential.
Grade: C
BIANCA BELAIR vs. NAOMI
Latest Developments:
Bianca Belair’s WWE Tag Team Championship partner Jade Cargill was attacked by a mystery assailant late last year. Following that, Naomi stepped up to take her place (perhaps a little too quickly), with the attacker never being found.
In the ensuing weeks, Naomi slowly began showing a more aggressive side during their title defenses, while also pursuing singles gold in comparison to Belair’s sole focus on the tag belts.
Two weeks ago, Naomi lost a title match against then-champ Nia Jax due to Stratton’s cash-in. Therefore, Naomi confronted Jax & Stratton last week, claiming she should be the champ. As Jax got aggressive, Belair had to step in, and a four-way match was made official with them and Bayley.
During the match, Naomi noticeably displayed more aggression than Belair, and the two faced off for the first time briefly where Naomi showed no hesitation in clubbing her partner.
Analysis:
After weeks of slowly laying the groundwork, this week felt like the first big step forward in planting seeds for a Naomi heel turn. WWE’s subtle in-ring storytelling has been top-notch in showing the differences between Naomi and Belair. Naomi is distracted by singles glory, Belair is a team player. Naomi is aggressive, but Belair has her back when brawls break out. And when the two are forced to fight each other, it’s Naomi who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Belair for solo glory.
It all feels like it’s leading to Naomi being revealed as the mystery attacker, taking a title by any means necessary after a 2024 filled with missed opportunities. It’s retroactive storytelling and seeds planted done right, not over-the-top but still consistent.
However, I have other issues with WWE’s presentation of the duo. In an effort to make Belair seem more calm, they’ve neutered her character significantly. Crowds are noticeably quieter for her than a year or two ago, and if the endgame is Cargill’s return that doesn’t leave much room for Belair to get a big hero moment. If anything, her character feels like collateral damage in this storyline.
With Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson recently earning a title shot for the belts on NXT, it looks like Belair & Naomi may be due to lose the belts soon thanks to infighting. In their previous bouts, Legend & Jackson were swiftly dispatched by the champs due to their inexperience. A rematch in which Belair & Naomi, this time, are undone by their own infighting would be a nice parallel and launch the NXT wrestlers onto the main roster.
Grade: B-
BAYLEY’S LAST SHOT
Latest Developments:
Amidst rumors of Bayley moving to Monday Night Raw via the transfer window, Bayley was the final wrestler to confront Tiffany Stratton last week. Drawing on their long rivalry from Stratton’s alliance with Jax, Bayley didn’t hesitate in belittling her accomplishments.
During the ensuing #1 contender’s four-way match, Bayley took most of the abuse from her opponents, but in the closing stretches managed to pin Naomi and earn a title shot. Post-match, Bayley claimed the importance of taking her opportunities and swore to defeat Stratton yet again.
Analysis:
Yet again, Bayley came off as directionless. Bayley’s move to Raw was teased prominently enough that re-inserting her into a Smackdown feud now felt like a really odd choice. Given Bayley’s lackluster face run last year and no engaging storylines, a change of scenery would have done her good. Running back a championship match with Stratton doesn’t feel engaging at this point.
If Bayley had teased a heel turn, there could be some intrigue in this matchup. But instead, paired with a bland post-match promo, it feels like Bayley yet again being a gatekeeper to put over an opponent. Which, sure, every company needs those. But it feels like Bayley still has more to do before settling into that stage of her career.
And it feels like defeating a pure babyface like Bayley wouldn’t do much for Stratton’s burgeoning babyface connection with crowds, so this matchup feels like a misfire.
Grade: C
THE NEW BLOODLINE vs. L.A. KNIGHT
Latest Developments:
At Survivor Series, L.A. Knight lost the WWE US Championship to the returning Shinsuke Nakamura. The following week, The Bloodline laid out Knight as he confronted Nakamura, intending to make a statement to the locker room.
Last week, Knight rebuffed The Bloodline enroute to his title rematch against Nakamura. Mid-match, Knight seemed close to a win before Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu attacked Knight leading to a disqualification.
Analysis:
Knight’s booking following his championship loss hasn’t done him any favors. Given that his biggest strength is his mic work, it feels like WWE has allowed him precious little mic time in the past few months. Hell, last week felt like a deliberate middle finger, cutting Knight off just as he got rolling in favor of a bland beatdown, where Cody Rhodes could make the save.
Not only did it feel like a Vince-ism, it made Knight look like a chump, with his storyline being used as setup for the Bloodline v Bloodline feud. Don’t get me wrong, Knight’s so bulletproof on the mic that he’ll likely make his way back from the past few months. But still, it feels like he’s precariously close to falling back down the midcard.
Knight’s rematch ending so abruptly hints that his time with Nakamura isn’t over, which doesn’t bode well. Knight’s tit-for-tat verbal style doesn’t work well with Nakamura’s more psychological heel character, to the point where Knight didn’t shine in either of their previous encounters. Nakamura’s in-ring work has slowed considerably as well, adding to the uneventfulness of the match. It’s not a bad story, it’s just… uninteresting. And for two talents who were once the hottest prospects in their divisions, it’s infuriating to see the sum be so much less than its parts.
Moving into Wrestlemania 41, I hope Knight begins to re-pivot back to The Bloodline. While he deserves a singles match, The Bloodline has much more heat than anything he could be doing with Nakamura. Given his history against Sikoa in 2023, Knight could fit seamlessly into a babyface team.
Grade: C
THE NEW BLOODLINE vs. JIM USO
Latest Developments:
Since returning to ally with Roman Reigns, Jim Uso found himself in the crosshairs of the New Bloodline despite making it his plan to go solo.
During the opening of last week’s show, Cody Rhodes left Paul Heyman defenseless against The New Bloodline, by leaving to confront Kevin Owens. Uso made the save, but was beaten down before security intervened. Later, Rhodes and Uso saved LA Knight from The New Bloodline, challenging to a tag match later that night. Later, Uso rebuffed the mocking of Carmelo Hayes.
In the main event, Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu mercilessly beat Uso after Rhodes was once again distracted by Kevin Owens.
Analysis:
Jimmy Uso continues to feel like the biggest casualty of the Bloodline vs. Bloodline feud. With Reigns off of television, Uso continues to be the fall guy so The New Bloodline could look dominant. Normally I wouldn’t mind that, but he’s been filling the same rolefor several years now and audiences have come to crave something different. He feels like the sole original member that the Bloodline narrative has held back, especially off his solo promo several weeks ago pledging to go his own way.
Uso’s brief interaction with Carmelo Hayes seemed like it was setting up a solo story for the Uce, but given Hayes’ position on the card relative to The Bloodline, it’ll likely be a quick match for Uso to garner some babyface fire before returning him to The Bloodline story.
All in all, it just feels like a waste of a talented performer for the sake of stretching a story out. At this point, just do some pretapes and say The New Bloodline is trying not to waste their energy before the Royal Rumble.
The one positive of last week was Jacob Fatu finally getting some solo promo time. And hoooooo boy, did he deliver. Esepcially in the WWE ecosystem, his raw intensity really stands out. His verbal pacing, rhythm, and passion are top-notch and have this uncanny ability to draw you in. More of this and Fatu could be a top singles contender following Wrestlemania 41.
Grade: C+
CODY RHODES vs. KEVIN OWENS
Latest Developments:
Since returning to ally with Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes was betrayed by longtime ally Kevin Owens due to his supposed hypocrisy in teaming with the enemy. After a long violent feud, Rhodes and Owens faced off for the WWE Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event where Rhodes won.
In the following weeks, Owens made it clear their feud was not over, challenging Rhodes to a ladder match at Royal Rumble. Last week, Owens interrupted Rhodes’ discussion with Paul Heyman, ranting about The Bloodline. An unhinged Rhodes immediately ran to confront him.
During the main event, Rhodes was again distracted by Owens, leaving his tag partner Jim Uso to brawl with Owens as the show closed.
Analysis:
Ever since Saturday Night’s Main Event, I found myself running out of gas with this feud on weekly TV. The matches and storytelling were great, but the repeated beatdowns were feeling a bit tedious. Last week added an interesting wrinkle of Rhodes growing as obsessed with Owens as vice versa, to the point he abandoned a fellow babyface to be thrown to the wolves.
Last week highlighted how fleshed out the Cody Rhodes character is, because such a selfish act felt completely out-of-character for him and signified just how intense his feud with Owens had gotten. Rhodes has never purposefully left a comrade to fend for themselves, so it immediately piqued the interest of the audience.
Owens, as always, finds a way to make (basically) the same rant sound new and entertaining each week. His heel work is so over-the-top whiny that it loops back around to feeling relatable, and despite my reservations this feud has genuinely grown into a main event-calibre blood feud worthy of carrying Smackdown’s main event slots. I still stand that a ladder match is an odd stipulation for a feud built on sheer brawls (Last Man Standing would have felt a bit more apropos), but it definitely looks like we’re in for a barn-burner at the Royal Rumble.
A gloriously violent segment that ended last week’s show on a positive note.
Grade: A
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