Hall’s WWE Smackdown Review 5.30.25

WWE Friday Night SmackDown
Date: May 30, 2025
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

Somehow, we are just over a week away from Money In The Bank, and that means it is time to start getting the card finalized. That is likely going to include some more qualifying matches, which can be hit or miss around here. Other than that, the rest of the show needs some attention, and as of Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend, Cody Rhodes is back. Let’s get to it.

Here is hometown girl Bianca Belair for a chat. She’s so glad to be back after her injury, and it’s time to get back where she belongs. This brings out Naomi, who wants to be Belair’s friend again. It was so bad that she went to Belair’s parents’ house and looked through one of Belair’s photo albums. Belair brings up Naomi attacking Jade Cargill and promises worse if Naomi goes near her family again. Cue Cargill to take Naomi out, but here is Nia Jax for the scheduled match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Nia Jax vs. Naomi vs. Jade Cargill

We’re joined in progress with Jax crashing out to the floor, leaving Naomi to hit a running dropkick to Cargill in the corner. Jax is back in with a running hip attack to Cargill in the corner, but Cargill is up with a fallaway slam to Naomi. Back up and Jax plants both of them down, followed by a double legdrop. A singular version hits Naomi for two, but she rolls through a Samoan drop for two of her own as we take a break.

Back with Jax and Naomi double-teaming Cargill, but Jax doesn’t like Naomi going for a cover. Cargill is back up with a spinebuster to Jax and Jaded to Naomi, but Jax makes the charging save. A double high crossbody gives Jax two each, and frustration is setting in. Jax hits a super Samoan drop on Naomi, with Jax diving in for the save. They go to the corner for a Tower of Doom, setting up an Annihilator for Cargill. Naomi is right there to steal the rollup pin from Jax at 12:21.

Rating: B-. Naomi has been needing a win, and this is as good a way to make that happen as possible. I could actually go for her winning Money In The Bank as she is an interesting choice to have hanging around the title picture. This got a bit of time too, and that was nice to see, though Cargill vs. Naomi needs to wrap up already. What is left for Cargill to do to her?

Solo Sikoa and company run into R-Truth, who is talking to Little Jimmy (hey, he’s back….I think). Sikoa thinks it’s dumb. JC Mateo gets in R-Truth’s face. R-Truth thinks Mateo is his son (of course) and wants to teach Sikoa’s “husky” son a lesson. Works for them, though Jacob Fatu has his own plans for tonight. That sounds painful.

Chelsea Green, holding up a mask to hide her broken nose, and the Secret Hervice stop Nick Aldis. Green demands that she be named US Champion to make up for her injury, but Aldis says no. And that’s that.

Tiffany Stratton wants to see who wins the Money In The Bank briefcase because someone will try to cash in. Cue Naomi to say she’s coming for the title. Naomi leaves, and Alexa Bliss comes in to say she wants the title too.

We look at the four-way for the NXT North American Title at Worlds Collide.

JC Mateo vs. R-Truth

Mateo powers him into the corner without much trouble to start, but R-Truth is back with the flying shoulders. That’s cut off in a hurry, and Mateo hits the standing moonsault. The ProtoBomb and Five Knuckle Shuffle actually hit Mateo, but he grabs the Tour Of The Islands for the pin at 2:19. That’s what it should have been.

Post-match, Solo Sikoa goes after R-Truth, but Jimmy Uso makes the save with a chair. Mateo takes Uso out as well.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. The division is on fire right now, and they’re the ones leading the charge. Now the Wyatts are here? Cue Fraxiom to say they should get another shot, but here are the Motor City Machine Guns, who say the Profits never beat them either. They’ll take a title shot too, but here is DIY, who claims a conspiracy against them. Ciampa (who is looking in INCREDIBLE shape here) wants a moment of silence for the tag division….and we’ve got Wyatts to wreck everyone.

Los Garza vs. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix

This is a preview for the NXT North American Title match at Worlds Collide, with champion Ethan Page on commentary. Fenix and Garza start things off with Fenix snapping off a running hurricanrana. Berto comes in and gets caught with a running kick to the head as we take a break. Back with Garza giving Evans a running knee in the corner, followed by a Gory Bomb/slingshot cutter combination for two. Evans fights up and gets over for the tag to Fenix so house can quickly be cleaned.

Everything breaks down, and Evans makes a blind tag to come in with a springboard clothesline. Evans and Garza chop it out from their knees and then from their feet, until Garza grabs a slingshot sitout powerbomb for two. Fenix breaks up the double super gorilla press slam, though, and Evans hits a big flip dive to the floor to take all of them out. Page pops up and sends Fenix over the announcers’ table, earning a superkick from Evans. Back in, and Evans drops Berto, but Page shoves him off the top. Los Garza’s double spinning slam finishes Evans at 12:23.

Rating: B-. For a commercial for a match that has pretty much nothing to do with this show, this could have been a lot worse. Evans getting something close to a tryout on the main roster isn’t a surprise either, as it is clear that WWE is rather high on him. The action here was good too, with the right team winning in the end.

We get a video from the Wyatts, with Uncle Howdy saying (I think) it’s time for them to get what is owed.

Zelina Vega vs. Alba Fyre

Non-title and Piper Niven/Chelsea Green are here with Fyre. Vega gets sent into the corner a few times to start, but she comes back with some kicks to the ribs. A headscissors sends Fyre down again, but she hits a shoulder to drop Vega. Back up and Vega hammers away in the corner, but Green’s distraction cuts off the 619 attempt. Fyre hits a superkick, and we take a break.

Back with Fyre hitting a gordbuster for two and grabbing the chinlock. Vega fights up and gets in a knockdown of her own, setting up the clothesline comeback. A running knee in the corner hits Fyre, and the middle rope Meteora gets two. Stundog Millionaire drops Fyre again, but she avoids a moonsault. Fyre’s Swanton gets two, and Vega is sent outside, where Green takes the face protector off. Green hits Niven by mistake, though, leaving Vega to grab the Code Red for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B. I liked this one more than I was expecting to, if nothing else, because it was an actual fresh match. It feels like Vega and Niven have fought multiple times, so getting Fyre in there on her own was a good idea. Vega needs to move on to someone new, but it was nice to see her getting to complete the set of opponents here in a way.

Miz tells Carmelo Hayes to follow his instructions tonight, but Hayes says he got here on his own talent. Hayes needs Miz to let Him be Him, which Miz doesn’t seem to like.

Giulia isn’t here to be the best, but to be indisputable. It doesn’t matter who she is facing, because they are just part of building her legacy.

Zelina Vega runs into Giulia, who seems interested in the Women’s US Title.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat. Priest talks about how he has fought on the streets before, but here in wrestling, when you fight with someone, the match usually ends things. He and Drew McIntyre went on for over a year, and that’s not normal. McIntyre is gone for a bit to heal up, and Priest still hates him. The thing is, that was the old McIntyre in the cage, and Priest was glad to see him.

As for Priest, he wants titles, starting with Jacob Fatu and the US Title. Priest respects Fatu, but not the crew that Fatu follows around. They’ll do their thing one day, and Priest will be the champion. Priest goes to leave, and here is Fatu for his match and the staredown on the way. That’s a good way to go, as you can always get into a hoss fight.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Miz is here with Hayes. Andrade and Fatu clear the ring to start fast, leaving Fatu to send Andrade to the apron. That earns Andrade a knock-out to the floor, so Hayes is back in to get dropped by Fatu as well. For some reason, Miz thinks it’s a good idea to grab Fatu’s leg, with the distraction allowing Andrade to clothesline Hayes. Fatu crushes Miz against the barricade, and we take a break.

Back with Fatu knocking Andrade into the corner but missing the running Umaga Attack. Andrade hits Fatu with the running knees in the corner but walks into La Mistica to give Hayes two. Back up, and Andrade hits something like a middle rope reverse Spanish Fly for the double down.

Andrade’s double moonsault hits Fatu, with Hayes making the save. The three of them slug it out from their knees until some double-teaming manages to send Fatu outside. That doesn’t work for Fatu, who brings them outside but misses a running Umaga attack through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with Andrade catching Hayes on top, only for Fatu to help with a super Spanish Fly. Fatu Swantons Hayes for two, but Andrade hits the spinning back elbow for two of his own. Hayes’ springboard spinning clothesline gets two more with Fatu making the save this time. A Samoan drop drops Andrade, but the triple jump moonsault misses for Fatu.

Nothing But Net gets two, and Andrade and Hayes go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and Andrade hits a spinning back elbow to drop Haye,s and we get a three-way breather. Fatu hits an implant DDT each and the triple jump moonsault to Andrade…but Solo Sikoa gets on the apron for some reason. JC Mateo joins him, but here is Jimmy Uso to go after them. Andrade hits Hayes with the Message for the pin at 20:27.

Rating: B. Yeah, this was good, partially because it got some time and partially because it gives us someone else in the ladder match while having Hayes and Miz continue their issues. Andrade can bring it when he is given the chance, and that’s what we got to see here. I could go for him getting to do something more important, and it seems that he is at least having a small chance.

LA Knight is ready for Money In The Bank because he’s going into his third straight Money In The Bank. Aleister Black comes in to say that the win was partially his, but Knight is welcome.

Jacob Fatu wrecks a bunch of stuff backstage and tells Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t need help.

Worlds Collide rundown.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about having to get through the loss at Wrestlemania XLI and asking a friend if he was a good champion. His friend said yes, and Rhodes goes over what he did during his year with the title. This included his boss, the Final Boss, and of course, John Cena. That gives us the dueling chants, with Rhodes talking about how Cena forced him to make a choice.

Rhodes isn’t sure if Cena will ruin wrestling, but Rhodes will never think twice about taking Cena out again. He apologizes for getting a bit worked up, but he has a surprise. The fans chant for Jey Uso…so perhaps we should YEET. Cue Uso (who picks up a kid for the YEET dance, and it’s still great), and we take a break. Back with Uso giving us an encore, but here is Cena to interrupt. Cena calls them both Cena wannabes who want his money and fame, but they won’t get it.

There is one person in WWE who has Cena’s hustle, loyalty, and respect, so here is Logan Paul. Cena says Paul doesn’t have to pay his dues because he is paying your mortgage. Paul asks what the fans are crying for because he could walk on water, and people would say it’s because he can’t swim.

This is a special moment and the most important thing that anyone here in Tennessee will ever see. Paul should be the World Heavyweight Champion, but Uso got lucky at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes had to cheat because that’s what Uso and Rhodes do. Paul, on the other hand, is a self-made man, and no one would have believed he would be teaming with Cena.

While Cena’s time is almost up, Paul’s time is now. Uso and Rhodes want to fight right now, and Rhodes is suggesting that Paul is going to go polish Cena’s peacemaker. The brawl is on, and the villains are quickly dispatched. Cena was bringing it a bit more here, as teaming with Paul is about as vile as you can get on this show.

 

Results
Naomi b. Jade Cargill and Nia Jax – Rollup to Jax
JC Mateo b. R-Truth – Tour Of The Islands
Los Garza b. Je’Von Evans/Rey Fenix – Double spinning slam to Evans
Zelina Vega b. Alba Fyre – Code Red
Andrade b. Jacob Fatu and Carmelo Hayes – The Message to Hayes

 

 

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8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

This was a strong edition of the show with a nice collection of in-ring work. Throw in a solid main event promo segment and I had a pretty nice time with the show. It was also a big push towards next week’s pay per view and it was a good effort towards making that show feel more important. I could still go for this show being back at two hours, but they can make it work like this on occasion.