Warning: The following copy has SPOILERS for WWE SmackDown (Mar 7th, 2025)

WWE is still reeling from last week's Elimination Chamber, and Cody Rhodes will address John Cena's industry-changing heel turn. What will the WWE Champion have to say, as Randy Orton also returns to SmackDown for the first time since Kevin Owens put him out of action. Drew McIntyre vs Jimmy Uso is also set in a high-profile rematch, after Uso defeated The Scottish Warrior a few weeks ago.

Elsewhere Chelsea Green defends her Women's US Championship against Michin in a Street Fight (from the home if ECW, Philadelphia, PA). There will have to be some kind of resolve in the Tag Team division, where DIY's championships are under threat from Motor City Machine Guns, Street Profits, Pretty Deadly and more. And the Main Event sees Shinsuke Nakamura defending his US Championship against LA Knight in a bumper episode of SmackDown.

WWE SmackDown Results - Mar 7th, 2025

• Drew McIntyre attacks Damian Priest as he’s walking into the arena
• Randy Orton opens the show. He insults John Cena, before turning his attention to Kevin Owens and promises to punt him in the future.
• Nick Aldis ignores Chelsea Green’s pleas to make a match between Tiffany Stratton and Piper Niven.
• Tiffany Stratton defeats Piper Niven with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
• Charlotte Flair comes from the crowd, takes out her knee and puts her in a vicious Figure 8.
• Nick Aldis addresses the Tag team division. Street Profits vs DIY for the Tag team Championship is made official.
• Pretty Deadly defeat Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garza to become Number One Contenders for the tag team Championship, with Elton Prince pinning Chris Sabin of Motor City Machine Guns.
• Bianca Belair calls Naomi to the ring to talk.
• Naomi talks about everything but Jade. She then says Cargill has been piggybacking off of Belair's greatness, and Naomi says she felt pushed to the side.
• Bianca demands her answer. Noami has tears running down her face as she its she took Jade out.
• Naomi says she said it was supposed to be her, and Bianca says it hurts so much because she loves Naomi.
• Bianca says she is done with Naomi. Naomi cries for Bianca who walks away crying.
• Naomi says she should have pushed Jade harder and sooner, and calls Bianca an "ungrateful bitch" as Cargill is seen arriving.
• Cargill throws Naomi into the announce desk and hits Jaded.
• Charlotte Flair says the women's division has gone soft. B-Fab approaches her, Flair will face B-Fab on SmackDown next week.
• Braun Strowman defeats Solo Sikoa via DQ. Tama Tonga breaks a sure-fire 3 count to cause the DQ.
• Jacob Fatu arrives and brawls into the crowd with Strowman.
• Strowman chokeslams Jacob Fatu off of crates and through a waiting table. Fatu is still able to walk/stumble away.
• Chelsea Green is dressed as Cactus Jack in the home of ECW for her street fight with Michin.
• Alba Fyre returns to cost Michin the US title with a Canadian Destroyer onto a stack of chairs. Fyre is another Secret Hervice Agent.
• Rumors of Cody Rhodes's face being hurt by Travis Scott's strike at Elimination Chamber appear to be true as Cody's face is in a bad way.
• Cody Rhodes is electric in talking about his history with Philadelphia and about John Cena saying "the WWE Championship gets heavier every day" to him after WrestleMania 40
• Cody finishes with the line "if you want some, come get some".
• Carmelo Hayes vs Randy Orton is booked for next week's SmackDown.
• Drew McIntyre beats Jimmy Uso with a Claymore.
• Damian Priest attacks Drew McIntyre in retaliation for Drew ambushing Priest from behind earlier in the evening.
• The match is a blast and features trash cans, kendo sticks, Piper Niven taken multiple kendo stick shots from B-Fab, a stack of chairs and a table.
• LA Knight wins the US Championship back from Shinsuke Nakamura.

Naomi, Bianca And Jade Cook Up A Storm

Naomi's Emotional Confession Kicks-Off WrestleMania Season With A Bang

For all of the concern about the ability for writers to connect with the audience in the women’s division, Naomi’s betrayal of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair is one of WWE's best stories. In a week where focus could (and perhaps should) be on Iyo Sky’s shock victory over Rhea Ripley to set up Belair vs Sky for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, this incredible segment eclipsed all of that. Emotionally effecting, this tale of jealousy and treachery has struck a chord that should serve as a blueprint for the division moving forward.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first, it’s great to see a women’s angle without a man in sight. This has all been about Naomi’s inability to make things happen on her own , Cargill’s credentials being questioned, and the angel of WWE being dragged into the middle of all of it. This was Naomi’s best night in her whole WWE run, her real tears making the audience buzz and pop with a wild “OHHHH!” when she confessed to attacking Cargill. Jade is very Jason Vorhees at present in being “all action, no explanation”, but Cargill's first time holding a mic since being taken out will be must-see TV.

As for the challenger for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, Bianca Belair is suddenly the focus of the whole division. Iyo Sky awaits, Cargill will surely have her own issues with Belair’s union with her assailant and Bianca will also have to deal with the consequences of costing Rhea bloody Ripley her WWE bloody title. It’s going to be a long few weeks for Bianca Belair back atop the women’s division after a hell of a start to her WrestleMania season.

Cody Rhodes Is Legitimately Hurt

The Champion Does What He Can With Despite Everybody's Absence

There’s no gentle way to say this; one half of Cody Rhodes’s face was mangled by Travis Scott’s slap at Elimination Chamber. Rumors had emerged during the week that Cody was suffering a black eye and a potential burst ear drum owing to the cheap shot from the legendary rapper, but nothing can prepare audiences for the visual damage done by the strike. At best, it adds to the severity of the assault heard around the world, at worst, it’s ill-advised to say “Don't try this at home” and then let a rapper assault the WWE champion.

This has got to have been a long week for the WWE Champion. Cody Rhodes has had seven days to find the words to sum up the events of last weekend, and with Cena off shooting Mattel’s Matchbox movie, The Final Boss being nowhere to be seen, and the other guy being a rapper, Cody had nowhere to direct his frustration. He was great when sharing his long history with Philadelphia, and his payoff about the weight of responsibility that comes with being WWE's “face that runs the place” were great because Cody does not ever miss. This is another show where Cena’s heel turn was discussed, but nothing was added to or progressed though. There’s still over a month from WrestleMania and WWE are going to make us wait for Cena's answers as to why he broke the world’s hearts.

LA Knight Returns To The Big Time

The Megastar Regains His Title Just In Time For WrestleMania

Cutting straight to the chase, this has been a weird few months for the men's United States Championship. Knight won the belt after a great feud with Logan Paul, and didn't really have the opponents or stories for his reign to be everything we wanted it to be. He then dropped the title to Shinsuke Nakamura out of nowhere, who has then lurked around in the shadows with the title while barely defending it, and has now has returned it to LA Knight.

With WrestleMania around the corner, LA Knight is a great pick for US Champion at this juncture. He's one of SmackDown's most consistent performers who's hot with every crowd he performs in front of. There's just over one month to go until the biggest show of the year, and there is no obvious plan for either men's mid-card championship at WrestleMania. It's adding more excitement to what is already the most unpredictable WrestleMania season in years.

This was an entertaining SmackDown, where the lead talking point will be Cody Rhodes' extreme facial injuries at the hands of Travis Scott. Chelsea Green and Michin had a fun Street Fight and the idea of the US Champ employing an all-Scottish Secret Hervice team is a nice twist, especially if Alba Fyre is capable of fulfilling the role. In a massive ending, LA Knight will walk into WrestleMania season with the US Championship back around his waist with victory over Shinsuke Nakamura in the Main Event.