WWE Smackdown results (1/10): Powell’s live review of Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight for the U.S. Championship, Chelsea Green vs. Mia Yim for the Women’s U.S. Championship

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Smackdown (Episode 1,324)
Portland, Oregon at Moda Center
Aired live January 10, 2025 on USA Network

[Hour One] A shot of Portland aired while Joe Tessitore checked in on commentary. Inside the building, Tessitore and color commentator Wade Barrett checked in from ringside. Tessitore stated that Smackdown is their new home…

Arrival/backstage shots aired of WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Paul and Heyman… A video package recapped the Monday’s premiere of Raw on Netflix…

PaulHeyman stood in the ring and introduced himself. Heyman said it’s one of the greatest honors of his entire career to announce that there is only one reigning, defending undisputed Tribal Chief of the WWE Universe and his name is Roman Reigns. An “OTC” chant broke out.

Heyman said Reigns authorized him to let the fans know what he intends to accomplish next. Heyman said he wasn’t just going to share it with everyone at home and everyone in the building, he wanted to share it with a man who deserved to hear the news face-to-face, Cody Rhodes.

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes made his entrance to a great reaction and shook hands with Heyman once he entered the ring. Heyman told Cody that he deserved every bit of that response and a whole lot more. Heyman said Cody did something very few men in the business have done by earning the respect of Reigns.

Heyman put over Cody as a champion. Heyman said that because Cody is such a great champion, Reigns asked him to come out to inform Cody that he wants his title back. Heyman said so there are no surprises, he wanted Cody to know how he will get his title back. Heyman said it was a prediction, not a spoilers.

Heyman announced that Roman Reigns will enter the Royal Rumble with the full intention of winning and challenging Cody for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Heyman asked respectfully what Cody wanted to talk about. A Cody chant broke out.

Kevin Owens interrupted before Cody could speak. Owens stood in the crowd near a concourse entrance area. Owens said it’s Cody’s fault that Reigns wants a title shot because he should have let The Bloodline rip him to shreds. Cody exited the ring and met Owens on the steps. They brawled into the camera section.

Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga entered the ring where Heyman backed into a corner. Jimmy Uso’s entrance music played and he ran to the ring. and worked over Fatu and Tonga while Heyman exited safely to ringside.

Jimmy went to ringside and slapped Heyman’s hand before grabbing a chair and returning to the ring. Jimmy used the chair until Fatu cut him off. A referee entered the ring and was taken out by a Fatu superkick.

Cody walked down the steps toward the ring. WWE producer Ken Doane entered the ring and was superkicked by Fatu. Cody returned to the ring and cleared Tonga. Fatu turned and fired up before charging Cody, who ducked him and threw some punches. Cody clotheslined Fatu over the top rope and then Fatu landed on his feet at ringside. Cody’s entrance theme played to close the segment…

An ad for Monday’s Raw on Netflix hyped Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria in the Women’s Intercontinental Title tournament final, and Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor in a street fight… [C]

Powell’s POV: A hot opening segment with plenty of star power. I hope WWE doesn’t go overboard in foreshadowing the winner of the men’s Rumble match and that no spoilers get out regarding the winner, because this has a chance to be a really fun Rumble with more realistic candidates to win than usual.

Backstage, Nick Aldis had security telling Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga to leave. Fatu shoved a couple of security guards and barked at them. LA Knight showed up, hit Fatu, and then shoved him through the doorway and closed the door behind him. Knight told Aldis that he has a championship to win…

Powell’s POV: I guess we know who Fatu’s next victim will be.

Mia Yim stood in the ring and was introduced by ring announcer Lilian Garcia. Women’s U.S. Champion Chelsea Green made her entrance with Piper Niven…

1. Chelsea Green (w/Piper Niven) vs. Mia Yim for the Women’s U.S. Championship. Yim went for her Eat Defeat finisher to start, but Green avoided it and consulted Niven at ringside. Green shoved Yim into the middle rope and had offensive control going into a picture-in-picture break. [C]

Michin had Green down in the corner when she hit her with a cannonball. Michin covered Green for a two count. A short time later, Michin kicked Green and then went to the apron where she booted Niven. Michin opted to perform a senton onto Niven. Michin went up top and executed a crossbody block, but Green rolled through and held the tights while getting the three count…

Chelsea Green defeated Mia Yim in 8:10 to retain the Women’s U.S. Championship.

Powell’s POV: It’s actually hard to feel sympathy for the babyface when she opted to go after Niven and took too long to go for the top rope crossbody block. Anyway, this was a solid match otherwise and I continue to get a kick out of the Green and Niven act.

The broadcast team recapped last week’s WWE Tag Team Title match between DIY and The Motor City Machine Guns…

Footage aired from earlier in the day of Smackdown general manager Nick Aldis speaking with “The Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson, and “Los Garza” Angel and Berto. They all bickered about which team should get the next title shot. “A-Town Down Under” Grayson Waller and Austin Theory showed up and joined the bickering. Aldis booked Los Garza vs. Pretty Deadly, and then booked the Guns vs. Waller and Theory…

Legado Del Fantasma made their entrance… [C]

2. “Los Garza” Angel and Berto (w/Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez) vs. “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson. Pretty Deadly was in the ring coming out of the break. Berto had Wilson down in the ring when Prince performed a neckbreaker on Berto over the top rope. [C]

Angel was getting the better of Wilson when Wilson looked to the entrance area and called for help from “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. A short time later, Prince went up top and was crotched by Escobar while Lopez distracted the referee. Angel and Berto hit their finisher on Prince and then Berto pinned him…

“Los Garza” Angel and Berto beat “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson in 8:55.

Powell’s POV: Let the record show that it took three men, a woman, and an easily distracted referee to defeated the mighty Pretty Deadly duo.

Tessitore hyped WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton’s appearance for later in the show… LA Knight made his entrance for the U.S. Title match… [C] The Saturday Night’s Main Event ad featuring Hulk Hogan aired back-to-back during the break… Tessitore noted that WrestleMania is 99 days away…

[Hour Two] U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance. A graphic noted that Nakamura beat Andrade, LA Knight, and Andrade again in his last three matches…

3. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight for the U.S. Championship. Charles Robinson was the referee. By the way, the new referee attire that debuted on Raw has carried over to Smackdown. Knight clotheslined Nakamura to the ringside. Knight followed and then scooped up Nakamura, who slipped away and then ran Knight into the ring post twice before a PIP break. [C]

Knight rolled Nakamura, who pulled off a middle turnbuckle pad and then kicked out of the pin attempt. With Knight in the ropes, Nakamura hit a sliding German suplex. Nakamura caught Knight with a kick from the apron and went up top. Knight rushed up the ropes and then superplexed Nakamura before covering him for a two count.

Knight put Nakamura in a submission hold that was broken when Nakamura reached the ropes. Nakamura came back with a submission hold of his own, but Knight got on top of him and got a two count to break the hold.

Nakamura stuffed a BFT attempt and hit Knight with a spinning back elbow. Nakamura hit the Kinshasa and then covered Knight, but who put his foot over the bottom rope to break the count. Nakamura placed Knight against the exposed turnbuckle and then charged, but Knight moved and Nakamura’s knee hit the exposed turnbuckle. Knight went for the pin, but Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga attacked him to end the match.

LA Knight beat U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura by apparent disqualification in 14:05.

Nakamura left the ring while Fatu and Tonga worked over Knight. Fatu hit Knight with a double jump moonsault. Cody Rhodes and Jimmy Uso ran out and fought Fatu and Tonga. Cody and Jimmy got the better of the right and tossed the Bloodline duo over the ringside barricade. Nick Aldis ran out.

Cody got a mic and told Aldis not to send Fatu and Tonga home. Cody called for a tag match for later in the show, which Aldis agreed to. Tessitore said Cody and Jimmy Uso would face Fatu and Tonga later in the show… [C]

Powell’s POV: You had to at least suspect that Fatu and Tonga would factor into the finish after what happened with them and Knight during the backstage segment earlier.

An ad aired for NXT Vengeance Day and then Tessitore said tickets for the February 15 premium live event are on sale…

A video package recapped Tiffany Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank contract to beat Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship on last week’s Smackdown…

“The Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin made their entrance… [C] “A-Town Down Under” Grayson Waller and Austin Theory made their entrance coming out of the break…

4. “The Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin vs. “A-Town Down Under” Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. Sabin set up for a suicide dive on Waller, but he was tripped by Theory at ringside. Shelley punched Theory off the apron. Waller hit a rolling flatliner and covered Shelley for a two count. [C]

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