By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Smackdown (Episode 1,351)
July 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee, at Bridgestone Arena
Simulcast live on USA Network and internationally on Netflix
[Hour One] Joe Tessitore checked in on commentary while a shot aired of the host venue’s exterior. The Street Profits were shown arriving, and then a Wyatt Sicks image flashed. Jelly Roll was walking backstage when he met up with Randy Orton. RKO out of nowhere?!? No. The bro-hugged… Wade Barrett joined Tessitore on commentary…
LA Knight made his entrance while being introduced by ring announcer Mark Nash. Knight said Seth Rollins is a desperate man who is a little lost. Knight said Rollins had to make the desperate move of joining forces with Paul Heyman.
Knight took verbal jabs at Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, and said they tried to take him out because Rollins couldn’t do it himself. Knight said dropping Rollins on his head at Raw wasn’t enough. He said it’s not a prediction, it’s a spoiler that Rollins will get his ass kicked on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Paul Heyman walked onto the stage holding the Money in the Bank briefcase. Heyman said that as The Oracle, he can see into the future for himself, Rollins, Reed, and Breakker. He said their future is the entire industry. Heyman said he sees nothing for Knight because he has no future.
U.S. Champion Solo Sikoa’s entrance theme played, and he walked onto the stage with JC Mateo. Tonga Talla, and Tonga Loa. Heyman stood at ringside while Solo spoke about how everything changed when Heyman left his family. Solo walked toward the ring while saying there’s no more Tribal Chief or Wiseman.
Solo told Heyman to leave or he’d be put through a table again. Heyman exited through the timekeepers’ area. Solo turned his focus to Knight, who was still standing in the ring. Solo showed off his title belt. Solo boasted that he beat the guy (Jacob Fatu) who beat Knight for the title. Solo told Knight he would give him the same chance to leave, just as Heyman did.
Knight teased leaving the ring, then said the crowd wouldn’t let him. Knight told Solo and his crew to make him leave. Solo’s crew surrounded Knight while standing on the apron.
Jimmy Uso showed up and pulled Loa to the floor before superkicking him. Jimmy brought chairs inside the ring, and then he and Knight took care of Mateo. Talla was ready to enter the ring, but Solo stopped him.
Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis came out and told Solo that he runs the show. Aldis said that since Solo wants a fight, they would have a tag team match with Solo and Mateo vs. Knight and Uso…
Backstage, Alexa Bliss wore a “We’re Not Friends” t-shirt while talking with Charlotte Flair. Bliss said she needed Flair to be at ringside during her four-way match. Flair agreed, yet asked if she looked like a cheerleader. Bliss told Flair that she would be a terrible cheerleader. Flair disagreed as they cut to a commercial break… [C]
Powell’s POV: The opening segment was decent. I’m disappointed that Heyman didn’t join Montez Ford and Charlotte Flair in wearing Nashville-style attire.
Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit was shown in the crowd… Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair made their entrance while Bliss’s opponents were already inside the ring…
1. Sol Ruca (w/Zaria) vs. Roxanne Perez (w/Roxanne Perez) vs. Kairi Sane (w/Asuka) vs. Alexa Bliss (w/Charlotte Flair) in a four-way. Ruca performed an early handspring into a dive over the top rope onto some opponents on the floor. Flair did the jaw-drop response. [C]
There was a tower of doom spot with Sane taking the top bump. Ruca hit Perez with a running knee strike and covered her for a two count. Ruca slammed Perez and went to the ropes, but Sane cut her off and caught her in a tree of woe before double stomping her from the top rope. Sane went for the pin, but Perez and Bliss broke it up.
Bliss and Perez fought in a corner of the ring. Bliss caught Perez with an elbow. Ruca hit a double Sol Snatcher and had Perez beat, but Rodriguez reached in the rings and put Perez’s foot on the bottom rope. Zaria went after Rodriguez, who dumped her face-first on the broadcast table. Flair walked over and threw Rodriguez over the table, where Tessitore did an over-the-top job of selling Rodriguez landing near him.
Sane dropped Ruca with a shot and then went up top and attempted an Insane Elbow on Bliss, who put her feet up. Bliss hit her finisher on Sane and then pinned her…
Alexa Bliss beat Kairi Sane, Sol Ruca, and Roxanne Perez in 8:30 in a four-way match.
Powell’s POV: Here’s hoping that Bliss winning this match means she and Flair won’t be winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles on Sunday. Ruca’s Sol Snatcher finisher is tremendous, and she has a bright future on the main roster when the time comes.
The broadcast team spoke at their desk. Tessitore praised Flair’s Player’s Tribune piece, and then he and Barrett ran through the Evolution lineup…
WWE Tag Team Champions “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins made their entrance… [C] The Wyatt Sicks made their entrance…
2. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins vs. Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy (w/Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan, Nikki Cross) for the WWE Tag Team Titles. Howdy sat on his rocking chair on the stage while Rowan and Cross stood by. Dawkins put Gacy down with an early spinebuster. Ford went up top, but Lumis pulled Gacy to ringside. Ford dropped down and taunted his opponents. [C]
Ford performed a sunset bomb on Lumis for a near fall, which made Howdy stand up on the stage. Dawkins took a hot tag and worked over both opponents. Dawkins sent both wrestlers to the floor and then hit them both with a flip dive. Dawkins threw Gacy back inside the ring. Dawkins went up top and then hit him with a Swanton that led to a two count.
Rowan moved closer to the ring. Gacy dropped Dawkins with a clothesline, and then Lumis tagged in and picked up a near fall. Lumis tossed Dawkins to ringside heading into another break. [C] Dawkins had Gacy on his shoulders when Ford leapt from the top rope and hit him with a Blockbuster that led to a near fall.
[Hour Two] A “this is awesome” chant broke out. Ford hit a top rope frog splash on Lumis. Gacy distracted the referee while Rowan pulled Ford out of the ring to prevent him from going for the pin. Dawkins ran over and took out Rowan by shoulder blocking him into the timekeepers’ area. Ford returned to the ring and was distracted briefly by Gacy before he went for a top rope frog splash that Lumis avoided. Gacy tagged in, and then he and Lumis hit their suplex and powerbomb combo move, which led to Gacy pinning Ford.
Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy defeated “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins in 17:30 to win the WWE Tag Team Titles.
Howdy, Cross, and Rowan entered the ring and celebrated the title change with Lumis and Gacy…
Powell’s POV: The match went long enough that I nearly double-checked to see if Smackdown was back to being a three-hour show. I have mixed feelings about the title change, but good for Lumix and Gacy. They spent a lot of time in NXT, and there were times when it seemed like they may not make it to the main roster, let alone win titles.
Backstage, the “Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, and “Fraxiom” Nathan Frazer and Axiom weren’t very pleased with the title change. DIY showed up. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa showed up with Candice LeRae and said the other teams should have listened to them. Andrade and Rey Fenix showed up. Andrade said something that was tough to make out, yet pissed off DIY…
UFC fighters Michael Chandler, Daniel Cormier, and Laura Sanko were shown in the crowd… The stagehands were shown setting up musical equipment on the stage while Tessitore hyped Jelly Roll for after the break… [C]
A video package spotlighted the Gunther vs. Goldberg match for the World Heavyweight Championship that will be held on Saturday Night’s Main Event…
A “Did You Know?” graphic listed Goldberg’s first title win as taking place on July 6, 1998, in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome…
Jelly Roll performed his “Liar” song. His band remained on the stage while he walked to ringside and entered the ring. Logan Paul walked onto the stage with a mic and made a bunch of noise while unplugging a bass from an amp. Paul said everyone was there to see real WWE Superstars, not to listen to music made for people who have tattoos of their children but don’t have custody of them.
Paul said the ring and the venue are sacred. He said Jelly Roll belonged on the stage, not in the ring. Paul complained about celebrities, influencers, and personalities coming into “our industry” and leeching off of “our success.” Paul entered the ring and said Jelly Roll disgusts him. Paul said WWE doesn’t need Jelly Roll, it needs him.
Paul started to announce a deal between him and WWE regarding his podcast. Jelly Roll cut him off and said nobody in Nashville gives a damn about Paul’s podcast. Paul and Jelly Roll bickered with one another.
Randy Orton walked out with a microphone and complained about Paul calling Jelly Roll an outsider in his hometown. Orton told Paul to show some respect. Orton entered the ring and called Paul and entitled, whiney, little bitch.
Drew McIntyre entered the ring and dropped Orton with a Claymore Kick. Security entered the ring and ordered McIntyre to leave. McIntyre was all smiles as he obliged and headed toward the back. Paul pounced on Orton and threw punches at him.
Jelly Roll grabbed Paul by the hair and then tossed him to the mat. Jelly Roll helped Orton to his feet. Paul teased returning to the ring, but security pulled him off the apron. Orton tried to kick Paul through the ropes. Nick Aldis and others entered the ring to keep Orton and Jell Roll calm.
A “Logan sucks” chant broke out as Paul stood on the stage. Paul picked up a guitar and slammed it into the bass drum. Paul pushed amps and a keyboard over while trashing the stage. “Oopsie,” Paul said before yelling at Jelly Roll while asking him what he was going to do about it…
R-Truth was shown walking backstage… [C]
Powell’s POV: I can take or leave Jelly Roll, but this was a good angle and it should generate some publicity for WWE. Paul was obnoxious, and Orton’s endorsement of Jelly Roll should go a long way with WWE fans. Will this carry over to Saturday Night’s Main Event when Orton faces McIntyre?
Jelly Roll spoke with his wife and Randy Orton in a backstage area. Jelly Roll said he didn’t trust Logan Paul. Jelly Roll said he would like to be with Orton at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Orton took it a step further by saying he’d be honored to have Jelly Roll in his corner…
Powell’s POV: Well, that answers my last question.
Aleister Black made his entrance while R-Truth was inside the ring…
3. Aleister Black vs. R-Truth. Black went for a moonsault off the middle rope onto Truth at ringside, but Truth moved and then shoved Black into the ring post. Truth grabbed a chair and returned to the ring with it. Black put his foot on the chair and then blasted Truth with a knee strike. Black picked up the chair and was warned by the referee. Black wound up to use the chair, but the referee took it away. Truth rolled up a distracted Black and got the three count…
R-Truth beat Aleister Black in 2:10.
Powell’s POV: Ugh. Was their time cut? Truth’s crowd reactions have mellowed since he dropped the comedy.
Split-screen shots aired of Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus while Tessitore said they would be up next… [C]
Aleister Black stormed through the backstage in pursuit of Truth, but Damian Priest cut him off and told him to let it go. Black said Priest was right and they shook hands. “Mr. Priest, on second thought…” Black said before hitting Priest with a knee strike. Black ran Priest into some production crates and then hit him with multiple kicks. “Now I can let it go,” Black said…
Powell’s POV: Hopefully, Black will be working with Priest more than Truth going forward.
Wade Barrett stood in the ring with WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton and Trish Stratus. Barrett asked why Stratton chose Trish as her opponent. Stratton said she’s already beaten Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Bayley. Stratton said that once she beats Trish, then maybe she will be considered one of the greats.
Barrett asked Trish how she felt going into the match. Trish said she felt pressure, but Stratton should be feeling it more. Trish said that she would leave with the championship while Stratton would leave with nothing. Stratton said she let Trish live out her glory days, but things are different now, and it’s called Evolution for a reason.
Stratton said she knows all about Trish’s accomplishments because she’s seen all of the VHS tapes. Trish said that was cute and asked if she learned about VHS tapes on TikTok. Trish said she built the division and is still delivering for it. Trish said Stratton is doing a good job as champion, but she will become an eight-time champion on Sunday.
Naomi walked onto the stage and held up the Money in the Bank briefcase. Naomi said she wanted to remind Stratton and Trish what really matters. Jade Cargill ran out and hit Naomi from behind. Naomi and Jade had a pull-apart brawl while security and producers tried to keep them apart…
The broadcast team ran through the Saturday Night’s Main Event lineup… Jimmy Uso made his entrance for the main event… [C]
The following matches were listed for next week’s Smackdown in San Antonio: WWE Champion John Cena and Cody Rhodes appear…
LA Knight was in the ring with Jimmy Uso, and then Solo Sikoa and his crew made their entrance…
4. LA Knight and Jimmy Uso vs. U.S. Champion Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo (w/Talla Tonga, Tonga Loa). Solo tripped Jimmy as he was running the ropes. Solo pulled Jimmy to the floor and slammed his head on the broadcast table, and then followed up with a Samoan Drop on the broadcast table heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Late in the match, Knight went to the middle rope and tagged out. Knight jumped to the top rope and then dropped an elbow on Mateo. Jimmy followed up with an Uso Splash and had the pin, but Solo returned to break it up. Solo went for the Samoan Spike, but Jimmy ducked it. Solo hit a uranage slam and had Jimmy beat, but Knight broke up the pin. Knight sent Mateo the floor and then followed him with a kick through the ropes.
Paul Heyman showed up in the timekeepers’ area, which distracted Knight, who turned into a big boot from Talla Tonga. Jimmy rolled up a distracted Sikoa and pinned him.
LA Knight and Jimmy Uso defeated U.S. Champion Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo in 10:20.
After the match, Jimmy hopped the barricade and was chased by Talla Tonga, Tonga Loa, and JC Mateo. In the ring, Solo threw a fit and was upset with Heyman for causing the distraction that led to his loss. Knight dropped Solo with a BFT.
Bron Breakker showed up and speared Knight. Bronson Reed appeared and Knight with a Tsunami Splash. Security ran in. The broadcast team recapped the post-match attack by Breakker and Reed. The executive producer credits were shown. Heyman got Breakker and Reed to leave the ring while Tessitore hyped Saturday Night’s Main Event…
Powell’s POV: A weak distraction finish to a throwaway main event. This didn’t make me more excited about the U.S. Championship match on Saturday Night’s Main Event. For that matter, Knight looks like even more of an underdog going into his match with Seth Rollins after he was softened up by Breakker and Reed.
Overall, the Jelly Roll and Logan Paul angle was good for what it was, and there was a tag team title change. But this company has too many shows to promote this weekend, and they are short on time to build to the two-night SummerSlam. I will be back later tonight with my weekly same-night audio review of Smackdown for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons), who will also hear same-night audio reviews of all of the major shows this weekend. Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
Make ProWrestling.net your home for reviews of NXT Great American Bash, AEW All In Texas, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, and WWE Evolution this weekend.
Is anything hot in WWE right now? Honestly, I’m looking forward to pre-season football if this is the kind of crap they’re going to put on. And I’m a Giants fan so that should tell you a lot!
Ouch! Well, you do have a rookie QB, which is fun. Anyway, WWE has cooled off a bit for sure.
Ditto (except for the football thing). I really missed having the draft this year. It might be mostly the same folks, but it was usually good for wrapping up some storylines and forcing at least a little change into the system.
I think the build to Summerslam will start with SNME for the guys and Evolution for the girls. That’s a decent enough reason to watch both.
Or it should! We should know better than to predict future WWE directions, right Jason?
Predict away. Right or wrong, that’s part of the fun.
I saw a headline, grain of salt, saying Jelly Roll was training woth WWE for a match at SummerSlam. Maybe Orton and Jelly vs Logan and… Ted Nugent? I don’t know.
Was Evolution even advertised this year? I feel bad for those involved. Plus, for all intents, they’re competing against SNME, All In, GAB.
WWE is trying to be Vince, hobbling the competition, but it’s spreading things too thin. Evolution II should be a major event, promoted months ahead of time, in every respect, from match build on TV to press, etc. Not good to just throw it away as counterprogramming.
Lol,
Ted Nugent!
I see what you did there!