WWE kicks off their European tonight with a star-studded episode of Smackdown. WWE has announced a majority of the card already and it seems we’ll have a major promo segment with Cody Rhodes along with wrestlers like Randy Orton and Charlotte Flair in action. Let’s get into it.
Related
CM Punk’s Heated History With Seth Rollins, Explained
Seth Rollins has been after CM Punk from the moment he returned to WWE at Survivor Series 2023.
Randy Orton Vs. Carmelo Hayes
Prediction: Randy Orton Will Pick Up The Win By Disqualification
- Carmelo Hayes’ mouth got him into a match with Randy Orton.
- Kevin Owens hasn’t shown his face on WWE TV since the Elimination Chamber.
- Owens will likely attack Orton in the middle of the match, giving him the DQ win.
After a backstage segment with Nick Aldis, Carmelo Hayes’ loose mouth prompted the Smackdown General Manager to book the young superstar in a match against the future WWE Hall Of Famer Randy Orton on this week’s episode of Smackdown.
Orton hasn’t had a match since his explosive return at the Elimination Chamber and on paper one would think that Orton picks up a win here to get back on track. That will happen but not via pinfall as instead Kevin Owens will strike to attack Orton in the middle of the match, giving The Viper the DQ win.
MizTV With Cody Rhodes
What Will Miz Say About John Cena’s Heel Turn?
- The Miz offered Cody Rhodes a spotlight to discuss John Cena’s heel turn.
- The Miz has had numerous feuds with John Cena in his career.
- Miz said last week that Elimination Chamber showed the “real” John Cena.
We haven’t had an episode of Miz TV in a long time and it’s coming back in a big way with Miz hosting the WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.
Related
Every Major Cody Rhodes Feud Since Returning To WWE In 2022, Ranked Worst To Best
Cody Rhodes has feuded with top stars since he returned to WWE in 2022. Some of these feuds have showcased The American Nightmare at his best.
The Miz will have a fine line to walk as he said last week that the Elimination Chamber showed the “real” John Cena and that WWE didn’t need a puff piece about it. Miz is currently a heel however, so one might assume that he’s going to defend John Cena’s actions back in Toronto. We’ll have to see how it plays out ahead of Rhodes’ confrontation with Cena on Raw in just a few days.
WWE Tag Team Championships: #DIY Vs. The Street Profits
Prediction: The Street Profits Need The Momentum From A Title Win
- The Street Profits will have their first match in 2025 against the WWE Tag Team Champions.
- The Street Profits have been acting more like heels since their return.
- The Profits need a win to capitalize on their recent return at the Royal Rumble.
The Street Profits made a big impact back at the Royal Rumble when they attacked the Motor City Machine Guns and #DIY. WWE didn’t initially capitalize on this, but they’re finally giving the team a shot at tag team title gold tonight.
Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa have held the belts for months now but haven’t made too much noise on the blue brand. A win over the former NXT mega-stars would give The Street Profits some much-needed momentum and their first tag team title reign in over four years.
B-Fab Vs. Charlotte Flair Will Return To WWE Smackdown
Prediction: Charlotte Flair Will Easily Pick Up The Win
- Charlotte Flair will have her first singles match since December 2023 today.
- B-Fab is being served up to Charlotte Flair as a safe win.
- WWE wants Flair to look strong ahead of WrestleMania.
The fan response to Charlotte Flair’s WWE return thus far has been muted to say the least. She is a heel to be fair, but it feels as if most of her heat on WWE has been the “go away heat” which is remarkable considering Flair had been absent for over a year due to injury.
Regardless, Flair will be having her first singles match of her comeback tonight against B-Fab. While B-Fab will likely get some offense in, it should easily be a win for The Queen tonight to build her momentum for her clash with Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41.
How To Watch WWE Smackdown In 2025
WWE Smackdown Today Starts At 3 PM Due To Being In Europe
- SmackDown did great ratings on FOX, thanks in part to The Bloodline story.
- FOX let SmackDown go because of disappointing ad revenue.
- The quality of SmackDown on USA hasn’t dipped.
Every WWE show moved network in the past year. NXT was a big success for the USA Network on Tuesday nights, but just recently they made the switch to CW, which brought a new look to the developmental show.
In 2019, SmackDown made its own big move, going from cable to network TV on FOX. This led to a huge increase in ratings, thanks in part as well to The Bloodline story, but with FOX not getting the ad revenue they hoped for, they let the Friday night show go. On September 13, it went back to the USA Network, and although that meant a big decline in viewership, the quality of the show hasn’t missed a beat.
International Fans Can Now Watch SmackDown on Netflix
Archived Episodes Of Smackdown Are Also On Netflix
- SmackDown has officially moved to Netflix internationally.
- Netflix has a series called WWE SmackDown Vault.
- Select older SmackDown episodes will be available to watch.
For American fans, the change to WWE Smackdown isn’t as major as the change for international audiences. Starting in January 2025, Smackdown has been streaming live on Netflix for all outside the United States.
As well, WWE viewers in the U.S. noticed that Netflix added WWE Raw content on January 1 with selections named “Raw Vault”, “Raw Is Netflix”, “Best of Raw 2024”, and “Raw Classics” (which is hosted by Big E), there’s more online for international fans.
According to Sports Illustrated, WWE SmackDown Vault is on Netflix, along with the WWE NXT Vault as well. The description for WWE SmackDown vault reads:
“From Attitude Era origins to the modern day, these matches and milestones spanning over 25 years reinforce what it means to lay the SmackDown in WWE.”
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider:
“The Raw Vault has been added to Netflix both domestically and internationally. We are getting emails from readers pointing out some episodes are not there. That was always going to be the plan. They will be adding new content every month to that area. Internationally, the SmackDown and NXT Vaults will be similar with new content added regularly. They are not going to put everything up at once. The idea is to keep people paying for new content.”
As proof of this, Johnson reported that international viewers can currently see every episode of SmackDown from 2022-2024. While you can’t see any episodes from 2009-2021, there are select episodes from other years such as 1999, 2000 and 2008. In time, look for Netflix to have every episode just like the WWE Network did.
<