WWE SmackDown Results: January 17, 2025

The 2025 edition of SmackDown started off sizzling at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. With a night mixed full of high-stakes matches and dramatic segments, tonight set up some exciting things for the remainder of the year inside the WWE.

Segment Opening: Rey Mysterio declares for Royal Rumble

The show opened with San Diego’s own Rey Mysterio making his way to the ring, with a thunderous “619” chant ringing in. Mysterio, visibly emotional as the response was warm in his hometown, did take some time to reflect upon his illustrious career. He went on to say that he’s entering the forthcoming Royal Rumble match, reminiscing about his historic 2006 victory.

Kevin Owens interrupted the memory lane trip down for Mysterio. Things escalated between them rather quickly, with Owens wanting to take on Mysterio at WrestleMania. The weird part of this segment was when Mysterio equated Owens with his son Dominik, calling him “delusional. It almost turned physical, but before that could happen, Mysterio was quick enough to trip Owens, who rolled out of the ring.

Women’s Tag Team Action: Belair and Naomi vs. Jax and LeRae

First off, Bianca Belair and Naomi faced Nia Jax and Candice LeRae in a non-title contest. Both teams had a lot of moments that showed their athleticism and teamwork as the momentum seesawed from team to team.

The chemistry was going well as Belair and Naomi finished most of the moves well and coordinated with each other in quick time. The momentum shift happened when Belair somehow dodged the leg drop of Jax when she caught her partner. Naomi took this point of obscurity, gave the Bubba Bomb to LeRae to win the match.

Winners: Bianca Belair and Naomi

Backstage Segment: Nick Aldis and Cody Rhodes

In a backstage segment, Nick Aldis informed Rey Mysterio that he would face Kevin Owens in a one-on-one match later in the night. Cody Rhodes made a brief appearance to apologize for the fact that because of his injury, he could not compete. Rhodes wished Mysterio luck in his match against Owens, adding an interesting layer to the growing storyline.

Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes

Next came a match between Jimmy Uso and Carmelo Hayes, which was very well-hyped beforehand and was destined to be one of the matches of the evening. The action got off to a hot start as both competitors used a variety of moves to show their quickness and strength.

However, the match got really out of order with Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga’s interference as they assaulted both Jimmy and Hayes. It only got worse as Solo Sikoa, LA Knight, and Braun Strowman came to the ring and continued the mayhem.

Winner: Jimmy Uso via disqualification

Tag Team Championship Contenders Match: Los Garza vs. Motor City Machine Guns

In a number one contender’s tag-team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a high-stakes match, Los Garza, represented by Angel and Berto, were pitched against the Motor City Machine Guns, made up of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley.

This was tag team wrestling at its best, as both teams showed some great coordination and quick tags. The Motor City Machine Guns won the match, with the help of some outside interference by Pretty Deadly, to gain an opportunity to go after the WWE Tag Team Championship held by #DIY by Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

Winners: Motor City Machine Guns

Women’s Division Match: Piper Niven vs. B-Fab

A match born from a backstage altercation saw Piper Niven take on B-Fab. Chelsea Green came to the ring with Niven and had a massive role to play in the outcome of the match. The continued distractions from Green finally got to B-Fab as Niven took advantage and picked up the win with her finisher.

Winner: Piper Niven

Rey Mysterio vs. Kevin Owens

It was indeed one of the most-anticipated matches of the evening: Rey Mysterio versus Kevin Owens. The contest would be quite a thrilling experience, with both men displaying ring awareness and in-ring aptitude to keep the San Diego crowd on the edge of their seats.

The climax of the match saw Owens, unintentionally, knock the referee into the ropes, which caused Mysterio to fall off; Owens quickly took advantage and pinned Mysterio for the controversial victory.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Main Event: WWE Women’s Championship – Tiffany Stratton © vs. Bayley

Headlining the evening, Tiffany Stratton defended her newly won WWE Women’s Championship against former champion Bayley. This was Stratton’s first title defense after her shock Money in the Bank cash-in two weeks prior.

This would indeed be a testament to the abilities of both: Bayley’s experience clashed against Stratton’s youth, energy, and athleticism. Throughout the match, both competitors managed to take advantage of momentum as they sought to outscore each other at different junctures.

Eventually, Stratton prevailed over Bayley’s challenge to retain the title in what was a relentless contest. This victory therefore cements Stratton’s position as the new face in the women’s division on SmackDown.

Winner and Still WWE Women’s Champion: Tiffany Stratton

Additional Highlights

Solo Sikoa returned back to SmackDown, finally setting the scene for some big confrontations within The Bloodline.

Well, Braun Strowman’s surprise entry in the Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes contest made it pretty apparent that he would have some feud with The Bloodline.

Injured but still active in the storyline, Cody Rhodes managed to appear backstage for a little while.

Looking Ahead

This SmackDown set up some really exciting storylines that would continue for the Royal Rumble and beyond, including the announcement of Rey Mysterio for the Royal Rumble, the continuing turmoil within The Bloodline, and the successful title defense by Tiffany Stratton promised some real interest in the coming weeks.

The victory of the Motor City Machine Guns paves the way to a great Tag Team Championship with #DIY in some time. While the surprise alliances and mini-feuds during the match of Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes all hinted at reshuffling in SmackDown, with new feuds or partnerships upcoming.

As 2025 wears on, this show of SmackDown laid the poison for what will be a really interesting year of professional wrestling. With the Royal Rumble looming and WrestleMania at the end of the tunnel, fans could prepare themselves for the twists, turns, and high stakes to come in these next few weeks.

Blended from the established in-ring stars that make up the roster in Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens to a crop of future hopefuls like Tiffany Stratton and Carmelo Hayes, WWE strikes a balance in appealing to not only its history-rich legacy but a very bright future. As new storylines progress along with title matches and feuds at every turn, Friday SmackDown stays the place.

In the end, the SmackDown show on January 17, 2025, had a good mix of in-ring actions, character developments, and moving storylines that set quite a tone for the coming year. Name it—championship defenses, a personal rivalry—the show had it for every WWE fan, and what a way to leave the audiences in anticipation of what might happen in coming weeks on the road to the Royal Rumble and beyond.