WWE SmackDown Match Results, Highlights and Key Moments for July 18, 2025

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown, airing July 18, 2025, promises an action-packed night live from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The post-WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution 2 show sees Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena and 2025 WWE King of the Ring winner “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes sign their Undisputed WWE Championship Match contract for SummerSlam. Plus, “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu will return.

The show kicks off at 8:00 PM ET on the USA Network and is available for international fans on streaming platforms like Netflix. Ringside News will provide live, match-by-match updates and highlights throughout the night. Stay tuned to this page, refresh for the latest results as the action unfolds, and join the conversation in the comments below!

WWE SmackDown Results (7/18/25): Live Match Updates and Highlights

The show opens up with us heading right to the parking lot, where we see a car accident involving the members of the MFT as Adam Pearce and law enforcement officials try to sort out what has happened. Cody Rhodes then walks by and confers with Pearce about the contract signing he will be having with John Cena later tonight for their SummerSlam match. After Rhodes leaves, we see Solo Sikoa and his group trying to figure out what has happened.

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett then welcomes us to the show and discusses Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair’s situation post-Evolution as we find out that Bliss and Flair will have a Women’s Tag Team Championship Match against Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. Bliss then agrees to be in Flair’s corner for her match against Rodriguez, which will kick off tonight’s action.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss then make their way down to the ring for the first match of the night and Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez follow.

Singles Match: “The Queen” Charlotte Flair vs. The Judgment Day’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez

The match starts off with both women locking up. Rodriguez then sends Flair crashing into the mat with a hair whip, but Flair hits a hurricanrana on Rodriguez off the middle rope and clotheslines her out of the ring. Perez then looks to get in Flair’s face, but Bliss forces Perez to back down. This then opens the door for Rodriguez to hit Flair from behind and send her crashing into the ring post.

Both women then return to the ring and Flair wears down Rodriguez with a submission hold. Rodriguez then jams her boot into Flair’s chest in the corner, then wears her down with a submission of her own and sends her crashing into the mat with a hair whip. She then runs over Flair with a big boot and goes for a pin, but Flair kicks out.

Rodriguez then cinches in an over the shoulder submission on Flair, but Flair escapes and sends Rodriguez crashing into the corner face first. She then hits a clothesline on Rodriguez, then looks to hit a crossbody on her off the top rope. Rodriguez then catches Flair and hits a tilt-a-whirl slam on her, but Flair looks to cinch in the Figure Four Leg Lock on Rodriguez. Perez then hops up onto the apron, but Flair sends her crashing off it with a kick. As the referee is distracted checking on Perez, Bliss hits Rodriguez with one of her pom poms and hits a jawbreaker on her off the top rope. This then opens the door for Flair to roll up Rodriguez for the win.

The winner of the Singles Match, “The Queen” Charlotte Flair!

After the match, Flair and Bliss celebrate on the ramp as The Judgment Day stare them down from the ring.

We then head to the back, where we see police officers ask Adam Pearce to help them find Jacob Fatu after the car crash MFT were involved in earlier tonight. Pearce then does so and Fatu agrees to go with the officers after resisting at first and Pearce just shakes his head at the situation.

After hyping up SummerSlam, we then get a video package highlighting the upcoming WWE Women’s Championship Match for the show, with words from Tiffany Stratton and the 2025 Queen of the Ring Jade Cargill. Jade says she let Naomi distract her, but now she is going for the championship. Stratton then says she has been underestimated and has heard criticism, but she is the champion. Stratton then says Jade will be another name on the long list of wrestlers she has beaten.

We then take a look back at the match between R-Truth and Aleister Black as Damian Priest tried to call Black down after the loss, but to no avail as Priest gets laid out. We then cut to earlier today, where Priest is looking for Black and it leads to some words with Carmelo Hayes. Hayes says he warned Priest about Black, but Priest insists he is going to make Black beg for forgiveness. Priest also talks about shutting people up and offers a match to Carmelo tonight. Hayes then says he has been looking for an opportunity like this before Priest says he hopes he keeps that energy for the match before walking off.

Carmelo Hayes then makes his way down to the ring for the next match of the night and Aleister Black follows.

Singles Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Damian Priest

The match starts off with Hayes getting the jump on Priest. He then goes right back to work on Priest in the corner, but Priest stops him in his tracks. Hayes then hits the ropes for speed, but runs into a boot by Priest. Priest then sends Hayes to the ropes, but takes a kick before Hayes leaves the ring. Priest then follows him to the outside, only to get sent into the ring post by Hayes.

Hayes then maintains control as both men are back in the ring. He then runs down Priest, who fires back up to lay into Hayes. This then doesn’t last for long as Hayes hits him with a cutter off the ropes. He then heads to the corner and tunes up the band, but the Sweet Chin Music is no good as he gets caught with a boot by Priest. Hayes then starts to fight back and sets up for La Mistica, but Priest counters. Hayes then heads to the corner to go after Priest and counters a South of Heaven into a Codebreaker. Hayes then hits a splash off the top turnbuckle and he gets a two count.

Priest then leaves the ring for a breather, but Hayes goes for a dive and gets caught. Priest then slams Hayes onto the announce desk. Priest then sends Hayes back to the ring before hitting him with the Old School rope walk. Aleister Black then appears and knocks Priest off the rope as the referee calls for the bell.

The winner of the Singles Match due to a disqualification, Damian Priest!

After the match, Hayes opts to leave the ring rather than deal with Black. Black then hits a Black Mass on Priest before sitting down beside him and saying “I heard you’re looking for me.”

Commentary then hypes up the rest of the lineup for tonight’s show, but as they talk about the WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match for later tonight the feed is interrupted by the Wyatt Sicks. Uncle Howdy says they are where they belonged. Dexter Lumis then says the Street Profits’ bond was only held together by their lust for gold. Erick Rowan then says a new family has been forged that’s not defined by the blood they share. Nikki Cross then speaks briefly and Joe Gacy speaks about stripping the teams of their wicked desires and burning their vanity. They then offer to be a guide to those who follow.

Solo Sikoa and his MFT then make their way down to the ring. Sikoa then grabs a microphone and he talks about tonight proving what kind of man Jacob Fatu really is, saying he only cares about himself. Sikoa then talks about bringing Fatu to WWE and helping him feed his family and how Fatu deserves none of it. Sikoa then says Fatu betrayed the only real family he has and he should have known. Sikoa then says once a criminal, always a criminal in regards to Fatu. Sikoa is then cut off as we see Jimmy Uso on the big screen awaiting the arrival of a police car and Jacob Fatu steps out. The cop then says they have determined based on the footage that he is not the person of interest and he is free to go. Fatu then makes his way through the Gorilla position and down the ramp.

Jimmy Uso then sneaks up behind MFT and begins brawling with them alongside Fatu. Talla Tonga then looks to hit a double chokeslam on Fatu and Uso through the announce desk, but Fatu and Uso hit a superkick on Talla. Fatu then aids Uso in hitting a crossbody on Talla and goes after Sikoa, delivering right hands on him in the ring. Fatu then places a chair around Sikoa’s neck and charges at him, but JC Mateo and Tama Tonga go after him. Jimmy Uso then hits an Uso Splash on Tama and Fatu hits a moonsault on Mateo off the top rope. Fatu then hits Tama and Mateo across the spine repeatedly with a chair, but Adam Pearce emerges from the back and informs Sikoa that he will defend his United States Championship against Fatu in a Steel Cage Match at SummerSlam. He then calls the police out to the ring and they arrest Sikoa for faking the car crash earlier tonight. Talla Tonga then argues with them as commentary hypes the match for SummerSlam.

We then take a look at Jelly Roll’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a guest host appearance that includes Randy Orton showing up to chat about the match before Drew McIntyre appeared to get into it with Orton. The segment then culminates with Jelly Roll sending Logan Paul through the host table with a chokeslam.

Stephanie Vaquer then makes her way down to the ring for the next match of the night and we take a look back at what went down moments ago before commentary hypes up the steel cage match made official for the United States Championship. The Secret Hervice then make their way down to the ring.

Singles Match: “The Dark Angel” Stephanie Vaquer vs. The Secret Hervice’s Alba Fyre

The match starts off with Vaquer taking the fight to Fyre and setting up for a near fall. Vaquer then quickly sets up a bridge for another near fall before hitting some headbutts when both women are back up. Fyre then cuts Vaquer off at the ropes with a thrust kick before sending Vaquer back in the ring. Fyre then goes up top for a senton, but lands on Vaquer’s knees, which gives Vaquer the opening to hit the Devil’s Kiss on Fyre. Vaquer then hits the SVB on Fyre for the win.

The winner of the Singles Match, “The Dark Angel” Stephanie Vaquer!

After the match, Niven attacks Vaquer and hits a running senton on her. Niven then climbs up the ropes, but Vaquer pushes her off them and sends Niven crashing out of the ring. Vaquer then hits a kick on Niven that sends her crashing onto the floor, but Fyre holds Niven back to prevent her from returning into the ring.

We then head to the back, where we hear from The Street Profits about their loss to the Wyatt Sicks last week. They say they are keeping a close eye on the situation as we get ready to see a new #1 contender be determined tonight. #DIY then show up to mock The Street Profits for losing and forcing them to save the SmackDown tag division. They then make their exit as we go to ringside for the next match of the night and #DIY make their way down to the ring.

Fraxiom, Motor City Machine Guns and Andrade and Rey Fenix then make their way down to the ring next.

WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4-Way Match: Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) vs. Rey Fenix and Andrade vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa)

The match starts off with Nathan Frazer and Chris Sabin and both men trade offense, but it doesn’t take long for chaos to ensue before Andrade and Fenix clear the ring. Fraxiom. then get a measure of revenge before MCMG send them out of the ring for a baseball slide on #DIY on the outside. Sabin then hits a dive through the ropes to take them to the floor.

Shelley then manages to regain control as he takes down Gargano and Ciampa before Axiom tags himself in. Frazer then runs in for a tag and the assist as they clear the ring once more, keeping their opponents at bay before bringing Ciampa in. We then get a tag back to Axiom as they cover for a two count. Andrade then comes running in as Fenix gets a tag of his own and Fenix and Andrade take control with Andrade tagging in for a Three Amigos.

A tag is then made to Fenix, who hits a frog splash for the cover but a number of stars comes in for the save at two. Everyone then goes at it in the ring now until we are left with MCMG and Frazer in the ring before Axiom comes in as well. Frazer then hits a Sling Blade as Fenix and Andrade slide in to take an advantage. They then have to clear each other’s flight path to take down Fraxiom, but #DIY come rushing in for a cradle by Ciampa and the two count. Ciampa then hits the Project Ciampa on Axiom, but only gets a two count.

Ciampa then stays on the attack and he sends Axiom to the apron where both men trade strikes. Axiom then takes control for a moment, but gets caught on the turnbuckle by Ciampa. They then fight it out some more until Axiom gets caught up on the top rope, allowing Ciampa to sends him to the outside with an air raid crash onto the remaining participants. Everyone is then struggling back to their feet until Gargano is the first up, with Ciampa sending Axiom back in the ring for a running knee that gets a near fall. A tag is then made to Gargano, but the Fairytale Ending gets interrupted with a tag from Sabin.

Shelley then comes running in and they drop Gargano before turning their attention to Axiom. Andrade then stops it for a blind tag and sends Sabin out of the ring before standing over Axiom. Andrade then goes up top but is intercepted by Axiom, who sets Andrade up for a Spanish Fly off the top. A blind tag is then made to Frazer, who goes up top as well but Ciampa steals a tag of his own and he sends Frazer out for a cover, only to get it broken up by Fenix. The ring then gets cleared out as Andrade looks for a hammerlock DDT, but Candice LeRae distracts him for a roll up by Ciampa for two. Fenix then comes running in to take Gargano back out of the ring, allowing Andrade to take Ciampa down with the DDT for the win.

The winners of the Fatal 4-Way Match and new #1 Contender’s to the WWE Tag Team Championship, Rey Fenix and Andrade!

After the match, Fenix and Andrade celebrate as commentary hypes up the tag title match for next week as well as appearances from Jelly Roll and Logan Paul alongside their SummerSlam tag partners Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre.

We then head to the back, where Cody Rhodes has the contract in his hands ready for the contract signing and that is up next.

Adam Pearce is standing in the ring and he welcomes everyone to the contract signing for the Undisputed WWE Championship Match at SummerSlam before first introducing the challenger Cody Rhodes. Rhodes then makes his way down to the ring to a big pop from the crowd and with the contract in hand. He then takes a quick moment to sign the contract himself before taking the microphone to ask San Antonio what they wanna talk about. Rhodes then says he appreciates the warm reception and he brings up the fact that his father and brother are both Texans before noting that he got the opportunity to become Undisputed WWE Champion. Rhodes then brings up the idea of not flinching, stating that he didn’t flinch when he returned to WWE or on a number of occasions since but he did flinch at WrestleMania 41 against John Cena. Rhodes then says he understands the unenviable task of trying to take the title way from one of the most beloved wrestlers in the history of our game, but it is the task given to him for SummerSlam. Rhodes then says it takes two for this dance to work, so he asks Adam Pearce to help move this along.

Pearce then obliges by introducing the Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena and Cena makes his way down to the ring. Cena then enters the ring and calls for the music to be cut before asking Rhodes to take a seat. Cena also sits down, but before he signs he says he has bad news for everyone. Cena then says he is not going to be at SummerSlam. The crowd then starts booing as Cena addresses having to film for a big project with Netflix and due to exhaustion involved it is best that he does not physically compete at SummerSlam. Cena then tries to explain his situation further offering to do the match in Paris or something, but if he puts his name down he has to be at SummerSlam.

Cena then says right now physically and emotionally he can only give the fans so much. Cena then thanks the fans for their understanding. Cena then promises Rhodes that he will get his rematch, but it won’t be at SummerSlam. Cena then takes his leave from the ring, but Rhodes cuts him off to send him into the ring post. Cena then fights back and sends Rhodes into the ring steps. Cena then sends Rhodes into the ring before grabbing the title from the ramp. Cena then gets back in the ring, but misses hitting Rhodes with the title and that allows Rhodes to hold the belt in his hands. Rhodes then takes Cena down with a shot to the head before putting him onto the table. Rhodes then takes the contract before going up top and drives Cena through the table before grabbing his hand to forcibly sign the contract for the match. Rhodes then reveals that the match will be a Street Fight. Rhodes then grabs the championship once again and stands tall over Cena as the show comes to a close.

Matches & Key Moments Scheduled for WWE SmackDown on July 18, 2025

• Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena and 2025 WWE King of the Ring winner “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes will sign their Undisputed WWE Championship Match contract for SummerSlam
• “The Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu will return
• Singles Match: “The Dark Angel” Stephanie Vaquer vs. The Secret Hervice’s Alba Fyre
• WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Fatal 4-Way Match: Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) vs. Rey Fenix and Andrade vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa)
• Singles Match: “The Queen” Charlotte Flair vs. The Judgment Day’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez