Tonight’s WWE SmackDown, airing May 30, 2025, promises an action-packed night live from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The post-WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event show sees “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena appear. Plus, “The EST Of WWE” Bianca Belair returns.
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!
The show opens up with a video package recapping this past Saturday’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event special.
Joe Tessitore then welcomes us to the show. “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and “The EST Of WWE” Bianca Belair are then shown walking in the backstage area. The camera then follows Belair from the back, through the entrance way and into the ring.
Belair then grabs a mic and the crowd started to chant “EST!” as she stood in the middle of the ring. Belair says she had to sing “Rocky Top” and called for the music to be hit. The music is then hit and the crowd sang along. Belair then shouted out her mom and dad in the crowd and those in Knoxville who show up and show out for her. Belair then calls this her safe space and says she had to come back to Knoxville to heal. Belair then says she is the EST of WWE and the crowd started another chant. Belair then shouts “Welcome to Friday Night SmackDown” and Naomi’s music hit. Naomi then makes her way down to the ring. Naomi says she is glad Belair is back on SmackDown and Belair tells Naomi it isn’t the time for this. The crowd then boos Naomi. Naomi then says she thinks about what happened between them every day. Belair then asks Naomi what she wanted from Belair and “You suck!” chants begin. Naomi then looks emotional and begs for Belair’s forgiveness.
Naomi then says she knows their friendship has been off the rails lately, but she still wants to fix it. Naomi then says months have gone by and she has tried to tell Belair that the past should stay the past so that they can move forward. Naomi then reveals she went to Belair’s parents house to try to talk to Belair, but no one was there and she let herself into the house. Naomi then says she went through the photo album on the coffee table and in those photos, Belair looked happy and it reminded her of their time as tag team partners.
A stunned Belair then tells Naomi that they were best friends, but she betrayed her trust when she took Jade Cargill out, threw her on the windshield of a car and lied to her for months. Belair then warns Naomi against coming for her family again, but Naomi tells Belair it will be good for both her and her mom to be in a wheelchair since she would hate for something bad to happen to Belair now. Cargill’s music then hits and she makes her way down to the ring. Cargill delivers some right hands on Naomi and nails her with a boot, then stares down Belair. Naomi then looks to attack Cargill, but Cargill sends her out of the ring and continues staring Belair down. Nia Jax’s music then hits and she makes her way down to the ring for the first match of the night.
The match starts off with Naomi sliding out of the ring. Jade Cargill and Nia Jax then lock up, but Jax sends Cargill crashing into one of the corners face first and nails her with a clothesline as Naomi cheers from outside of the ring. Naomi then nails Cargill with an open palm strike from the outside and Jax jams her boot into Cargill’s face.
Jax then sends Cargill into the corner, but Cargill takes Jax down and hits her with a thrust kick. Naomi then sends Jax crashing into the ring post shoulder first and delivers some right hands on Cargill in the center of the ring, then hits a dropkick on her in the corner and nails her with a right hand. Naomi then hits a split legged leg drop on Cargill in the corner off the middle rope and delivers some stomps on her and Jax hits a Hip Attack on Cargill.
Naomi then sends Jax’s head bouncing off the mat from the apron and through the middle rope, but Cargill hits a Fallaway Slam on Naomi and nails her with a couple of back elbows. She then follows it up with a swinging sidewalk slam and goes for a pin, but Jax breaks the fall. Jax then nails Naomi with a headbutt and sends Cargill crashing into the mat with a Samoan Drop before delivering a leg drop on both Naomi and Cargill. She then sends Cargill out of the ring and climbs to the middle rope, then hits a leg drop on Naomi and goes for a pin. Naomi then kicks out. Jax then sends Naomi into the ropes, but Naomi counters into a Crucifix Bomb on Jax and goes for a pin. Jax then kicks out, but Naomi sends Cargill crashing off the apron. She then nails Jax with a kick on her head, but Jax sends Naomi crashing into the mat and sends her back out of the ring.
Cargill then rolls up Jax, but Jax kicks out and Cargill sends her crashing out of the ring through the middle rope. Jax then sends Cargill’s head crashing into the ring post with a Hip Attack, then double teams on her with Naomi. Cargill then delivers some forearms on Jax, then hits some splashes on her and Naomi in opposite corners. Jax then looks to surprise Cargill with a splash, but Cargill moves out of the way and Jax accidentally hits Naomi. Naomi then hits a meteora on Cargill and a split legged moonsault on Jax out of the corner, but Cargill hits Jaded on Naomi and goes for a pin and Jax breaks the fall.
Jax then hits a double crossbody on both Cargill and Naomi. She then pins them both, but both women kick out. Jax then gets Naomi up on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop on her. She then goes for a pin, but Cargill breaks the fall with a splash. She then pins Jax, but Jax kicks out. Jax then stacks Naomi and Cargill on top of one another before setting up for the An-Nia-Lator. Naomi then moves out of the way at the last second and rolls up Jax for the win.
The winner of the Women’s Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match, Naomi!
After the match, Naomi celebrates on the ramp.
We then head to the backstage area, where Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo run into R-Truth. Sikoa makes fun of Truth for talking to ghosts. Truth then looks at JC Mateo and says he has never seen him before. Truth then asks Sikoa if Mateo is Solo’s son. Truth then says he is going to ask Nick Aldis for a match with Mateo later. Truth then walks off as Fatu says he will let Sikoa and Mateo get their fun as he has other business to deal with.
Nick Aldis then runs into Chelsea Green in the backstage are and Green is wearing a mask because of what happened to her nose last week. Green says it was a deliberate action from Zelina Vega. Green then says Aldis needs to strip Vega of the Women’s U.S. Championship. Aldis then denies that request. Green then advocates for Alba Fyre vs. Vega for later in the show and Aldis makes it official.
We then see Byron Saxton interview Tiffany Stratton backstage. Saxton asks Tiffany how she is handling the pressure of being the champion. Tiffany says she is prepared because she has always been the girl everyone is obsessed with. Tiffany then says whoever cashes in on her will make a big mistake. Naomi then shows up and tells Tiffany that she will win the ladder match and cash in whenever and wherever she wants. Tiffany then rolls her eyes as Naomi walks away. Alexa Bliss then shows up and tells Tiffany she shouldn’t worry about Naomi and instead Tiffany should worry about her. Bliss then walks away to end the segment.
We then get a vignette looking at the NXT North American Championship match set to take place at Worlds Collide.
R-Truth then makes his way down to the ring for the next match of the night and JC Mateo follows.
The match starts off with R-Truth charging at JC Mateo, but Mateo sends Truth into the corner for a series of shoulder tackles before sending Truth to the opposite turnbuckle with a hammer throw. Mateo then lets Truth get to his feet, only to send him across the ring again. Truth then dodges a charge from Mateo before hitting him with some shoulder tackles, but Mateo responds with a suplex and a standing moonsault.
Mateo then sets up for a running senton, but Truth moves out of the way and hits Mateo with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He then looks to follow it up with an Attitude Adjustment, but Mateo counters into a splash and follows it up with Tour of the Islands for the win.
The winner of the Singles Match, JC Mateo!
After the match, Mateo delivers some headbutts on Truth and holds him in place for Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike on him. Jimmy Uso’s music then hits and he makes his way down to the ring with a chair in hand. Mateo and Sikoa then both back down, but Mateo blindsides Jimmy from behind. Sikoa then stops Mateo from continuing to beat down Jimmy and both men slide out of the ring.
We then see The Street Profits walking in the backstage area as we will hear from the WWE Tag Team Champions next.
WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) then make their way down to the ring. Ford speaks first and says the SmackDown tag division is the greatest tag division of any brand in any company and the Profits are leading the charge. Dawkins then chimes in and lists the teams coming after them. Dawkins then brings up the Wyatts and Ford says they will happily defend their tag titles against anybody. Fraxiom’s music then hit and they make their way down to the ring.
Nathan Frazer speaks first and talks about how they didn’t get a fair shot last week. Ford then congratulates Fraxiom and notes how they had Fraxiom beat until the Wyatt Sicks got involved last week. Axiom then says they’ll never know for sure. Frazer then interjects and says they should run things back. Motor City Machine Guns’ music then hits and they make their way down to the ring. Alex Shelley then notes how the Profits never beat MCMG just like they have never beat Fraxiom. #DIY’s music then hit and they make their way down to the ring.
Candice LeRae calls the MCMG nerds. Chris Sabin then tells LeRae to shut up and Gargano responds with anger and says they brought LeRae in to even the odds because there is a conspiracy going on against #DIY. Gargano then brings up the Wyatt Sicks and Ciampa tells Gargano they don’t talk about them. Ciampa then says they killed the tag division they built and Ciampa calls for a moment of silence for the tag division. The lights then go out the Wyatt Sicks show up. They then take out everyone currently inside the ring. Howdy then hits Frazer with a Sister Abigail to end things and the Wyatt Sicks poses in the ring as their music plays.
Los Garza then make their way down to the ring for the next match of the night as we see WWE NXT North American Champion Ethan Page on the commentary desk. Rey Fenix then makes his way down to the ring next and Je’Von Evans follows.
The match starts off with Rey Fenix and Angel and both men exchange right hands. Fenix then hits a hurricanrana on Angel, but Evans and Berto tag in. Evans then rolls up Berto, but Berto kicks out and nails Evans with a right hand. Rey then tags back in and nails Angel with a double enzuigiri along with Evans before both men nail Berto with a superkick. Evans then tags in, but Berto nails him with a forearm and tags in Angel. Angel then nails Evans with a kick as Berto holds him on place outside of the ring, then gets Evans on his spine and tags in Berto. Berto then flies over the top rope from the apron to send Evans crashing into the mat, but Evans nails Berto with a superkick and tags in Fenix.
Fenix then nails Angel with a springboard crossbody and takes down an interfering Berto, then uses Berto as a launch pad to hit a hurricanrana on Angel and follows it up with a moonsault on him. He then goes for a pin, but Berto breaks the fall. Angel then nails Fenix with an uppercut, but Evans tags in and nails Angel. Berto then takes Evans down with a springboard kick.
Evans then hits a right hand on Angel, but Angel hits a sit-out powerbomb on Evans using the top rope. He then goes for a pin, but Evans kicks out. Fenix then walks the ropes to hit a kick on Berto and Evans flies off the top rope to land on Fenix and Los Garza on the outside with a Swanton Bomb. Evans and Fenix then stare down Page at the announce desk, then sends Los Garza back in the ring. Page then attacks Fenix and Evans from behind while the referee is distracted by Los Garza, but Evans nails Page with a superkick.
Berto then looks to take advantage and rolls up Evans. Evans then kicks out and hits a springboard kick on Berto, then climbs up the top rope. Santos Escobar then distracts the referee as Page pushes Evans off the top rope. Angel then tags in and Los Garza hits the MTY on Evans for the win.
The winners of the Tag Team Match, Los Garza (Angel and Berto)!
After the match, a message from Uncle Howdy appears on the screen. He says The Wyatt Sicks won’t stop until they get what they want.
WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega then makes her way down to the ring for the next match of the night and Alba Fyre, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven follow.
The match starts off with Fyre going straight after Vega. She then sends her crashing into multiple top turnbuckles, but Vega gets in a couple of strikes on Fyre. She then sends her crashing into the mat with a hurricanrana, but Fyre nails Vega with a back elbow.
Vega then delivers some right hands on Fyre in the corner, but Fyre sends Vega crashing into the corner spine first. Vega then responds with a hurricanrana on Fyre on the outside, but Fyre spins her around on the ring apron and nails her with a headbutt. Vega then sends Fyre crashing into the middle rope face first, but Green hops onto the apron. Vega then runs the ropes, but Niven trips her from the outside.
Fyre then sends Vega crashing into the mat face first and goes for a pin. Vega then kicks out, but Fyre wears her down with a submission hold. Vega then fights her way out, but Fyre nails Vega with a thrust kick. Vega then sends Fyre crashing into the top turnbuckle face first, but Vega delivers some right hands on Fyre and nails her with a couple of Sling Blades. Vega then hits a meteora on Fyre in the corner and a second one off the middle rope, then goes for a pin but Fyre kicks out.
Vega then sends Fyre crashing into the mat with a Stun-Dog Millionaire and sets up for a moonsault off the ropes. Fyre then moves out of the way and hits a Swanton Bomb, then goes for a pin of her own but Vega kicks out. Green then hops up on the apron, but Vega almost sends Fyre crashing into Green. Fyre then stops her own momentum, but Vega hits a Code Red on her for the win.
The winner of the Non-Title Match, WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega!
We then see The Miz and Carmelo Hayes talking in the locker room and Miz reminds Hayes that he gave up his chance to be in the match for Hayes. Miz then says if Hayes wins, he will make sure they are Mr. Money In The Bank. Hayes then stops Miz and Miz asks Hayes who he thinks got him in his position and Hayes says it was him who got himself there. Hayes then says he goes out there and does it better than anyone else. Hayes then tells Miz he needed to let Hayes be Him. Hayes then tries to set up their catchphrase, but Miz didn’t complete it.
We then get a vignette on Giulia.
We then see WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega walking in the backstage area and she runs into Giulia. Giulia tells Vega that she sees the champ, but she sees Vega’s title ever more and Vega just walks away.
Damian Priest’s music then hits and he makes his way down to the ring. Priest starts off by saying since he beat Drew McIntyre at Saturday Night’s Main Event in their Steel Cage match he has been feeling good. Priest then says unlike the norm, himself and McIntyre feuded for well over a year which isn’t normal. Priest then says himself and McIntyre went to war and he put him into the past when he gave him a Con-Chair-To and walked out the door. Priest then says he knows McIntyre is watching and while he still can’t stand him, the McIntyre that stepped into the cage was the old version of himself that doesn’t hide behind a phone which he appreciates.
Priest then says championships are next for him, starting with Jacob Fatu and the United States Championship. Priest then says he respects Fatu and he knows what he has had to live through and he is proud of Fatu. Priest then says he doesn’t respect the crew that Fatu hangs around and if they want to get involved, then so be it. Priest then says he is and forever will be El Campeón. Fatu’s music then hits and he stares down Priest on the entrance ramp before he makes his way to the ring. Andrade and Carmelo Hayes then both follow.
The match starts off with Hayes delivering some right and left hands on Fatu. Fatu then nails Hayes with a clothesline, but Andrade nails Fatu with a forearm and a crossbody off the middle rope. Hayes then sends Andrade out of the ring and delivers some right and left hands on Fatu’s spine. Fatu then nails Hayes with a right hand as he looks to fly off the ropes and runs the ropes, but Miz grabs onto Fatu’s ankle. Hayes then looks to blindside Fatu from behind, but Fatu sees him coming. Hayes then sends Fatu crashing out of the ring, but Andrade nails Hayes.
Fatu then stares The Miz down on the outside and Andrade looks to fly to nail him. Fatu then sees Andrade coming and nails him, then hits The Miz with a superkick and follows it up with a Hip Attack on him near the timekeeper’s area. Fatu then sends Andrade into one of the barricades spine first and sends Hayes crashing into the announce desk spine first, then looks to clear it. Hayes then blindsides Fatu from behind, then sends Andrade into one of the corners back inside the ring and looks to hit a suplex on him. Andrade then sends Hayes crashing into the top rope midsection first, but Fatu nails Andrade with a back elbow and hits him with a headbutt.
Fatu then delivers a chop on Andrade and follows it up with an open palm strike, but Andrade delivers some chops on Fatu. Fatu then nails Andrade with an open palm strike, but Andrade hits a meteora on Fatu. Hayes then sends Andrade crashing into the mat face first, then delivers some stomps on Fatu in the corner. Andrade then nails Fatu with a superkick, then hits a Spanish Fly on Hayes off the ropes. Fatu then hits a running senton on both Andrade and Hayes and Andrade hits his signature moonsault on Fatu.
Hayes then hits a Codebreaker on Fate and Andrade hits a hurricanrana on him that sends him crashing out of the ring. Andrade and Hayes then deliver some right hands on one another, but Fatu nails Hayes with a kick and charges at him and Andrade on the outside. Hayes and Andrade then side step Fatu and Fatu goes crashing through the barricade near the timekeeper’s area.
Hayes then grabs a table from under the ring, but doesn’t set it up. Andrade then grabs a chair and looks to use it, but Hayes hits a dropkick on his knee before he can and grabs the chair himself. Andrade then climbs up the ropes, but Hayes trips him and sends him crashing into the mat. Andrade then rolls up Hayes, but Hayes kicks out and nails Andrade with a clothesline. Hayes and Andrade then exchange chops with one another, but Andrade places Hayes on the top rope. Andrade then hits Hayes with an enzuigiri and drags him up to the top, but Fatu pulls both men off the ropes and climbs to the top. He then hits a Swanton Bomb on Hayes and goes for a pin, but Andrade breaks the fall.
Fatu then hits a splash on Andrade in the corner, but runs into a boot from Hayes. Fatu then gets Hayes up on his shoulders, but Andrade hits both men with a back elbow. Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo then emerge to cheer Fatu on and Hayes flies off the ropes to nail Andrade. He then goes for a pin, but Fatu breaks the fall. Fatu then gets both Hayes and Andrade up on his shoulders, but Hayes escapes. Fatu then sends Andrade crashing into the mat and looks to hit a moonsault on him, but Andrade moves out of the way. Hayes then hits Nothing But Net on Fatu and goes for a pin, but Andrade breaks the fall.
Hayes then hits a Codebreaker on Andrade, but Fatu sends Hayes crashing into the corner and hits a Hip Attack on him. He then hits an elevated flatliner on Andrade and follows it up with a moonsault off the top, but Solo Sikoa hops up onto the apron and tells Fatu to hit another one. Jimmy Uso then appears out of nowhere and goes after both Sikoa and Mateo, opening the door for Andrade to hit The Message on Hayes for the win.
The winner of the Men’s Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match, Andrade!
After the match, Fatu argues with Mateo and Sikoa.
We then see Byron Saxton interview LA Knight in the backstage area. Knight talks about how he punched his ticket to MITB. Knight then says if it was a one-on-one match he will call his shot, but he understands now because this will be his third MITB match. Knight then says it’s anybody’s game. Knight then stops talking as Aleister Black shows up. Black then speaks in a riddle and walks away.
Cody Rhodes is then shown walking in the backstage area and the crowd erupts.
Jacob Fatu is then shown wrecking the backstage area and yelling at Solo that he is tired of everything. Solo then says he was just trying to help. Fatu then says for the last time he does not need Sikoa’s help and Fatu storms off.
We then get a rundown of the Worlds Collide card.
We then get the rundown for Money in the Bank, including the ladder matches and the tag match featuring Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes facing John Cena and Logan Paul.
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes then makes his way down to the ring. Rhodes then tries to talk, but is cut off by the crowd chanting his name. The crowd then finally quiets down as Rhodes asks Knoxville what they want to talk about. Rhodes then says they could talk about the record breaking crowd in Knoxville or WrestleMania 41. Rhodes then talks about a doubtful moment he had after losing the title and talking to a friend to whom he asked if he was a good champion. Rhodes then talks about the response he got, which is with everything he went through in the ring and behind the scenes yes he was a good champion. Rhodes then says that was a hopeful moment for him as he thought about his past year.
Rhodes then says he thought about AJ Styles’ retirement and his friend attacking him at the tour bus while his family was sleeping on the other side. Rhodes then says he thought about the Final Boss demanding his soul. Rhodes then says the scariest part was that he was 100% serious. Rhodes then says the last thing he thought about is John Cena and we get dueling chants of “Let’s go Cena” and “Cena sucks” from the crowd.
Rhodes then says he thought about Cena doing exactly what he said he was going to do. Rhodes then says he gave him a choice and he hesitated. Rhodes then says he doesn’t know if Cena is going to ruin wrestling, but he certainly had that going for him. Rhodes then says if Cena is listening he needs to know that he will not hesitate ever again. Rhodes then says Cena needs to know that for all his counting down to leaving the business his expiration will come when he looks into the eyes of Cody Rhodes. Rhodes then apologizes for being all worked up, saying he wants to know what he can do. Rhodes then says he is back on SmackDown and what about a surprise. We then get a “Yeet” chant from the crowd, to which Rhodes says they look hungry and maybe they should Yeet. Rhodes then says that will be his partner riding into battle at Money in the Bank and he is here. Rhodes then says give it up for your World Heavyweight Champion “Main Event” Jey Uso.
Jey Uso then makes his way down to the ring through the crowd as they Yeet along with him. The yeeting then continues until Uso enters the ring. Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena’s music then hits as he interrupts the yeeting and Cena makes his way down to the ring. Cena then walks around the ring to grab a mic before stepping through the ropes to a chorus of boos. Cena then says he is upset too and he calls Rhodes and Uso pro wrestling’s biggest wannabes. Cena then says they both want to be him and it makes him sick. Cena then says they both want his money and his fame, but they won’t get it. Cena then says there is one other person in WWE that exemplifies hustle, loyalty and respect and he has the fame and fortune to back it up. Cena then introduces his partner for Money in the Bank Logan Paul. Paul’s music then hits and he makes his way down to the ring.
Cena then calls out the crowd for being mad at Logan, saying he doesn’t need to pay his dues because he is paying the mortgage of the likes of Rhodes and Uso. Cena then says the fans did not come here to see Rhodes and Uso, they came here to see him and Logan Paul. Paul then runs down the crowd. Paul then hypes himself up before running the Knoxville crowd some more. Paul then says this is a moment the fans get to witness, the moment that Cena gets to stand side by side with Paul. Paul then says all of the fans will live long, miserable, pathetic lives, but at least they get to say they saw that. The crowd then lets Logan Paul know what he can do and Paul laughs at that.
Paul then says there’s a problem as he should be standing beside the Undisputed WWE Champion as a World Champion. Paul then says he should have left Saturday Night’s Main Event with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, but Jey Uso got lucky. Paul then reminds Uso that Rhodes helped him win, calling the two cheaters nepo babies that were born on third thinking they hit a triple. Paul then calls himself and Cena self-made men, saying nobody thought he would be a WWE Superstar, let alone teaming with the greatest of all time. Paul then says he is not only a Superstar but he is the Superstar. Paul then says Cena is the last real champion and he is the inevitable face of this company. Uso then says they don’t have to wait until Money In The Bank and Cena looks to leave the ring. Paul then suggests that Cena stay, then begins brawling with Uso as Cena brawls with Rhodes. Uso then hits a superkick on Cena and Rhodes follows it up with a Disaster Kick. Uso then hits a superkick on Paul and follows it up with a Cody Cutter-3D combination on him with Rhodes as the show comes to a close.