'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE SmackDown emanated from Barcelona, Spain, for the first time. The Miz was supposed to host Cody Rhodes on MizTV, but it was interrupted by Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair's brawl.
The A-Lister cut off Rhodes' entrance to save time and got blasted for it by the champ. He promised to be in Brussels, Belgium, for RAW since John Cena hasn't shown up since the shocking events of the Elimination Chamber.
Two mysterious vignettes aired. One featured the silhouette of a masked wrestler sitting atop a ring buckle. The other showed black smoke and, depending on how it was interpreted, had a "4" or "A. "
Trending
Could they be for Rey Fenix and Aleister Black? WWE decided not to use Alexa Bliss again, while Randy Orton handed Carmelo Hayes another loss. Here's the best and worst of SmackDown from Barcelona.
Cody Rhodes' uncle is a WWE Hall of Famer. More details HERE.
#3. Worst - Operating without all the right information
Cathey Kelley interviewed Jade Cargill on SmackDown, allowing The Storm to address the attack from last November. She revealed that she didn't see the attack but saw Naomi running off.
She was mostly upset because she didn't want Naomi to "dictate" what she deserved, which displays an aura of entitlement. Kelley asked why she hadn't alerted people sooner, but Jade didn't have much of an answer.
Cargill continued to express her anger that Belair had teamed up with Naomi as if nothing had happened. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez crashed the interview, looking for an apology, but The Storm didn't think it was the right time.
The whole investigation/revelation process has felt uneven, so hopefully, more will come out since Jade didn't see what truly happened.
#2. Best - NXT UK is alive and well on SmackDown
Gunther appeared in Barcelona to battle Spain's own Axiom. As expected, the match was great, proving that Axiom and The Ring General are among the most gifted in-ring technicians today.
Axiom was able to hang with the much bigger Gunther due to his speed and technical prowess. It took two power bombs and a monstrous Lariat to finally put away one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions.
While most of the roster is no longer with WWE, it's still great to see remnants of NXT UK alive and thriving on RAW and SmackDown.
#2. Best/Worst - LA Knight and the United States title scene
LA Knight cut a promo after regaining the US title from Shinsuke Nakamura last week. He was cut off by a desperate Jimmy Uso, who wanted a title shot.
Solo Sikoa followed suit. Braun Strowman came out to back up Uso and Knight, so Nick Aldis booked a six-man match pitting Knight, Jimmy, and Strowman against Sikoa, Jacoba Fatu, and Tama Tonga.
Winning matches must not be pivotal to getting a potential title shot since Solo and Jimmy have lost more matches than they've won. The match was fine, and the crowd invested in the heroes' win.
The loss is another big setback for Sikoa and Fatu. The post-match car crash beatdown was the best part and will lead to another showdown between Monster and Werewolf on next week's SmackDown.
#2. Worst - The Queen's Gambit
Charlotte beat B-Fab in her first match in over 15 months. Why is she only wrestling for the first time since the Rumble (over 40 days)? Just like at the Rumble, The Queen received fireworks during her entrance.
It's hard to invest in a fight when stars are treated/presented like Flair and B-Fab were on SmackDown. The match had several awkward spots and exchanges, especially with strikes.
Flair predictably won (and should have) but only broke her submission when Tiffany Stratton rushed to the ring. The Queen immediately took Stratton down once they got physical. The live crowd loved the pull-apart brawl.
The problem is WWE has used that trope so much lately, killing the fire it should have had. Stratton and Flair wore pink gear, so it was hard to distinguish them in the chaos. Charlotte no-sold Stratton's moonsault at the end of the segment, sitting up five seconds after it happened.
#1. Best - A SmackDown feud built on logic
Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest are slated to fight at WrestleMania 41. After recent confrontations, McIntyre cut a promo with logical reasoning for why he's targeting Priest in 2025.
He mentioned how The Archer of Infamy cashed in on him at WrestleMania 40 and beat him twice thanks to help from CM Punk. The Scottish Warrior also took issue with Priest, who eliminated him from the Rumble and Chamber.
However, that's how those matches are won. McIntyre wasn't done as he attacked Priest during his fight with Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura and Priest had great chemistry as two of the more seasoned strikers in WWE.
The weird part, however, was that no one tried to break things up except for one referee. They must have been selling Stratton's Swanton Bomb.
#1. Best/Worst - Another title swap ahead of WrestleMania 41
WWE is going to the well too many times ahead of the biggest show of the year. Five titles have switched hands over the last two weeks across all three of WWE's brands.
IYO SKY, Shawn Spears, LA Knight, Stephanie Vaquer, and the Street Profits claimed gold on the Road to WrestleMania. The match was great, as expected since the SmackDown tag division is the best in the company.
Johnny Gargano accidentally kicked Tommaso Ciamp, giving the Profits the opening for the win. The problem is that doing the same thing repeatedly takes the luster off each title change.
#1. Worst - Roman Reigns no-shows "Roman Reigns Day"
Paul Heyman cut a promo claiming it was "Roman Reigns Day" since WWE 2K25 was officially released. But just like the cover reveal, Reigns decided not to appear live for the fans.
The Wiseman claimed The Tribal Chief would appear live in Italy next week, eliciting boos from the Barcelona crowd. Heyman said they shouldn't boo but instead buy cheap plane tickets for next week's SmackDown.
His promo fell flat and was among the worst of his storied career. Since he came back on RAW, Reigns should have explained his actions. Instead, he kept up with his schedule of failing to appear on important shows.
