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The first SmackDown after the Christmas holiday left a lot to be desired. The matches had predictable endings and a lot of the same rhetoric was used across the board.
Michael Cole continued to call Kevin Owens delusional at every turn, even when it wasn't related to the current match. He also randomly said the same about Drew McIntyre on RAW even though McIntyre didn't appear.
Pretty Deadly and Apollo Crews both claimed to have witnessed who attacked the Street Profits weeks ago. It's been so long with so many backstage attacks that it's hard to keep track.
Crews informed Ford and Dawkins that DIY was responsible. WWE really dropped the ball on the last Friday of the year. Here's the best and worst of the final episode of SmackDown of 2024.
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#3. Best/Worst - Treading water in the SmackDown tag team division
Aldis gave DIY one chance to admit they attacked the Street Profits a few weeks back, but they denied it. He then brought in Pretty Deadly, who claimed they saw what happened.
It's baffling that Kit Wilson and Elton Prince aren't used more other than in backstage segments. Before pointing the finger at Gargano and Ciampa, they uttered "Garza."
That led to a good match between the Profits and Los Garza of Legado Del Fantasma. Both teams always deliver in the ring. However, it's nothing new for either duo. The Profits predictably won and will get another title shot soon.
They received four title shots on SmackDown in 2024. Legado seemingly has no credibility. B-Fab also kicked Elektra Lopez when she saved her teammate. She didn't touch Ford or Dawkins.
#2. Worst - A messy opening segment/match
Bianca Belair and Naomi say they care about who "attacked" Jade Cargill, but there haven't been any developments in over a month. They immediately blamed the same three people - Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, and Candice LeRae - before their match.
The faces came out to Belair's music, but Stratton entered alone, followed by Jax and LeRae. Jax pointed the finger at Belair as the attacker since she's done fine without Cargill. It's nice to see some consistency and logic from heels.
The match itself was mostly a mess with a few botches and time-wasting spots that killed the flow. The ref didn't count when two members of the same team were in the ring at the same time.
Having the faces win was predictable due to the continued tension between Tiffie and Jax/LeRae. Jax blamed last week's loss on Miss Money in the Bank and Stratton almost cashed in. The heels have little credibility.
#2. Best/Worst - Carmelo Hayes hangs with a beloved veteran
Carmelo Hayes may talk himself into a lot of big matches but he delivers every time. He's kept up in two contests with Cody Rhodes and did so again when Sami Zayn popped up on SmackDown after The New Bloodline attacked him on RAW.
The match was great but the post-match beatdown was entirely telegraphed and predictable. Since he came to SmackDown and the group hadn't appeared, it wasn't a surprise when Solo Sikoa led the troops to blindside Zayn.
It was also disappointing for Hayes to have another messy ending to a bout. Braun Strowman grabbed Hayes when he tried to leave.
The interesting part was The Monster of All Monsters trying to save Zayn from a 3-on-1 attack. Fans salivated when he stood across the ring from Jacob Fatu but he ultimately fell to the Bloodline.
#1. Worst - Squashing the Future
Braun Strowman essentially squashed both Austin Theory and Carmelo Hayes in the past month. He lost to Hayes last week via countout after beating him in about four minutes the week before.
Winning via countout doesn't do much to help Hayes advance. It makes sense for the brash young upstarts to learn some lessons. People like seeing arrogant young stars face reality sometimes.
It's hard for them to move up in the division on SmackDown and be taken seriously when they consistently get squashed.
#1. Best - Chelsea Green's celebration on SmackDown
The highlight of the night outside of in-ring action was Chelsea Green's United States Championship Celebration. Fans knew it would be great when looking at the ring.
It was adorned with American flags, and Piper Niven stood behind a lectern in a green dress and a mink scarf. Green came out dressed as Lady Liberty and her promo was hilarious. She claimed to be the most glamorous champion and one that WWE needed.
The champ claimed 2025 would be "Red, White, and Green" before insulting the person she beat for the gold, Michin. Michin then came out to almost no reaction until she started swinging her Kendo stick.
#1. Best/Worst - Kevin Owens gets a ladder match . . . at the Royal Rumble
Nick Aldis opened SmackDown by giving Kevin Owens an ultimatum - return the Winged Eagle title belt or face consequences. It was weird that he seemed more concerned with getting back a prop title instead of doling out repercussions.
He said the title means a lot to many people which is understandable, but it's not an active championship. It felt more like he was trying to reclaim the gift Triple H bestowed upon Rhodes ahead of his match at Saturday Night's Main Event.
The final segment saw Owens agree to hand it over as long as it was to Rhodes. He also wanted a fair rematch due to the messy finish in their last meeting. Aldis then threatened The Prizefighter with termination unless he relinquished the belt.
The American Nightmare emerged after getting Piledriven a few weeks ago. They agreed to a ladder match at the Royal Rumble before Owens shoved Rhodes into SmackDown's GM. He also stomped on the Undisputed WWE Champion a few times with the Aldis kneeling beside the champion.
