WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 18, 2025) with a live show emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming WrestleMania 41 extravaganza scheduled for tomorrow night just down the road at Allegiant Stadium.
Advertised for tonight: It’s WrestleMania SmackDown and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is back again. More importantly, so is his challenger on Sunday night, none other than John Cena.
Plus, the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal returns for another year, The Street Profits put the WWE tag team titles on the line against the Motor City Machine Guns, six-woman tag team action, and a whole lot more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR APRIL 18
All of your life, they try to take your cover, turn you into another and make you change your name. When you fall, it’s up to you to recover, you can’t depend on another to help you with the pain, but me? You can rely on me to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with commentary hyping tonight’s festivities up, followed by the usual montage of talent arriving at the arena.
LA Knight attacks Tama Tonga in the parking lot and slams his arm in the door of a car!
Seth Rollins makes his entrance, wearing a black and white suit festooned with roses and butterflies, and he gets on the mic.
He pointedly sits crosslegged on the mat before beginning and says we’ll get to Roman Reigns in a minute but the crowd started chanting for CM Punk first so we’re gonna start with him. That’s why Punk came back, right? Except when CM came back, it wasn’t to a WWE ring. So did he come back because of the chants or because somebody wrote him a big fat check?
But when he burned that bridge like every other one he did come back to WWE after ten long years, and was that because of the chants? No, it was because they wrote him another big, fat check. He calls Punk a liar, a fraud and a coward, and say what you will about Roman, he doesn’t even pretend to care about the fans.
Reigns is just in the business of Roman Reigns, And all of this started twelve years ago with Paul Heyman, when he brought them into WWE to be a Shield for CM Punk, but does he get any credit? No, because everyone in the back wanted the cameras and spotlight on Roman Reigns. It was always about him being the next John Cena, the next cash cow for WWE.
And every single year this went along and after Punk took his ball and went home, Seth heard little echoes of CM Punk chants. Last year with his knee in shreds, with his father dying of cancer, he expended every effort to be here in this ring, to be a Shield for Cody Rhodes and to make sure Roman Reigns lost.
Tomorrow is the most important triple threat in WWE history, and Rollins will put his body on the line and sacrifice everything he has to make sure this industry moves forward in the right direction, and that’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler.
Commentary runs down the cards for both nights of WrestleMania 41.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in Memory of Andre the Giant
Chaotic brawling to start, Carlito in the eye of the storm and he gets his apple out but R-Truth rolls up and steals it and takes a bite! Colon shoves Truth into Miz but gets eliminated in turn and Ron throws his apple at him! Truth tries to eliminate Carmelo Hayes, pulled out to the apron and Miz helps his current tag buddy to eliminate his old pal!
The A-Lister cuts cut off by Karrion Kross, Humberto Carrillo is eliminated by Rey Fenix, who takes Angel Garza out moments later! Santos Escobar tries to make peace with Fenix, who gets into it with Kross after! Pretty Deadly fighting with Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne comes over, yes boy, Codebreaker on Bate!
A-Town Down Under eliminate Pretty Deadly, New Catch Republic after them and Bate puts them both on the apron but fails to eliminate them! Ludwig Kaiser takes Tyler out with a dropkick that eliminates him! Dunne looking to avenge the Big Strong Boy, but Ludwig keeps himself in the fight.
Andrade el Idolo and Escobar at it, big knee from Santos, he helps Rey Fenix up and tries to talk him into helping him get rid of Andrade. Fenix shakes his hand and eliminates Escobar! Otis Dozovic clears the middle of the ring using Akira Tozawa as a weapon, but the Creeds take Akira out! OTIS DOZOVIC CACTUS CLOTHESLINES HIMSELF AND BOTH CREEDS TO ELIMINATION!
El Idolo eliminates A-Town Down Under by himself and then kicks Chad Gable’s face off! All the luchadors remaining in the match take a turn and Rey Fenix has the privilege of being the one to eliminate Chad! Cruz Del Toro with an enzuigiri to Shinsuke Nakamura but Karrion eliminates him with a Krosshammer!
Dragon Lee trading elbows with Kross, Karrion drops him, he slips out and eliminates Kross! Nakamura eliminates Dragon with a side Russian legsweep over the ropes! Kaiser almost gets dropped by Dunne, grabs him by the hair, both of them on the apron and trading shots, Pete stops his hands and dropkicks him but Ludwig rolls back in and kicks the ropes into his gentleman’s area!
Triangle choke applied, and the Bruiserweight eliminates Kaiser! Miz trying to take El Idolo out, Dunne puts Hayes on the apron, the A-Liuster on the apron as Pete wishbones Melo’s fingers! Miz slingshots Hayes inside and Dunne eliminates the A-Lister in turn! Carmelo looks on in shock, grabs Dunne’s foot and eliminates him!
Andrade looking to take Hayes out as we’re down to a final four of those two, Fenix, and Nakamura. Pairing off and brawling, El Idolo eliminates Shinsuke with a dropkick! Hayes springboards, Andrade cuts him off and Fenix knocks both of them down but they hang from the ropes!
Carmelo back in, El Idolo gets slid under the bottom, Fenix with a big crescent kick on Hayes! Big elbow for Andrade, back body dropped to the apron by Melo, Rey with elbows, lining Carmelo up, he walks the ropes for Goodbye Amigo but El Grande Americano appears out of nowhere and eliminates Fenix!
Down to Andrade and Carmelo, The Message countered, back and forth, quick counters, stereo lariats, again and again, jockeying for position over a suplex and Hayes gets it, El Idolo goes to springboard and Melo cuts him off…
Carmelo Hayes wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in Memory of Andre the Giant, last eliminating Andrade el Idolo.
The Miz returns to celebrate Carmelo’s win with him and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in Memory of Andre the Giant trophy.
We get a hype reel for Triple H’s Hall of Fame induction.
A recap of Charlotte Flair attacking Tiffany Stratton last week follows.
Wade Barrett does a sit-down interview with Charlotte. She says she has a chip on her shoulder and she thinks Tiffany does too, and she doesn’t love the way she’s conducted herself but she thinks it’s gotten people invested and what matters the most to her is people tuning into see her at WrestleMania.
Commentary informs us that Tama Tonga has been taken to a local medical facility after LA Knight attacked him.
Rhea Ripley makes her entrance to finally, mercifully, send us to break.
Back from commercial, Rhea Ripley makes her entrance and gets on the mic.
She says this will be her sixth WrestleMania, and she could, but she’s not going to, but she could come out here and complain and make excuses, but she’s not talking about the past anymore. On Sunday she gets what she wants and does what she has to, and Rhea bloody Ripley is walking out of WrestleMania a three-time WWE Women’s World Champion.
Enter IYO SKY, wearing a slick playing card-theme bustier and significantly less slick huge wide-legged jeans with playing cards on them.
Before she can get a word in, Bianca Belair makes her entrance.
She asks if they thought they could come out here and drop her name without showing up, but she was definitely showing up because it might be her last night on SmackDown for a while, because she’s walking out with that title.
Enter Naomi.
Did her friendship mean so little to Bianca that she won’t even answer a text and handle it in private? Belair tells her she’s not doing this and she knows exactly why she’s not responding, and she said what she said and she meant it. Bianca claims it’s not just about Jade Cargill and Naomi says she wasn’t there for her like she was and tomorrow she finishes what she started with her.
Enter Jade Cargill.
She walks directly to the ring to attack Naomi, and Naomi hides behind Bianca and runs away. Jade jaws at Bianca and accuses her of protecting Naomi, and Rhea gets in front of her and says this isn’t about her— AND NAOMI BLINDSIDES CARGILL AND SETS THE BRAWL OFF! IYO SKY stands by with nobody to fight while security and road agents break the other two fights up… SKY WITH AN ORIHARA MOONSAULT TO WIPE EVERYBODY OUT!
Backstage, Rey Fenix is hurting when American Made rolls up. Chad Gable crows about his pal El Grande Americano eliminating Fenix and Dragon Lee appears to defend Fenix and say El Grande Americano’s gonna get it at WrestleMania. Rey Mysterio rolls up and notes there’s six of them here and he wants to do a trios match.
The Creed Brothers laugh it off and Rey Fenix says it’s a good idea. Mysterio says he’s gonna go talk to Nick Aldis.
Motor City Machine Guns make their entrance to send us to break.
Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) (c) (WWE Tag Team Championship)
Dawkins and Sabin early, off the ropes, a little back and forth and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Shelley in trouble, tag to Sabin, big boot cuts Ford off, diving tijeras, Penalty Kick takes Dawkins down from the apron! Chris with a missile dropkick to Montez, Shelley tags in, lariat, missile dropkick-assisted reverse STO for two! Ford with an enzuigiri, tag to Dawkins, pounce into a back suplex, cover for two!
MCMG on the rebound, looking for Skull and Bones but the Profits break it up… MONTEZ FORD OVER THE POST TOPE CON GIRO! #DIY RUN IN AND BREAK THE MATCH UP AND RUN OFF WITH THE TAG TITLE BELTS!
The match goes to a no-contest.
In Nick Aldis’ office, Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice complain about the injustice done to her and they serve him papers. Aldis says they’re right, injustice occurred, and so he’s giving Zelina Vega another title shot and banning the Secret Hervice from ringside.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Nick Aldis arrives with security to take the title belts off of #DIY backstage.
They refuse, Motor City Machine Guns and Street Profits arrive, chaos breaks out and Aldis offers them the easy way or the hard way. #DIY hand the belts over and says next week the tag titles will be on the line in a TLC match.
Randy Orton makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He says as of now he doesn’t have an opponent for WrestleMania 41 and he and his wife have been on the strip, doing press, feeling the excitement of WrestleMania week. His father was at WrestleMania 1 and he debuted twenty years later and his dad was there, and his longevity means a lot to him and he’s not sitting out what will be his twentieth WrestleMania match.
So this is what he’s gonna do— he’s gonna throw it out to the universe and let us decide, because he’s gonna show up Sunday, boots tied, gear on, juuuuust the right amount of baby oil on his skin, locked, loaded, and ready to delivered for us and for his family and for the boys in the back.
Anybody in the locker room wants to test their mettle, he dares them to step up. Anybody on the strip, anybody who owns a pair of wrestling boots, he wants them to step up on Sunday to fall victim to an RKO.
We get a recap of Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest brawling at the WrestleMania kickoff show earlier today.
Byron Saxton interviews Damian Priest backstage.
He wants to send a message to Drew McIntyre, who didn’t show up tonight and claims to be some kind of victim. He’s not a victim, not yet, and this isn’t about beating him in a match. The world isn’t ready for this violence, and he’s gonna beat Drew so bad that he’ll wish he was future-endeavored again, and he’s gonna bring the punishment and bury him.
Zelina Vega makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get another cryptic smoky video package, and this time the 4 resolves into a whole date— 4.25.25.
Chelsea Green vs. Zelina Vega
Green again tries to use her entrance skirts for a distraction but Vega ducks, Chelsea pushes it, back heel trip goes hard, slamming Zelina’s head into the mat a few times and taking a walk around the ring. Hair whip, Vega with a front kick, la casadora arm drag gets a superkick from the champion.
Chelsea with stomps, grounded punches and a salute. Action to the floor, throwing Vega into the barricade, back inside to argue with referee Charles Robinson about his count. Zelina back body drops her over the timekeeper’s barricade and both women beat the count! Green with a nearfall off a boot, putting Vega into the corner, setting her up top… AVALANCHE CODE RED! IT’S OVER!
Zelina Vega wins by pinfall with the avalanche Code Red.
LA Knight is shown walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, LA Knight gets on the mic.
He says if you wanna sneak, he’ll sneak, and that’s why he took Tama Tonga out in the parking lot, and tonight he’s gonna take Solo Sikoa out, so that tomorrow it’s just him and Jacob Fatu. He could be cliche and say that touching the title is as close as Fatu is gonna come to a title but he knows that’s wrong and Jacob’s gonna win one somewhere down the line, but tomorrow night he’s gonna eat a BFT just like Solo is going to tonight.
Knight attacks Sikoa during his entrance but Solo gets the better of him and we go to break before the match can begin!
LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa
Back from commercial, match is joined in progress and Sikoa is in control! Knight throwing right hands, off the ropes and Solo guts him with a knee! Knight getting back into it, off the ropes, flying lariat, snap DDT, kip-up and he goes to the second but Jacob Fatu attacks…
LA Knight wins by disqualification.
Post-match, Fatu puts boots to Knight until Braun Strowman makes the save! HE TAKES BOTH OF THEM OUT WITH ONE CROSSBODY! Knight sends Jacob to the floor with a lariat!
Nick Aldis comes to the stage and says since Jacob Fatu doesn’t want to wait and they can’t keep their hands to themselves, they’re gonna have a tag team match right now!
Well, after the break.
Braun Strowman & LA Knight vs. “Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu & Solo Sikoa
Back from commercial, again the match is joined in progress with Knight on the wrong side of town and he low bridges Fatu to the floor and crawls over for the tag! Strowman with lariats, a dropkick, he’s fired up, action to the floor and back in and the Samoan Werewolf gets an elbow up and a superkick, leaping lariat takes Braun to the mat and a DDT and a senton follow… NOPE!
Fatu with a standing neck crank, Strowman fights out with a slam! Tags made, Knight hits the People’s Elbow but Jacob breaks it up and Braun pounces him outta the ring! Back and forth, LA counters the Samoan Spike…
Braun Strowman & LA Knight win by pinfall with a BFT from Knight on Solo Sikoa.
We get a Wade Barrett sitdown interview with Tiffany Stratton.
She says she’s felt bullied and taken advantage of and has had moments of self-doubt but turned all of that into motivation and came prepared to their face-to-face that broke down with a killshot and forced Charlotte Flair to respect her.
Latino World Order make their entrance to send us to break.
American Made (Brutus Creed, Chad Gable, & Julius Creed) vs. Latino World Order (Dragon Lee & Rey Mysterio) & Rey Fenix
Brutus and Fenix to start, Rey gets the better of him, takes him to the corner, tag to Lee, getting his licks in and Creed runs him into the corner for a tag! Julius ends up on the floor, Fenix dives on him, back inside, off the top, big crossbody but Gable breaks it up and throws him into the corner!
Mysterio goes after Chad on the floor, the Creeds pull him out and take Fenix off the turnbuckles as Chad Dragon suplexes Dragon Lee! All three American Mades hit diving headbutts on Lee at once and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Gable whips Dragon into the corner, tag to Julius, belly-to-belly suplex into a Brutus Ball powerbomb… REY FENIX BREAKS IT UP! Jockeying for position in the turnbuckles, somehow Dragon ends up with all three of them in the Tree of Woe at once… DOUBLE STOMP TAKES ‘EM ALL OUT AND HE TAGS FENIX IN!
Fenix in hot, striking away, big crescent kick lays Julius out… NOPE! Reverse chinlock sets up a crucifix pin for two and Creed clobbers him with a knee. Overhead belly-to-belly suplex follows, whip to the corner and Fenix is down and out! Back at it with a Poetry in Motion tijeras to take Chad out… GOODBYE AMIGO!
Lee comes in, Operation: Dragon on Julius! Fenix off the top…
Latino World Order & Rey Fenix win by pinfall with an avalanche Meteora from Fenix on Julius Creed.
Post-match Fenix and Lee immediately drop to ringside to chat with a medic, which, combined with Rey Mysterio’s absence from most of the match, probably means something.
We get a video package for CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins set to Sail Into the Black by Machine Head, which is pretty cool. Wasn’t expecting to hear Robb Flynn’s voice tonight.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary recaps tonight’s results.
“American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and gets on the mic, but before he can get so much as “What do you want to talk about?” out—
Enter John Cena.
They have a nice long staredown and when Cody goes to speak, John tells him to shut his mouth and rattles off the states of how many WrestleManias he’s fought at. At this point you can get lost in the noise and the lights and the only voice Rhodes should hear is his. Sunday is the last night he will compete at WrestleMania, and no one has had the courage to end their career the way he has, and there is nothing you can do to fight a man who knows he’s going to die.
No one believes it because everyone keeps crawling back, no one stays retired, there’s always one more match. The reason there isn’t a wrestling retirement is because every other wrestler is a scared insecure loser. They’re left alone with their pathetic lives and they keep come back, but he has love and joy in his life and he doesn’t need it.
The only reason he’s here is to take the title away from Cody and from the fans forever. He reiterates that on Sunday the title will become too heavy for Rhodes to hold and he will lose because he cares about the fans but they do not write history, winners do. Cody had a choice at Elimination Chamber— does he want to do what is right or does he do what he needs to win, and in that moment he made his choice and Cena knew that he could beat Rhodes.
The second you stop caring about them you can do whatever you want and on Sunday Cody will be faced with that choice again. Rhodes is strong, tough, and driven, but he’s also scared, insecure, and naive. He wears his suit and has his tattoo because he wants to be somebody, but on Sunday, John will make him be somebody.
He’ll either be somebody who severed his ties with the losers or he’ll be the guy makes the right decision and he’ll realize he’s just a kid in a man’s world who doesn’t have the balls to be the last real champion.
Cody says John always has to say something, and calls out how the crowd feels about Cena. John said in London that he doesn’t bury talent, he is talent, and he knows a graveyard of talent who would disagree but we’re not talking about them, we’re talking about WrestleMania, and he has a question for John— Does he know the names of any of the crew members here?
It’s a different WWE and he used to worship Cena, and he calls him underwhelming? He’s overrated and overbearing, out of touch and out of time, his face is melting wax, his neck a stack of dimes, paler than Sting at Starrcade ‘97, and has his sanctimonious comments calling Cody an errand boy when he sauntered around the Oscars stage butt-ass naked for the people he runs errands for?
It is 2025 and he still can’t wrestle! The crowd chants as much and John calls them idiots. Cena says on Sunday to beat him, he doesn’t have to wrestle, and he cheapshots Cody and puts him in a fireman’s carry! Attitude Adjustment denied and Cross Rhodes connects!
Cody holds the title high and takes his leave, slapping hands with the front row fans on his way out.
Commentary hypes up the WrestleMania cards.
That’s the show, folks.
