WWE SmackDown returns tonight live from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.
Scheduled tonight’s show is an appearance by Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena, Jacob Fatu & Solo Sikoa vs. LA Knight & Damian Priest in tag-team action, Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes, as well as Nia Jax vs. Jade Cargill to determine the next challenger for the WWE Women’s Title held by Tiffany Stratton.
The following are complete WWE SmackDown results from Friday, May 9, 2025. The report was written by PWMania.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709) as the show aired from 8-11pm EST. on USA Network.
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS – MAY 9, 2025
“WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.” gets things started as always. We then shoot inside the Nutter Center in Dayton, OH.
LA Knight & Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu
We see Damian Priest backstage, and he is stopped by Byron Saxton for a quick word. As Priest begins talking, he is cut off by LA Knight. The two talk back-and-forth about whether or not they can trust the other to have their back tonight in their tag-team match.
“The Mega Star” tells the production team to hit his music, and he begins walking as the camera follows him. He settles inside the squared circle to a big pop as Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett welcome us to the show on commentary.
After Knight’s music dies down, the lights go down and the entrance tune for his partner hits. Out comes Damian Priest and “all rise” inside the Nutter Center as he joins Knight in the ring as they await the arrival of their opposition for tonight’s opening match.
Solo Sikoa and WWE United States Champion Jacob Fatu make their way out next. The two settle in the ring. We see Knight and Priest talking among themselves about who will start. As they argue, Sikoa runs over and cheap-shots them. He goes to work on Priest.
Knight is forced to the apron by the referee, so it looks like Sikoa decided for them who will be starting things off. Sikoa headbutts Priest. He goes for a Samoan Drop, but Priest escapes out the back door and begins lighting Sikoa up with a variety of kicks.
As Priest is dealing with Sikoa on the floor, Knight runs over and leaps off the apron and blasts Sikoa for him. He then gets in Priest’s face and with his usual brash style, makes it clear that he’s taking back the WWE United States Championship, not Priest.
On that note, the show shifts gears and heads into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues. When the show returns, Sikoa is working over Priest in the ring. Priest buys himself some time and looks for the tag, but Sikoa stops him.
Sikoa then knocks Knight off the ring apron. He goes to blast Priest as he was getting up, but Priest gets by him and rushes over to make the much-needed tag, only to see Knight is nowhere to be found. He turns around into a Samoan Drop from Sikoa.
Fatu tags in and the crowd roars as “The Samoan Werewolf” picks up where Sikoa left off, taking it to Priest. LA Knight is tagged in and as is Fatu. LA Knight with right hands followed by a Russian leg sweep. A jumping neck breaker onto Fatu followed by a body slam.
LA Knight to the ropes and he lands a jumping elbow. Fatu back up and LA Knight slams him onto the mat. He climbs the second rope and goes for the jump up leaping elbow drop, Damian tags himself in. LA Knight looks at him shocked and Damian with a clothesline onto Fatu.
Damian goes for the chokeslam but LA Knight tags himself in. Solo is tagged in and he pushes LA Knight onto Damian. Solo goes for the Samoan Spike but LA Knight ducks and lands the BFT. He goes for the cover and gets the pin for the victory for his team.
Winners: LA Knight & Damian Priest
All Hell Breaks Loose With U.S. Title Fatal-4-Way Competitors
Once the match wraps up, things only get crazier. LA Knight and Priest are in the ring after the match and Priest with right hands. In comes Jacob Fatu who attacks both men and hits them with the running hip attack. Fatu raises the United States Championship after the match.
Then, out of nowhere, in comes Drew McIntyre who hits him with a Claymore and takes him down. Drew throws the title onto Fatu and leaves the ring. That wraps up the eventful post-match scene.
R-Truth Continues To Defend John Cena
From there, we cut to the outside of the arena where R-Truth is holding a “Let’s go Cena!” sign and in comes Jimmy Uso, who asks him what he’s doing.
R-Truth tells him that John Cena is in the building tonight. Jimmy looks disappointed and leaves. On that note the show shifts gears and heads into another commercial break.
Drew McIntyre Sends A Message Ahead Of WWE Backlash: St. Louis
When the show returns, Byron Saxton is standing by backstage with “The Scottish Psychopath” Drew McIntyre. He says what he did to Jacob Fatu was a message to Jacob Fatu and he will shoot a silver bullet onto the werewolf. Drew asks why Priest is in the match at Backlash.
He beat him at WrestleMania but Priest keeps getting rewarded. He says it is B.S., but Fatu is the baddest dog in the yard, and that is why he went after him. Once he wins, he will be a Grand Slam Champion.
Drew says the problem with all gas and no brakes, it works until you hit a brick wall. And that brick wall is Drew McIntyre, who he says is going to be the new WWE United States Champion after Saturday night.
Zelina Vega Teases Special Mystery Partner For Tonight
Highlights are shown from last week of Zelina Vega beating Piper Niven in her first match since capturing the WWE Women’s United States Championship. After that, the camera cuts to a clip from ‘earlier today’ in he back.
Chelsea Green and “The Secret Her-vice” are still dressed in all black and are in mourning, when in comes SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and the aforementioned WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega.
Aldis asks her what she is doing and Vega tells her they are pathetic. Green tells Vega she has no girlfriends and Zelina challenges Green to a tag team match tonight.
She teases a special friend as her partner to prove she does, in fact, have girlfriends. The show then heads into another commercial break.
Aleister Black’s First Words Since His WWE Return
When the show returns, we see a a pre-recorded Aleister Black vignette, featuring the first comments from the former WWE Superstar since his highly-anticipated return a couple of weeks ago.
Black says he found the truth and the truth is that he came back because he believes that he is the consequences that this company needs. He is more than a man who whispers in shadows, it’s so much bigger than good against evil.
He says he is here to confront “you”, physically and mentally. And as for Carmelo Hayes, he says “I haven’t figured you out yet… Or have I?” That wraps things up, as Tessitore and Barrett plug Black-Hayes for later in the show.
Zelina Vega & Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven
Back inside the Nutter Center, the theme for Chelsea Green is playing, and we see she, Piper Niven and Alba Fyre have already settled inside the squared circle during the break. They are still in mourning as they await the arrival of their opposition.
Now the theme for the first of their opponents hits, and out comes WWE Women’s United States Champion Zelina Vega. She stops and has a big smile on her face. The lights go down and then the theme for Alexa Bliss hits. Out comes Ohio’s own Alexa Bliss.
Bliss still looks like The Wyatt Sicks-friendly version of her character, wearing all black with the two pony tails. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Niven and Vega kick things off. Vega takes the early offensive lead.
Niven slams Vega down and once she has her grounded, Green is willing to be tagged in. Green comes in, but Vega immediately recovers and begins taking it to her. Niven tries getting involved, so Vega stacks them up on the middle rope for a double-6-1-9.
The show heads into a mid-match commercial break on that note. When the show returns, after some more back-and-forth action, Bliss tries her Twisted Bliss finisher off the ropes for a close two-count, before ultimately finishing things up with her Sister Abigail finisher for the pin.
Winners: Zelina Vega & Alexa Bliss
Santos Escobar & Los Garza Attack Rey Fenix
Backstage, we see Rey Fenix who is walking the halls, when he is stopped by Santos Escobar. Fenix tells him that he beat him last week, it’s over, there’s no conversation.
Escobar tells him that he knows that but he has one thing to tell him. He leans in and asks Rey “Who said anything about a conversation?” And in come Berto and Angel who attack Rey Fenix as WWE officials and Andrade come to break it up.
Charlotte Flair Walks Out On Fans Booing Her
From there, we shoot to the parking lot, where we see a vehicle pull up. Out pops “The Queen” herself. Charlotte Flair begins walking with a purpose as the show heads into another commercial break.
When the show returns, Charlotte Flair’s theme hits and the women’s wrestling legend makes her way down to the ring. She gets on the microphone and talks about how she was gone for two years, and still took the champion to her absolute limit.
Flair tells the production team to put up a picture. A photo of Tiffany Stratton looking exhausted after her win over Flair at WrestleMania 41 is shown. Flair asks if it looks like someone who enjoyed their big WrestleMania moment.
The fans continue to loudly boo her. Flair finally snaps and asks why the crowd keeps disrespecting her. She says she’s the best women’s wrestler of all-time. She tells the fans she’s giving them one more chance. They boo again. She slams the mic down and storms off.
WWE Women’s Championship Eliminator
Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax
As she is heading up the ramp, the theme for Jade Cargill hits and out she comes as Flair looks irritated and annoyed at ringside with her hands on her hips. Cargill stops and locks eyes with Flair. The two exchange an intense stare and then Flair walks off.
Cargill gets in the ring, gets on the microphone and tells Charlotte to wait. She says before you go, you’ve had your chance, now head to the back of the line. Flair stopped and watched her say that. She kept walking. Cargill poses on the ropes as she is in action next.
On that note, the show heads into a quick pre-match commercial break. When we return, Charlotte Flair and Nick Aldis are arguing. Flair tells him that she helped make the division and Aldis tells her she cant throw a temper tantrum when things don’t go her way.
She says she has no time for this and as she approaches her car, she tells the driver to take her to the airport. The door slams and it’s Alexa Bliss. She tells Flair to have a chat and we cut to the ring. With Cargill in the ring, out comes Nia Jax.
As the bell is about to ring, out comes the WWE Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton. The bell then finally sounds and we are under way. Nia with a shoulder tackle onto Jade. Nia with a splash in the corner but Jade with forearms and a shoulder tackle takes Nia down.
Jade grabs Nia but Nia lifts Jade up and lands a Samoan drop. A leg drop by Nia as she goes for the cover but Jade kicks out. On that note, the show shifts gears and heads into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
When we return, we see Jade with a Samoan drop. She gets to her feet and lands a suplex. Jade with a super kick and a spinebuster. She goes for the cover but Nia kicks out. Jade goes for a kick but Nia grabs her and lands a powerbomb. She goes for the cover but Jade kicks out.
Nia climbs the second rope but Jade gets to her feet and she kicks Nia in the face. Jade throws Nia off the second rope onto the mat and Jade climbs the top rope. Jade with a frog splash. She goes for the cover but Nia kicks out. She gets Nia up but Nia with a right hand and she throws Jade in the corner.
Nia goes for a splash but Jade with a pump kick. She goes for the cover but Nia kicks out. Out comes Naomi at ringside and she throws Tiffany into the ring steps. That distracts Jade and Nia with a headbutt followed by a senton. Nia with the Annihilator for the win. She has ‘earned’ a title shot.
Winner and NEW No. 1 Contender: Nia Jax
The Street Profits vs. FrAxiom
Backstage, we see the WWE World Tag-Team Champions The Street Profits — Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. They are stopped by Michin and B-Fab. They congratulate The Street Profits and Ford tells them that hurt or not, they will put everyone on notice.
Ford says they have been the talk of the town for the last two weeks and they put on the greatest TLC match of all time. But with that said, what happened is what will always happen and that is that the Street Profits came out on top.
Fraxiom’s music hits and Ford says “You have to be kidding me”. Frazer tells them that he apologizes for the interruption but it feels good to be on SmackDown. Frazer tells Axiom that they are rubbing shoulders with the WWE Tag Team Champion, possibly the best tag team in the game right now.
They get in the ring and Frazer tells Axiom that Shawn Michaels told them that if they see an opportunity, to take it. Axiom tells them they are amazing and no disrespect but those titles would look great on them. Dawkins tells them that they only won two matches and asks them if they think they deserve a title shot.
Fraxiom tells them yes and Ford tells them after three weeks they want a title shot? Out comes Nick Aldis and he says he likes what he is seeing. Fraxiom are new and they have not shown to be worthy of a title shot yet but they are in the heartland of opportunity. Aldis makes a tag team match between both teams right now.
On that note, the show heads into a quick pre-match commercial break. When we return, things are already underway. Fraxiom double team Ford in the ring and Dawkins is tagged in. He has tape on his left elbow and right knee. Frazer to the ropes and he lands a drop kick. A head lock take down onto Dawkins.
Frazer throws Dawkins to the ropes but Dawkins with a spinning back elbow and Frazer to the outside of the ring. Dawkins to the outside and he pushes Frazer into the announce table. Dawkins back in the ring and Axiom to the outside, he throws Frazer back in the ring. Ford is tagged in and he has tape around his ribs.
Ford with a kick to the ribs. He goes for the cover but Frazer kicks out. Dawkins is tagged back in and they double team Frazer. Dawkins goes for the cover but Frazer kicks out. Dawkins grabs Frazer but Frazer with a kick to the side of the head. Axiom is tagged in and they double team Dawkins who is thrown to the outside of the ring.
In comes Ford and he is thrown to the outside of the ring. Fraxiom with double suicide dives onto The Street Profits. The show heads into a mid-match commercial break at this point. When it returns, Dawkins lifts Frazer up in the air and slams him on the mat. Axiom is tagged in and as is Ford.
Ford with a right hand and he knocks Frazer off the ring apron. Ford with a clothesline followed by a back suplex. Ford with a standing moon sault. He goes for the cover but Axiom kicks out. He throws Axiom to the ropes and Frazer tags himself in, Frazer gets in the ring and rolls Ford up but Ford kicks out.
Both men to their feet and Ford with a super kick. Ford on the top rope but Frazer with a kick to the side of the head. Frazer jumps up to the top rope, Dawkins tags himself in and he gets Frazer in the electric chair position and Ford with the super doomsday blockbuster! Dawkins goes for the cover but Axiom breaks it up.
Axiom grabs Ford who is on the ring apron but Ford with a kick to the side of the head. Ford climbs the top rope and jumps but Axiom with a kick to the ropes. Dawkins with a kick onto Axiom. Frazer throws Dawkins to the outside of the ring. Frazer goes for a suicide dive but Dawkins with a right hand.
Dawkins climbs the top rope and Frazer with a right hand. Axiom tags himself in and climbs the top rope and lands the Spanish Fly! Frazer with the Phoenix Splash and He goes for the cover but Ford breaks it up. Ford is tagged in and Dawkins with a spine buster onto Frazer. Dawkins to the outside and Axiom with the golden ratio onto Dawkins.
Ford climbs the top rope and goes for the frog splash but Frazer moves out of the way. Axiom is tagged in and Axiom lands a drop kick as Frazer trips Ford, the Catapulta Infernal. Axiom goes for the cover and gets the pin. FrAxiom continue their winning ways since joining the WWE main roster. The Profits show them respect afterwards.
Winners: FrAxiom
Tiffany Stratton Has Words With Nia Jax
Backstage, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is seen looking for Naomi. She bumps into her next challenger for the title, former friend turned bitter rival Nia Jax.
Nia tells Stratton not to worry about Naomi but to worry about her. Stratton tells her when she beats Nia, she will make sure there is a spot for her on the loser’s table next to Charlotte Flair and Stratton walks away.
Aleister Black vs. Carmelo Hayes
In a different area backstage, The Miz is with Carmelo Hayes. Miz tells Hayes that he will show him where he needs to be to get the job done because tonight is all about Hayes. It is about showing everyone that Hayes, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner, is the tenth monument of the world.
The Miz tells him that Mello Don’t Miz and they are Awes-Him. The show heads into another commercial break on that note. When the show returns, Hayes is in the ring with Miz standing behind him still hyping him up ahead of his big singles showdown.
We see the lights go down. We see a bunch of candles lit at the top of the entrance stage. The bad ass entrance tune for Aleister Black hits and out he comes for his second match since his highly-anticipated return to WWE a couple of weeks ago.
After he settles inside the squared circle, the bell rings and we are under way. Black with a headlock take down but Hayes gets gets to his feet. He is thrown to the ropes and Hayes goes for a springboard crossbody but Black moves out of the way and sits on the mat.
He gets back up and grabs Hayes but Hayes with kicks. He grabs Black but Black with kicks and Hayes falls to the outside of the ring. Black with a moon sault off the second rope onto Hayes on the outside of the ring. Black goes for a kick onto Hayes but Hayes moves out of the way.
Hayes hits Black with a drop kick near the timekeeper’s table. On that note, the show shifts gears and settles into a mid-match commercial break. When the show returns, Hayes is controlling the action in the ring until Black leaps and catches him with a kick while Hayes was climbing to the top-rope.
After some more back-and-forth action, we see Black with some punches and kicks followed by a knee to the side of the head. Black with a springboard moon sault off the second rope. He goes for the cover but Hayes kicks out. Black lifts Hayes up but Hayes lands on his feet and lands a super kick.
He grabs Black but Black lands the brainbuster. He goes for the cover but Hayes kicks out. The Miz gets on the ring apron, Hayes goes for a right hand, Black ducks and Hayes knocks Miz off the ring apron. Black rolls Hayes up for the win.
Black then pops up and knocks out Miz with his Black Mass finisher. He walks out of the ring, stops and does his and CM Punk’s trademark cross-legged seated pose at ringside. The post-match scene wraps up there, as Black continues his undefeated streak since returning.
Winner: Aleister Black
Jacob Fatu Doesn’t Want To Talk Game Plans
From there, we shoot to the backstage area, where we see WWE United States Champion Jacob Fatu with Solo Sikoa. Solo is freaking out with panic. Solo tells Fatu that they don’t have the number’s advantage and they need a game plan.
Fatu tells him that tomorrow, he will dog-walk Drew McIntyre, LA Knight and Damian Priest. That’s the only game plan he needs. He then gets in Solo’s face in an uncomfortably close fashion, for uncomfortably long amount of time. He walks off and we head to another commercial break.
DIY Attack FrAxiom & Motor City Machine Guns
When the show returns, FrAxiom are celebrating their win as they walk-and-talk backstage. The Motor City Machine Guns approach them and point out that they just beat the tag champions. They tell them that they did the same thing.
They say they made a ton of noise early into their debuts on the WWE main roster. As they continue to talk, they are ambushed and attacked with weapons from behind.
We see that the attackers are none other than the DIY duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. DIY beat all four of them down and leave them laying. That’s how the backstage scene wraps up.
Andrade & Rey Fenix vs. Los Garzas
Back inside the arena, the theme for Andrade hits and out he comes to the ring for the next, and last advertised match of the evening. Already in the ring are his opponents, the Los Garza duo of Berto and Angel. The lights go down and the theme for Rey Fenix hits.
The strobe light goes wild and the smoke billows as the newest masked man in WWE makes his way out to the ring to join Andrade for tag-team action, stopping first to pose as pyro and fireworks explode behind him. He does the diamond symbol into the camera with his hands.
Fenix settles inside the squared circle and the bell sounds to get this one officially off-and-running. Angel and Rey start the match, Rey with a shoulder tackle off the second rope. He goes for the cover but Angel kicks out. Angel pushes Rey into the corner and Berto is tagged in.
They double team him in the corner and Berto goes for the cover but Rey kicks out. Berto goes for a suplex but Rey lands on his feet and Andrade is tagged in. Andrade with a suplex but in comes Angel. Rey gets in the ring and Los Garza throw them to the outside of the ring.
On that note, the show shifts gears and settles into a mid-match commercial break as the fast-paced action in this tag-team thriller continues. When the show returns, Andrade and Berto are in the ring. Andrade with the poisonrana. Rey and Angel are tagged in and Rey with right hands.
Rey places Angel on the top rope, he grabs Berto by the arm, jumps onto the top rope, kicks Angel on the side of the head and lands an arm drag on Berto! Andrade gets in the ring and Angel knocks him down and Rey knocks him down. Angel throws Rey in the corner and lands a splash.
Berto is tagged in and he lands a moon sault. He goes for the cover but Andrade breaks it up. Rey with a kick to the face. Escobar gets on the ring apron and distracts the referee. Berto rolls Rey up and the distraction backfires. Berto let’s go of the pin and Rey slams him face first.
He goes for the cover but Angel breaks it up. Andrade is tagged in and he lands a spinning elbow to the face. Angel to the outside and Rey with the Adios Amigo onto Berto. Rey with a splash over the top rope onto Angel and Andrade with The Message onto Berto for the win.
Winners: Andrade & Rey Fenix
Things Boil Over Between Santos Escobar & Los Garza
Once the match wraps up, we see Santos Escobar gets in the ring after the match and be begins yelling at Berto. He puts his fingers on Berto but Berto slams his hand away very hard.
Escobar looks shocked. Both men are face-to-face and Berto leaves the ring with Angel looking at both men. The post-match scene wraps up on that note.
Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena Closes The Show
It’s main event (segment) time!
Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett run down the updated officially advertised lineup for tomorrow night’s WWE Backlash: St. Louis premium live event at Enterprise Center. The show then heads into another commercial break.
When the show returns, Tessitore and Barrett quickly recap the match results and happenings from tonight’s show, with the accompanying graphic displaying on the screen. We then head back inside the Nutter Center for the final segment of the show.
On that note, we hear the familiar iconic sounds of “My Time Is Now” by John Cena. Out comes the record 17-time champion, and reigning Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena. He heads to the ring and settles inside to his usual overwhelming crowd reaction — both positive and negative.
In what continues to be a trend with heel Cena, he doesn’t say a word before he orders the new SmackDown ring announcer Mark Shunock into the ring. He hands him a piece of paper and orders him to try again, and give him the introduction worthy of “The Greatest Of All-Time.”
Cena also makes him call him “the last real champion” this time. The crowd boos as Cena raises the title high in the air while gritting his teeth. He throws the title over his shoulder and begins strutting around the ring, soaking in the crowd atmosphere.
“Tomorrow your childhood dies,” Cena begins. He says the reason they are reduced to throwing empty bottle of beers is because they all know how important Backlash is. They will do everythnig they can, just like Randy Orton, which is why Orton is not there tonight. The fans boo and Cena tells them not to boo because Orton is smart.
He says Orton is at home iwth his family in St. Louis, preparing for the biggest moment of his career. The first time he wrestled Orton was almost 25 years ago. Since that time, they have shared the ring almost 100 appearances, there are 31 Championships between them and are two names which are Ruthelss Agression. He says if you are between the ages of 12 and 55, you either choose Randy Orton or you choose John Cena and that is what is at stake at Backlash.
He says that tomorrow is their final match, tomorrow, they only get to choose one more time. Tomorrow, their childhood dies. He says if you’re a fan between the ages of 3 and 11, your childhood dies too. Because he will show them that life isn’t fair, winners write the history books and Randy Orton is a liar.
Cena says the person Orton has been lying to the most is himself. Cena says hustle, loyalty, respect. Hustle, Randy Orton only has this job because of his family. He has never once been held accountable for anything. Orton is the greatest of all time… At wasting his potential. Cena is the greatest of all time because he is hustle.
Loyalty, Orton thinks that working a job a lot of days in a row is loyalty. That’s not loyalty, that’s cashing a check. Orton says he is a piece of furniture and he is right, he is a lazy boy. He says after 25 years of injuries, bad attitudes and being over celebrated and overpaid, you can’t on Orton for anything.
Orton is the greatest of all time at doing the bare minimum, Cena is the greatest of all time because he is loyalty. He says respect, which the fans do not show him. But Orton wants to beg for their respect, he has to remind them that he is a third generation superstar. No one knows Orton Senior.
The only thing his dad is known for is banging up his mom and the only thing Orton is known for is for riding on Cena’s coat tails. Orton called himself a legend killer but he removed names that were barely relevant. But tomorrow, Orton kills the legend of Randy Orton. Cena says that Orton will be like his 2006 drug test, a failure.
Cena says Orton is the greatest of all time at making a mockery of what a WWE superstar should be. Cena is the greatest of all time because he is respect. He says tomorrow is a historic moment for WWE because he makes history again and this is what a last real champion looks like.
Cena raises his belt in the air and in comes someone wearing a Randy Orton hoodie in black. He goes for an RKO but Cena blocks it and he lands an Attitude Adjustment! In comes Orton from behind and he lands the RKO out of nowhere. He leaves Cena laying and raises the title up high as this week’s show goes off the air. Thanks for joining us!
