Everything We Loved About WWE SmackDown

Friday Night SmackDown emanated from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 27 as WWE took over the Kingdom Arena just one night before the Night of Champions 2025 premium live event. SmackDown featured all the last-minute build, in addition to plenty of notable moments with major title matches, brawls between rivals, forwarding of stories, and more.

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For international fans, the first portion of SmackDown was mired with technical difficulties, but once this was sorted and the show got started, there were several things that we loved about the show, and we will take a look at some of those key positives.

Giulia Is The New United States Champion

A Much-Needed Change For The Women’s Midcard Title

• The Women’s US Title has struggled for momentum
• Giulia is the right name to take the title forward
• She disposed of Zelina Vega without much issue

Zelina Vega had some decent outings as Women’s United States Champion, but the midcard division on SmackDown was in dire need of something new. On SmackDown, Vega put her title on the line against Giulia, but came up short, with a brand new United States Champion being crowned.

A moonsault from Vega to the outside led to the champion struggling with a bad knee – something Giulia took advantage of. It wasn’t long until Giulia was in cruise control, putting the contest to bed and winning the match decisively. She celebrated with a fireworks display, holding the title aloft in what can only mean good things are to come for the SmackDown women’s division and US Title.

Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton Finally Settle Their Feud

Stratton Defeated Jax To Retain The WWE Women’s Title

• Jax and Stratton have been feuding all year
• They settled the score in a Last Woman Standing match
• Stratton needed a big win for her title reign

Nia Jax and WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton have been at each other’s throats ever since January of this year when Stratton cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase, betraying Jax and taking the gold. On SmackDown this week, they finally settled their score once and for all in a Last Woman Standing match.

There were some brutal table bumps, a lot of strikes with a kendo stick, a teased Money in the Bank cash in from Naomi, and most importantly a decisive winner in this rivalry. Stratton sent Jax crashing through two tables at ringside, keeping her down for the ten count and standing tall, retaining her title. Stratton has been in need of a massive title defense, in addition to finally beating Jax in a big blow-off.

CM Punk Channeled John Cena’s Dr. Of Thuganomics Gimmicks

CM Punk Went Old School On The WWE Champion

• It wasn’t great, but CM Punk was funny
• Punk dressed up as the Doctor of Thuganomics
• He “rapped” at John Cena before their Night of Champions match

SmackDown saw the final face-off between CM Punk and John Cena ahead of their clash at Night of Champions 2025, and it was… certainly interesting. Before Cena could get a word out of his mouth, “Basic Thuganomics” started playing over the speakers, and out came CM Punk dressed up as the Doctor of Thuganomics – Cena’s old WWE gimmick. In response to Cena dropping his own “Pipebomb” last week, Punk was looking for some payback.

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Punk rapping went about as well as you could expect, but in a way that didn’t matter considering he was parodying Cena anyway. Some of the lines were creative and got the crowd laughing. It might not have been perfect, but we still enjoyed it.

The Aesthetic For SmackDown In Saudi Arabia Was Fantastic

A Huge Stage Made The Show Feel Important

• Most of WWE’s shows have smaller stages nowadays
• The Kingdom Arena had a massive stage for this event
• The difference in aesthetics made SmackDown stand out

Most of WWE’s shows feel very similar, even when it comes to premium live events. Much of this is due to the toned-down aesthetic of current WWE events, with a much smaller stage in order to cram more people into arenas. For SmackDown in Riyadh, a huge stage was present, making the entire show feel grandiose.

The more impressive stage is mostly for the Night of Champions PLE, but with SmackDown also being hosted in Saudi Arabia over the weekend, the blue brand got to enjoy an extra special look. It was nice to see a unique set-up for a weekly WWE event.