‘WWE Smackdown’ Review (Jul 18th 2025)
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Smackdown, right here on Nerdly. Let’s see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: Charlotte Flair def. Raquel Rodriguez
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Charlotte Flair tried to go for a crossbody from the top rope but was caught by Raquel Rodriguez, who put her down with a slam. Roxanne Perez distracted Flair, but it backfired as Alexa Bliss hit Rodriguez with her pom pom and allowed The Queen to get the victory with a rollup.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Damian Priest def. Carmelo Hayes (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Carmelo Hayes jumped Damian Priest, but it only enraged The Archer of Infamy. Hayes tried to go for Sweet Chin Music, but Priest stopped his opponent before Hayes could connect in Shawn Michaels’ hometown of San Antonio. Just as Priest was seemingly closing in on a victory, Aleister Back attacked Priest with Black Mass to end the match in a disqualification.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Stephanie Vaquer def. Alba Fyre
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Raw’s Stephanie Vaquer headed to SmackDown to battle The Secret Hervice’s Alba Fyre. La Primera hit the Devil’s Kiss early before nailing the SVB on Fyre to win the match. After the bout, Piper Niven attacked Vaquer, but Vaquer was able to escape.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Andrade & Rey Fenix def. #DIY, Motor City Machine Guns and Fraxiom
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Fraxiom, #DIY, Motor City Machine Guns and Andrade & Rey Fenix battled in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match to determine who will be next to challenge The Wyatt Sicks for the WWE Tag Team Title. Tommaso Ciampa hit Project Ciampa on Fenix, but Fenix kicked out. #DIY looked to steal the victory, but Andrade and Fenix executed a unique powerbomb combo. Despite attempted interference from Candice LeRae, Andrade delivered the Message to Ciampa to win the match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2/5
This week’s show was a letdown across the board. Coming off some recent momentum, there was a real expectation that the blue brand would deliver something compelling, but instead, the show felt mostly irrelevant. Storylines crept forward, several matches were either rushed or meaningless, and too much time was wasted on filler that added nothing to the larger picture. Even the main event, which should have been a highlight, felt uninspired and lacked any real drama. And the contract signing to close the show felt like a rehash of everything we’ve seen before between John Cena and Cody Rhodes – the only highlight was seeing Cena trying to back out of the deal! WWE can’t afford to coast like this, SmackDown should feel must-watch. This didn’t.
