Recap, Results & What It Means [SPOILERS]

The penultimate episode of Friday Night SmackDown before WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas took place from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA, as WWE puts the final pieces together for Night 1 and Night 2. WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes appears on the show tonight, Ray Fenix has his second WWE match with Berto, and the first face-off between Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre has taken place since their match at WrestleMania 41 was confirmed.

Here are your key moments from tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown for April 11, 2025:

• The show opens with SmackDown General Nick Aldis inviting Randy Orton to the ring. Orton says Aldis took last week’s actions personally, and brings up the double fine he paid last year and said they were “even” now. Orton brings up that there’s no match for him now. It’s his 20th year competing and he needs an opponent. Solo Sikoa appears with Tama Tonga in tow. Sikoa says Orton is embarrassing himself and that it’s over for him. Orton challenges both Sikoa and Tonga to fight, and the action begins in the ring. LA Knight’s music hits, and he runs to the ring to save Orton and clear the ring. Nick Aldis scheduled a tag team match between Orton and Knight against Sikoa and Tonga as tonight’s main event.
• The women’s tag team gauntlet match begins with the team of Bayley and Lyra Valkyria against Pure Fusion Collective (Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler). Valkyria pins Baszler to eliminate them, and next up is the team of Natalya and Maxxine Dupri. Bayley pins Dupri to eliminate them, and next up is Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. Valkyria pins Chance to eliminate them, and next up is Michin and B-Fab. Bayley pins B-Fab to eliminate them, and next up is the final team, Piper Niven and Alba Fyre from The Green Regime. Valkyria hits Niven with a powerbomb followed by a flying elbow for a two count. Valkyria pins Fyre to win and face Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 41.
• Joe Tessitore talks about the viral video of Charlotte Flair attacking Tiffany Stratton before the show, and states that Flair has been sent home for the remainder of the week, followed by a recap of the altercation between Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre where McIntyre got glass in his eye.
• Drew McIntyre attacked Damian Priest prior to their segment beginning. McIntyre stays in the ring to cut a promo to justify his actions and promises the beating of a lifetime. McIntyre says he’s 100% clear from his eye injury. Priest levels security to get back into the ring, and they attack each other, capped by McIntyre delivering a Future Shock DDT to Priest on the steel steps.
• #DIY watches the footage back from their loss last week with Pretty Deadly and claims their loss is a conspiracy. Motor City Machine Guns tell them it’s not a conspiracy, it’s karma.
• Ray Fenix and Berto squared off in a singles match. After the match, Santos Escobar asks Berto to shake Fenix’s hand and he refuses. Escobar shakes Fenix’s hand and leaves the ring.
• Roxanne Perez is backstage and confronts WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. As they argue, Nick Aldis appears from his office and Stratton demands a match. He said he’d think about it and told her to cool off.
• A promo package is shown where CM Punk and Paul Heyman discuss their friendship and their working relationship, as they build the story towards the match between Punk, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins.
• Chelsea Green is shown backstage trying to get a hold of Alba Fyre, and Zelina Vega confronts her before their non-title match.
• Legado del Fantasma appeared backstage, and Escobar scolds Berto for losing to Fenix, and tells Angel he needs to go with him to congratulate him on his win. Andrade appears and tells Berto to be proud of himself, and Berto tells him to mind his own business.
• Naomi cuts a pre-recorded video promo on Jade Cargill, calling her a snake and continues to blame her for her and Bianca Belair’s falling out. Cargill responds with another pre-record and says Naomi took her out due to her own insecurities and calls her a fading star, trying to stay relevant.
• Cody Rhodes appears in the ring surrounded by six previous WWE Championship versions, including the “Winged Eagle” from the 1990s, the “Big Eagle” from the Attitude Era, and the John Cena “Spinner” Championship. Rhodes says that the WWE Championship signifies that its holder is the best wrestler in the world, and says that John Cena is trying to take it all away by trying to retire with it. He says that Cena neglected Seattle and says “so what?” to the charge of being a common fan. Rhodes tells Cena that he needs to accept that the fans will like someone else.
• The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal takes place on next week’s SmackDown, as well as a six-woman tag match between Zelina Vega, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter vs. The Green Regime, and the WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defending against Motor City Machine Guns.
• Street Profits are confronted by The Miz and Carmelo Hayes and say they’re going to resurrect the tag team division.
• Tiffany Stratton faces off against Roxanne Perez in a non-title match. Following the match, Charlotte Flair appeared and attacked Stratton again until being separated by Wade Barrett and the referees.
• A video package on the CM Punk favor from Paul Heyman, including last Monday Night Raw’s interaction between Seth Rollins and Heyman, who now owes Rollins a favor as he withheld a Stomp from him.
• The full cards for Night 1 and Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 are revealed.
• Randy Orton and LA Knight face off against Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga in tonight’s main event. After the match. Jacob Fatu attacked Knight in the ring and gave him a severe beating.

Here are your results from tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown for April 11, 2025:

• Lyra Valkyria and Bayley win the Women’s Tag Team Gauntlet
• Ray Fenix def. Berto via pinfall
• Zelina Vega def. Chelsea Green via count out
• Tiffany Stratton def. Roxanne Perez via pinfall
• Randy Orton and LA Knight def. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga via pinfall

Here are your official WrestleMania 41 cards (minus Randy Orton’s updated match)

Does Randy Orton Have A New Opponent?

We Still Want It To Be Nick Aldis

After this follow-up segment between Randy Orton and Nick Aldis, we’re not entirely sure that it’s going to be the two of them facing off in Sin City, even though that’s the right choice. While we tear up our prediction sheet on his new opponent, it seems all but certain that Solo Sikoa will now be the Viper’s opponent.

Sikoa and Orton certainly have history, but the more compelling story is the one that Orton and Aldis have been building for almost a year, simmering just under the surface. Sure, the Bloodline business is something to revisit, but the real target of that story is Roman Reigns – why not let Nick Aldis get a big moment in WWE?

Ray Fenix Continues To Shine

Another Impressive Performance By The Newest WWE Signee

There’s something so exciting about the new signees in WWE, but no one feels more exciting to watch than Penta and Ray Fenix, and Fenix put on another impressive performance tonight in his second match in the company. Berto looked fantastic as well, but the real and literal winner of the bout was Fenix.

Seeing how effortless it looks for them both to hav gotten over with the WWE crowd leaves a lot of questions on the table about how they were handled during their AEW run, up to and including their releases. But with their past firmly in rear view, it feels like the heat is about to be turned up for both of them, with continuing impressive results.

Our Take On Tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown

It Felt More Standard Fare Than Last Week

Much like the last episodes of a television show that led up to the series finale, the past few weeks of Friday Night SmackDown have felt somewhat painted-by-numbers but also bookended and interspersed with fantastic storytelling. Moments of superb story advancement give way to glaring exceptions to one-note creative in some areas, specifically the Women’s United States Championship, which desperately needs more attention, as well as a place on the WrestleMania card.

The build up to Sin City since Elimination Chamber has provided some incredible and discussion-worthy moments, and with only one week until the big dance, WWE is setting the final plates on the table for both go home shows next week. Will we get the big reveal as to why John Cena sold his soul to The Rock? Will Nick Aldis compete in a WWE ring? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out.