4 Mistakes WWE made on SmackDown (July 25, 2025)

Nick Aldis had enough with all the chaos on SmackDown. (Image Credits: WWE on X).
Nick Aldis had enough with all the chaos on SmackDown. (Image Credits: WWE on X).

This week's episode of SmackDown came on the heels of WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan's passing earlier in the week. The show opened with a tribute to The Hulkster, highlighting his lengthy career in wrestling.

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WWE has had to pivot its script for shows in the past when travel issues, weather, and other unfortunate incidents have necessitated changes. Cody Rhodes begged the old version of John Cena to show up at SummerSlam.

Matches between Aleister Black and Damian Priest, as well as for the Women's United States Champion, Giulia, and Zelina Vega, were announced for next week. With SummerSlam a week away, WWE made the next four mistakes on SmackDown.

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#4. Not having a match after the opening tribute to Hulk Hogan

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SmackDown understandably opened with a segment dedicated to the memory of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, who passed away on July 24. The roster stood on the stage as Triple H gave a brief eulogy and signaled for the 10 bell salute.

A video package of his career played after the opening segment. While brief moments of his illustrious career were sprinkled throughout the show, the immediate segment after the opener was a promo segment.

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Logan Paul came out and argued with Jelly Roll until Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton came out to get physical. Starting SmackDown with words for Hogan was perfectly acceptable, but they should have transitioned into the first match. More talking just made fans wait for in-ring action.


#3. Tiffany Stratton saves Jade Cargill

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Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton have a tenuous respect for each other. Cargill's overconfidence has always led her to feel like she should be the champion.

Earning a title shot by winning the Queen of the Ring Tournament earned her the first opportunity to make that claim a reality. Both women are faces, but when a title is involved, it can cause some strange behavior.

After The Storm beat Chelsea Green, the Secret Hervice predictably attacked her. Stratton then came down to make the save, and the two exchanged the typical "challenger picks up title" visual.

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Green is feuding with Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer, so why didn't one of those women save her instead? Officials have ignored the brand split over the last two months, so it wouldn't have been from out of nowhere.


#2. Only four matches in two hours

The latest episode of SmackDown had time constraints due to the opening tribute to Hulk Hogan, but it only took up about 15 minutes. That left another hour and 45 minutes for action.

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Unfortunately, there were only four matches. Roxanne Perez beat Alexa Bliss in the first match of the night, while Jacob Fatu dispatched The Miz. Cargill squashed Green in a match under five minutes.

The main event was a title match, but due to overpromotion, commercial breaks, and the need to break it up with quick backstage segments, the final contest lasted less than 10 minutes. The entire segment was given 20 minutes, but half was wasted.

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The Orton/Jelly Roll segment could have been shorter, and the backstage interview with the Street Profits wasn't anything new. They could have fit another match in somehow, or given Giulia more than a three-minute backstage segment.


#1. Going to the well too often in the SmackDown tag team division

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One staple the SmackDown Tag division has been utilizing, perhaps excessively, is outside interference in many matches. DIY has interfered many times, while the Street Profits, Wyatt Sicks, and Motor City Machine Guns have been involved in messy finishes.

Rey Fenix and Andrade challenged the Sicks in the main event, but again, the match ended when Nikki Cross pulled the referee out of the ring. This brought out nearly every team on the roster except for Los Garza.

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The chaotic finish was all to get to Nick Aldis putting the teams in a TLC Match at SummerSlam. While the result is great for the division, going to the same finish numerous times in six months shows a lack of creative ideas.

The fact that it was the fourth match on a show with limited action made the finish even more disappointing.

A former writer on why John Cena's heel turn has flopped HERE

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Edited by Harish Raj S
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