Smackdown Results: Jade Cargill pins Nia Jax

May 2, 2025 John Kleinchester NEWS, Show Reports
Photo Courtesy: WWE

May 2, 2025
Wells Fargo Arena – Des Moines, IA

By: John Kleinchester

WWE Smackdown Results

  • LA Knight over Damian Priest via DQ
  • Fraxiom over Pretty Deadly via Spanish Fly / Phoenix Splash
  • Aleister Black over The Miz via Black Mass
  • Zelina Vega over Piper Niven via Roll-Up
  • Rey Fenix over Santos Escobar via Top Rope Meteora
  • XX over XX via X in x:xx

 

Priest and Knight

Smackdown from Des Moines kicked off with Damian Priest getting into a shoving match with Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa, with Priest saying, “I’m coming for you and your title.” With that, LA Knight stormed by and made his way to the ring. Knight noted that the #1 Contenders Match didn’t go his way last week thanks to Sikoa and Fatu. Knight blamed Damian Priest for allowing the attack, bringing out Priest. Damian Priest said that all he was doing was trying to stop Drew McIntyre. Knight responded, “Don’t let your failures be mine.” Priest retorted, “This whole situation is because you lost your Championship at Wrestlemania.” This went back and forth until Priest proposed that they have their scheduled match now instead of later tonight. With that, a referee ran down and the match began.

The two faces battled with the crowd cheering on both men’s offense, unable to settle on a favorite. Late in the match, Damian Priest hit a big Razor’s Edge on LA Knight for a near fall. Knight recovered and hit a Broken Arrow and a “Megaplex,” as the announcers described it, for another big near fall. Priest intercepted a dive by LA Knight and hit a reverse Flatliner on Knight onto the ring apron. Solo Sikoa then appeared and attacked Damian Priest, causing the disqualification.

Priest and Knight then briefly teamed up to take out Sikoa, but just then, Jacob Fatu appeared. Fatu hit a Samoan Drop on Knight onto the announce table and then a running hip attack on Priest into the barrier. 

Fraxiom vs. Pretty Deadly

Highlights from last week’s Fraxiom debut were shown, followed by Byron Saxton interviewing Nathan Frazier and Axiom backstage. Saxton informed Fraxiom that their opponents would be Pretty Deadly tonight, and PD promptly interrupted. PD welcomed the team to Smackdown and said that opportunities are earned, not given. This led directly into their match. 

Like last week, Fraxiom wowed the crowd again, including a series of dives onto Pretty Deadly on the outside, firmly establishing the crowd favorite. Wade Barrett noted that Seth Rollins trained Nathan Frazer, which was evident by his style. Frazer then went on a big run when all of a sudden, Elton Prince got absolutely nailed in the face by Frazier’s standing moonsault. Prince must have had his bell rung because the match fell apart as he failed to kick out at the three count and came up with a bloody mouth. Prince then rolled outside, forcing the remaining three competitors to think on their feet. Fraxiom then their combo Spanish Fly / Phoenix Splash for the win. Here’s to hoping Elton Prince is okay, as he was visibly distraught and being checked by doctors as the segment ended. 

 

Next in Line

Backstage, Michin and B-Fab asked Nick Aldis for a title shot against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez once Liv is back from filming her movie. Suddenly, Secret Hervice entered in all black, mourning Chelsea Green’s title loss. Green demanded a rematch, but Aldis said that Zelina Vega had a match against Piper Niven tonight, and if Niven won, she would be the #1 Contender for the United States Championship. 

Two Matches, One Promo Segment

Next up was Nia Jax, who came to the ring and taunted the crowd, telling them they clearly missed her. Jax barely got out that she would take back the Women’s Championship when Tiffany Stratton interrupted. Stratton said that cashing in on Jax was the greatest thing she’s done in her career. Stratton said she would put her title on the line against Jax anyplace, anytime. This brought out Naomi. 

Naomi said that Jax and Stratton made her life hell, but she’s the one who has changed. She said that she would not only push Stratton onto a car but under one as well. This brought out Jade Cargill, and a brawl ensued. Stratton and Cargill fought off the heels, and Nick Aldis appeared and announced a tag team match between the four for later tonight, even throwing in a “playa” in a nod to Teddy Long.

Aleister Black vs. The Miz

Footage was shown of Aleister Black’s return last Friday, during which he hit the Black Mass on The Miz. Backstage, Carmelo Hayes was pumping up The Miz before his match, and Hayes referred to his Andre the Giant necklace as “Dre.” Joe Tessitore noted before the match that it had been 1,663 days since Black’s last WWE match in October 2020. 

The Miz briefly had control of the match until Black recovered, avoiding the Skull-Crushing Finale and interference by Carmelo Hayes. Black countered a roll-up attempt with the Black Mass for the victory. 

After the match, Carmelo Hayes and Aleister Black had a staredown in the ring before Hayes helped Miz to the back. 

 

The Embodiment of Disappointment

Backstage, Santos Escobar told Rey Fenix that his match at Wrestlemania was the “embodiment of disappointment” because he lost to Grande Americano despite Rey Mysterio hand-picking Fenix to take his place. Escobar said he is the right person to take Mysterio’s place, but Fenix said there was only one luchador in the world that he trusted. Fenix continued that if Escobar has a problem, he’ll see him in the ring later tonight. 

Zelina Vega vs. Piper Niven

Next up was Zelina Vega taking on Piper Niven with Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre at ringside. Niven dominated the much smaller Vega throughout the early portion of the match, with the crowd chanting for Green. Finally, Niven missed a cannonball in the corner, allowing Vega to mount a comeback and hit a big DDT, followed by a moonsault off the top rope. Vega went for the 619 but was met with Chelsea Green on the ring apron. Niven tried to capitalize but accidentally knocked Green off the apron, and Vega rolled up Niven for the win. 

Match Confirmed for Backlash

Backstage, Nick Aldis admonished Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa for ruining matches two weeks in a row. Aldis said Fatu would face LA Knight and Damian Priest for the United States Championship at Backlash. Sikoa noted that technically Drew McIntyre won the match and was #1 Contender, and he should be the one to face Fatu. Aldis agreed and added McIntyre to the match, making it a Fatal 4-Way.  Fatu said he didn’t care, he would beat them all, and stormed off. Sikoa accused Aldis of trying to screw over Fatu but Aldis responded simply with “No Solo, you are.”

Taking Advantage of the PG Era

Next, Randy Orton came down to the ring as highlights from last week were shown, with Orton getting the best of John Cena. Orton claimed that he knew from day one that Cena was arrogant and selfish and took advantage of the PG era, becoming a walking, talking cartoon character. Randy claimed that Cena sold his soul long ago, putting his name and likeness on every type of merchandise. Orton said that Cena would not erase his family’s legacy; instead, he would become the next legend he had to put down. Orton said he would punt Cena’s head through the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and follow that up with an RKO. 

Later backstage, R-Truth approached Randy Orton, saying that John Cena would beat him at Backlash. Jimmy Uso interjected and warned him that he would get knocked out if he kept saying these things. R-Truth said it was true because Cena told him so and that he was the “Last real world champ”. 

Can They Co-Exist?

Backstage, Nia Jax approached Naomi, telling her to stay out of her way and stick to Jade Cargill. Naomi responded, “Sure,” and walked away. Later, Jade and Tiffany had a similar conversation in which they each told each other to stay out of each other’s way. Jade Cargill revealed that she asked and received a #1 Contender’s Match against Nia Jax next week, with the winner facing Stratton for the Championship.

 

Rey Fenix vs. Santos Escobar

The next match on the card saw Rey Fenix take on Santos Escobar. This match started slowly with a chop battle, and Escobar yelled at Fenix that he should be the boss and that Fenix should follow his orders. Escobar, who the commentary team kept referring to as “The Emperor of Lucha Libre,” dominated much of the early portion of the match, with Fenix only able to get a few shots in here and there. Finally, Fenix started getting some offense in and picked up a couple of near falls. The finish saw Fenix hit the Adios Amigos and a top-rope Meteora for the pinfall victory. 

 

Afterwards, backstage, Andrade got into Escobar’s face, claiming he didn’t care about Los Garza and claimed Escobar had no respect or honor. Escobar yelled at Los Garza for laughing and pulled them away. Berto lingered momentarily, and Andrade made a “think about it” hand gesture. 

 

Main Event

The main event of the evening saw the two hastily thrown-together teams square off, with Nia Jax and Naomi teaming up to take on Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill. Things got off to a hot start as the two feuding groups split off and brawled in and around the ring. At one point, Stratton impressed by reversing a potential Samoan Drop into a Crucifix Bomb. 

Shockingly, Nia Jax and Naomi started arguing after Naomi made a blind tag and failed to execute her split-legged moonsault, with Stratton getting her knees up. Jade Cargill got the hot tag and chokeslammed Naomi after licking her face.

Nia Jax then tagged herself back in and went for the cover on Cargill as Stratton hit a Swanton to break up the pin attempt. Jax then squashed both Stratton and Naomi in the corner and set up to hit Jade with the Annihilator. Jade recovered and powerbombed Jax out of the corner, picking up the win in 11:29. Jade Cargill grabbed the Championship before handing it over to Stratton, allowing Naomi to jump Jade and then pose with the belt herself as the show ended. 

Final Thoughts

Despite the quick build to Backlash, which is already just over a week away, much of this show felt like wheel-spinning. Coming off a potential Match of the Year contender last week with the TLC Tag Title Match, all of the wrestling on this show felt mediocre at best. A few minor pieces moved into place for next weekend’s PLE, the most interesting of which was Jade Cargill possibly changing the Women’s title picture. But still, this show felt mostly skippable. 

About John Kleinchester 226 Articles
John Kleinchester is a wrestling reporter from New Jersey, covering the sport since 2022. He is a graduate of Ithaca College and can be reached at [email protected].
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