Friday Night SmackDown is always packed with excitement and epic action, and the January 3rd episode will be no different. It will kick off the first episode of 2025 for the blue brand and will be 3 hours long, giving fans a solid show to look forward to. Tonight’s WWE SmackDown promises to deliver high drama and storylines that will keep fans on the edge of their seats. With appearances from the likes of Cody Rhodes and solid matches like Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Andrade, it’s bound to be a show you won’t want to miss. WWE SmackDown will air live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, starting at 8 PM ET on the USA Network.

Last week’s show masterfully set up this latest episode and the upcoming “Big 4” PLE, the Royal Rumble. The first 2025 iteration of the Friday night show looks to up the ante once again with matches that are set to amaze the WWE Universe, kicking off the new year with an absolute bang. WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax will defend her title against one-half of the Women’s Tag Team Champions Naomi, on the January 3rd episode. Naomi recently replaced Jade Cargill, who is injured, and joined Bianca Belair as the other tag team champion. Naomi and Jax’s feud has been building up for quite a while now, so it remains to be seen how she will fare against the near-invincible Nia Jax. United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura will face Andrade in a non-title match on the first episode of 2025.

The match was set up after Andrade appeared in a video package challenging Nakamura during the December 27 episode of WWE SmackDown, so fans can look forward to a solid match. After all, this could eventually lead to a proper title match in the future if Andrade picks up the win. Cody Rhodes already confirmed he will be present for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown. He will be looking to make a statement as we head towards his ladder match against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble next month, so we’ll have to see what Rhodes will have to say to the WWE Universe.