WWE Smackdown Preview (04/04/2025): Announced Matches, Predictions & More

Following the major news that CM Punk will finally main event his first ever WrestleMania, it seems that Punk has all the momentum in the world. The good times keep on rolling for him tonight as he is advertised to appear in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.

Considering what Punk said to Roman Reigns last week, it's almost a certainty that Reigns will come out to confront his WrestleMania opponent about what exactly the favor his wiseman Paul Heyman owes to Punk is.

Last Man Standing: Jacob Fatu Vs. Braun Strowman

Prediction: Jacob Fatu Will Take Braun Strowman Off His WrestleMania Journey

• The feud between Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu seems to be capping off tonight.
• Fatu put a bloody beatdown back at Saturday Night's Main Event in December 2024.
• This match should put Strowman off TV for a bit.

Jacob Fatu and Braun Strowman have proven themselves to be two juggernauts who just can't help but collide into each other week after week. With a stipulation like Last Man Standing however, it seems certain that this will be the final chapter in their rivalry for a good while.

Throughout this feud, Solo Sikoa has been an annoyance for his cousin Fatu as his attempts to help the Samoan Werewolf have not been appreciated. I think Jacob Fatu vs LA Knight for the United States Championship will happen at WrestleMania 41, and the way Fatu makes it happen is by putting Braun Strowman on the shelf after a violent Last Man Standing match victory.

Rey Fenix Will Debut Tonight On Smackdown

Prediction: Rey Fenix Will Take on A Member Of Legado Del Fantasma

• Rey Fenix has been teased to debut for weeks.
• Legado Del Fantasma leader Santos Escobar has urged his stablemates to step up.
• A good showing against Fenix would allow Berto or Angel to get respect from Escobar.

Rey Fenix's brother Penta may have been lighting up WWE Raw since he debuted for them in January, but now its his turn on Smackdown to showcase what he can do. The former AEW star has been teased for a while now by WWE and he's almost certainly going to win his debut match tonight, the only question is who it will be?

Given that Angel and Berto of Legado Del Fantasma have been struggling to impress Santos Escobar as of late, one of them challenging Fenix would be a logical outcome. Whoever Fenix faces however, expect the luchadore to pick up the win.

Naomi Vs. B-Fab

Prediction: Naomi Needs To Showcase Her Heel In-Ring Ability

• Naomi has debuted a new look as part of her heel turn against Jade Cargill.
• This will be Naomi's first match as a heel in WWE since 2015.
• Naomi needs a win to build momentum for a WrestleMania match with Jade Cargill.

People never thought they would see it, but Naomi is now a heel singles wrestler in WWE. After admitting to putting Jade Cargill out of action back in November, Naomi nailed Michin and B-Fab with a sneak attack last week after the duo told Jade Cargill they'd have her back.

Naomi is almost certainly facing Jade Cargill at WrestleMania and it would make no sense for her to lose to B-Fab tonight. Naomi will likely showcase a more heelish in-ring style to compliment her dark new look. After winning the match, Naomi will likely try to beat down B-Fab even more which will trigger Jade Cargill to come in for the beat down.

How To Watch WWE Smackdown Today

• For American viewers, WWE Smackdown starts at 8 PM EST on the USA Network .
• For International viewers, WWE Smackdown airs live at 8 PM EST.

Every WWE show moved network in the past year. NXT was a big success for the USA Network on Tuesday nights, but just recently they made the switch to CW, which brought a new look to the developmental show.

In 2019, SmackDown made its own big move, going from cable to network TV on FOX. This led to a huge increase in ratings, thanks in part as well to The Bloodline story, but with FOX not getting the ad revenue they hoped for, they let the Friday night show go. On September 13, it went back to the USA Network, and although that meant a big decline in viewership, the quality of the show hasn't missed a beat.

International Fans Can Now Watch SmackDown on Netflix

Archived Episodes Of Smackdown Are Also On Netflix

• SmackDown has officially moved to Netflix internationally.
• Netflix has a series called WWE SmackDown Vault.
• Select older SmackDown episodes will be available to watch. 

For American fans, the change to WWE Smackdown isn't as major as the change for international audiences. Starting in January 2025, Smackdown has been streaming live on Netflix for all outside the United States.

As well, WWE viewers in the U.S. noticed that Netflix added WWE Raw content on January 1 with selections named "Raw Vault", "Raw Is Netflix", "Best of Raw 2024", and "Raw Classics" (which is hosted by Big E), there's more online for international fans.

According to Sports Illustrated, WWE SmackDown Vault is on Netflix, along with the WWE NXT Vault as well. The description for WWE SmackDown vault reads:

"From Attitude Era origins to the modern day, these matches and milestones spanning over 25 years reinforce what it means to lay the SmackDown in WWE.”

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider:

"The Raw Vault has been added to Netflix both domestically and internationally. We are getting emails from readers pointing out some episodes are not there. That was always going to be the plan. They will be adding new content every month to that area. Internationally, the SmackDown and NXT Vaults will be similar with new content added regularly. They are not going to put everything up at once. The idea is to keep people paying for new content."

As proof of this, Johnson reported that international viewers can currently see every episode of SmackDown from 2022-2024. While you can't see any episodes from 2009-2021, there are select episodes from other years such as 1999, 2000 and 2008. In time, look for Netflix to have every episode just like the WWE Network did.