WWE SmackDown May 16 Results, Winners, Grades and Analysis 

First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, hosted the May 16th edition of WWE SmackDown. The show featured fallout from WWE Backlash 2025. The Road to Money in the Bank is underway with a couple of qualifying matches on the show. Tiffany Stratton put her Women’s Championship against Nia Jax. Let’s delve into the details of the show and discuss WWE SmackDown May 16 Results.  

Solo Sikoa welcomes JC Mateo

Solo Sikoa opened the show with the US Champion, Jacob Fatu, and the newest member of the group, JC Mateo (fka Jeff Cobb). Solo welcomed JC Mateo into the family. He then discussed his future plans. Sikoa said that he’d win the Money in the Bank briefcase and bring back the world title to family, the same title that Roman Reigns lost to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 Sunday.  

Jacob Fatu grabbed the microphone and said that he’d do everything with or without Solo, and he is all gas, no brakes. Solo reminded him of the line he used to say always. Fatu said, “I love you, Solo”. However, Sikoa wasn’t convinced by how Fatu said it tonight. Solo asked JC to say the same, loud and proud. In the meantime, LA Knight’s music hit. He appeared from the crowd and sneak attacked JC before leaving. 

Grades: B- 

Analysis: It was a good segment to open the show. Jeff Cobb debuted at WWE Backlash 2025 and will be known as JC Mateo in WWE. The tensions are rising between Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. On the other hand, LA Knight is still hanging around the US Title. He needs a fresh opponent and a fresh feud, even without a championship.  

Alexa Bliss vs Chelsea Green vs Michin – Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifier 

The match started, and Michin sent Green to the outside. For the next couple of minutes, Bliss and Michin kept Green out of the ring. Chelsea returned with a dropkick to both her opponents. Green sent Michin into the barricade and Bliss into the turnbuckle. Michin intervened and delivered a powerbomb to Green for a two-count as Bliss prevented the pinfall.  

Michin landed a cannonball on both Bliss and Green. All three women hit each other with kicks. Alexa slapped Chelsea and delivered a dropkick. Bliss then landed Twisted Bliss on Michin, but Green broke up the three-count. Green hit Michin with the Un-Pretty-Her. Bliss caught Green and delivered a Sister Abigail DDT for the win.  

Winner: Alexa Bliss 

Grades: B 

Analysis: It was a fun triple-threat match from the women’s division. Alexa Bliss has qualified for the Women’s Money in the Bank match. It’s a huge opportunity for her to compensate for the past few years of irrelevancy in her career. She is a huge winner contender, and WWE can trust someone like her to run the women’s division.  

DIY vs Fraxiom 

Fraxiom started at a quick pace. Axiom landed a dropkick and sent both Gargano and Ciampa to the outside. Gargano fought back with a clothesline and a slam to Axiom. DIY prevented Axiom from tagging in his partner for a while. Finally, Frazer got the tag, and he instantly landed a shooting star press on Gargano for a near fall. Ciampa tagged in and delivered Project Ciampa on Frazer for a near fall of his own. In the end, it was a rollup victory for Fraxiom. DIY attacked Fraxiom after the match, but Motor City Machine Guns made the save. 

Winners: Fraxiom 

Grades: B- 

Analysis: It was a short and fun match. Fraxiom has been on a winning streak since their debut on SmackDown. They have defeated DIY and the tag team champions Street Profits, among others. It looks like they’ll be getting their hands on the tag titles sooner or later. Later, Street Profits announced that they would give Fraxiom a title shot on next week’s SmackDown.  

John Cena vs R-Truth is Official! 

In a sit-down interview, Wade Barrett asked R-Truth about what happened at the Backlash press conference, where John Cena put R-Truth through a table. Truth said that Cena is under pressure from bills. He said that the man in the press conference wasn’t the John Cena he knew. Truth said that he had talked to Nick Aldis, and he’d face John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Truth made it clear that he didn’t want to fight Cena, but he’d do that to bring Cena back to his senses. Truth ended with Cena’s tagline of Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect.  

Aleister Black vs Carmelo Hayes 

The match began, and both exchanged quick pinfall attempts. Black caught Hayes with a big boot in midair. Miz sent Hayes back, and Carmelo landed a moonsault on Black for a two-count. Aleister landed a kick as Carmelo was on the top rope. Melo fell to the outside and barely beat the referee’s ten-count. Black sent him back to the outside with a kick and followed it up with a big moonsault.  

Back in the ring, Black landed a knee strike off the top rope for a near fall. Miz’s distraction allowed Hayes to drop Black. In the end, it was Miz’s distraction again that caused a disqualification in the match. Aleister delivered a Black Mass to Miz. Carmelo landed Nothing But Net on Black to stand tall as the segment closed.  

Winner: No contest. 

Grades: B+ 

Analysis: It was a fun match while it lasted. WWE is doing a series of matches between Black and Hayes as they did with Hayes and Andrade in the past. It is good to see both the talented stars getting used on WWE TV.  

Backstage 

Alexa Bliss was walking backstage. She ignored Byron Saxton’s question and confronted Charlotte Flair. Bliss reminded Flair of their days as friends in NXT, but Flair said she has no memory of that. Giulia was seen there too as Nick Aldis approached Flair about something to talk about Money in the Bank. Charlotte told Alexa that she didn’t believe her and left. They are definitely doing something between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair as a segment of them was aired last week on SmackDown as well.  

Drew McIntyre accepted Damian Priest’s challenge

Earlier on the show, Damian Priest challenged Drew McIntyre to a Steel Cage match at the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event. McIntyre walked down to the ring and said that Priest is obsessed with him and jealous of him. He said that Priest is relevant just because he feuded with Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior said that he’d be the US Champion and a Grand Slam Champion in WWE at Backlash if it wasn’t for Damian Priest. McIntyre accepted Priest’s challenge.  

Jimmy Uso vs Rey Fenix vs Solo Sikoa – Men’s Money in the Bank Qualifier 

Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo were at the ringside for Solo’s match. Fenix charged at a quick pace in the early going of the match. He sent both Jimmy and Solo to the outside and landed a cross-body block to the outside. Back in the ring, Sikoa caught Fenix midair and delivered a springboard slam. At ringside, Sikoa slammed Uso onto the commentary table. Solo landed a superkick on Jimmy. Fenix sent Solo into the ring post. Jimmy joined the action and landed a superkick on Fenix before suffering a Samoan Drop off the hands of Sikoa.  

Fenix avoided the Samoan Spike and Jimmy superkicked Solo. Fenix landed a dropkick on Uso, but Jimmy replied with a spear for a near fall. Jimmy headed to the top rope, but a distraction by Fatu allowed Solo to hit a Samoan Spike. Fenix showed some fight, but JC and Jacob distracted him as well, allowing Sikoa to deliver a Samoan Spike for the victory. After the match, Knight attacked Solo, JC, and Jacob with a chair. Nick Aldis came out and made a match between JC and Knight right now.  

Winner: Solo Sikoa 

Grades: B+ 

Analysis: It was a decent match where all three competitors got to show their skills. It was good to see Solo dominating most of the match on his own. Sikoa is headed to the men’s Money in the Bank match in 2025.  

JC Mateo vs LA Knight  

JC was unfazed by anything Knight threw at him. Knight slammed JC, but he kicked out at one. JC landed an elbow strike and sent Knight to the outside. JC landed a big belly-to-back suplex followed by a big clothesline for a two-count. Knight got fired up and delivered a neckbreaker, followed by a jumping elbow drop for a near fall. Mateo slammed Knight and landed a standing moonsault. Knight took out Solo and Jacob at the ringside. Mateo caught him back in the ring and delivered the Tour of the Islands for the win.  

Winner: JC Mateo 

Grades: C 

Analysis: The match was made to present JC Mateo as a beast, and that’s what happened throughout. Mateo’s strength was on full display throughout the match. Knight, being a big guy, was handled like a cruiserweight. JC is Sikoa’s new powerhouse, and it looks like Fatu won’t be with them for long now.  

Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Nia Jax – WWE Women’s Championship 

The main event of the night was the WWE Women’s Championship match between Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax. The challenger nailed the champion with a headbutt, a shoulder tackle, and a hip attack. Stratton moved out of the way of a second hit attack. Tiffany had some life, and she landed a running dropkick and a top rope cross body block for a two-count. Jax bounded back and delivered a Samoan Drop and a senton for a near fall of her own.  

Tiffany hit a Spinebuster, but Nia responded with two powerbombs and a leg drop for a near fall again. Naomi interrupted with a new look and a steel chair in her hand. She was handled by Jade Cargill. In the match, Stratton landed the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for a two-count. Jax was angry, and she hit a Samoan Drop onto the commentary desk. Back in the ring, Jax delivered the Annihilator. Jax covered, but Stratton got her hands on the rope to break the count.  

Jax was frustrated, and she grabbed the title belt. The referee took that from her. As the referee was busy with the title, Nia grabbed a steel chair. However, the tables turned on her as Stratton dropkicked the chair into her. Stratton climbed to the top rope and landed the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the victory. The champion celebrated as the show went off-air.  

Winner: Tiffany Stratton 

Grades: B 

Analysis: It was a solid main event. Nia Jax has been a very improved in-ring talent recently. Tiffany Stratton is a good champion as well. On the other hand, the winner of the Naomi and Jade Cargill feud will possibly challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship.  

That’s it from WWE SmackDown May 16 Results. What are your thoughts on the show?