WWE SmackDown Results & Highlights (5/16/25): Tiffany Stratton retains her title, Money in the Bank qualifiers begin, and more

WWE SmackDown this week saw the buildup to Money in the Bank kick-off, stellar matches and a huge main event Women's title match.WWE SmackDown after Backlash emanated from the NC First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. It saw the beginning of Money in the Bank qualifying matches, some more exciting in-ring showdowns capped by a title match main event between Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax that was a marquee showdown.Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Jeff Cobb make their way to the ring. Sikoa introduces him as his new team member and vows to win his Money in the Bank qualifier match later on. Jacob Fatu addresses the crowd, but in the end, LA Knight appears and pulls Jeff Cobb out of the ring to launch a sneak attack and escape.This was the first Women's Money in the Bank qualifying match. Alexa Bliss and Michin tried to team up against Chelsea Green at first, but she managed to fight back. It was an exciting yet high-stakes affair that ended when Green pulled Alexa Bliss out of the ring after she hit the Twisted Bliss on Michin. But she quickly came back and hit Sister Abigail DDT on Green to win and qualify for the ladder match.This was a tag team match. It was an excellent display of classic tag team wrestling between the two sides. Moreover, Fraxiom members showed a valiant effort despite this being only their second match on the main roster. They got the win with a timely rollup that led to DIY attacking them, but Motor City Machine Guns ran to the ring to make the save.Wade Barrett asked him about his reaction to John Cena dropping him with an AA at the Backlash post-show conference. Truth claimed that man was not his child hero and promised to deal with him at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, with their match becoming official.This was a rematch from last week's SmackDown. Both superstars went toe-to-toe against each other, getting loud cheers from the audience. In the end, the Miz tried to interfere multiple times and was taken out. But he came back and attacked Aleister Black, ending the match in disqualification. He took out The Miz with a Black Mass, but Carmelo Hayes left Black lying on the mat with a top-rope move.This was the first Money in the Bank ladder match qualifier for the Men's side. The action was jam-packed as three different in-ring styles collided at the same time with a huge opportunity on the line. In the final moments, Solo Sikoa took out Jimmy Uso with a Samoan Spike, but was caught with an Adios Amigo move by Rey Fenix. However, a distraction by Jeff Cobb (J.C.) gave Sikoa time to recover, and he delivered a spike to him to pick up the win and qualify for the MITB ladder bout.LA Knight came out at the end of the previous match to attack J.C. Nick Aldis came out and set an impromptu match between the duo. The duo put up a good match; however, LA Knight took his eyes off him to take out Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa. That led to J.C. taking him down with his finisher and picking up the win in his debut match.The main event match was for the WWE Women's Championship. Both women fought valiantly against each other in an evenly matched showdown that captivated the audience. The ending saw Naomi come out with a chair, only to be stopped by her rival, Jade Cargill. Nia Jax took control of the match and almost had Tiffany Stratton defeated. However, Tiffy Time dropkicked Nia's face in the chair Naomi brought and delivered the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to retain her championship.Also read: Former WWE announcer Samantha Irvin's return to wrestling confirmed