WWE SmackDown - Best and Worst - MASSIVE John Cena change, former world champion injured? 

WWE Friday Night SmackDown is now in the books. The blue brand's episode tonight was extremely important, as it featured the final build-up to SummerSlam 2025. That two-night Premium Live Event is also this weekend.

Despite that, Triple H and World Wrestling Entertainment officials didn't phone the show in. While SmackDown could have been a relatively unimportant episode without many notable moments, it was instead a very strong edition of the blue brand.

There were numerous great moments and matches. With that being said, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. SmackDown made a few questionable decisions, particularly in light of the brand's immediate future. It is debatable whether some talents were introduced properly and others were written off.

This article will take a look at the best and worst moments from this week's edition of SmackDown. This includes the aforementioned flaws, but also a massive character change and a standout match nobody saw coming, yet exceeded all expectations.

Best: Giulia and Zelina Vega overdelivered on WWE SmackDown

Giulia battled Zelina Vega on WWE Friday Night SmackDown. The bout was announced last week, and fans knew it would be for the Women's United States Championship. Most expected the bout to be a solid one. What they got instead, however, was a shocker.

Zelina and The Beautiful Madness tore the house down. The two women put on their best main roster match so far. Given Zelina has been part of the main roster for over half a decade now, that is quite impressive to say the least.

This match was an absolute win. Zelina Vega's stocks rose as a singles star in WWE. Meanwhile, Giulia proved Triple H was right to put a title on her so quickly, as she delivered in spades. More of this from both women is a must.

Worst: Mr. Iguana and Psycho Clown didn't receive a proper introduction

Angel and Berto, two-thirds of Legado Del Fantasma, announced last week that they'd be putting their coveted AAA Tag Team Titles on the line on WWE SmackDown. Los Garza's opponents were quite a surprise.

AAA stars Mr. Iguana and Psycho Clown accepted the challenge. The match was a lot of fun, and everybody showed out, but in what was one of the most bizarre decisions of the night, Iguana and Clown debuted on the main roster, only to lose to Berto and Angel.

Debuting just to lose is bad, but WWE made an even greater error. There was no video package or highlight video to show off either talent. All Elite Wrestling is rightfully called out for this same error. In this case, Triple H made the same mistake and deserves to be called out for it.

Best/Worst: Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest was good, but what is Damian's future?

Another big match promoted for WWE Friday Night SmackDown was a singles bout between Damian Priest and Aleister Black. Going into it, many wondered why it wasn't part of the SummerSlam card.

Upon seeing the match, it became clear. While the two worked hard and put on a good performance, the match ended by disqualification. Triple H and WWE rarely deliver non-finishes like that at PLEs in this era. So all in all, it was effective. Post-match, however, raised some questions.

Aleister Black destroyed Damian Priest. He clobbered him with a steel chair and used the steel steps to hurt Priest. He even blistered Damian with a brutal Black Mass. It seems as if Damian was written off television. If that's the case, losing out on yet another big name could be pretty disappointing. Is he injured? Will he be back any time soon? Right now, nobody knows for sure.

Best: John Cena turned babyface finally

WWE SmackDown kicked off with a promo between Cody Rhodes and John Cena. Fans expected this segment to be more of the same. It'd be good, but with Cena playing his now typical heel role and Cody Rhodes fighting against it.

Instead, John Cena left everyone bewildered. He cut a promo where he thanked Cody for kicking him into gear and making him realize he made a mistake at WWE Elimination Chamber. He said that the person he had been was ruining his legacy. It wasn't him. Cody then welcomed back the real John Cena.

Fans were waiting for the other shoe to drop. A swerve of some kind was bound to happen. It didn't, though. John Cena turned babyface on SmackDown. He is back to the man everybody wanted to see. The promo was glorious, and the decision was excellent. This was a perfect segment.

75 year old legend has challenged Cody Rhodes HERE

Edited by Angana Roy