This week on WWE SmackDown, the first two WWE Superstars to qualify for this year's Money in the Bank ladder matches were determined as Alexa Bliss and Solo Sikoa earned their spots by defeating Chelsea Green and Michin, and Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix respectively in Triple Threat matches. Next week, two more participants from the blue brand will be settled as another set of Triple Threat matches were announced for the May 23, 2025 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, set to go down at the EnMarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia.
Despite how LA Knight spent this Friday night fighting with JC Mateo (and Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa by proxy, of course), he's going to be in the middle of a new budding feud next week instead, as he's up against Aleister Black and Shinsuke Nakamura. Black, meanwhile, has been embroiled in a rivalry with The Miz and Carmelo Hayes, meaning WWE has decided to just put those stories on the back burner, or possibly to end them outright, to set up this Triple Threat instead. Meanwhile, Nakamura had a pre-taped promo video addressing Black in particular, talking about how The Harbinger of Fury is actually afraid of the darkness and that Nakamura is sharpening his katana in preparation for their battle.
For the women's division, it was announced tonight that Giulia is the newest acquisition to the SmackDown roster, in a segment that also involved Charlotte Flair. Nick Aldis wanted to speak to The Queen about Money in the Bank, and it's now official that both Giulia and Flair will be joined by Women's United States Champion Zelina Vega to see who earns a spot alongside Bliss.
As of this publication, qualifying matches to take place on Monday Night Raw have yet to be announced.
One more thing for next week's SmackDown, though, is that the WWE Tag Team Championship will be on the line as The Street Profits defend their titles against Fraxiom, who picked up a victory over #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) on tonight's episode and have been on a tear as of late since being traded to the blue brand.
To recap, here is your currently advertised lineup for next week's WWE Friday Night SmackDown:
- WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits (c) vs Fraxiom
- Triple Threat Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte Flair vs Giulia vs Zelina Vega
- Triple Threat Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Aleister Black vs LA Knight vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Who do you think will win these matches next week? Drop your predictions in the comments section below!