Carmella Continues To Question Her WWE Release, Giulia Reacts To Main Roster Call-Up, JC Mateo (Jeff Cobb) Wins WWE Debut Match, More

Giulia has officially joined the WWE SmackDown roster.

During Friday night’s broadcast, WWE SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced her arrival in a backstage segment that also featured Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. The segment ended with a tense staredown between Flair and Giulia, hinting at future rivalries.

Shortly after the announcement, Giulia took to social media to confirm the news, boldly proclaiming herself as the new head of the SmackDown table.

Giulia of SmackDown!
Remember the name.

SmackDown just got dangerous.

#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/7sTa99xoh6

— GIULIA ＝ ジュリア (@giulia0221g) May 17, 2025

Tiffany Stratton retained her WWE Women’s Championship on Friday Night SmackDown with a hard-fought victory over Nia Jax.

The bout saw chaos erupt when Naomi and Jade Cargill interfered, brawling into the crowd and creating a distraction.

Capitalizing on the moment, Stratton landed a fierce kick to Jax’s face before finishing her off with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.

With this win, Stratton extends her title reign to 134 days, having captured the championship by cashing in her Money in the Bank contract on January 3.

JC Mateo (formerly Jeff Cobb) made a successful WWE in-ring debut by defeating LA Knight on Friday’s episode of SmackDown.

Mateo claimed victory over Knight with a scoop powerslam.

Former WWE Women’s Champion Carmella (Leah Van Dale) parted ways with WWE in early 2025 after her contract was not renewed.

Carmella’s last match took place in March 2023, though she had been largely absent since 2022 due to health complications that arose after giving birth to her child in November 2023.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Carmella opened up about her departure, citing her ongoing health challenges as the reason she has been unable to return to in-ring competition. She said,

“I wish I could tell you, I really don’t know. I know that before, there was some sort of, I don’t know if it was an unwritten rule that you weren’t going to get released if you were injured. Now, they’re releasing people left and right without clearing them. Obviously, this injury didn’t happen in the ring for me, so it’s a different scenario. It’s not like I was out skydiving or being reckless by any means. I really don’t know. I know in the past they have brought people back who weren’t cleared to fill other roles, my husband [Corey Graves] being one of them. He had several concussions and was given the opportunity to be a commentator. I do think it’s unfortunate that I wasn’t given an alternate avenue to succeed or at least try because I do have tenure. I’ve done some shit in the company. I feel like I understand the ins and outs of the business. Who knows if it was the injury.”