Tag: smackdown

Trick Williams officially joins WWE SmackDown roster, first match set

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Two-time NXT champion Trick Williams officially joined the WWE SmackDown roster on the first show of the new year. 

Williams made sporadic appearances on both Raw and SmackDown in 2025, most recently one week ago when he declared himself a free agent — a period that lasted only seven days. 

Sami Zayn was cutting a promo in the ring on SmackDown, proclaiming his pursuit of the WWE Championship, when Williams interrupted. Williams announced that he was now a SmackDown wrestler and that he too would be aiming for the WWE title. 

Zayn put Williams over, but warned him he had “yet to be humbled.” 

Williams then complained about Zayn’s behavior to GM Nick Aldis backstage, interrupting a conversation between the SmackDown general manager and Rey Fenix. The two wrestlers insulted each other and Aldis booked a match between the two of them for next week’s show. 

A former NFL hopeful, Williams began his wrestling training in 2018 with Combat Zone Wrestling. He signed his WWE developmental contract in 2021 and quickly formed an alliance with Carmelo Hayes, who is now the WWE United States championship.

Following a break-up and feud with Hayes, Williams went on to win two NXT Championships in addition to his NXT North American Championship. He was also TNA World Champion for several months in 2025, losing the belt to Mike Santana at Bound for Glory in October. 

Randy Orton returns on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Josh Nason

It’s a new year and “The Viper” has returned to WWE.

Randy Orton made a surprise appearance on Friday’s WWE SmackDown, interrupting The Miz who later pitched a tag team with Orton called Miz-KO. Without saying a word, Orton delivered one RKO and then another.

Orton then appeared backstage with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes who welcomed him back. Orton said he had respect for Rhodes and let him when Rhodes defeats Drew McIntyre next Friday in the Three Stages of Hell match, he’s coming after the title.

The 45-year-old has been out of action since the October 3 SmackDown when he and Rhodes lost to The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. He took a curb stomp from Seth Rollins and a Tsunami from Reed to write him off TV for three months, even from making an appearance during John Cena’s final match at December’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

WWE SmackDown ratings up for final show of 2025

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 1.138 million viewers on the USA Network, up 14.4% from the previous week. It was, however, the third lowest audience for the show since Halloween Night.

SmackDown averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demo, which topped all television on the night. That’s up 28.6% from the prior week and ties the third highest rating the show has done in that category since October 24th.

As compared to the same week in 2024, when Nielsen still used it’s previous ratings measurement system, the overall viewership was down 20.8% while the 18-49 rating was down 34.2%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE SmackDown on the USA Network as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 1.5% in overall viewers and 3.8% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

Date18-49Total viewers
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
10 week average0.261,121,100

WWE SmackDown live results: Three Stages of Hell stipulation reveal

Posted on by Marc Quill

The first WWE SmackDown of 2026 from Buffalo, New York is also the first of the year to be in a three-hour format.

The show will be headlined by the reveal of the stipulations for the upcoming Three Stages of Hell match between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre.

There will also be a rare ambulance match between bitter rivals Damian Priest and Aleister Black where the winner must send their opponent packing in an ambulance.

A star-studded eight woman bout is on tap when Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss take on The Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax & Lash Legend. The match will be a preview for the WWE Women’s Tag Team title match between Asuka & Kairi Sane against Ripley & SKY on Raw this Monday.

The WWE Women’s United States Championship will be on the line as Chelsea Green defends against former titleholder Giulia.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern.

**********

– Over a live shot of the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, Michael Cole welcomed us to the first SmackDown of 2025. Cole then tossed to a recap of last week’s events involving Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre, which included the Three Stages of Hell match coming next week being set up.

– Shots of the aforementioned Rhodes, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, plus the Kabuki Warriors and the team of Lash Legend & Nia Jax arriving to the arena were shown. Inside the SmackDown arena, we saw an Ambulance situated next to the stage for the Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black match later tonight.

– As Cole and Corey Graves were talking, they were interrupted by The Miz, who angrily said that we weren’t moving on to 2026 until he aired his grievances for 2025.

The Miz’s 2025 Grievances

Miz started off by stating that he should’ve been the one to make John Cena tap out because of their shared history. He said that while Cena was out riding off into the sunset, he was stuck in Buffalo instead. Grievance #2: Young superstars who didn’t heed his advice and that everybody didn’t respect him enough. Grievance #3: He was passed over for Timothee Chalamet for Marty Supreme. Grievance #5: Miz said that He (in reference to Joe Hendry) ruined his final SmackDown of 2025 and that Hendry bringing back a very “untrue” nickname (“Tiny Balls”) hurt him. Miz said that we would not bring that nickname back, as he called himself the new face of WWE after John Cena left. Miz made a cheap local sports team heat reference by stating that unlike Buffalo’s sports teams, he won championships as he boasted his accolades, which in Miz’s eyes, made him the locker room leader.

Before Miz could continue on, the long-awaited sounds of “Voices” hit, which signaled the return of one Randall Keith Orton to SmackDown. Orton got a great ovation from the Buffalo crowd, as they serenaded him with a singalong of his entrance theme. As Orton got into the ring, he made Miz flinch by pretending to go after him before he posed on the turnbuckle. After a good while of posing for the crowd and the crowd chanting for him. Miz tried to hype himself and Orton as the gatekeepers of the locker room and the faces of the WWE, as he suggested “Miz-KO” as a name for them.

Orton’s response to this idea? An RKO out of nowhere to the hapless Miz. The crowd chanted for Orton to do it one more time. And with a “Happy New Year, Miz!” Orton obliged the crowd’s request with one more RKO.

I think this was an effective way to bring Randy Orton back into WWE, though I am curious about what’s in store for him, especially with previous teases of him eyeing the Undisputed WWE Title. Will the long-awaited feud with Cody Rhodes finally happen at some point? Only time will tell.

**********

– Lash Legend & Nia Jax talked with the Kabuki Warriors and said that they were owed a Women’s Tag Title shot after their team-up tonight. Asuka and Kairi Sane brushed off the idea as they got ready for the big eight-woman tag match coming up next.

– After the break, Randy Orton met up with Cody Rhodes and explicitly stated to the Undisputed WWE Champion that he is gunning for the title once Rhodes dealt with Drew McIntyre next week. Nick Aldis warned Rhodes about the “no-touch” stipulation when McIntyre shows up later tonight to lay out the Three Stages of Hell stipulations. Rhodes said that he’d get a handle of it.

Eight-Woman Tag Match: Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss vs. Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane), Nia Jax, Lash Legend

The bell rang with the heel women attacking their foes as Ripley was left to face Asuka off to start this match. Asuka stomped away on Ripley, but had her last kick blocked. Asuka got sent to the outside by Ripley, as did Sane. Tag to Alexa Bliss, who barreled into the Kabuki Warriors with a dive from the apron as we took the first of (surely many) commercial breaks for tonight.

We returned from the break as Jax and Legend were double teaming Bliss, to no avail. Legend got thrown out of the ring as Bliss then flattened Jax with a tornado DDT. Bliss got the tag to Flair, who hit both Legend and Jax with the crossbody. Flair teed off on both her opponents with chops as Legend got dropped by the somersault clothesline. Flair connected with Natural Selection on Jax as she then headed to the top rope and made no mistake with the moonsault. However, Jax managed to kick out at two.

On the apron, Flair hit Legend with a boot, but failed to connect with a slingshot spear as Jax blocked that maneuver. Asuka got the tag but immediately got stacked up for the pin by Flair, who then applied the Figure Eight submission. However, Sane got on the top rope and hit an Insane Elbow on Flair. Sane got thrown out of the ring by Bliss, while SKY was tagged into the match and unleashed her wrath on both Kabuki Warriors. Double missile dropkick on both Asuka and Sane by SKY, as Ripley was pulled down from the apron just as she was set for the tag.

In the ring, SKY was taken out by a powerful boot from Legend, but that wasn’t enough to put this one away as we got a sports-style replay of said boot before we took another break in the action.

The match continued from commercial as SKY created some needed separation between her and Sane, but Asuka knocked Bliss off the apron. SKY dumped Asuka as Ripley entered the match for the hot tag. Ripley was on fire as she used an unorthodox offensive move by using Sane as a weapon to knock Asuka down. Things began to break down when Jax attacked Ripley and we got all the women in the ring taking one another out. Sane was caught by Ripley after a failed high-risk maneuver and got hgit with Riptide. SKY got the tag and hit the Over The Moonsault to pick up the win for her team.

IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss def. The Kabuki Warriors & Nia Jax and Lash Legend via pinfall

A fun eight-man tag match to kick us off officially in 2026 as all eight women in this match can really go. Was certainly a good call to have SKY and Ripley pick up the win for their team as a mean to set up match against the Kabuki Warriors on Raw next week.

**********

– Backstage, Nick Aldis was talking with NXT’s Jordynne Grace, who was informed by Aldis that SmackDown’s 2026 could involve her. Chelsea Green appeared and tried to beg off of facing Giulia for the Women’s U.S. Championship. Mr. Aldis wasn’t buying it and threatened to “impeach” Green by stripping her of the Women’s U.S. Title.

– Several Buffalo Bills players (sans Josh Allen) were shown in the crowd enjoying the show.

Kit Wilson vs. Matt Cardona

Before the match, Wilson introduced himself as redefining masculinity as he took shots at the Bills Mafia and called them the “most toxic sports fans” in America. He was interrupted by the music of Matt Cardona (nee Zack Ryder), who was Wilson’s opponent.

The match kicked off with Wilson attacking Cardona as we were informed that the latter was officially part of SmackDown’s roster. Cardona fought back and stomped away on Wilson in the corner, as he then dropped him with a face-first flapjack. Cardona clotheslined Wilson out of the ring and hit him with a sliding dropkick. Wilson regained momentum with a kick to the back of Cardona’s head in the corner. Wilson targeted Cardona’s head with punches to the face as he then placed him in the top turnbuckle and looked like he had something big planned. Cardona countered with a dropkick from the top rope as he followed that up with a facebuster.

Cardona stunned Wilson and blasted him with the Broski Boot, followed by a double-underhook powerbomb for the near-fall. Wilson sent Cardona face-first to the turnbuckle and connected with the Tourniquet, but Cardona kicked out at two. Cardona got the victory with the move called the Rough Ryder.

Matt Cardona def. Kit Wilson via pinfall

That was decent, and I will say Cardona coming into WWE under his real name and the commentary acknowledging that was a bit interesting. Not sure where Cardona will fit in, as far as his placement on the card, though.

**********

– Damian Priest was interviewed about his Ambulance Match against Aleister Black later tonight, as he said that he was put through hell for six months by Black. Priest promised that his foe would be the one who would fade to black when all is said and done.

– The Wyatt Sicks had a video promo about Solo Sikoa and what the “meaning” of family was. Bo Dallas said that SIkoa didn’t comprehend the force that he is up against as he said that the Wyatts’ family was filled with millions of fireflies of around the world that will always remember. Dallas said that it was time to chop down Sikoa’s family tree, as he said that when the dust settles, they’d be the ones.

Sami Zayn returns to SmackDown

The former United States Champion made his return to SmackDown for the first time in quite some time, as he said that the last time we saw him, he got a chance to see John Cena’s last match with his son. Zayn said that Cena’s last match really hit him in some way as his son asked him why they called Cena “The Never Seen 17”. Zayn talked about how his son then asked how many times his dad has won it, as he recounted how it doesn’t make sense to that son has been wrestling all these champions and why that World Championship was missing.

Zayn said that it made him sick that he had to talk about being a World Champion last year, so he wants to do something about it as 2026 would be the year he’d be coming for the WWE Championship. The theme of Trick Williams interrupted Zayn, which brought the former two-time NXT Champion and former TNA World Champion to the scene.

Williams said that the “sexiest and most entertaining superstar” had finally arrived as he introduced himself to Zayn. He said that he was here for one reason: Nick Aldis called “1800-WHOOP-THAT” as SmackDown needed someone of his caliber. Williams said that Aldis needed someone on SmackDown who looks like a champion and that he was here to be World Champion. Williams said he wasn’t like Zayn, that he wasn’t someone who can almost get the job done like Zayn.

Zayn said that he had been watching Williams and that Aldis might’ve been right on the assessments made about him, but he told Williams that he hadn’t been humbled yet. Zayn declared that if Williams had no problem about interrupting him, Zayn said he’d have no problem with teaching him about what it means to be humbled.

Trick Williams joining the SmackDown roster and right away entering a feud with Sami Zayn is actually an interesting one for sure, and I think it’ll lead to a good match out of these two down the line. The story of “veteran wants to humble cocky rookie” is a simple, but effective one.

**********

– Carmelo Hayes was walking backstage when Ilja Dragunov approached him. The former U.S. Champion said taht he wanted to fight the best, and that Hayes gave him that for sure. Dragunov said that he believed it wouldn’t be the last time they’d face. Dragunov asked Hayes if he’d keep the U.S. Open Challenge going, to which Hayes said that he’d continue it once he dealt with Johnny Gargano.

– Rey Fenix was sharing a chat with Nick Aldis as Trick Williams complained about what Sami Zayn did moments ago. Aldis said that maybe Williams needed to be taught a lesson as he booked his debut for next week against Rey Fenix.

United States Championship: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Hayes went on the attack right away as he avoided a cheapshot from Gargano and threw him out before the match could get underway. Once the bell finally rang, Hayes met Gargano with a dropkick as he continued the attack in the corner. Hayes hit a nice leg drop on a downed Gargano and didn’t seem like he was going to lose momentum until a rolling kicked stopped the roll the U.S. Champion was on. Gargano’s advantage was fleeting as Hayes knocked him out with a knee to the face. On the outside, Gargano used Candice LeRae as a shield to avoid a dive as he nailed the U.S. Champ with a slingshot spear. A dive to the outside by Gargano on Hayes sent us to a break in the action.

Our match continued from the break with Gargano maintained his aggressive attack on Hayes, but a blocked boot allowed Hayes to hit his springboard lariat with authority. Hayes followed that up with his version of La Mistica for the near-fall as he hyped himself up. In the corner, Hayes hit Gargano with a kick to the back of the head as he hit the Fadeaway legdrop on his prone foe. On the top rope, Hayes connected with a frog splash, but Gargano kicked out again at two.

Hayes knocked Gargano down with a clothesline as he headed up top. Gargano intercepted him and struck hard, which left Hayes stunned. At the top, Hayes avoided an avalanche Air Raid Crash and attempted a superplex. However, Gargano reversed that into a final cut suplex as the sports-style replay tossed us to another break in this match.

We returned from the break as Hayes blocked Gargano’s springboard attempt from the apron with a cutter using the top rope, followed by a DDT onto the apron itself. In the ring, Gargano countered a facebuster attempt into a tornado DDT as Hayes just managed to kick out at two. Hayes stopped Gargano’s slingshot spear with a boot as he headed to the top rope. Candice LeRae created a distraction long enough for Gargano to finally hit the avalanche Air Rade Crash on Hayes. One, two… NO!

Gargano and Hayes got into a pinning exchange, but the former connected with First 48, followed by Nothin’ But Net and the three for the successful first U.S. Title defense.

Carmelo Hayes def. Johnny Gargano via pinfall to retain the U.S. Championship

A solid first defense for Hayes as the U.S. Title scene on SmackDown maintains its hot streak that kept it the most entertaining part of the show nearly every week. I’m glad that Hayes is also continuing the Open Challenge as mentioned before this match, because covering these U.S. Title matches always manages to be a highlight for me.

**********

– Tama Tonga was seen watching the match we just saw as Shinsuke Nakamura confronted him. With some history between these two former NJPW stars, Nakamura taunted Tama before he left. Solo Sikoa talked to Tama about how next week, it’d be the M.F.T.s & Wyatt Sicks in a four-on-four match, and that once their issues were settled with the Wyatts, they’d be gunning for those WWE Tag Titles.

– Jade Cargill was interviewed about what happened to Michin during a live show as she suffered a real injury during it. Cargill said that she deserved what happened as Jordynne Grace appeared and had some words for the WWE Women’s Champion. Grace turned Cargill’s words of being called “a bitch” back towards her, stating, “I’m Jordynne Grace, but you’re definitely one of those (i.e. “a bitch”).

– Elsewhere, Cody Rhodes asked Sami Zayn about Drew McIntyre’s whereabouts, and seemed a bit taken aback about Zayn’s championship ambitions. Before the conversation could linger on further, Nick Aldis appeared and was asked by Rhodes about McIntyre. With no clear answer, Rhodes said he’d be heading to the ring soon to see what’s what.

– We got another Oba Femi teaser, presumably again hinting his arrival to the SmackDown roster.

Cody Rhodes has some words for Drew McIntyre

The Undisputed WWE Champion made his way down to the ring, as promised. He entered the ring and immediately took of his suit and grabbed a microphone.

Rhodes rhetorically asked how one obtains the richest prize in sports entertainment, and that it was his mentality when approaching anyone in a WWE ring that led him to championship glory. That mentality being that he gets to the arena early with the belt in tow, because he wants the people to see him. Rhodes said that Drew McIntyre reeked of envy, but he was grateful for it, as he was just a mountain that he couldn’t wait to climb.

Rhodes said that while he was backstage, he was “playing dumb” and that he saw Drew McIntyre as nothing more but “lunch”. That’s because he’s the one who calls himself The Champ, and it won’t change in Berlin.

McIntyre interrupted from the Titantron and said Rhodes was as vanilla as it gets, as he said he thought hard to determine what the three stages of hell would be. McIntyre said the first Stage would be a traditional wrestling match, the second being Falls Count Anywhere. McIntyre declared that the third fall, if the match got that far, it would come down to a steel cage. He promised to break Rhodes physically next week, but he wanted to get ahead of things as he talked about how he ransacked Rhodes’ bus. McIntyre said that he got one item that meant so much to Cody, that being a photo of him and father Dusty Rhodes.

McIntyre mocked Rhodes and said that it would get real chilly down in hell, as McIntyre stomped on the photo. Rhodes angrily ran to the back and was stopped by security as McIntyre soon appeared in the ring and tried to goad Rhodes to come get him. “Happy New Year, Cody” McIntyre said as he took a lighter to the picture of Rhodes and his father and set it on fire.

An… interesting and good way to garner heat, I’ll admit. It just hurts that McIntyre will be taking yet another three-second tan next week in Berlin, and all this fantastic heel work as of late will be certainly going to waste. I know a lot of people will probably disagree with me on this front, but this feud with Rhodes has honestly soured me on McIntyre’s current character with the way he’s lost repeatedly and remained stuck in place. Feels like reliving Groundhog Day, if you ask me. A refresh of sorts for McIntyre is needed after this match, but I’ll happilly eat crow if somehow, he wins the title next week, even for a short while.

**********

Next Week on SmackDown – Berlin, Germany

  • Three Stages of Hell for the Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
  • Rey Fenix vs. Trick Williams
  • The Wyatt Sicks vs. The M.F.T.s

Women’s U.S. Championship: Chelsea Green (c) vs. Giulia

The challenger was aggressive from the get-go as she struck against Green in the corner with fierce stomps. Giulia grabbed Green by her hair and threw her across the ring. Another big boot by Giulia sent Green to the outside as Alba Fyre checked up on her ally. At ringside, Giulia maintained her ruthless attack on Green, but Fyre created a distraction at ringside, which allowed Green to get ahead with a dive from inside the ring. With Giulia down and out for the moment, we took a break.

We returned from commercial as Giulia had Green in a sleeper hold, but the Women’s U.S. Champ managed to escape that hold. The two then began trading strikes in the middle of the ring, as Green got the best of her foe with a set of clotheslines, followed by a kick. With Giulia stunned across the middle rope, Green connected with double knees to the back of her head.

In the middle of the ring, Green attempted the Un-Pretty-Her, but couldn’t capitalized. Green hit the Rough Ryder, but Kiana James got on the apron to distract the referee. Alba Fyre pulled James off the apron. Back with the match, Giulia intercepted Green on the top rope and hit an avalanche underhook DDT and rolled through for the Northern Lights Bomb on Green for the three to win the Women’s U.S. Championship.

Giulia def. Chelsea Green to win the Women’s United States Championship

It’s nice to see Giulia win gold once more, but disappointing that her victory barely got a reaction whatsoever, though that’s largely on the booking with regards to the SmackDown’s women’s division being kind of a mess, and it’s hurt the standing of stars like Giulia as a result. Hopefully, Giulia getting back the Women’s U.S. Title — and hopefully getting away from fighting Chelsea Green and company — means things are starting to change.

**********

– Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY spoke about becoming how they’d be the Women’s Tag Team Champions again on Raw this Monday. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss stated that they were next in line if Ripley & SKY win on Monday. However, Bliss stated that she wanted to wish SKY and Ripley the best of luck for Monday.

– Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae were licking their wounds after the former’s loss to Carmelo Hayes as Fraxiom confronted the two. Axiom said that he was going to talk to Nick Aldis to make a match between him and Gargano, and that he’d take back his mask once he beat Gargano.

The Ambulance backed onto the stage as the rules of this main event was explained just before the entrances.

Ambulance Match: Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest

Black attacked Priest from behind before he could even take off his entrance robe, which got this match underway. Priest eventually battled back and threw Black out of the ring as the action spilled to the outside. Black responded with a boot to the face as the battle made its way to the stage area and the ambulance. The doors were opened while Black tried to put Priest inside the vehicle. Priest pulled out a stretcher from the ambulance and pushed it onto the ribs of Black, as it was followed by a throw onto the base of the stretcher. We took a picture-in-picture break at this point of the match.

We returned to full-screen action with the action back inside the ring as Black and Priest traded kicks to one another. During the break, we saw footage of Black sending Priest through the table with a Meteora. Back to live action as Priest nailed Black with a lariat. As Black was stunned in the corner, Priest barreled into him with a splash. Outside the ring, Priest sent Black over the commentary table with a running pounce while Zelina looked on in concern.

Black shoved Priest into the ringpost as he grabbed a chair and hit his opponent in the spine with it. Black put Priest’s face across the seated portion of the chair and kicked it to cause more pain. As Black teed up another chair shot to Priest, he was grabbed by the neck and chokeslammed across the hardest part of the ring.

Inside the ring, Priest kicked Black as he was sat on the top rope, and hit a massive hurricanrana from the top rope. Black responded with a spinning kick as both men were down for the count and we headed to another picture-in-picture break.

The SmackDown main event returned with Priest and Black brawling it out on the stage. Black got the best of Priest with a throw to the LED screen as Black told Zelina to open the ambulance doors. As the doors opened, Rhea Ripley was awaiting Zelina and chased her to the ring. Inside the ring, Ripley took Zelina out of the equation with a Riptide. Back on the stage, Black battered Priest with stomps and tried to drag him into the ambulance, to no certain avail. After a struggle, Black managed to put Priest in the ambulance, but couldn’t get both doors closed.

With a crutch in hand, Priest struck it across the back of Black, as he then drove the handle portion right onto the chest. Priest was pushed into the ambulance door with Black following that up with a knee to the face. Priest managed to prevent further calamity with a fire extinguisher shot to the face of Black. This was followed up by Priest throwing a fireball in Black’s face, which left the Dutchman writhing in pain. Priest closed the ambulance doors and pulled out an equipment table from the stage as he grabbed Black and looked like he was going to hit the Razor’s Edge. Black escaped that fate and hit Priest with another knee to the face.

Black attempted to throw Priest onto the side of the ambulance, but found himself thrown there instead. Priest was stunned by a knee from Black. An equipment case was pulled by Black, but Priest countered and hoisted him up for a Razor’s Edge onto the windshield of the ambulance. Priest took Black’s lifeless body and put himself on top of the ambulance. With both men on the top, Priest held Black and threw him through the equipment table that was setup beside the rear ambulance doors.

With Black unable to fight back, Priest dragged him to the ambulance doors and threw him inside. Priest then shut the doors to put an end to this match and pick up the win.

Damian Priest def. Aleister Black via pinfall

**********

As a feud-ender (hopefully), that match seemed rather lifeless and didn’t feel like it was worthy of being the main event for this three-hour SmackDown. Things really didn’t pick up until Rhea Ripley’s cameo and the table spots by the ambulance near the end. I’ve been on record with saying that this Priest vs. Black feud has been a drag to follow since June of last year, and I just feel relief that things are seemingly over now and the two can finally move on to other things.

As far as the rest of the first three-hour SmackDown was concerned, it was a mostly entertaining show and not as terrible as I had feared it to be. The U.S. Title scene once again stole the show and picked up right where they left off, and the Rhodes/McIntyre title match is at least getting some good head ahead of next week — even if I feel that McIntyre can stand to do better. Plus, debuts like Trick Williams and Jordynne Grace helped tease exciting developments ahead.

Whether or not SmackDown being okay in a three-hour format is sustainable remains anyone guess, but I will admit that tonight was not a bad start at all on that front.

Title match, Cody Rhodes-Drew McIntyre segment added to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has made a couple of new announcements for tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

SmackDown moves back to three hours starting with tonight’s show from Buffalo, New York. A title match has been added to the lineup with Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green defending against Giulia, who is looking to reclaim the belt after Green won it from her back in November.

Green and Giulia are two of the only three women to have held the Women’s U.S. title since it was introduced at the end of 2024. A two-time champ, Green regained the belt in their November match by taking advantage of a distraction and pinning Giulia while having her feet on the ropes for leverage.

WWE has also announced that Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre will appear on SmackDown tonight — and McIntyre will reveal the stipulations for their upcoming Three Stages of Hell match. That match is taking place on the January 9 edition of SmackDown with Rhodes putting his WWE Championship on the line against McIntyre.

Here is the updated lineup for tonight:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, January 2) —

  • Drew McIntyre reveals stipulations for Three Stages of Hell match against Cody Rhodes
  • Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green defends against Giulia
  • Ambulance match: Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black
  • IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax & Lash Legend
  • Non-title: WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill vs. Michin (may be in question due to Michin’s shoulder injury)

Je’Von Evans on WWE callup: ‘That’s up to them’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Over a year and a half since his NXT TV debut, Je’Von Evans has only made a sporadic number of appearances on Raw and SmackDown. That could change, however, in 2026. 

Evans was asked about joining WWE’s main roster during an interview with Scott Johnson of Going Ringside. “I think that it could be in the works, but that’s up to them,” he said. “That’s up to them, whenever they feel like I’m ready. I’m just there whenever they need me, you know what I mean?”

Evans was also asked about his dream match, and gave a surprising answer.

“I want to do a Hell in a Cell,” he said. “I would love to do a Hell in a Cell.”

“I grew up watching them and I was like ‘Oh, I have to do it now,’” he continued. “So I have to do a Hell in a Cell before I retire. I have to do a Hell in a Cell.”

In addition to his NXT work, Cagematch lists Evans with four matches on SmackDown, two on Raw, and one on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Notable among those was a loss to Sami Zayn in a US title open challenge match in September and a loss to Gunther in the Last Time Is Now tournament in November.

On last week’s Raw, it was noted that he would soon be a free agent that could appear on either main roster brand.

He has also wrestled three matches in AAA and one for TNA. 

WOL: Kyle Fletcher neck discussion, Worlds End, Ilja vs. Carmelo

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including Kyle Fletcher’s neck bump on Saturday, what William Regal had to say about it, reactions from WWE stars who also had neck surgery, personal anecdotes from Bryan and Lance, the AEW World’s End PPV, and another match you MUST SEE from this weekend. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WOL: How will 2025 trends affect wrestling in 2026?

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the last WOL Saturday of the year with Jim Valley.

Today’s show looks ahead at what could happen in 2026, back at 2025, and some trends that aren’t going to go away simply because the ball dropped in Times Square.

We’ll preview AEW’s Worlds End with a tease of at least one prediction: people will complain that it’s too long – AGAIN.

Carmelo Hayes had a great match as he pinned Ilja Dragunov for the U.S. Title on an otherwise very standard episode of WWE SmackDown.

For better or worse, a lot of this year’s trends could also affect 2026.

We’ll take a look into our crystal ball and see what could lie ahead for wrestling companies all over the world in 2026.

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Em

Ambulance match headlines next week’s WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

WWE’s SmackDown returns to a three-hour length next week, on a live show headlined by Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest in an ambulance match.

SmackDown will air live on Friday, January 2, from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Aleister Black will face Damian Priest in the main event. Black and Priest have been feuding for months, but there was little new on this week’s SmackDown to promote the match—Black simply called out Priest in a backstage promo. WWE then announced it would be an ambulance match on social media.

Two other matches have also been announced for next week’s show. Michin will face Jade Cargill in a non-title match; should she win, she will get a shot at Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship. 

There will also be an eight-woman tag team match pitting Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair & Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend & Asuka & Kairi Sane.

WWE SmackDown (January 2)

  • Ambulance match: Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black
  • Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley, and IYO SKY vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, and Kairi Sane
  • Non-title: WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill vs. Michin

WWE SmackDown live results: Drew McIntyre returns

Posted on by Marc Quill

On the final SmackDown of 2025 — and the final two-hour edition before a return to three hours starting next week — Drew McIntyre makes his return to SmackDown to address being granted another WWE Championship shot against Cody Rhodes. We’ll find out more information about that upcoming title bout tonight.

Joe Hendry makes his official SmackDown debut tonight when he faces The Miz in one-on-one action. Miz took exception to Hendry and R-Truth attacking him at Saturday Night’s Main Event and is looking to spoil the debut of Hendry.

The United States Championship open challenge continues on as Ilja Dragunov is set to take on a mystery foe after he and Carmelo Hayes dispatched #DIY in short order last week.

Tonight’s show was taped last Friday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Full spoilers can be found here.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Previously on SmackDown: Cody Rhodes addressed the Drew McIntyre situation and declared himself “the law”, much to the chagrin of Nick Aldis.

– Following that, we saw Rhodes being confronted by Nick Aldis, who reminded him if McIntyre issued the apology to referee Dan Engler and paid the fine, Rhodes cannot touch him or he’d be stripped of his Undisputed WWE Title. After Rhodes left, The Miz angrily demanded that Joe Hendry’s music not be played. However, just as Aldis said his name, the ever-infectious music of Mr. Hendry hit and we cut to the ring.

Joe Hendry arrives on SmackDown

In the ring, Hendry was with people dressed as Santa (which included Alpha Academy’s Akira Tozawa and Otis) and the Easter Bunny. Hendry then proceeded to sing a song about how Miz supposedly has “tiny balls” in the style of Jingle Bells. The Miz himself interrupted in anger as he marched down to the ring. Hendry said that he knows the reason why Miz was upset, it was because he wasn’t here to sing the song with everyone. Hendry then continued his song as Miz raised his hand to shut everyone up.

Miz said that he was chasing a legacy earned with pain, while Hendry was chasing choruses. And now with John Cena retired, Miz claimed he earned the right to be the locker room leader to lead WWE in the future. Miz then challenged Hendry to a match right now. GM Aldis interjected and said that this Miz vs. Hendry match would be a Miracle on 34th Street Fight.

This segment was a decent primer on who Joe Hendry is, but not sure if I approve of the whole “tiny balls Miz” bit continuing to be a thing. Honestly, just not my kind of humor.

**********

Miracle on 34th Street Fight: Joe Hendry vs. The Miz

The ringside area was surrouned by Christmas-themed decorations, as well as Santa Otis, Tozawa, and the Easter Bunny.

As the bell rang, Hendry went for a side headlock takeover and escaped a hold by Miz. In response, Miz kicked Hendry in the gut, but got dropped by a shoulder block. Hendry lifted Miz for a long stalling suplex, which sent his opponent rolling out of the ring. As Hendry headed out of the ring, he opened a gift and found a guitar inside it. Meanwhile, Miz pulled out a ukelele, and then a pair of small ornaments — because he supposedly has tiny balls, you see.

Hendry hip tosssed Miz into a Christmas tree as he pulled out the Slim Jim-branded table from underneath the ring, which then set up inside the ring. Miz snuck up on Hendry and tried for a roll-up pin, to no avail. Skull-Crushing Finale was countered by Hendry, who then attempted a Standing Ovation on his opponent. Miz managed to escape that move. An incensed Miz began to elbow drop a gift thrown in the ring by the Easter Bunny as we took a break in the action.

The match returned from commercial as Hendry and Miz willed themselves to get back on their feet. Hendry was first as he nailed a clothesline on the Miz before he requested Santa Otis and Tozawa to hand him the Christmas tree from ringside. With tree in hand, Hendry struck Miz as he then delivered a fallaway slam on him. Hendry then took the tree and did a fallaway slam on it that sent the tree towards Miz.

Hendry got himself hyped as he went for another Standing Ovation, Miz countered and escaped the ring as he kicked Tozawa. He took a candy cane kendo stick and struck the Easter Bunny with it before Santa Otis blocked the shot from the weapon. This opened Miz up for a kendo stick strike from Hendry. Santa Otis, Tozawa and the Easter Bunny entered the ring with Hendry as they surrounded Miz. Hendry delivered another fallaway slam as Santa Otis then hit a very festive Caterpillar on Miz. Tozawa hit the senton from the top rope on Miz following that. The Easter Bunny then unmasked to reveal it was R-Truth underneath all along. “Happy Easter!” shouted Truth as he did the Five-Knuckle Shuffle. Hendry hit Miz from behind with the guitar as he then hit Standing Ovation through the table for the victory in this match.

Joe Hendry def. The Miz via pinfall

Just a fun little match, and a perfect way to integrate Hendry into the SmackDown roster. These holiday-themed street fights are always entertaining.

**********

– Backstage, Carmelo Hayes was talking with Fraxiom before Ilja Dragunov interrupted and asked to speak with Hayes. Dragunov said that he enjoyed teaming up against #DIY with Hayes last week, but it eats him alive that his U.S. Title match against Hayes went the way it did a few weeks back. Dragunov said that the Open Challenge was closed because it’d be him against Hayes for the U.S. Championship. Hayes shook Dragunov’s hand as the match was set for tonight.

– Drew McIntyre was shown arriving and immediately asked about what stipulation he’d choose for his match against Cody Rhodes. McIntyre said he was tired from the flight for Scotland, but he promised that tonight, we’d have all the answers as it related for this match.

– We got another promo from Aleister Black as he talked about a talented man named Damian Priest, as he and Zelina discussed that they were there to remind him about what he buried, and that they made him supposedly honest. Black said that this would end when he says it ends, and that he would end what he created. We learned that these two would face off on next week’s SmackDown.

– Byron Saxton interviewed WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill about her fight with Michin, as she challenged her to a fight. Elsewhere, Michin & B-Fab discussed how things would get bad real quick because of the current situation. Michin said that nobody respected Cargill in the locker room and that she needed to be humbled. And that lesson in humbling would come next week, according to Michin.

Lash Legend (w/ Nia Jax) vs. Charlotte Flair (w/ Alexa Bliss)

Flair sized up her massive foe as the bell rang before the two got into a test of strength. Legend showed her strength as she had the advantage on Flair early on. Legend dropped Flair with a scoop slam as she got chopped in the chest in response. Legend fought back with a hard clothesline that left Flair reeling as she then slammed her opponent’s face on three separate turnbuckles. Flair avoided calamity in the corner, but could not avoid the big roaring uppercut by Legend for the near-fall.

Legend missed with a running boot in the corner and got kicked on the side of her head by Flair. However, she slowed down her foe with a pop-up powerbomb as we took a break in the action.

SmackDown continued from the break with Legend hoisting Flair and repeateadly dropping her up and down across the middle and bottom ropes before she hit a scoop slam. Legend then applied a resthold on Flair that was promptly broken out of. Flair showed some fire with a rally of strikes, followed by her signature turnbuckle dodge and a big boot to Legend. Flair headed up top and connected with the crossbody, which fired her up.

Flair chopped away at Legend as only she could as she tried for her somersault clothesline. Legend countered that with a hard big boot for a cover that Flair kicked out of. Legend lifted Flair up for a powerbomb, but got turned into a sunset flip pin for a two-count of her own. Legend attempted the Lash Extension, but Flair reversed it into a DDT instead. Flair climbed to the top rope and connected with a moonsault for another near-fall.

Flair targeted Legend’s leg as Nia Jax got on the apron to cause a successful distraction. Outside the ring, Alexa Bliss attacked Jax for a bit. Back in the ring, Flair got the victory with a quick roll-up pin from the corner.

Charlotte Flair def. Nia Jax via pinfall

A good little match and Legend did manage to keep pace with a veteran like Flair. 2025 has been a fantastic revitalization for Charlotte Flair, which is nice to see. This run with Bliss has been one of the few highlights in WWE in an otherwise dull year.

**********

– In Nick Aldis’s office, Trick Williams from NXT was here to meet with Aldis, stating that he was expecting a huge offer from Raw to sign with them, so he wanted Aldis to hurry up on a deal of his own. Cody Rhodes appeared and had a brief staredown with Williams, who left. Rhodes asked if Drew McIntyre has apologized to Dan Engler and paid the fine yet. Aldis said that Rhodes needed to control his emotions. Williams returned and said he wasn’t done and told Rhodes to hold onto that Undisputed WWE Title real tight.

– Solo Sikoa and the M.F.T.s addressed the Wyatt Sicks, stating that his group doesn’t run from fear, they crave fear. Sikoa said that the fireflies were fading away and concluded by again mockingly singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”.’

United States Championship: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes

The match started fast with both Dragunov and Hayes striking one another as things turned into hard-hitting violence right away. Dragunov hit Hayes with repeated knee strikes as he then stunned him with an enzuigiri. The U.S. Champion then connected with his German Suplexes on Hayes, that the challenger valiantly tried to escape. On the third attempt, Hayes tried to escape, but got battered by hard elbows to the back of the head from Dragunov.

Dragunov threw Hayes overhead with a modified back suplex, as he then hit him hard with a chop. In the corner, a big boot from Dragunov sent Hayes crashing into the floor as we took a break in the action.

As this U.S. Title match resumed from commercial, Dragunov still had the momentum with strikes in the corner on Hayes, who was barely surviving the onslaught. Hayes blocked a big boot from Dragunov and hit him with a slap across the face. Hayes was on the offensive as he hit a hard clothesline on the U.S. Champion. Hayes ducked a strike from Dragunov and leapt from the second rope for a springboard clothesline. Dragunov blocked an attempted hurricanrana from Hayes and then hit him with a running knee to the face. Dragunov headed up to the top rope and missed with the senton as Hayes dodged at the last second. This allowed Hayes to hit his own version of La Mistica for the near-fall.

Hayes kicked at Dragunov’s head repeatedly as he then chopped away at his chest. Dragunov beckoned him to hit harder as he then responded with a strike. Dragunov teed up Hayes for the H-Bomb, but was met by a kick instead. Hayes leapt again from the second rope and hit an incredible look-from behind DDT on the U.S. Champion. That, however, was still not enough to clinch the victory. Hayes headed up top and looked like he was going to go for Nothin’ But Net, but Dragunov caught him. Constantine Special from Dragunov managed to hit its target successfully as he had equal success on the senton. One, two… Hayes just kicked out at two! We took another break in the action in this fantastic match.

As we returned to the action, both Hayes and Dragunov were struggling to get themselves back up, but the champion was up first as he exposed his left knee. He demanded Hayes to get back up and fight, to which the challenger obliged with a superkick. Dragunov caught Hayes’ attempt at First 48 and placed him on the top turnbuckle. Dragunov was met with a punch and headbutt from Hayes that sent him down on the mat. Hayes again went for Nothin’ But Net, but he was intercepted by a kick from Dragunov. The champion fought with his challenger on the apron and lifted him up for a superplex.

Hayes blocked the H-Bomb with a knee, but got rocked by a big boot stomp. Standing uranage from Dragunov, but that was somehow not enough as Hayes kicked out at two. In the corner again, Hayes and Dragunov dueled on the top turnbuckle. Dragunov looked like he had a superplex all set, but Hayes countered it into a cutter! One, two… Dragunov kicked out at 2.9999999!!!!!!! On the apron, Dragunov lifted Hayes on his shoulders, but couldn’t capitalize on whatever move he was going to hit. The two men battered one another until Dragunov got the best of him and hit a Death Valley Driver on the hardest part of the ring.

Dragunov headed for the top rope and appeared to have Hayes right where he wanted him lying on against the bottom corner. Coast-to-Coast…. NO! Hayes intercepted with a First 48 on the U.S. Champion as he headed up top right away and connected with Nothin’ But Net. One… two… THREE! Ladies and gentlemen,. we have a new U.S. Champion.

After the match, Dragunov took the U.S. Championship belt and respectfully crowned Hayes as our new U.S. Champion.

Carmelo Hayes def. Ilja Dragunov to win the United States Championship

An incredible match from start to finish, and could be in conversation for best WWE weekly TV match of the year. As far as a finale for Dragunov’s fantastic run as United States Championship, this was as good as ending as you could hope for. The way that Dragunov and Hayes had the crowd invested in this battle was just excellent. I critique a lot of what goes on every Friday on SmackDown, but the U.S. Title scene has remained one of the consistent highlights of the blue show ever since Sami Zayn won the title back in September. I’m optimistic that the trend will continue with Carmelo Hayes as champion.

**********

– Backstage, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss talked strategy about regaining their WWE Women’s Tag Titles back while we saw Nick Aldis talking with Dan Engler in the background. Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY appeared and talked about how they’d become the next WWE Women’s Tag Champions. Just then, Lash Legend and Nia Jax, as well as the Kabuki Warriors confronted both teams as we got a yelling contest between everyone. Aldis then announced that we’d see an eight-woman tag match between everyone present in this altercation on the first SmackDown of 2026.

– Carmelo Hayes was interviewed about his U.S. Title victory. He talked about how the jerseys were going up the rafters and he was ready to elevate his game before Johnny Gargano ambushed him from behind and declared that Hayes ruined everything. Gargano declared that he’d take the U.S. Champioship.

Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre vs. Giulia & Kiana James

Green and James got things going in this tag match with a lock-up in the middle. Green complained that James was pulling her hair as she then attempted a flash roll-up to no avail. James targeted Green’s arm as Giulia made the tag. Green retreated to her corner and tagged Fyre into the match. An angered Giulia yelled at Green to stop hiding as James found herself back in the match.

Fyre attempted a tornado DDT, but James blocked it successfully and attacked Fyre in the corner. On the second go-around, Fyre connected with the springboard-off-the-ropes DDT for a near-fall. Green tagged in and hit James with a sliding clothesline as she applied a resthold on her opponent. Green threw James out and saluted the crowd, which allowed James to enter the ring and tag Giulia into the match. Giulia threw Green across the ring Biel-style before she hit a snap suplex. On the top rope, Giulia dropped Green with a missile dropkick. Fyre got involved and found herself thrown out of the ring by Giulia. This left the Women’s U.S. Champion at the mercy of Giulia’s Northern Lights Bomb for the three.

Giulia & Kiana James def. Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre via pinfall

Giulia’s main roster booking confounds me, if we’re being honest. She had a strong run on NXT, but hasn’t been really used to the best of her abilities, and it’s resulted in crowds not really caring about her and her feuds. I hope it’s something that can be rectified in the new year, and it starts by just elevating her into the barebones-as-it-is WWE Women’s Title scene.

**********

– In Nick Aldis’s office, Kit Wilson was discussing his “crusade” against toxic masculinity and wanted an opportunity to continue that. Aldis said that there’d be a new opportunity for Wilson next week on SmackDown. Cody Rhodes entered Aldis’s office and asked Dan Engler if he had been apologized to yet. Engler said no, as Rhodes said it was the end of the night and ready to do something as Drew McIntyre’s theme music hit. Aldis asked for Rhodes to control his emotions as he went to go deal with McIntyre.

– We got a vignette for Oba Femi, presumably heralding his arrival on either Raw or SmackDown.

Next Week on SmackDown (1/2/26)

  • Eight-Woman Tag Match: Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, and IYO SKY vs. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Asuka, and Kairi Sane
  • Jade Cargill vs. Michin
  • Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black

Drew McIntyre’s apology?

Nick Aldis was in the ring with Dan Engler as the two stood in front of Drew McIntyre. Aldis said things were getting way out of hand between McIntyre and Cody Rhodes, but that things really got off the rail when McIntyre attacked Engler. Aldis said that it was McIntyre’s chance to be a man of his word, so that he can finally focus on his title match.

McIntyre said he was indeed a man of his word as he gave Aldis the fine. He then turned his attention to Engler and said he was “genuinely” sorry for hitting a Claymore kick on him. He claims that he should’ve never attacked a WWE official and asked Engler to accept his humble apology. McIntyre continued as he said that he apologized that it was Engler’s dream to become a wrestler and that he wasn’t good enough so he had to be a referee. McIntyre said that he apologized to Engler’s wife Melissa for having to watch him kick her husband in the face and that she supposedly wished that she had a husband like Drew who stood on his convictions. McIntyre railed on as he called Engler a corporate stooge and dared him to hit back.

Cody Rhodes emerged from the ramp and looked like he was going to fight McIntyre, despite Aldis’s protestations. McIntyre tried to goad Rhodes into hitting him so that he could be stripped of the Undisputed WWE Title. McIntyre said that he wished Rhodes’ children and wife could see a real man looks like. McIntyre said that we would see this title match in Germany in a Three Stages of Hell match. Rhodes accepted the challenge as McIntyre said that there was one more thing. When it was time for McIntyre to send Rhodes to hell, to say hi to his dad for him. This allowed McIntyre to hit a sneaky Claymore kick on the champion. McIntyre took the Undisputed WWE Title

**********

I know this Three Stages of Hell match will be good and McIntyre had some good lines in his promo, but I cannot begin to tell you how tired I am of seeing this guy bottling it at every turn and seemingly being stuck in a perpetual cycle of his “Twitter hater” bit and beating up Cody Rhodes, only to get beaten soundly and we do it all over again. I think he deserves better than this and hopefully 2026 is the beginning of getting him away from that road (or Rhodes, if you prefer…)

That said, this episode of SmackDown was mostly enjoyable and hard-carried by that excellent U.S. Title match. I loved Hayes vs. Dragunov quite a bit and it was a fantastic match, as I stated a few paragraphs above. With the third hour of SmackDown coming next week, hopefully everything else is elevated and doesn’t feel like a chore to watch through, despite the length. Will Executive Producer Paul Levesque and company manage that feat? We shall see.

Lastly, on a more positive note, I just want to wrap up by wishing you a Merry Christmas on behalf of myself, Steve Khan, Jeff Moss, Corey Michaels, Ryan Howard, and everyone here at WON/F4W. Thank you for your continued support this year. Stay frosty, everyone.

WWE SmackDown drops below one million viewers for pre-taped episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 19 pre-taped edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 995,000 viewers on USA Network, down 19.8 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total for the show since Halloween night.

In the 18-49 demo, SmackDown drew a 0.21 rating. That’s down 19.2 percent from the prior week and is also the lowest rating SmackDown has done since the Halloween night episode.

The show went head-to-head with a College Football Playoff game that combined for nearly 15 million viewers between ABC & ESPN and drew a 3.15 rating in 18-49. SmackDown finished ahead of everything else on television in the key demo.

There was also competition from the undercard of Netflix’s Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua boxing special that took place on the same night.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 25 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 43.2 percent.

This Friday’s December 26 episode of SmackDown has also been taped in advance. Spoilers for the show can be found here.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 11.5 percent in viewers and 19.2 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
10-week average0.261,124,100

B&V: AEW Collision, Smackdown, quick AAA thoughts

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

The Bryan & Vinny Show is back with tons to talk about including a full recap of both Smackdown and Collision, the former of which was quite meh and the latter of which was a quick one-hour watch, plus some thoughts on the AAA show this weekend if you didn’t get a chance to see it. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WOL: John Cena is more ‘The Last Jedi’ than ‘A New Hope’

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s time for the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley with lots of holiday wrestling for the weekend.

We’ll run down Friday’s WWE SmackDown and WWE Raw taping results for next Friday and this Monday, respectively.

Plus, AEW Collision was at a special time Saturday, AAA Guerra de Titanes, House of Glory, CMLL and AEW this weekend at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

It’s the holiday season and people are too uptight about end of the year lists. John Cena is more “The Last Jedi” than “A New Hope” and lots more. A packed show.

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WWE SmackDown live results: Tag Team titles on the line

Posted on by Marc Quill

As we head deeper into the holiday season, WWE presents a pre-taped edition of SmackDown tonight.

Cody Rhodes’ dream match at Saturday Night’s Main Event against Oba Femi was ruined when Drew McIntyre attacked him for the disqualification. In retaliation, Rhodes invaded McIntyre’s home that weekend to brawl with him.

On tonight’s show, the WWE Champion returns with a lot to talk about.

The WWE Tag Team titles will be on the line tonight as Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis of The Wyatt Sicks defend against two members of The MFTs.

In non-title action, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) will battle Lash Legend & Nia Jax, who are looking to earn a shot at the belts.

WWE United States Champion Ilja Dragunov teams up with Carmelo Hayes against #DIY.

The announced card is rounded out by Giulia vs. Alba Fyre.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Previously in WWE: It was John Cena’s last match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He tapped and he retired. After that recap, we went to Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett at commentary (as this episode of SmackDown was taped earlier this week), who talked about Cody Rhodes’ home invasion attack against Drew McIntyre. We then saw shots of Rhodes himself, and then the M.F.T.s arriving to the arena.

Damian Priest kicks off SmackDown

Fresh off a mixed-tag match victory on last week’s episode against Aleister Black & Zelina, Damian Priest arrived to SmackDown and had some words to say following that huge win.

Priest thanked the Hershey, PA fans for their energy because it has been a tough few days thanks to John Cena’s retirement. Priest praised Cena for being the Greatest of All Time, as he said “Thank you, Cena”. He then said it was time to talk about some good times, namely when Aleister and Zelina got their “asses dropped” by the Terror Twins. Before Priest could continue with talking about his 2026 plans, Zelina interrupted him.

Zelina said that Priest was a hypocrite and that he shouldn’t be celebrating because he didn’t get the pin. She noted that Black broke Priest, and that he had to live with the decision that Black had made. As Black’s theme played, he snuck up in the ring to attack Priest from behind. The brawl broke out between the two in the ring as the action spilled into ringside. Priest dropped Black on the apron with a modified South of Heaven chokeslam before he pulled out the Slim Jim-branded table from underneath the ring. Meanwhile, Black recovered and hit Priest with a chair in the chest. The two continued to fight until Black hit a diving Meteora from the apron through the table.

I’m just going to get out front here and say that the idea of Priest vs. Black continuing on longer does not move me in the slightest. That this feud, like the Energizer Bunny, just keeps going and going (and has been since July) is not something I want to see every week. Without a doubt, one of the reasons why SmackDown is languishing in terms of engaging stories.

**********

– Backstage, Byron Saxton was with Lash Legend & Nia Jax for remarks about Legend’s win over Alexa Bliss. The two noted that it was not an upset as Legend dominated her foe last week.

– Elsewhere, as Damian Priest was being helped by a litany of referees, Aleister Black attacked and continued his assault, ending with a Black Mass kick.

The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Lash Legend & Nia Jax

Sane and Legend started off for their respective teams. Sane tried to get a sleeper hold on Legend, but got shoved into the corner instead. She avoided a pump kick from Legend as she then climbed to the top rope. Sane leapt, but got caught by Legend instead. Sane got out of her predicament with a hurricanrana, but Legend responded with a fierce running elbow as she tagged Jax in.

The two crushed Sane in their corner as Jax got the pin, but no three. Sane managed to tag in Asuka as the Women’s Tag Champs used teamwork to keep Jax grounded momentarily. Jax created some space with a pop-up spinebuster. However, she found herself on the backfoot with a double dropkick from the Kabuki Warriors. Legend also got sent to the outside, which gave Sane time to launch herself from the top rope and onto both Legend and Jax at ringside, which took us to the commercial break point.

We returned from break with Jax working over Sane in the corner as we saw a replay of Legend hitting a pump kick on Sane during the break. Back to the match, Legend applied a resthold on Sane for a bit until she slammed her foe down by the head. Jax was tagged in as she knocked Asuka off the apron. Jax and Legend tried to go for a double suplex, but Sane turned that into a double DDT, which gave her enough time to finally tag Asuka in.

Asuka got on the top rope and hit a double missile dropkick on Jax and Legend. A little bit of friendly fire as Asuka avoided Legend’s running attack, which sent her into Jax instead. Asuka then locked in the armbar on Jax, who used her power to escape out of it. Asuka connected with a Shining Wizard, but Legend broke it up. Things began to break down as all four women were in the ring as Asuka headed up top. Legend pulled at Asuka’s leg, which allowed Jax to head up top for an attempted avalanche Samoan drop. Legend pulled Asuka out of the ring and threw her into the steel steps. Sane took Legend out of the equation with a divking knee. However, Jax recovered and knocked Sane out, which let her get the victory with the Annihilator.

Jax and Legend didn’t get time to celebrate their win as Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss ran down to start a fight with them. The former Women’s Tag Champs got the best of Jax and Legend in the melee.

Lash Legend & Nia Jax def. The Kabuki Warriors via pinfall

A decent tag match, and I do think the women’s tag scene is heating up, so not much in the way of complaints as far as this match is concerned.

**********

– Jackie Redmond was set to interview Giulia, but was told by her representative Kiana James to address her properly before she could do so. Once she did, Giuia said that she was going to make sure that Alba Fyre would be left saying arrivederci.

Cody Rhodes attacks Drew McIntyre at home

We got footage of Nick Aldis & Drew McIntyre’s meeting over the weekend. This meeting had Aldis & McIntyre agree on terms for an Undisputed WWE Championship match, where McIntyre gets to pick a stipulation, and an agreement that Cody Rhodes cannot attack McIntyre before that match or he will be stripped of the Undisputed WWE Title.

Afterwards, Rhodes appeared at the driveway of McIntyre’s house and proceeded to fight him as police tried to separate the two. Rhodes shouted “Merry Christmas, asshole!” at McIntyre while the two were being separated.

– Mr. Aldis addressed the situation, where he was placed in a tough situation due to everything surrounding Rhodes & McIntyre, which has created a lot of legal headaches due to the personal situation. The Miz appeared and demanded a match against Joe Hendry (referrring to him as “He Who Shall Not Be Named”) next week, to which Aldis agreed to. R-Truth then imitated Hendry, misnaming him as “Joe Pesci”.

Giulia (w/ Kiana James) vs. Alba Fyre (w/ Chelsea Green)

Giulia didn’t waste time as she came right at Fyre with a tackle, followed by strikes to the face. Giulia had Fyre in the corner and punched away at her, as she taunted Chelsea Green on the outside. Giulia maintained advantage with an attempted surfboard, but Green’s distraction allowed Fyre to avoid that fate.

Fyre took over with a tornado DDT for the near-fall. Giulia recovered and pulled at Fyre by her hair to slam her down on the canvas a couple of times. Fyre found herself trapped in an octopus stretch, but escaped as she and Giulia rolled around the ring to get a pinfall attempt in. Fyre kicked Giulia in the face, but could not put her away.

In the end, Giulia caught Fyre with the Arrivederci Knee and ended it in short order with the Northern Lights Driver.

Giulia def. Alba Fyre via pinfall

Not sure if a heel vs. heel match was the right call here, but seems like the crowd was a bit muted for this match, and honestly, with the way Giulia has been booked post-NXT, I can’t say I blame them.

**********

– The Wyatt Sicks addressed Solo Sikoa via their videos. They said that Sikoa’s greed has let him down to a dark path, and this image he portrays will drive him into a new world filled with adversity and abandonment.

Cody Rhodes addresses the Drew McIntyre situation

The Undisputed WWE World Champion made his way down to the ring and got ready to talk about what was on his mind, but not before asking what the Hershey crowd wanted to talk about.

Rhodes started that yes, he did go to Drew McIntyre’s house and throw a few cops in the water, but McIntyre did state that in his eyes “WWE was an unsafe working environment”. Rhodes said that McIntyre was surrounded by MMA fighters, second-generation wrestlers NIL standouts, and asked if Staples would be a safe work environment for McIntyre. Before Rhodes could continue, the SmackDown General Manager, Nick Aldis, interrupted.

Aldis said that because of Rhodes going to McIntyre’s house, he was forced into a bad situation, and that Rhodes was not “above the law”. Aldis said that Rhodes should’ve trusted him and now as a result of the situation, once McIntyre returns to issue his public apology, Rhodes cannot physically touch McIntyre. Otherwise, he’d be stripped of the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Rhodes responded that Aldis should know who he’s talking to, as Wade Barrett and Marty the cameraman could. Rhodes then listed off his accomplishments, as he declared himself “QB1”, and “the law” around these parts. Rhodes said that he didn’t work for Mr. Aldis, but he worked for the fans, and that Mr. Aldis “worked” for him.

What interested me about this Cody segment was the rather boastful tone he took there near the end of it. Whether that gets paid off as a road to a potential heel turn down the line is anyone’s guess, but still something interesting to think about.

**********

– Carmelo Hayes & Ilja Dragunov discussed their upcoming tag match against #DIY. Fraxiom approached the two and declared that if Hayes and Dragunov missed, they’d be there to go after Gargano & Ciampa. In the background, Tama Tonga was seen scheming.

Ilja Dragunov & Carmelo Hayes vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) (w/ Candice LeRae)

Gargano & Ciampa went after Hayes and Dragunov immediately, but found themselvse being shelled by the double team. Dragunov and Hayes blasted Ciampa with consecutive running boots in the corner before things settled down in the ring.

Dragunov chopped down Ciampa and then dragged him to his corner as Hayes tagged in. With Ciampa down on his back, he got hit with a running leg drop from Hayes before Dragunov re-entered the match. The U.S. Champion stunned Ciampa with a suplex as he headed up top. Candice LeRae got on the apron to distract the referee, as Gargano pulled Dragunov down. This allowed Ciampa to crack his foe with a running knee, which sent Dragunov flying into the commentary table. #DIY surveyed the damage from the apron as we took a break in the action.

Back from commercial, as Ciampa and Dragunov exchanged strikes in the ring. After Ciampa got dropped, Dragunov connected with the Constantine Special on Gargano. This allowed Hayes to enter the match as the hot tag. Like a house of fire, Hayes dropped Gargano with a springboard clothesline. He then followed that up with a nice rendition of Mistico’s La Mistica finishing move for the near-fall. After Hayes tagged in Dragunov, he leapt over the top rope with a pitch-perfect Fosbury Flop on Ciampa. Back in the ring, Dragunov landed the senton on Gargano, but that wasn’t enough to end the match.

As Hayes tagged himself in, #DIY regained momentum with a superkick from Gargano, followed by Project Ciampa by its namesake. Dragunov broke up the pin, but was thrown into the ringpost at ringside by Gargano. In the ring, Hayes tried to springboard again, but Ciampa caused a distraction, which allowed LeRae to interfere. However, Hayes kicked out of Ciampa’s knee to the face. #DIY teamed up with the Fairytale Ending and superkick on Hayes, but again, Hayes kicked out at two.

Gargano & Ciampa were in opposite corners and had Hayes in position for a Meet in the Middle, but Gargano was blasted by Dragunov’s Torpedo Moscow as Hayes connected with First 48 on Ciampa. With Ciampa left alone, Dragunov got him with the H-Bomb, and Hayes finally finished it off with Nothin’ But Net for the win.

Carmelo Hayes & Ilja Dragunov def. #DIY via pinfall

This was entertaining, and as I said before, I find the U.S.Title scene to be quite enjoyable and often the highlight of SmackDown. Even without an Open Challenge match this week, I loved this here and seeing Melo start to win over the crowd is a nice bonus, too.

**********

– Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss were asked about why they attacked Lash Legend & Nia Jax. The two said that Jax and Legend were in their way as they called their shot for the Women’s Tag Titles. WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill then appeared and had a brief staredown with Flair & Bliss. Interviewer Jackie Redmon then tried to get a word with Cargill about why she attacked Michin. Cargill said that since it was the season of giving, she was going to give Michin a bit of credit for getting back up, and that she’ll give her a spotlight soon enough. But, Cargill promised to knock Michin’s lights out once that was done. Michin appeared from behind and struck Cargill with a kendo stick.

Next Week on SmackDown (12/26/25)

  • Ilja Dragunov’s U.S. Title Open Challenge
  • The Miz vs. Joe Hendry
  • Drew McIntyre returns

WWE Tag Team Championship: The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy) (w/ Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, Erick Rowan) vs. The M.F.T.s (J.C. Mateo & Tonga Loa) (w/ Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Talla Tonga)

As Solo Sikoa walked to the Gorilla Position, he said that the fireflies were going to bear witness to the M.F.T.s winning the WWE Tag Titles as he had the whole world in his hands, again invoking Bray Wyatt.

Lumis got ahead on Loa by sliding underneath him, then hitting two uppercuts on him. Lumis connected with a back suplex, followed by a leg drop on Loa for an early pin attempt. Gacy was tagged in, but Loa recovered and managed to catch him by surprise with stomps in the corner. Mateo entered the match and continued the punishment on Gacy. However, that M.F.T. advantage was temporary as Gacy delivered a dropkick on Mateo. Lumis tagged in and hit a nice double team move on Mateo, who rolled out of the ring for a breather.

Gacy tagged in again and looked like he was about to launch himself over the top rope, but Loa got out of the way. Mateo then barreled into Gacy with a hard clothesline, as he then caught Lumis and slammed him against the ringpost, followed by a slam on the floor. This took us into the break.

The SmackDown main event continued from commercial with the M.F.T.s in firm control as they isolated Lumis in their corner. Mateo flattened Lumis with a powerslam for the near-fall as Loa got tagged in and landed a powerslam of his own. Lumis woke up and hit a superkick on Loa as Mateo tried to stop the hot tag. He, too, got superkicked by Lumis as Gacy got the hot tag.

Gacy hit a suplex on Mateo as he knocked Loa off the apron. He then slammed Mateo with a stalling Saito suplex, but he missed with a springboard dive, which opened him up for a spinning side suplex. One, two, not quite. Gacy rebounded off the rope with his handstand clothesline on Mateo, as Loa also found himself a victim of this unique move afterwards. With both M.F.T. members outside the ring, Gacy launched into them with a top rope dive.

The Wyatt Sicks hit a double team suplex/powerbomb combo as Lumis headed up top for a high-risk maneuver. The spalsh from Lumis as Loa broke up the pin. Outside the ring, Talla Tonga kicked Gacy with the referee’s back turned. Erick Rowan then attacked Talla and things broke down into a massive brawl between the Wyatt Sicks and the M.F.T.s at ringside, which forced the referee to throw out the match.

In the ring, Gacy and Lumis were held up by Mateo, Loa, and Tama as Talla launched himsellf off the top rope onto everyone. Rowan then took Talla out with a dropkick and a clothesline. Nikki Cross wanted herself some too, and Rowan obliged as he threw her onto Talla at ringside. Solo Sikoa snuck up on Rowan and dropped him with a Samoan Spike. As Sikoa bragged, he was in position for Uncle Howdy’s Sister Abigail, but Tama jumped him. The brawl continued unabated as the Levesque & Fitting producer credits were up to end this show.

The Wyatt Sicks vs. The M.F.T.s. ended in a No Contest

**********

You’re probably all aware about my feelings on this feud, and this main event was just average. The brawl was a least bit interesting, but still, not really a good way to end another just decent episode of SmackDown.

This week, the show wasn’t really terrible, just kind of there, which has been a nagging problem for the blue show as of late. There are peaks — the U.S. Title situation being the most notable — but the valleys are many and the show does suffer in quality as a result.

Non-spoiler WWE SmackDown lineup for tonight

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has a unique situation tonight where it is airing a pre-taped edition of SmackDown at the same time as filming another episode for next week.

The SmackDown roster is in Grand Rapids, Michigan tonight — but that show will not be airing until December 26. Instead, WWE will broadcast the SmackDown episode that it filmed alongside Raw in Hershey, Pennsylvania earlier this week. Here is the announced lineup:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, December 19) —

  • WWE Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy) defend against The MFTs (JC Mateo & Tonga Loa)
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will appear following the angle where he attacked Drew McIntyre at his home
  • Ilja Dragunov & Carmelo Hayes vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
  • Non-title match: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend
  • Giulia vs. Alba Fyre

Spoilers for the show can be found here.

Tonight, Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids is hosting a double taping for the December 22 episode of Raw and December 26 SmackDown.

WWE has also already taped the next two weeks of NXT episodes with Christmas season coming up.