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.
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– 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.
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– 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.
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– 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.
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– 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.
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– 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.
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– 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.
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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.
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– 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
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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.
