Welcome back to Wrestling Inc.'s regular review of "WWE SmackDown," with a surprisingly eventful pre-taped episode taking place at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Following up on the events of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event earlier this month, tonight's show continued the push for a wave of new talent, with two NXT stars further solidifying themselves on the blue brand. Even more notably, another former WWE NXT Champion picked up their first title on the main roster.
As always, we found bright spots as well as blemishes during tonight's show, and we won't be shy about sharing them with you. Take a look at our "SmackDown" results page for a strict recap, or continue on to discover what we loved and hated about the latest episode.
Though it was just a short backstage segment, Trick Williams made a splash as he debuted on "WWE SmackDown" as a free agent, coming face-to-face with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Williams made it clear that he intends to start strong on the main roster, stepping up to the company's biggest star right away. To his credit, Rhodes didn't brush Williams off, instead seeming to take the threat to his title seriously.
Rhodes has plenty of other problems to deal with, from Drew McIntyre to Nick Aldis, so it doesn't seem like a match between the champion and Williams is imminent. Still, it (hopefully) shows that WWE means to push Williams immediately, and rightfully so. He checks all the boxes and should be able to jump right into the mix with the rest of the main roster. Plus, it just so happens that his old friend-turned-rival Carmelo Hayes happened to win his first main roster title on the same show. Surely a coincidence, right? RIGHT?
Anyways, contrary to prior reports, it doesn't yet seem certain that Williams will land on the blue brand, and it seems safe to assume he'll appear on "WWE Raw" in the near future to tease a possible landing there. Either way, it's nice to see WWE following through on the promises of John Cena's final show, with some new stars coming into focus.
Written by Nick Miller
Admittedly, this isn't exactly a problem with this week's episode, but it needs to be addressed: two hours is the perfect amount of time for a weekly pro wrestling television show. Ever since "WWE Raw" changed to the three-hour format more than a decade ago, it's been evident that the extra time has plenty of drawbacks, and that show has benefited from the looser format over on Netflix. Now that "SmackDown" is moving back to three hours, it'll be able to fit more of the company's talent on the roster, but at what cost? It becomes exhausting to watch, especially for those who have to sit through all the commercials, and on a Friday night, no less.
It's hard enough to put together a cohesive show at two hours in length. As evidenced by countless episodes of "Raw" (and "SmackDown," for that matter), that extra hour makes that even more difficult. At the end of the day, as usual, it comes down to money, and WWE will make plenty more money from that extra hour each week. And as I mentioned, it's great for the roster to have a considerable amount of extra TV time. However, from this viewer's perspective, the move back to three hours is a net loss.
Written by Nick Miller
Who knew that the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships would be the titles to watch heading into 2026?
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championships have been plagued by poor booking, ever since their inception. On Cagematch.net, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships boast a 3.73/10 crowdsourced ranking, with many netizens justifiably criticizing WWE's women's tag team division for their inconsistent booking, lack of depth, and placeholder status. If you've looked at pretty much any WWE Women's Tag Title reign from 2020 up to now, you can see exactly where fans are coming from: WWE hands the tag titles to the most over female duo, the new champions defend them once or twice on a weekly show (or premium live event preshow), and the titles get exchanged to the newest flavor of the week.
I don't know what exactly changed in the WWE's writer room. Maybe they felt threatened by the advent of AEW's women's tag team division. Maybe they finally got the message Sasha Banks and Naomi were trying to send with their 2022 walkout, nearly four years later. Maybe Triple H woke up after being visited by the Ghost of Women's Wrestling Future, and had a change of heart. Either way, WWE has significantly beefed up their women's tag team wrestling game, and I'm loving it.
Where the WWE Women's Tag Team titles would be contested once every four weeks, both "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown" are now consistently showcasing these titles week-in and week-out. Where WWE's female tag team scene once boasted stars like...Isla Dawn (no shade to Dawn; I needed a midcarder), we now have certified main eventers like Charlotte Flair and IYO SKY in the division, vying for those coveted tag team titles. Where the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships felt like an afterthought or consolation prize, they are now something to gun over, with four must-watch teams all vying for their shot at The Kabuki Warriors' gold. Where the women's tag division once felt flat, with no emotional stakes, we have deep companionship, and deep hatred, between all women involved in the tag title scene. These titles are beginning to mean something. These teams are beginning to mean something.
Yes, the extent of tonight's WWE Women's Tag Team title feature was limited to a backstage segment, but bringing in RHIYO and The Kabuki Warriors from "Raw" went a long way. It allowed for the tag team picture to be a lot more cohesive, and with all four teams nearly getting into it in the back, the difference between the WWE women's tag team scene pre- and post-2025 Q4 is tangible.
Will WWE carry into this momentum into 2026? Who knows. Let's just be grateful now.
Written by Angeline Phu
I've been singing the praises of Lash Legend over the past few weeks, and to my credit, she has been very good on the main roster (especially considering her in-ring inexperience). She's managed to hold her own against the dominating force of Nia Jax, she's put on some decent-to-great performances in WarGames, and against Alexa Bliss, and overall is a new, dominant face in a women's division that is sorely lacking the fresh dimension she provides. Legend is on a hot streak in WWE, so by that logic, a match between her and proven talent Charlotte Flair should've been great, right?
Wrong.
I wanted to like this match so bad. On paper, it was a total draw: Legend is, again, one of the hottest female Superstars on "SmackDown" right now, and Flair is a fourteen-time world champion like her or not, she is a proven in-ring performer. In the ring, though, this match was almost unwatchable. If I didn't have to be here for work, I would have turned to television off. It was so bad.
We all know wrestling is predetermined. I know kayfabe warriors in the comments will yell at me, but let's be realistic: all of these stunts are choreographed, so that they look as real as possible without hurting the other person. A part of the mystique and appeal with professional wrestling is just how real everything looks, even though its moves are fanciful and illogical. This is why flippy wrestlers like Will Ospreay and Carmelo Hayes (shout-out to the new US Champion) are so coveted in the industry. Pro wrestling is like live-action anime. Wrestling is choreographed, but in order to serve its purpose, the choreography has to...look like an actual hit. Legend and Flair had none of that.
I haven't seen a match this clunky in a while, and while that could possibly be spun as a positive for WWE, I need Flair and Legend to clean up their act if this feud is going to last any longer (and with the blossoming of the women's tag team division in WWE, it looks like it just might). Flair and Legend just kind of fumbled around each other the entire evening, with chops that didn't quite land, and Big Boots that required the other person to pause as they waited for their target to conveniently place themselves into position for the blow. This match wasn't just bad, clunky, and unwatchable. It was so awkward that everything in this match, right down to Flair's delayed reaction to Jax jumping onto the apron, threatened to ruin the illusion of kayfabe.
Exaggeration aside, this match was really the worst of the night. We should have left this one in the drafts.
Written by Angeline Phu
Carmelo Hayes is HIM and now he has the title to prove it. Hayes was drafted to SmackDown in April 2024 and it's been a bumpy road for him ever since, with more questionable booking than strong storytelling. He had a best-of-seven series with Andrade and then struggled to gain much footing. He also got bogged down in a tag team with The Miz, but despite all that, the fans have long been behind him and have finally been rewarded for their support.
Hayes had a barnburner of a match with Ilja Dragunov on tonight's "SmackDown." Dragunov has been a highlight on a show that can be a chore to get through. His style doesn't fit with WWE's style of wrestling (sports entertainment), which is part of the reason he's such a standout. Hayes matched him at every turn tonight and really excelled. Dragunov was so impressed with Hayes winning, that he placed the title around Hayes's waist. Their history makes the win even sweeter. The match could be considered a late Match of the Year contender.
It's well past time that WWE rewarded Hayes for everything they've made him endure since joining the Blue brand. Hayes cannot be denied and hopefully his title reign reflects that. I hope that he continues the open challenge stipulation as champion. It appears his first challenger is going to be Johnny Gargano after he attacked the champ during his post-victory segment, reminding Hayes he already has a target on his back.
Written by Samantha Schipman
As of today, Jade Cargill has been WWE Women's Champion for 56 days, and she will finally have her first title defense next Friday night. After winning, she put the division on notice with a short, blunt promo. Since then, she's mostly been in backstage segments and had two matches that lasted under two minutes. In that time, Michin and B-Fab are the only two women who have shown interest in her title. Shouldn't women be clamoring for the biggest title on the blue brand?
This is not a slight at Michin, but she is the only one who ever seems to be interested in a singles title. She feuded with both Chelsea Green and Giulia during their respective U.S. title reigns. Giulia barely defended her title, but is at least trying to get a match with Green to get a shot at winning the U.S. title again. A majority of the other women in the division are competing for the tag titles. It's great that the women have three titles to compete for, but it shows just how thin the division is. Candice LeRae and Zelina are wrapped up in their respective husbands' business. Kiana James and Nikki Cross only occasionally wrestle. Stratton hasn't been seen since losing to Cargill. The aforementioned B-Fab has competed for the tag titles. "SmackDown" would benefit from several women making the jump to NXT to help fill out the division and make a play for both singles titles.
Written by Samantha Schipman
