WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reactions and Highlights From Dec. 19

On the heels of blockbuster footage of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes attacking Drew McIntyre at his home in Florida, what did the American Nightmare have to say about his actions, and what consequences did they have at the top of the blue brand?

That was the question answered Friday night on WWE SmackDown on the USA Network, a show that also featured the tag team titles up for grabs and several non-title bouts with potential championship implications.

Lineup

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Announced in advance for the show were:

An appearance from Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Wyatt Sicks vs. The MFTs

Non-Title Match: The Kabuki Warriors vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend

Alba Fyre vs. Giulia

Ila Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes vs. DIY

Damian Priest Kicked Off SmackDown

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Last Time in Action: Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley defeated Aleister Black and Zelina Vega (SmackDown, December 12)

The former world heavyweight champion hit the ring to kick off the show and wasted little time showing respect to the recently retired John Cena before turning his attention to last week's win over Black and Vega.

Before he could talk 2026, the latter interrupted, calling The Punisher a hypocrite. The distraction allowed Black to attack his rival from behind, but Priest fended him off. He grabbed a table from underneath the ring and set it up in hopes of driving his foe through it, but ultimately found himself the recipient of a steel chair attack.

Black delivered a Meteora, driving the babyface through the table. He exited the arena with his wife amid boos from the WWE faithful to close things out.

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• This was a short, sweet opening promo segment that pushed things forward, with Black and Vega getting a measure of revenge on Priest and announcing to the world that the vendetta against him is far from over. Other promo segments on some WWE shows would benefit from getting to the point as quickly as this did.
• Backstage, Nia Jax and Lash Legend laid out plans to challenge for the Women's World Tag Team Championship, beginning with a non-title win over the Kabuki Warriors tonight.

Non-Title Match: The Kabuki Warriors vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend

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Last Time in Action: The Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and Becky Lynch lost to AJ Lee, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss (Survivor Series: WarGames, November 29)

Their eyes set on winning tag team gold, the relatively new team of Jax and Legend wasted little time establishing their power advantage over the reigning women's tag team champions, Asuka and Kairi Sane. The Pirate Princess, though, soared through the air, wiping her opponents out entering the commercial break.

The powerhouse tandem regained control during the break, isolating Sane and cutting her off from her partner. A hot tag to The Empress of Tomorrow, though, had the fans back into the match and the champions rallying.

The heels cut off the comeback attempt, though, and Jax finished Sane with the Annihilator to secure the win.

After the match, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss hit the ring, laid into the victors, and sent them scurrying to the sanctuary of the arena floor before standing tall to close out the segment.

Result

Legend and Jax defeated The Kabuki Warriors

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

Backstage, Black attacked Priest, leaving him lying after a brutal assault and further establishing the upper hand over The Archer of Infamy.

The match was better than it may have appeared on paper, with Asuka and Sane knowing exactly how to work with the bigger, stronger opponents and when to spark excitement with their comebacks. The crowd was into it, even rooting for the otherwise dastardly champions.

The post-match was a nice reminder of how well the creative team has done with rejuvenating the women's tag team division. Currently, Jax and Legend, Bliss and Flair, and Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky are pursuing The Kabuki Warriors tag titles. There are some big stars and heavy hitters involved, making this the best the division has been in years.

Cody Rhodes Attacked Drew McIntyre at His Home

In a pre-taped vignette, SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis visited Drew McIntyre at his home to discuss the conditions of his reinstatement, including an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes, a public apology to referee Dan Engler, and a hefty fine to be paid with his WarGames pay.

The Scottish Warrior declined, instead telling Aldis he wanted it in writing that Rhodes cannot touch him before the title match, or The American Nightmare will be stripped of the title.

McIntyre received a notification from his security cameras that Rhodes was at his front door. The two brawled before police officers separated them while the champion exclaimed, "Merry Christmas, a*****e!"

After the video aired, Byron Saxton caught up with Aldis, who was interrupted by The Miz. The Hollywood A-Lister politicked for a match with Joe Hendry and the SmackDown GM approved the match for next week.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

This is something WWE has not done nearly enough of over the last year. While Triple H and the production team had spent his first year maximizing the talents of the crew, with great video packages and vignettes dedicated to getting Superstars and stories over, things have taken a more one-dimensional, in-arena approach of late. This was a breath of fresh air that took Rhodes and McIntyre out of the building, into real life, and highlighted just how intense the hatred is between them. More of this, please.

Giulia vs. Alba Fyre

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Last Time in Action: Alba Fyre lost to Jade Cargill (SmackDown, December 5); Giulia lost to Chelsea Green (SmackDown, November 7)

Driven by rage and a determination to get her title back, Giulia took the fight to Alba Fyre early on Friday, punishing the Scottish-born Superstar, all while the same time, Women's United States champion Chelsea Green watched at ringside.

In what was a glorified enhancement match, Giulia out-wrestled Fyre, rocked her with the Arrivederci knee strike, and put her down with a Northern Lights Bomb for the win.

After the match, she stared Green down, intimidating her enough for the champion to trip and fall on her way out.

Result

Giulia defeated Fyre

Grade

C

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Dangerously serious, and seriously dangerous, is exactly what we need to see out of Giulia at this stage of her main roster run. With that said, the creative team has badly fumbled one of the most intriguing stars on the roster since her call-up. Hopefully, 2026 brings with it a chance for her to truly show what she is capable of as this incarnation of her character is doing little for her.

Cody Rhodes Addressed Nick Aldis

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Last Time in Action: Cody Rhodes defeated Oba Femi via disqualification (Saturday Night's Main Event, December 13)

The American Nightmare immediately addressed his pull-apart with McIntyre, mockingly asking The Scottish Warrior if a more suitable work environment for him may be Staples.

Aldis interrupted, taking exception to Rhodes overstepping and not trusting him to get the negotiations with the prospective No. 1 contender done. He reiterated the conditions (no touching McIntyre) and the WWE champ accepted them, but not a few words of wisdom.

Rhodes told Aldis not to forget who he is. He is QB1, the guy who changed the industry and the Superstar who dethroned the Tribal Chief. He ended the tense encounter by reminding Aldis that as long as he is champion, Rhodes works for the people.

And the GM works for him.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

This was outstanding work from both Aldis and Rhodes. The general manager expressed his frustration with his employee not following orders while Rhodes mustered some of that old Mick Foley "testicular fortitude" and reminded his boss who he was. Not only did this set the stage for McIntyre's return, but it also planted the seeds for dissension between the authority figure and babyface champion. That is a story we have seen unfold before but given the history between Rhodes and Aldis, this could be great fun and a big storyline development down the road.

Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov vs. DIY

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Last Time in Action: Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes have never teamed in a two-on-two tag team match; DIY defeated Fraxiom (SmackDown, November 21)

One week after coming to the aid of the United States champion, Hayes partnered with Dragunov to battle Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.

DIY dominated a large portion of the action; their history as a team and undeniable chemistry were the difference. Their opponents, singles stars in NXT, proved as resilient as they did earlier in their careers.

They fought back, doing enough to evade defeat before Dragunov blasted Ciampa with the H-Bomb and Hayes followed up with Nothing But Net for the win.

Result

Hayes and Dragunov defeated DIY

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

This was all about re-establishing Hayes. He found himself in several situations where defeat appeared imminent, only to soldier through, kick out, and keep victory possible for his team. It was that next-level toughness that eventually allowed Dragunov to re-enter the picture and team with Hayes to take down the former tag team champions.

Backstage, WWE women's champion Jade Cargill was in the midst of a promo when Mia Yim attacked from out of nowhere with a kendo stick, keeping their feud alive.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Wyatt Sicks vs. The MFTs

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Last Time in Action: The Wyatt Sicks defeated The Street Profits (SmackDown, October 10); The MFTs defeated Sami Zayn, Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, and The Motor City Machine Guns (SmackDown, November 21)

The top prize in the SmackDown tag team division was up for grabs in Friday's main event as Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis of The Wyatt Sicks defended against JC Mateo and Tanga Loa of the MFTs.

The challengers downed and isolated Lumis, cutting him off from his partner. They worked over the tallest athlete in the match before he created separation and tagged in Gacy.

The champions mounted a comeback but had their momentum halted by interference from Talla Tonga at ringside. Erick Rowan wiped him out and a brawl ensued, resulting in a double disqualification.

The Wyatt Sicks and MFTs waged war in and around the ring to close out the show, chaos reigning supreme.

Result

No contest

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

The crowd was here for the main event. It was an action-packed match that did not overstay its welcome and invited more storyline developments with the indecisive finish. While some may look at it as a cop-out, the match was not heavily promoted and sets up a potentially even more significant finale for the two factions.

Overall Grade

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For a show that was taped, this was a fairly strong effort for a much-maligned SmackDown brand.

There was clear direction for some of the top feuds, including Rhodes vs. McIntyre, Priest vs. Black, and both sets of tag team titles, while the United States Championship picture continues to shine thanks to the efforts of Dragunov.

While the prospects of the blue brand going back to three hours in the new year sounds like something out of a horror movie, this episode hit a nice, compact stride and never relented.

Grade: B+