WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reactions and Highlights From Dec. 26

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on December 26.

This was the final SmackDown of 2025, but since it was pre-taped to give the wrestlers this week off, we know exactly what to expect. Here's the lineup from Friday's show:

• Joe Hendry vs. The Miz
• Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes (U.S. title)
• Charlotte Flair vs. Lash Legend
• Giulia and Kiana James vs. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre

Let's take a look at what went down on the final SmackDown of 2025.

The Miz vs. Joe Hendry

Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Miz lost to Je'Von Evans (SD, Dec. 12), Hendry lost a Fatal 4-Way (NXT, Dec. 16)

We opened with the usual recap of last week's show before we saw Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis speaking backstage. Aldis reminded Rhodes he would be stripped of the title if he put a finger on Drew McIntyre.

The Miz was shown talking to Aldis about Hendry before we went to the ring to see him preparing for his concert with a couple of WWE Superstars dressed in Christmas outfits. Akira Tozawa was the elf on the turnbuckle.

Hendry sang a carol about The Miz having tiny balls as Otis danced around. The A-Lister interrupted his song to protest. He challenged Hendry to a match. Aldis came out and turned it into a Miracle on 34th Street Fight.

This stipulation is always designed to get a laugh out of the crowd and provide some entertainment, so you have to go into it knowing what to expect. If you expect a five-star technical clinic, you will be disappointed. If you expect some joke spots and Otis in a Santa suit, you will enjoy this.

Both men knew the assignment and made each other look good, but The A-Lister came up short against the newcomer in the end. This is one of those segments that was designed to appeal to the younger fans.

Result: Hendry defeated The Miz

Grade: C-plus

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Notable Moments and Observations

St. Nick Aldis could have been a funny gimmick.

Was that Adam Rose's bunny in the ring?

Michael Cole trying to claim he likes seeing the Slim Jim logo on the table was a sad bit of product placement.

For a guy who isn't a giant, Hendry has a decent chokeslam.

Lash Legend vs. Charlotte Flair

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Legend and Nia Jax defeated Kabuki Warriors (Raw, Dec. 15), Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky ended in a No Contest (Raw, Dec. 1)

The women's tag team feud with Bliss, Flair, Legend and Jax continued this week when The Queen and The Boujee Bully went one-on-one.

Legend is one of the few people who has a size and power advantage over Flair, so the former world champion looked like an underdog for once even if she had a lot more experience.

For the first half and through the commercial break, Legend had the match firmly in hand. The Queen began making a comeback and got the crowd behind her as she dished out some signature Flair chops.

Bliss and Jax ended up fighting at ringside, which allowed Flair to pin Legend with a sunset flip-style pin.

This was a solid match, and probably the best for Legend on the main roster to date. Flair allowed her to control most of the action, and it helped showcase the newcomer to the blue brand.

Result: Flair defeated Legend

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Aleister Black and Zelina Vega had a promo video directed at Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley.
• Flair sold a clothesline from Legend like she was hit by a truck. It was great.
• Graves tried to cover for a mistake from Legend by saying she was overzealous.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Carmelo Hayes

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Dragunov and Hayes defeated DIY (SD, Dec. 15)

The United States Championship took center stage as Dragunov defended the belt against Hayes in a rematch from their bout on December 5. Both men were upset that Tommaso Ciampa affected the outcome, so they wanted a fair fight this week.

Just like their previous encounter, both men were clearly looking to prove they are among the best WWE has on the roster. Even though they are friendly backstage, neither man held back and made this a hard-fought contest right away.

The Mad Dragon seemed to have control a bit more in the first half, but Hayes began making headway after the break. He countered the H-Bomb with a jumping kick and hit a springboard DDT as he began building momentum.

The crowd chanted "This is awesome" as they went into the second break. We've talked about this with all of these open challenges, but Dragunov has cemented himself as one of the most reliable performers, and Haye is right there with him.

This was an outstanding match that had just as much physicality as their last encounter, but this time they benefited from having a clean finish. The champion put up a good fight, but Melo didn't miss this time. He nailed his finisher to get the pin and win the U.S. title.

The result of this bout was spoiled due to the show being taped last week, but the match was no less exciting as a result of that.

Result: Hayes defeated Dragunov

Grade: A

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Notable Moments and Observations

• Solo Sikoa and the MFTs had a quick video promo.
• Trick Williams and Rhodes had a brief confrontation in Aldis' office.
• Dragunov was not holding back with some of his strikes. Hayes took some stiff shots.
• Hayes and Williams can now both say they have defeated Dragunov for titles.

The Green Regime vs. Giulia and Kiana James

Bradlee Rutledge/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: The Green Regime lost to ZaRuca (SD, Oct. 3), Giulia and James lost to Stephanie Vaquer and Tiffany Stratton (SD, Oct. 10)

We got an interesting women's tag match this week with Giulia and James taking on Green and Fyre. What made it interesting is that both teams are heels right now, so there was no babyface team for the crowd to cheer for by default.

Even though they operate as villains, Green's popularity led to her and Fyre getting more cheers than their opponents.

We knew this match wouldn't last too long since we still had a segment with Rhodes and McIntyre left on the show, so it was no surprise to see them jump right into the action instead of easing into it.

James looked good against Green and Fyre in the opening minutes. She has always been a great athlete whose booking did not line up with her skills. In fact, she may have outshined Giulia in this match a bit, but that was mostly because she spent more time in the ring.

When you consider that they didn't have a ton of time, this ended up being a pretty decent match. They kept the pace quick while still managing to throw in some taunts and submissions.

Giulia ended up getting the pin on the United States champion, which will likely lead to another rematch between them in the near future.

Result: Giulia and James defeated Green and Fyre

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

Aldis booked a huge women's tag title bout for the first episode in 2026 with multiple teams.

Johnny Gargano attacked Hayes backstage while he was being interviews about his title win, so it looks like we know who his first rival will be in 2026.

It's kind of sad to think about how much momentum Giulia has lost since coming to the main roster. Even her run as U.S. champion felt underwhelming, which is not her fault. She just hasn't had the kind of booking she needs.

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

This week's show ended with a segment involving McIntyre and Rhodes. If McIntyre apologized to the ref he attacked and paid a fine, he would get to choose the time and stipulation for his next title shot against The American Nightmare.

McIntyre issued a half-hearted apology to the ref he kicked, but then he insulted him by saying he wasn't good enough to be a wrestler and that is why he became a referee.

Rhodes was goaded into coming to the ring and McIntyre dared him to take a shot and cost himself the title. The show ended with McIntyre hitting a Claymore before picking up the WWE title and posing with it.

This segment went as expected, but not in a bad way. McIntyre did a great job playing the jerk who was trying to get under his opponent's skin.

Grade: B

The Final Word

Friday's SmackDown closed out 2025 with a few forgettable matches and one show-stealing performance everyone should see.

Once again, Dragunov stole the show. This time, he had Hayes as a dance partner. We feel like a broken record saying this every week, but The Mad Dragon's bouts have become the best thing on the blue brand every week. 

Hayes winning the title was a nice feel-good moment to close out his 2025, but what this means for the former champion remains to be seen. 

The final segment did a good job setting up Rhodes and McIntyre's upcoming showdown for the title, and the fact that we will get it on TV instead of a PLE was the most surprising revelation. 

Next week, SmackDown moves back to three hours, so let's hope WWE has some surprises in store. 

Grade: B