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WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reactions, Highlights Before Royal Rumble 2026
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on January 30.
WWE is already in Saudi Arabia for this year's Royal Rumble PLE, so the blue brand taped it's show earlier in the day in Riyadh.
Here's a look at what was advertised for this week's episode:
Let's take a look at everything that happened on the go-home SmackDown before this weekend's Royal Rumble.
The American Nightmare Speaks, and So Does Everyone Else
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After a quick recap of Saturday Night's Main Event, Rhodes made his way to the ring to kick off the show. He took his time getting to the ring because he was interacting with a lot of fans along the barricades.
The crowd gave him a warm reception and chanted his name for a long time before he started talking. He spoke about his bout with Jacob Fatu ending due to Drew McIntyre getting involved and wanting to win the Royal Rumble for a third time.
Rhodes teased facing CM Punk for the world title if he wins the Rumble, which got a loud reaction from the crowd, but they were even louder when Randy Orton's music hit.
The Viper said even though he respects Rhodes, he will toss him out of the Rumble without hesitating because he is chasing title No. 15. This led to Jey Uso coming, but unlike the other two, he sprinted to the ring.
After Main Event Jey gave his speech, Sami Zayn came to the ring. He promised that it would be him waiting for the winner with the WWE title, not McIntyre. Paul Heyman and The Vision were out next, but they stayed on the staged for their promo.
Nick Aldis came out and booked an eight-man tag match with everyone for later in the show.
The crowd was loud and rowdy for this whole segment, but for the most part, it was just standard promo stuff. Everyone did a good job hyping the Rumble, but this segment may have overstayed its welcome just a bit. It didn't wrap up until we were about 30 minutes into the show.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Carmelo Hayes vs. Rey Fenix
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Last time in action:Ā Hayes defeated Dragunov (SD, Jan. 23), Fenix defeated Nathan Frazer (Main Event, Jan. 16)
Carmelo Hayes was out after the break for another U.S. title open challenge, and this time it was Rey Fenix who answered the call.
Fenix was flipping off the top rope for an arm drag within 10 seconds of the bell ringing, so you could tell this would be a fast-paced and exciting match as soon as it got started.
Fenix was in control when the show cut to a commercial, but Melo started fighting back during the picture-in-picture portion of the match.
They traded the upper hand several times and made this a competitive fight, but the outcome was relatively predictable. Hayes winning wasn't a surprise, but the match that got us to that decision was excellent. They wrestled through two breaks, so they had plenty of time to make this exciting.
Fenix is a veteran with a reputation for being one of the best luchadores in the world, and Hayes is one of the best young talents to come along in WWE in years. Just like every other defense Melo has had since winning the title, this was a standout performance.
Result: Hayes defeated Fenix
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Judgment Day
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Last time in action:Ā Flair and Bliss lost to Giulia and James (SD, Jan. 23), Judgment Day lost to Stephanie Vaquer and Rhiyo (Raw, Jan. 26)
Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky gave an interview and said they will be friends no matter who wins the Rumble. Giulia, Kiana James, Lash Legend and Nia Jax showed up and they all started yelling at each other.
Back in the arena, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss made their way to the ring to take on Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez. Flair and Bliss argued a bit about who would win the Rumble before the match.
Morgan and Perez tried to avoid having this bout, but Aldis came out and made sure it happened. We returned from a break to see the match already in progress. They battled through another break, so even though we didn't get to see how the match started, it felt like they had enough time.
These four women have crossed paths several times, so they have a level of comfort working with each other that allowed them to put on a solid performance. Morgan and Flair were the standouts for their respective teams.
After Vaquer showed up to neutralize Raquel Rodriguez, Bliss hit Perez with Sister Abigail for the win.
Result: Flair and Bliss defeated Judgment Day
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Axiom vs. Johnny Gargano
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Last time in action:Ā Axiom lost to Je'Von Evans (AAA, Nov. 22), Johnny Gargano lost to Nathan Frazer (SD, Jan. 23)
Jordynne Grace and Jade Cargill got into a pull-apart brawl backstage before Axiom made his entrance to take on Gargano, who still had one of Axiom's masks in his possession. Aldis told him that if Axiom wins, Gargano has to give the mask back.
They started with a simple lockup into an exchange of holds and counters, but it didn't take long for them to pick up the pace. The crowd chanted for Gargano and he soaked it in for a moment.
Much like Hayes and Fenix earlier, this is one of those matches that you already knew would be good before it started because both guys have built up reputations as great performers over the years.
This match had a brisk pace, some solid mat wrestling and a few high-flying spots. You can't ask for much more from two guys in their prime. Gargano ripped off Axiom's mask, but he was able to put on the other one Gargano stole before hitting his finisher for the win.
Result: Axiom defeated Gargano
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
AJ Styles Possibly Gives His Last Promo
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The Miz was able to plant seeds of doubt in Dragunov's head by claiming Hayes asked him to interfere in their match last week. Hayes tried to claim he had nothing to do with it, but Dragunov didn't look like he believed him.
After a break, AJ Styles came to the ring for what could be his final promo as an active WWE Superstar as he prepares to face Gunther tomorrow with his career on the line.
The crow chanted AJ's name for a little while before he finally spoke. He talked about being confident he will beat Gunther and be able to continue his farewell tour with matches against some of his other rivals.
The Ring General showed up and talked trash while standing on the announce table. Styles angered him by reminding him that he tapped out to the Calf Crusher, but he opted not to fight AJ and walked away.
While this segment may not have been bad, it did feel a little unnecessary. These two have done everything they can to hype this match, so this exchange felt like they were just repeating the same story beats we have been seeing for a few weeks.
Grade: B-
The Miz vs. Ilja Dragunov
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Last time in action: The Miz lost to Orton (SD, Jan. 16), Dragunov lost to Hayes (SD, Jan. 23)
The next match saw Dragunov attempting to get some revenge against The Miz for costing him his match for the U.S. title last week.
The A-Lister cornered Dragunov for a chest chop, but all it did was fire the Russian Superstar up. The Miz did a good job avoiding him for a minute, but one stiff chop from Dragunov dropped him to his knees.
The Miz sent him crashing over the top rope to the floor with a running boot as the show went to a break. We returned to see him still controlling the pace, but The Mad Dragon began fighting back.
This wasn't as hard-hitting and fast-paced as many of Dragunov's recent matches, but it still had some entertaining action. The Miz works a different styles than stars like Hayes, but Dragunov adjusted his own style to match it.
After a competitive back-and-forth fight, Dragunov hit the H-Bomb for the pin and the win.
Result: Dragunov defeated The Miz
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
The Vision vs. Zayn, Orton, Rhodes and Uso
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The main event of this week's show was the eight-man tag match that was set up in the opening segment. Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker and Austin Theory took on Orton, Zayn, Rhodes and Uso before most of them compete in the Rumble tomorrow.
Matches with this many people are always going to be a little chaotic, and this one was no exception, but they did a good job keeping it easy to follow who was legal. The ref had a hard time getting everyone under control so he could call for the opening bell, but once he did, it was Zayn and Theory who started for their teams.
Rhodes spent a while taking a beating from The Vision before he was able to tag out. Since the Rumble is coming up, we got a long sequence of people throwing each other over the top rope.
The match came to an abrupt end when McIntyre attacked Zayn to cause a disqualification, but before he could do much damage, Fatu showed up looking to fight the Scottish Warrior.
Zayn wiped out McIntyre with a Helluva Kick before Breakker took him and Rhodes out with one Spear to end the show.
Result: Rhodes, Uso, Zayn and Orton defeated The Vision by DQ
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
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Friday's SmackDown was kind of a weird show for one reason. Every match we saw ranged from good to great, but it didn't feel like we got enough.
This was a three-hour show that only had five matches. Obviously hyping the Rumble was a priority, but WWE spent so much time on non-wrestling segments that it felt like it was half the show.Ā
That complaint aside, it was a good week for the blue brand in terms of in-ring quality. Gargano vs. Axiom and Hayes vs. Fenix were the two biggest highlights of the night.
The women's tag match was enjoyable, The Miz had one of his best matches in quite some time against Dragunov, and the main event had some fun moments that the crowd seemed to love.
If WWE had found the time to include one more match, it would have made a big difference, but as it stands, this still wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours on a Friday night.Ā
Grade: B-plus
