WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reactions, Highlights Before Elimination Chamber 2026

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on February 27.

This is the final show before tomorrow's Elimination Chamber PLE, so it's the last chance WWE has to sell fans on the event.

Here's a look at what was advertised for Friday's show:

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Nia Jax (Women's Tag Team Championships)

Oba Femi vs. The Miz

Jordynne Grace vs. Candice LeRae

Uncle Howdy vs. Solo Sikoa

Men's Chamber participants meet one last time before the PLE

Let's take a look at what happened on this week's SmackDown.

Opening Segment

Cooper Neil/WWE via Getty Images

Before the show began, WWE ran an angle during a commercial break showing Jey Uso unconscious backstage after an apparent attack. When the show went live, he was shown being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Jacob Fatu went with him.

Drew McIntyre came to the ring and denied being Jey's attacker to get ahead of the accusations. Nick Aldis came out and ordered him to go to his office. Cody Rhodes came out looking for a fight, but Drew said he would gain nothing from it.

Rhodes said McIntyre has been running from him for his entire reign as champion. Randy Orton showed up and said he feels bad for Jey, but his only concern is winning the Chamber.

Trick Williams arrived next to the crowd singing his entrance music. It didn't take long for Je'Von Evans to follow. LA Knight was the final man in the Chamber to come out for this segment.

Knight and Williams began fighting and ended up heading backstage. The Viper nailed Evans with an RKO before staring down The American Nightmare.

While this eventually turned into the segment that was announced in the official preview for the show, they took a more organic route to get to it than usual.

Considering how many people were involved, this didn't last as long as expected, which is a good thing. Sometimes, short and sweet is the right way to go.

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

There were too many people speaking during the backstage segment. You could barely hear what Evans was saying to Williams.

Knight always looks like the vest he is wearing is one size too small for some reason.

Asuka, Kairi Sane and Tiffany Stratton had a backstage segment that led to Tiffy challenging Asuka to a match.

Solo Sikoa vs. Uncle Howdy

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: The Wyatt Sicks defeated Los Garzas (Main Event, Feb. 13), MFTs won an eight-man tag (SD, Feb. 13)

Solo Sikoa came out with the lantern for his match against Uncle Howdy. For once, Solo wasn't flanked by everyone else from the MFTs.

Howdy backed Sikoa to the corner and stared at him until Solo shoved him away. They kept things pretty simple in the early moments of the match, but they picked up the pace eventually once they started throwing hands.

Howdy had the upper hand for a couple of minutes, but Sikoa rammed his face into the middle turnbuckle as the show cut to a break. We returned just as Sikoa hit a Samoan drop for a near-fall.

This match had fun moments, but as a whole, it fell a little flat. For a feud that has been built up to be so personal, it did not feel like these were two wrestlers who hate each other. It lacked the needed intensity to sell the story until Sikoa tried to hit Sister Abigail instead of his own finisher.

Howdy applied the Mandible Claw, but Sikoa broke free. He ended up running right into Howdy's arms for Sister Abigail to give him a clean win. He reclaimed the lantern, but only for a moment. The MFTs attacked him from behind and stole it again.

This feud could and should have ended here, but this will keep it going beyond its expiration date.

Result: Uncle Howdy defeated Sikoa

Grade: C-plus

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Notable Moments and Observations

Even though WWE books the group very inconsistently, the Wyatts still have one of the coolest entrances in the company.

Howdy made a nice reference to the late Brodie Lee.

They had the lantern on a podium at ringside as if it were a title being defended. Howdy almost knocked it over when he bumped into it.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Kairi Sane

Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Stratton defeated Alba Fyre (SD, Feb. 20), Sane lost to Raquel Rodriguez (Raw, Feb. 23)

After a few backstage segments and another break, Stratton took on Sane because Asuka wanted to stay fresh for the Chamber. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre came out to watch the match from the commentary desk.

Tiffy and Kairi traded some quick takedowns. Stratton took control and hit a slingshot crossbody over the top rope when Sane tried to take a breather at ringside.

Having Sane take Asuka's place felt like a bait and switch, but Sane doesn't get enough ring time these days, so it wasn't an unwelcome change. She and Stratton have only had a few tag matches before this, so it was nice to get a fresh pairing for a singles bout.

They picked up some steam in the second half and had a pretty physical fight. They had a couple of hiccups, but the good outweighed the bad. After Sane accidentally took out Green, Stratton hit her with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the pin and the win.

Result: Stratton defeated Sane

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

Paul Heyman, Logan Paul and Austin Theory showed up backstage to pitch Paul replacing Jey in the Chamber since he is injured. Nick Aldis said he would make some calls, but he did not seem entirely opposed to the idea.

Fatu returned from the hospital and told Aldis he believes it was Drew who attacked Jey. He said he wants to be in the Chamber so he can win and take care of McIntyre himself. Aldis gave him the same response he gave Heyman earlier.

Tiffy fell before Sane went to trip her on the top rope. She was just a split second too early with the sell.

The DDT from Sane on the apron looked cool. Stratton sold it well.

You could see Tiffy telegraphing the spot when Sane hit Green, but it still looked good.

The Miz vs. Oba Femi

Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: The Miz lost to Hayes (SD, Feb. 6), Femi defeated Kit Wilson (SD, Feb. 20)

The Miz made his way to the ring to take on Oba Femi before the next break. The A-Lister looked scared as Femi entered the ring looking as confident as ever.

Miz grabbed a mic and said they don't have to fight because nobody wants to see it. The crowd disagreed with him, but he kept trying to talk his way out of it. He told Femi he wants to be the type of locker room leader who mentors him.

The Ruler asked the crowd if he should join forces with The Miz, which got a resounding "No" from the fans. Femi proceeded to dismantle the former WWE champion.

He countered the Skull-Crushing Finale and threw Miz across the ring before hitting The Fall From Grace for a quick win.

This was an extended squash that had more talking than fighting. Femi looked dominant, but the match itself was nothing special. The only reason it's not getting a lower grade is that they did exactly what they needed to do to make the crowd happy.

Result: Femi defeated The Miz

Grade: C

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Notable Moments and Observations

Aldis booked Paul vs. Fatu for the open Chamber spot. Heyman was upset, but Paul said he was up for it.

Ilja Dragunov was shown saying that he doesn't feel like he deserves another U.S. title shot right now.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Matt Cardona

Cooper Neill/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Hayes lost to Trick Williams (SD, Feb. 20), Matt Cardona lost an eight-man tag match (SD, Feb. 13)

Carmelo Hayes came out for another United States Championship open challenge. We already knew it wouldn't be Dragunov accepting it, so Matt Cardona answered the call.

The former Zack Ryder got the first near-fall with a nice dropkick. Melo fired back with his own, but Cardona dodged the second attempt and hit a boot to the face.

We returned from a break to see Cardona still firmly in control. He started building momentum, but he was still selling his left arm being injured.

While this might not have lived up to some of the other recent title defenses from Hayes, it was still a solid performance. It was nice to see WWE finally doing something of substance with Cardona.

The challenger came close a few times, but Hayes was able to get the win to retain his title. They shook hands to show some respect after it was over.

Result: Hayes defeated Cardona

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

Cardona looked more orange than tan.

Both men have great dropkicks.

Melo diving at Cardona only to end up landing on the announce table was a weird moment. It looked like he was thinking about a springboard but changed his mind and just jumped off the apron instead.

Candice LeRae vs. Jordynne Grace

Matt Pendleton/WWE

Last time in action: LeRae lost the Royal Rumble (Rumble, Jan. 31), Grace lost to Jade Cargill (SD, Feb. 13)

Candice LeRae practically had to force Johnny Gargano to come to the ring with her for her match against Jordynne Grace.

As soon as the ref called for the bell, Grace took LeRae down and started beating on her. The Juggernaut ran into an elbow, and LeRae followed up with a quick series of moves, but couldn't get the pin.

Gargano got up and started walking away, which distracted LeRae long enough for Grace to hit her with a pump-handle suplex for the win.

This was short, pretty uneventful, and the finish fell completely flat. LeRae and Grace had a few good moves, but it wasn't enough to save this match.

Result: Grace defeated LeRae

Grade: C-

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Notable Moments and Observations

Gargano is somehow making what should be a very dumb gimmick into something that is actually kind of funny.

The crowd seemed pretty dead for this match.

Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. Lash Legend and Nia Jax

Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Rhiyo vs. Irresistible Forces ended in a no contest (SD, Feb. 13)

The last time Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky faced Nia Jax and Lash Legend, the match ended without a definitive winner, so both teams were looking to win this decisively to settle their feud.

Legend and Sky started with a few counters before Ripley tagged in for a double-team attack. Jax and Legend tried to regroup at ringside, but the champs went after them. The challengers caught them and swung them into the barricade a few times.

They did a good job making this feel like a physical fight, but most of the match was missing the kind of intensity you would expect after the way their last encounter ended. It felt just a little too choreographed in places.

They brought more energy to the second half, so the crowd started to get a little more excited. They fought through two commercial breaks, so this ended up being the longest match of the night.

Even though they made this more entertaining in the back half, it felt a little disjointed in places. This might be one of the rare instances when a shorter match might have been better.

Legend was able to pin Ripley to win the tag titles for her and Jax.

Result: Jax and Legend defeated Ripley and Sky to win the women's tag titles

Grade: C-plus

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Notable Moments and Observations

Sami Zayn accused Fatu of being the one to attack Jey earlier in the show.

Legend is one of the few powerhouses who makes Ripley look small.

The simultaneous swings into the barricade was a good teamwork spot for Legend and Jax.

Jacob Fatu vs. Logan Paul

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Fatu lost to Rhodes (SD, Feb. 13), The Vision defeated LA Knight and The Usos (Raw, Feb. 16)

This week's main event saw Paul and Fatu fight for the open spot in the Chamber. Heyman and Theory accompanied Paul to the ring, but Fatu was flying solo as usual.

Theory distracted Fatu so Paul could get the advantage, but Fatu quickly recovered and started laying him out with clotheslines. He nailed The Social Media Superstar with a suicide dive as we went to the final break.

This was probably more competitive than it should have been. Fatu should have dominated Paul a lot more than he did, but they did their best to make it feel competitive.

Heyman interfered to help Paul, but they were unable to keep the Samoan Werewolf down for the pin. The masked man showed up and superkicked Theory, but he was taken out by Paul and unmasked. It was some random guy we have never seen before.

McIntyre showed up and attacked Fatu while the ref was distracted to help Paul get the win. Not only did we get an unsatisfying ending to the match, but the reveal of the masked man being someone inconsequential was a huge letdown.

Result: Paul defeated Fatu

Grade: C

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Notable Moments and Observations

Charlotte Flair was shown eating ice cream because she was depressed.

Aldis told the MFTs that new No. 1 contenders for the tag titles would be determined next week.

The Final Word

Mike Marques/WWE via Getty Images

Friday's SmackDown devoted a lot of time to building up the Chamber PLE, which makes sense as the go-home show, but the rest of the episode was lacking in some areas.

Hayes and Cardona had the best match of the night, but it wasn't exactly a high bar to clear this week. 

The injury angle with Uso felt rushed and changed the PLE lineup a day before it takes place, but the change won't be significant enough to affect any outcomes.

Revealing the masked man to be someone we have never seen before was the most unsatisfying possible outcome to that story.  

The good, bad and everything in between added up to a pretty mediocre SmackDown. It had some highlights, but not enough to stop this from feeling like a long three hours. 

Grade: C