WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights After Backlash 2026

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on May 15.

We're fresh off the Backlash PLE, but WWE is already prepping for its next event next weekend, Saturday Night's Main Event.

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

Gunther decides if he will join SmackDown or not

Trick Williams has a special celebration

Jade Cargill addresses Rhea Ripley

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Michin and B-Fab

Tama Tonga vs. Damian Priest

Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

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

Homecoming

Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images

After a brief video recapping the events of Backlash, Trick Williams came out to celebrate a homecoming of sorts at the University of South Carolina. Lil Yachty and the team mascot, Cocky, accompanied him to the ring.

He gave a promo that made a lot of the locals in the crowd happy, and he also explained the origin of his lemon pepper steppers. Surprisingly, The Miz and Kit Wilson came out to spoil the fun.

Yachty said Miz and Wilson were cursed, which inspired Wilson to read some of his slam poetry. Yachty replied with some rhymes that put Wilson to shame.

This started out as a relatively average segment for a hometown hero, but it got worse as it went. The jokes didn't land, and the brawl that ended the segment made Wilson and Miz look even more incompetent than usual.

Yachty's inclusion in Williams' story hasn't done much to help him, but it hasn't hurt him either, so at least Trick Willy is getting over from his own charisma and not because he has a celebrity by his side.

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

We went from The Gingerbread Man to Cocky the Gamecock.

Williams got some local love by mentioning his favorite restaurant.

The Miz's sunglasses reached new levels of ridiculous.

The Miz vs. Trick Williams

Michael Owens/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn, The Miz and Kit Wilson lost to Danhausen and Minihausen (Backlash)

The Miz challenged Williams to a match before the break, and it was apparently made official because Michael Cole confirmed it would begin after the commercial.

The United States champion had the upper hand for a moment, but The A-Lister used some cheap tactics to take control. When Trick Willy regained his momentum, Wilson interfered with a running forearm at ringside.

The match lasted through the break into the next segment. The Miz almost won with a Skull Crushing Finale, but the champ kicked out. The A-Lister attempted to use a kendo stick, but Yachty stole it from him and used it on Wilson.

Williams finished the match with his signature Trick Shot. This match wasn't bad, but it's hard to call it good. It sort of just existed. The crowd loves Williams, and he deserves more than this as the U.S. champion.

Result: Williams defeated The Miz

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

We hope Elton Prince is doing well. Wilson needs him back.

The colors on The Miz and Wilson's gear are very similar to what The New Day used for a few years.

Paige and Brie Bella vs. Giulia and Kiana James

Michael Owens/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Paige and Brie Bella defeated Irresistible Forces (SD, May 1), Giulia and Kiana James lost to Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair (SD, March 6)

The next contest saw Paige and Brie Bella take on Giulia and Kiana James in a non-title tag match.

Brie and Kiana started for their teams. Bella was giving up a little size, so James made sure to use that power advantage to score the first takedown.

Bella and Paige may be the veterans in this showdown, but Giulia and James shone a bit brighter in this bout. They were bumping harder and selling more, but whenever they were in control, they also appeared more aggressive than their opponents.

Paige got the win for her team with the Rampage DDT on James. This was a decent bout, but the possibility of James and Giulia having issues was more interesting than the match itself.

The women's tag team division has plenty of competition, but it needs more stories to tell. If WWE invests a little time into the division, it could be great.

Result: Bella and Paige defeated James and Giulia

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

Nia Jax and Lash Legend taunted Paige and Brie before the match to hype their SNME title bout.

Giulia had a great ring jacket, but the rest of her gear lacked the unique look she has had since her debut.

Sign on the Dotted Line

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Cody Rhodes came out and set up a table and chairs in the ring himself because he wanted Gunther to come out and finally sign his contract. He called out The Ring General, and it didn't take him long to appear.

Gunther said Rhodes ruined a lot of time and effort to set up his SmackDown deal. He asked Cody to be professional, address him with respect, and say please.

Royce Keys came out and said if Gunther won't sign the contract for the title shot, then he will. He marched to the ring and Rhodes handed him the pen. Gunther slid into the ring just in time to stop him.

Nick Aldis showed up and decided to book Keys vs. Gunther in a No. 1 Contender's match. This was a solid segment to initiate a surprise match for later in the show. All three guys did their job well without making this take up too much time.

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

Wade Barrett is very easy to impress. All Cody had to do was put a table and two chairs in the ring.

Rhodes must spend a fortune on suits. It feels like he never wears the same one twice.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Ricky Saints defeated Matt Cardona (SD, May 8), Carmelo Hayes lost to Sami Zayn (SD, April 3)

Earlier in the day, Saints and Hayes had a backstage confrontation that led to them agreeing to have a singles match. Hayes said he was going to humble the SmackDown newcomer.

Saints took control with a sneak attack, but Melo was able to regain his footing and get in some offense.

This was the first time these two have ever shared a ring in their careers, but they took almost no time at all to develop good in-ring chemistry, which speaks to the skill of both competitors.

You could tell both of these guys wanted to make a good impression with this performance, and they succeeded. Saints played a great antagonist, and Melo had the crowd behind him thanks to his exciting arsenal of moves.

Saints was caught by the ref trying to use the ropes for a pin, but Melo got him back by getting away with the same trick to get the win.

Result: Hayes defeated Saints

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Shinsuke Nakamura tried to talk to Tama backstage, but Talla attacked him and put him through a table.

It's ridiculous that Hayes went from having the best match every week to sitting on the bench for over a month for no reason.

The sequence when both guys missed some shots looked half intentional, half accidental, but it was still kind of fun.

Damian Priest vs. Tama Tonga

Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Tama Tonga lost to Royce Keys (SD, May 8), Damian Priest lost to Talla Tonga (SD, May 8)

One-half of the tag team champions was in action this week when Damian Priest took on Tama Tonga. This was originally scheduled to be a tag match with Talla Tonga and R-Truth included, but Truth was not cleared to compete this week.

Tonga attempted to get an early advantage by attacking Priest before he could get his jacket off, but the former world champion didn't let him have the upper hand for long.

The Archer of Infamy almost hit the Razor's Edge after the break, but Tama turned it into a sleeper hold with a great counter.

This was a pretty physical match with some nice spots, but it felt like they slowed down more than necessary in the second half.

Priest picked up the win with his South of Heaven clothesline. There was no interference from the MFTs, but Talla and Solo Sikoa showed up after the match to attack the winner.

Result: Priest defeated Tama

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

Danhausen performed another experiment backstage, but it was unclear what his goal was with this one.

Both guys lost their matches last week, but the announcers glossed over that.

Michin and B-Fab vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Rhiyo defeated B-Fab and Michin (SD, April 6), Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss lost to Fatal Influence (SD, May 8)

Jade Cargill accompanied Michin and B-Fab to the ring so she could give a promo about how she will regain the women's title from Rhea Ripley. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss cut her off with their entrance music.

There was a commercial break between the verbal exchange and the match, so it looked like all four women were just standing around during the break, which is always a weird decision whenever WWE does it.

Michin and The Queen started in the ring, and Flair quickly drove her opponent out of the ring to regroup with B-Fab.

Michin, Flair and Bliss are all solid in-ring workers, but B-Fab has so much less experience than all of them that it made a noticeable difference whenever she was the legal competitor.

This match had a clunky pace and wasn't structured in a way that allowed any of them to look great, but they managed to get in a few good spots. Cargill ended up causing a DQ when she pulled Bliss out of the ring and attacked her right in front of the referee.

Flair and Cargill ended up having a showdown once everyone else was taken out, but they didn't get physical.

Result: Bliss and Flair won by DQ

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

Zayn had a segment with Johnny Gargano backstage. Everything he said was spot on, but WWE meant for it to sound like meaningless complaining. Zayn was right about everything though.

Alexa's new nickname is Blister, as said by Flair in the pre-match segment. It's not the worst nickname a WWE Superstar has ever had.

We got another video package for Blake Monroe before this started.

B-Fab was just a little too far away to catch Flair properly during her flying crossbody.

Gunther vs. Royce Keys

Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Royce Keys defeated Tama Tonga (SD, May 8), Gunther defeated Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 42)

This week's main event was the No. 1 Contender's match that was booked earlier between Gunther and Keys.

Gunther is rarely considered small compared to anyone, but Keys had him outsized and overpowered right out of the gate, so The Ring General began to show some frustration.

They had enough time to make this a hard-fought match that helped highlight why both men are in this position. In some ways, this was a test for Keys, and he passed with flying colors. He looked like he belonged in the main event.

Sikoa showed up in an attempt to help Keys. When the ref was accidentally taken out, he tried to slide a chair to Keys, but he threw it back in Solo's face. The momentary distraction allowed Gunther to take control and hit his powerbomb for the win.

Result: Gunther defeated Keys

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Solo Sikoa offered his help to Keys backstage, but it also came across as a threat. Keys did not seem amused.

There was a moment when Gunther had to remind Keys it was his turn to run the ropes.

Watching someone almost no-sell Gunther's chops was an effective way to make Keys look tougher than most men.

The Final Word

Andrea Kellaway/WWE via Getty Images

SmackDown continued its unfortunate trend of mediocre shows this week, but it had some definite highlights.

Starks vs. Hayes was one of the best bouts we have seen on the blue brand in weeks. Both men looked great, and the way it ended leaves things open for more encounters down the line.

The main event with Gunther and Keys was also a high point, which helped the show have a strong ending.

The promo Zayn gave that was designed to make him look like a complainer was actually a perfect encapsulation of what WWE needs to change. Hopefully, we get back to this being the stronger of the two main roster shows every week.

Grade: C+