WWE SmackDown Winners, Grades and Reaction From June 12

On the road to Night of Champions on June 28, WWE SmackDown rolled through Providence, Rhode Island, with a show headlined by the latest in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments and Gunther's revelation of the stipulation for his Undisputed WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes.

Elsewhere, Women's tag team champions Paige and Brie Bella battled Fatal Influence in a non-title match.

Find out things graded out with this recap of the June 12 USA Network broadcast.

Queen of the Ring Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Sol Ruca vs. Jade Cargill

Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Jade Cargill and Michin defeated Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton (SmackDown, June 5); Sol Ruca defeated Lyra Valkyria (Raw, June 8)

Charlotte Flair took one step closer to accomplishing one of the few achievements missing from her otherwise sparkling resume Friday night as she advanced in the Queen of the Ring tournament, defeating Jade Cargill, Lyra Valkyria, and Women's Intercontinental champion, Sol Ruca.

A good, action-packed match, it was held together by Flair and Valkyria's excellent ring work and highlighted both Ruca and Cargill's strengths, with the latter dominating the middle portion of the lengthy contest.

It capped off with the right woman going over to set up a marquee match with Liv Morgan in the semifinals.

This was a great way to start the show, hampered only by Cargill's wig mishap, which she addressed on Twitter after the match.

Whether Cargill should be losing with consistency at this point, especially considering what happened later in the broadcast, is the real question.

Result

Flair defeated Cargill, Valkyria, and Ruca

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

Alexa Bliss and Tiffany Stratton interfered to neutralize Michin and B-Fab, allowing Flair to eventually score the untainted victory, submitting Valkyria to the Figure Eight. It was not the last we would see of three of the four stars.

Can we get a long-form, one-on-one match between Flair and Valkyria?

Another new video featuring Blake Monroe aired, with her talking about The Queen. They have done a great job of setting up potential rivalries for her before she ever sets foot on main roster TV.

Non-Title Match: Paige and Brie Bella vs. Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley

Brien Adams/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Paige and Brie Bella defeated The Irresistible Forces (Saturday Night's Main Event, May 23); Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid lost to Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley (SmackDown, May 22)

Fatal Influence's championship aspirations took a hit Friday as not even the presence of Jacy Jayne at ringside could help Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid earn a non-title match over Paige and Brie Bella.

Capitalizing on the distraction that Jayne's ejection caused, Paige secured the victory for the women's tag team champions by catching Henley with a small package.

The match was fine for the most part, with a few good spots and a big win for the underutilized champions, but this was a textbook case of WWE booking itself into a corner. Neither the champions nor their prospective challengers could afford a loss, yet the match was booked anyway.

When even cheating does not help Henley and Reid win, why should fans care about them challenging Paige and Bella in an actual title match?

Result

Paige and Bella defeated Reid and Henley in a non-title match

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Reid is far better than she should be given her relative inexperience. Working with main roster talent and learning on the fly will do wonders for her.

Paige looked great here, showing the fire you want from a star off a hot tag. She looked as confident between the ropes as she has since returning to WWE.

Backstage, Kit Wilson revealed that Danhausen may have broken The Miz, who incessantly rattled off old catchphrases while sporting the old "electrocuted" hairstyle. Funny stuff that did not overstay its welcome.

Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn's Issues Intensify

Brien Adams/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Cody Rhodes defeated Gunther (Clash in Italy, May 31); Sami Zayn defeated Matt Cardona (SmackDown, May 29)

As great a wrestler as Sami Zayn is, he may very well be remembered for his promos and ability to develop a character that people care about.

The Last Real Good Guy, as his shirt read, called out Cody Rhodes and asked for an apology after an accidental tope suicida left him lying last week. He did not get one. Instead, a rapidly intensifying verbal back-and-forth ensued, culminating with an exchange of slaps and Zayn stomping out of the arena.

This was fantastic. Zayn remains a brilliant heel because he believes wholeheartedly that he is justified in his actions, and, to an extent, he is. He genuinely did not do anything wrong to warrant the crowd turning on him. Since then, it's another story.

His self-righteous stick is fantastic, and he is going to talk himself into another massive babyface run, probably at the expense of Rhodes, if WWE is not careful.

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

Zayn promising the crowd not to compare the American audience to the Europeans, then doing just that, was brilliant and exactly the hypocritical kind of stuff that makes this character work.

Rhodes unleashing on Zayn, telling him he sucks, did not get the overwhelmingly positive reaction expected.

Zayn's facial expressions here were phenomenal, as it genuinely looked like he might cry his way out of the arena.

Rey Fenix vs. Axiom

Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Rey Fenix defeated Laredo Kid (AAA Noche de El Grandes, May 30); Axiom and Nathan Frazier defeated Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno (NXT, June 9)

Rey Fenix and Axiom had the opportunity to enjoy some rare screen time Friday night, with the former's AAA Cruiserweight Championship at stake. They proceeded to steal the show from an in-ring perspective, delivering an uber-athletic match that saw both men take to the sky.

The combatants exchange high-flying offense, but it was Fenix's devastating Animo Kick and Mexican Muscle Buster that ultimately earned him the successful title defense.

If there was any reason to believe that this type of match, or that either of these two stars would appear regularly moving forward, it would be easier to be excited about the segment.

With that said, it is tough to buy into either guy, no matter how good they are, because the investment from WWE Creative is not there.

Result

Fenix defeated Axiom

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

There is an argument to be made that these are the two most underutilized guys in the company and Fenix isn't the clear No. 1.

Backstage, Jacob Fatu attempted to recruit Solo Sikoa, who told him to have Roman Reigns come get him. As The Bloodline turns, so do the days of our lives.

Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints Interrupt Trick Williams

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Trick Williams lost a four-way King of the Ring Tournament Match to Dominik Mysterio (SmackDown, June 5); Carmelo Hayes lost to Ricky Saints (SmackDown, June 5)

After last week's King of the Ring tournament loss, United States champion Trick Williams was pissed off, and it is about time.

Too often, wins and losses are treated as afterthoughts in WWE, so to have a champion express frustration over a defeat was a nice change of pace.

That the promo transitioned into a three-way mic battle also involving Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints only enhanced the segment. Tied at one victory apiece, Hayes and Saints will battle for a shot at the US title on next week's show.

The standard pro wrestling brawl ensued, Williams stood tall, and the fans in Providence were left confused as to whom to cheer for because they love Trick, but were equally behind Hayes.

A solid segment featuring a ton of charisma in one ring that, even then, still felt unrealized. More mic time equals increased confidence and the chance to connect with audiences.

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

Hayes might be the one guy who can steal some of Williams' popularity at this point.

A Triple Threat Match feels like an inevitability and hopefully, Saints is not just there to eat the pinfall.

Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green vs. B-Fab and Michin

Brien Adams/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Michin and Jade Cargill defeated Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair (SmackDown, June 5); B-Fab, Michin, and Cargill defeated Flair, Rhea Ripley, and Alexa Bliss (Saturday Night's Main Event, May 23); Chelsea Green lost a four-way Queen of the Ring Match to Liv Morgan (Raw, June 8)

Women's United States champion Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green will have to wait another week to settle their issues with Michin and B-Fab after suffering a defeat in a tag team match Friday night.

The contest was on the quicker side and saw the heels benefit from Jade Cargill appearing at ringside. Michin scored the victory for her team, pinning an outnumbered Green following the Styles Clash.

A post-match beatdown on Stratton and Cargill, staring longingly at the US title, suggests that this is the direction things will head in the coming weeks. Considering we sat through nearly six months of that particular feud in 2025, is that really the best use of either woman at this point?

Considering it overstayed its welcome the first time, probably not.

The relative brevity of the match, coupled with the repetitious booking decision, results in an average grade at best.

Result

Michin and B-Fab defeated Stratton and Green

Grade

C

Top Takeaways

Green has the people on her side throughout this one, with chants of her name audible from the opening bell. She is a star, no matter what aging backstage producers may tell you.

If there is an upside to revisiting Stratton vs. Cargill, it is that both are better workers now than they were even six months ago.

Backstage, Giulia interrupted a Kiana James promo and slapped her, leaving zero doubt that their partnership is, in fact, done.

King of the Ring Match: Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Balor

Brien Adams/WWE via Getty Images

Last Time in Action: Jey and Jimmy Uso lost to the MFTs (SmackDown, May 1); LA Knight and The Usos defeated The Vision and IShowSpeed (WrestleMania, April 18); Royce Keys lost to Talla Tonga (SmackDown; June 5); Finn Balor defeated JD McDonagh (Raw, May 18)

Jey Uso cashed his ticket to the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament and a date with Je'Von Evans Friday night, defeating LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor in a star-studded main event.

A wild and chaotic match down the stretch saw Keys booked like a monster, absorbing everything, including a triple powerbomb through the announce table, and still came out looking like an unstoppable force until an inadvertent distraction from Solo Sikoa proved to be his downfall.

The continuation of Keys' issues with The MFTs, Knight's rivalry with The Bloodline, and Uso's attempt to expand his family's dominance over SmackDown by winning King of the Ring and challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE title were all woven nicely into this to create a strong, quality, entertaining main event as the company continues to thrive when booking multi-man match-ups.

Result

Uso defeated Keys, Balor, and Knight to advance to the King of the Ring semifinals

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

Anyone worried about Key's position in WWE should look at how he was presented here. They still very clearly see him as a big guy to book for strong, high-profile situations.

Knight winning here would have been huge for him and allowed him to build much-needed momentum throughout the summer.

This was still an excellent match, with a hot crowd, and win that makes sense within the context of The Bloodline Saga and Uso's outlined goals.

MVP and Overall Grade

Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

MVP: Sami Zayn

The Last Real Good Guy is a great character, portrayed by a virtuoso performer who knows the assignment, knows how to get people to care, and will absolutely be as popular as ever by the end of the year.

He was great tonight, whether going slap-for-slap with Rhodes or sarcastically leaving him hanging in a backstage segment.

That Gunther revealed his stipulation for next week's Undisputed WWE Championship would see Zayn as his hand-picked referee, only adds gasoline to the fire and sets up the possibility that Zayn screws Rhodes out of his gold.

Overall Grade: B-

This was a far better, more focused episode of SmackDown than we get most weeks, with a ton of attention paid to Night of Champions and building to that card.

With that said, three hours is still far too long a runtime, especially when it is clear that the company has only two hours of meaningful television.

The wrestling was good, the booking made sense, and there was plenty to like. Still, the bloated runtime of the show hurts its overall quality, even if it does nothing inherently wrong.