WWE SmackDown Winners, Grades and Reaction Before Night of Champions 2026

Just 24 hours before WWE presents Night of Champions from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it presented an episode of SmackDown, taped from London's O2 Arena, headlined by Cody Rhodes addressing Gunther and Sami Zayn ahead of their Undisputed WWE Championship Match.

What went down, how did each match and key segment grade out, and why?

Find out with this recap of the June 26 broadcast.

Ricky Saints One-Upped Trick Williams Entering Night of Champions

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Less than a day before they do battle for the United States Championship at Night of Champions, Trick Williams and "Absolute" Ricky Saints met in the squared circle as part of the night's opening promo segment.

Saints tried to snap Williams out of the fun-loving mood he was in and remind him of the threat that he is to the US title. When that did not work, he resorted to physicality, delivering a cheap shot to Lil Yachty, then sliding back into the ring to level the champion.

There was little substance to this one outside of Saints trying to change the tone of the program to reflect the seriousness of competing for gold. Unfortunately, he has not been built to the point that he is really a believable enough opponent to dethrone Williams on Saturday, which undoubtedly hurts the match.

Grade

C

Top Takeaways

• Interesting that Williams' marriage to Lash Legend was addressed in the opening promo, considering he is very much a babyface and she is not. Could an eventual on-screen pairing be on the horizon?
• Starks is great on the mic and, it could be argued, out-shined Williams here.

Alexa Bliss and Tiffany Stratton vs. B-Fab and Michin

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Last Time in Action: Alexa Bliss lost a Queen of the Ring quarterfinal (Raw, June 8); Michin and B-Fab defeated Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green (SmackDown, June 12)

Women's United States champion Tiffany Stratton's renewed rivalry with Jade Cargill wrote its latest chapter Friday.

The Storm interjected herself late in the tag match that pitted her cronies, Michin and B-Fab, against Stratton and Alexa Bliss.

The match itself was perfectly acceptable, although a formulaic tag match that we have seen countless times, but it had the fans invested. The crowd loved Stratton and was hot down the stretch after she received the hot tag.

Cargill interfered, cost Stratton the match, then laid the babyface out to build further heat for their upcoming contest.

We have seen countless angles like this before, but based on the reaction, it worked.

If only they did not replicate the same one later on.

Result

B-Fab and Michin defeated Bliss and Stratton

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Chelsea Green made the save for the babyfaces post-match, setting up her battle with Cargill later in the show.
• Michin has been among the best workers in the SmackDown women's division for the last handful of months and it is refreshing to see her get as much television time as she has of late.
• The reaction for Green suggests the creative team should have explored turning her babyface sooner.

AAA Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rey Fenix vs. Nathan Frazer

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Last Time in Action: Rey Fenix defeated Laredo Kid and Lince Dorado (AAA, June 20); Fraxiom (Frazer and Axiom) defeated Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno (NXT, June 9)

Take two fast-paced, high-flying babyfaces, put them in the ring together, and let them tear the house down.

It is a tried and true formula and one WWE worked to perfection Friday when it booked Rey Fenix to defend the AAA Cruiserweight Championship against Nathan Frazer.

A good, competitive, athletic match-up that highlighted the talents of both men, it ended with Frazer getting too cutesy with his offense and Fenix scouting it, catching him in the corner and delivering the Mexican Muscle Buster for the win.

Will it have any measurable, long-term effect on the show? Probably not, but on a three-hour broadcast, devoting time to a good match involving respected performers is always a good way to eat some of it up.

Result

Fenix defeated Frazer to retain

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• This is a great way to bring exposure to the AAA brand that it may not have otherwise gotten.
• It took way too long for Fenix to get a push but putting him on TV and letting him work every week should develop him a similar following to his brother, Penta, over on Raw.

LA Knight Can't Trust Solo Sikoa

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Last Time in Action: LA Knight defeated Jimmy Uso (Raw, June 22); Solo Sikoa lost a four-way King of the Ring quarterfinals match (Raw, June 1)

After Solo Sikoa got involved in and helped him win his match with Jimmy Uso on Raw, LA Knight showed up on SmackDown looking for answers.

Sikoa defended his actions, admitting his hate for his family and The Bloodline. More surprisingly, he attempted to forge a partnership with Knight to help battle Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Jacob Fatu, but The Megastar rejected the offer.

After all, how many times does he have to watch family members return to Reigns' rule? Knight vowed to remain by himself in his battles with the Bloodline, to the dismay of Sikoa.

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• Knight did not fall into the typical trap that undoes babyfaces by embracing a heel. He kept Sikoa at arm's length, even if he does understand the former Bloodline enforcer's issues with the unit.
• Sikoa is going to be a massive babyface star for the company when he is finally allowed to be himself and showcase his personality on the mic and in high-profile promo segments like this.

Paige vs. Jacy Jayne

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Paige returned home to London, in front of her fans and family members, and squared off with Fatal Influence's Jacy Jayne.

The former NXT women's champion dominated the hometown hero, but a last-second appearance from Brie Bella allowed Paige to roll Jayne up and steal the win.

The match was fine, nothing more or less, and it set the stage for Jayne, Lainey Reid, and/or Fallon Henley to challenge for the tag team titles. Eventually.

Paige looked solid here and is still getting her working legs under her as she benefits from increased TV match appearances.

The question is, why has WWE suddenly become OK with the idea of booking Jayne to lose? Her and Fatal Influence took over the scene on Friday night following their post-WrestleMania call-up, but have had their momentum stunted in recent weeks amid losses they should not be taking.

Result

Paige defeated Jacy Jayne

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Jayne is really good at the small things, such as facial expressions and body language. It really is all in the details.
• Imagine how it must have felt for Paige to come back in London, as a champion, returning to a company we had no reason to believe she would again, and winning in front of family and friends.

Danhausen and Matt Cardona vs. Los Garza

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Last Time in Action: Danhausen and Minihausen defeated The Miz and Kit Wilson (WWE Backlash, May 9); Matt Cardona lost to Sami Zayn (SmackDown, May 29)

Danhausen and Matt Cardona battled Los Garza, who believe the facepainted bbayface owes the money following the New York Knicks' win in the NBA Finals, in a match resulting from a backstage segment.

A straightforward match that was never really about three of the four competitors involved, it was a showcase for Dnahausen and the zombified Miz and Kit Wilson's shtick.

That is by no means a bad thing, as it has been one of the most reliably entertaining elements of the show. It was inoffensive, did not overstay its welcome, and highlighted a character that has been all over mainstream TV and social media due to his connection with the Knicks. Danhausen should be everywhere.

.

Result

Danhausen and Cardona defeated Los Garza

Grade

C

Top Takeaways

• The crowd loved Danhausen here and was all for his hot tag run and his cursing Berto, leading to the tried and true fireworks spot.

Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill

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Last Time In Action: Jade Cargill lost a Queen of the Ring quarterfinal (SmackDown, June 12); Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton lost to B-Fab and Michin (SmackDown, June 12)

With Cargill challenging for a title Saturday in Riyadh against Stratton, there was never a chance that Chelsea Green was going to win here, but that did not stop her from trying all the way until The Storm put her down with Jaded for the pinfall victory.

The match was what it was, a glorified squash to build up Cargill, with a post-match that saw the No. 1 contender to the US title getting over on Stratton again by leaving her lying.

It was a repetitive booking call; a glaring example of the lack of creativity and outside-the-box thinking that exists in WWE when it is at its worst.

Worst of all, it essentially stereographs the outcome of Saturday's match as WWE is unlikely to book Stratton in a losing scenario three straight times.

Result

Cargill defeated Green

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Cargill is an infinitely better worker than she was even at WrestleMania. She is starting to put all of the pieces together and if she can do that, the world of professional wrestling is hers for the taking, even more so when weighing look and aura.

Giulia vs. Kiana James

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Last Time in Action: Giulia defeated Jordynne Grace (Main Event, June 8); Kiana James defeated Jordynne Grace (Main Event, June 15)

Giulia and Kiana James brought their rivalry to its conclusion Friday night when The Beautiful Madness dispatched of her former business associate in a surprisingly good match.

James, as she has done repeatedly this year, rose to the occasion and never looked overwhelmed or out of place sharing the ring with her opponent.

Giulia, conversely, is a woefully underutilized and mismanaged superstar in the making and should be much further along than she is. With that said, she earned the big win here, only to be jumped by the debuting Blake Monroe, making her first SmackDown appearance.

A good match, a big debut, and, hopefully, the start of a quality push for Giulia make this one the most complete segment of the show.

Result

Giulia defeated James

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Giulia and James are both incredibly talented and belong as part of the show on a weekly basis.
• Monroe debuting by attacking the one women she did not previously mention was a nice touch and sets up a potential show-stealing program between.
• James is going to win championships (plural).

Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Sami Zayn Promo Segment

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In their final opportunity to hype their match on Saturday night, Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and Gunther all staked their claim to the title in a segment that also featured King of the Ring finalists Oba Femi and Jey Uso.

The entire thing started as an in-ring promo before descending into chaos, with all involved getting physical.

The image of Femi standing on the ring apron, staring down Cody Rhodes and eyeing the WWE title, is a great one that gives the world a brief taste of a potential showdown that will happen sooner rather than later, and reignites the unfinished business topic shouted out by Michael Cole on commentary as the two previously squared off in December at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Uso was his obnoxious best, Rhodes was the straight man, but it was ultimately Gunther who brought the intensity, as if he was not already physically overwhelming stars in the match.

The Triple Threat Match will be fantastic, while the Uso-Femi match on Saturday should be fun. This segment was not quite that, though, and it had a lot of repetition, with themes, lines, and whatnot from weeks past.

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• Zayn is great as the overbearing heel who beats people down with his insistence that he is a good guy. He has earned the spotlight and in a perfect world, would return and pay the money.
• Rhodes' growing exhausted of listening to Zayn's spiel was a nice touch.

MVP/Overall Grade

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MVP: Jade Cargill

On the show a few times this week, as they tell the story of her US title opportunity on Saturday Night of Champions, Cargill shone.

Whether it was interfering in the tag team match, demanding a match with Chelsea Green, then beating her and leaving Tiffany Stratton lying twice, The Storm was a central figure in this week's build to the Night of Champions premium live event.

A performer with command of her character and rapidly improving between the ropes, she very well could win gold Saturday and pick up where she left off before WrestleMania.

Overall Grade: C+

The show was another three-hour marathon that did not stay interesting for its duration, but had plenty going on to pique interest.

The build to Night of Champions was excellent, the sudden emergence of Solo Sikoa as a potentially sympathetic figure, great mic work from LA Knight, and a show-closer that highlighted a tremendous group of talent ahead of Saturday's matches, helped elevate this broadcast.