WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades and Reaction After SummerSlam 2026

SummerSlam was an eventful PLE, and a lot of the most notable moments will directly impact the SmackDown brand moving forward.

Chelsea Green won the interim WWE Women's Championship by defeating four other women in a Ladder match, and Friday saw her celebrate that victory.

We also saw the return of Kevin Owens at SummerSlam, and he threw a big monkey wrench into plans by becoming the No. 1 contender for CM Punk's WWE Championship.

In addition to all of the fallout from the PLE, we also saw Charlotte take on Jade Cargill, continuing the fight that started at SummerSlam.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's show.

A Viper, A Prize Fighter, An American Nightmare and A Straight-Edge Superstar Walk Into a Bar...

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After the usual backstage shots of people walking around, Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring to kick off the show.

As soon as he got the mic in his hand, he demanded Randy Orton come to the ring. The Viper didn't immediately oblige him, so Rhodes asked what the crowd wanted to talk about.

After a couple of minutes, CM Punk joined him. Cody asked if he knew about Orton coming back, and Punk said he had no idea Randy was there. He offered to go find Orton with Cody and beat him up together. Cody turned down his offer and left the ring to go find The Viper.

As The American Nightmare was leaving, Kevin Owens arrived. He had a brief staredown with Rhodes, who gave KO his mic on his way out. Punk and Owens came face to face and talked trash while Nick Aldis tried to talk them down from the apron.

Owens has been sorely missed on WWE television, and having him back was a big reminder that he is one of the best talkers in WWE today. He comes across as genuine, which helps him connect more than a gimmick would.

This segment addressed Rhodes vs. Orton, Rhodes vs. Punk, and Owens vs. Punk all at once. It was a pretty efficient use of time, even if nothing exciting happened. All three guys played their part in setting up future encounters well.

It may have gone on longer than necessary, but nobody is going to complain about having more time with Owens on the mic. They got into a bit of a shoving match at the end, but officials broke it up quickly.

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Baron Corbin was shown walking backstage. The furry U.S. title looks even weirder when he has it.
• It was nice for Cody to take a moment to pay tribute to Dory Funk Jr.
• Wade Barrett said commentary was told not to talk about some of the history between Owens and Punk.
• Punk trying to use Owens' physique to insult him felt unnecessary.

Baron Corbin vs. Trick Williams (U.S. Title)

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Last time in action: Corbin defeated Williams (SummerSlam)

Just days after losing the United States Championship to Baron Corbin at SummerSlam, Trick Williams was given a rematch in the hopes of regaining the belt he feels is rightfully his.

These guys have a lot of similar qualities in the ring, so they had no problem making this feel like a physical fight. In fact, it felt like they learned from their first encounter and had a bit more chemistry here.

Their SummerSlam encounter was just over nine minutes long. They had a couple more minutes this time, so that helped. Unfortunately, the match ended almost the exact same way, with Corbin using the title belt to hit Trick for the win.

With Williams coming up short, WWE will likely have someone else step up for the next title shot very soon. Carmelo Hayes is an obvious choice.

Result: Corbin defeated Williams

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Lil Yachty wasn't with Williams this week.
• Corbin used a motorcycle for his entrance. He reminds us more of Chuck Palumbo than The Undertaker.
• WWE advertised the first half hour as being commercial-free, but the first match didn't start until 28 minutes into the show.
• Corbin's Deep Six always looks good.

Fatal Influence vs. Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton (Tag Titles)

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When the show returned from a break, Chelsea Green came out to celebrate winning the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam. The ring had a red carpet, balloons in the corners, and a table with champagne. She thanked the crowd for sticking by her, and she credited her fans with helping her win the title.

She also thanked Tiffany Stratton before inviting her to the ring. Tiffy said she needed to talk to Chelsea about something, but they were interrupted by Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne challenged Tiffy to a U.S. title shot, and she agreed for next week if she and Green got a tag title shot right now.

The celebration for Green wasn't much of a celebration, but setting up a future U.S. title bout while also giving us a Tag Team Championship match this week was a nice surprise. At least Chelsea got some nice pyro during her entrance.

The crowd has fully embraced her as a babyface, and she's doing well in the role without feeling like a completely different person. Pairing her with Stratton was a good move, and having it take a while for their friendship to form was smart.

Green, Stratton and Fallon Henley did a good job in the match, but Lainey Reid's inexperience really stands out when she is in the ring with someone like Green, who has been doing this for several years. It's not Reid's fault WWE called her up so soon, but she does seem to be improving.

The match ended with Henley and Reid retaining the titles thanks to some help from Jayne. It was a predictable ending, but it was also the only one that made sense. Lash Legend and Nia Jax attacked Chelsea and Tiffany after it was over.

Result: Fatal Influence defeated Green and Stratton

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Zayn and Owens had a moment backstage. They seem to be on good terms, but there was some tension.
• Hayes attacked Corbin backstage before telling him Aldis agreed to give him a U.S. title shot next week.
• The way Stratton countered out of a Codebreaker from Reid was weird because it felt like a delayed reaction.
• R-Truth called The War Raiders luchadores during a backstage exchange.

Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes Will Never Be Rid of Each Other

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After a video aired for Brock Lesnar's retirement, Orton made his way to the ring to make his first statement since returning at SummerSlam to cost Rhodes the WWE title.

He barely got to say anything before Rhodes ran to the ring to fight him. The Viper slid out before Cody could get to him. He teased going back for a fight, but he was just playing mind games.

Rhodes said Randy owes him an explanation, and Orton said he's crazy if he thinks he owes him anything. He said Rhodes asked for this, for the best version of Orton, and that is what this is.

Much like Owens, Orton has been missed. He has been in WWE for so long that his presence helps connect multiple generations, and he is such a natural in his role that he can make a feud with just about anyone entertaining.

His feud with Rhodes may feel like WWE being repetitive, but now that Cody doesn't have the title, WWE can do the interesting thing and have The Viper beat him on his way toward winning what could be his final world title.

This was a simple segment, but it worked. Orton and Rhodes have so much history that it's easy for them to fall right back into old patterns.

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The video WWE aired for Brock Lesnar was pretty succinct. It left a lot out, but it covered a lot of the big points.
• Orton has a special kind of connection with the crowd. He barely has to do anything to get cheers.