WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights Before Money in the Bank 2026

Before we get to the Money in the Bank PLE on Saturday, WWE had one last stop to make in Lafayette, Louisiana for this week's SmackDown.

All of the competitors for both MITB matches were in attendance to hype the show and make their arguments for why they will win the briefcase.

While the main focus was on the PLE, we did get a women's tag title match this week with Charlotte Flair and Tatum Paxley challenging Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley.

Let's take a look at everything that went down on this week's show.

Can Punk Win No. 3?

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The show began with Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis talking about Money in the Bank. Trick Williams and Bron Breakker both showed up, and it led to them being booked in a singles match for later in the show.

Back in the arena, CM Punk made his way to the ring to kick things off. He talked about why he would compete in a dangerous match like MITB at this stage in his career. He climbed up the ladder and said he has a chance to make history as the only three-time MITB winner, so he is willing to take the risk.

He talked about each competitor, which led to Kevin Owens joining him in the ring. They traded some personal insults as KO climbed up the second ladder in the ring. Sami Zayn was the next one to come out, and he had a big smile on his face.

This was a pretty cut-and-dry segment. It didn't really add anything to the MITB match, but it gave the three guys in the ring a chance to win the crowd over. It probably went on longer than it needed to, but it wasn't bad. It just wasn't great either.

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• When they all of the MITB competitors walking around, Lola Vice looked at her fist, as if she wanted to make sure it was still there.
• Lil Yachty isn't necessary for Williams to get over, but sometimes he can be kind of funny. His exchange with Breakker backstage was good.
• Punk and Owens are funny together. Their exchange when Sami Zayn came out was hilarious.

Roxanne Perez, Lola Vice and Sol Ruca vs. Lash Legend, Tiffany Stratton and Jacy Jayne

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All six women who will compete in the MITB match took part in a six-woman tag match. The teams were mixed in an unusual way, so both sides had heels and babyfaces, which seemed like an odd choice since there were three of each.

Roxanne Perez was looking to outshine her partners and tagged herself in early in the match, but as soon as Lash Legend came in, she tried to get out of the ring. Lola Vice and Sol Ruca dropped off the apron to avoid a tag and made her deal with Legend herself.

All of these competitors have talent and bring something different to the ring, but some matches just don't end up having the necessary chemistry, and this was one of them.

There were multiple awkward moments that seemed like someone missed a timing cue, or it simply didn't make sense, like when Stratton completely ignored Ruca so she could climb up and hit a moonsault, which was then followed by the same move from Ruca.

The match had its moments, so it wasn't all bad, but this definitely felt more like a series of sequences thrown together than a cohesive match with a story that flowed from start to finish.

Legend scored the win for her team by pinning Ruca with her finisher. As soon as it was over, Legend took out Jayne and Tiffy to show that she was serious about winning MITB.

Result: Legend, Jayne and Stratton won

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

• There were some issues playing Ruca's entrance music.
• Vice and Legend had a weird start to their sequence, but Vice being so aggressive with her strikes made it fun.
• Ruca completely missed her moonsault to Legend, but she sold it anyway.
• Jayne was the standout in this match. She didn't hit the most exciting moves, but she showed the most charisma.
• Ruca rarely wears the same style of gear twice in a row. It must make it hard for the figure and game designers to decide on a look for her.