Tonight’s WWE SmackDown from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, gave fans a packed show with title matches, surprise attacks, backstage drama, comedy segments, and big steps toward WWE Backlash.
The biggest talking point was Ricky Saints making his main roster debut against WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The night also ended with Jacob Fatu sending a brutal message to Roman Reigns, while Gunther made it clear that he has his eyes on Cody Rhodes and the WWE Championship.
Cody Rhodes Opens SmackDown and Ricky Saints Arrives
WWE SmackDown started with Cody Rhodes coming to the ring to speak to the WWE Universe. Cody announced that after talking to WWE’s medical team earlier in the day, he was officially cleared to compete again.
Before Cody could say much more, former NXT Champion Ricky Saints interrupted him. This was a big moment because it was Ricky Saints’ first appearance on the WWE main roster.
The segment also included a smart reference to Cody Rhodes and Ricky Saints’ past outside WWE. They did not directly name AEW, but fans who followed Cody’s TNT Championship open challenge run understood the connection. Ricky Saints had once been one of Cody’s surprise opponents during that time.
This led to Cody Rhodes vs Ricky Saints being made official for later in the show.
Jacy Jayne Defeats Charlotte Flair After Outside Interference
Backstage, WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley met Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Ripley offered to help them before Charlotte’s match against Jacy Jayne.
Alexa Bliss was ready to accept the help, but Charlotte Flair refused. She wanted to handle things on her own.
The first match of the night was Charlotte Flair vs Jacy Jayne. Due to outside interference from Fatal Influence, Jacy Jayne managed to defeat Charlotte Flair with the Rolling Encore.
After the match, Fatal Influence attacked both Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Rhea Ripley came out to even the odds and helped fight them off.
There was a tense face-off between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley after the save. However, both women understood that they had a common enemy in Fatal Influence. In the end, Flair and Ripley shook hands, hinting that they may work together for now.
Paige and Brie Bella Prepare for Their Title Defence
Backstage, Paige and Brie Bella spoke about their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match against Nia Jax and Lash Legend. They hyped up the title defence and showed confidence before stepping into the ring later in the night.
Nia Jax and Lash Legend also got their own backstage moment before the match. They made it clear that they were ready to take the titles from Paige and Brie Bella.
R-Truth and Damian Priest Retain the WWE Tag Team Titles
A backstage segment showed a miscommunication between R-Truth and Damian Priest. Because of this confusion, Fraxiom ended up getting a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship.
The match saw Damian Priest and R-Truth defend their titles against Fraxiom. Fraxiom gave a strong fight, but Priest and Truth managed to retain.
The finish came when Damian Priest hit Axiom with the Razor’s Edge and pinned him to win the match.
After the match, things quickly turned violent. Solo Sikoa sent Talla Tonga into the ring, and Talla destroyed all four men by himself. This made Talla Tonga look extremely dangerous and showed that Solo Sikoa was not in a calm mood.
Solo Sikoa Sends a Warning to Jacob Fatu
Solo Sikoa was angry about what Jacob Fatu did to The MFTs last week. He made it clear that when Fatu arrived at the arena, he would be a “dead man walking.”
The Usos then came out and told Solo that Roman Reigns also had a serious problem with Jacob Fatu. Jey Uso told Solo that they needed to wait and let Roman deal with Fatu first.
Solo did not like hearing that. Instead of listening, he ordered Talla Tonga to attack The Usos. Talla then took out both Jimmy and Jey Uso, making the family drama even more intense.
Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes Have a Tense Backstage Talk
Backstage, Sami Zayn tried to speak with Cody Rhodes about Cody’s comments from last week. Sami told Cody that being called the “golden boy” was not an insult.
Sami also said that he and Cody were part of a dying breed and were more similar than Cody wanted to admit.
Cody did not agree. He told Sami that they were not the same and then walked away. This short exchange added more tension between the two babyfaces.
Cody Rhodes Defeats Ricky Saints, But Gunther Attacks
Later in the show, Cody Rhodes faced Ricky Saints in a non-title match. This was Ricky’s main roster debut, so the match carried a lot of attention.
Ricky Saints looked confident and gave Cody a strong fight. However, Cody proved why he is the WWE Champion. He hit the Cross Rhodes and picked up the win.
But Cody’s celebration did not last long. After the match, Gunther attacked him and choked him out. This attack strongly suggested that Gunther is the next challenger for Cody Rhodes and the WWE Championship.
Danhausen, The Miz, and Kit Wilson Segment Ends in Betrayal
There was also a comedy segment involving The Miz, Kit Wilson, and Danhausen.
Earlier backstage, Miz and Kit Wilson tried to trap Danhausen using “human monies.” However, the trap failed and caught Miz and Wilson instead.
Later, Danhausen came to the ring and said he used the “human monies” he found backstage to buy a lot of his merchandise. He then started throwing the merchandise into the crowd.
The Miz came out looking very frustrated. He finally admitted that ever since Danhausen came to WWE, his life had been cursed. Miz then agreed, though unwillingly, to become Danhausen’s mentor.
Before they could shake hands, Kit Wilson came out and tried to make his own case. Miz still shook Danhausen’s hand, but it turned out to be a setup. Miz attacked Danhausen from behind, and Kit Wilson joined him.
Miz and Wilson left Danhausen lying in the ring and looked very proud of themselves.
Nick Aldis later announced that at Backlash, Danhausen and a partner of his choosing will face The Miz and Kit Wilson.
Blake Monroe Vignette Airs
WWE also aired another vignette for Blake Monroe. The video confirmed again that she is on her way to SmackDown. This continues to build curiosity around her arrival and what role she will play on the blue brand.
Royce Keys Wins Quickly and Later Helps Jacob Fatu
Royce Keys had a short match against Angel and won quickly in a squash match. The match was mainly used to make Royce look strong.
Later backstage, Royce Keys spoke with Jacob Fatu. He gave Fatu a pep talk and talked about their history together before WWE.
However, before Fatu could leave, Talla Tonga attacked Royce Keys and put him through a table. Talla then also laid out Jacob Fatu, proving again that he is one of Solo Sikoa’s most dangerous weapons.
Tiffany Stratton Announces Open Challenges
Backstage, Tiffany Stratton said she wanted to host open challenges for the Women’s United States Championship.
Chelsea Green, Giulia, and Kiana James all interrupted her. After the argument, Stratton agreed to defend her title against Kiana James on next week’s SmackDown.
This gives next week’s episode a confirmed title match and keeps the Women’s United States Championship scene active.
Sami Zayn Attacks Gingerbread Man Costume Before Trick Williams Strikes
Sami Zayn later came to the ring with the Gingerbread Man costume beside him. During the promo, Sami compared himself to Bob Dylan.
As the segment went on, Sami lost his temper and attacked the Gingerbread Man costume. Soon after, Trick Williams came out and attacked Sami Zayn.
Sami escaped through the crowd before things could get worse.
Later, Nick Aldis confirmed that Sami Zayn will defend the United States Championship against Trick Williams at Backlash.
Paige and Brie Bella Retain the Women’s Tag Team Titles
Paige and Brie Bella defended the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against Nia Jax and Lash Legend.
The match was not the smoothest contest of the night, but the champions managed to retain their titles. Paige and Brie Bella survived the challenge and left SmackDown still holding the gold.
Jacob Fatu Destroys Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga in the Main Event
The main event saw Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga face The Usos. However, the match did not have a clean finish.
Jacob Fatu hit the ring and attacked both Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga. Because of this, the match ended in disqualification.
Fatu went after Talla Tonga in a big way and put him through the announce table. This was a strong statement after Talla had attacked Fatu backstage earlier in the night.
Before SmackDown went off the air, Jacob Fatu told The Usos to send a message to Roman Reigns. He said he was going to “dog walk” Roman at Backlash. This ended the show with major hype for the coming clash between Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns.
WWE SmackDown Quick Results
| Match | Winner |
|---|---|
| Jacy Jayne vs Charlotte Flair | Jacy Jayne |
| Damian Priest and R-Truth vs Fraxiom | Damian Priest and R-Truth retained the WWE Tag Team Titles |
| Cody Rhodes vs Ricky Saints | Cody Rhodes |
| Royce Keys vs Angel | Royce Keys |
| Paige and Brie Bella vs Nia Jax and Lash Legend | Paige and Brie Bella retained the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles |
| Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga vs The Usos | Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga won by disqualification |
WWE Backlash Matches Announced or Teased
| Match | Status |
|---|---|
| Sami Zayn vs Trick Williams for the United States Championship | Announced |
| Danhausen and mystery partner vs The Miz and Kit Wilson | Announced |
| Jacob Fatu vs Roman Reigns | Strongly teased |
| Cody Rhodes vs Gunther for the WWE Championship | Strongly teased |
This episode of WWE SmackDown gave fans a lot to talk about. Cody Rhodes returned to action and defeated Ricky Saints, but Gunther’s post-match attack made it clear that Cody’s title reign is in danger. The Bloodline drama also became more serious, with Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, The Usos, and Roman Reigns all involved in the growing story.
The women’s division also moved forward with Fatal Influence, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Tiffany Stratton, and the tag team champions all getting important moments. Overall, SmackDown did a strong job of building excitement for WWE Backlash.
