The WWE’s European tour is over and SmackDown is back in North America – but this time in Montreal, Canada.
With one week until the Royal Rumble and one day until Saturday Night’s Main Event, let’s get into the results:
WWE United States title open challenge: Carmelo Hayes (c) def. Ilja Dragunov
Jade Cargill def. Chelsea Green
WWE Tag Team title match: The MFTs (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga) def. The Wyatt Sicks (c) (Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis)
Nathan Frazer def. Johnny Gargano
WWE Womens Tag Team title number one contender match: Giulia and Kiana James def. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax & Lash Legand
Trick Williams def. Damien Priest via DQ (Sami Zayn interferes)
Notes:
Montreal’s favourite son, Sami Zayn, opens the show. Mid-promo, he’s interrupted by Trick Williams to the dismay of the hometown crowd. Williams turns down fighting Zayn because he has Damien Priest in the main event. Of course, Priest comes out.
Priest says Williams is scared of him. Williams: “You think I’m scared? Watch this.” He proceeds to hit Zayn with the mic. He then attempts to hit Priest, but the former world champ gets the better of him and sends him scurrying.
Cody Rhodes has a backstage sitdown interview with Michael Cole. Jacob Fatu storms in and replaces Cole within minutes. Cody makes a jab about Fatu being in prison once upon a time. A lot of arguing over Fatu costing Rhodes the title, but Fatu has the last word insisting he’s not a loose cannon and he’s very in control.
Roman Reigns declared for the Royal Rumble (well, an advert said he did).
Jordynne Grace tries to goad Jade Cargill into a match, the champ declines having already won a match.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss have another pleasant backstage interaction alluding to both of them being in the Royal Rumble.
WWE announces ‘Attitude Era edition’ WWE 2K26. Available to preorder on January 30.
Kit Wilson and Matt Cardona have more words backstage. Cardona tells Wilson to take his problem with him into the ring sometime.
MFTs win the tag team titles after using the Wyatt’s lantern against them.
Nick Aldis brings AJ Styles to SmackDown. It turns out it’s for a chat with Shinsuke Nakamura. He challenges him to a match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Drew McIntyre promo. Main takeaway – he denies attacking Jacob Fatu.
Sami Zayn has a tense exchange with Damien Priest backstage as the latter warns the former not to get involved in his match. Zayn then sees Drew McIntyre and gives the champ a stiff slap for his promo where he ran down all four men vying to be number one contender.
Drew did say “Your son has been disappointed in your since he opened his eyes and realised you’re his father,” to be fair.
Cody Rhodes wishes AJ Styles well backstage before heading to his bus and finding a signed picture from McIntyre on the door of it.
Trick Williams was standing tall to close SmackDown – that was until Randy Orton turned up to RKO him. He also RKO’d Zayn for good measure. Montreal could barely be mad about it.
Analysis:
Seems like the last minute addition of AJ Styles for Saturday Night’s Main Event against Shinsuke Nakamura is meant to cram in some more AJ matches before he calls it a day after facing Gunther next week.
Or, it’s meant to make us think that, at the very least.
Jacob Fatu said during his staredown with Cody Rhodes that it was Drew McIntyre who kicked his teeth down his throat. The WWE champion then denied that accusation, and quite convincingly. That story has more layers to go.
Babyface Charlotte Flair is still a nice change of pace. Have to wonder how far her tag team with Alexa Bliss can go with WrestleMania season in full swing, but the very last thing they should do is turn Flair again if they do break up. They’re a little stuck actually; I’m not sure it’s a great idea to turn Bliss either.
Kiana James showed out during the number one contenders tag team match tonight. She’s far, far more than just a manager. The bar is so damn high for women coming out of NXT these days that we should expect can’t miss talents every time they get called up. Good for her and Giulia getting the win.
The missle dropkick from the top rope, which Giulia did tonight, looks like it sucks so bad to deliver. You’d rather be on the receiving end of that move.
The Usos and The MFTs are now tag team champions. Hmmm. Do I smell a champ vs champ encounter at WrestleMania?
Roman Reigns being announced for the Rumble is no surprise. One has to think he is primed to win it given his path is very unclear at present. I did think it was Bron Breakker and Bianca Belair, but with all the changes Triple H has apparently orchestrated recently, I would imagine he’s switched his Rumble plans too.
It really does seem like WWE are loading the bases up for Sami Zayn to get his moment. He could win tomorrow night in Montreal. He could equally win the Rumble in Saudi Arabia given his connection to that area. WWE are leaning into the story of his odessy to the WWE title very hard, and I’m here for it.
Finally, this wasn’t a bad show, but I do miss it being a two-hour format.
