This article contains spoilers and recap from WWE Friday Night SmackDown for January 2, 2026. You have been warned!It's the first Friday Night SmackDown of 2026, and WWE brings back the three-hour runtime on the show.
On next week’s January 9, 2026, edition of WWE SmackDown, live from Berlin, Germany, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to take on Drew McIntyre in a brutal 3 Stages of Hell Match for the championship.
Let’s be honest for a second: we aren’t ready for January 4th. Hiroshi Tanahashi is hanging up his boots after Wrestle Kingdom 20, the wrestling world is collectively preparing to cry its eyes out.
Another active WWE superstar is following the likes of Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, and Finn Balor by opening up a wrestling school while an active wrestler.
WWE SmackDown kicks off 2026 tonight with its first three-hour episode in months, and the company is loading up the Friday night card to fill that extra hour.
The Rock disappointed pro wrestling fans all around the world when he failed to appear in the main event of WrestleMania 41 last April. The Rock had made himself such an important part of John Cena's heel turn against Cody Rhodes, only to vanish into the creative abyss.
Liv Morgan is back after missing several months of television with a shoulder injury, and while WWE is easing her back into the swing of things on Monday Night Raw, it sounds as though she'll have a busy few months ahead of her.
Is ex-Women’s Champion and WWE star Tiffany Stratton in a relationship with former Canadian Judoka Shady Elnahas after her rumored breakup with Ludwig Kaiser?
While celebrating at Maxxine Dupri and Anthony Luke’s wedding, former WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax flauned her weight loss journey and new slimmed down appearance.
Charlotte Flair had a polarizing start to 2025, but it turned out to be a year in which she became a true fan favorite across the WWE audience. Flair missed more than a year of action with a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus, an injury she suffered in a match against Asuka in December of 2023.
WWE's first RAW of the year looks set to be one for the ages amid reports suggesting Chris Jericho will potentially make his return in Brooklyn, New York.
With 2026 here and as WWE nears the upcoming Royal Rumble PLE, the promotion will be starting the “Road to WrestleMania.” WWE Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer is currently one of the most popular names on the roster, and the promotion reportedly has some big plans for her.
Stephanie Vaquer is the current WWE Women’s World Champion, having won the title at Wrestlepalooza last year. Vaquer had been feuding with Raquel Rodriguez since winning the title, and recently defeated both her and Nikki Bella on the final Monday Night Raw of 2025.
2025 is now in the rearview mirror, and WWE isn’t wasting any time by starting 2026 off with a bang on SmackDown. The January 9, 2026, edition will air from Berlin, Germany’s Uber Arena, as part of WWE’s annual European tour.
The first episode of “TNA iMPACT” in 2026 aired on Thursday, and there was a TNA World Championship match in the main event. Titleholder Frankie Kazarian put his gold at stake against Bear Bronson, who pulled off an upset battle royal win to earn his championship opportunity.
If you were hoping to see Mercedes Martinez putting on clinics and breaking backs on a weekly basis well into the 2030s, I’ve got some bad news for you.