WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results and Recap: Drew McIntyre Lights It Up, Literally (January 2, 2026)

• Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, and IYO SKY def. Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and the Kabuki Warriors via pinfall
• Matt Cardona def. Kit Wilson via pinfall
• Giulia def. Chelsea Green via pinfall to become the new Women's United States Champion
• Carmelo Hayes def. Johnny Gargano via pinfall to retain the United States Championship
• Damian Priest def. Aleister Black in their Ambulance Match

Here Are Your Key Moments For Friday Night SmackDown For January 2, 2026

• The Miz hijacks the beginning of the show by airing grievances with the WWE Universe. After complaining about not getting a match against John Cena in his final run and allegedly getting passed over for the role in Marty Supreme, he mentions Joe Hendry and a nickname that he brought back. After mentioning his accolades and his double Grand Slam wins, he looks into the camera and proclaims himself to be the locker room leader and the adult in a "room full of brats." Randy Orton then appears from the back, and comes to the ring. Miz says he and Orton are now the locker room leaders and that they can be "MizKO", and Orton levels him with a RKO. Orton picks him back up, tells him Happy New Year, and hits him with another RKO.
• Nick Aldis is backstage with Jordynne Grace discussing her potential joining the SmackDown roster. Chelsea Green then appears and tells her to leave and tries to tell Aldis that she can't compete due to the Stranger Things series finale. Aldis says that she doesn't compete tonight, he'll strip her of the championship.
• Kit Wilson comes to the ring with new gear and new music, signaling a rebranding from his Pretty Deadly team. Wilson says he hates how toxic the Buffalo fans are, and Matt Cardona appears as his surprise challenger.
• Sami Zayn comes to the ring and says the last time he was seen, he got to experience the match with his son in the front row. He says when they introduced Cena, his son asked him why they called him "Never Seen 17", then asked him how many times he won it. He says his son has seen him with all the other championships he's won, and he doesn't understand why he hasn't won before. Zayn then proclaims that he is coming for the WWE Championship this year. Trick Williams then appears from the back. He introduces himself and tells Zayn that he's on SmackDown for one reason, and that he's here to be WWE Champion. Williams tells him they're not the same, that he won't take 20 years to almost get it done. Zayn tells Williams that he might be right, but he's yet to be humbled, and he has no problem teaching him a lesson.
• Tama Tonga is backstage watching Hayes and Gargano, and Shinsuke Nakamura approaches him, and the two share words in Japanese. Nakamura leaves before Solo Sikoa appears, and when he asks if everything is okay, he tells him it's an old chapter. Sikoa informs him they'll face the Wyatt Sicks next week in a four on four match. As they leave, Tonga turns to look in Nakamura's direction.
• Jade Cargill is seen backstage discussing the injury Michin sustained to her shoulder, stating it was intentional and that no one else should get in her way. She turns her attention to Jordynne Grace, who tells Cargill she wants a good look at all of her options before deciding. Cargill says she should pick somewhere else to sign because this is her show, and she's that b****. Grace introduces herself, and tells Cargill she is definitely what she calls herself.
• Cody Rhodes comes to the ring. He says what separates him from the rest of the people looking to be the WWE Champion is his mentality. He says he arrives early and with the championship every place he goes, and that he always thanks the fans, and that he knows when people are envious of him. He says Drew McIntyre reeks of envy and that he can't wait for their fight. He says people can call themselves whatever they want, but in this era, he's the Champion. McIntyre tells him that he's so predictable and vanilla, and he figures out how to hurt him the most and explains the Three Stages of Hell: A straight wrestling match, falls count anywhere, and inside an old school steel cage. McIntyre says he took a picture of him and Dusty Rhodes from his bus, and says that he wishes Dusty was still here today to see the man he became. He then tells he hopes Dusty has a coat in Hell because it's going to be a cold one before he leaves Berlin the champion. Rhodes storms out of the ring and tries to find him and is stopped by multiple officials. McIntyre is then seen in the ring with the photo and a trash can, and Rhodes runs back to the ring. As officials stop him from entering the ring, McIntyre lights the photo of Cody and Dusty on fire and disposes it in the trash can.

Matt Cardona Officially Returns To WWE

In a night of surprises on SmackDown, the biggest one was the return of Matt Cardona, both to the show and to WWE. Cardona, who was last seen as Zack Ryder during The Last Time Is Now Tournament, returned as the surprise opponent against Kit Wilson.

Cardona has spent the past five years making a major name for himself on the independent scene, and now back as part of the WWE roster, he has the opportunity to define the remainder of his legacy with WWE as himself. Matt Cardona comes back to be a part of what feels like an exciting new injection of new faces in WWE.

Giulia Wins The Women's United States Championship

Giulia has regained her Women's United States Championship, handily defeating Chelsea Green in her rematch. Giulia is now a two-time holder of the championship, and is positioned again as the working woman's championship.

Green was always the right choice to be the inaugural champion, and her loss to her a few weeks back now provides a bigger redemption arc for Giulia, who never felt as though she settled in properly during her first run. With a revived opportunity, and new NXT challengers on the way, Giulia has another shot to get it right, and we hope WWE sticks the landing with her, eventually getting an overdue and well deserved shot at Jade Cargill's Women's Championship.

NXT Continues To Populate The Main Roster

Outside the surprise returns of both Matt Cardona and Randy Orton, more of the most popular NXT talents continue to appear on the main roster program. While it's still unclear whether Je'Von Evans and Jordynne Grace will land on Raw or SmackDown, we know the home of one NXT free agent: Trick Williams announced he's officially on SmackDown.

Williams, a major player in NXT, stakes his claim to be a part of SmackDown and to challenge for the WWE Championship. The SmackDown roster needs some fresh faces in the title picture, especially if Drew McIntyre takes the title from Cody Rhodes next week. Pairing him with Sami Zayn out of the gate is a smart move for the younger Williams, as Zayn represents the best of the new Legends in WWE.