WWE SmackDown 9/26 Results: Tiffany Stratton Retains & Jacob Fatu Is ‘All Gas, No Breaks’

Cody came out shortly after and admitted he had some of the same questions fans have had regarding a Heyman/Lesnar relationship today. In fact, Cody had prepped visual aids for the crowd in the form of a Wrestlepalooza clip featuring Heyman himself mid Brock-intro, and the look captured on his face is better left undescribed with the assurance that it was equal parts telling and hilarious (the meme: ‘find someone who looks at you the way Heyman looks at Brock’ comes to mind).

Heyman was reluctant to be straightforward about any potential long-term linkup with Lesnar, and instead assured Cody that he was no safer with Lesnar being absent from tonight’s show just as ‘The Vision’s’ Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed entered the frame from atop the ring apron.

Cody had to talk fast and slick if he was going to get out of this unscathed, so he started name-dropping former great promoters as he admitted the ‘younger Cody’ from his first WWE run would’ve “killed to be a ‘Heyman Guy.’” Cody’s quest to determine whether Heyman is currently working as an “Advocate,” an “Oracle,” or a “Wiseman” was over, and he was now breaking down both Brons as he began poking holes in Heyman’s legacy as a manager, with his loyalty for anyone but himself in question.

‘The Vision,’ specifically Breakker, who has been the more emotional one when it comes to Paul’s well-being, did not let those words fly and started to beat down Rhodes ahead of his clash with Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel in Perth. Then, ‘out of nowhere,’ Randy Orton’s music hit and the veteran came sprinting to the ring to make the save (making haste like a true friend, none of that Jey/Penta strutting stuff).

Orton bailed Cody out, but he was slow-handing back the title as he took an extra-long look at the world title in his hands.

MAIN EVENT: TIFFANY STRATTON(c) vs. NIA JAX VS JADE CARGILL

This match had big spots that kept the crowd buzzing throughout, and in a scene reminiscent of Stratton’s own successful title match against Nia Jax on RAW, the two superstars with a storied past put on a Monday night classic. The match was well promoted and set up all night as RAW women’s champ Stephanie Vaquer strutted around the backstage area, approaching each woman in the main event.

The winner of tonight will be positioned to face Vaquer for the aforementioned “Crown Jewel Championship”—a ring gifted to the winner of the champion vs champion narrative—and this match was originally scheduled to be on Wrestlepalooza before certain events reportedly changed plans.

Everyone in this one showcased something special, but it was Nia Jax that played one of the most vital roles in the match—making the younger talent in the match look good. Between Jade’s power spots and Tiffy’s high-flying maneuvers, this match more than earned the “this is awesome” chant that it received heading into the final act.

However, the finish is what fans remember, even if 95% of the match is a banger, and that was the case in this one. After a near fall from Tiffy on Jax that Cargill broke up, the challengers in the match found themselves on the outside. Jax set up a suplex on top of the steel stairs, but she managed to break the move and hoist Jax up before slamming Nia on the stairs. Cargill suffered a cut, and it took some time before the ref allowed the match to continue, which felt a bit clunky.

Yet, it was not nearly as clunky as what would happen next as Tiffany broke the attempted pinfall that Jade slapped on Jax after landing her “Around the World” maneuver, and after dropkicking Jade out of the ring, the champ Stratton hooked the leg for the pinfall attempt.

Referee Daphanie LaShaunn, who has worked for the company since 2020, counted the 1, the 2, and then indiscriminately stopped ¾ from counting the three. The ref looked back and quickly realized that there was no good reason to have stopped the count. Luckily, Stratton managed to regroup and resecure the victory as some fans booed, but most fans just sat in pure confusion.

The match was really great, and blame is easy to throw around when you don’t have the full story, so for now, the story is simple: Tiffany retains and will face Vaquer at Crown Jewel Perth.

Something to note, this marks the eighth successful defense for Stratton since claiming the title back in January of this year, and of those eight, tonight is the fourth time she pinned Nia Jax. Clunky finish aside, this should end things, but it feels like WWE was just handed a storyline to make it five successful title defenses against Jax.

SAMI ZAYN(c) vs. JE’ VON EVANS—U.S. Title (SAMI ZAYN OPEN CHALLENGE)

Zayn continued his ‘open challenge’ of the U.S. title, a storyline that has done more to honor John Cena’s final run than any program that Cena has actually been a part of, and this week it was NXT’s Je’Von Evans that answered the call. The ‘open challenge’ gimmick is designed to get the ‘baby face’ over while getting over some young talent by showcasing them on a brighter stage without disrupting their current run.

Zayn was able to successfully defend the title in a match that made Evans look like a stud and future WWE star. That said, Zayn has several weeks left to deliver 5-star TV matches before preparation for Survivor Series kicks in, and that is when it will be time to book a real feud for Zayn’s U.S. title. Remember, it was Zayn’s best friend, Kevin Owens, who benefited most from Cena’s own open challenge years ago—a program that sent Owens into a new stratosphere amongst the main roster.

DREW IS ALL GASSED, AND WHEN IT COMES TO HIS NEXT TOUGH FEUD: NO BREAKS!

Drew McIntyre came out sporting a cast on his leg following his unsuccessful challenge for Cody’s WWE world title. His ego was far more damaged than his body, and his promo was filled with excuses as he demanded retribution from GM Nic Aldis in the form of another title shot.

Aldis was not very accommodating, and it wasn’t until Jacob Fatu’s music hit, sending the crowd into a massive pop, that the ‘Samoan Werewolf’ came face to face with the ‘Scottish Psycopath.’ Fatu kept it real with Drew and forced him to come face-to-face with his delusions, but Drew responded with physicality. Fatu put Drew down on his back as he exited the ring, leaving the former world champ staring up at the lights.

STREET PROFITS vs. MIZ IS MELO—Tag Team Match

The Street Profits picked up the win tonight, dressed in all black after weeks of ‘being on different pages,’ a point of contention that was brought up in a backstage interview with the former tag champions moments before their match.

For their part, Miz and Melo have also not seen ‘eye to eye’ as of, well, a while, and tonight was no different as Miz attempted to cash in on the pinfall victory by tagging himself in after Melo set up the win. This time, Melo took issue with Miz right then and there, with the distraction allowing enough time for Angelo Dawkins to make the hot tag to Montez Ford, who would then go on to pick up the pinfall victory over Miz.

OTHER TIDBITS/IN-RING ACTION

• USA promoted their new show featuring former WWE superstar Braun Strowman. The show titled Everything on the Menu w/Braun Strowman begins airing on October 24^th on USA Network following SmackDown.
• Track and field Olympic medalist Noah Lyles was in attendance tonight, seated ringside for tonight’s SmackDown.