WWE SmackDown Preview (9/19/25): Start Time, Match Card, How to Watch & Live Stream

Lesnar will return to the blue brand for a second straight week, and he may turn up the aggression even more after hitting an F-5 on R-Truth.

Will ‘The Beast’ have anything to say about his upcoming match against Cena? Or could Truth once again step up to fight for his childhood hero?

Meanwhile, Rhodes is back on SmackDown after a surprise return a week ago. McIntyre defeated Randy Orton and then looked to hit a Claymore through the announce table - just as he did to Rhodes back on August 8 - but it was the Undisputed WWE Champion who made the save.

What could be on the mind of Rhodes before he defends his title against McIntyre?

Speaking of titles, Carmelo Hayes will step up to Sami Zayn to challenge for the United States Championship.

The Miz has been focused on keeping Carmelo’s sights set on tag team gold, including going to NXT Homecoming on Tuesday to assist Carmelo and Trick Williams in their tag team match against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. But the former NXT Champion has made it clear that his goal is singles success on the WWE main roster.

Will Carmelo take a huge step towards achieving that by defeating Zayn for the title? Or is Zayn going to once again find a way to walk out as champion?

Other WWE SmackDown Storylines To Watch

There are several other intriguing storylines that could play out on SmackDown.

What will be the fallout from the action-packed match between Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship? Both women were counted out to seemingly set up another showdown in the future, but Stratton’s status unclear after she was not cleared to compete at NXT Homecoming.

Elsewhere, what’s next for Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss after successfully defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against The Culling duo of Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley?

SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis said on last week’s show that Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre would get an opportunity at the titles, and they’ll likely have something to say about that.

Here is everything we know about tonight's episode of SmackDown in Toledo:

Brock Lesnar appears

Cena isn’t currently advertised for SmackDown, but that doesn’t mean that Lesnar won’t create havoc before Wrestlepalooza. Lesnar did just that a week ago with his attack on R-Truth, and it wouldn’t shock anyone if he did the same to someone else.

Cody Rhodes appears

Rhodes is back from his hiatus and he has revenge on the mind entering his match with McIntyre. There’s no doubt that Rhodes has a target on his back after regaining the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, and McIntyre hasn’t held back in expressing his intentions to return to the top of the WWE food chain.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Sami Zayn (c) for the United States Championship

Zayn has already had successful title defenses against Cena and Rey Fenix since restarting the open challenge for the title, and now he must go one-on-one with someone who is a rising star. Carmelo hasn’t been shy about trying to capture his first singles title on the WWE main roster, and this could be a career-defining moment if he can score the win.

How to Watch WWE SmackDown Tonight:

TV Channel: USA Network

Streaming: Fubo TV, Peacock, YouTube TV, DirecTV, Hulu+ Live TV

WWE SmackDown Time:

Time: 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST

WWE SmackDown Location:

Location: Huntington Center in Toledo, OH

WWE SmackDown Card (Announced):

Brock Lesnar appears

Cody Rhodes appears

Carmelo Hayes vs. Sami Zayn (c) for the United States Championship