WWE Friday Night Smackdown Review 10.1.2026.

    Intro. 

I have to say that i'm looking forward to this coming Friday, because I will be attending Friday Night Smackdown at the OVO Arena Wembley, and the best thing about this is Wembley is only a 45 minute train ride from my house. I've been looking forward to this show ever since it got announced in early september of last year, because even though i've been to house shows multiple times over the years, i've never been to a live WWE TV Broadcast, so this is going to be very special. I'm excited to see my guys the Temu Bloodline AKA The MFTs, and a man that's going to have a big 2026. The Miz. ( Hoooooooooooorah. ) But in all seriousness Bring on my Guy Cody. More on him later.

Superstars Seen Showing Up.

Giulia. Alexa Bliss. Drew Mcintyre, and. Cody Rhodes were all seen showing up to work. The back drops of Berlin that were shown last night looked stunning.

Randy Orton Segment And Trick Williams vs Rey Fenix.

Randy Orton is back, and he's on the hunt for gold in 2026. I liked this he talked about how great it was to be back in Germany, and his hopes for 2026. This was when he got interrupted by Trick Williams. I liked this. The pair had a decent back and forth segment, that gave us fans a perfect look into were WWE could be heading in 2026 on both main roster brands. Veterans helping the new talent is a good way to shape things. The Miz ( hoooooooooooooooorah ) attacked Randy to end the segment. As Randy walked out he passed Rey Fenix, and just like that we were off to the races. Rey Fenix vs Trick Williams was an unsuprisingly awesome affair. Both have untapped, incredible chemistry, and it was clear to see. Their exchanges were electric, as I sat here in my home eating up every manouver. Trick got the win after rolling up Rey, and this was the right booking decision to make. As the way of how WWE TV Matches go, this was a solid bit of business.

Damien Priest Segment.

Damien Priest told Kathy Kelly that he's looking forward to the future in 2026, ok now someone tell that to Drew Mcintyre that, because he also wants Gold. I get a feeling that this going somewhere.

Giulia vs Alexa Bliss WWE Womens United States Championship.

So Giulia is now a two time WWE United States Champion. This says to me to never take two weeks off from writing again, because if I do then things like this happen. This Match however was terrible. It was a vast shenanigans based exercise. Giulia retained, thanks to Lash Legend. Nia Jax, and. Kiana James. This was a complete waste of perfectly good air time.

A Total Misfire.

What came after the last Match was a total misfire. How can a segment debuting Jordynne Grace, be handled so badly, well that's because it morphed several things together. Jordynne had to compete for air time against. Chelsea Green. Alba Fyre. Matt Cardona, and. Cody Rhodes, oh and the new character that has been given to Kit Wilson is offensive when you dig beneath the surface.

The Wyatt Sic vs The MFT's 8 Man Tag Match.

I didn't like this, on paper it looked like a fun time, but in reality it was a bust that was over to soon. The Matches within the Match failed to get a reaction from me at home, and this should be said, because if it failed with one man in his late thiries, then imaging how many others it hasn't got over with on a global level. The MFT's got the win, and if i'm honest. I was glad when it ended.

Carmelo Hayes Segment And.

In 2026 Carmelo Hayes should be done with The Miz, ( hooooooooooorah ) but not Ilja Dragonov. I want to see this Match again, because these two have awesome chemistry, and the booking will work to their strengths.

Alba Fyre vs Jordynne Grace.

Jordynne Grace, beat Alba Fyre in a flat and forgettable TV Match, and then had a meeting with Jade Cargill. I liked this development, because it's a clever piece of TV booking.

Carmelo Hayes United States Championship Open Challenge.

Enter stage left Shinsuke Nakamura. He was Carmelo's opponent, and if i'm being honest this had no right to be as decent as it was. These worked hard to carve out something good, and as the near falls came into effect, the essence of one way traffic started to form, and this was when Carmelo retained his belt.

3 Stages Of Hell Match For The WWE Undisputed Championship Drew Mcintyre vs Cody Rhodes.

Were already in the start of the year, and were being treated to PLE Matches taking place on standard TV. This was awesome. I'm not sure why in keyfabe terms for why the result was what it was, but I will get into that a little bit later on. The first fall was centred around the grounds of a normal Pro wrestling Match, and it delivered. Both mens history on the independent level from working for WPCW, and. ROH respectively was showcased, and I got that vibe from the word go, as their workmanship showed this. The physicality of the first fall which Drew won by giving Cody a low blow, bled into the second fall, a Falls Count Anywhere Match, this catered to the chaos of the stipulation, as Cody, and. Drew thought into the fans, the backstage area, and all the way around ringside, which led to Drew getting put through the announcers table. Cody got the second fall, this led to the final fall. A Steel Cage Match, and what this gave me was a satisfying conclusion to what was an excellent Match. This was when the booking of the Match started to form it's final masterpiece. The near falls acted like a finely tuned instrument that sounded well being played out live, and just like that we have a new WWE Undisputed Champion, and his name is Drew Mcintyre, and he got what he wanted in the most heelish way possible. He left through the cage door thanks to a returning Jacob Fatu. some fans online have criticised the finish, but when you take a look at Drews character, it all makes sense, and I can't wait to see heel Mcintyre going forward as champion. Many things have been said today about the build to WrestleMania, and how things could play out. It was reported last month by Sean Ross Sapp at Fightful Select, and. Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer that the plan for Mania 42 was Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns 3, but with the Royal Rumble coming up in just a few weeks, that also has to be taken into account. There's a reason why this is one of my favourite times of year to be a Pro Wrestling fan.

Overview of Friday Night Smackdown.

As I sat down on a Saturday morning to watch Friday Night Smackdown, with my Sausage And Bacon Sandwiches. I was left feeling full on life by the end, whilst entertained from the start, but the middle left me feeling that a creative shift in WWE is needed, so that weekly TV shows can stand as must see TV once again.

This weeks WWE Friday Night Smackdown is a high 7/10.

Ps. Can someone get Axiom his mask back from Tomasso Ciampa.