WWE Smackdown 12/26/2025

WWE Smackdown 12/26/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/wwe-smackdown-12192025.html

We are in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

 Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis talks. Cody asks if Drew is here and Nick says he's not. Nick says Drew McIntyre signed the contract and says Cody can't put a finger on him or the title will be stripped.

The Miz asks Nick where Joe Hendry is but doesn't want his name said. Nick says he should be more worried for the match with him tonight. Miz doesn't want Joe Hendry's music to play.

Joe Hendry appears in the ring with his guitar and people in Santa and Easter Bunny costumes. Tozawa is in an elf costume, Otis is in a Santa costume. Joe says Merry Christmas to everyone and says he has decided to give the gift of a holiday song. Joe sings about how Miz has tiny balls to the tune of Jingle Bells. 

The Miz interrupts. Joe says Miz is upset as they started the song without him. Joe says they should sing the song together. Joe then sings the song again. Miz says he has earned the title of locker room leader since Cena has left. Miz says to clear the ring so they can fight now. Nick Aldis comes out and says it'll be a Miracle on 34th Street Fight. Miz says he hates the holidays.

Thoughts: This was a pretty big push for Joe here. He's really only been around a couple of times on the main roster and they are having him open the show here.

Miracle on 34th Street Fight - The Miz vs Joe Hendry

Joe side headlock takeovers him and Miz headscissors him. They stand off. Joe shoulders him over and delay suplexes him. Joe finds a guitar in a present and Miz finds a ukulele. Miz then finds small ball ornaments. He ear claps Joe with them. Miz is then hiptossed onto a gift and the tree. Joe hits Miz with a gift.

Joe brings a table in the ring. Miz rolls up Joe for 2. Joe armdrags him. Miz is pulled over the top. Miz elbow drops a gift box. We go to break and return. Joe hits punches on Miz then lariats him. Joe is given a Christmas tree. He rams it into Miz and fallaway slams him. Joe then fallaway slams a Christmas tree into Miz. Joe throws Miz over the top. Tozawa has a cookie tray. Miz slaps the tray down and boots Tozawa over. Otis gets fired up. Miz hits the Easter Bunny with a candy cane kendo stick. Otis blocks a kendo stick shot. Joe then hits Miz with a candy cane kendo stick. He then rams him in the crotch with it. 

Miz is ganged up on in the ring. Joe fallway slams him. Otis does the caterpillar, eats a cookie and splashes Miz. Tozawa top rope sentons Miz. R-Truth is then revealed to be under the Easter Bunny outfit. Truth does a five knuckle shuffle on Miz. Joe hits Miz with a guitar and chokeslams Miz through a table. Joe pins Miz.

Thoughts: Miz wasn't nice here but the faces weren't much better for ganging up on him. It was mostly weapons based and silly for the most part but it was entertaining. Miz lost as expected.

The faces wave their hands to Joe's theme after then do his turnaround pose.

Fraxiom talks to Carmelo Hayes in the back. Ilja Dragunov comes in and wants to talk to Melo alone. Drag says what they did vs DIY last week was beautiful. He says he can't live with how Melo's US Title match went down. Melo says it eats him alive. Drag says consider the open challenge closed as they will fight for the US Title tonight. They then shake on it.

We see wrestlers arrive. Drew McIntyre arrives and is interviewed by Cathy Kelly. Drew says he won't say right now what the stipulation is in the match with Cody. He says everyone will have all the answers to their questions later in the night.

Aleister Black does a video. He says there was a talented man who reached the pinnacle of this industry but gave all of himself away. Zelina Vega comes in. She says Damian Priest put his time into others who took from him. Vega says they stripped him down for 6 months and made him hateful. She says she still doesn't get it. Black says Priest answers to them. Vega says he hides from truth. Black says win or lose, they changed him. Vega says a creation doesn't get a second chance, it gets ended.

Byron Saxton interviews Jade Cargill. Jade says Michin hit her with a kendo stick and showed that she is scared. Jade says she doesn't need weapons, she is the weapon. She tells her to bring her kendo stick as she will need it.

Michin and B-Fab watch in the back. Fab says she doesn't want Michin getting hurt. She says this could get bad quick. Mich says they could use Jade thinking they are scared to their advantage. Mich says Jade needs to get humbled and says class will be in session next week.

Charlotte Flair vs. Lash Legend

Flair has Alexa Bliss with her and Lash has Nia Jax with her.

The girls lock up and wristlock each other. Lash slams her. Flair chops her and gets lariated. Flair's head is banged off the buckles. Lash running euros her for 1. Lash back elbows her and Flair high kicks her. Lash pop-up powerbombs her. 

We go to break and return. Lash bangs Flair's head off the ropes then slams her. Flair forearms her and boots her from the apron. Flair top rope crossbodies her. Flair hits chops. Flair forward handsprings and is facekicked by Lash. 

Flair sunset flips her then facekicks her. Lash hits a running lariat. Flair ddt's her. Flair hits a top rope moonsault for 2. Flair knee drops Lash's leg. Nia gets on the apron and Flair is pushed int othe buckles. Bliss gets on Nia's back. Flair sunset flips Lash and wins.

Thoughts: Lash had one of her better efforts. It was a slower match though and not super exciting. The finish was a bit weak too. Flair's various sunset flips didn't look good here. 

Trick Williams is putting his feet on the table in Nick Aldis' office. He says he wants to talk business and asks if Nick will match Raw's offer. Cody Rhodes comes in. He asks if Drew has apologized or paid his fine yet. Nick tells Cody to control his emotions and says if he touches Drew, he will get his title stripped. Trick says he's not done to Cody. He says he's the hottest free agent in the game. He says if Nick makes the right decision, Cody better hold onto the title real tight. 

Solo Sikoa and The MFT's do a video. Solo says Howdy thinks he has it all figured out. He says Howdy preaches about family but doesn't have one. Solo says he created a family. He tells him to hang onto the tag titles as long as he can. He says Howdy's world is in his hands.

WWE United States Title - Ilja Dragunov (c) vs Carmelo Hayes

They trade shots to start. Drag chops him in the corner. Drag hits knees to the body. Drag enzugiri's him and germans him. Drag suplexes him. Drag running boots him out of the ring.

We go to break and return. Drag facekicks Melo in the corner and chops him down. Melo hits chops and they face kick each other. Melo lariats him down. Melo lariats him. Melo springboard twisting lariats him. Drag running knees him for 2. Drag misses a top rope senton. Melo la mistica drops him.

Melo boots him in the face multiple times. Drag chops him down and facekicks him. Drag jumps at him and is hit with an enzugiri. Melo blind springboard ddt's him for 2. Drag tiger feint lariats him. Drag hits a top rope senton for 2.

We go to break and return. Drag slaps him down. Drag blocks a first 48 and puts Melo up top. Melo hits slaps on the buckles and headbutts him down. Melo comes off the top and is caught with an enzugiri. 

Drag 2nd rope superplexes him. Melo blocks an h-bomb then takes a jumping stomp. Drag backdrops him for 2. Drag hits a chop flurry in the corner. Drag tries a top rope superplex but takes a top rope cutter for 2. They fight on the apron. Drag death valley drivers him on the apron. Drag jumps off the top and is caught with a first 48. Melo then top rope diving guillotine legdrops Drag and pins him.

Thoughts: They did a bit too much here. That death valley driver on the apron should have put Melo down yet he got back up quick for the finish. It was almost all strikes and flying moves here. Melo had to win something sooner or later and I'd rather see him as champ than Ilja. I'm not sure where Ilja goes form here minus a rematch. Ilja got his nose busted open here.

Ilja puts the belt around Melo's waist and raises his hand after.

Bliss and Flair talk in the back. They talk about getting the tag titles back. Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley walk in. Rhea says they seem confident. Rhea says they have a tag title match coming up soon. Iyo says the titles will stay with them. Lash and Nia come in, Aldis comes in and The Kabuki Warriors come in. Everyone argues and gets separated. Nick says there will be an 8-woman tag match next week to get the intense dislike out of their systems.  

Carmelo Hayes is interviewed. He says he was delayed but not denied. He thanks Ilja for elevating him and the title. He says he reminded him of who he was. He says the division is on notice. Johnny Gargano then hits him from behind and says he will take everything from him. He says the title is his.

Giulia and Kiana James vs Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre

G = Giulia

KJ and Green lock up. They pull each other's hair and shove each other. Green slaps her and rolls her up. KJ rolls her up in return and yanks on the arm. Alba back elbows KJ. KJ puts her in the corner and hits corner spears. Alba tornado ddt's her for 2.

KJ is tripped and Green low flatliners her for 2. Green throws KJ over the top then G tags in. G hair throws Green then knocks Alba off the apron. G flying knees Green in the corner then suplexes her. G top rope dropkicks her.

G throws Alba over the top. G northern lights bombs Green and pins her.

Thoughts: Giulia got no real reaction as usual and the crowd kind of booed when she beat Green. It was short and not much of note. KJ was super tan here.

Kit Wilson tells Nick Aldis he wants to get rid of toxic masculinity in 2026. He asks for an opportunity and Nick says he will get one in 2026. Cody Rhodes comes in and asks if Drew apologized to the ref yet. Drew's music then hits. Nick tells Cody to control his emotions.

We get an Oba Femi video.

SD moves to 3 hours next week.

Nick Aldis and the ref are in the ring with Drew McIntyre. Nick says Cody and Drew were both out of line. Drew gives Nick a check for the fine he earned. Drew gets up in the ref's face and says he's sorry he claymored him in the face. He says it's been keeping him up for weeks and he should never attack a WWE official. Nick thanks him for that.

Drew says he also apologizes that it was the ref's dream to be a wrestler like him but he wasn't good enough and had to be a ref. He bends down and says he apologizes his wife had to watch Drew beat him up. He says his wife wishes she had a man like Drew. Drew says he apologizes to his kids too for having a corporate stooge for a father. Drew asks the ref if he wants to get revenge and hit him right now.

Cody Rhodes comes out. Cody gets in the ring and goes up to Drew. Drew dares him to hit him. Drew eggs him on. Drew says he wishes Cody's family was there when he attacked him. He says he wishes his children could see a real man put the boots to him and see what a real daddy looks like. Drew tells him to hit him. Drew says the stipulation is that their match will be in Berlin in a 3 stages of hell match. Cody agrees.

Drew says there's one more thing - he says when he tortures him and sends him straight to hell, say hi to your dad for me. Nick grabs Cody. Cody shoves Nick in the corner and Drew claymore kicks Cody. Drew then looks at Cody's belt and raises it above him. 

Overall thoughts: It wasn't a bad show. I liked the opener. I didn't quite love Ilja/Melo but the crowd was into it. The women's match was so-so. The main event closing segment was fine. SD has upgraded their roster quick with Trick, Oba and Joe now being on it. That will fill a lot of holes and will definitely make for a better show. I'd give this a low 6 out of 10 overall but wouldn't really recommend it.