WWE Smackdown 3/20/2026

WWE Smackdown 3/20/2026

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/wwe-smackdown-3132026.html

We are in Raleigh, NC. Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are on commentary.

We get a long recap of Randy Orton turning on Cody Rhodes last week. 

We see various wrestlers arriving and hanging out. Truth is getting a haircut despite being bald. Kit throws down a Jelly Roll record maybe and walks on it as he arrives.

Jelly Roll arrive and security, officials and refs run past him. Drew McIntyre is jumping Fatu in his car. He breaks his windshield, pulls him through it and bangs his head off the car hood. Security then pulls him off and Fatu is busted open. 

Drew McIntyre comes out and asks what we thought would happen. He says he should be wrestling in the Mania main event and Fatu took it from him. He says if anyone steps up to him, their @ss belongs to him.

Nick Aldis comes out with security. He calls him the most self-sabotaging man in this business. He says he acts like a maniac. He says Drew isn't on the way to Mania, but on the way to unemployment. Drew says he'd love it if he quit and so would everyone else. He says Nick's kid should be ashamed to have such a corporate stooge for a dad. He says he cause chaos all night.

Jacob Fatu comes out and him and Drew fight. Fatu is sent into the rails and Drew is sent into the post and steps. Drew is thrown over the commentary table. Fatu beats him up on the commentary table. 

Fatu then jumps off the rail, splashing Drew through the commentary table. Drew's mouth is busted open and we go to break.

Thoughts: The new SD lead writer likes starting the show out strong so we had this to start. 

WWE Tag Titles - The MFT's (JC Mateo and Tama Tonga) (c) vs Damian Priest and R-Truth

DP hits shots on JC and lifting flatliners him. Tama takes a russian legsweep + flying corkscrew forearm combo. DP flying forearms JC. Talla onga pulls RT off the apron. JC lariats DP over the top and Talla nails DP outside.

We go to break and return. DP is rammed into the buckles by JC. JC standing moonsaults him for 2. JC corner splashes DP. DP spin kicks JC in the face. RT tags in and flying shoulderblocks Tama ala Cena. He blue thunders him then hits a five knuckle shuffle. 

Tama back elbows RT then dropkicks him into a spinning backdrop from JC for 2. RT stunners Tama. DP jumps off the steps onto Tama. RT stfu's JC. Talla pulls RT out and chokeslams him on the apron. JC goes for the pin and RT kicks out at 2. The Wyatt Sicks' logo flashes on the screen and they come out. The Wyatt's fight The MFT's. Howdy comes out and does the mandible claw to Solo. JC superkicks Howdy and sends him into the rails. 

RT jumping kicks JC. DP lariats Tama. RT hits an AA on JC and pins him.

Thoughts: I liked what we got here and it was a good idea. RT and DP were floundering as faces and now both are back in the thick of things. You can pair anyone with Truth though and it'll work to some degree. The MFT's can continue their feud with The Wyatt's (which will conclude at Mania for sure) and everyone wins here. Truth is basically now a half-Cena tribute act but it works out for him.

The Bella Twins are interviewed by Cathy Kelley. They say whoever underestimates them is making a big mistake. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss come in. Flair says they skipped the line to get a title shot which is selfish. Flair says they want next regardless of who wins. A Bella tells them to watch and see how it gets done. The Bella's then take one of their spoons (they were eating ice cream).

Johnny Gargano is still laying on a box in the back. LeRae is there and Danhausen checks on Johnny. Danhausen is asked if he can fix this. He asks for $20 human dollars then leaves. The Motor City Machine Guns walk past and Sabin calls for Alex to follow him.

Sami Zayn is interviewed. He says he can't stop thinking about Cody.  He says Cody tries to go the extra mile to be good. He says last week he ended up in a pool of blood while Randy Orton does what he does. He said the night ended for Orton with the title in his hands. He says the more he tries to do things the right way, the more things go wrong. He says the world he believes in doesn't exist anymore.

Trick Williams comes in and brags about beating Fatu last week. He says when life gives you lemons, you put on your lemon pepper steppers and mind your business while grown folks talk. Trick says if he has time, he might check out Sami's match and give him pointers tonight if he likes what he sees. He tells him to get a real good look.  

Fraxiom (Axiom and Nathan Frazier) vs The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)

NF side headlocks Sabin. NF flying kicks Alex. Ax takes a double shoulderblock for 1. Ax boots Alex then is popped up into a dropkick on Sabin. Ax lariats Alex on the ropes. Alex takes a double superkick then Sabin does too. We go to break and return. 

Ax plants off the post and armdrags Alex outside. NF tope con hilos The Guns outside. NF top rope frogsplashes Sabin for 2. NF spin kicks Alex in the face. Sabin take a brainbuster + headkick combo. 

Sabin top rope double crossbodies his opponents. NF takes a magic killer for 2. Candice LaRae comes out. NF takes kicks. Ax and NF hit topes. NF backrolls Sabin and LaRae nails NF. Sabin then pins NF.

Thoughts: The finish was interesting here with Candice LaRae helping The Guns win. That makes for a twist to this feud and I'm interested to see how that gets explained. The main was entertaining as expected. It was fast paced and had tons of flying.

Randy Orton walks past Fatu's destroyed car in the parking lot.

We go to break and return. Randy Orton comes out. Orton says he loves the love he gets from the fans. He says he signs autographs for them. He says the love he gives back puts a smile on his face. He says the smile is the emptiest feeling he has felt in his life. He says nothing lasts forever and he doesn't want his legacy to be the high fives to the fans and the smiles. He says he wants his legacy to be how much gold he put around his waist.

He says he was going to fight Drew for the title then Drew and Cody came into the picture. He says he didn't know if he had it in him to beat Cody as he loves him like a brother. He says Cody took the burden off his chest when Cody told him to be the best version of himself he can be. He said Cody told him to be The Viper and listen to the voices. Orton says the problem with that as he is not always in control and there's chaos. He says he knows he needs the killer instinct to add #15 to his legacy. 

He says the lyrics to his song about hearing the voices in his head and that they talk to him. He says the voices tell him he will beat Cody Rhodes for the title at Mania.

We get a video on The Bella Twins.

Randy Orton walks past Los Garza and Rey Fenix in the back and they just look at him. Orton then goes up to Matt Cardona. Orton says he has no beef with him and tells him to spit it out if he has beef. Matt says him and Cody were close like brothers and complains about what he did to Cody. Orton calls him a mark @ss stooge and an indy nerd. He says he's wasting him time and he's done. Orton forearms him and tells him to stay out of his business as he wouldn't understand.

Aleister Black vs Sami Zayn

The lights go out and Trick Williams comes out before it begins. 

AB waistlock takedowns Sami and pounds on him. They trade forearms. AB hits chest kicks and forearms. Sami hits chops and mounted corner punches. Sami stomps on him and we go to break.

We return and Sami kicks out of a pin. AB hits chest kicks and forearms. Sami hits punches. AB spinning back elbows him. AB jumping knees him for 2. AB does a neat keylock on the leg. AB high kicks him. AB hits shots in the corner. AB meteora's him off the buckles for 2. 

AB hits mounted punches. Sami lariats him over the top. AB is sent into the rails. Sami exploders him into the buckles. AB rolls out. Sami moves Trick Williams aside and stares him down. Trick throws his drink at Sami. Sami then beats up Trick outside. Sami comes back in and AB spinning roundhouse kicks him in the face. AB then wins.

Thoughts: What we got of this was alright but this was mostly about Sami and Trick continuing their feud. Sami got kicked really hard in the face during the finish.

Sami holds his eye after.

Matt Cardona tells Nick Aldis he wants Orton. Nick says it won't happen tonight and Matt walks off mad.

Carmelo Hayes talks to Nick and says he was told the open challenge is closed. Nick says someone came up to him and made a compelling case about why they are next in line. Ilja Dragunov then comes up  to Melo. He says Melo is right. He says he can't be the man he wants to be if he doesn't take the shots in front of him. Melo says it's about time. He says it'll be champagne for one of them and just pain for one of them.

Nia and Lash do a promo. They don't understand why The Bellas think they can beat them and says they are re-living their glory days. They talk about other challengers and say it's time to put the other teams in check. They say they will demolish The Bellas. Nia says the only things they can do are nothing and like it. Lash says it's not a threat, it's pressure.

Jade Cargill comes out. She says to wrap up the music and tells Rhea Ripley to come out.

Rhea Ripley comes out. She says they said all they need to say and she doesn't want to talk to her anymore. Jade says Rhea needs the title. Jade says she doesn't need the title, the reign or the fans. She says Rhea has been grinding hard to be someone. Jade says she's been that b!tch without wrestling. She says she's not here to make friends but money. 

Rhea says she's been successful not making friends. Rhea says she needs this and lives for it. Jade says she doesn't care about her sob story. Jade says Rhea is Iyo's little...Rhea says she doesn't need that title, the title needs her. She says she wants the title, so she will take the title. She tells her welcome to the big leagues b!tch. She asks if they will keep talking and tells her to do something. She tells her to hit her. Jade doesn't and says "on my time".

Michin and B-Fab are in the aisle when Jade tries to leave. Rhea is still in the ring so Jade is surrounded. Michin and B-Fab then stand next to Jade and they all surround Rhea. Rhea fights Mich and Fab off. They triple team Jade. They hold Rhea for a Jader superkick. Jade hits a jade end on Rhea. 

Thoughts: This was a stupid turn. Why would Michin and B-Fab join Jade after all the issues they had for the last few months?

Kit Wilson talks to The Miz in the back. Miz isn't paying attention. He says it's been a weird week since SD. He said he vacation was delayed and he has sunburn on his back. Danhausen comes in and wants to join them. Kit says they don't want him. Miz says he won't mentor him. Dan says to stay cursed and a ladder falls down. Miz tells Kit he needs to go and be The Miz Method. Another ladder then falls onto Miz.

The MFT's talk. Solo gets mad about the tag title loss. Solo says their Wrestlemania opportunity is gone. Tama tells Solo to give The Wyatt's the lantern back. He says he hasn't been acting like himself. He says Solo is starting to sound like Roman. Solo asks him what he said.

Fatu and Drew then come fighting next to Solo. They go into a rollaway door. Security fails to break it up. Drew eye gouges Fatu hard and it is broken up. 

Carmelo Hayes vs Ilja Dragunov

They lock up. Drag shoves him off the break and Melo slaps him. Melo rams him into to corner then hits headbutts and chops. Drag boots him then spinning chops him. Melo superkicks him. Ilja tiger feint spinning lariats him. 

We go to break and return. Drag suplexes him for 2. Melo hits chops and Drag hits elbows on him. Melo la mistica facebusters him for 2. Melo lariats him over the top. Melo then tope con hilos him and goes hard into the desk. Melo top rope frogsplashes him for 2. Melo's arm appears hurt.

Drag germans him then top rope sentons him for 2. Drag comes off he top and is hit with a first 48. Drag h-bombs him on the landing and Melo ropebreaks. We go to PiP break and return.

They fight on the apron and Drag death valley drivers him there. Drag goes for a superplex but takes a top rope cutter for 2. They trade shots. Drag spinning chops him in the knees and Melo step up enzugiri's him. Drag does a big curbstomp on him then powerbombs him for 2. 

Drag backbreakers him. Drag runs at him and is hit with a first 48 for 2. Drag hits a torpedo moscow. Melo sunset bombs him off a powerbomb attempt and wins.

Thoughts: I liked it. They showed some good fire, they kept the pace up and they didn't do overdo it. It was a hard fought bout and hopefully Melo is okay after going into the table hard. Melo won but it probably isn't the end to this...if there ever will be an end.

R-Truth, Jelly Roll and Damian Priest talk. Jelly congratulates them on winning the tag titles. 

Jelly then talks to Randy Orton. Orton says he's sorry for last week. Jelly says not to worry about it. He says he's worried about him and knows what it's like to be judged by bad decisions you make. He says Orton became a better person and he doesn't know why he's fighting to be a version of himself that he fought to get rid of. He says he knows a better version of him. He says he's a beautiful soul and that's the man he knows. Jelly says the real Randy knows money and titles come and go but family and friends are forever. Orton asks what he's supposed to do and how he can fix it. Jelly says start at step 1. He says it'll be hard but he can do the right thing. Orton says he hears him. They say they love each other. 

Kit Wilson comes out. He says Jelly Roll stepped out of line last week and started the fight. He says he will finish it and tells Jelly to come out. 

Jelly Roll comes out. Kit then backs out of the ring. Jelly says if this is what he wanted, this is what he got. Jelly says they will fight now and calls for a ref. Kit says his ego is two steps ahead of the brain. Kit says he doesn't fight with his fists, he fights with his words. Jelly asks if he was called down to have a rap battle with him. Jelly says he's a decent dancer but he's no rapper.

Kit says not to compare him to a rapper. He says he's better than them and Jelly. He says they will have slam poetry. Jelly is shocked he has a book. Kit raps at Jelly and rips him. Kit makes a bunch of fat jokes. Jelly then responds back. Jelly dances and Kit hits him from behind. Kit boots him in the corner and flying euros him there.  Kit twisting elbow drops him off he buckles. 

Giulia and Kiana James argue. Giulia says Kiana didn't get the job done and Tiff thinks she can disrespect her. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre comes in. Green says the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Green wants to work together and Giulia says she doesn't need any help from her. Nia then pushes Green's wheelchair into Alba. 

Jelly Roll tells Nick Aldis he wants Kit Wilson next week and Nick agrees.

WWE Women's Tag Titles - The Irrestible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) (c) vs The Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie Bella)

The Twins dropkick the heels in the knees. Nia takes a facekick  then she shoulders over a Bella. Nia misses an elbow drop on a Bella. Nia is held on the 2nd rope and Brie (long pants) dropicks Nia's back. Brie wristlocks Nia and Nikki top rope double axe handles Nia's arm. Nia takes a double armwringer and she pulls The Twin's int oeach other. Nia takes a double boot then a double bulldog.

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss come out. Lash pump kicks Nikki and forearms down Brie. We go to PiP break and return. Nikki enzugiri's Nia and Brie top rope dropkicks Nia. Brie running knees Nia on the ropes. Nia misses a butt drop on Brie. Brie hits chest kicks on Nia.

Brie dropkicks Lash out. Nia pop-up headbutts Brie. Nia is thrown out. Nikki top rope crossbodies the heels outside. Nia puts Nikki on her shoulders and 2nd rope samoan drops her. Lash splashes Nikki off the buckles for 2. Nikki stf's Lash. Nia goes to hit Brie with a title belt but Flair stops Nia and kicks her. The ref calls for the DQ.

Thoughts: The Bella's tried but they aren't that good or that athletic and this wasn't going to be that good. They would never make the main roster today. Lash didn't get much in here. The finish didn't help things here.

Nikki pushes Flair and forearms Bliss. Flair sends Nikki into the apron. Flair's head is banged off the buckles. All 6 girls fight. Lash and Nia splash all of them in the corners.  Lash bearhugs Flair and Nia comes off the 2nd rope with a legdrop on Flair.

Randy Orton is on the phone in the back. He talks to an unknown person and says he will go to the ring now and fix it.

Randy Orton comes out after a break. Orton says he needs to apologize to the fans and Matt Cardona. He asks Matt come out. Matt comes out. Orton says he's been out of his head and he's sorry. He says action figures are cool and he plays video games. He says he needs to apologize to Cody too and asks if Matt will forgive him. They hug. Orton shakes his hand, kicks him in the crotch and RKO's him. Orton rips off Matt's shirt and throws him out.

Orton puts Matt on the commentary table and pounds on him. Orton puts the steps near the table again and a bunch of security and officials come out to stop him. Orton throws Matt in the ring and hits mounted punches. Orton goes to pillmanize the arm and guards stop him again. Orton the pillmanizes the arm with a chair.

Orton is backed up in the aisle. Aldis tells Orton this isn't him. We go to the tron. Fatu and Drew are fighting on a walkway up in the air. Fatu hits headbutts on Drew. Drew and Fatu are on the outside of the rails. Aldis and security come out and tell them to stop. Drew and Fatu then fall off the rail to the ground, but we don't see the landing.

Overall thoughts: It was a pretty good Smackdown. We had a hot opening, a hot ending, turns, Jelly Roll, title changes and some good wrestling. What more can you really ask for? I'd give this an easy 8 out of 10 and thought it was one of the better shows since before Cena retired. Ilja/Melo was the best match of the night here.