Friday Night SmackDown Review - February 13, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax & Lash Legend, and WWE Women's Tag Team Champions RHIYO Interrupted Each Other

It was logical to hear from Stratton coming off her return at the Royal Rumble and after qualifying for the women's Elimination Chamber match last week, but she didn't have much to say here, and I have no idea why Jax and Legend had to interrupt her. I know Legend failed to qualify in that Triple Threat with Stratton, but this felt unnecessary unless it was designed to plant the seeds for Stratton doing something with them at WrestleMania 42. RHIYO only came out because of the scheduled WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match, though I realize Rhea Ripley is in the women's Chamber as well.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champions RHIYO vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend Ended in a No Contest

RHIYO have been on a roll as a team the last several months, having great matches with pretty much everyone they've shared the ring with. This was no exception. The non-finish made no sense as the referee called for the bell for seemingly no reason, so that was lame, but at least the post-match brawl was well done and set the stage for an eventual rematch between the two teams.

The MFTs (JC Mateo, Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga and WWE Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa) def. United States Champion Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov, Shinsuke Nakamura, Matt Cardona and Apollo Crews

Hayes and Dragunov were about to face off for the United States Championship before The MFTs interrupted them, leading to it turning into a 10-man tag team match instead. That was definitely a downgrade, but what we got was perfectly solid. Togna not only scored the pin again for his team but pinned Hayes, so a shot at the U.S. title is clearly in his future. On a side note, this marked Crews' first televised matchup since late 2024, if you can believe it.

Alexa Bliss def. Zelina and United States Champion Giulia in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for the Women's Elimination Chamber Match

As cool as it would have been to see Giulia inside the Chamber, I didn't actually expect her to qualify based on how she's been booked on the main roster. There was no way Zelina was winning, either, so the outcome was predictable. Despite that, it was a nice Triple Threat for as long as it lasted. Bliss is a notable name and gives the women's Chamber some additional star power.

Trick William def. Rey Fenix

Since this was a rematch from a month ago, I thought something might happen to justify it happening again, like Royce Keys debuting as Williams' heavy or whatever. Well, apparently not. On the bright side, it was another enjoyable outing from them. They work really well together. It just sucks that Fenix has been relegated to stepping stone status instead of being built up as well.

WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill def. Jordynne Grace

I don't think it'd be a stretch to say that this was was Cargill's best bout to date in WWE, especially in a singles capacity. It wasn't a barn burner or anything, but they had quality chemistry and produced a good match. Cargill wasn't losing the title on a random SmackDown, but Grace was made to look credible in defeat. Now we wait to find out who she'll defend against at WrestleMania.

Cody Rhodes def. Sami Zayn and Jacob Fatu in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for the Men's Elimination Chamber Match

You can't complain about the finish being foreshadowed here as any one of them could have realistically won. The action was excellent to boot and they had the crowd invested from start to finish. Zayn and Drew McIntyre looked like total idiots for allowing Rhodes to win the way he did, but whatever. The question is, what does this mean for Fatu going forward? I'd be shocked if he wasn't somehow incorporated into the Undisputed WWE Championship match at 'Mania given how heavily involved he's been with McIntyre and Rhodes since returning.

Overall Show

All in all, this was a thumbs-up edition of SmackDown. You can tell that they were stretching for time with the three hours by doing so many backstage segments and whatnot, but the important stuff delivered, notably the Chamber qualifiers and Cargill vs. Grace. The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match and Williams vs. Fenix were fun as well, even if the finish to the former was underwhelming. The road to WrestleMania still needs a strong spark, but the shows themselves could certainly be worse.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews