Friday Night SmackDown Review - February 27, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Je'Von Evans and LA Knight Interrupted and Attacked Each Other

This was your typical WWE segment where it was a revolving door of promos and none of them were all that interesting, but it was a solid enough segment to build toward the men's Elimination Chamber match. The top takeaway was that Jey Uso was shown laid out backstage when the show started, leading to him having to be replaced in the bout. That was a nice hook for the rest of the show.

Uncle Howdy def. WWE Tag Team Champion Solo Sikoa

This is one of those feuds that's been going on for many months and is apparently no closer to ending, for some reason. I had no issue with it at first, but it's definitely repetitive at this point and isn't benefiting anyone. This was perfectly passable and this was a necessary win for Howdy, but The MFTs attacking Howdy afterward means the rivalry will (unfortunately) continue.

Tiffany Stratton def. Kairi Sane

Stratton was supposed to face Asuka before Asuka pulled out because she wanted to be 100 percent for the women's Elimination Chamber match. That's fine because neither Stratton nor Asuka should be losing before the pay-per-view and this gave Stratton another win. They worked hard and had a very good match in the time they were allotted despite the outcome never being in doubt.

Oba Femi def. The Miz

This was similar to Femi's match with Kit Wilson last week in that the pre-match verbal exchange lasted longer than the matchup itself. All that did was drag out the inevitable. The match was a total squash, as it should have been based how Miz has been booked in recent years. I get building up Femi by having him destroy jobbers, but he's already over, so he should be working with wrestlers higher up on the card out of the gate.

United States Champion Carmelo Hayes def. Matt Cardona

It's a shame the crowd barely reacted to Cardona when he made his entrance. He hasn't even been back for two months. Then again, it's not like he's done much of anything since returning. Thankfully, the crowd got into the action as it progressed, and they had a quality contest. Hayes continues to kill it with these open challenges, but I'm ready for him to start a storyline with someone. At least he has something of a story with Ilja Dragunov.

Jordynne Grace def. Candice LeRae

It made sense to give Grace a rebound victory after failing to dethrone Jade Cargill as WWE Women's Champion, but the crowd sitting on their hands wasn't entirely surprising. Grace is still in the process of being established (not to mention her music sucks) and LeRae has always been undercard fodder on the main roster. This was a serviceable showcase for Grace, if nothing else.

The Irresistible Forces def. RHIYO to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

The Irresistible Forces is the new team name for Nia Jax and Lash Legend. The match was enjoyable and Legend pinning Rhea Ripley for the win was huge for her. The best part about this is that it should free up Ripley and IYO SKY for WrestleMania 42. They're bigger than whatever the tag title matchup will end up being. This also increases Ripley's chances of winning the women's Chamber.

Logan Paul def. Jacob Fatu to Qualify for the Men's Elimination Chamber Match

This came together later in the show after it was established that Uso can't compete in the men's Chamber tomorrow night. Paul was never in a qualifier, and Fatu obviously has ties to the Undisputed WWE Championship scene right now, so this was a logical match to do. They had a well-worked main event. Bronson Reed was originally supposed to qualify for the Chamber before he got hurt, so Paul taking the spot he was supposed to have ensures The Vision will be represented. This only reinforces my theory that Fatu will be incorporated into the title matchup at 'Mania somehow. Additionally, the stuff with masked man is tired, and I'm not confident we're getting the payoff at Elimination Chamber, either.

Overall Show

This show was more newsworthy than I was expecting thanks to the WWE Women's tag titles changing hands and Paul taking Uso's spot in the men's Chamber. The rest of the episode was adequate, but the three hours definitely dragged as they progressed. The build for Chamber hasn't been terribly thrilling, so we can only hope that the build for 'Mania will be better. WWE TV really needs to hit that next gear once Elimination Chamber is over with.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews