 Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre Was Confronted by Randy Orton and Attacked by Jacob FatuMcIntyre getting a grand entrance as Undisputed WWE champ here was super cool, especially when you consider he's never actually gotten an entrance with a WWE world title in front of fans. I liked him embracing the audience to start the segment before turning on them (as he should have as a heel). His interaction with Orton teased they could be opponents at the Royal Rumble, but I hope that isn't the direction WWE heads in. Fatu going after McIntyre furthered that feud as well. Randy Orton def. The Miz to Qualify for the Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match at Saturday Night's Main EventHas it really been a decade since the last televised singles match between these guys? That's insane. It feels like just yesterday they were fighting each other for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, and that was 15 years ago. At any rate, this was standard stuff. They really wanted you to think Miz had a chance of winning with him attacking Orton beforehand and hitting him with a second Skull Crushing Finale during the bout, but that was obviously never going to happen. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair def. Kiana James and Women's United States Champion GiuliaThis was a logical way to follow up on Giulia retaining her Women's United States Championship against Bliss with an assist from Nia Jax and Lash Legend on last week's show. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary about the action, but it was perfectly fine. Jax and Legend emerged afterward, and it was later announced that all three teams will meet in a number one contender's Triple Threat tag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship next week. Cody Rhodes Declared for the 2026 Men's Royal Rumble Match and Addressed Jacob FatuIt was hilarious hearing the crowd going from singing Rhodes' entrance music, to then booing him, to then cheering him again when he mentioned why London should get a WrestleMania. Fans are so fickle. To Rhodes' credit, though, he did an effective job of turning the fans back on his side and delivering a strong promo. He declared himself for the men's Rumble match and called out Fatu after how SmackDown ended last week, so it was a successful segment on multiple fronts. Trick Williams def. Matt Cardona to Qualify for the Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match at Saturday Night's Main EventWilliams was over huge in front of this crowd. It wasn't the best spot for Cardona to be in, but at least they had a quality contest in the time they were allotted despite the result never being in doubt. Kit Wilson came out afterward to a big pop, which wasn't too surprising given he's an England native, and him attacking Cardona before his entrance music resumed was hilarious. Jacob Fatu Attacked Kit Wilson and Brawled with Cody RhodesFatu attacking Wilson got him booed briefly, but the crowd cheered him not long after because of how much of a badass he came across as here. Him calling out Rhodes made sense and their brawl was hot for as long as it lasted. I'm really looking forward to them facing off one-on-one at Saturday Night's Main Event before they're both involved in the men's Rumble. Damian Priest def. Solo Sikoa to Qualify for the Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match at Saturday Night's Main EventThis match could have very well gone either way, and by that I mean, it could either have been solid or a bore fest. Thankfully, it fell into the former category. Not a barn burner by any means, but an average outing. Of course, Priest advancing was the correct call and Sikoa had the out with The Wyatt Sicks brawling with The MFTs at ringside. I applaud them for attempting to make the faction feud more interesting by adding Bray Wyatt's old lantern into the mix. United States Champion Carmelo Hayes def. TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater (TNA X-Division Championship Was Not Defended)Slater accepting the open challenge was expected if you've been reading the rumors in recent days, but it was an awesome moment, nonetheless. Slater has been a star on the rise over in TNA and has made the most of every opportunity he's had in WWE and on NXT, including this clash with Hayes. It was easily the best bout of the night and they worked really well together. It's a bummer Slater had to miss TNA's (lousy) AMC premiere on Thursday night, but he had a standout showing here. Jordynne Grace def. AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Chelsea GreenGrace ran through Alba Fyre last week, and although this was slightly more competitive, it was more of the same with Grace in domination mode and beating Green in a matter of minutes. Green was beloved by this crowd, so that didn't do Grace any favors. Post-match, she and Jade Cargill had another confrontation. Cargill hasn't defended her WWE Women's Championship a single time since winning it almost three months ago, so hopefully that match happens on the sooner side. Sami Zayn def. Ilja Dragunov to Qualify for the Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match at Saturday Night's Main EventThis was the qualifier I was most excited for on paper after the banger these two had over the United States Championship a few months ago. It paled in comparison to that encounter because it started out slow and wasn't given as much time, but it certainly picked up down the stretch and turned into a hell of a hard-hitting affair. I held out hope Dragunov might win because I would've loved to see Dragunov vs. McIntyre at the Rumble, not to mention Zayn would have a better chance of winning the men's Rumble than he would beating McIntyre for the title on that same show, but another round of McIntyre vs. Zayn (assuming Zayn wins at Saturday Night's Main Event) works, too. Overall ShowCall me crazy, but has SmackDown shockingly been a *gasp* entertaining show for the last three weeks? This episode had the benefit of being overseas along with multiple matches with stakes, so I'm not convinced the blue brand can keep this streak going while still being three hours long in the weeks and months ahead. For this week, however, SmackDown once again gets two-thumbs-up from me.
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