Friday Night SmackDown Review - January 9, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Randy Orton Attacked Trick Williams and The Miz

Williams confronted Sami Zayn in his official debut as a SmackDown Superstar last week and this week it was Orton. He's already off to a stellar start. He more than held his own on the mic here and left me looking forward to them feuding down the line. Miz got laid out by Orton last week, so it was logical for Miz to attempt to attack him here, only to get laid out again. Orton vs. Miz will be one of the Saturday Night's Main Event qualifiers taking place next week.

Trick Williams def. Rey Fenix

Fenix was the perfect first opponent for Williams on SmackDown. Williams is by no means incompetent in the ring, but Fenix makes everyone he shares the ring with look better than they are and that was certainly the case here. This was a fun match with solid showings from both men. Now the key is getting Fenix out of the enhancement role he finds himself in at the moment and giving him a push of his own, whether it be by himself or with his brother Penta in the tag team ranks.

Women's United States Champion Giulia def. Alexa Bliss

Yes, this was rather random, and no, I don't believe it was explained why Bliss got a shot at the Women's United States Championship out of nowhere. At the very least, I was happy to get a fresh match we've never seen before. This was good stuff and Giulia beating a star of Bliss' caliber was a nice boost for her, even though she still a long way to go as far as getting over with the audience. Lash Legend and Nia Jax cost Bliss the win, so Bliss was protected in defeat. It was said Charlotte Flair wasn't feeling well, hence why she wasn't in Bliss' corner.

The MFTs (Tama Tonga, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo and Solo Sikoa) def. The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan and WWE Tag Team Champions Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy)

If you don't care about this program, I don't blame you at all. It's kept both groups busy and I've personally been fine with it, but the booking has been very basic so far and the matches have been nothing out of the ordinary. To their credit, this was an average outing that the crowd wasn't completely quiet for. Tama picking up the win for The MFTs should lead to him challenging for the United States Championship soon as has been teased recently.

Jordynne Grace def. Alba Fyre

I've complained about Fyre being a jobber to the stars plenty of times before, so I'm not going to bother doing it again here. She's capable of so much better, but I've given up caring at this point. This was what it needed to be in order to showcase the newcomer Grace. Jade Cargill confronted Grace afterward, so it feels like they're rushing into them facing off for the WWE Women's Championship in the very near future.

United States Champion Carmelo Hayes def. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura was the latest to answer the open challenge. I have zero inside knowledge to back this theory up, but I have a feeling he'll be done in WWE this year, and if so, it makes sense to have him elevate as many people as he can on his way out. This was an enjoyable affair and the crowd came alive for it as it progressed. I appreciate that WWE has turned things around with Hayes rather quickly after doing much of nothing with him the last two years.

Drew McIntyre def. Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell Match to Win the Undisputed WWE Championship

Thank god this was presented commercial-free. It really would've hurt the pacing if it wasn't. Needless to say, this was the strongest match these two have had since they started feuding five months ago. The first fall was a waste (why wouldn't McIntyre have won in a matter of minutes during their other encounters?), but the second stage was fun and the third stage inside the cage was great. I didn't honestly think McIntyre would win, so that was quite the pleasant surprise. Sure, Rhodes looked like an idiot for brawling with the returning Jacob Fatu instead of focusing on McIntyre escaping the cage, but whatever, it's the outcome I wanted. This shakes things up on SmackDown at a time when it was desperately needed.

Overall Show

We're two weeks into 2026 and SmackDown has now produced back-to-back thumbs-up episodes. Don't get me wrong, I maintain that the three-hour format is not ideal, but they're doing an effective job of turning things around. The title change at the end was a huge help and a step in the right direction for the blue brand. SmackDown will once again be overseas next week, so we'll see how the atmosphere benefits from that international crowd as well.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews