Friday Night SmackDown Review - September 26, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Randy Orton Saved Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes from The Vision

I'd say you can throw the Brand Split rules out of the window heading into Crown Jewel, but the rules of the Brand Split have barely been adhered to since Triple H took over creative control of the company, so it's nothing new. Nonetheless, Rhodes and Heyman had a strong verbal exchange, even though we've seen them interact a ton of times over the last two-plus years. I assume we get this tag team match on SmackDown either next week or the week after.

The Street Profits def. Melo Don't Miz in a WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

These teams had a number one contender's match last month two days before Clash in Paris. The Profits won that one but then lost to The Wyatt Sicks when the tag titles were on the line. In other words, I have no idea why they had another number one contender's matchup considering neither team has done anything to earn the opportunity. This was good, but I'm not excited about the Profits facing Wyatt Sicks again. Meanwhile, I'm ready for the stuff with Melo Don't Miz to actually progress.

Women's United States Champion Giulia and Kiana James def. Michin and B-Fab

This has certainly been a feud that has existed. That's probably the best thing I can say about like. Much like every other match we've gotten from these four recently, it was fine albeit forgettable. Giulia pinning Michin should ideally win that we can move from Michin as a challenger to the championship, but I wouldn't be shocked if this continued because WWE has no other plans for Giulia or the title at the moment.

Jacob Fatu Attacked Drew McIntyre

When Nick Aldis interrupted McIntyre, I thought for a split second that might the direction was heading in (with Aldis finally returning to the ring) and that McIntyre would get his heat back by attacking him, but no such luck. Despite that, I'm happy Fatu is finally back on television, though I'm not sure why he disappeared in the first place. This has the potential to be a fun feud and it's a smart way to keep both guys busy in the upper-midcard.

United States Champion Sami Zayn def. Je'Von Evans

After Zayn and Evans had that interaction on last week's Homecoming edition of NXT, you had to know Evans would answer Zayn's open challenge eventually and it made a lot of sense for it to happen here in Orlando given NXT TV emanates from there. Evans is basically the modern-day Sami Zayn of NXT, so I was looking forward to this and they did not disappoint. They had a hell of a match and Evans definitely made an awesome impression even in defeat.

WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton def. Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in a Triple Threat Match

For a Triple Threat championship main event, this didn't feel like it lasted nearly as long as it should have. It wasn't over in a matter of minutes, but the two commercial breaks ate up what felt like half of the time. What we got to see was decent, but it completely fell apart by the end when Cargill got busted open and the referee had to hold up a three count because Jax didn't kick out for some reason. It came off terribly. Stratton has now retained her title four times against Jax since the beginning of the year, so she desperately needs to be kept away from Stratton going forward. Maybe we'll circle back to Stratton vs. Cargill after Crown Jewel, but I don't know why because Cargill has now come up short in three straight title shots.

Overall Show

This was the definition of a mixed bag of a show. The opening segment started the night off hot. The two tag team matches weren't very interesting, but Fatu's return and Zayn vs. Evan were highlights. The main event wasn't awful, but the final few minutes sure were. Crown Jewel is coming up quickly, but they're doing what they can to make the champion vs. champion matches feel important, and John Cena vs. AJ Styles is an attraction regardless of its lack of build.

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