We have a new WWE Women's United States Champion as Giulia defeated Chelsea Green to recapture the title on the January 2, 2026 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
How did this go down tonight, what led to this, and what could be on the horizon? Let's break it all down!
How We Got Here:
Chelsea Green was the women's United States champion at the beginning of 2025, eventually losing it to Zelina Vega, who then lost it to Giulia. Green was saying for weeks that she would be a better champion if she won the title back and managed to do so on the November 7, 2025 edition of SmackDown. Over the past two months, Green has been a double champion as she and Ethan Page hold the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship together.
Match Details:
Despite being definitively heel in every other interaction she had on tonight's episode—including when she tried to back out of having her match (only for SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis to threaten to strip her of the title if she didn't defend it, despite how upset she was over the Stranger Things finale)—Green was booked in a more fan favorite role for this match.
That includes having a moment where she had Giulia down and out for a three-count, only for the referee to be distracted by Kiana James, meaning if WWE wants to go back to this again, Green has grounds to challenge for a rematch.
Giulia eventually scored the pinfall with her Northern Lights Bomb finisher.
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
I wish I could say I'm excited for this, but I think it is a mistake. WWE historically doesn't book interesting title reigns for talent they struggle to take interest in, particularly if English isn't their dominant speaking language. It happened with Giulia's first run, it's happened to Shinsuke Nakamura before, and it could very well happen again here. Even Zelina Vega, who has no language barrier to struggle with, was booked poorly as champion last year, meaning they didn't have much of a plan for this belt for months until Green was champion again and they were interested in writing for her.
If the third hour of SmackDown makes a big difference there, with them needing the extra content and finally being motivated to write for Giulia, this could work. But I want WWE to show me, not tell me, and then, I'll believe it.
Tell us what you think about this title change by leaving a comment below! Who do you think will be the next in line to challenge for the title, or possibly even win the belt next? Keep the discussion going!