Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown (Friday, October 2, 2026) emanates live from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado and will air starting at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Results, match winners, promo segment notes and other major developments from WWE's blue brand will be added below as Friday Night SmackDown airs.
Preview & Predictions for WWE SmackDown:
On tap for tonight's episode, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano collide for the final opening in the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, while Tiffany Stratton, Tatum Paxley and Candice LeRae battle for the final spot in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Giulia will also finally go one-on-one with Blake Monroe after their previous scheduled matches failed to officially get underway.
The two routes WWE can go with Giulia and Monroe is either the most basic "Monroe wins because she's the new star, the heel who can cheat, and is someone who shouldn't lose on her first real match" or the "surprise gotcha where Giulia picks up the victory with some roll-up, causing Monroe to be shocked and to lash out and beat up Giulia after the match so she looks like she ultimately won the battle even though she technically lost" scenarios. It's always hard to tell when WWE is going to do the latter, but with Monroe, she's certainly someone I could imagine them doing that with to extend this feud even longer, as they seem hell-bent on stalling with Monroe for effectively most of 2026.
The MITB qualifiers are interesting. For the men's match, I fully expect Cody Rhodes to start brawling with Randy Orton, leaving Kevin Owens to pin Johnny Gargano. That seems like a virtual guarantee. The women's match is a bit more up in the air. Candice LeRae is definitely taking the pin, but I'm not sure between Stratton and Paxley who will have the advantage. Paxley is newer, so she might be gifted that spot, as WWE has been putting some fresh talent into this year's matches, but Stratton is a former world champion who they might feel a bit more comfortable putting in there for "star power" reasons. I'll ultimately say I'm leaning toward Paxley, though.
Here are your results for WWE SmackDown - October 2, 2026:
- TBD - Women's Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs Tatum Paxley vs Candice LeRae
- TBD - Singles Match: Giulia vs Blake Monroe
- TBD - Men's Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match: Cody Rhodes vs Kevin Owens vs Johnny Gargano
What are your thoughts on tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown? Drop your reactions in the comments below and spark a discussion!
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