Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown (Friday, October 23, 2026) emanates live from Toyota Arena in Ontario, California 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, Giulia and Blake Monroe take their increasingly personal rivalry into a Street Fight after SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis approved the stipulation following their latest confrontation. Considering how WWE has utilized Giulia since her move up to the main roster, where they seem to not care about her much and often sideline her (my guess is purely because of the language barrier, as they come across perpetually unwiling to write around that for people in her position like they did with Shinsuke Nakamura in the past), factored in with Monroe being the new addition to the blue brand (despite hovering around this roster for months), I'd very much more so bank on Monroe coming out on top of this encounter.
WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley defend their newly won titles against Michin and B-Fab. Call me crazy, but I think there is a strong chance the belts change hands and Paxley/Bliss are just transitional champions. Since Jade Cargill isn't doing anything, maybe the plan is to put these tag titles on Michin and B-Fab just to have them appear on other shows and move things around. The unfortunate situation is that out of all the rosters, SmackDown is the one that desperately needs shaking up, not the other way around. That in and of itself could very well mean WWE just plans on this eating up some time and accomplishing nothing but giving Bliss and Paxley a team to beat just because there isn't anything else for anyone to do. It's a mess, and I don't know how WWE could go effectively two or even three full years at this point of having zero creative direction for 75% of its SmackDown roster and think that that is okay.
Meanwhile, WWE Tag Team Champions MFT, represented by Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga, face Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki of Bakusai in a non-title Tag Team Match. What did I just say in the above paragraph? How long has this feud been going on and been stretched out in ways that aren't "great storytelling for a complex rivalry" and in actuality, just "we can't immediately put these two teams against each other because we have nothing else to do, so let's milk months out of a two-match concept"? Bakusai wins to set up a rematch to stretch this out even more.
It must be both very easy and very hard to be a writer for SmackDown, because WWE doesn't give you anything to work with, so you just have to say "virtually nothing = okay then" and in 5 seconds, you've booked the remainder of 2026.
Here are your results for WWE SmackDown - October 23, 2026:
- Sami Zayn started SmackDown alongside Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, reflecting on his exchange with Roman Reigns and arguing that being the smartest competitor is what makes him WWE's top champion. Rey Fenix confronted him over his comments about Penta and warned him not to disrespect his family. Trick Williams also interrupted, insisting Zayn give him an Undisputed WWE Championship opportunity. Zayn dismissed the challenge, and an argument turned physical when Gargano got involved and Zayn attacked Williams. Nick Aldis stepped in and booked Zayn and Gargano against Fenix and Williams for the main event.
- WWE Women's Championship: Chelsea Green (c) defeated Roxanne Perez by pinfall. Perez nearly capitalized on outside interference from Raquel Rodriguez, but IYO SKY arrived to take Rodriguez out of the equation. Green avoided Pop Rox and finished Perez with the Un-Pretty-Her to retain her championship. Liv Morgan attacked Green following the match, and Judgment Day also overwhelmed SKY until Tiffany Stratton made her return. With Morgan down, Stratton signaled for a Money in the Bank cash-in and struck her with the briefcase, but Perez and Rodriguez dragged Morgan out of the ring before the cash-in could be made official.
- A replay of Cody Rhodes delivering a Punt Kick to Baron Corbin last week aired, with Michael Cole reporting that Corbin would be sidelined indefinitely. Meanwhile, Green caught up with SKY and Stratton backstage to thank them for their assistance. Stratton reiterated her plans to cash in on Morgan, and the three made plans to celebrate with martinis.
- Street Fight: Blake Monroe defeated Giulia by pinfall. Their brawl traveled from ringside to the backstage area, where Monroe temporarily blinded Giulia with hairspray before being thrown into a mirror that shattered. The action eventually returned to the ring after Monroe sprayed Giulia with a fire extinguisher and suplexed her onto several chairs on the floor. Monroe survived a roll-up attempt and landed the Neutralizer to secure the pinfall.
- Randy Orton claimed he was the only person who could push Cody Rhodes into taking drastic measures, pointing to Rhodes using the Punt Kick on Corbin as proof. However, he maintained that Cody would hesitate to deliver the same attack against him. Rhodes came out and questioned when Orton became a coward, referencing Orton's past attacks on several legends and declaring himself the Legend Killer Killer. When the two appeared ready to fight, Nick Aldis and other officials kept them separated. Aldis offered them a match at Crown Jewel, which Rhodes insisted should be contested under Last Man Standing rules. Orton agreed to the stipulation.
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: The Baddies (B-Fab & Michin) defeated Alexa Bliss (c) & Tatum Paxley (c) by pinfall over Tatum Paxley to become the new champions. Paxley was preparing to finish Michin when Jade Cargill interfered behind the referee's back and struck her. Michin followed up with a Styles Clash to capture the championships, then joined B-Fab and Cargill in celebrating the victory.
- During an interview with Cathy Kelley, Trick Williams disclosed that Nick Aldis had granted him an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Sami Zayn for next week. Rey Fenix reminded Williams to concentrate on their tag team match first, and Damian Priest appeared afterward, staring at Williams.
- Bakusai (Shinsuke Nakamura & Kyoki) were supposed to wrestle The MFTs (Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga), but the contest was canceled before the bell. Kyoki took Haku's walking stick, setting off a fight between the teams that required referees and other officials to intervene.
- A pre-recorded meeting between CM Punk, Kevin Owens, and Nick Aldis aired. Punk argued that Owens had ruined his championship plans, while Owens countered that Punk had interfered with his own opportunities. Their longstanding issues dominated the discussion, with neither willing to accept responsibility for the other's problems. Aldis confirmed that Punk vs Owens would take place in Brooklyn in two weeks.
- Additional announcements for next Friday included a WWE Women's Championship defense by Chelsea Green against Nikki Bella and a special Halloween-themed SmackDown hosted by Danhausen. Trick Williams was also confirmed to challenge Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
- Rey Fenix & Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn & Johnny Gargano by disqualification. The match barely got underway before Ricky Saints pulled Fenix off the apron and attacked him. Zayn and Gargano subsequently went after Williams, bringing Penta to the ring to even the odds. Penta called for an immediate Six-Man Tag Team Match involving all six wrestlers.
- Six-Man Tag Team Match: Trick Williams & The Lucha Brothers (Penta & Rey Fenix) defeated Sami Zayn, Johnny Gargano & Ricky Saints by pinfall over Ricky Saints. The impromptu match saw all six competitors get involved in the closing stretch, including Williams catching Zayn with the Trick Shot. Saints nearly pinned Williams with a roll-up while grabbing the tights, but Williams escaped and delivered the Book End to put Saints away. Both sides exchanged stares following the decision.
What are your thoughts on tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown? Drop your reactions in the comments below and spark a discussion!