WWE Friday Night SmackDown in Berlin, Germany, Live on the USA Network | January 9th, 2026 — The Episode Recap:
- robbyplaha
- Jan 11
- 6 min read
The January 9th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Match Results:
The Opening Match: Trick Williams defeated Rey Fenix in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (11:05)
The 2nd Match: Giulia (with Kiana James) (c) defeated Alexa Bliss in a WWE Women’s United States Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (07:15)
The 3rd Match: MFT (Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) (with JC Mateo) defeated The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy & Uncle Howdy) (with Nikki Cross) in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (10:20)
The 4th Match: Jordynne Grace defeated Alba Fyre (with Chelsea Green) in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (02:35)
The 5th Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a WWE United States Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (18:30) — TITLE CHANGE!!!!
The Main Event Match: Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes (c) [2:1] in an Undisputed WWE Title Three Stages of Hell Match | via Escaping the Steel Cage — (31:05)
The Undisputed WWE Title Three Stages of Hell Match Results:
Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes (c) in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (03:40) — [1:1]
Cody Rhodes (c) defeated Drew McIntyre in a Falls Count Anywhere Match | via Pin-Fall — (13:00) — [1:1]
Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes (c) in a Steel Cage Match | via Escaping the Steel Cage Door — (31:05) — [2:1] — TITLE CHANGE!!!!
My Thoughts on the January 9th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown:
My Thoughts: This was a very fun episode. I enjoyed seeing Trick Williams being positioned as someone who will be in the Main Event Scene for a long time, as he already had encounters with Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Sami Zayn, and delivered a solid outing against Rey Fenix. Jordynne Grace already being in a Women's World Title Feud is a great sight to see, and Carmelo Hayes continues to shine as he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a fun battle. Drew McIntyre finally defeated his demons thanks to the help of Jacob Fatu he became a 4x WWE World Champion. SmackDown has been very enjoyable; hopefully, they continue to keep this up.
The January 9th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Match Ratings:
The Opening Match: Trick Williams vs. Rey Fenix in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — This was a very fine match; Trick Williams looked to hold his own against Rey Fenix. I thought about how he was displayed this week and last week; they're treating Trick Williams like another mega-star, as they should. Rey Fenix looked great in this match with his aerial offense, & high-flying defense. Trick Williams, I knew was going to win, but they did it as it protected Rey Fenix as well. I thought this was a fun debut for Trick Williams, and now he will face Matt Cardona to try to punch his ticket to the Fatal-Four Way Match at Saturday Night Main Event. I hope for Rey Fenix, he has a big year as we want to see Rey Fenix be on the level that many other luchadors are at over on RAW, as Dragon Lee, Penta & Rey Mysterio are in the Main Event Scene.
The 2nd Match: Giulia (with Kiana James) (c) vs. Alexa Bliss in a WWE Women’s United States Title Match | The Match Rating: **.25 — WWE has an issue. That issue is why they aren't allowing Giulia to wrestle as herself. That has been an issue for me in NXT. They allowed her to be herself and had some great matches. On the Main Roster, I don't even think she has a memorable match, and that's not on her; she is a great wrestler. But they need to allow her to be that stiff, striking, insane wrestler she is. This match I thought was going to be a lot of fun, but no, it wasn't just a boring non-heat match. They are trying to paint that Charlotte Flair is not happy that she is not in the limelight, and to put the insult to injury, Giulia got help from Lash Legend and Nia Jax for her to retain. They need to give some credibility to Giulia, but with Road Dogg with the pen, I highly doubt we’ll see the Giulia we all knew from STARDOM.
The 3rd Match: MFT (Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) (with JC Mateo) vs. The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy & Uncle Howdy) (with Nikki Cross) in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: **.50 — This rivarly needs to end the SmakcDown Tag Divison was the talking piunt of WWE last year and the hottest thing for the product now it's a nonexistent dicvison thanks to the Wyatt Sicks barley defending it or making iot feel special. This feud has been going on for months, and it sucks. This Eight-Man Tag was average, nothing too special, but they need to end this feud because it's doing more harm than good for the WWE Tag Titles, and it's one of the down points when watching SmackDown, because I don't know a soul who enjoys watching this feud.
The 4th Match: Jordynne Grace vs. Alba Fyre (with Chelsea Green) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: N/A — Jordynne Grace finally arrived on SmackDown, and I liked her debut. I wish this had been a longer match because we know Alba Fyre, formerly known as Kay Lee Ray. I just wish they had given this 7-9 minutes because it would’ve been a fun match, but they did their job showing who Jordynne Grace is. I love that she’s already in a World Title feud with Jade Cargill. I would’ve had her beat Jade Cargill, but I expect Bianca Belair to do that when she returns from her gruesome finger injury.
The 5th Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a WWE United States Title Match | The Match Rating: ****.25 — Shinsuke Nakamura with a great showing. When he actually tries with someone, he can still give you a good match. This was a lot of fun, and Carmelo Hayes is reaching his highest peak. He has been on a tear, having consistent good matches, with the fans behind him. Shonsuke Nakamura was targeting Carmelo Hayes’ leg, damaging it, and trying to get the advantage. I loved the chemistry between the two, and I enjoyed the finish of this match. Carmelo Hayes is going to have a major 2026. They need to keep this going because he's easily one of the enjoyable parts of SmackDown, and in WWE in general, he’s been producing great stuff, showing off his confidence and playing like the star he is. Amazing stuff.
The Main Event Match: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre in an Undisputed WWE Title Three Stages of Hell Match | The Match Rating: ****.50 — This was some fun stuff. Drew McIntyre final chance to get the WWE Title, and he did it with the mind-tricks and help from someone who wasn't even trying to help him, in Jacob Fatu. The Tree Stages of Hell stipulation was used properly, I thought, and I liked the fact that Drew McIntyre was finding anything and everything to win the title. Cody Rhodes needed to lose. He had the title for the past two years majority of the time; it's time for something new, and with this, Jacob Fatu stuff. We can see a darker shift in Cody Rhodes’ character. I'm happy for Drew McIntyre and hoping this reign goes well for Drew McIntyre. The Road to WrestleMania is starting with some craziness.
The January 9th WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Match of the Night: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre in an Undisputed WWE Title Three Stages of Hell Match | The Match Rating: ****.50
The January 9th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Episode Grade: 8.75/10 (A-) — This was a great episode of SmackDown. I enjoyed the final two matches a lot, and I liked how Trick Williams and many new call-ups have been booked. SmackDown needs to be the land of the Young Talent. I’m happy that we’re seeing fresh matches, and new faces keep this going. 2/2 for Solid Episodes of SmackDown to start off the 2026 Year.
Next Week WWE Friday Night SmackDown January 16th Episode in London, England, UK — The Announced Matches & Segments:
Randy Orton vs. The Miz in an Undisputed WWE Title #1 Contendership Qualifying Match.
Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams in an Undisputed WWE Title #1 Contendership Qualifying Match.
Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa in an Undisputed WWE Title #1 Contendership Qualifying Match.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn in an Undisputed WWE Title #1 Contendership Qualifying Match.
Comments