WWE Friday Night SmackDown in Buffalo, New York, USA, Live on the USA Network | January 2nd, 2026 — The Episode Recap:

The January 2nd Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Match Results:

The Opening Match: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley defeated Lash Legend, Nia Jax & The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) in an Eight-Woman Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (14:32)

The 2nd Match: Matt Cardona defeated Kit Wilson in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (04:19)

The 3rd Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) defeated Johnny Gargano (with Candice LeRae) in a WWE United States Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (16:46)

The 4th Match: Giulia (with Kiana James) defeated Chelsea Green (with Alba Fyre) (c) in a WWE Women’s United States Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (07:35) — TITLE CHANGE!!!!

The Main Event Match: Damian Priest defeated Aleister Black (with Zelina) in an Ambulance Match — (23:59)

My Intial Thoughts on the January 2nd Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown:

My Thoughts: This was probably one of the best ways to open up SmackDown for 2026. After an abysmal 2025 where we saw corny comedy, terrible matches, and outright horrible booking, we saw tonight a lot of new talent being called up and being established. For example, Trick Williams, as he stood toe-to-toe with Sami Zayn and established himself, oozed charisma. Lash Legend was showcasing her dominance. Carmelo Hayes delivered in his 1st Title Defense. Jordynne Grace is finally on SmackDown and made her presence known as she went face-to-face with WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill, and Oba Femi is being teased for SmackDown. This is what SmackDown needs to be, and they need to keep this up.

The January 2nd Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley defeated Lash Legend, Nia Jax & The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) in an Eight-Woman Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — Okay now here is a match where I really liked one thing and that tyhing is how awesome Lash Lehgend looked in this match she has been booked well in a sense they have been making her that monster in the women's division for SmackDown, and therte was this bumop where she jumped kicked IYO SKY which I thought that spot was super sick and the visual looked badass. The unit of IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley pinned the Kabuki Warriors, who're the current WWE Women;'s Tag Team Champions, and they'll be faing them in the 1st Episode of Monday Night RAW of the 2026 Calender Year for the WWE Women;s Tag Team Title so they het much needed momentum boost before the match and shake the conifence of the Kabuki Warriors before the title matych. The Women's Tag Division has been on fire, and they continue to be the best thing in WWE at this moment because they've been doing a great job booking that division, and I hope they don't slow that down and continue to boost that division mightily.

The 2nd Match: Matt Cardona defeated Kit Wilson in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: N/A — Woo Woo Woo, you know it. Zack Ryder, I mean… Matt Cardona has arrived in WWE. He made his official return as he’s a part of the SmackDown Roster, which is a solid addition, as I expect him to be that veteran wrestler who helps the younger guys out. Kit Wilson keeps on losing since Elton Prince suffered an untimely injury. He has been floundering trying to stop the onslaught, but he keeps on getting his ass-whooped. Matt Cardona made a good impression and can be a good piece for the SmackDown Mid-Card.

The 3rd Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Johnny Gargano (with Candice LeRae) in a WWE United States Title Match | The Match Rating: ****.25 — He's H1M for a reason. This was Carnelo Hayes’ first title defense since winning the WWE United States Title from the hands of Ilja Dragunov last week on SmackDown. Johnny Gargano attacked Carmelo Hayes, cutting his celebration short, and is aiming to become the WWE United States Champion. This was a very fun first title defense. The back-and-forth chemistry was evident. Carmelo Hayes is wrestling with so much confidence and swagger, which is why the fans are starting to pull for him now. This match got the crowd alive as they were chanting, "This is Awesome.” Something I enjoy is seeing how much growth Carmelo Hayes has made. He was stuck in the Mid-Card and Lower Card. Now he's treated as an Upper-Card Act and put together a fun performance with Johnny Gargano, who is now officially a Solo Act, as Tommaso Ciampa is departing from the WWE. But this was a lot of fun, and Carmelo Hayes is continuing the WWE US Open Challenge. I wonder who'll answer him in Berlin, Germany, next week?

The 4th Match: Chelsea Green (with Alba Fyre) (c) vs. Giulia (with Kiana James)  in a WWE Women’s United States Title Match | The Match Rating: **.25 — This was the worst match of the night, but in a way they still made the right call by having Giulia regain the WWE Women’s United States Title and become a two-time WWE Women’s United States Champion. The match was very clunky, and the chemistry between Chelsea Green and Giulia didn’t improve at all. They just don’t work well together. That said, the title change was necessary. They really need to give the WWE Women’s United States Title a major boost, because they haven’t done a good job establishing the belt. It hasn’t had a notable feud or even a decent match, which is disappointing. Now that SmackDown is being restocked with strong talent, it’ll be interesting to see if Jordynne Grace challenges for the belt, especially now that she’s an official member of the Friday Night SmackDown roster. That’s a major move that could give the show and the title a significant boost.

The Main Event Match: Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black (with Zelina) in an Ambulance Match | The Match Rating: **** — Thank the Lord because this feud has officially ended after being ongoing for six months. Aleister Black and Damian Priest put on the 2nd Best Match from this feud, and this was a very solid Ambulance Match. I'm not a sucker for these types of matches because with WWE there’s always something, and they do some stupidity but they did a good job not making this over the top it had some extreme moments like the Razor's Edge through the Ambulance Windshield, and seeing Aleister Black getting pushed off the top of the Ambulance through the table, like it was fun, and we saw Rhea Ripley who was behidnd the Ambulence Door get at Zelina and helped her Terror Twins partner as she hit a Rip-Tide on Zelina. Now I wonder what's next for both men. SmackDown is starting to be rebuilt and has a lot of depth, so I hope for some fresh new feuds. I would like Aleister Black to feud with someone like Rey Fenix, give something to do, and have Damian Priest have an Upper-Card Feud with someone like Carmelo Hayes. Just give some fresh feuds, and don't drag it out for six months again. Damian Priest was trapped in a 5-month Feud with Drew McIntyre from January - May, and a Six-Month Feud from July - January of 2026. Aleister Black needs a major win, as I felt like this feud did more harm than good for him. But let's see what happens, but a way ending for a very good SmackDown Episode.

The January 2nd WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Match of the Night: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Johnny Gargano (with Candice LeRae) in a WWE United States Title Match | The Match Rating: ****.25

The January 2nd Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown — The Episode Grade: 7.75/10 (B) — Now, this right here was fun. They had a lot of the new faces and young talent spread out and being showcased. Trick Williams is going to be a major star on SmackDown. His segment with Sami Zayn was such a fresh breath of air, and knowing Oba Femi is coming to SmackDown, this can be such a big and exciting year for SmackDown. Something I noticed is that SmackDown can be the show where the young talent can overtake and make it enjoyable. Tonight was a small sample size of that.

Next Week WWE Friday Night SmackDown January 9th Episode in Berlin, Germany — The Announced Matches & Segments:

1. Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew McIntyre in a Three Stages of Hell Match for the WWE Undisputed Title.

2. Trick Williams vs. Rey Fenix in a Singles Match.

3. MFT (JC Mateo, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) (with Talla Tonga) vs. The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy & Uncle Howdy) (with Nikki Cross) in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match.