WWE Friday Night SmackDown in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, Live on the USA Network, July 10th, 2026 — My Episode Review:

Cody Rhodes gets his wish as at WWE SummerSlam, CM Punk will defend his Undisputed WWE Title in the Main Event of Night One at SummerSlam in what we call the Dream Match of the Ages. (Image courtesy of WWE)

• Date: Friday, July 10, 2026.

• Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.

• TV: LIVE on the USA Network.

• Streaming: LIVE on Netflix Internationally.

The July 10th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown Official Match Results:

The Opening Match: Finn Bálor defeated Tama Tonga (with Talla Tonga) in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (09:47)

The 2nd Match: Jimmy Uso defeated Royce Keys in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (09:25)

The 3rd Match: Jade Cargill (with B-Fab & Michin) defeated Alexa Bliss (with Charlotte Flair) in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (07:00)

The Main Event Match: Carmelo Hayes defeated Trick Williams (with Lil Yachty) in a Singles Match | via DQ — (10:29)

My Official Thoughts on the July 10th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown:

My Official Thoughts: This episode of Friday Night SmackDown was an improvement, but there was still poor in-ring material and a lot of glaring holes on this show, and seeing some people who shouldn't be losing. Let's get the bright spot out of the way: the Opening Segment was entertaining, Bálor vs. Tama Tonga was quite fun, and the Main Event Segment of Gunther destroying the General Manager Nick Aldis was great stuff, but the rest of the show wasn't that good. Now why's Royce Keys losing? How do you want fans to get behind him if he's losing to Jimmy Uso & Talla Tonga? It makes no sense. Alexa Bliss using her double-jointed arms to sell that was very good; I thought that added a lot to this Charlotte Flair & Jade Cargill story that's ongoing, as I'm excited for their match at SummerSlam, which has been heavily rumored. The Main Event Match was going very well; I thought Carmelo Hayes was going to get the win, then Baron Corbin returned to WWE, attacking Carmelo Hayes and the WWE United States Champion, Trick Williams. WWE needs to find a balance in these two-hour SmackDowns, but this is a good start with CM Punk being the Face of this Brand going forward.

My Official Match Ratings for the July 10th WWE Friday Night SmackDown Episode:

The Opening Match: Finn Bálor vs. Tama Tonga (with Talla Tonga) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 —I actually thought this was a decent match; the crowd was red-hot for Finn Bálor as he had his first Singles Match as a SmackDown Superstar, and he went up against his former friend, one of the people he had in the original Club back in a different promotion, as they had a decent match. The crowd was super behind Finn Bálor as everyone, including myself, wanted him to get this win, as Finn Bálor now reverted back to a babyface who needs some wins to build his stock back up and be a Main Event Threat on the Brand. Tama Tonga had a near-fall win as he hit his finisher, and I also was scared that he was going to win, but Finn Bálor kicked out, and in the end Finn Bálor got the win, and I do hope this is the end of that, but seeing how Talla Tonga tried to get him after, I doubt it’s over anytime soon.

The 2nd Match: Jimmy Uso vs. Royce Keys in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ** — Before this match, Royce Keys delivered a very good, heartfelt promo about his past and how the only family he has is Jacob Fatu, which added a deeper element to the segment. I really liked how Royce Keys is showing character and how he has been slowly but surely getting over, but sometimes booking can also lead to fans not caring about the decisions they make. For example, Jimmy Uso shouldn’t have beaten Royce Keys. Royce Keys has already lost to Jimmy Uso and Talla Tonga. If you want someone to take Royce Keys seriously, you’ve got to put the rocket ship on him to succeed. I do like seeing a babyface Solo Sikoa. It’s refreshing and new. As Jacob Fatu told Solo Sikoa, he must be at RAW in Dallas, Texas, as if you couldn’t tell, Roman Reigns wants The Bloodline back all together. But I do believe Solo Sikoa will not join and will have LA Knight and Royce Keys as his allies at the moment. I do expect more people to join him, but it was a below-average match. Royce Keys needs to be winning these matches.

The 3rd Match: Jade Cargill (with B-Fab & Michin) vs. Alexa Bliss (with Charlotte Flair) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: N/A — I don’t have a rating for this match, but I’m happy that Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill is coming, as this is one of the matches I’ve been waiting for since Jade Cargill joined WWE in 2023. Now the match itself was Jade Cargill dismantling Alexa Bliss. Even after the win, we saw Jade Cargill snap the arm of Alexa Bliss as B-Fab & Michin held down Charlotte Flair as she screamed and watched her best friend get her arm snapped into pieces. I thought the angle was well-done, and added so much intenstity to this feud between Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill I have a gut feeling this match that’s slated for SummerSlam from reports could be Jade Cargill best singles match, as in real-life both women are friends and have massive respect and you know when Cahrlottre Flair likes you she goes all out, so excited for this feud hoipefully the writing continues to be solid.

The Main Event Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams (with Lil Yachty) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: N/A — Now this right here was the match I expected to be the Match of the Night, but I can’t give a rating as we saw what occurred in this match. But to review this match, it was a lot of fun. Carmelo Hayes is a Superstar same with Trick Williams they both had a a very fun Main Event on SmackDown as I really enjoyed the back-and-forth they offered in the ring, I liked how Carmelo Hayes was digging in deep trying to show Trick Williams up as he is the btter man, and wants to get this win so he can get a future WWE United States Title oppertuntiy which I think will happen at SummerSlam. But as Carmelo Hayes had the full momentum on his side and was about to end the match, Baron Corbin returned to WWE as he signed with the company, marking tyhis being his first apperence since July of 2024 when he was doing Tag Team Matches with Apollo Crews as he took down both Carmelo Hayes, and Trick Williams as he eyes the WWE United States Title leaving both men crushed. I don’t think this was the right choice. What I hope is this doesn’t ruin the rumored WWE United States Title Match for SummerSlam with Trick Williams defending his WWE United States Title against Carmelo Hayes. I guess we have to see what goes down next week on Friday Night SmackDown.

My Official Match of the Night for the July 10th Episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown: Finn Bálor vs. Tama Tonga (with Talla Tonga) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — I thought this was a solid opener. The crowd was red-hot for Finn Bálor in his first singles match as an official SmackDown Superstar, facing his former friend from their original Club days in another promotion. They put together a good match, with the audience fully behind Bálor; I was too, really wanting him to get this win. Now that he’s back to being a babyface, he needs victories like this to rebuild his momentum and feel like a true main event threat on the brand. Tama Tonga came close after hitting his finisher for a believable near fall, and I was genuinely worried he might steal the win, but Bálor kicked out and ultimately scored the victory. I’d like this to be the end of their feud, but based on Talla Tonga’s post-match attack attempt, I doubt this rivalry is over any time soon.

My July 10th Official Episode Grade for WWE Friday Night SmackDown: 6.25/10 (D+) — This episode of Friday Night SmackDown was an improvement but still had weak in-ring work, booking issues, and some baffling losses. The highlights were the Opening Segment, Bálor vs. Tama Tonga, and the Main Event Segment with Gunther destroying General Manager Nick Aldis; everything else fell flat. Royce Keys losing again hurts his momentum—how can fans invest in him if he keeps losing to Jimmy Uso and Talla Tonga? Alexa Bliss using her double-jointed arms really enhanced the ongoing Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill story, and I’m excited for their heavily rumored SummerSlam match. The Main Event Match was strong and felt like Carmelo Hayes’ moment until Baron Corbin returned to WWE, attacking both Hayes and WWE United States Champion Trick Williams. WWE must find a better balance with these two-hour SmackDowns, but making CM Punk the face of the brand is at least a step in the right direction.