WWE Friday Night SmackDown continues its international tour today from the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, with the blue brand beginning its next chapter after WWE Clash in Italy while the opening round of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments moves forward. Today’s episode will stream live internationally on Netflix at a special start time of 2 p.m. EST, meaning fans stateside with access to an international Netflix feed through a VPN can watch the show as it happens. The episode will then air in the United States at its regular time of 8 p.m. EST on the USA Network.
The immediate fallout from Clash in Italy gives WWE several meaningful directions to explore, but the clearest in-ring focus is the continuation of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. The men’s Fatal 4-Way qualifier is loaded with four wrestlers who could realistically advance without the result feeling forced: Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, United States Champion Trick Williams and Damian Priest. The women’s qualifier has a different dynamic but is equally important, with Bayley, Raquel Rodriguez, Jacy Jayne and Kiana James fighting for the right to meet IYO SKY in the semifinals.
Today’s show will also feature WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and Solo Sikoa, while Blake Monroe takes another major step into the SmackDown spotlight after weeks of calculated introductions. Monroe’s arrival has been deliberately stretched out rather than rushed, but the time has come for WWE to move beyond vignettes and brief backstage appearances. If SmackDown wants the audience to treat her as an immediate force in one of the deepest women’s divisions in the company, today needs to give The Glamour something meaningful to do.
Here is everything advertised for today’s show
- AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio vs. Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest (King of the Ring First-Round Fatal 4-Way Match)
- Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Kiana James (Queen of the Ring First-Round Fatal 4-Way Match)
- Carmelo Hayes vs Ricky Saints
- Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Returns
- What’s Next For WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley
Last week’s episode of SmackDown served as the final blue-brand stop before Clash in Italy, but it was not a show built around one major match. It was carried by storyline progression, the energy of the Barcelona crowd and two strong talking segments that framed WWE’s biggest championship programs before the premium live event.
Jade Cargill opened the show alongside Michin and B-Fab and continued presenting herself as the center of the women’s division. Rhea Ripley interrupted and cut through the bravado by reminding Jade that her claims of dominance did not change the result of their WrestleMania encounter. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss eventually joined the confrontation, leading Nick Aldis to make an immediate match between Bliss and Cargill.
Cargill defeated Bliss after Michin and B-Fab became involved, but the more important moment came after the bell. Jade dropped Bliss with Jaded onto a steel chair and forced Ripley and Charlotte to rush back toward the ring. It gave Jade one final violent statement before Clash in Italy, even though Ripley ultimately retained the WWE Women’s Championship in their rematch.
That result leaves Ripley in an interesting position today. Jade still has a legitimate argument for another opportunity because their match at Clash in Italy did not completely settle the tension surrounding the division. Charlotte Flair remains connected to the story. Alexa Bliss has a reason to seek revenge. Blake Monroe has now openly placed Ripley in her sights. The champion is surrounded by possible challengers, and WWE needs to decide whether today begins a fresh program or continues the unresolved issues from the previous one.
Monroe is the most intriguing possibility because her presentation has been intentionally different from the usual call-up. WWE has not treated her as another name quietly moving from NXT to the main roster. Her SmackDown arrival has been framed as an event. She briefly crossed paths with Chelsea Green backstage two weeks ago, then appeared in a diary-style vignette last week and focused directly on Ripley. Monroe described the champion as someone whose intimidating exterior may be hiding pain, fear and betrayal.
That was not random. It felt like the opening move of a larger story.
The danger is that WWE has already teased Monroe for long enough. There is a fine line between building anticipation and dragging out an introduction until the excitement starts to fade. Today should be the episode where Monroe stops speaking from a distance and steps directly into the center of the division. A confrontation with Ripley would immediately establish that WWE views her as a serious player rather than another new arrival waiting for a midcard program.
The men’s King of the Ring qualifier may be the strongest match advertised for today’s show because every wrestler enters with a different reason to win.
Bron Breakker needs a statement victory after losing to Seth Rollins in the main event of Monday’s RAW. Breakker remains one of the most explosive wrestlers on the roster, and a Fatal 4-Way environment is built for his style. He does not need to control the match from beginning to end. He only needs one opening to hit a Spear and steal the victory before anyone else can react.
Dominik Mysterio has become extremely comfortable surviving chaotic matches through timing, opportunism and a willingness to let everyone else destroy one another before he picks the right moment to strike. Nobody should expect Dominik to overpower Priest, outmuscle Breakker or outwrestle Trick. That is not his path to victory. His path is to remain close enough to the action to capitalize when one of the other three makes a mistake.
Damian Priest enters with the most unresolved frustration. His issues with Solo Sikoa and The MFTs have repeatedly prevented him from moving forward. Last week, Priest reluctantly teamed with Royce Keys against Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga after R-Truth was unable to compete. The partnership showed flashes of potential, but Solo’s interference once again changed the outcome. Talla eventually planted Priest with a Chokeslam and scored the victory.
Priest now has a chance to redirect that anger into the King of the Ring tournament, but Solo’s advertised appearance immediately creates another concern. Solo already lost his own qualifier on RAW when Oba Femi defeated him, Carmelo Hayes and Intercontinental Champion Penta. There is no reason to assume Solo will simply accept elimination and move on. Priest has spent weeks trapped in Solo’s orbit, and today gives The Street Champion another opportunity to make his presence felt.
Then there is Trick Williams.
The United States Champion formally announced his King of the Ring campaign last week before Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints interrupted him. Trick does not need the tournament to remain relevant, but winning it would reinforce his belief that SmackDown revolves around him. He has the charisma, championship momentum and confidence to make a deep run. The question is whether his growing list of problems will follow him into the match.
Hayes and Saints remain tangled in their own rivalry after their match last week ended in a double count-out. Both men are still circling Trick’s United States Championship, and neither has earned a clean advantage over the other. Even if they do not physically interfere today, their presence hangs over Trick’s tournament run. Trick is trying to become King of the Ring while holding a championship that multiple wrestlers still believe belongs around their waist.
The winner of today’s Fatal 4-Way will advance to face Oba Femi in the semifinals. That makes the result even more important. Femi responded to his loss against Brock Lesnar at Clash in Italy by defeating Penta, Solo Sikoa and Carmelo Hayes on RAW. Whoever escapes today’s match will not receive an easy path to the finals. They will have to go through The Ruler.
The Queen of the Ring qualifier has a different rhythm but should be just as competitive.
Bayley brings the experience advantage. She has competed in almost every type of high-pressure match WWE can offer and understands how to navigate a multi-person environment without becoming reckless. She does not need to dominate every exchange. Her best path is to survive the early chaos, allow the heavier hitters to wear one another down and take advantage when the match becomes disorganized.
Raquel Rodriguez is the obvious powerhouse. If the match slows down and becomes a battle of strength, she should control long stretches of it. The challenge for Raquel is avoiding the usual Fatal 4-Way problem: being dangerous enough that the other three wrestlers recognize they may need to temporarily work together to remove her from the equation.
Kiana James is the wildcard. She may not attract the same immediate attention as Bayley or Raquel, but that makes her dangerous. A four-way match rewards intelligence and timing as much as dominance. Kiana does not need to pin the strongest wrestler in the match. She only needs to choose the correct opening.
Jacy Jayne may be the most interesting participant because Fatal Influence has already inserted itself into multiple areas of SmackDown’s women’s division. Last week, Jayne declared herself for the Queen of the Ring tournament while Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid made it clear that they were watching WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Paige and Brie Bella. Fatal Influence is not chasing one goal. The group is trying to spread its influence across the entire division.
A Jacy victory would strengthen that direction immediately. It would also create a compelling semifinal against IYO SKY, who advanced on RAW by defeating Roxanne Perez, Giulia and Lash Legend. Jacy has become increasingly comfortable carrying herself like a major player, but a tournament victory would give her something more valuable than confidence: proof.
Solo Sikoa’s appearance also deserves attention beyond his connection to Priest.
Solo arrived on Monday’s RAW with another opportunity to regain momentum through the King of the Ring tournament, but Oba Femi eliminated him from the field. That setback came one night after Clash in Italy, where Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat to retain the World Heavyweight Championship and force Fatu to acknowledge him. The Bloodline story has shifted again, but Solo remains too ambitious and too unpredictable to stay quiet.
His involvement with Tama Tonga, Talla Tonga and Royce Keys has created one of SmackDown’s more layered ongoing stories. Solo has repeatedly attempted to influence Keys while Priest has struggled to trust him. The story has not reached its breaking point yet, but today is another opportunity to move closer to it. Solo could continue pursuing Keys, target Priest again or respond to his own tournament loss by becoming even more aggressive.
The fallout from Clash in Italy should not stop with Rhea Ripley and Solo Sikoa.
Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against GUNTHER in controversial fashion after the referee missed GUNTHER’s foot beneath the bottom rope. Last week’s closing confrontation between Cody and GUNTHER was one of the strongest segments on SmackDown because it was not built around generic promises. GUNTHER attacked Cody’s privilege, ego and need for approval. Cody responded by arguing that GUNTHER secretly wanted every piece of recognition he pretended not to care about.
The finish at Clash in Italy gave WWE an obvious reason to continue that rivalry. Cody escaped with the championship, but he did not definitively prove that he was better than GUNTHER. Whether that story advances today or waits until Cody and GUNTHER are both physically present again, the issue is not finished.
Sami Zayn also remains connected to Cody’s larger story after admitting last week that he intentionally allowed GUNTHER to choke Rhodes out following their match one week earlier. Sami did not see his decision as a betrayal. He treated it as a lesson Cody needed to learn. That mindset has made Sami more interesting because he does not believe he is becoming the problem. He believes everyone else has failed to understand him.
Axiom’s victory against The Miz also deserves to be remembered as one of last week’s most enjoyable moments. Competing in his home country of Spain, Axiom received a strong reaction and defeated Miz after the arena lights flickered at suspicious moments connected to Danhausen’s increasingly bizarre laboratory experiments. It was strange, entertaining and exactly the type of crowd-pleasing match an international episode needed.
Chelsea Green also defeated Nia Jax after Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton interfered with her title behind the referee’s back. Meanwhile, Hayes and Ricky Saints continued moving toward a more definitive fight after their double count-out. Last week’s show did not resolve every story. It intentionally left several threads open for the post-Clash in Italy landscape.
Today’s episode now needs to capitalize on that foundation.
King and Queen of the Ring Tournament Update
The 2026 King and Queen of the Ring tournaments began on Monday’s episode of RAW. The finals will take place at WWE Night of Champions on Saturday, June 27th, with the winners earning championship opportunities at SummerSlam.
King of the Ring Tournament
First-Round Results
- Oba Femi defeated Intercontinental Champion Penta, Solo Sikoa and Carmelo Hayes
First-Round Matches Still To Come
- Dominik Mysterio vs. Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest
- Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints
- Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Royce Keys vs. Finn Bálor
Confirmed Semifinal
- Oba Femi vs. the winner of Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams and Damian Priest
Queen of the Ring Tournament
First-Round Results
- IYO SKY defeated Roxanne Perez, Giulia and Lash Legend
First-Round Matches Still To Come
- Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Kiana James
- Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green
- Sol Ruca vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill
Confirmed Semifinal
- IYO SKY vs. the winner of Bayley, Raquel Rodriguez, Jacy Jayne and Kiana James
Final Thoughts
Today’s SmackDown does not need an overloaded card to feel important. The two Fatal 4-Way qualifiers give the show a clear in-ring backbone, the international crowd should bring energy and the fallout from Clash in Italy leaves WWE with multiple directions worth exploring.
The men’s qualifier is the match with the highest immediate ceiling because Breakker, Trick, Priest and Dominik all have believable reasons to advance. The women’s qualifier should reveal whether WWE is ready to elevate Jacy Jayne further or whether experience and power will carry Bayley or Raquel into the semifinals. Kiana James cannot be dismissed in a match designed to reward opportunism.
The biggest non-wrestling question surrounds Blake Monroe. Her introduction has lasted long enough. Today needs to give the audience a clear reason to believe that The Glamour did not come to SmackDown simply to occupy space in the division. If WWE truly wants her to feel special, placing her across from Rhea Ripley would be the strongest possible opening statement.
With King and Queen of the Ring tournament stakes, unresolved championship issues, Solo Sikoa’s growing instability and Monroe stepping closer to the center of the women’s division, today’s SmackDown has the pieces to become more than another international television episode. The execution now has to match the potential.
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I’m the quiet one until the bell rings then I’ve got takes. I live for WWE NXT and TNA, I want every promotion to succeed, and I will absolutely roast the bad decisions on sight (because someone has to). Anime taught me to respect long-term storytelling; wrestling taught me that sometimes the plan is “we panicked” and called it “unpredictable.” The Miz got me into all of this, so yeah I appreciate confidence, commitment, and the art of talking like you’re already the main event. Now I bring that same energy to the page as the main writer for Late Night Crew Wrestling because if you’re not here to be must-see and tell the truth, why are you here?!