Friday Night SmackDown

WWE King of the Ring Backlash: How Creative Ruined Jey Uso and LA Knight — A Masterclass in Wasted Momentum and Feeding the Bloodline

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Jey Uso wins King of the Ring qualifier match

The online wrestling landscape is in a full meltdown following the latest King of the Ring qualifying matches. Jey Uso secured a massive, unexpected victory over LA Knight to advance in the tournament. While internal metrics show Uso remains a massive merchandise mover, live crowd audio and social media sentiment tracking show a sharp spike … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown June 12th, 2026 Preview: Gunther Reveals His Stipulation for Cody Rhodes Rematch as King and Queen of the Ring First Round Concludes

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WWE Friday Night SmackDown returns to the United States tonight from the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, with a focused episode that needs to accomplish more than simply fill television time between premium live events. The road to Night of Champions continues with the final two opening-round matches in the 2026 King and … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown June 5th, 2026 Preview: Fallout From Clash In Italy As King And Queen Of The Ring Continues

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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 … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown May 29, 2026 Preview: Cody Rhodes Responds to Gunther, Jade Cargill Sends Final Message to Rhea Ripley Before Clash in Italy

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WWE Friday Night SmackDown has one job tonight: make WWE Clash in Italy feel bigger by the time the final frame fades out. Tonight’s show comes from Barcelona, Spain, airs internationally at a special 2 p.m. EST start time on Netflix, and will air on tape delay in the United States at 8 p.m. EST … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown May 22nd, 2026 Updated Preview: Gunther Responds To Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley Answers Jade Cargill’s Challenge And Tiffany Stratton Issues An Open Challenge

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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes into tonight’s show from Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky with a much stronger advertised lineup than it originally had. This is the final stop before tomorrow’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, but it is also one of the last major SmackDown chapters on the road to Clash In Italy on … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown May 22nd, 2026 Preview: Shinsuke Nakamura Battles Talla Tonga As SmackDown Makes Its Final Stop Before Saturday Night’s Main Event

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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes into tonight’s show feeling like a brand caught between two major checkpoints. Tomorrow is WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, but Clash In Italy is also sitting right around the corner on Sunday, May 31st. That puts SmackDown in a tricky but important position. Tonight cannot just be a reminder show. … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown May 15th, 2026 Preview: Gunther Must Decide On SmackDown Move For Cody Rhodes Clash As Trick Williams Gets His South Carolina Homecoming

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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes to Columbia, South Carolina tonight with a show that is light on advertised matches but heavy on storyline consequence. That is not always a bad thing. Sometimes the most important episode is not about how many matches are listed ahead of time, but whether WWE can make the next premium … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown May 8th, 2026 Preview: The Gingerbread Man Is Laid To Rest As WWE Makes Its Final Stop Before Backlash

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WWE Friday Night SmackDown has one job tonight: close the door on the road to Backlash with enough heat, clarity and urgency to make Saturday’s Premium Live Event feel like a must-watch show. Coming out of last week’s chaotic episode, the blue brand has several stories pulling in different directions. Cody Rhodes was medically cleared, … Read more

Tuesday Night SmackDown Is Back As WWE Adds London Date To European Summer Tour

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WWE is bringing back Tuesday Night SmackDown — at least for one special night. WWE announced that Friday Night SmackDown will emanate from London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, one night after Monday Night Raw runs from that very same arena on Monday, June 22. The newly added date is part of WWE’s … Read more

WWE Friday Night SmackDown May 1st, 2026 Preview: Ricky Saints Arrives On SmackDown As Jacy Jayne Battles Charlotte Flair On The Road To Backlash

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Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes at a very important point for the blue brand. WrestleMania 42 is in the rearview, Backlash is less than two weeks away on Saturday, May 9th, and WWE now has to prove that last week’s reset was not just a post-Mania burst of chaos. The biggest stories heading into … Read more