WWE Friday Night SmackDown rolls into Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis tonight with Money in the Bank beginning to consume the blue brand and one of SmackDown’s longest-running rivalries finally being locked inside a steel cage. CM Punk, Gunther and Finn Bálor collide for a place in the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Giulia, Charlotte Flair and Lash Legend fight for another spot on the women’s side. United States Champion Trick Williams has to defend his title against Baron Corbin inside a steel cage. Only three matches have been advertised, but WWE has attached legitimate stakes to all three. That matters after last week ended with Sami Zayn surviving Kevin Owens in a chaotic Undisputed WWE Championship match involving Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae and, most importantly, CM Punk, whose interference turned an already unstable championship picture into something even messier.
Here is everything advertised for tonight’s show
- Trick Williams (c) vs. Baron Corbin (United States Championship Steel Cage Match)
- CM Punk vs. Gunther vs. Finn Bálor (Men’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match)
- Giulia vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lash Legend (Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match)
Last week’s SmackDown started with Sami Zayn celebrating the Undisputed WWE Championship he had taken from CM Punk one week earlier in Mexico City, but the celebration quickly exposed how complicated his second reign was already becoming.
Zayn leaned heavily into the idea that finally becoming champion again represented justice and perseverance. He also demanded that Nick Aldis treat him with the same standards applied to everybody else.
Then Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae arrived to collect what Gargano believed Zayn had promised him.
Gargano expected a championship opportunity after helping Zayn against Punk. Zayn immediately began splitting hairs over exactly what had been promised, insisting he had only said he would take care of Gargano rather than specifically guaranteeing him the first title shot.
That distinction told the story.
Zayn had spent weeks demanding fairness from everyone around him. Once he had the championship, fairness suddenly became negotiable.
Kevin Owens then entered the picture and demanded an opportunity of his own. After Zayn pushed Aldis too far and physically grabbed him, the SmackDown general manager made the decision for him: Zayn would defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Owens later that night.
It turned Zayn’s celebration into a warning.
Winning the championship did not solve his problems. It multiplied them.
Randy Orton then crossed paths with Zayn on the stage, looked at the championship and made his interest impossible to miss without WWE having to announce anything.
That entire opening segment established what remains the biggest underlying story on SmackDown: almost everyone near the top of the roster wants what Sami Zayn has, and Zayn is already acting like somebody who understands how quickly it can disappear.
The first Money in the Bank qualifier continued that theme.
United States Champion Trick Williams defeated Randy Orton and AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix to qualify for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
The finish was exactly the kind of opportunistic victory Money in the Bank is built around.
Orton caught Fenix coming through the air with an RKO and appeared positioned to finish the match. Trick immediately blasted Orton with the Trick Shot before covering Fenix himself.
Trick did not have to pin Randy Orton.
He did not have to dominate the match.
He saw the opening and took it.
That is Money in the Bank.
More importantly, Trick immediately connected his qualification to Sami Zayn. Later in the show, Trick crossed paths with the Undisputed WWE Champion and made it clear that he intends to win the briefcase and come after Zayn’s championship.
That gives Trick’s qualification more value than simply putting another name in the ladder match.
He already holds the United States Championship. Now he has a direct route toward another title.
Before Trick can get to New Orleans, however, Baron Corbin is still standing in his way.
Corbin defeated Trick for the United States Championship at SummerSlam before Trick regained the title at Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6. Their rivalry continued after that title change, and Corbin made it clear following last week’s SmackDown that he was nowhere near finished with Williams.
Nick Aldis has now placed them inside a steel cage.
That needs to mean something.
WWE has already gotten multiple matches, attacks and title changes out of Trick and Corbin. The cage should not simply become another stop before one more rematch.
This should feel like the end.
Trick is already moving toward Money in the Bank. Corbin wants the championship back. Locking them inside the cage gives WWE the perfect setting to settle the rivalry decisively and allow whichever man leaves Indianapolis as champion to move forward.
The WWE Tag Team Championship picture also remained violent last week.
Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki, collectively known as Bakusai, faced WWE Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga in a non-title match.
Bakusai won by disqualification when Haku struck Nakamura with his cane. The result did not matter much once The MFTs continued the assault afterward and left Nakamura and Kyoki down.
That is where WWE needs to start finding another gear with the program.
The pieces are there. Nakamura and Kyoki have chemistry. Tama and Talla Tonga have Haku beside them. The MFTs have the championships.
What the story needs now is escalation beyond another attack followed by another match.
Finn Bálor also quietly gave tonight’s biggest qualifier its motivation last week.
During a backstage conversation with Kevin Owens, Bálor questioned how Owens had moved directly into an Undisputed WWE Championship match after helping Zayn defeat Punk. Bálor made it clear that he intended to pursue the championship differently.
If he had to win Money in the Bank to earn that opportunity, he would.
That line matters tonight.
Finn is not simply entering a qualifier because WWE needed a third name.
He has already connected Money in the Bank directly to the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Then there is Cody Rhodes.
Michael Cole sat down with Cody following his loss to Randy Orton at Sunday Night’s Main Event, where Cody hesitated when he had the opportunity to go further against someone he once cared about. Orton did not hesitate.
Cole forced Cody to confront what has become a recurring problem: people close to Cody eventually turning against him and Cody continuing to wrestle with how far he is willing to go in response.
Cody refused to accept that becoming darker or abandoning his principles was automatically the answer. At the same time, he admitted that when the situation presents itself again, he will not make the same decision he made against Orton.
That is more interesting than an immediate rematch.
WWE is allowing the consequences of Cody’s hesitation to sit with him.
The question is not simply whether Cody can beat Randy Orton.
It is what Cody Rhodes is willing to become the next time beating Randy Orton requires him to make the choice he refused to make before.
The women’s division also continued moving toward Money in the Bank.
Jacy Jayne defeated Jade Cargill and Alexa Bliss to qualify for the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
The finish was another perfect example of why Triple Threat qualifiers work for this concept.
Bliss appeared close to victory after hitting Sister Abigail on Jacy. Jade stopped the count. Jade then hit Bliss with Jaded, but Jacy immediately struck and ultimately pinned Bliss.
Jacy survived the situation better than the other two women.
That is enough.
Money in the Bank does not require the strongest wrestler to qualify. It rewards timing, awareness and opportunism, and Jacy showed all three.
Her qualification puts her alongside Sol Ruca, Lola Vice and Roxanne Perez in a women’s field that already has a much more interesting mix of styles than simply loading the ladder match with the biggest established names available.
Tonight adds another woman when Giulia, Charlotte Flair and Lash Legend collide.
WWE began building that match last week when Giulia was interviewed about the qualifier before Nia Jax and Lash interrupted her.
Lash promised to win.
Giulia responded by getting directly in her face.
There is also history here.
Lash defeated Giulia during the SummerSlam qualifying process, which gives tonight’s match another layer beyond the briefcase.
Charlotte changes the entire equation.
She has more experience in major WWE matches than either opponent and immediately raises the stakes simply by being involved. Giulia brings aggression and unfinished issues across the women’s division. Lash brings the kind of size and power that can completely change a Triple Threat.
Only one advances.
That makes the fallout almost as important as the winner.
Elsewhere, Nikki Bella made her intentions toward WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green unmistakable.
After Tiffany Stratton informed Chelsea that she would be entering an upcoming Money in the Bank qualifier, Nikki confronted the champion and made it clear she was coming for the title.
That creates another championship story that can continue developing while the rest of the division gets pulled toward Money in the Bank.
Damian Priest also finally explained why he turned on R-Truth in Mexico City.
Priest argued that Truth had repeatedly created problems during their time as WWE Tag Team Champions by handing out opportunities while Priest was forced to carry the weight of keeping their reign alive. By last week, Priest was no longer apologizing for what he had done.
The explanation did exactly what it needed to do.
It did not make Priest sympathetic.
It made his decision understandable from his own perspective.
That is enough to move the story forward.
Then came the main event.
Sami Zayn defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens in a match that gradually collapsed under the weight of everyone surrounding the title picture.
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae repeatedly became involved.
LeRae attacked Owens while the referee was occupied. Gargano later interfered as Owens appeared close to winning.
Then CM Punk arrived.
Punk blasted Owens with the championship while the referee was distracted.
Zayn attempted to capitalize, but the ensuing count became visibly confused. Zayn then connected with another Helluva Kick and finally got the definitive three-count.
It was an awkward sequence.
There is no reason to pretend otherwise.
But the larger story survived the execution.
Zayn retained.
Owens had legitimate reason to believe outside interference cost him the championship.
Gargano and LeRae proved their relationship with Zayn remains complicated.
And Punk made it obvious that losing the title in Mexico City did not end anything.
After the match, Punk attacked Zayn and delivered GTS to both Zayn and Owens.
That is where tonight’s Men’s Money in the Bank qualifier becomes the most important match on the card.
CM Punk lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Sami Zayn on September 11.
One week later, Punk interfered in Zayn’s championship defense.
Tonight, instead of simply receiving another title match, Punk has to go through Gunther and Finn Bálor for a place in Money in the Bank.
That is considerably more interesting.
If Punk qualifies, the briefcase gives him another path back toward the championship he just lost.
If he fails, somebody else has taken that opportunity from him.
Finn Bálor has already told everyone exactly why he wants the briefcase.
And Gunther does not need much explanation.
Putting Gunther anywhere near a ladder match changes the physical makeup of the entire thing. More importantly, Gunther has been involved around Punk, Zayn, Owens and Bálor for weeks. Tonight gives him a direct path back toward the top without having to wait for the chaos surrounding Sami Zayn to settle.
Three former world champions.
One spot.
That is the match tonight’s SmackDown should revolve around.
WWE also used its post-show digital exclusives last week to continue several stories that did not actually happen during the televised broadcast.
Ricky Saints confronted Rey Fenix and mocked him before Fenix struck him, continuing their issue around the AAA Cruiserweight Championship.
Blake Monroe remained furious over Giulia’s attack and promised payback, even as Giulia’s attention shifted toward Money in the Bank.
Baron Corbin also reiterated that his problem with Trick Williams was far from finished — a threat that now leads directly into tonight’s steel cage match.
Those developments matter, but the distinction matters too: they were post-show extensions of the episode rather than televised SmackDown segments.
That leaves tonight with a surprisingly straightforward job.
Advance the stories.
Money in the Bank is close enough now that the qualifiers should start changing the hierarchy of both divisions.
Trick Williams already has his spot.
Jacy Jayne already has hers.
CM Punk, Gunther and Finn Bálor now fight over one opening.
Giulia, Charlotte Flair and Lash Legend fight over another.
At the same time, Sami Zayn has Punk, Owens, Trick and potentially others circling his championship.
That is exactly how Money in the Bank season should work.
The briefcase should not feel like a tournament happening beside SmackDown’s existing stories.
It should disrupt them.
Updated WWE Money in the Bank 2026 Card
WWE Money in the Bank takes place Saturday, October 10 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
- Roman Reigns (c) vs. LA Knight (World Heavyweight Championship)
- WWE World Tag Team Champion Bron Breakker vs. Je’Von Evans vs. United States Champion Trick Williams vs. Penta vs. two competitors to be determined (Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match)
- Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. WWE Women’s United States Chamipn Jacy Jayne vs. Roxanne Perez vs. two competitors to be determined (Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match)
Final Thoughts
Tonight’s SmackDown only has three advertised matches, but that is not automatically a weakness.
CM Punk vs. Gunther vs. Finn Bálor has major consequences for both Money in the Bank and the Undisputed WWE Championship picture.
Giulia vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lash Legend can dramatically change the makeup of the women’s ladder match while advancing multiple stories at once.
And Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin inside a steel cage needs to accomplish the simplest thing on the entire show: end the rivalry.
Last week gave WWE plenty to work with.
Sami Zayn retained, but his championship situation became even less stable.
CM Punk made it clear he is not moving on quietly.
Finn Bálor identified Money in the Bank as his route toward the championship.
Trick Williams qualified and immediately told Zayn what he intends to do with the opportunity.
Jacy Jayne punched her ticket.
Cody Rhodes admitted he cannot repeat the same mistake against Randy Orton.
Damian Priest explained the end of his partnership with R-Truth.
Several secondary programs continued moving.
Tonight cannot just repeat those beats.
Money in the Bank is now the destination.
SmackDown needs to make every important decision feel like it is moving somebody closer to New Orleans — or costing somebody the chance to get there.
Make sure to subscribe to our Late Night Crew Wrestling YouTube Channel. Follow @yorkjavon, @kspowerwheels & @LateNightCrewYT on X.
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?!