It was subsequently revealed that Rhodes and McIntyre would wrestle for the undisputed WWE title on the Jan. 9 episode of SmackDown. Their match would be the seventh Three Stages of Hell match in WWE history, and the first on the main roster since 2013. McIntyre attacked Rhodes, standing over him to close the show.

Friday night fight night kicks off 2026 with a bang, with a loaded card and a renewed three-hour format that’s undoubtedly going to set the pace for this new year.

The December 19 pre-taped edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 995,000 viewers on USA Network, down 19.8 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total for the show since Halloween night.

Cody Rhodes might want to remember who runs WWE SmackDown. On Friday, general manager Nick Aldis threatened to strip Rhodes of the undisputed WWE championship if Rhodes continued undermining his authority.

WWE SmackDown aired for the final time in 2025. How would the blue brand close its year before the move to three hours?

Drew McIntyre wants the WWE Champion so bad, that he is willing to drag Cody Rhodes to Hell in order to get it. Three stages of it to be precise. The Scottish

A vignette promoting NXT Champion Oba Femi aired on SmackDown and seemed to tease a call-up to the main roster. It featured several displays of his dominance, including his match against Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night's Main Event and his post-match chokeslam on Drew McIntyre, who had caused a disqualification.

Last time in action: Legend and Nia Jax defeated Kabuki Warriors (Raw, Dec. 15), Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky ended in a No Contest (Raw, Dec. 1) The women's tag team feud with Bliss, Flair, Legend and Jax continued this week when The Queen and The Boujee Bully went one-on-one.