WWE SmackDown is live tonight at 8/7c from the Oakland Arena in Oakland, California.
As always, ‘WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.’ flashes across the screen to get us started. Joe Tessitore welcomes us to the show from commentary as we see the sights of Oakland and the Bay Area. Inside the Oakland Arena, we see Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Paige and Brie Bella and Fatal Influence and others arriving to the building.
Nick Aldis, Gunther & Adam Pearce Kick Things Off
Tessitore points out what we now see on the screen, which is that Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are in the ring, which has a table and chairs set up. A video package then airs showing the history of Aldis and Gunther, culminating with Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque announcing their match for SummerSlam.
The package wraps up and Pearce welcomes the Oakland crowd to the official contract signing for Aldis vs. Gunther at SummerSlam. He introduces Gunther, and “The Career-Killer” makes his way out. Pearce informs Aldis if he signs on the dotted line, he will revoke his executive rights.
With that said, he will then be reinstated as an active talent, with Pearce replacing him as the new official SmackDown General Manager, in addition to being the Raw GM as well. And that’s exactly what happens, so it appears confirmed now that Aldis is out as GM on the blue brand, and Pearce is in.
Aldis knows exactly what he’s signing, and says he never wanted any of this but Gunther just couldn’t stop pushing. Gunther pushed them to this, and Aldis signs the contract. Gunther considers, then mocks Pearce and Aldis for wearing suits.
There’s a lot of mic issues with Gunther’s mic, and he says this will be the greatest moment of Aldis’s career, but all of this is beneath Gunther. Gunther should be preparing to win the WWE title, but Aldis got involved and doesn’t know how to do his job.
Ever since Gunther joined Smackdown Aldis has had it out for him, and he finally figured out that Aldis is jealous of him. He knows Aldis is a former NWA world champion, but Aldis never really made it as a wrestler. He was dreaming of being here, in WWE, but it never happened while Gunther just showed up and got it all.
Titles, records, money, Gunther have all of that while Aldis had nothing. Aldis had to face just not being good enough. Now Gunther will make the dream of Aldis come true, he signs the contract, and says he’ll have Aldis join the list of legends that Gunther has retired.
All his victims were chasing one more moment, now Gunther will add him to that list. Aldis gets a mic and says Gunther is just repeating himself, but if Gunther actually believed that he wouldn’t be here still saying it. Aldis figured Gunther out, Gunther is projecting because Gunther never thought this would actually happen.
Gunther thought he’d just cheap shot Aldis, pay a fine, and move on. But Aldis fought back, and knows Gunther doesn’t want any of this. Now Gunther is the one with his career in jeopardy, because Aldis hasn’t had a match in 3 years.
If that guy beats Gunther at SummerSlam then Gunther goes from career killer to a man bitched out by his boss. That prompts the brawl, Aldis gets the better of Gunther at first but Pearce separates them. Gunther kicks Aldis low and then powerbombs him through the table. We head to a break.
Backstage With Cathy Kelley, Sami Zayn & Adam Pearce
The show returns to highlights of what just went down. Now we see Cathy Kelley is in front of the trainer’s room but in comes Sami Zayn. He says at Night of Champions, he won the WWE title. And it became clear to him that the powers at be, Nick Aldis, Adam Pearce, they didn’t want him as champion.
Because he had to defend his title within days on a show he wasn’t even on. It’s against Cody Rhodes but he gets injured and in comes corporate poster boy, CM Punk. He says they took the title, they got their match at SummerSlam. That looks good, everyone is happy.
Nick Aldis, Gunther, they have a match at SummerSlam but what about him. The guy who 18 days ago was WWE champion. He is on the bench, to make it make sense. In comes Adam and he tells him to fix it. He says Nick Aldis deserves what he got. He says that match was his ticket for the match at SummerSlam.
Pearce says it didn’t go his way. Zayn says to make it right, to make the match at SummerSlam a triple threat. Pearce says the match is Cody and Punk. He tells Zayn to shut up and he asks him if he watched teh show. He says Zayn got caught in the cross hairs but there’s a fatal four way tonight.
Damian Priest, Trick Williams, Royce Keys and Finn Balor. The winner goes on to SummerSlam in a number one contender’s match against Zayn. He says that is his chance. Zayn says those guys get mentioned by Punk and they get an opportunity. But he has to earn his title.
Pearce says he has given him an option, to take it or leave it. Zayn says fine and he takes it. He says no shenanigans, no more surprises. Pearce says he has to go check on Aldis and he walks away. And with that, the show finally moves on and we gear up for our first match.
Brie Bella vs. Lainey Reid
Out comes Brie Bella accompanied by Paige. Fatal Influence head out next, as Lainey Reid will be her opponent in our opening contest. But first, Fatal Influence cut a promo before the match about how they beat Brie and Paige at Saturday Night’s Main Event for the Tag Team titles.
Jayne says she should be in the ladder match for the Women’s Interim title. But she found a solution. She tells Tiffany that her United States title will be hers in due time. But as for tonight, Lainey will humiliate Brie Bella and put her out of her misery once and for all. Reid goes for a right hand on Brie but Brie with a right hand.
Brie then throws Reid to the outside of the ring. Reid grabs Brie to the outside but Brie with a clothesline. She throws Reid back into the ring. The bell rings and we are under way. Brie rolls her up but Reid kicks out. Brie throws Reid onto the ring apron but Reid slams Brie face first into the turnbuckle. Reid with a leaping cutter.
On that note, the show shifts gears and settles into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues. When the show returns, we see the match still in progress. Reid rolls Brie up for the cover but Brie kicks out. Brie rolls her up and gets the pin.
Fatal Influence get in the ring and begin hitting Paige and Reid. Out comes Nikki Bella and she makes the save. It is then announced that The Bella Twins and Paige will team up to take on the Fatal Influence trio at WWE SummerSlam 2026.
Winner: Brie Bella
Backstage With Cathy Kelley, Finn Balor & Gunther
Backstage, Cathy Kelley talks with Finn Balor about his Fatal 4-Way tonight, Balor thinks about 2016 SummerSlam when he had the best and worst night of his career. 10 years later he’s been scratching and clawing to get that glory back.
Gunther shows up and mocks Balor, he’s taking what’s his and mocks Balor taking 10 years for this kind of moment. We get a recap of the LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys vs. Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso fracas from Monday. Man what they’ve done to Fatu is just criminal. Reducing that guy to just a stooge.
Backstage With Royce Keys & Solo Sikoa
In the back Royce Keys warms up, and here’s Solo Sikoa to hype him up. Keys is happy to be home and he’s got a big opportunity tonight. LA Knight shows up, he hopes Keys wins tonight but reminds him to keep eyes in the back of his head for Bloodline BS.
Keys reminds us he’s a grown ass man and he’s taking everything he wants. Solo says they’re all on the same team, all the Bloodline found is an ass whooping at SummerSlam. Holy crap, they’re letting Solo be a bit of a jive turkey and fast talker. Thank God, finally, we’re letting Solo be a character.
Backstage With Tiffany Stratton & Chelsea Green
In the back Tiffany Stratton hypes up Chelsea Green for her match tonight, they both have some tension before Green heads off. Blake Monroe shows up to talk with Tiffany, Blake advises Tiffany to be more worried about her title than Green’s antics. Not the strongest Blake promo.
Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier
Chelsea Green vs. Kiana James
The bell rings and we are under way. Kiana with right hands onto Green. She throws Green to the outside and throws her into the barricade. James throws Green back into the ring. Green with right hands and lands a Russian leg sweep. Green with the Rough Rider.
From there, she continues and goes for the cover but James kicks out. She grabs James but James with a double knees to the face. James grabs Chelsea but Chelsea with the Unpretty Her. She goes for the cover and gets the pin for the victory.
Winner and ADVANCING: Chelsea Green
Backstage With Cody Rhodes, R-Truth & Damian Priest
Backstage, we see former tag-team champions R-Truth is with Damian Priest, when in comes “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes. Rhodes tells them that he could be facing Priest for the title and not CM Punk based on how things play out.
Cody Rhodes & CM Punk Face-To-Face
Speaking of Cody Rhodes, we return inside Oakland Arena and we hear the familiar sounds of his theme song. “The American Nightmare” makes his way to the ring to a big pop from the Bay Area crowd. He settles inside the ring and wastes little time introducing CM Punk.
Punk comes out and joins him in the ring. Cody tells Punk that wasn’t an accident. Punk takes his jacket off and they are face to face. Cody tells him that for this story to have the proper ending, it’s fair for him to say that he has to beat CM Punk at SummerSlam. Punk tells him that Cody doesn’t like that he is the champion.
He then says he casts a very large shadow that not only Cody but a few other people can’t get out. He says for Cody, brothers fight. This isn’t one way traffic, if he did those great things and Cody learned from him, good for him. But did he do that better than him, that’s not for them to decide.
That’s for the people to decide. He says in 2022, he was learning from Cody because he was on the outside looking in because there. He says Cody can’t handle the pressure of rising to the occasion of just having an athletic contest with someone that he respects.
He says Cody has to make himself the victim and everyone else the enemy. If Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and John Cena are his enemies, that makes him Cody’s only friend. He promised him years ago that he wasn’t going to stab him in the back, he was going to beat him. He says at SummerSlam, he will break Cody’s heart.
Cody tells him that it looks like they said all there is to say. He says he will get Punk the obligatory gift on Thursday but that gift is an apology for when he whoops his ass at SummerSlam. Punk tells Cody what a coincidence, he also got him a gift.
He will give it to him at SummerSlam and it’s a monumental, pillar to post ass whooping, wrapped in a lesson called a loss. And if he is smart enough, he will take the lesson and that is that he is CM Punk, he is the best in the world in the ring and microphone. No one can touch him, not even Dusty’s kid.
Punk’s music hits cut Cody says to kill it, they don’t need that. He says that is where he is bringing it, Dusty’s kid. He says to play his music because that is what he will hear when he wins the title at SummerSlam. Cody’s music hits and they are nose-to-nose to end the intense face-off in-ring segment.
Backstage With Cathy Kelley & Charlotte Flair
We cut backstage and Cathy Kelley is backstage with Charlotte Flair. She tells Kelley that she was not thinking about title opportunities last week. She is thinking that she is standing here and her best friend isn’t.
She says she can’t thank Bliss enough for what she did for her this year. She says Jade can go after her all she wants but she won’t get to Bliss. She says if she has to go through Nia Jax to get to Jade at SummerSlam, she will.
Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier
Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax
We head to a break after the Charlotte Flair backstage segment. When the show returns, we head to the ring for another interim women’s title ladder match qualifier. The bell rings and we are under way. Nia Jax throws Flair in the corner and Nia Jax with spears.
She runs towards Flair but Flair with a boot to the face. Flair climbs the second rope and lands a hurricanrana. Flair with a chop to the chest. She gets on the ring apron and lands a big boot. Flair climbs the top rope and lands a cross body. She goes for the cover but Nia Jax kicks out.
Flair to the ropes but Nia Jax with a powerbomb. She goes for the cover but Flair kicks out. On that note, the show shifts gears and settles into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues. When the show returns, we see this high stakes contest still ongoing.
We see Flair climbs the second rope but Nia Jax trips her down. Nia Jax climbs the second rope and lands a leg drop. She goes for the cover but Flair kicks out. Nia Jax climbs the second rope but Flair with a knee chop. She lifts Nia Jax up and powerbombs her. Flair goes for the cover but Nia Jax kicks out.
Flair climbs the second rope but Jade’s music hits and out she comes with B-Fab and Michin. That distracts Flair and Nia Jax trips Flair. She throws Flair to the outside of the ring. Nia Jax tells Jade to mind her business. Jade tells B-Fab and Michin to go to Flair.
Nia Jax argues with the referee. Flair with a clothesline on B-Fab and she throws Michin into the barricade. Flair gets on the ring apron and she hangs Nia Jax up. Jade gets on the ring apron, Flair hits her with a right hand. Nia Jax goes for a Samoan drop on Flair but Flair lands on her feet.
Flair with a big boot and Nia Jax falls to the outside of the ring. Jade hits Flair with a right hand and the referee calls for the bell. B-Fab and Michin get in the ring. Jade with the Jaded onto Flair. Nia Jax clears the announce table and she gets angry. On that note, we head to another commercial break.
Winner via DQ and ADVANCING: Charlotte Flair
No. 1 Contender Match Qualifier
Trick Williams vs. Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest vs. Royce Keys
It’s main event time!
Damian Priest makes his way to the ring as we gear up for the main event announced earlier in the evening, a four-way showdown to determine who will face Sami Zayn in a world title number one contenders match at the upcoming two-night WWE SummerSlam premium live event.
As he settles inside the squared circle, the show shifts gears and heads into a mid-match commercial break. Post break we find Finn Balor heading to the ring. Royce Keys got the full jobber treatment and Trick Williams walks with his chant. It’s time to find out who will face Sami Zayn to earn the next title shot after SummerSlam.
Straight out of the gate, we see Balor and Priest stare down, then Keys with clotheslines to them and a boot to Trick. Keys gets to run wild for a bit including a nice fall away slam to Trick to clear the ring. We head into a mid-match break there. When we return, everyone starts brawling on the floor.
Keys hits a running Snake Eyes style move on Balor then Priest jumps off the steps to drop Keys. Priest charges at Trick but gets Flapjacked into the announce table. Back in the ring Balor with a Sunset Flip to Trick for two then Trick drops him with a shoulder block.
Stalling suplex from Trick, bless Balor for saving that a couple of times. Trick with a corner splash to Balor, but he misses a second one and Balor unloads on him in the corner. Balor with chops to Trick then a 10 Punch that gets to 7 before Priest shows up to try a Razor’s Edge but Balor slips free and stomps on Priest.
Trick tries a Sunset Flip on Balor but Balor rolls through then hits a dropkick. Keys shows up and Balor hits an Eye of the Hurricane to drop him. Priest boots down the running Balor then spikes Trick with a lifting Flatliner. Corner splash from Pries to Keys then Trick avoids a rebound clothesline and hits a neck-breaker then a Flapjack for Balor.
Now Trick with corner stomps to Balor and Keys, but Priest hits an enziguri then boxes the ears. Backhand from Trick to send Priest out of the ring. Balor dumps Trick, low bridges Keys, then hits a lovely dive onto the pile of bodies. Solo Sikoa heads down the ramp as we head into another mid-match break.
The show returns a few minutes later and things quickly pick up, with only a few minutes remaining in the show to wrap up business. The Usos make their way to the ring and they exchange punches with Solo. LA knight comes out and he comes through the crowd to attack Jimmy and Jey from behind.
Priest kicks Trick and then Priest goes up top for Old School but he turns it into a cross body onto no one involved in the match. Finn gets a near fall on Trick and then hits sling blade and a running drop kick. Finn goes up top and misses Coup de Grae. Trick with a cyclone kick for a near fall.
Trick sets for the jumping knee and Priest with a clothesline to Trick and a super kick to Finn. Priest with South of Heaven and Keys breaks up the cover. Keys snds Priest into the ring psot and Keys with a spinebuster but Fatu pulls Keys from the ring. Fatu with a punch and he sends Keys into the ring post and then hits a running hip. Finn escapes South of Heaven and Finn with sling blade and a drop kick. Finn goes up top and hits the Coup de Grace for the win to end the show.
Winner: Finn Balor
