The road to WrestleMania 42 continues tonight in “The Big Dumper.”
WWE SmackDown is live this evening at 8/7c on the USA Network and Netflix from Raleigh, NC.
The following are WWE SmackDown results for March 20, 2026. The report was written by PWMania.com reporter Matt Boone (@MattBoone0709) as the show aired on USA Network from 8-11pm EST.
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS – MARCH 20, 2026
‘WWE Then. Now. Forever. Together.’ kicks things off as always. We then see footage of Randy Orton’s attack of Cody Rhodes on last week’s show. Back live, Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett recap what went down, and then we see the usual show-opening Superstar arrival shots.
Drew McIntyre Attacks Jacob Fatu In The Parking Lot
The last Superstar arrival shot we see is a skinny Jelly Roll getting out of a car in the parking lot. As he does, we see a ton of officials and security go sprinting by him, to his confusion. The cameras follow them, where we see Drew McIntyre beating the hell out of Jacob Fatu on the hood of a car. Fatu is left bloody.
Inside the arena, Tessitore and Barrett talk about what just went down. As they do, they are interrupted by an angry, out of breath McIntyre, fresh off of the aforementioned attack. He rants as he storms his way down to the ring. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis comes out and talks about McIntyre being self-sabotaging.
McIntyre yells back at Aldis, bringing up his son Donovan and saying he should be ashamed for having a corporate stooge for a father. Before Aldis can respond, we see a bloody Fatu sprint past him, with security trailing him. He and McIntyre meet at ringside and the brawl continues. Fatu beats McIntyre down and puts him through a table.
WWE Tag-Team Championship
The MFTs (c) vs. Damian Priest & R-Truth
We head to a commercial break after that chaotic start to the show. When the show returns, we see replays of what just went down. Back live inside the arena, R-Truth and Damian Priest make their way out to the ring for their big tag-team title opportunity.
After they settle in the ring, their music dies down. From there, The MFTs make their way out for their WWE Tag-Team Championship defense. Mateo charges at Priest at the bell and Priest punches out Mateo and slams him down. Tonga runs in and Truth comes in and they both take out Tonga.
Priest slams into Mateo and knocks him down with a boot. Talla Tonga attacks Truth and pulls him off the apron distracting Priest. Mateo clotheslines Priest over the ropes and we cut to a commercial break. Back to the match, Tama Tonga beats on Priest in the middle of the ring with forearms to Priest’s neck.
Mateo is tagged in and Priest is double teamed and Mateo covers Priest and Priest kicks out. Mateo chops Priest in the corner and Priest fires back with some strikes to Mateo. Mateo slams into Priest in the corner and then knocks him down in the ring and hits a standing moonsault and covers Priest for a two count.
Mateo splashes into Priest and then knocks Truth off the apron. Priest kicks Mateo down with a spinning kick and both men are laid out. Truth and Tonga are tagged in. Truth takes down Tonga with running shoulder tackles and then hits the five knuckle shuffle.
Truth goes for the attitude adjustment but Tonga counters and tags in Mateo and Truth is double teamed and covered and Priest breaks the pin. Tonga tosses Priest out of the ring and Truth hits a stunner on Tonga and he rolls out of the ring. Priest comes off the steps and clobbers Tonga.
In the ring, Truth locks in an STF on Mateo. Sikoa gets on the apron distracting the ref. Talla Tonga pulls Truth out of the ring and slams him on the apron. Mateo covers him and Truth kicks out. The Wyatt Sicks come out and Tall Tonga and Tonga Loa go after Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan.
At ringside, Uncle Howdy attacks Sikoa and Mateo makes the save. Sikoa tells Mateo to get back in the ring and Truth takes him out and Priest takes out Tonga. Truth hits the Attitude Adjustment on Mateo and gets the win. We have new champs.
Winners and NEW WWE Tag Team Champions: R-Truth & Damian Priest
Backstage With Danhausen, Johnny Gargano & Motor City Machine Guns
Candice LeRae is backstage with Johnny Gargano who is laying on a crate. Danhausen comes by and LeRae asks him if he can help and before she knows it Danhausen vanishes. Alex Shelley comes by and before he can get a word in Chris Sabin shows up and tells Shelley that they have a match to focus on. Shelley and Sabin leave and we get a commercial break.
Backstage With Sami Zayn & Trick Williams
When the show returns, we shoot backstage where Cathy Kelley talks to Sami Zayn. Kelley asks for Zayn’s thoughts about Cody Rhodes being attacked. Zayn says he should be thinking about his match against Aleister Black but all he’s doing is thinking of Rhodes.
Zayn says Rhodes tries to be good and he gives the fans everything. Zayn says it got Rhodes nowhere after the attack from Randy Orton and Orton does what he wants and he’s on top. Trick Williams walks by and asks Zayn about what he thinks about Williams coming out on top over Jacob Fatu.
Zayn gets in Williams face and Williams says he will see if he has some time, he’ll check out Zayn’s match and maybe even give Zayn pointers. Zayn tells him to get a good look. From there the show moves on, as we head back into the arena for our second match.
FrAxiom vs. Motor City Machine Guns
The ring entrances take place and then the bell sounds to get this tag-team tilt officially off-and-running. Frazer and Shelley start things off for their respective teams at the onset. Frazer whips around the ring and kicks Shelley.
Axiom is tagged in and Sabin is tagged in and Axiom is double teamed and Sabin covers Axiom and he kicks out. Shelley is tagged back and Axiom kicks and punches them. Sabin is kicked down and Axiom tags in Frazer. Shelley is double teamed and Sabin and Shelley are kicked out of the ring.
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 and things immediately start to pick up, as the crowd comes alive in the background.
Sabin and Shelley double team Axiom and Axiom is kicked out of the ring. Shelley is taken out by Axiom on the floor and then Axiom trips Sabin. Axiom tags Frazer and Frazer flips over the ropes and takes out Sabin and Shelley and then back in the ring, Frazer hits a crossbody from the top rope on Sabin and covers Sabin.
Shelley comes in and Frazer takes him out. Axion is tagged in and Sabin is double teamed and covered and Sabin kicks out at two. Frazer is tagged back in and Axiom climbs the ropes with Sabin. Sabin pushes both Frazer and Axiom off the ropes and cross body’s onto them.
Shelley is tagged in and Frazer is double teamed and covered and Frazer kicks out. Candice LeRae comes out and stands in the entryway and watches the match. Sabin is tagged in and Frazer is double teamed. Axiom comes in and kicks Shelley.
Frazer sends Sabin out of the ring. Axiom and Frazer take turns diving out onto them. Frazer rolls up Sabin and Sabin kicks out. LeRae clocks Frazer. From there, Sabin quickly follows up with the cover to get the three-count and the victory for Motor City Machine Guns.
Winners: Motor City Machine Guns
Randy Orton Explains Attack Of Cody Rhodes
Once the match wraps up, we are reminded of Randy Orton’s dastardly deeds from seven days ago, which saw him violently attack his longtime friend Cody Rhodes during the contract signing for their WrestleMania 42 showdown for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
We see Orton in the parking lot. The commentators mention he will explain his actions when the show returns. On that note, the show shifts gears and settles into another commercial break. When we return, Randy Orton’s music hits and out he comes.
He pulls a dented chair from the time keeper’s area and grabs a microphone. Orton places the chair in the ring and has a seat on it. Orton says for years, when his entrance music hit, everyone would sing along. What a feeling that is, the love that they show him and he tries to return it.
He gives the fans high fives, he signs the action figures, replicas, titles. He will see a kid on his birthday and wish him a happy birthday. The love that he shows them, that he gets back, that puts a smile on his face. And that smile is the emptiest feeling that he has felt in his entire life.
Orton says he has been doing this a long time, longer than most but the reality is that nothing lasts for ever. He doesn’t want his legacy to be the smiles that he puts on their faces, he wants his legacy to be how many World Championship gold he has put around his waist.
He says not too long ago, he won the Elimination Chamber and he was going to fight Drew McIntyre for the title. And he knew that he can be who he needed to be to beat Drew. But when Cody won, he didn’t know if he can be who he needs to be to beat Cody.
He says he loves Cody like a brother but last week, Cody took that burden off his chest. Cody took that weight off his shoulders when he told him that he needed him to be the best version he can be. He needs him to be the viper, to listen to the voices.
The problem with listening to the voices is that he is not always in control. Sometimes things can happen, sometimes he gets hurt, just like anyone else but he needs that killer instinct. He needs that to add number 15 to his legacy. He looks at the WrestleMania sign and says that he will do it with an R-K-O.
Orton says he hears voices in his head, they council him, they understand, they talk to me and they tell me that I am going to beat Cody Rhodes. He says the voices tell him that he will beat Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
They tell him he is going to beat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship and he is going to do it at the main event of WrestleMania. That about wraps things up here. No reference to whoever the man on his mystery phone call was. The show heads to another break.
Randy Orton walks by some superstars backstage and comes face to face with Matt Cardona. Cardona says he’s known Rhodes and Orton for years but what he did to Rhodes was out of line. Orton gets pissed and tells Cardona off and goes to leave. Orton comes flying back and punches Cardona and tells him to stay out of his business.
Sami Zayn vs. Aleister Black
A video recap of The Bella Twins return is shown to promote their tag-team title tilt later tonight against The Irresistible Forces. From there, Aleister Black makes his way to the ring accompanied by Zelina Vega. We head to a quick pre-match break on that note.
When the show returns, Sami Zayn makes his way out. Before the match can start the lights go off and Trick Williams comes out to watch this match. The bell rings and Black takes Zayn down and punches him in the middle of the ring. Black kicks and strikes Zayn and punches Zayn in the corner.
Zayn chops Black and punches him several times in the corner and we cut to a break. The show returns and Black knocks Zayn to the mat and elbows him a few times and then hits a leg drop and covers Zayn who kicks out at two. Black and Zayn trade elbows and Zayn kicks Black in the corner and sunset flips over him.
He then covers him but Black reverses the pin and Zayn kicks out at two. Black now kicks Zayn in the chest and elbows him. Zayn punches Black and Black knocks Zayn to the mat with a spinning back elbow. Black hits Zayn with a knee and covers Zayn who kicks out again.
Zayn gets locked in a pretzel type submission and Zayn rolls out of the hold. Black kicks Zayn again. Zayn goes for a Helluva kick and misses. Black hits Zayn with a middle rope meteora and covers Zayn for a near fall. Black elbows Zayn and Zayn clotheslines Black over the ropes sending him outside the ring.
Black is thrown into the barricades and does it again and then throws Black back in the ring. Zayn sends Black into the corner with an Exploder and then sets up for a Helluva Kick. Black rolls out of the ring before Zayn can connect.
Zayn goes out to get Black and pushes Williams’ feet off the announce desk. Williams spills a drink on Zayn and Zayn decides to attack Williams instead of going back to the match. Zayn gets in the ring after beating up Williams and Black hits him with Black Mass and gets the win.
Winner: Aleister Black
Backstage With Nick Aldis, Matt Cardona, Carmelo Hayes & Ilja Dragunov
Matt Cardona talks to Nick Aldis and he wants a match with Randy Orton. Aldis says it won’t happen and Cardona leaves. Carmelo Hayes approaches Aldis and asks why the open challenge is closed. Aldis says it’s because someone came to him and made a case to be the next challenger. Aldis leaves and Ilja Dragunov is standing there and he says he’s the guy who spoke to Aldis.
