Friday Night SmackDown rolled into the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, with three women’s matches advertised, two championships on the line, and plenty of unfinished business on the road to Crown Jewel. By the time the evening was over, we had new WWF Women’s Tag Team Champions, a violent Street Fight, a returning Tiffany Stratton, and a Last Man Standing Match added to the November 7 pay-per-view.
Chelsea Green managed to retain the WWF Women’s Championship against Roxanne Perez, although the aftermath nearly resulted in a Money in the Bank cash-in. Meanwhile, Blake Monroe continued her winning ways against Giulia, and Michin and B-Fab pulled off the evening’s biggest championship surprise.
The men weren’t exactly sitting around doing nothing, either. Sami Zayn found himself dealing with Trick Williams, Rey Fenix, and Penta, while Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton took another step toward what promises to be a particularly nasty confrontation.
Let’s get into the results.
Sami Zayn Has Plenty of Enemies
Undisputed WWF Champion Sami Zayn opened SmackDown alongside Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, addressing his recent confrontation with Roman Reigns and reminding everyone that he considers himself the smartest man in the room.
Rey Fenix interrupted to defend his brother Penta, warning Zayn against disrespecting him. With Penta holding the Money in the Bank briefcase, Sami has good reason to be concerned about where the next cash-in attempt might come from.
United States Champion Trick Williams then joined the conversation, demanding another opportunity at Zayn’s championship. Sami dismissed the challenge, leading to an increasingly heated exchange between the two.
Johnny Gargano eventually became involved, and General Manager Nick Aldis decided to settle matters by booking Zayn and Gargano against Williams and Fenix for later in the evening.
Stinger’s View: Sami Zayn is becoming increasingly entertaining as an arrogant champion who believes he’s smarter than everybody else. The problem with making enemies out of half the roster is that eventually somebody is going to make you pay for it.
I like Trick Williams refusing to be intimidated. He’s got the confidence, the charisma, and the United States Championship to back up his words. Now he wants something bigger.
Chelsea Green Defeats Roxanne Perez to Retain the WWF Women’s Championship
Winner: Chelsea Green, by pinfall — Still WWF Women’s Champion
Chelsea Green entered Friday night with a difficult challenge ahead of her. Roxanne Perez had already defeated her in a non-title match, and another victory would give the Judgment Day member the Women’s Championship and a potential champion-versus-champion confrontation with Liv Morgan at Crown Jewel.
Perez targeted Green’s arm during the match, repeatedly attempting to weaken the champion and prevent her from mounting a comeback. Chelsea fought back with several impressive counters, but Raquel Rodriguez eventually interfered, giving Perez an opportunity to connect with a Shining Wizard.
Fortunately for Green, IYO SKY arrived to even the odds.
SKY attacked Rodriguez at ringside, distracting Perez long enough for Chelsea to regain control. Green countered her challenger and connected with the Killswitch to score the pinfall and retain the championship.
Tiffany Stratton Returns!
The celebration didn’t last long.
Liv Morgan and the Judgment Day attacked Green and SKY after the match, only for Tiffany Stratton to make her return and help drive them away.
Things became interesting when Stratton turned her attention to Morgan and her Money in the Bank briefcase. Tiffany appeared ready to cash in on the Women’s World Champion, but Rodriguez and Perez intervened before she could capitalize.
Chelsea Green survived her championship defense, Tiffany Stratton returned, and Liv Morgan suddenly had another reason to watch her back.
Stinger’s View: I enjoyed this match, and I’m happy Chelsea retained the championship. She’s become one of the most entertaining personalities in the women’s division, and I want to see her get a meaningful reign rather than losing the title at the first opportunity.
Roxanne looked good, although I’m getting tired of Judgment Day interference becoming an almost automatic part of these matches. At least IYO SKY showing up helped balance things out.
And Tiffany Stratton returning adds another interesting wrinkle. Liv Morgan may be looking ahead to Crown Jewel, but she probably shouldn’t forget about the woman carrying that briefcase.
Blake Monroe Defeats Giulia in a Street Fight
Winner: Blake Monroe, by pinfall
Giulia and Blake Monroe have spent weeks making each other’s lives miserable, and Friday night’s Street Fight gave them an opportunity to settle their differences without the usual restrictions.
The action started before either woman had much interest in wrestling a conventional match. Giulia attacked Monroe near the entrance, and the two quickly began using the ringside environment as a weapon.
Kendo sticks, chairs, and barricades all came into play as the fight spilled around the arena.
The most memorable moment came backstage when Monroe attempted to use hairspray against Giulia, only for Giulia to smash her opponent’s face into a mirror, sending glass flying.
The fight eventually returned toward the ring, where Monroe delivered a spectacular superplex from the ropes onto a pile of chairs at ringside.
Despite Giulia’s relentless aggression, Monroe survived the punishment and finished her rival with the Neutralizer to score another victory.
Stinger’s View: This was the match I was most looking forward to, and it certainly delivered the violence.
Giulia is excellent at making a fight feel personal, and Blake Monroe deserves credit for matching her intensity. The backstage mirror spot was memorable, and the superplex onto the chairs looked brutal.
What interests me most is that Monroe has now defeated Giulia twice. That’s a pretty significant accomplishment for somebody still establishing herself on SmackDown, though it isn’t like WWF has been using Giulia all that well.
I wouldn’t mind seeing these two continue their rivalry, but eventually Giulia needs to get a victory if she’s going to remain a credible threat.
My Match of the Night: Giulia vs. Blake Monroe.
Cody Rhodes Challenges Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing Match
Randy Orton entered the ring to address Cody Rhodes following their increasingly personal rivalry.
Orton mocked Cody for finally embracing the kind of violence that once defined the Legend Killer, particularly after Rhodes punted Baron Corbin in the head last week. According to Orton, Cody might be willing to attack other wrestlers, but he’d still hesitate when confronted with his former mentor.
Rhodes arrived with General Manager Nick Aldis and several officials attempting to prevent another confrontation.
Cody accused Orton of hiding behind their shared history and insisted that he wasn’t afraid of the man who once helped shape his career.
The exchange eventually led to a challenge for Crown Jewel.
Rhodes wanted a Last Man Standing Match, and Orton accepted.
Stinger’s View: This is one of the more interesting rivalries heading into Crown Jewel because the history between these two is real within the wrestling world. Orton was a major figure in Cody’s early career, and their relationship gives the story more substance than two wrestlers simply deciding they don’t like each other.
A Last Man Standing Match also makes sense given how personal things have become. I just hope they focus on the brutality and psychology rather than filling the match with unnecessary outside interference.
Michin and B-Fab Defeat Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley to Win the WWF Women’s Tag Team Championship
Winners: Michin and B-Fab — NEW WWF Women’s Tag Team Champions
Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley entered Friday night hoping to make their first successful defense of the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Unfortunately for the new champions, Michin and B-Fab had other plans, and Jade Cargill was at ringside to make sure things went their way.
The match featured several impressive exchanges, with Bliss and Paxley demonstrating the chemistry that had helped them capture the championships.
Alexa delivered a satellite DDT, while Tatum attempted to finish the challengers with a 450 splash. Unfortunately, the move missed, giving Michin an opportunity to regain control.
The decisive moment came when Jade Cargill struck Paxley from ringside, allowing Michin to connect with the Styles Clash and score the pinfall.
Just like that, Michin and B-Fab became the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Stinger’s View: Well, I certainly didn’t expect another championship change this quickly.
I actually liked the pairing of Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley, and I was hoping they’d get a little more time to develop as champions. Their unusual personalities made them an interesting team, and there was potential for some entertaining stories.
Instead, Michin and B-Fab captured the titles with assistance from Jade Cargill.
I’m happy to see Michin and B-Fab getting a significant opportunity, but I wish the championship had changed hands without interference. The women’s tag team division needs strong champions and meaningful rivalries, not another situation where somebody at ringside determines the outcome.
The MFTs and Bakusai Brawl Before Their Match
The advertised non-title match between WWF Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga and Bakusai’s Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki never officially began.
With Haku accompanying the champions, Kyoki decided to make things interesting by stealing Haku’s walking stick.
That quickly led to a confrontation, with Nakamura attacking the MFTs and both teams becoming involved in a chaotic brawl.
Officials rushed to separate the competitors, and the scheduled match was abandoned before the opening bell.
Stinger’s View: Well, so much for that match.
I wasn’t enthusiastic about another non-title encounter between the champions and their challengers, but I would have preferred to see them actually wrestle.
On the other hand, stealing Haku’s walking stick might be one of the least advisable decisions anybody has made on SmackDown in quite some time.
Somebody should probably explain to Kyoki exactly who Haku is.
CM Punk and Kevin Owens Continue Their War of Words
General Manager Nick Aldis brought CM Punk and Kevin Owens together to discuss their upcoming match in New York.
As expected, neither man was particularly interested in making peace.
Punk accused Owens of costing him championship opportunities and creating unnecessary problems, while Owens insisted that Punk had been responsible for interfering with his own pursuit of gold.
Their exchange quickly became personal, with both men questioning the other’s motivations and character.
Aldis confirmed that the two would finally meet in two weeks.
Stinger’s View: Punk and Owens are both excellent talkers, and their personalities are abrasive enough that I don’t need much convincing to believe they genuinely dislike each other.
I appreciate that the rivalry is built around their frustrations and conflicting perspectives rather than some ridiculous gimmick. Let them argue, let them fight, and eventually let one of them win.
Trick Williams and the Lucha Brothers Defeat Sami Zayn, Johnny Gargano, and Ricky Saints
Winners: Trick Williams, Penta, and Rey Fenix, by pinfall
The originally scheduled main event featured Sami Zayn and Johnny Gargano against Trick Williams and Rey Fenix.
Unfortunately, the match barely got started before Ricky Saints attacked Fenix at ringside, causing a disqualification.
Penta rushed to his brother’s aid and demanded an immediate six-man tag team match, which gave us a much more substantial main event.
The Lucha Brothers and Williams faced Zayn, Gargano, and Saints in a fast-paced contest featuring plenty of high-impact offense.
Penta and Fenix demonstrated their familiar chemistry, while Trick repeatedly attempted to get his hands on Zayn.
The closing moments featured a series of near falls and counters before Williams connected with a Book End on Ricky Saints to secure the victory for his team.
The two sides stared each other down following the match, leaving plenty of unfinished business heading into next week’s show.
Stinger’s View: I enjoyed the six-man tag much more than I expected to enjoy the originally advertised match.
The Lucha Brothers are always entertaining together, and having Trick Williams involved gave the contest some additional importance. Sami Zayn continues to find himself surrounded by people who want a piece of him, and the fact that Trick scored the victory should only increase his confidence.
I’m not thrilled that we needed a disqualification to get to the actual main event, but at least the replacement match delivered something worthwhile.
WWF SmackDown Results — October 23, 2026: Quick Results
- Chelsea Green defeated Roxanne Perez to retain the WWF Women’s Championship.
- Blake Monroe defeated Giulia in a Street Fight.
- Michin and B-Fab defeated Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley to win the WWF Women’s Tag Team Championship.
- The MFTs vs. Bakusai never officially began following a pre-match brawl.
- Trick Williams and Rey Fenix defeated Sami Zayn and Johnny Gargano by disqualification after Ricky Saints interfered.
- Trick Williams and the Lucha Brothers defeated Sami Zayn, Johnny Gargano, and Ricky Saints in a six-man tag team match.
Other major developments included Tiffany Stratton’s return, Cody Rhodes challenging Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing Match at Crown Jewel, and CM Punk confronting Kevin Owens.
Stinger’s View: A Strong Night for the Women’s Division
Friday night’s SmackDown was a good example of what happens when the company actually advertises meaningful matches in advance and gives its wrestlers an opportunity to deliver.
The women’s division was unquestionably the highlight of the evening. Chelsea Green retained her championship against Roxanne Perez, Giulia and Blake Monroe delivered a violent Street Fight, and Michin and B-Fab captured the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
I wasn’t happy about the interference in the tag title match, especially because Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley had barely begun their reign and I like the pairing. But at least the division is getting attention, and the new champions have an opportunity to establish themselves.
Blake Monroe deserves praise for her performance against Giulia. She’s now defeated one of the toughest women on the roster twice, and the Street Fight gave both competitors an opportunity to demonstrate their willingness to get physical.
Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton also did an excellent job building anticipation for Crown Jewel. Their history gives the rivalry genuine weight, and a Last Man Standing Match should provide a fitting conclusion if the company allows them to settle things without too many distractions.
The situation involving Sami Zayn continues to interest me as well. He’s an increasingly arrogant champion surrounded by potential challengers, and Trick Williams is making a strong case for himself.
My biggest complaint is the amount of interference and interrupted matches. We had outside involvement in both women’s championship matches, an advertised tag team match that never began, and a main event that ended almost immediately by disqualification before being restarted as a six-man tag.
I understand that wrestling is about telling stories, but sometimes I’d like to see the wrestlers settle those stories by actually winning matches.
Still, there was plenty to enjoy tonight. The Street Fight was entertaining, the championship change was significant, and the road to Crown Jewel became a tad more interesting.
Stinger’s Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
