WWE SmackDown after Wrestlepalooza 2025 Results & Winners: Tiffany Stratton - Stephanie Vaquer face-off; Jacob Fatu flatlines Drew McIntyre; Randy Orton aids Cody Rhodes & more
(Courtesy : WWE)
Je’Von Evans, Sol Ruca & Zaria appear, Giulia & Kiana James win & more!
The September 26 episode of Friday Night SmackDown aired live from the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. The show featured the aftermath of the Wrestlepalooza PLE, which concluded last weekend, while kicking off the build towards the upcoming Crown Jewel show.
Multiple stars, including Cody Rhodes, Tiffany Stratton, Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, and Sami Zayn, were advertised for the show. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton also defended the title in a triple-threat match against Nia Jax and Jade Cargill.
Get to know what happened this Friday, as we have the complete summary, highlights, results, and winners’ list for the 09/26episode of WWE SmackDown.
WWE SmackDown Summary and Highlights
Cody Rhodes interrupts Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman, mocking Cody Rhodes, asked Orlando what they wanted to talk about, teasing discussions on World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. The crowd responded with chants of “CODY & OTC.” Heyman fires back, stating he would love to discuss OTC and Roman Reigns, but quickly reminds everyone of how Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker had punished him at Clash in Paris.
He shifted gears, asking the crowd if they wanted to talk about Breakker or the conspiracy theories and rumors surrounding Brock Lesnar. Just then, Cody Rhodes appeared, interrupting Heyman. Rhodes picked up the mic and asked if the fans had seen the Wrestlepalooza recap.
He admitted to making a mistake the previous week, calling Heyman a ‘goon,’ but now acknowledged that Heyman was one of the smartest men he knew, who loved to stir things up. Rhodes asked Heyman to tell him about Brock Lesnar, then instructed the production to freeze the frame from the recap where Heyman had introduced Lesnar.
He pointed out that it didn’t look like a one-night thing and asked if he was speaking to The Oracle, The Wiseman, or The Advocate. Heyman responded that Cody was talking to “The G.O.A.T.” and, as the greatest of all time, he respected Cody for confronting him about Lesnar, as everyone was in danger when Lesnar was around.
Heyman went on to explain that Lesnar was not present at the moment, but just as he spoke, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker entered the ring. Heyman reminded Cody that even though Lesnar wasn’t here, Cody was still in danger.
Cody stood face-to-face with the two men, giving unsolicited advice and stating that no one had figured out who Paul Heyman was loyal to, but he could guarantee it wasn’t them. Breakker looked ready for a fight as Cody removed his watch and suit, asking if the boys wanted to throw down. The brawl erupted as Cody fought back, but the numbers game quickly took over.
Reed lined up to Cody for a spear from Breakker, but just then, Randy Orton appeared, charging to the ring and taking the fight to Reed, taking him out with an RKO, while Cody sent Breakker flying over the top rope. Both stars stood tall in the ring, while Heyman looked on, visibly worried. Reed and Breakker regrouped on the outside.
Grade: B
Insights & Moments:
- Decent promo from Cody, who stirred up the pot, reminding Breakker and Reed that nobody has figured out Heyman. Heyman and Cody namedropping Brock Lesnar multiple times might be a teaser for what’s to come in the future.
- Booker T was filling in for Cory Graves, likely to further sell the injury to Graves after suffering two F5s from Brock. Booker and Cole also promoted NXT No Mercy during the show.
- Backstage, ahead of the #1 Contenders match, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins gave a quick interview and said they are fine despite some recent tension.
The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs Melo Don’t Miz (Carmelo Hayes & The Miz) – WWE Tag Team titles #1 Contenders match
In the first match of the show, The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) battled Melo Don’t Miz (Carmelo Hayes & The Miz). The #1 Contenders spot for the WWE Tag Team titles was on the line for the match, which kicked off with Miz and Hayes in control after a distraction from Hayes, which helped Miz.
Ford and Dawkins mounted some offense before Hayes took control again. Hayes went up top for the finish, but Miz tagged himself in, which helped an isolated Ford to tag in Dawkins. This was the beginning of the end for Melo Don’t Miz as Dawkins and Ford landed the final blow to pin Miz.
Winner: The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
Grade: B-
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Notably, Hayes was about to intervene and break the pin, but hesitated, letting Street Profits win, before exiting the ring.
- Michael Cole mentioned The Miz voicing his opinion to be part of John Cena’s retirement tour.
- Backstage, Jade Cargill was interviewed and expressed her frustration with Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax, stating it would feel great when she finally became WWE Women’s Champion. Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer then appeared, and the two exchanged words briefly about a potential clash at Crown Jewel if Cargill wins in the main event.
B-Fab & Michin vs Giulia & Kiana James – Tag team match
B-Fab and Michin teamed up in the second match of the show to take on the team of Kiana James and Women’s United States Champion Giulia. James and B-Fab kicked off the tag action. James and Giulia isolated and punished B-Fab, who managed to tag in Michin late in the match.
Michin came out guns blazing, delivering Eat defeat to James, who crashed into her corner. Giulia tagged herself in to hit Michin with the arrivideci kick, followed by the northern light bomb to pick up the win.
Winner: Giulia & Kiana James
Grade: C
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Another match that takes the storyline nowhere, until WWE decides to book them again.
- Backstage, Sol Ruca and Zaria confronted Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, asking for a Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Charlotte and Alexa responded that they needed to prove themselves first and advised them to get in line.
Jacob Fatu returns to confront Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre made his entrance, moving slowly in a walking boot. He recapped his 2017 return to WWE in this arena, defeating Randy Orton to win his second Championship, but stated that he should have walked to the ring with the title that night. Instead, he didn’t, and he blamed Cody Rhodes for it.
McIntyre then blasted the referee for taking too long to make the count and for interfering when he was about to Claymore Cody through the table. He questioned whether it would have been a disqualification, answering himself by saying it wouldn’t have been, and asked if the referee worked for WWE or Cody Rhodes.
Blaming Cody for being corrupted by his power, McIntyre added that the referee was just doing his job to provide for his family. GM Nick Aldis then appeared, acknowledging that he understood McIntyre’s perspective but reminding him that it wasn’t his night at Wrestlepalooza. Aldis also mentioned that he didn’t know where McIntyre’s boot had come from, as WWE’s medical team had already cleared him, and he didn’t actually need it.
Drew responded that he had his own medical team, to which Aldis called him insane. Aldis insisted that McIntyre wasn’t champion because of his own mistakes, not corruption in WWE. He reminded Drew that the referee’s decision was final and that he could stay out there as long as he wanted, but Aldis was done with the situation.
As Aldis left, McIntyre yelled after him in frustration. Suddenly, Jacob Fatu appeared, making his return. Fatu came face-to-face with McIntyre, snatched the mic from him, and told him to shut up and stop complaining. Fatu called out McIntyre for blaming everyone for his mistakes. McIntyre grabbed the mic, asking who Fatu was. McIntyre claimed that if he wasn’t hurt, things would be different.
Fatu snatched the mic back, reminding McIntyre exactly who he was. McIntyre responded with a Glasgow Kiss, but Fatu quickly fired back with a kick and grabbed McIntyre’s cast, which came off easily. Fatu then clocks McIntyre with the cast to end the segment.
Grade: B
Backstage Moments:
- Backstage, Tiffany Stratton was checking her makeup in a mirror when Stephanie Vaquer approached. Vaquer suggested that they might face off in the ring at Crown Jewel, to which Stratton responded that she respected her, but if it came down to them, she would be the one to win.
- In another segment, Sami Zayn thanked Rey Fenix for their match last week, calling it one of the best he’s had in a while. He then said that anyone could answer his challenge tonight, including someone from RAW or NXT.
Sami Zayn (c) vs Je’Von Evans – US title open challenge match
In the co-main event of the show, NXT’s Je’Von Evans answered Sami Zayn’s US title open challenge. This was one day ahead of his clash with Josh Briggs as NXT No Mercy 2025. The match started slow, but both competitors found their timing to put on an exciting match, which kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.
Evans managed to deliver the OG Cutter and almost got the three pin, before Zayn kicked out in time. Sami rallied to deliver the Helluva kick, followed by the Blue Thunder bomb to pin Evans and retain the title. Briggs flatlines Evans with a vicious clothesline from the front row after the match.
Winner & Still: Sami Zayn
Grade: B+
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Zayn is known for his incredible versatility as a performer in WWE, while Evans stands out as one of the most promising talents in NXT. The two men were the highlight of tonight’s show.
- Solo Sikoa cut a promo, summoning JC Mateo. He hyped up Mateo as a man who had won titles around the world and was pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world. Solo praised Mateo for taking care of Jacob Fatu and standing by his side, expressing his gratitude for Mateo’s loyalty. He assured Mateo that his loyalty would be rewarded as long as he remained part of his family tree. Mateo placed a hand on Sikoa’s shoulder and told him he loved him.
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Jade Cargill vs Nia Jax – WWE Women’s title triple-threat match
In the main event of the show, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defended the title against Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in a triple-threat match. The entrances and intro took most of the part as the match began, only to get interrupted by a commercial break.
The three women continued the action, which picked up pace as Jax and Cargill battled on the steel steps. Cargill picked up Jax to deliver the Samoan drop on the steel steps. Cargill was busted open, but continued the match, almost pinning Jax, who had to kick out as Stratton was too late to break the pin.
Another botch saw, the referee stopped the count at two, despite Jax not kicking out, likely due to a miscommunication or Jax forgetting to kick out. Moments later, Stratton delivered an elbow followed by the Preetiest moonsault ever to pin Jax and retain the title. After the match, Vaquer appeared to face off with Stratton, as WWE confirmed the Crown Jewel clash between the two Champions.
Winner & Still: Tiffany Stratton
Grade:
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Backstage, before the match, Chelsea Green extended an offer to Nia Jax to join her Secret Service, but Nia rejected it, tearing up the offer in front of her. Nia then crossed paths with Stephanie Vaquer, who wished her good luck in her WWE Women’s Championship match later that night.
- In another segment, Kit Wilson berated Damian Priest for the attack last week, calling him out on the toxic masculinity. Aliester Black, who was behind Priest during the segment, then attacked, taking Priest out with the Black Mass kick.
- Jade Cargill was busted open after a sequence with Nia Jax on the steel steps.
- Nia Jax likely forgot to kick out, causing the referee to stop the count and signal a two-count. Moments later, Tiffany Stratton hit her finisher and pinned Jax for the win.
WWE SmackDown 09/26 Results
- Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes take out The Vision
- The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeat Melo Don’t Miz (Carmelo Hayes & The Miz) – WWE Tag Team titles #1 Contenders match
- Kiana James & Giulia defeat B-Fab & Michin – Tag team match
- Jacob Fatu returns to confront Drew McIntyre
- Sami Zayn (c) pins Je’Von Evans – US title open challenge match
- Tiffany Stratton (c) defeats Jade Cargill & Nia Jax – WWE Women’s title triple-threat match
Who won in the main event of WWE SmackDown tonight?
Tiffany Stratton defeated Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in the main event of tonight’s show to retain the WWE Women’s title.
Did WWE announce any matches for the upcoming Crown Jewel on tonight’s show?
Yes, with the win in the main event, Tiffany Stratton is now officially announced to battle Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s Crown Jewel title at the PLE next month.
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Abhijit Singh is a budding sports journalist with over three years of experience in the field, and a photographer capturing stories through his lens since 2018. With a background in philosophy and political science, he brings a thoughtful, analytical edge to his reporting where every word is guided by curiosity and intent. Whether he's capturing the emotion of a moment or unpacking the deeper narratives within the game, Abhijit’s work is rooted in insight and passion. When he’s not covering sports, he’s often exploring new ideas through reading, traveling or just procrastinating.
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