5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (30 Jan - Results & Review)
WWE teased fascinating title matches on an uneven night before Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
A fascinating gaffe might need tidied up come Saturday night's Royal Rumble PLE. On SmackDown, a full 24 hours before the big event, WWE flashed an unfortunate graphic up on screen revealing that The Vision's Bron Breakker is #1 in the 30-man match. Oops! Big pop if Paul Heyman's attack dog comes out as #2 in Riyadh.
That might actually happen, y'know.
Something else happened: SmackDown. It wasn't the most essential episode of WWE telly you'll see in 2026. In fact, at times, it was blatantly obvious that the creative team were running low on ways to fill the 3 hours of screentime they needed to. Fingers crossed fans in Saudi got discounts on those tickets if they doubled up with a Rumble one!
Being fair, the roster on hand did work hard to entertain them. None of the matches on the card were bad by any means, but tedious setup and one of the most pointless segments you're ever likely to clap eyes on (which incredibly featured 2 world class talents!) cheapened the occasion - Triple H and his staff did everything in their power to elongate entrances and chew up time.
At its best, that worked, but at its worst SmackDown was...lifeless and akin to a fluff-filled 'Kickoff Show' that airs video packages as various talking heads discuss a whole load of nothing. The opening segment, that aforementioned clanger of a skit, and some other bits and bobs combined to make Friday's show more like a preview or recap than anything else.
Here's all the good and bad from it.
Downs...
4. Guys Worked Hard, But The Story Sucks
That aforementioned 'Bron Breakker is #1' graphic set the tone for Johnny Gargano's latest battle with the boys from Fraxiom. They had nothing to do with that production hiccup, of course, but it turned out to be the most newsworthy thing about their segment on this week's show, and that's a problem. A real problem. This mask stuff Fraxiom, Gargano and Candice LeRae have going on just isn't interesting whatsoever.
This week, Nick Aldis banned Candice from ringside and said the couple would have to give Axiom his mask back if Gargano lost. Thrilling. Johnny and Axiom proceeded to work their tails off in a solid enough match, but the story backdrop managed to drag everything right down around them. Look, most appreciate that WWE is trying to find things for these folks to do, but that doesn’t mean anyone has to find it compelling.
Gargano and Axiom tried to get clever with the double mask finish, but lord knows why Axiom has coveted that specific hood. Was it his first ever mask? Did a family member give it to him as a gift? Did he stash a cheeky 10 bucks in there, or something?. Laughably, come the pin, Michael Cole said: “The saga is over”. Behave, sir. That came across as a trolling comment from the lead play by play man, which certainly can't have been intentional.
Hopefully, we can draw a line under this tale now that Axiom has his mask back. Perhaps creative can have Nathan Frazer poach LeRae's hairbrush next. Y'know, so the "saga" can roll on.
3. As Formulaic A Promo Train As You’ll See
WWE bloody well love a promo train to kick off shows. This isn't something unique to the Triple H/TKO era - Vince McMahon enjoyed kicking off episodes of Raw, SmackDown etc with a revolving door of workers clutching microphones who just so happened to have that little tyke in the production truck queuing up their music when they fancied interrupting.
It's one of those wrestling tropes people roll with. Cool, but at least make sure everyone holding a stick has something worthwhile to say. That defo wasn't the case on this week's SmackDown over in Saudi. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and The Vision all came out to talk about their plans for the Rumble. Yes, formulaic can be fine, but only Cody talking about going after CM Punk if he wins and Zayn putting forward his case for beating Drew McIntyre were of interest.
All that mouthy business did set up the 8-man main event, at least, but the whole thing was a little played out and on the lengthy side. It was super-obvious as soon as The Vision came out what was going to happen. No, no problems with the match being made, but it felt forced with Jey Uso and Vision coming out there especially.
Heyman should be cast as smarter than that considering he's so long in the tooth and has been around WWE's product since forever.
This is a small gripe, admittedly, but it's reflective of a broader bitch about SmackDown as a whole. Worse, Hunter and pals repeated this trick again shortly afterwards.
2. More Painful Setup
Here it is.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss passive aggressively said they’d throw the other one over the top rope in the women's Rumble before Judgment Day came out. That formatting was practically identical to the men’s segment which opened the show. Replace JD with The Vision and you had much the same thing with Nick Aldis sticking Raw stars in a match.
Honestly, WWE management could’ve just stuck the match in the ring and announced it with a graphic. The women's tag didn’t need this time killing setup at all. So, we’re supposed to believe that Liv Morgan, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez walked out to...pretend they were going to fight Flair and Bliss before dashing back through the curtain? Why?
These match setups need work. They're such minor details, but minor details within the framework of any wrestling show are important. Running back to back on practically the exact same thing is just sheer laziness from the writing team too. Someone really should've spotted this when going through the episode with a fine tooth comb. Maybe they didn't bother to do that; maybe Road Dogg was regaling everybody with obscure stories about the 'Attitude Era' instead.
Seriously, one of the things people expect when they tune into any show is that the characters involved have believable intentions. Judgment Day wouldn't simply march out to chortle their way through some rotten dialogue when it's clearly a complete and utter waste of their time. If Liv, Roxanne and/or Raquel weren't in the house to wrestle to begin with, then why were they even in attendance at all?
1. AJ & Gunther Say A Whole Load Of Nothing
Cancel the match right this instant.
Only kidding. AJ Styles vs. Gunther with the former's career on the line and the latter's career killing reputation at stake should be gripping melodrama in Riyadh. It'll be a highlight of the Royal Rumble undercard, and it'll really be something if AJ does get put out to pasture and spend the last remaining days of his in-ring career fighting Leon Slater on TNA programming.
Sadly, Styles vs. Gunther at the Rumble really didn’t need this face to face promo segment. One can't emphasis the word "really" there enough. Italics don't do it justice. The segment didn’t add any last minute gloss, and neither man is even supposed to be on SmackDown anyway. They're Raw stars. Yeah, we know, the brand split means nothing to WWE, but what was the point of this?
Gunther skulked away without things getting physical. It was merely another time killing exercise you simply do not need to see on an episode of blue brand fare that creative couldn't be bothered with for roughly half the runtime. It's like they suddenly panicked and thought AJ's possible retirement match required a little more seasoning, then the writer in charge took a bump to the head and scribbled precisely sod all down on a napkin before handing it to Styles and Gunther backstage.
'Say some words then get out of there'. The napkin in question might as well have said that. What a puzzling time sink on a show that genuinely didn't need another one of those. Pushing cardboard cutouts together before one fell over would've been just as constructive.
Ups...
5. The Set
Granted, this could be considered an odd first ‘Up’ to some, but that dual SmackDown/Royal Rumble set design deserves a mention. WWE built the stadium from the ground up exclusively for this weekender. That’s what you can do when you have all the money in the world and are backed by Saudi millions, but then...WWE has oodles of cash all year round but scale down their sets/entrances as a general rule nowadays.
This Rumble-fied set looked banging as soon as you clapped eyes on it, and it's also totally unique to Riyadh. It’ll look amazing come the Rumble when SmackDown graphics give way to more bespoke PLE branding. Triple H was right to gush about the job his team had done during a social media run through showing off the design before Friday's show aired.
This is what a big time, major market company looks like.
No stadium? No problem. Just give WWE's crew some Lego, a few bits of cloth, a crate of Monster and watch them go, go, go. The fact this whole deal was thrown up as quickly as it was is very impressive indeed. 2026's Rumble layout makes WrestleMania IX look rubbish. 'World's largest toga party' or not. You all looked silly. Silly.
Right, enough of that merriment. All of this exists just to say that WWE's set for this year's 'Mania season kickoff looks resplendent. Seeing wind tumble through the Rumble will only add to the unique flavour too. No, Otis hasn't been eating beans - the hastily-assembled stadium is exposed to the elements.
4. Actual Women’s Tag Match Comes Through
Their bosses might've plumped for some of the clunkiest setup this side of a mid-2000 WCW Thunder taping, but Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez was another sparkling showing for both duos and a wonderful example of the Women's Tag-Team Title division done right. This is great to see for those who struggled through the dreary days of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax holding down the fort as champs.
Liv and Roxanne have blossomed into a fine unit, and the combo of Flair and Bliss just works whether they're champs or not. Again, the segment leading into the match was crap, but the action bell to bell ruled. Stephanie Vaquer got involved as well to keep her story with Raquel Rodriguez going.
Morgan and Perez vs. Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY at Saturday Night's Main Event last week was tidy, and so was this. It was clear that everyone was on the same page as soon as the bell sounded. Charlotte snapping at Roxanne, Alexa and Liv rolling around the mat to set the world record for most attempted small packages, Vaquer biting back at Rodriguez. Oh yes, all of this worked and it worked well.
If spoiled fans like this dude are happy to dish out criticism in the 'Downs', then he's got to take his cap off and applaud when WWE get something spot on. They absolutely did during this bout. Good on Morgan, Perez, Bliss and Flair for going hell for leather when they probably didn't even really need to. They did it for the love of the game.
Wrestling, not Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Who did he ever beat?!
3. Melo & Rey Fenix Go Hard In The Paint
Carmelo Hayes has slotted in nicely as the kind of babyface perfect for these United States Title ‘Open Challenges’. Sure, it's high time we moved away from the concept for a little while and got him into a full on feud (there's signs of that, don't worry), but it’s tough to argue with fun matches like this one. Realistically, Rey Fenix was never winning the belt, and he badly needs a new intro to his music because it gets no pop, but these guys work well together.
Melo clearly enjoys being in there with someone roughly the same size as him who's a lot quicker, because he doesn’t need to fight from underneath as the underdog and can just react. That’s a nice change of pace for him. He did play the physical underdog to Ilja Dragunov recently due to the ex-champ's physicality, but Fenix is the kind to bamboozle everyone with stunning rope work and deft movements.
It was smart of Hayes to bow out here or there and let Rey do his thing. That's a lovely position for a baby champ to be in, 'cause it'd normally be Carmelo who has to create a sense of urgency in matches all on his own. He's a pace setter.
Not against Fenix. There was zero need for Hayes to do all the running, which is something the commentary team brought up towards the end of the match. This is a character maturing in front of your very eyes. Melo is more seasoned after a tough few years adjusting to the main roster, and now he's living his best life delivering some of those bangers Sheamus and Drew McIntyre used to talk about.
2. Dragunov Gets Revenge
Personally, this guy really enjoyed Ilja Dragunov vs. The Miz.
The match had a rock solid reason to happen after Miz cost Ilja his match vs. Carmelo last week, and Miz initially tried to stay out of harm’s way by avoiding Dragunov’s strikes. They even found time to work in a little Rumble teaser by having Miz throw Ilja out as the announcers talked about Saturday’s 30-man match. That was appreciated, and it brought focus back to why WWE is in Saudi to begin with.
It's nice to see Miz get physical with someone who doesn’t mind taking some rough shots himself, ‘cause we don’t get to see that out of the veteran much these days. Someone sit Bryan Danielson down and roll tape of this bout, then ask him to repeat his "soft" comments from Talking Smack in 2016. Talking Smack? Nah, talking s*** Bryan! The Miz is a top all-rounder.
Ilja will go up a rung if he turns heel, but he gives 100% every single time he’s in the ring and that goes a long way. As usual, Miz can lose and bounce back. He has to be one of the most giving vets in the industry right now. WWE are lucky to have someone with such tenure, experience and generosity. Right, that's plenty - this is turning into a Miz love in.
The main mission for this match was putting Dragunov over as somebody who finds solutions even when his opponents prove stubborn. Losing the US Title could be a blessing in disguise for Ilja, especially if he's going to turn in performances like this whether he has gold or not.
1. Main Event’s Conclusion Makes It Worthwhile
Bit of a house show 8-man tag on SmackDown this week, to be fair, but that’s not necessarily meant as an insult. In truth, the match wasn’t essential until Drew McIntyre ran in to attack Sami Zayn. Jacob Fatu ambushed the WWE Champ after that, then Cody Rhodes started brawling with both before Zayn opportunistically blasted McIntyre with a Helluva Kick.
The sympathy vote babyface later played tug-o-war with Cody over the belt, then the pair ate a spear from Bron Breakker. It proved to be a pulsating finish to the episode, and it was better than the usual (/overdone) Royal Rumble melee where 5-10 guys come out and trade shots as the announcers dribble over lines like, 'This is a preview of the Rumble!'.
WWE achieved that same goal without having to go down that avenue. They didn't need to force it, because practically everyone who matters was already inside the ring or patrolling ringside waiting to pick their moment. In a few sugar rush minutes, the creative squad teased Cody vs. Sami (isn't that unexpected?!), Jacob vs. Drew and Breakker vs. The entire population of the planet.
SmackDown's ending was a disastrous one for the WWE Champ in storyline, but a snarl of intent from one of The Vision's main stars. Now, assuming Bron is #1 or #2 in the Rumble and goes on to become the match 'Iron Man', then he'll go from strength to strength for the rest of the year. Good work, everybody. That's how you book then execute the last thing fans see before a big PLE.
What did you think of this week's episode of WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out WWE Royal Rumble 2026: 5 Things That NEED To Happen and WWE Royal Rumble 2026: Predicting Literally EVERYTHING!