4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (19 Dec - Results & Review)

There's time yet for things to change, but you've kinda got to fret about SmackDown going 3 hours again come 2 January if this is what Triple H and cronies are serving up. The blue brand has been (rather fittingly) up and down throughout 2025, but Friday's pre-taped effort felt like a 2-hour summation of everything good and bad about the weekly show.

Creative are really spinning it out with some of the storylines on offer. Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre seems destined to roll on until the end of time, Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black is in the same boat, Jade Cargill is still slumming it with Michin and B-Fab, and the ongoing Wyatt Sicks vs. MFT business took a turn for the worst during this episode.

There are upsides, and they come in the form of some heelish teases from Cody that could be something to keep an eye on. Elsewhere, like the tag division did for a spell pre-Sicks, the United States Title hunt is really keeping things ticking in-ring for SmackDown. Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes may well have given Hunter food for thought during their bout with DIY too.

That wasn't the only solid tag-team match on the broadcast. Refreshingly, the women's tag division has gone up another rung, but the clash WWE served up this week reminded fans why Survivor Series: WarGames was such a washout (in one sense, at least). It's also why booking to a calendar rather than because it makes sense within the context of stories being told is problematic.

Here's all the yes and no from Smackers.