5 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (2 Jan - Results & Review)

Ups...

5. Now This Is More Like It For Jade Cargill

Jade Cargill's scheduled match with Michin didn’t happen due to an injury. It's obviously not nice that Mia Yim was struck down with a shoulder blow, but the match being cancelled was hardly a bad thing for this episode of SmackDown. Let's be real, it would’ve sucked wind on the 3 hour edition and represented yet more treading water for Jade.

Instead, Jordynne Grace approached Cargill during a backstage promo and got the ball rolling on a possible rivalry between them. Now that’s more like it! This is more in line with what Cargill needs as champion. Bianca Belair is surely still the end goal here, but Grace challenging would be magic and could (in theory) be a blistering headliner for a coming episode of TV.

Jade towered over Jordynne during this segment, yes, but Grace has believable power and strength. Fans will respond to that when she takes the fight to the bullying Women's Champ, and this sort of credible threat is precisely what Cargill has needed since beating Tiffany Stratton for the belt in early-November.

It's taken Hunter and pals a hot minute, but they're finally moving Jade in the right direction.

Best wishes to Michin as she recuperates from an injury suffered towards the end of 2025, but the silver lining to her misfortunate is that Grace vs. Jade is on the agenda. Once that's done, Cargill can mow through Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss en route to resuming her issues with old tag-team partner Belair. That has to happen in 2026, doesn't it?!