6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (8 May - Results & Review)

1. Gunther Can’t Get The Best Of Cody

Did Cody Rhodes visit Danhausen and ask him to lift a curse on his babyface run, or something? That might be the only rational explanation for why Cody has stopped hearing boos following his WrestleMania 42 program with Randy Orton. Or, logically, putting Rhodes up against an actual heel who's easy to hate like Gunther has helped massively.

Funny how that works.

This guy has no problems with Gunther’s sneak attack on Cody, Paul Heyman politicking on Gunther’s behalf, or the fact we’re waiting until Clash In Italy later this month for their match. Heyman saying: “Sooner or later, they all need the Wise Man” was very interesting too. Was that another teaser for a Rhodes heel turn in 2026?! Only time will tell.

"Only". On that note, the only thing WWE needs to drop here is the pretence that Gunther being “a Raw superstar” is a hurdle. Nobody cares about the brand split. Hell, the writing staff don't give a toss about it themselves, so it's strange that they flip flop between pretending it's important then squashing the brand rules whenever suits. Just drop it, guys. Wrestlers should be able to go wherever the booking takes them.

Cody managed to struggle free from Gunther's sleeper before hitting the deck, then gave a quick 'come ahead' promo to his next challenger. That stood out considering how many legends Gunther has beaten with the submission since last year. This was an altogether solid piece of business that looked beyond Backlash to WWE's next European adventure.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out WWE Backlash 2026: 10 Things That NEED To Happen and WWE Backlash 2026: 9 Nightmares That Could Come True!