WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 23, 2026) with its latest show emanating from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Royal Rumble premium live event scheduled for later this month in Saudi Arabia.
Advertised for tonight: The MFTs get another crack at The Wyatt Sicks and the WWE tag team titles.
Sticking with the tag team division, there will be a triple threat to determine the number one contenders to the women’s tag titles: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend vs. Giulia & Kiana James. Elsewhere, Damian Priest takes on Trick Williams, Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green, another United States title open challenge, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA Network. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS & LIVE BLOG FOR JAN. 23
The stage has been lit, get up on your feet, hearts start to pound, everyone, get off your seat. My fingers spontaneously combust into flames, destroying pretenders, only ashes remains, and somehow I’m still here to liveblog this pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the usual montage of talent arriving at the arena.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance in front of an adoring hometown crowd and gets on the mic.
He greets his countrymen in French and says it feels good to be home. Tomorrow night, momentum’s a funny thing in WWE, but damn if he doesn’t feel like he’s got all the momentum in the world, right now! Saturday Night’s Main Event, he has the chance, in Montreal, to become #1 contender to–
Enter Trick Williams, too boos that give way to “Whoop that trick!” chants all the same.
He says one thing’s for sure, two things are for certain, he and Sami aren’t on the same level. He’s Mr. 250, Sami’s Mr. Too Many Chances, Mr. Streetwear vs. Mr. Street Corner, Mr. Almost and Mr. Let’s Have a Toast, because Trick Willy knows how to get it done. He spits something at the crowd that’s either rude French or just rude and gets in the ring, saying Zayn’s problem is he doesn’t know how to get the job done.
The last time Sami had a title shot, in his very own city, he didn’t get the job done, and that’s the difference between him and Trick. He’s said it before and again, he’s here to be WWE Champion.
Zayn says Trick is right about a lot of things– Sami couldn’t get it done, he admits that, and Trick is a future WWE Champion, but most of all, he’s right that they’re not on the same level. Zayn is the best of the best, and Williams will reach his potential if he works hard, in five, ten, fifteen years, if he’s lucky he’ll be HALF as good as Sami is.
And if he thinks he’s wrong, Williams can do something about it right now.
Trick declines, saying he’s got other things on his mind, like his main event match against Damian Priest, and he’ll take care of business with Sami tomorrow.
He says Trick runs his mouth, and he’s been on SmackDown for what, a month, and he’s run his mouth at everybody? But last week he wouldn’t run his mouth at Priest, and so Damian thinks he’s afraid of him, afraid that if he says the wrong thing, Damian will drop his ass where he stands. Priest asks if he’s afraid and goads him into saying something, and if he doesn’t want to say something, he can do something instead.
Trick gets in his face and asks if he thinks he’s scared to pop off before telling him to watch this and turning and dorking Sami in the head with the microphone! He turns to Priest and throws a haymaker but Damian blocks and they trade punches in the corner! Sami recovers and throws hands, Trick manages to duck under, shove Priest into Zayn, and bail to the safety of the floor!
Randy Orton is shown watching backstage when an interview rolls up.
He unloads on Cathy Kelly for her choice of question and says 2026 is the year of the Viper and it starts tomorrow when he becomes #1 contender to the WWE Undisputed Championship.
We get “earlier today” footage of Carmelo Hayes chatting with Ilja Dragunov, giving him a pep talk about his match last week and offering him the open challenge tonight if he wants it. Ilja responds by unloading about how beaten and bruised he is before changing gears and saying of course he wants the fight.
The Miz rolls up to berate Melo and his generation for not all hating each other, and Hayes helpfully points out he hates Miz. Miz says something in French which my wife points out is a dumb Home Alone reference, and they go back and forth a bit longer.
Back in the present, Carmelo Hayes makes his entrance and we go to break.
Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov (WWE Men’s United States Championship Open Challenge)
Hot out the gates, ducking and dodging, back suplex, Hayes lands on his feet and lands a big chop. Chops in the ropes, whip reversed, huge German suplex from Dragunov and he holds onto the waistlock! Headbutts to the back of Carmelo’s neck, he fights back with wild elbows, gets to his feet, standing switch, back and forth, both men go for lariats and end up down and out as we go to break!
Back from commercial, elbows for uppercuts, both men hurting, Dragunov a trickle of blood running down his forehead to the bridge of his nose. Ilja ducks a lariat, waistlock, back elbow from Hayes catches him right in the nose! Wading in with chops to the champion, he’s got Melo in the ropes and then down to his knees, front kick connects and stomps follow!
Off the ropes, big boot, Hayes fires up with an elbow, enzuigiri gets La Mistica, cover… NOPE! Fighting over a suplex, Ilja blocks, stepping through, overhead elbows looking for a Cobra Twist, Melo fires back with back elbows and gets away, off the ropes, Constantine Special… NO DEAL! Carmelo down in the corner, Dragunov up top, Hayes gets up, Ilja dodges the Codebreaker and gets a nearfall as we go to break!
Back from commercial, jockeying for position in the turnbuckles, Dragunov gets Hayes on the apron, clubbing blows give way to the deadlift superplex and both men are down and out! Both men crawl to the apron, Ilja talks about how much fun this is and Melo asks what’s wrong with him! Trading chops on the apron, Hayes with lariats, more chops from Dragunov, fireman’s carry, Carmelo slips out, superkick… FINAL CUT ON THE APRON AND BOTH MEN CRASH TO THE FLOOR!
Melo up top, Ilja cuts him off, back and forth, fireman’s carry and Dragunov hits the Blu-Ray… NO DEAL! Ilja up top, the Miz out of nowhere to shove him down, Carmelo recovers…
Carmelo Hayes wins by pinfall with the Codebreaker, retaining the WWE Men’s United States Championship.
We get a recap of Jacob Fatu costing Cody Rhodes the WWE Championship and the fallout from after to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a sit-down interview with “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, conducted by Michael Cole.
Rhodes is eager to talk about his path back to the title but Cole cuts him off to ask how he feels about Jacob Fatu.
Before he can say anything, Fatu charges in, brushing past general manager Nick Aldis and a trio of security guards. Rhodes invites him to sit down and Jacob says he was focused on Drew McIntyre because he kicked his teeth down his throat, locked in on Drew and Drew only, and he doesn’t give a damn what Cody thinks about it.
But then Rhodes had to be a hero and put hands on him, and he got to thinking– Cody cuts him off and says he was acting, not thinking, and he has the balls to say what nobody else will, that acting without thinking is what got Jacob Fatu sent to prison in the first place. Fatu stands up and says that’s nothing new, he talks about being in prison and his seven kids and almost getting fired before he got fired, but he doesn’t care because his choices made him a better man and got him right here.
Rhodes says that’s the problem, that he’s standing opposite him without the WWE Championship, it should be a title match tomorrow night. Jacob says Drew was already out of the ring before he even got involved and Cody says it’s crazy he thinks he’s got it figured out when he’s never been in a title match.
Fatu says that’s what Cody thinks this is, like he’s every other Samoan he’s already wrestled? They don’t make them like him, and everybody thinks he’s loose cannon, out of control? Nah, he’s VERY in control, so think about that.
Michael Cole tells us that Nick Aldis made sure both Cody and Jacob left the building after that interview, to avoid jeopardizing their match.
Chelsea Green (dressed like a sexy the Mountie Halloween costume because there is justice in this world) and Alba Fyre run into Jordynne Grace backstage.
Green says she wants to be the bigger person and Jordynne is a star and she deserves a platform to stand on, and offers her a position in the Secret Hervice starting next week at the Royal Rumble, or even better she can start tonight when she squares up against that bully Jade Cargill tonight.
Grace says she’s convinced and she’s in, and the three of them make their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a bumper informing us that Roman Reigns has declared for the Royal Rumble next week.
Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill
Green dives on Cargill during her entrance, right back inside for the bell, Jade recovers almost immediately and swats her down, chokebomb lift drops her in the corner, front kicks, hard whip and push-ups in front of Chelsea! Big backbreaker, fallaway slam follws and into the kip-up, action to the floor and back in.
Chelsea gets the advantage somewhere in there, Killswitch blocked, sidestep the kick, ropes for leverage but Jade still kicks out! Superkick, powerbomb…
Jade Cargill wins by pinfall with Jaded.
Post-match, Jordynne Grace gets on the mic and asks what Jade was trying to prove here, before saying she’s in the Royal Rumble and hell, she’ll go right now if Cargill’s up to it.
Jade, of course, backs down immediately.
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair talk about the Royal Rumble backstage.
Bliss says it’ll be hard to top last year, Flair points out she won last year but then WrestleMania didn’t go so well, but Alexa says if it weren’t for WrestleMania they wouldn’t be teaming and they end it by giving each other a pep talk and making heart hands.
MFTs walk backstage with the lantern and Solo Sikoa cuts a promo about how there’s nothing that you or he can do about their domination as long as he has the lantern.
The Wyatt 6 make their entrance to send us to break.
MFTs (Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga) vs. Wyatt 6 (Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy) (c) (WWE Men’s Tag Team Championship)
Sikoa and Gacy to start, quick tag to Tonga, Joe fights back, side headlock, shot off, tag to Lumis, Manhattan Drop lariat, leg drop, duck under, standing switch, back suplex, Dexter lands on his feet and crawls up in Tama’s business before popping up for a dropkick! Rolling thunder monkey flip, dive to the floor and the Wyatts are running hot as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Sikoa has Lumis down in the corner, Ode to Rikishi sidestepped, Dexter lands a back suplex, tags made! Gacy with jabs, whip reversed, big pump kick, northern lariat, back suplex follows it up! Pump kick for Solo too, a back suplex for him as well, Tama comes in with an elbow, whip across, the Upside-Down connects and Joe tags Dexter in!
Suplex into the powerbomb… SOLO BREAKS IT UP! Lumis off the top, diving splash… SO CLOSE! Gang war on the floor, Erick Rowan freight trains Tonga Loa and JC Mateo on the floor! Talla Tonga returns to ringside and blasts Rowan in the face with a big boot before throwing him over the barricade! Tonga picks up the lantern but Uncle Howdy is right there with the mandible claw!
Solo cuts him off with a Samoan Spike and grabs the lantern! Tama chokes Lumis in the ropes, lantern shot to the face with referee Charles Robinson occupied, Tonga charges in…
MFTs win by pinfall with Cutthroat from Tama Tonga on Dexter Lumis, becoming your new WWE Men’s Tag Team Champions.
Nick Aldis is on the phone telling someone to send someone in right away.
Ron Killings rolls up to put his balls on the line in the Royal Rumble.
AJ Styles walks in and Nick asks Truth to circle around to this later, and Ron says he’s gonna sleep good tonight knowing that his balls are in good hands.
Aldis asks Styles if he’s sure he wants to put his title on the line against GUNTHER and he says he does. GUNTHER retires John Cena? That’s fine, it’s the disrespect that bothers him, and if you think for one second he’s gonna let GUNTHER decide when his time is up, you’re wrong. But that’s not the only reason Nick asked him to come to Montreal.
Shinsuke Nakamura rolls up and asks AJ if he’s willing to lose everything, and Styles says if he doesn’t step up to GUNTHER, he might as well have lost everything already. Nakamura challenges him to prove he’s still Phenomenal in a match tomorrow night at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and it’s on.
Fraxiom make their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get recap of the ending of the tag title match, because SmackDown is three hours long. (Three hours long.)
Johnny Gargano vs. Nathan Frazer
Frazer with a wristlock, shoulder armbreaker, Gargano rolls through, drop toehold, arm wringer of his own, Nathan rolls through, cartwheel reversal to an arm drag, another big arm drag and Frazer has an armbar! Rolling through the kneeling armbar once again, fight out, elbows in the corner, arm wringer, whip across, backflip up and over, off the ropes, head of steam, big dropkick from Nathan!
Jab in the corner, big chop follows, arm wringer, whip to the corner, Gargano boot up, Frazer enzuigiri connects! Up top with him, John slips under, Gallon Throw, Nathan collapses to the floor and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Frazer snaps off the springboard moonsault inverted DDT, slow to capitalize, throwing punches, flying forearms, charging chop in the corner, up and over, vicious running Sling Blade connects! Off the top, frog splash… GARGANO KICKS OUT! To the floor, Nathan with a beautiful tope con giro, back inside, off the top, nobody home on the Phoenix Splash!
Dropkick from John gets a running knee, trading kicks, sidestep the quebrada, crossleg Falcon Arrow… NATHAN KICKS OUT! Gargano up top, Nathan pops up, superplex rolled into a neckbreaker… NO DEAL! Up top once more, Candice LeRae runs interference, it’s enough for John to move out of the way of the dive!
Axiom grabs the blue mask and puts it on Candice backwards! Gargano tries to help his wife and just gets hit in the face…
Nathan Frazer wins by pinfall with a folding press.
Post-match, Candice steals the mask right back and runs off through the crowd!
Backstage, Lash Legend and Nia Jax are interviewed backstage.
They say they’re gonna become #1 contenders tonight and then win the Royal Rumble as a team, because they’re not fake, like Charlotte and Alexa.
Drew McIntyre is shown walking backstage to send us to break.