WWE Smackdown results (5/22): Powell’s live review of Cody Rhodes and Gunther, Tiffany Stratton’s open challenge for the Women’s U.S. Championship, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Talla Tonga

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

WWE Smackdown (Episode 1,396)
Lexington, Kentucky, at Rupp Arena
Simulcast live May 22, 2026, on USA Network and internationally on Netflix

[Hour One] Joe Tessitore opened the show and set up a recap of last week’s Gunther vs. Royce Keys main event, along with Cody Rhodes attacking Gunther afterward… Tessitore narrated backstage/arrival shots of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, a split-screen shot of Shinsuke Nakamura on one side, and Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Talla Tonga, and a separate shot of Women’s U.S. Champion Tiffany Stratton…

WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley made her entrance and welcomed viewers to “Friday Night Mami.”