By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Smackdown (Episode 1,377)
Berlin, Germany, at Uber Arena
Simulcast live January 9, 2026, on Netflix internationally, on delay on USA Network
NOTE: This review was written as the episode streamed live on Friday afternoon. For those following along at the usual time on USA Network, don’t scroll past what’s aired on television if you want to avoid spoilers.
[Hour One] Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett were on commentary. Tessitore narrated arrival/backstage shots of Drew McIntyre, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, U.S. Champion Carmelo Hayes, Women’s U.S. Champion Giulia and Kiana James, and Alexa Bliss. Tessitore said Bliss would challenge Giulia for her championship…
Tessitore and Barrett spoke from their broadcast desk at ringside. Tessitore said the final hour of Smackdown would be commercial-free. He said a living legend has returned…
Randy Orton’s entrance music played. Ring announcer Alicia Taylor introduced Orton as he headed to the ring for a promo. Orton said it felt good to be back in the ring. Orton welcomed the German fans to Smackdown. He started to say more, but he was interrupted by entrance music.
Trick Williams made his entrance. Fans chanted, “Whoop that Trick,” but then he was booed once he howled over the mic. Trick said he wasn’t sure about Germany, but every other country loves Trick Willy.
Orton said he sees a star when he looks at Williams, saying he has the look and the gift of gab. Orton said that Trick’s interrupting him made him wonder if Trick has the brain to go along with his other attributes. Trick said he respects Orton so much that he came all the way to put him on notice.
Trick said it’s not the year of The Viper, it’s the year of Trick Williams. Orton said he didn’t know what they were teaching him in NXT, but someone should have told him never to turn his back on The Viper. Orton said he’d let that one pass, but if it happened again, he would kick his ass.
Trick tossed his microphone down and then knocked Orton’s out of his hand. Orton punched Trick and then hit him with an uppercut that sent him to the apron. Orton put Trick down with a Draping DDT.
The Miz ran in and attacked Orton from behind. Miz went for his finisher, but Orton blocked it and then dropped him with an RKO. As Orton was leaving, entrance music played, which stopped him in his tracks. Dragon Lee made his entrance and crossed paths with Orton, who bumped fists with him before telling Lee to kick his ass…
Powell’s POV: A fun segment to open the show. I love that the German fans knew Trick’s chant. Orton got the better of Trick, but I like that they didn’t have Trick take the RKO. That’s back-to-back verbal exchanges with Sami Zayn and now Orton. Trick is off to a good start, even if he did take a Draping DDT.
1. Trick Williams vs. Rey Fenix. Tessitore put over Williams’ spinning kick. Fenix hit a springboard missile dropkick that sent Trick to the floor. Lee teased a dive before swinging in the ropes. He ran the ropes again, but Williams returned to the ring and put him down with a leg lariat for a two count.
There was a brief “Let’s go, Fenix,” chant. Trick dumped Fenix to the floor and then followed him. Trick ran Fenix into the ring steps before a commercial break. [C] There were dueling chants for the wrestlers. Fenix got Trick seated on the top turnbuckle before joining him on the ropes and then pulling him down with a huracanrana that led to a near fall. The fans chanted along with the referee’s count in German.
Fenix went up top and attempted a moonsault, but Trick put his foot up. Trick hit him with a spinning pump kick and covered Fenix for a near fall. Trick followed up with a uranage slam for another near fall. Fenix came back with a tornado reverse DDT for a two count.
Fenix caught Trick with a kick that left him draped over the top rope. Fenix hit the Adios Amigos kick. Fenix jumped off the top rope, but Trick caught him and went for another uranage. Fenix countered with a pin, but Trick reversed it and held the tights while getting the three count…
Trick Williams defeated Rey Fenix in 11:05.
Powell’s POV: A competitive match with the logical finish of Williams going over in the end. I don’t have any problem with Trick cheating to win as opposed to just beating Fenix clean because it helps establish him as a heel.
Byron Saxton interviewed Women’s U.S. Champion Giulia and Kiana James in a backstage area. Giulia said the title was back where it belongs. James said Giulia will dominate the entire division. Giulia said she would make an example out of Alexa Bliss. James translated and said it’s not personal, it’s just necessary…
Tessitore hyped the WWE Championship match for later in the show… [C] Tessitore hyped WWE World for WrestleMania 42 week in Las Vegas while a shot aired of the Vegas Strip…
A highlight video recapped Damian Priest beating Aleister Black in an ambulance match on last week’s show…
Priest said he won the war over Black. He said he hears a lot of people talk about going after the WWE Championship. Priest mentioned he respects Cody Rhodes and wants to face him. “Or…” Drew McIntyre said before walking into the picture. Priest said he knows how dangerous McIntyre is. He said it’s possible that he wins the WWE Championship and they get to go another round. Priest told McIntyre to remind the world how his brain was scrambled the last time they were in the ring together. Priest wished McIntyre luck before leaving the area.
McIntyre recalled the look on Cody’s face when he set the picture of him with his late father on fire. McIntyre said he can only imagine the look on Cody’s face “when he sees this.” McIntyre showed off the watch that the late Dusty Rhodes had to pawn when he blew the family fortune to pay for his kids’ future. McIntyre said Cody would get himself disqualified in the first part of Three Stages of Hell, and then he will finally become the WWE Champion…
Alexa Bliss spoke on the phone, presumably with Charlotte Flair. She said she didn’t know about her title match until today. Bliss told her to get better. Nia Jax and Lash Legend showed up and mocked Bliss, saying that the second that Bliss gets an opportunity for herself, Flair was nowhere to be found. Bliss said that sounded like something Jax would do. Bliss offered advice to Legend from someone who has been there, telling her to drop Jax before she brings her down…
Giulia made her entrance with Kiana James… [C] Tessitore hyped the WWE podcast schedule… Former soccer player turned influencer Sidney Firede was shown in the crowd holding up a title belt… Alexa Bliss made her entrance…
2. Giulia (w/Kiana James) vs. Alexa Bliss for the Women’s U.S. Championship. Bliss held the ropes open, which led to Giulia tumbling to the floor. Bliss hit a move off the apron and then stopped and looked at the title belt that was on a podium. [C]
James took some cheap shots at Bliss while the referee was focused on Giulia. Barrett said it was the third time that Giulia got involved in the match. Bliss had a run of offense and put Giulia down. She dropped her with double knees that showed a lot of light. Giulia came back with a knee strike.
Bliss caught Giulia in position for Sister Abigail. James climbed on the apron. Bliss opted to put Giulia down with a DDT. Bliss punched James, who tumbled into the ring. Bliss went up top while the referee was focused on James. Lash Legend showed up at ringside and shoved Bliss off the top rope. Giulia hit a Northern Lights Bomb and scored the pin.
Giulia defeated Alexa Bliss in roughly 7:15 to retain the Women’s U.S. Championship.
After the match, Legend and Nia Jax entered the ring. Legend punched Bliss, and then Jax hit her with an Annihilator…
Powell’s POV: So Bliss could have hit Sister Abigail, but she decided not to because she saw James on the apron, yet still hit a DDT? That sequence didn’t make sense. On the bright side, Giulia showed a little more personality during the backstage interview, and James’ repeated interference made her feel like a bigger part of the act than she had been.
Backstage, Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis was talking with Jordynne Grace. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre showed up. Green said she wanted a rematch for the Women’s U.S. Championship. Aldis said he was signing Grace to Smackdown. Green complained about her rematch. Grace said she won’t be a diva, unlike some others on the roster. Fyre jawed at Grace, who went face-to-face with her. Aldis booked them in a match for later in a show.
Kit Wilson showed up and stopped Aldis from entering his office. Wilson complained that he didn’t know who his opponent was last week. He said Matt Cardona is the embodiment of toxic masculinity, and asked Aldis what he was going to do about it. Aldis said those were valid points and told Wilson to hold his thought, then entered his office and slammed the door. “You are toxic,” Wilson yelled…
[Hour Two] Byron Saxton interviewed Matt Cardona in a backstage area. He spoke about how he chose to bust his ass to get back to WWE. Cardona spotted Cody Rhodes, who was sitting on a nearby production crate. They hugged. Cody was booed by a lot of fans, and then they sang Drew McIntyre’s name. Cardona said he came back for the WWE Championship. Cody said they would talk once he finishes with McIntyre…
Tessitore hyped the Wyatt Sicks vs. The MFT… [C]
Tessitore spoke about the previous Three Stages of Hell matches while still shots were shown. Barrett said it’s the most feared match type of them all within the WWE locker room…
A video package recapped the Wyatt Sicks issues with The MFT… Entrances for the match took place…
3. Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, Tonga Loa, and JC Mateo (w/Tama Tonga) vs. “The Wyatt Sicks” Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Erick Rowan (w/Nikki Cross) in an eight-man tag match. Gacy and Lumis performed simultaneous dives through the ropes onto two of their opponents on the floor. Both sides squared off at ringside. [C]
Howdy and Solo tagged into the match. Howdy got the better of Solo and set up for his finisher, but Solo slipped away and then tagged out. Howdy worked over the other opponents and put Mateo in a Mandible Claw. Solo grabbed the lantern at ringside, which distracted Howdy. Tama went after Howdy, who caught him in position for his finisher, but Talla broke it up with a big boot. Tama hit the Cutthroat on Howdy before pinning him…
Solo Sikoa, Talla Tonga, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa defeated “The Wyatt Sicks” Uncle Howdy, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Erick Rowan in roughly 10:20.
After the match, Solo took the lantern and said, “I got the whole world in my hands”…
Powell’s POV: When I was a kid, and a heel would steal or destroy an item that were meaningful to a babyface, I always wondered why the babyface didn’t just leave the item at home. Anyway, this mid-card feud doesn’t do much for me, but the live crowds seem to react well to it.
Backstage, The Miz told Carmelo Hayes that he would become a three-time grand slam champion when he accepts a Hayes open challenge and beats him for the U.S. Championship. Hayes said he was about to have an open challenge and would see him out there. Miz said he could barely move his neck to the left after Orton hit him with a cheap shot. Hayes said there was always next week. “Isn’t that right, Randy?” Hayes asked. Miz fell for the gag. Hayes told him just to say if he needs another week to prepare.
Ilja Dragunov showed up after Miz walked away. Hayes said it would be an honor if Dragunov accepted his open challenge. Dragunov said they will meet again, but he was about to meet with Nick Aldis about something different…
Alba Fyre made her entrance with Chelsea Green… [C] An Oba Femi video aired. Tessitore spoke about how impressive Oba was last week, and said NXT would feature life after Oba. Tessitore said the NXT roster is loaded and plugged the weekly television show…
4. Jordynne Grace vs. Alba Fyre (w/Chelsea Green). Grace was dominant to start and hit a package powerbomb. Grace had the pin, but Green climbed on the apron and barked at the referee. Grace ran Fyre into Green, which knocked Green off the apron. In the end, Grace hit a Torture Rack Bomb and got the three count.
Jordynne Grace beat Alba Fyre in 2:35.
WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill made her entrance while Grace was heading toward the back. Jade came out and walked around Grace. “You think you did something?” Cargill asked. “You think you’re special? Well, now you’re on my show, and I’m that bitch.” Cargill dropped the mic…
Powell’s POV: Grace was showcased nicely as a powerhouse babyface by making quick work of Fyre. Jade coming out and talking shit to Grace afterward sends the message that Grace is going to be a player in the division. They never got it right with Grace in NXT, but she’s off to a good start on the main roster.
Byron Saxton interviewed Sami Zayn in a backstage area and asked who he thinks will win the main event. Zayn said he hated to admit it, but there was a small part of him that wanted Drew McIntyre to win. Zayn said McIntyre is famously the one person he hasn’t beaten, and beating him for the championship would be great. Zayn said he’s rooting for Cody and said he’s a great guy. Zayn ultimately said that his money was on Cody, but the person who walks out of the match as champion needs to know that he’s waiting on the other side…
Drew McIntyre was shown seated backstage while Tessitore hyped the main event and listed the three stages of the match…
U.S. Champion Carmelo Hayes made his entrance for an open challenge… [C] Footage aired of New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo’s online video that featured him yelling while watching the WWE 2K25 video game…
Nathan Frazer was warming up backstage when “Axiom” showed up to talk to him. Frazer wondered why Axiom wasn’t in his gear. Frazer said he knew Johnny Gargano didn’t make it overseas, but he thought they could race to the ring for the title shot. Axiom hit Frazer. Candice LeRae showed up, and then Gargano removed the Axiom mask. After the heels left, the real Axiom showed up and checked on his partner…
Powell’s POV: Perhaps this fooled some casual viewers, but it was pretty obvious that the turtleneck didn’t fit Gargano the way it does Axiom.
Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance for the open challenge…
5. Carmelo Hayes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the U.S. Championship. Hayes dropkicked Nakamura, who rolled to ringside. Hayes charged for a dive, but Nakamura caught him with a kick. Hayes came right back with a springboard move. [C]
Nakamura targeted Hayes’s left knee with a kick and dragon screw leg whips. Hayes came back and got a two count following a DDT. Hayes jumped from the ropes and put Nakamura down with another DDT. [C]
[Hour Three] Nakamura continued to target Hayes’s left knee. Nakamura ate a cutter, but he came right back with a kick and then picked up a near fall. Hayes fought back and did a springboard into a DDT. Hayes sold his knee. He went to the ropes, but Nakamura cut him off with a kick.
Nakamura jumped from the rope and hit Hayes with a knee strike. Nakamura went for a Kinshasa, but Hayes caught him with The First 48. Hayes followed up with Nothing But Net and scored the clean pin.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in 18:30 to retain the U.S. Championship.
After the match, Nakamura raised Hayes’s arm before leaving the ring…
Powell’s POV: A good match and a win for Hayes over a former world champion. It will be interesting to see if Hayes carries over the damage that Nakamura did to his knee into his next open challenge.
Backstage, Byron Saxton asked Cody Rhodes for his final thoughts. Cody said it’s lazy when people bring his father or his father’s legacy into things. Cody said he has his eyes on the Royal Rumble and that it means WrestleMania isn’t far behind…
A video aired with Nick Aldis announcing that there will be four qualifying matches on next week’s Smackdown in London, and then the winners of those matches will face off in a four-way at Saturday Night’s Main Event for a shot at the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble…
The broadcast team listed the following qualifying matches for next week’s Smackdown in London: Randy Orton vs. The Miz, Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams, Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov…
Powell’s POV: I don’t think it’s a slam dunk that one of the bigger names wins the four-way. They could go with a surprising challenger, with the idea being that the Royal Rumble matches sell the Royal Rumble.
A video package set up the main event… Alicia Taylor read through the rules of the match. Drew McIntyre made his entrance, and the entrance of Cody Rhodes followed…
6. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre in a Three Stages of Hell match for the WWE Championship. Alicia Taylor delivered in-ring introductions for the championship match. The first stage is a standard match. A few minutes into the match, Cody pulled McIntyre from behind, causing McIntyre to pull off a turnbuckle pad. When the referee focused on putting the pad back, McIntyre low-blowed Cody. McIntyre followed up with a Claymore Kick and then pinned Cody.
Drew McIntyre beat Cody Rhodes in 3:40 to go up 1-0.
Powell’s POV: So McIntyre would be the champion had he just opted for a standard match. I’m not a fan of the referees being made to look like they are incapable of walking backwards or stand sideways to keep an eye on the action. I’m even less of a fan of matches ending way sooner than they normally would in best-of-three falls situations, but at least the heel cheated in this case rather than having a clean finish in just a few minutes.
The second stage is Falls Count Anywhere. McIntyre powerbombed Cody through a sponsored table on the floor and covered him for a near fall. The wrestlers fought into the crowd and then into an area to the side of the seats off the main floor. Cody jumped off a balcony and splashed McIntyre through a table for a good near fall.
Cody brought McIntyre back to the ringside area. Barrett pointed out that Cody struggled to climb over the barricade and appeared to be exhausted. McIntyre pulled out a chair and hit Cody with it twice. McIntyre set up to kick Cody’s head into the side of the broadcast table, but Cody shot up and hit him. Cody placed McIntyre on the broadcast table and then joined him on top of it before hitting CrossRhodes for the three count.
Cody Rhodes defeated Drew McIntyre in 13:00 in a Falls Count Anywhere match to even things up at 1-1.
The third stage was a steel cage match. The cage music played as it was lowered. Cody stopped McIntyre from leaving through the cage door early on. Cody made a play to go over the top of the cage, but McIntyre stopped him and suplexed him. Later, Cody hit CrossRhodes and covered McIntyre for a near fall.
A short time later, Cody performed a pair of CrossRhodes. He went for a third, but McIntyre raked his eyes. Cody, who had some blood on the side of his head, went at McIntyre, who sent him into an exposed turnbuckle. McIntyre hit a Claymore Kick and covered Cody for a great near fall.
McIntyre tried to climb over the cage, but Cody stopped him. Cody joined McIntyre on top of the cage, where both wrestlers traded punches. Cody knocked McIntyre into the ring and then jumped from the cage and hit a Cody Cutter on the way down for another great near fall.
Later, both wrestlers fought while standing on the ropes, and they both ended up crotching themselves before tumbling to the mat. McIntyre made a play for the cage door. A person wearing a black hood showed up and shoved the ringside referee out of the way.
The man in the black hook unmasked to reveal himself as Jacob Fatu. Tessitore recalled that everyone thought McIntyre was responsible for attacking Fatu. McIntyre gave up on the cage door exit and tried to climb over on the other side of the ring. Fatu cut him off him inside the cage and worked him over. Cody tried to pull Fatu off, but Fatu turned and punched him. Fatu hit Cody with shoulder blocks. They traded punches while McIntyre escaped through the cage door to win the match.
Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in 31:05 in a steel cage match to win the Three Stages of Hell match to win the WWE Championship.
After the match, Fatu watched McIntyre hold the championship belt while seated in the entrance aisle. Cody slammed Fatu’s head into the side of the cage, and then he watched McIntyre as the executive producer credits aired to close the show…
Powell’s POV: I’m not big on world title changes close to WrestleMania because I prefer to have long reining champions going into the biggest show of the year. That said, this was a strong match with a wild finish that likely caught a lot of fans by surprise. And while Cody could regain the title, this could also be a major shakeup going into WrestleMania. Did they foreshadow Sami Zayn winning the Royal Rumble and then challenging McIntyre at WrestleMania? Does it set up Cody winning the Rumble or Elimination Chamber? If Cody isn’t in the title match, then what will he be doing? Where does Fatu fit in?
Overall, they set the table nicely for the Three Stages of Hell match and then went with a title change. It will be interesting to see if word of mouth leads to increased viewership numbers when this episode airs in the United States on Friday night. For anyone who may care, the times listed are for the overall match, meaning I didn’t stop the clock after each fall. I will be back later today with my weekly Smackdown audio review, which will be available for everyone this week as a Pro Wrestling Boom podcast. Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
I didn’t know Drew McIntyre was the champion going into the main event! “Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in 31:05 in a steel cage match to win the Three Stages of Hell match to RETAIN the WWE Championship.” (my caps)
Typo alert, Jason! [/grammar nazi]
Overall I thought it was a strong show, and one of their better ones. I think I would’ve been more shocked if Drew hadn’t won, since he was supposed to originally win it at wrestlepalooza, however I wasn’t a big fan of the Fatu interference at the end and not that it was done in a bad way or anything like that, more that they did it at all to begin with ( and I know why they book these type of finishes) but God forbid we ever get a legit finish in a big match lol.
“Does it set up Cody winning the Rumble or Elimination Chamber? If Cody isn’t in the title match, then what will he be doing? Where does Fatu fit in?”
hmmm…does he get an automatic rematch? just kidding probably not, although some of the answers to those questions might be obvious just based on what they have had planned and said in the past and where they’re going in the future but we’ll see.
With just the one college playoff game tonight, and having gone back to the three hour format I would expect the number to be somewhat higher but I agree it will be interesting to see the result either way for what it’s worth.
Those 6 odd stand things around the ring were messing wrestlers thru the show.
They were the struts for the cage.