WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 kicked off the year with a great episode. Seeing two amazing matches that would have been tougher to get with the 2 hour time slot. Chapters being closed with Chelsea Green and Giulia, along with Aleister and Damian. Further build took place with Drew McIntyre stealing the show by burning a photo of Cody and Dusty. Fresh faces appeared in Jordynne Grace, Matt Cardona and Trick Williams, returning faces like Sami Zayn and Randy Orton. The first Smackdown of the year did its job by doing exciting things from start to finish.
WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 Preview:
WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 starts the year off with the first 3 hour Smackdown of 2026. Drew McIntyre sets the stages for 3 stages of hell. Giulia gets a rematch against the person that upset her in November, Chelsea Green. The women’s tag division is set for a 8 woman tag team match. RhIyo and CharLexa team up to take on Lash Legend, Nia Jax and the champions the Kabuki Warriors. Damian Priest and Aleister Black collide in an Ambulance match to finish their 6 month feud.
Ratings Chart:
| WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 Ratings | |
| Match / In Ring Promo | Result and Star Rating. |
| WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 Opening Promo The Miz Airs his 2025 grievances. | The Miz mentions several things that went wrong in his 2025. Claiming he was now the locker room leader. Randy Orton returns, Miz attempts to create MizKO but gets hit with an RKO. AMAZING – 4.00 Stars |
| Lash Legend, Nia Jax and Kabuki Warriors Vs Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and RhIyo – 8 Woman Tag. | Iyo Sky by Pinfall via Over The Moonsault on Kairi Sane GREAT – 3.75 Stars |
| Kit Wilson Vs Matt Cardona | Matt Cardona by Pinfall via Roughrider SQUASH – Below 5 Minutes. |
| Sami Zayn and Trick Williams In Ring Segment | Sami Zayn reflected upon how his son asked him about being world champion. He set his sights upon such. Trick Williams debuted on SD for the first time, was over with the crowd. After claiming he was what a true superstar looks like, Sami Zayn says that he is willing to humble him. GREAT – 3.75 Stars |
| Carmelo Hayes Vs Johnny Gargano with Candice LeRae – WWE United States Championship | Carmelo Hayes by Pinfall via Nothing But Net MUST WATCH – 4.75 Stars |
| Drew McIntyre Sets the 3 Stages – In Ring Promo | Drew McIntyre announced the three stages of hell being Normal Match, Falls Count Anywhere and then an “Old-School” Steel Cage match. Drew attempted to provoke Cody by shattering a framed photo of Cody with Dusty. He also set it on fire while Cody was held back. MUST WATCH – 4.75 Stars |
| Chelsea Green Vs Giulia – Women’s United States Championship. | Giulia by Pinfall via Northern Lights Bomb GOOD – 3.25 Stars |
| Damian Priest Vs Aleister Black – Ambulance Match | Damian Priest via Putting Aleister Black in the Ambulance. MUST WATCH – 4.50 Stars |
WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 “Highs”:
Smackdown had been lacking some heat for a while. With less time for a weekly show, only certain people could be on it. The lists of fresh faces for the brand are the returning Randy Orton and Sami Zayn. And the Debuting Matt Cardona, Trick Williams and Jordynne Grace. Oba Femi also having a video package where his name appeared in blue? A night of moments and seed planting. Randy and Sami both wanting to go for the gold and having their own moments with Cody Rhodes to tease the future.
The 3 hour smackdown was used excellently to have several segments for superstars. Having segments to showcase the character of Chelsea Green before her title loss. Separate backstage promos to further build and hype towards the main event. It felt like more than just the main event picture on the mens side got to appear more than once. While WWE kept their pacing and their natural flow for their weekly Television it still felt like a show that accomplished a lot.
Jordynne Grace had moments with Chelsea Green and Jade Cargill and it felt like both could be potential directions for her if she was on Smackdown. The women’s division needs a refresh and it starts with new faces and doing something interesting. While I do not believe the mini Giulia reset had the intended effect, the right choice was Giulia getting the women’s US championship. And with 3 hour Smackdowns, she should be in a better spot this time around.
Drew McIntyre in the promo, is all that needs to be said. It just sucks the only reason to care about this feud is Drew’s work, and he has no shot of winning against the “QB1.”
WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 “Lows”:
A decision was made to give Damian Priest the win over Aleister Black. While you are trying to develop and establish the returning Aleister Black as a threat. While the match itself was fun and enjoyable, maybe not as amazing as the Last Man Standing match, it was awesome. Within the match I didn’t fully enjoy how the fireball wasn’t the difference maker it was in the LMS match either. I also think the crowd took a bit to get into the match, and it was almost a token pop with Rhea in the Ambulance just to get the crowd further into it.
Aleister had a promo with Cody a few months ago and it felt like this is something that could be done. Now, Damian has beaten him and that interest in Cody facing Black isn’t there anymore. Aleister needed this win to establish himself as a credible heel, and he didn’t get it. For that decision its a low for Smackdown.
WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 Overall Summary…
WWE Smackdown Jan 2nd 2026 kicked off the year with a great episode. Seeing two amazing matches that would have been tougher to get with the 2 hour time slot. Chapters being closed with Chelsea Green and Giulia, along with Aleister and Damian. Further build took place with Drew McIntyre stealing the show by burning a photo of Cody and Dusty. Fresh faces appeared in Jordynne Grace, Matt Cardona and Trick Williams, returning faces like Sami Zayn and Randy Orton. The first Smackdown of the year did its job by doing exciting things from start to finish.
Matches: 0.75/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere…: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.75/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.75/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE/ 01-02-2026
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article detailing the rating system here:
