Here are five thoughts in this WWE SmackDown 9/26/25 review, including Cody Rhodes confronting Paul Heyman, another United States Title Open Challenge, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
1. Another tease for the eventual Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton feud?
WWE is clearly setting up a tag team match with Cody and Orton vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. It’s an effective way to get to the bigger match of Cody vs. Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel in Perth. It’s also an effective way to tease more future story material between Cody and Orton. WWE has been doing that for a year and a half now, and Orton picking up the belt to hand it to Cody – while giving a subtle stare at it – was by design. Is that a Royal Rumble match? Or possibly WrestleMania 42?
2. Let’s talk about the finish to the WWE Women’s Championship Match.
Tiffany Stratton retained the title against Jade Cargill and Nia Jax. That was to be expected since Stratton vs. Stephanie Vaquer was the best option for Crown Jewel. However, the botched finish is what most people are talking about with this match. Stratton pinned Jax after kicking Cargill out of the way, but the referee didn’t count the three when Jax didn’t get her shoulder up. You don’t see that often in WWE, but it was one of the more glaring ones given the spot.
3. The United States Open Challenge is the best thing on SmackDown right now.
Sami Zayn had another great match. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. Je’Von Evans being his opponent was perfect for a lot of reasons. For starters, it gets a spotlight on him ahead of his NXT No Mercy match against Josh Briggs (my predictions here). Also, Zayn gave Evans a stamp of approval at NXT Homecoming a few weeks ago. I’ve said many times that Evans is not only the future face of NXT, but he has the “it” factor needed to be a top star on the main roster.
4. Jacob Fatu vs. Drew McIntyre? Sign me up.
Fatu is finally back, and he’s on a collision course with McIntyre. It should be an important feud for both men. McIntyre is coming off a clean loss to Cody, but he did at least bring up the truthful points about the referee costing him at multiple points during their match at Wrestlepalooza. Meanwhile, this is an opportunity to heat things back up for Fatu, who has been one of the top breakout stars in recent years. Of course, the question is, who wins the eventual match?
5. Will Damian Priest or Aleister Black be the last man standing?
The wording from Black suggests a Last Man Standing Match between the two, possibly at Crown Jewel. This rivalry needs an extra something, so perhaps the stipulation will help. It’s the only meaningful feud Black has had since returning to WWE in April, and Priest is far removed from his World Heavyweight Championship run. This is another showdown where both need a significant win, so it’s an interesting decision for Triple H and company.
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