For the skepticism of how a three-hour show would be, WWE SmackDown has been solid through its return to the elongated format. Perhaps it’s due to the higher stakes season en route to Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, but these shows have showcased fresh faces from NXT and even a WWE Championship match.
For the Jan. 16 episode of the blue brand, it would feature more high stakes opportunities, including a handful of matches to determine who will go to Saturday Night’s Main Event to battle in a No. 1 contenders match to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship.
So what from this and the rest of the show stood out? Let’s take a look:
What’s Next For Cody Rhodes?
WWE finally pulled the trigger last week by putting the championship on Drew McIntyre, a move The Scottish Warrior badly needed to feel like a real top guy again. The important part, though, was never just the win. It was always going to be the follow-up.
McIntyre made that clear immediately by saying there would be no rematch with Cody Rhodes, effectively cutting The American Nightmare out of the picture. That opened the door for Randy Orton, with The Viper talking about revenge, before things went off the rails when Jacob Fatu joined the fray.
The segment did an effective job of showing that there are many people coming after the title, driven in part by the No. 1 Contenders matches later in the night, as well as the early build toward the Royal Rumble.
Rhodes later came out to a mixed reaction, which felt like an honest reflection of where things are right now. The crowd that once carried him to the title was not fully there anymore, especially in McIntyre’s territory. Rhodes even admitted his reign had grown stale, which felt less like a storyline beat and more like reality catching up.
Still, Rhodes showed why he’s still a top guy on the microphone. He won the crowd back by name-dropping WhatCulture Pro Wrestling, talking up London as a city deserving a WrestleMania, and then declaring himself the first entrant in the Royal Rumble.
By the end of the night, Rhodes shifted gears completely. He talked about wanting to give Fatu a “receipt” for interfering in the WWE Championship Three Stages of Hell match and called him out. Fatu answered later, Rhodes came back out, and the two brawled to close the show, making it clear Cody’s focus has moved on.
There’s no doubt that Cody Rhodes is going to hover around the title picture no matter what, but he clearly needs a distraction and a breather right now. That’s what’s being built with Fatu, a program that should carry into the Royal Rumble and potentially beyond.
The bigger question is what this all leads to at WrestleMania, especially if a third match with Roman Reigns is off the table. Either way, it’s shaping up to be one of the more interesting roads WWE has heading into the season.
Leon Slater’s Big Opportunity
It’s pretty clear that WWE is high on Leon Slater. He’s already made appearances across multiple platforms, including Saturday Night’s Main Event and NXT, and he was even slated to appear on TNA’s first AMC show before being pulled late.
That decision made sense once it became clear why. Slater was instead brought in to answer an open challenge from Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown for the United States Championship.
Slater ultimately lost, but the result almost felt secondary. For a 21-year-old talent from England, getting a main roster opportunity on one of WWE’s weekly shows is a massive step, and the international connection only made the moment feel more intentional.
At this point, it feels less like a question of if Slater becomes a full-time member of the WWE roster and more a question of when. For now, he’s involved in both WWE and TNA, which gives fans multiple places to see one of the brightest young talents in the business continue to develop.
Let’s not ignore Hayes here either. He had an amazing back half of 2025, and that momentum has carried into 2026. It took him some time to find his footing, but he’s finally rising.
WWE Sets Fatal Four-Way For Saturday Night’s Main Event
WWE finalized the fatal four-way match to determine the new No. 1 contender for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship, and none of the results felt especially surprising.
- Randy Orton defeated The Miz fairly quickly. There was never much doubt there, and The Viper is always a welcome presence in the title picture.
- Matt Cardona’s return is a nice boost to the midcard, but Trick Williams is clearly the star WWE is preparing to elevate. It’s probably too early to give him a title match, but placing him in this spot helps legitimize him, and he earned his place in the match.
- Damian Priest went over Solo Sikoa, who feels more tied up with the Wyatt Sicks at the moment anyway. One half of the Terror Twins needed a new direction after a long, grinding feud with Aleister Black, and this accomplished that.
- Sami Zayn might be the favorite to ultimately face McIntyre and revisit their old rivalry. He defeated Ilja Dragunov in a strong main event to close the show, which was also an excellent showcase for The Mad Dragon.
These four will battle it out on Saturday, Jan. 24, and no matter who wins, it should be a fun match to headline Saturday Night’s Main Event.
