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WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS
SEPTEMBER 25, 2026
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. AT GAINBRIDGE FIELDHOUSE
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
Attendance: WrestleTix reports as of today 6,939 tickets were distributed so far. The arena has a capacity of 18,274 spectators when configured for concerts.
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PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch.com’s Derrick Hubbard to review WWE Smackdown LIVE on YouTube. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpostshow@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
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[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with scenes of the arena and fans cheering outside of the arena earlier as Michael Cole introduced the show. Then they showed wrestlers arriving who are on the card.
(1) BARON CORBIN vs. TRICK WILLIAMS (w/Lil Yachty) – U.S. Title match in a cage
The bell rang 8 minutes into the hour. During entrances, Cole said Baron Corbin has only had one previous cage match, against Roman Reigns six years ago. He said Trick wrestled one previous cage match in NXT two-and-a-half years ago. Graves said this feud could only be settled in a cage since it dates back to before Summerslam. They cut to an early double-box break at 2:00 with Corbin in control. [c/db]
Trick took over during the break by ducking Corbin and then landing a leaping cutter. He climbed the side of the cage. Corbin met him up there. Corbin superplexed Trick off the top of the cage as he stood on the top rope leading to a near fall. Trick rolled onto Corbin to score a two count himself. Graves said the landing took a lot out of both men. Trick crawled toward the door, which was opened for him. Corbin charged and pulled him away. Corbin kicked the door into Lil Yachty. Trick recovered and gave Corbin a Trick Kick for a two count at 8:00.
Corbin made a comeback, landing a clothesline to a charging Trick followed by a chokeslam for a two count. Corbin was slow to make the cover. Corbin crawled toward the open door, but Yachty slammed the door on his head. Trick landed a Trick Shot for a two count. Cole said no one has ever kicked out of that. Trick looked wide-eyed in dismay. Graves asked what Trick had left in his bag. Cole said they’d learn a lot about him. Corbin threw a charging Trick into the side of the cage, then landed a German suplex. He followed with a Deep Six for a convincing near fall at 11:00.
Trick rallied and landed two Bookends. He patted his chest before going for the pin. Cole said he wanted to punish Corbin more for all he’s done to him and his friend. He then landed a third Bookend for the win. Cole noted Trick has a chance in two weeks in the Money in the Bank ladder match to change the course of his career.
WINNER: Trick Williams in 12:00 for the U.S. Title
(Keller’s Analysis: Solid cage match with just enough use of the usual cage spots to feel like the cage meant something. Although Corbin lost, they booked him to be the first ever to kick out of the Trick Shot and he can blame interference from Yachty too.)
-Cathy Kelley interviewed Lash Legend and Nia Jax. She asked about Lash competing in a MITB qualifier. Lash said Charlotte has done great things and Giulia is tough, but she’s not worried. Jax said Lash is more dominant and more gorgeous. Lash asked Jax to interview her. Jax held a lipstick up to Lash and asked her about winning tonight. Jax then told Kelley “that’s how it’s done.”
(Keller’s Analysis: I was amused Kelly held up the mic during the last portion where Jax was interviewing Lash with a lipstick tube considering the mic isn’t connected and often Kelley has walked away from interviews when wrestlers shoo her away and the boom mic above them is actually what’s picking up their voices.)
-A clip aired of Sami Zayn beating Kevin Owens last week followed by CM Punk jumping Sami and giving him a GTS, but also giving a GTS to KO.
-G.M. Nick Aldis walked up to Punk backstage and asked if he was ready for tonight. Punk said yes. Aldis said he’d like to talk with him in his office. Punk asked if he was in trouble and Aldis said “not at all.” Punk exhaled and said then he has all the time in the world for him. [c]
-Graves hyped Worlds Collide on Wednesday, Sept. 30 on WWE’s YouTube Channel.
-Aldis brought Punk into his office where KO was lounging. Punk asked Aldis what he was doing. Aldis said this has to end between them. He said they can’t keep trying to sabotage each other’s careers. He said he can’t have it bleed over into the MITB qualifiers. He said he hopes he has made himself clear. Punk said he’d gladly stay out of KO’s way if KO stays out of his because he has nothing he wants. Aldis said, “Kevin?” Owens just walked away. Punk looked at Aldis.
-Chelsea Green was freaking out to Tiffany about how any of the wrestlers can win MITB and cash in on her, plus Nikki is after her. Paige walked in and asked what was going on. Paige said Nikki Bella is a snake, but they need to focus on their match against Fatal Influence tonight. Green hyperventilated. After Paige and Tiffany walked away, Nikki surprised Green and said no one is going to stop her from becoming champion.
-Charlotte made her entrance. [c]
-Upcoming WWE events were plugged.
(2) CHARLOTTE FLAIR vs. LASH LEGEND vs. GIULIA – Money in the Bank qualifier
The end of Giulia’s entrance aired. Lash’s full entrance aired. The bell rang 38 minutes into the hour. Charlotte landed a cannonball off the ring apron onto Lash at 2:00. Giulia then surprised Charlotte with a dropkick off the announce table. (When I say “surprised,” Charlotte turned around and froze as Giulia played to the crowd before leaping at Charlotte as Charlotte stared straight at her.) [c]
Lash launched both Charlotte and Giulia to the mat during a superplex attempt. She covered Charlotte for a two count, then covered Giulia for a two count. Lash caught Charlotte and delivered a fallaway slam, then kipped up. Giulia caught Lash with a dropkick off the top rope for a two count. (Again, after Lash turned around, Giulia took a bit too long to leap at her, so Lash had to stand and watch her for a second too long.)
Giulia turned to kicking Charlotte repeatedly. Lash shoved Giulia down. Charlotte clipped Lash’s leg and then gave her a backstabber. She then set up a figure-four. Giulia intervened. Charlotte kicked Lash off the ring apron and then climbed to the top rope. Giulia met her up top and delivered a top rope double underhook suplex. Lash entered and threw Giulia out of the ring, then covered Charlotte for a believable near fall.
Giulia climbed to the top rope a minute later. Charlotte launched her into Lash. Charlotte soaked up the situation, then walked over to Lash and Giulia who were both down on their backs, then landed a top rope moonsault onto both for a two count. Charlotte gave Giulia a Natural Selection. Lash avoided it and went for a Lash Extension. Charlotte slipped free and applied a figure-four, which she then bridged into the Figure-Eight. Giulia stomped Charlotte to break the hold and then landed a running knee and a Northern Lights bomb. Lash broke up the cover and gave Giulia a Lash Extension for the win. Graves commented on a graphic showing the MITB competitors who have qualified.
WINNER: Lash Legend in 12:00 to qualify for MITB.
(Keller’s Analysis: Lots of non-stop action and for the most part they pulled off the sequences with solid timing and impact. Some of the near falls had real drama.)
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. Cole said last week it was what happened after their interview that made news, which someone recorded with a phone camera. Cody stood and told Cole the interview went well, “but if it happens again, I’m going to kick his f—in’ head in.” Cole said that clip was posted on social media. Then they showed Randy Orton interrupting Cole’s pre-Smackdown plug on USA Network demanding an interview with him later.
-They showed a restless Orton waiting for Cole to show up for the interview. Cole muttered, “I’m not looking forward to it.” [c]
-Backstage, Blake Monroe taunted Giulia. “Oh no, is someone upset they lost?” she said in a snide tone. “No Money in the Bank for you, I guess. Maybe it’s time for you to go back to where you came from – obscurity.” Giulia punched her. Officials pulled her away. Blake attacked Giulia. They both screamed. Aldis said no more cheap shots. He said next week they will wrestle and “it will happen.”
-They went to Graves alone at ringside. He threw to the sitdown interview backstage.
[HOUR TWO]
-Cole sat there. Orton asked, “Are you going to ask me a question?” Cole said he didn’t know what he wanted. Orton told Cole to remind him what Cody said last week. Cole recalled some details. Orton said he meant what he said afterward. Orton said Cody waited until after the interview aired because he didn’t want the public to know he truly has been compromised. Orton said 20 years ago Cody was Dusty’s kid, then his protege, then in Legacy, then Dashing, then Stardust, and then he rebranded himself as the American Nightmare and has had a hell of a run.
He said Cody changes a lot, but he’s “still a good guy.” He asked Cole who has never changed and never been compromised. He said it’s him. He said he is Randy Orton. “I am me and I will always be me.” He said he has done despicable things and all he wants are World Titles. He said he’ll be him in order to get that job done. He said he doesn’t believe in gray, but rather black or white. He said if Cody doesn’t kick him, “then Cody Rhodes has peaked.” He asked Cole if he thinks Cody will do it. He stood and yelled and asked Cole up against his face if he has the capability of kicking him in the head. “Yes or no!” he asked. Cole said no. A red-faced Orton sat down and said he thinks he is right. He took off his lapel mic and said the interview is over. Fans applauded.
-They cut backstage to Sami Zayn. Kelley approached him. Sami said Aldis doesn’t want him to be WWE Champion. He said whatever they throw at him, he will prevail. He said he’s the only one around there doing things for the right reasons, showing you can stay true to who you are and do things the right away and be “the last real good guy” setting an example for the kids. He said the sharks circling him are doing it for the wrong reasons. Finn Balor showed up behind Sami. He said the reason they’re coming after him is he screwed everyone over and now it’s coming crashing down on him. He said he’s coming for him, whether he wins the WWE Title of not. “And then we’ll see what justice really looks like,” Balor said.
Balor left and Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae walked up to him. Sami said it was perfect timing. Gargano said they helped him again, so where is his title match. Sami raged, “Oh, so you too!” He then paused and said Gargano is right and he deserves a match more than anyone. He said he asked Aldis to give him a match, but Aldis said no. Sami said he refused to leave Aldis’s office until he got something for Gargano. He told Gargano he got them a qualifying match for MITB. He said he did the same for Candice. Gargano asked, “And that’s how I get my match?” Sami said yes, and he said he has his back. He said he needs to know that Gargano has his back. “Are you ride or die,” he asked. Gargano smiled and said, “Ride or die.” LeRae looked skeptical of Sami the while time.
-Chelsea Green made her entrance. [c]
(3) FATAL INFLUENCE (Jacy Jayne & Lainy Reid & Fallon Henley) vs. CHELSEA GREEN & PAIGE & TIFFANY STRATTON
The bell rang 15 minutes into the hour. They cut to a very early break at 1:00. [c]
Late in the match, Paige got the hot-tag and rallied against Jayne and scored a two count after as Paige Turner. Henley interrupted the count. All six fought. Stratton leaped off the top rope onto Reid and Henley at ringside. Jayne leaped onto Tiffany and Paige. Nikki tripped Paige running the ropes. Jayne then landed a Rolling Encore for the three count.
WINNERS: Fatal Influence in 8:00.
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside. Cole said an unfortunate incident happened at the Performance Center earlier in the week. R-Truth was being recorded telling Damien Priest they could have talked through whatever changes he wanted him to make. Priest attacked him and put a chair across his throat. He said no more jokes. He said he should be a champion rather than wasting his time with him. He told him to go bother somebody else. Truth gasped for air.
-Kelley backstage said she was awaiting a medical update on Truth. Then she turned and interviewed Gunther. He said it was disgrace a wrestler of his caliber had to participate in a qualifying match. He said he’s going to find out who is dealing with, the legendary Balor or a ghost of Balor. Danhausen showed up and said he’d handle the interview from there. He told Gunther they could split the cash in the briefcase and go shopping for nice watches. When Gunther didn’t seem receptive, Danhausen was about to curse him. Gunther grabbed him and got bleeped as he told him to stay the hell away from him.
-They showed CM Punk throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field for a Cubs Game and then leading the crowd in the seventh inning stretch song, “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” [c]
-Cody Rhodes made his entrance. He said at Summerslam, he had Punk defeated, but he didn’t get a chance to win the WWE Title for the fourth time not because of Punk, but because of interference from Orton. He said he greatly respects Punk, but Punk has gone on to lose the title to Sami Zayn. He said he knows he can beat Sami.
He said he needs to address the lunatic ranting and raving to Cole earlier. He said the way Orton has framed it is that if he punts Orton, it’s both a good thing and a bad thing. “He’s made it an unwinnable position for me,” he said. Cody said he was asked by his boss in front of 40,000 people to give him his soul and he had to defeat John Cena on his retirement run and during his entire first run he had to defend his WWE Title against one beloved WWE Superstar after another who were “deeply connected” to the fans. “I am the king of unwinnable positions!” he said. Fans cheered.
He said he’d keep it simple and black and white. He promised to kick Orton’s head off his shoulders next time. “But I can’t promise you you’ll be the only one,” he said before dropping the mic. Cole said the question is whether he believes what he says or is he trying to convince himself. Punk made his entrance as Cody was stepping out of the ring. They stopped for a brief staredown on the stage. [c]
(4) CM PUNK vs. GUNTHER vs. FINN BALOR – Money in the Bank qualifier
Balor’s entrance took place after the break. Then Gunther’s. The bell rang 45 minutes into the hour. They cut to a double-box break at 3:00. [c/db]
Punk leaped off the top rope at 7:00 with a flying elbowdrop on Gunther for a two count. He clapped and then landed running knees to both Balor and Gunther in opposite corners. He then signaled for a GTS. Gunther raked his eyes. Gunther tried to take down both Punk and Balor, but Punk and Balor put Gunther in a dual Boston Crab. Cole asked who would advance if Gunther tapped. Graves called it a good question. Gunther crawled over toward the bottom rope. Cole said that would not force a break, though. Balor let go and put Punk in a small package for a two count. Balor came back with a sling blade and a running dropkick.
Balor climbed to the top rope and landed his Coup de Grace. Gunther interrupted the pin attempt by yanking Balor off the cover by his boot. Gunther put Balor in a sleeper. Balor quickly escaped. Punk gave Gunther a GTS. Gunther dropkicked Punk and then powerbombed Punk for a near fall at 11:00. “What a match!” exclaimed Cole.
Gunther went for a powerbomb a minute later, but Punk slipped out. Gunther avoided a GTS and landed a hard chop to the back of Punk’s neck. Balor landed a Coup de Grace. Punk made the cover and “stole” the pin.
WINNER: Punk in 13:00 to qualify for MITB.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch.com’s Derrick Hubbard to review WWE Smackdown LIVE on YouTube. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpostshow@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen or stream later on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
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Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine).
OPEN TO EVERYONE – LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
