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WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
MARCH 13, 2026
PHOENIX, ARIZ. AT MORTGAGE MATCHUP CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
Attendance: WrestleTix reports as of earlier today 9,180 tickets were distributed so far. The arena has a capacity of 17,716 spectators when configured for concerts.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch’s Eric Corbridge 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]
-Joe Tessitore introduced the show as tehy showed downtown Phoenix outside the arena. Then he threw to a nearly three minutes video package on Cody Rhodes beating Drew McIntyre last week for the WWE Title. They cut to a clip from earlier of Jelly Roll and Cody Rhodes chatting in the empty arena. Then they showed Randy Orton arriving and G.M. Nick Aldis reading over the contract for the WrestleMania match.
Drew McIntyre walked through the crowd to ringside and told Aldis he could shove that contract. He said that title last week was stolen from him. He stood on the announce desk and said he’d stay there all night. He told Aldis to make things right since he was clearly intent on making his “golden boy” Cody champion going into WrestleMania. Aldis walked out and said there is nothing to make right. He said part of being champion is defending the title, which he made him do last week in a fair one-on-one match. He said he headbutted a referee and still lost. He said he’s out there playing the victim again. He said he should be looking at the consequences of his own actions.
Drew called him a corporate stooge. Aldis seemed especially bothered by that and yelled from in the ring that he knows who he is and where he came from. He said Drew did everything he could to stop Cody from getting a rematch and a fair shot. He said he knows why now because “the first time he got one, he beat you.” Drew stomped into the ring and got in Aldis’s face. “You know and I know it, this is bullshit!” he said. “Now you are going to make this right, or else!”
Fatu’s music played and he walked out. Fatu entered the ring and stared down Drew. “Fix what?” he asked. “You wouldn’t even be champion if it wasn’t for me.” He said keeping it 100, “I’m the one that screwed your ass.” He asked Drew, “So what the hell are you going to do about it?” He said he’s done with it all. He walked over to Aldis and said, “I quit.” He then left through the crowd.
-They went to Tessitore and Wade Barrett at ringside. They discussed Drew being broken by all this. Barrett said he hoped cooler heads prevailed, but for the time being, Drew is out. They showed Charlotte and Alexa Bliss backstage. Tessitore plugged their tag title match. Also, Miz TV with Jelly Roll.
-Solo Sikoa held up the lantern and told the MFTs that the job isn’t done yet. He plugged his tag match later against the Wyatt Sicks and then he landed Tama Tonga the lantern to guard. Everyone but Tonga left. Shinsuke Nakamura was standing behind him. Nakamura had a few words for him. Solo returned and told him to stay away from his family before he gets hurt.
-The Wyatt Sicks made their dark arena entrance. [c]
-A recap aired of the WWE Hall of Fame entrants.
-Backstage, Fatu was complaining about Drew quitting. Trick Williams walked in and irritated Fatu, who snapped at him. Fatu threatened to whoop Trick’s ass. Fatu left. Trick told Aldis that was disrespect. Aldis booked him against Fatu. Trick said that’s not what he wanted. Aldis threatened to fire Trick if he kept yelling at him.
(1) SOLO SIKOA & TALLA TONGA (w/Tama Tonga, J.C. Mateo) vs. UNCLE HOWDY & ERIK ROWAN (w/Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, Nikki Cross)
The bell rang 23 minutes into the hour. At 2:00, Talla threw Howdy into the ringside barricade as they cut to a sudden double-box break. [c/db]
Solo leaped off the top rope at Rowan, but Rowan lifted his knees. Rowan tagged out to Howdy who set up a Sister Abigail. Solo slipped free and hit a Samoan Spike. Rowan broke up the cover by shoving Solo hard off of Howdy. Talla clotheslined Rowan over the top rope to teh floor. Talla and Rowan collided at ringside at 9:00. The two pairs at ringside started fighting. Solo joined in and knocked Gacy and Dexter down. Back in the ring, he went after Howdy, who had time to recover. Nikki eyed the lantern. Solo dropped Howdy and stared at Nikki. She ran off with it. Howdy then caught Solo with a Sister Abigail for the win.
WINNER: Howdy in 11:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: The lantern just being out there to be grabbed is silly. Solo sacrificing a possible win to yell at Nikki makes him foolish.)
-Damien Priest and R-Truth chatted backstage about their tag title match. Angel and Berto confronted them about how they earned their title match. They said they did all the hard work. Priest said that’s true, so how about they face them fresh tonight. Truth said he’s never met them before and one them isn’t wearing deodorant.
-Jade Cargill made her ring entrance. [c]
-Tessitore showed a family at ringside who were upgraded to the front row.
-A backstage promo aired with Giulia and Kiana James. James said she will show Tiffy Time has expired.
-A clip aired of the three-month feud with Michin and Jade.
(2) JADE CARGILL vs. MICHIN
Barrett said Michin has just recently received a clean bill of health. Michin’s entrance theme started, but she attacked Jade from behind. The bell rang 43 minutes into the hour. Jade went to ringside early. Michin dove through the ropes and tackled her. Jade caught her at ringside and then slammed her. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Jade landed a sidewalk slam after the break and set up a Jaded. Michin elbowed Jade and then used a jaw-jacker to escape. Michin went on the offense with a series of moves including a Sliced Bread and Eat Da’Feet. Michin then leaped off the ring apron with a flip toward Jade, but Jade moved and then powerbombed Michin onto the edge of the ringside barricade. She threw Michin back into the ring. She licked her face and chokeslammed her, then landed Jaded for the win.
WINNER: Jade in 8:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Jade didn’t do much in that match, but nothing she did went awry.)
-After the match, Jade said that’s what happens after people believe their own hype. She said the world tells her she should be afraid of one woman, Rhea Ripley. She asked why should be scared. She said she’s never been afraid of anything her whole life and she wouldn’t start today. She said she’d show her why she was always on top. Rhea came out to her music. Barrett said he didn’t even know she was in the building and maybe Jade didn’t know it either. Ripley invited Jade to take a shot at her chin, but Jade dropped out of the ring and smiled at Rhea.
Rhea said she was running her mouth a minute ago and now she’s running from a fight with her. Ripley said after WrestleMania, Jade “will be my bitch.” Jade laughed as she backed up the stage.
(Keller’s Analysis: Paint by numbers basic solid exchange there with the heel talking big but backing away.)
-Cody asked Aldis what was going on with the Drew situation. Aldis said he doesn’t know, but he has to take it seriously. He told Cody to focus on the contract. Sami Zayn walked up to Cody and said he doesn’t want it to turn into a thing again, but he wanted to say congratulations. He said he’s rooting for him. Cody said he said the exact same thing to Orton. He asked why they keep crossing paths. Cody said they could walk into Aldis’s office and get him a title match. He asked if that’s what it’s all about.
Sami acted offended that Cody thinks so little of him. Sami said he looks up to Orton, but not him. He said that’s because their friends and they’re supposed to be equals. He said Cody can’t talk down to him just because he’s headlining WrestleMania again. Cody said he looks up to Sami and is inspired by him. He told him if he doesn’t look up to him, that’s fine, but look across at the belt over his shoulder. Sami held his head in distress and knocked over more water bottles. (They’re everywhere!) Zelina Vega and Aleister Black walked up to Sami. “You ever think this might not be meant for you?” he said. Sami told Black to stay far, far away from him.
[HOUR TWO]
[c]
-Backstage, Rhea checked on Michin. Michin congratulated Rhea on her WrestleMania match, but said she only has it because of her shoulder injury. “The pit party is not needed,” she said. B-Fab asked Michin to go talk with her and told Rhea she just needed a second.
-Charlotte and Alexa Bliss made their ring entrance. The Bells then came out to their music and entered the ring. Brie said it felt good to back on Smackdown in their hometown. They said they’re going to sit ringside and watch their match. [c]
(3) NIA JAX & LASH LEGEND vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR & ALEXA BLISS – WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match
After formal ring introductions, the bell rang 14 minutes into the hour. Bliss leaped off the ring apron, but Jax caught her and dropped her onto the ring apron. Charlotte them flung herself over the top rope onto Jax. Lash then kicked Charlotte. They cut to an early double-box break as Jax & Legend had words for the Bellas at ringside. (There were three commercial breaks in the first 19 minutes of this hour.) [c]
Jax dragged a limp-bodies Charlotte to the corner and went for an Annihilator. Charlotte moved and then landed a top rope moonsault. Lash broke up the cover at two with a hard shove. At ringside, Jax yanked Nikki into the path of a Charlotte kick. Jax knocked Brie down, then threw Charlotte into the ring. Charlotte fought back with kicks and then tagged in Bliss. Charlotte landed Natural Selection. Bliss stood on the top rope. Brie attacked Jax. The ref called for the bell.
WINNERS: No contest in 9:00.
Lash held Nikki vulnerable as Jax leaped off the rope with a legdrop. Jax and Lash stood tall with everyone else down in the ring.
-Truth was chatting with Jelly Roll backstage. Priest walked in and hugged Jelly Roll. Randy then hugged Jelly Roll, who congratulated him on his win at the Chamber and going for 15. Orton congratulated Jelly Roll on his Grammys. Orton told Jelly Roll to whip Miz’s ass if he yaps too much.
-Priest and Truth made their entrance. [c]
-After some plugs, they cut backstage to Charlotte and Bliss soaking up their loss. They happened to cross paths with the Bellas who got into a verbal spat over what happened. Brie said they came back to wrestle for the tag titles, and thanks to Aldis, they’re next.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s ridiculous that the Bellas interrupted an in-progress tag title match and then get rewarded with a title match rather than Charlotte & Bliss getting a rematch.)
(4) DAMIEN PRIEST & R-TRUTH vs. ANGEL GARZA & HUMBERTO CARILLO
The bell rang 32 minutes into the hour. By 3:00 Angel and Berto had taken over and flipped off the top rope onto Truth and Priest. They cut to a break with them celebrating. [c]
Truth hot-tagged in Priest after the break. Priest walked the top rope and came off with a crossbody onto Humberto. He played to the crowd afterward and landed a running clothesline. Angel broke up the cover. Priest set up a South of Heaven on Angel, but Angel broke free. Priest then gave a Razor’s Edge to Angel off the top rope. Truth then tagged back in to cheers from the fans. Truth landed an Attitude Adjustment and Priest landed a South of Heaven and the ref counted both pins.
WINNERS: Truth & Priest in 11:00.
-Alex Shelley was hanging out with Candice LeRae who was with Johnny Gargano who was knocked out on a rolling crate. She rolled him away. Chris Sabin asked Shelley why he cares so much about Gargano. Sabin said he’s focused on them. He said he got them a match against Fraxiom next week.
-Danhausen approached Miz backstage. He presented him with his new t-shirt. Miz hard blinked over him having a t-shirt already. Miz said not everyone gets a t-shirt right away. He said they can debut his interview show tonight and replace Miz TV. Miz yelled, “No!” Danhausen told him he is cursed. Miz looked away and then when he turned back, Danhausen was missing. [c]
-Miz’s mic went out as he was introducing show. (Cursed!) It came back on and he introduced Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll walked out, slapping hands. A fan held up a “Toxic” sign behind him. Miz and Jelly Roll danced briefly before sitting down for a chat. Jelly Roll said he back because he wanted to see the Cody and Randy contract signing.
Miz offered to mentor him. Jelly Roll turned him down. Miz was offended. Jelly Roll said he has a history of stabbing his partners in the back. Miz stood and said Jelly Roll is a good old redemption story. He said two years ago at Summerslam he fell down “and your obese butt couldn’t get back up.” He said he reached down and picked him up. He said in that moment, he realized he had to change his life.
Jelly Roll asked if he was actually trying to take credit for somebody else’s hard work. He said he ran those miles and changed his life. He got worked up and said Miz should be disgusted with himself. He called him “Mike.” Miz said, “I liked you a lot better when you were fat.” Jelly Roll said, “Fat or skinny, I will whop your ass.” Miz said he is the locker room leader. Jelly Roll said he’s the locker room loser.
Kit Wilson made his entrance next. Barrett said “Oh boy,” then “corrected himself” and said, “Oh they them.” Kit Wilson told Jelly Roll that the problem isn’t Miz, it’s Jelly Roll. Jelly Roll said it’s getting weird, but they all secretly like him a little. He did Kit’s silly posing dance. Kit said Jelly it’s the face tattoos, the criminal charges, and building a brand on bad behavior. He accused him of mocking him while he was trying to have a serious conversation. Fans chanted “Toxic!” Kit said Jelly loses weight and expect fans to cheer him like he’s some kind of hero. He said he’s not a hero, but instead is a man running away from who he truly is. “You are fat phobic!” he said. Jelly Roll laughed. Kit said he sickens him and he doesn’t inspire anyone. “You promote an unhealthy beauty standard,” he said. “Jelly Roll, you are toxic!” Jelly Roll got in his face. Kit shoved Jelly Roll. Miz held him back. Jelly Roll swung for Kit, but hit Miz by mistake. (Cursed!) Kit rolled out of the ring. Jelly Roll’s music played as Miz was out flat on his back. Kit dragged Miz out of the ring.
-Apollo Crews and Ilja Dragunov were laughing about Miz getting hit. Dragunov said that was crazy. Carmelo Hayes walked up to Dragunov and said he heard him talk about his mom last week and he’s starting to get him. Dragunov said he doesn’t. He said he’s stuck between two extremes of complete confidence or the ultimate self-doubt. He said it’s the only way he knows how to live “because I don’t know peace.” Hayes said he doesn’t get it because he puts up shots and makes shots. He told Dragunov to lock in because there’s a long line of guys waiting for him. He said maybe there’s something more to why he doesn’t want to fight him. Dragunov shook with intensity and said he’s fighting himself.
-Tiffany looked into a mirror backstage and told Giulia to keep hiding behind her secretary. Chelsea Green rolled in. Tiffany pushed her away. Tiffany said Giulia can kiss that title behind. She said soon she and everyone will know what time it is.
-Tiffany made her ring entrance.
[HOUR THREE]
[c]
(5) KIANA JAMES (w/Giulia) vs. TIFFANY STRATTON
The bell rang 8 minutes into the hour. James and Tiffany battled with counter moves early. They battled on the ring apron and then at ringside. James threw Tiffany into the ringside barricade. They cut to a very early break at 1:00. [c]
Back from the break, Alba Fyre wheeled Chelsea to the ring. Tiffany rallied and scored a two count. Tiffany awkwardly escaped a powerbomb type of set-up. Giulia pulled James out of the ring as Tiffany set up her Prettiest Moonsault. Tiffany leaped onto James at ringside. Chelsea stood up from her wheelchair and was going to hit Tiffany with an object. Giulia shoved her back into her wheel chair. Giulia held Tiffany, but James kicked her inadvertently and knocked her down onto Chelsea and Fyre on the floor. Tiffany landed a Rolling Senton and PME for the win.
WINNER: Tiffany in 7:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Tiffany is better at a U.S. Title level. Her personality is still so not a babyface.)
-The announcers hyped Jax & Lash vs. The Bells next week on Smackdown. Also, Kit Wilson will call out Jelly Roll next week.
-Backstage, Cathy Kelley approached Trick for an interview. He complained about Aldis making the match tonight against Fatu, “but it’s all good.” He said would smack the Boogieman out of his ass. He then noticed Sami and stopped. Sami told him to keep talking. He asked what happened about putting the company on his back. He took issue with Trick calling him Mr. Can’t Get the Job Done. He said he keeps running his mouth and he can’t back it up. They had a staredown. Sami said he’s there every week and he’s easy to find. “I guess I’ll see you around,” he said.
-Jacob Fatu made his entrance. [c]
(6) JACOB FATU vs. TRICK WILLIAMS
Trick’s ring entrance took place. The bell rang 26 minutes into the hour. They cut to a very early double-box break. [c/db]
Fatu rallied at 9:00 and landed a running hip attack. He followed with a top rope Swanton for a two count. Trick rolled to ringside. Fatu leaped at him. Drew then showed up and threw Fatu into the ringpost. The ref was checking on Trick and didn’t see it. Trick then gave Fatu a running knee Trick Shot followed by another for the win. Barrett called it the biggest win of his entire career
WINNER: Trick in 12:00.
-Drew entered the ring and stared down at a fallen Fatu. He then delivered a Claymore. [c]
CONTRACT SIGNING
Aldis stood mid-ring behind a table. He addressed Drew and welcomed him back. He said as a welcome back gift, he gets Fatu one-on-one next week on Smackdown. Orton came out first. Then Cody. They had a brief hug. Fans chanted “Randy! Randy!”
Cody talked of Orton being immature and temperamental back in the day. He said he left and Randy posted online that Cody would be a World Champion some day. He said he then came back and there was no Cody Verse nor his brother, but there was Randy. He said he was always proud to be his boy.
Randy stood and seemed emotional. He leaned in the corner and hung his head for a moment to gather himself. He told Cody he didn’t think he understood the situation. He said he needed the title. He said this wasn’t supposed to be difficult. “Drew was supposed to be here,” he said.
Cody said he wanted to take the weight off his shoulders. He said when the bell rings, he knows he’ll get the Legend Killer and the youngest champion company history. He said when the bell rings at the end of their match at WrestleMania, “I want you know, I’ll always love you.” Orton then hugged Cody and then smashed him into the table and then kicked him low. Fans didn’t pop. He tore apart Cody’s shirt as a murmur went thorugh the crowd. He threw Cody into the announce desk and then picked up the top of the ringside steps and bashed Cody in the head with it. Cody was bleeding from his forehead. Barrett said Cody was unglued. Barrett said it was appalling.
Producers came out to check on him. Jelly Roll also checked on him. Fans were largely stunned and silent. Randy came back with a chair and stood over Cody, and then looked up. He rolled back into the ring and eyed Cody’s title that was on the table. He sat in a chair and put the belt in his lap. Then he looked at it and contemplated being champion again as the show ended.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch’s Eric Corbridge 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
LINK TO BE A CALLER: https://streamyard.com/shbh2mcs92
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
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