Welcome to The Times of India WWE SmackDown news roundup. This week’s show saw some exciting matches take place on the blue brand. At the same time, two more WrestleMania 42 matches were made official following the coronation of a new champion and a rivalry brewing for weeks.
Lastly, Cody Rhodes returned after weeks to exact vengeance on his WrestleMania 42 opponent, Randy Orton.
Cody Rhodes returned to WWE SmackDown after weeks
Randy Orton battled Matt Cardona in the main event of the match. He picked up a win over Cardona; however, right after his match, Cody Rhodes returned to SmackDown, two weeks after he was brutally beaten down by Orton. The American Nightmare went right after him as the security officials attempted to intervene.
Orton got the upper hand for a bit, but Rhodes was able to counter. The final scene saw them being stopped by security, and Orton hit an RKO on Jelly Roll and left the ring.
Which new WrestleMania 42 matches were made official?
GM Nick Aldis informed Trick Williams that he would have a spot on the WrestleMania 42 match card, while Sami Zayn would not. This led Zayn to answer Carmelo Hayes’ US Title open challenge later that night. With an unintentional assist from Williams, Zayn was able to defeat Melo and become the new WWE United States Champion.
After the match, Zayn caught up with Nick Aldis, who announced that Zayn will defend his newly won title against Williams at WrestleMania this year.
Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu appeared on the show after last week’s brawl and subsequent falling off the balcony at the end of the show. After a heated back-and-forth verbal exchange, Nick Aldis stopped them from exchanging blows and announced that they would compete in an Unsanctioned match at WrestleMania 42.
What were the other major highlights on WWE SmackDown this week?
Jelly Roll competed in his first-ever singles match in WWE and defeated Kit Wilson. Tiffany Stratton lost a non-title match to Women’s US Champion Giulia following a distraction from Kiana James. The Bella Twins scored a win over Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, which led to Lash Legend and Nia Jax attacking them, and Bayley and Lyra Valkyria appearing on the show to even the odds. Lastly, Rhea Ripley was subjected to another 3-on-1 attack by Jade Cargill and her cohorts, B-Fab and Michin, following an impromptu match between Ripley and B-Fab.Also read: Fact check: Is Rey Mysterio retiring from WWE after injury before Clash in Italy 2026? Viral rumor debunk
