Cody Rhodes might want to remember who runs WWE SmackDown. On Friday, general manager Nick Aldis threatened to strip Rhodes of the undisputed WWE championship if Rhodes continued undermining his authority.

During the final taping of “SmackDown” for 2025, Ilja Dragunov held another WWE United States Championship open challenge. Hayes answered the call and hit Nothing But Net to secure the pinfall. After the match, Hayes and Dragunov embraced. Hayes is the new WWE United States Champion going into 2026.

On the heels of blockbuster footage of Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes attacking Drew McIntyre at his home in Florida, what did the American Nightmare have to say about his actions, and what consequences did they have at the top of the blue brand?

WWE Friday Night Smackdown airs on Friday nights at 8 p.m. There are several ways to watch with a free live stream. Friday, Dec. 19 will serve as the 51st episode of Season 27, and it will air on USA.

WWE will reportedly be calling up various NXT stars to round out the main roster after the new year. There are many in the developmental system right now that

Cody Rhodes has a colossal problem on his hands. Undisputed WWE champion Rhodes got his first up-close look at NXT champion Oba Femi ahead of their match at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, which coincides with John Cena's last match.

"WWE SmackDown" is set to move back to its three-hour runtime at the beginning of 2026, and it's not something WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray is excited about.

The Rock's comedic act during WWE's Attitude Era was a massive hit with fans, and some believe Solo Sikoa is showing signs of similar charisma by letting his funny side out on SmackDown. Sikoa dropped out of the main event picture this year but fans feel this has allowed him to show his true self.

WWE is shuffling the commentary duties for 2026. It will start with the January 5th broadcast of Monday Night Raw on Netflix.

Williams has reigned as NXT, North American, and TNA World Champion during his run in the developmental brand since 2021, and having failed to recapture the NXT title and qualify for the Iron Survivor match in recent months, certainly appears to have reached the end of the road.