WWE SmackDown Results Cody Rhodes Wins Undisputed Championship As WrestleMania 42 Main Event Set

Portland, Oregon, gave WWE a packed house on Friday night, and for once, the wrestling gods delivered something worth writing home about. Cody Rhodes is your new Undisputed WWE Champion, Randy Orton is headed to WrestleMania with gold on the line, and somewhere backstage, Drew McIntyre is probably drafting a strongly-worded complaint to Nick Aldis. Let’s break it all down.

Rhodes Recaptures the Title, But the Path Wasn’t Pretty

Nobody is going to frame this match and hang it above their fireplace. There was a botched announce table spot that had the Portland crowd shifting awkwardly in their seats, and Jacob Fatu’s interference was telegraphed roughly three weeks in advance. But none of that killed the moment.

When Cody Rhodes hit the Cody Cutter, transitioned into Cross Rhodes, and the referee’s hand hit the mat for the third time, the building came unglued. His third WWE Championship. A feud with McIntyre that has spanned five televised singles matches since September. And now a WrestleMania 42 main event that feels overdue with Rhodes vs Orton.

McIntyre, to his credit, sold the loss with the energy of a man who genuinely believes he was robbed. He’s not entirely wrong. Fatu’s involvement gave him legitimate grounds for complaint, and watching him jaw at Aldis after the match, accusing him of protecting Rhodes and questioning the legitimacy of the title change, was some of the better character work he’s done recently. The man can carry a grudge like it’s luggage on a first-class flight.

Jerrys’ Total: 3.5/5

Orton’s Road To WrestleMania Runs Through Las Vegas

Orton came out to talk about WrestleMania because he has been to WrestleMania roughly as many times as most people have been to the grocery store. The man knows his way around a main event promo.

The segment took a sharp left turn when Trick Williams interrupted. Whether it was a bid for relevance or the start of something bigger, it’s hard to say. What we do know is that Orton answered the interruption the only way he knows how: an RKO, sharp as ever, delivered with the casual efficiency of someone who has been hitting that move since some of the current roster were in middle school.

Orton vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 has legacy written all over it. These two shared a locker room, shared a faction, and now they’ll share a main event. That’s a story that sells itself.

Melo’s Open Challenge: AAA Answers the Call

Carmelo Hayes is quietly becoming one of WWE SmackDown’s most dependable acts, and Friday night’s U.S. Championship Open Challenge against Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. was a solid showcase for both men. Wagner brought the luchador spectacle; Melo brought the composed, confident heel swagger that makes him genuinely interesting to watch.

Hayes retained, but the match had enough back-and-forth to make the outcome feel earned rather than forgone. Give Melo a legitimate feud and watch him run with it.

Jerrys’ Total: 3/5

Tag Team Turmoil: New Contenders Emerge

Five teams. One contract. A match that started with promise, particularly the Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom exchange, which had the crowd invested before a botch cut the momentum off at the knees, and ended with Damian Priest and R-Truth standing tall as the new No. 1 contenders.

R-Truth in a WWE Tag Team Championship match in 2026 is the kind of booking decision that only WWE could make and somehow get away with. The crowd loves him. Priest gave the team credibility. And honestly, their odd-couple energy might be exactly what the tag division needs right now.

Motor City Machine Guns’ backstage tension continues to simmer. A breakup feels inevitable at this point. The only question is who turns first and how ugly it gets.

Jerrys’ Total: 2.75/5

Sami Zayn: Still the Uncrowned Gem of WWE SmackDown

No lengthy recap needed here. Sami Zayn’s current storyline is the best-kept secret on the roster. Week after week, he delivers emotionally grounded work that makes everything feel consequential. If you’re not paying attention to what he’s doing right now, fix that immediately.

Oba Femi Bulldozes Johnny Gargano

This one stung. Johnny Gargano issued an open challenge looking for confidence, and what he got was Oba Femi. Femi won decisively, and the result raised real questions about where Gargano’s trajectory goes from here.

Femi, meanwhile, looks like a generational talent in the making. The size, the athleticism, and the presence are all there.

Jerry’s Total: 1/5 for Gargano’s night. Considerably higher for Femi’s future.

What It All Means Heading Into WrestleMania 42

SmackDown on March 6 did exactly what a post-Elimination Chamber episode is supposed to do. It reset the board and pointed every major arrow toward Las Vegas. Rhodes holds the gold. Orton has his shot. The tag picture has new challengers. And the undercard has enough moving pieces to keep things interesting between now and the showcase of the immortals.

Not every match landed. The botches were real, the interference predictable. But the storytelling? That part worked. And in wrestling, that’s usually what matters most.