WWE SmackDown presented the go-home edition of the show for Backlash from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The show featured a confrontation between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman, who teased a title match between him and Gunther at Clash in Italy. Furthermore, some exciting matches followed, and the show ended with a huge revelation during Gingerbread Man’s funeral segment.
What happened in the opening segment of WWE SmackDown?
Jacob Fatu opened the show and said that everyone had doubted him since the time he was born. At the same time, he said that Roman Reigns was protected and born with opportunity, while he was in doubt. The Usos came down and talked down to him, saying that The OTC will beat him tomorrow at Backlash, and then he and his family will have to acknowledge him.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Kiana James
Tiffany Stratton defended her WWE Women’s United States Championship against Kiana James. It was an exciting title match between the two stars. Giulia attempted to interfere, but Stratton took her down with a forearm when she was on the apron. She then hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on James to retain her title.
Damian Priest vs. Tall Tonga
This was a singles match. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga tried to interfere, but R-Truth stopped them. However, the distraction was long enough for Tall Tonga, who delivered a T-Bomb on Priest when he came into the ring and pinned him to win the match. After the match, Royce Keys came down, and Sikoa thought he was on their side, so he left with the MFTs.
Ricky Saints vs. Matt Cardona
Matt Cardona squared off against Ricky Saints in a singles match. The fast-paced bout between two of the rising names on SmackDown concluded with Saints kicking out of the Rough Ryder and then hitting a double thrust to the throat, followed by a tornado DDT and a Roshambo to score the pinfall.
Six-woman tag team match
Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid) battled Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and Rhea Ripley in a six-woman tag team match. It saw the return of Jade Cargill, who pulled Ripley off the apron. Following that, Jayne hit the rolling elbow on Bliss and pinned her to win the match for her team. Michin and B-Fab joined Cargill post-match, and they beat down Flair, Ripley, and Bliss.
Royce Keys vs. Tama Tonga
This was a back-and-forth singles match between Tama Tonga and Royce Keys. The evenly matched showdown ended with Keys hitting the spinebuster on Tonga to win the match. After that, Solo Sikoa again asked him to join them, but he left.
Gingerbreak Man’s funeral
The final segment of the show featured Gingerbread Man’s funeral, hosted by Trick Williams as a jab at Sami Zayn. He came out and had heated words for Williams before attacking him. Just then, Gingerbread Man rose up from his coffin and hit Zayn with a stick. He revealed himself to be Williams’ ally, Lil Hatchy, as they beat Zayn and stood tall over him.Also read: WWE Backlash 2026: Full schedule, start timings, how to watch, and more
