Chris King’s WWE SmackDown Takeaways (6/5/2026)

How will Gunther respond to his embarrassing loss at Clash in Italy? Who will advance in the men’s and women’s King and Queen of the Ring Tournament? Chris King shares his takeaways from this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Bologna, Italy. 

Cody Rhodes/Gunther/Sami Zayn Segment: 

A pissed-off ‘Ring General’ opened the show over his loss at Clash in Italy with his foot underneath the rope. Gunther said he intentionally placed his foot under the rope, and Cody Rhodes utilized his moment to cheat to save his championship. 

The WWE Undisputed Champion cut off his opponent and shared his desire to give Gunther another shot at his title. Sami Zayn came out to share his delusional opinion on the title situation. The Career Killer tossed Rhodes into Zayn, and a brawl ensued before it appeared Zayn was about to get a title shot from the frustrated undisputed champion. 

• Gunther saying he put his only foot underneath the rope was a nice touch to try to make it seem like he used his ring intelligence. Sami Zayn could easily weasel his way into a WWE championship match at Night of Champions if he beats Rhodes. I want to see a delusional Zayn possibly win the undisputed championship at least once. 
• The important thing to notice is Rhodes’ character development, leading more of a heel than the loveable babyface. It will be interesting to see what makes Rhodes finally snap and join the dark side. 

Miz and Danhausen Segment: 

Backstage, The Miz is trying to see what Danhausen has created, and in return, he is knocked out with Kit Wilson on the phone. 

• I still want to know when we will find out who’s under the tarp. 

Bayley vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Kiana James: Queen of the Ring Tournament

The match started with all three competitors trying to take out big powerhouse Rodriguez. Bayley hit a Bayley-to-Belly for a quick victory, but it was broken up. Rodriguez hit a beautiful crossbody to take out all her opponents. Bayley tried to capitalize but to no avail. ‘Big Sexy’ is causing pure chaos in this match. A temporary alliance between James, Jayne, and Bayley took down the powerhouse on the outside. 

The former NXT women’s champion is in full control as James goes crashing into the turnbuckle. Rodriguez came back, flattening her opponents with a high-flying move to get a pinfall on both James and Jayne. A double-chokeslam gave Rodriguez a near-fall. Bayley made a comeback with some high-octane offense and kicks to gain a near-fall of her own. Bayley hit a Randy Savage elbow drop for a quick two-count. Jayne took out Gulia on the outside. 

Some miscommunication between Gulia and James allowed Rodriguez to deliver the Tejana Bomb to secure the victory and advance to the next round. After the match, Gulia tried to console James, and instead James turned on her. The Italian superstar defended herself to stand tall. 

• All four superstars could have easily won at any moment. Jayne looked great here even in defeat. The former NXT women’s champion continues to prove she’s WWE women’s championship material by making the most out of her opportunities. Rodriguez looked like a badass dominating all three opponents throughout the match. Gulia turning babyface could be exactly what she needs, as she hasn’t really been involved in a major storyline since losing the US title to Tiffany Stratton. 
• WWE continues to position Rodriguez and her growing tension with Liv Morgan and Judgment Day as a potential future challenger. Perhaps this is the SummerSlam match with Rodriguez winning QOTR and challenging Morgan for the Women’s World Championship? 

Sami Zayn/Johnny Gargano Segment: 

Sami is once again complaining to Johnny about finally doing the right thing helping Cody tonight. Zayn then finds Nick Aldis, who tells Sami to stay out of the WWE championship picture. Aldis tells Sami he’s busy with another matter: a returning Chad Gable!

• I’m genuinely interested to see where this ongoing story goes between Zayn and Gargano. Could Zayn be the one to push him out of his daze? Zayn and Rhodes’ tension has been getting more and more intense as the weeks go by. Maybe Zayn challenges Rhodes to a one-on-one title match next week. I see Rhodes vs. Zayn vs. Gunther at Night of Champions. 

Royce Keys vs. Talla Tonga 

The former AEW superstar brought the fight to the Talla Tonga in the beginning of the match. Tonga immediately took over, utilizing a bodyslam on the announce table to turn the tables. Keys is getting a beating here at the hands of the MFT member. 

Tonga ran right into the turnbuckle, which gave Keys an opening, utilizing his speed and agility. Two splashes in the corner and a wicked tackle has Keys all fired up. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga interfered, which allowed Tonga to deliver his massive T-Bomb to secure the victory. 

The MFTs are beating up Keys as R-Truth and Damien Priest try to make the save. Priest took Truth out as Sikoa told Keys to join us again. 

• I’ve never watched Talla Tonga before coming to WWE, so maybe I need to do some research. He’s a huge giant with a dominant force to reckon with. I think when he eventually goes on his own, he could become a great mid-card champion with a dominant title reign. 
• Royce Keys has all the fundamentals to become a great WWE superstar within the next years. I can’t predict his next path because I don’t exactly know where this story is heading with Solo Sikoa and the MFTs. If he decides to join forces with Solo, the MFTs would be unstoppable. However, Keys vs. Sikoa could be a hell of a feud over the summer. 

Judgement Day Segment: 

Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh are all talking about Roxanne Perez losing her Queen of the Ring qualifying match on Raw. Morgan then told Rodriguez that one of them could win the whole tournament and take down WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. Morgan then caused a riff with Rodriguez about who’s going to win.

• Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez is brewing, and it’s going to be a fantastic feud for The Judgment Day as a whole. 

R-Truth and Damien Priest Segment: 

Damien is trying to explain why he took Truth away from saving Keys. He explained he’s only focused on helping his tag team partner, and he still doesn’t trust Keys. Priest then leaves Truth after he says his brother is the Doctor of Thuganomics, aka John Cena. The new AAA Tag Team Champions have returned. The War Raiders tell Truth: when they are ready to put up their tag team titles, they will be ready for war! 

It’s always great to see The War Raiders on television. I really hope this leads to a unification match between Priest and Truth. WWE has never pushed Erik and Ivar correctly; hopefully, this is a sign of great things. 

Rhea Ripley In-Ring Segment: 

The WWE Women’s Champion came out to declare that she has put Jade Cargill in the rearview after her victory at Clash in Italy. Mami then says that while Jade tried to use the numbers game against her, she had a little help. Charlotte Flair then made her way down to the ring to say that while she’s had a blast teaming with Ripley, she still has her eyes on her title. Tiffany Stratton came down to express her interest in winning Queen of the Ring as well. 

Jade Cargill and her baddies came down to talk trash about the babyfaces. Flair offers up a tag match between her and Stratton against Jade and one of her backup dancers, and Aldis obliges. 

Charlotte Flair & Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill & Michin: Tag Team Match 

Michin brough the fight to Flair to start the match. The fourteen-time women’s champion used a series of head-scissors takedowns to gain the advantage. Stratton and Cargill got into the match with ‘The Storm,’ using her power to take Stratton for a near-fail. Flair is firing on all cylinders, taking out all of The Takeover, as Michin hit a suicide dive. The heels are isolating Flair in the corner while Stratton looks on.

The fourteen-time champion delivered a back body drop but couldn’t get away from Cargill and Michin. The veteran delivered an homage to AJ Styles with a Styles Clash for a near-fall. It’s Tiffy Time as she made the tag and utilized her fast-paced offense and delivered her picture-perfect Swanton Bomb for a near-fall. Cargill used Stratton’s own momentum against her and delivered a sit-down powerbomb for a pinfall. Cargill won the match, countering the prettiest moonsault attempt into Jaded. 

• Rhea Ripley has several challengers gunning for her women’s championship. While a third match between Ripley and Flair is enticing, it will probably have to be placed on the back burner for the time being. I think Jacy Jayne is going to challenge Ripley for the title at SummerSlam, which will be a great match. 
• It seems like we’re getting Flair vs. Cargill for a dream match at SummerSlam. The seeds have been planted since Cargill arrived in WWE, and it looks like they’re definitely headed in that direction. 

Fatal Influence attacked WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige. 

I’ll take this as a good pivot for the former NXT stable. I wouldn’t mind seeing Fatal Influence as tag team champions and Jayne go after the women’s championship. 

Royce Keys & R-Truth Segment 

Keys says that he appreciates Truth’s help with the MFT’s, but he doesn’t give a damn about Damien Priest. Truth said you’re going to love DP when he finally gets to know him; I don’t even know if that’s PG! 

Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints 

Before the bell rang, Ricky Saints blasted Carmelo Hayes. Hayes delivered a Topé con Hilo to Saints on the outside and a frog splash for a near-fall. Both superstars are fighting on the outside as we return from commercial. Saints took over with a nasty

clothesline on his rival. ‘The Revolution’ hit a cocky version of walking the ropes to take down his opponent. 

A running bulldog gave Saints a near-fall as Hayes countered a northern lights suplex into a DDT. Saints bounced back with his Revolution Tornado DDT for a near-fall. Hayes delivered First 48 for a two-count. Nothing but net was countered as Saints blasted his opponent off the turnbuckle. Saints tried to win the match again with a count-out, but Hayes barely made it in. Saints won the match using a rollup while holding the tights. 

• Saints evened the score to 1-1 between him and Hayes. Cheating to win gives Hayes a big reason for a rubber match between them. The big question is who gets the win, or will Trick Williams interfere and cost both superstars the match? This could set up a blockbuster triple-threat match for the US championship. 

Trick Willams Segment: 

The United States Champion is talking about how he’s only worried about himself. He wants Hayes and Saints to keep battling over who should be the number-one contender to his US title. Williams is bragging about being a two-time champion at SummerSlam when The Vision’s Bron Breakker has a stare-down. 

I did not have Trick vs. Bron on my bingo card for 2026, but hell yeah, I’ll take it. 

Tiffany Stratton & Chelsea Green talk backstage. Green says she could have helped Stratton earlier if she asked for her help. Green is going at it alone tonight as Stratton is heading to the trainer’s office. 

Blake Monroe Vignette: 

Blake is talking about how she admires Tiffany Stratton, but she’s not on her level. When they meet, it will be a huge moment for Tiffy Time. 

Blake vs. Tiffy for SummerSlam has money written all over it. 

Lash Legend vs. Chelsea Green

Chelsea Green ran out of the ring for a brief moment, but Legend utilized her strength to take down Green. Legend is beating the tar out of Green with a wicked pump kick for a near-fall. Green hit a crossbody on The Irresistible Forces. Green wanted the unprettier, but Legend delivered The Lash Experience for a successful victory. 

• I really thought Nia Jax would get more involved and Stratton would come out to make the save. Green and Stratton would make great contenders for the women’s tag team championships. 

Royce Keys & Solo Sikoa Segment: 

Solo Sikoa wants to protect Royce Keys, but he’s being too difficult. He reminds him that he’s all alone. Jacob Fatu isn’t here anymore to help him, and the MFTs might be the only family he has left. 

Chad Gable & Rey Fenix Segment: 

The AAA Cruiserweight Champion was talking with Fraxiom, who was interrupted by Chad Gable. The former OG El Grande Americano apologized for using the Mexican heritage and the mask to make fun of luchadores. He apologized to Fenix for his actions. 

Rey Fenix vs. Chad Gable at SummerSlam or at AAA TripleMania would cook. I remember watching Gable back in NXT with Jason Jordan in American Alpha and thinking he’s going to do great things in WWE. I’m so happy to see Gable return after being absent for so long. 

Nick Aldis runs into Cody Rhodes, who doesn’t seem to care what Gunther’s condition is for their WWE Championship rematch is, and he wants it in two weeks on SmackDown in Kansas City. 

Damien Priest vs. Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams vs. Dominik Mysterio: King of the Ring Tournament

The Vision member and one half of the tag team champions, Bron Breakker, is breaking all of his opponents as he delivered a torpedo running tackle to Mysterio on the outside. Dirty Dom and Williams are fighting in the ring as Priest hits a flying elbow to his former 

Judgement Day teammate. A momentary reunion between Mysterio and Priest as they took down Breakker. 

Priest and Mysterio are going at it as Breakker hit his signature BreakenSteiner for a near-fall. Williams and Breakker delivered a double superplex to Priest as all four superstars were spent. Dirty Dom is finding his spots with some quick pinfalls on his opponents. Priest threw Mysterio into Williams in the corner for a two-count. Breakker crashed into the ring post, and Priest delivered Razor’s Edge. Liv Morgan caused a distraction as Breakker took control. 

Mysterio broke up William’s pinfall attempt after Breakker hit his torpedo spear to Priest. ‘The Unpredictable Badass’ took out the United States champion with his signature flying clothesline through the announce table. JD and Liv Morgan allowed Dirty Dom to take advantage and hit a 619 and a frog splash to secure the victory and advance. Dirty Dom will now face Oba Femi in the King of the Ring semifinals. 

All four superstars shined here and delivered a great main event. Also, if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time in history that the King of the Ring qualifying match has had all four different champions as competitors, which was kind of cool to see. Breakker continues to impress with his insane speed and power. Priest was a powerhouse throughout the match, and it was ultimately Judgement Day and their antics that cost him the match. Williams and Breakker were protected in the finish, and it was the perfect call. 

• I could see Priest fighting over the United States Championship in the future. At this point there are so many possibilities for Williams and his title, and I’m loving it! 
• I always thought WWE was going to have Oba Femi/Brock Lesnar III at SummerSlam, but what if they set it up for Night of Champions? Everyone is expecting Mysterio to get obliterated by Femi in the semifinals, but I can easily see Brock Lesnar costing his rival the match. Dirty Dom could pick up the shocked count-out victory over Femi.

Final Thoughts: The undisputed WWE championship title scene is heating up between Cody/Sami/Gunther. Rodriguez and Dirty Dom both advanced in the men’s and women’s King and Queen of the Ring, which is great for the Judgement Day, or is it? The return of Chad Gable was great to see, and the ongoing story between Keys and the MFTs keeps brewing.