WWE SmackDown started off 2026 with a bang from Buffalo’s KeyBank Center, with brutal matches, surprise returns, and title changes. Damian Priest beat Aleister Black in a tough Ambulance Match main event. Randy Orton shocked The Miz with an RKO, and Matt Cardona made his debut as the newest SmackDown signee.
WWE SmackDown highlights Jan 2, 2026: Damian Priest beats Aleister Black in Ambulance Match, Randy Orton & Matt Cardona return, Giulia new Women's US Champion at KeyBank Center.
Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, and IYO Sky beat Asuka, Kairi Sane, Nia Jax, and Lash Legend in an eight-woman tag team match. Ripley’s Riptide and Sky’s moonsault were the best parts of the match. In his first match, Matt Cardona (formerly Zack Ryder) impressed everyone by beating Kit Wilson with a Rough Ryder. Carmelo Hayes kept the WWE United States Championship against Johnny Gargano with his famous moves, the First 48 and Nothing But Net, which got the crowd going.
In a high-stakes match, Giulia beat Chelsea Green to win the WWE Women’s United States Championship. She did so with a double hook drop and a Northern Lights Bomb. This is Giulia’s second time in charge of the division, which changes the women’s midcard scene in a big way.
In an Ambulance Match with no rules, Damian Priest and Aleister Black fought each other with weapons, stretchers, and fire extinguishers in the middle of all the chaos. Rhea Ripley stepped in to stop Zelina Vega, giving Priest the chance to throw Black off the ambulance through a table and lock him inside for the win.
After The Miz’s promo rant, Randy Orton made a silent but deadly comeback by RKO’ing him. Drew McIntyre announced Three Stages of Hell rules—standard wrestling, Falls Count Anywhere, and Steel Cage—against Cody Rhodes next week, which made their fight even more intense.
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