WWE SmackDown is live taped tonight (Sept. 4, 2026) from the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and it’s the blue brand’s go-home show for Saturday Sunday Night’s Main Event.
Advertised for tonight: Kyoki, formerly Hiromu Takahashi of New Japan Pro Wrestling, makes his debut in tag team action partnering with Shinsuke Nakamura against Kit Wilson and Cleveland’s own the Miz!
Plus, Giulia gets another crack at having Blake Monroe’s SmackDown debut match, Cody Rhodes speaks, and we get to find out what’s happening with the Undisputed WWE Men’s Championship scene after Sami Zayn wrecked last week’s #1 contender’s main event! Get ready with our preview here or check out spoilers here!
Come right back here back at the normal start time of 8 pm ET. That’s when the SmackDown live blog will kick off in the space below once the show starts on USA.
WWE SmackDown RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR SEPT. 4
Your time is useless at heaven’s dawning, coconut crispies are your only flake. Flaky croissant, I feel your guava yearning, I love the tea you drink and I’m here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap of last week’s main event chaos.
GUNTHER makes his entrance in street clothes and gets on the mic.
He says he’s been looking for Sami Zayn all day, he knows he’s here, he knows he’s hiding, and this show isn’t moving forward unless he brings his ass into the ring.
Enter Sami Zayn, out in the crowd.
He tells GUNTHER he doesn’t have to hold the show hostage, just say what you wanna say and he’s gonna keep his distance because of the broken hand. He seems pretty mad and everybody is mad at him lately but Sami wants everybody to take a breath and get perspective, because GUNTHER isn’t the victim here, he is.
Zayn says he was robbed, he should still be WWE Champion and the WWE Championship should be a good guy, the Last Real Good Guy left around here, in fact, but instead our WWE Champion is the biggest fraud hypocrite piece of trash who shouldn’t be breathing the same air as him, CM Punk. He calls the crowd delusional for chanting for Punk and says he’s not asking for much, just the opportunity to get back what was stolen from him, that’s it.
And yet week in, week out he’s made to jump through hoops and left out of matches– last week he wasn’t in the #1 contender’s match! So if GUNTHER is upset about last week he needs to buckle up and get real comfortable because that’s the future of SmackDown from here out, no #1 contender’s matches, no easy rides for anybody.
If he doesn’t sleep, no one sleeps, if he doesn’t eat, nobody eats, no one gets theirs until Sami Zayn gets his. No justice, no peace! GUNTHER says he’s heard enough and if Sami doesn’t want to come down here, he’ll go into the crowd and drag his ass into the ring.
GUNTHER jumps the barricade while Sami panicks and begs off, saying he’s not cleared and his arm is still broken.
Finn Balor appears in the crowd and tells Zayn he’s here for justice for himself and he’s taking it right now, and he chases Sami into the ring–
Enter Kevin Owens, right down the aisle and chasing Zayn down!
Owens chases Sami over the barricade and through the crowd to the back, leaving Finn and GUNTHER in the arena proper.
Nick Aldis is backstage with CM Punk.
Aldis says we can’t do this, we need a #1 contender, and Punk agrees. Nick says every time they try to crown one Sami Zayn messes it up, CM says he knows Aldis doesn’t want to reward bad behavior and says to hold on for a second.
Punk veers off and sees Candice LeRae standing next to Johnny Gargano. He gets on a knee and talks to Johnny, trying to wake him up, because he thinks Johnny Wrestling is in there, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio (the crowd cheers), and what say you Johnny Gargano takes on CM Punk for the WWE Championship tonight?
Gargano remains catatonic and Punk thanks him for thinking about it but Candice rushes over and begs for a few more minutes. She stops, shocked, and the camera pans to Johnny on his own two feet for the first time in months! He tells Punk he wants to do it, CM says it’s perfect, and LeRae rushes over excited for her husband to be conscious for once.
Fatal Influence make their entrance ahead of our opening contest and send us to break.
Back from commercial, Charlotte Flair is in Gorilla when Alexa Bliss rolls up.
Flair freaks out about Alexa being late and not being in her gear despite the fact that the match was announced as being Charlotte and Tatum Paxley teaming together before the break. Bliss informs her of the change, Tatum is excited that their skin is going to touch tonight, Flair says a heads-up would have been nice and Alexa tells her to keep in mind the benefits of having an additional friend.
Charlotte tells Tatum to stay out of the way and listen to her and wards off a hug and then they make their entrance to get us going.
Charlotte Flair & Tatum Paxley vs. Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid)
Reid and Paxley to start, Lainey gets the better of her in the feeling out, runs into an uppercut, up and over with a sunset flip but Henley got the blind tag. Knee lift, throw her at Reid, she hits a shoulderbreaker on Tatum and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Flair tags in, off the top, diving crossbody wipes the Fatals out. Two-for-one chops, off the ropes, handspring lariat from Charlotte, kick in the corner, whip reversed, Flair Flip, shoulder block, front kick for Henley, schoolboy for two on Reid, spinning toehold, Fallon runs in and Flair nails her with a fallaway slam!
Superkick from Lainey, Natural Selection and a tag, Paxley off the top with a plancha! Throwing Reid back inside, duck a punch, double leg, Charlotte eggs her on, spinning toehold, Jacy Jayne runs interference and Alexa Bliss puts her into the post! Tatum lands on her feet off a back suplex, kicks out of an O’Connor roll, Flair sets her up with a boot…
Charlotte Flair & Tatum Paxley win by pinfall with Cemetery Drive from Paxley on Lainey Reid.
Post-match, Jade Cargill and her Baddies hit the ring to attack Charlotte, Alexa, and Tatum. The Fatals join in until the babyface trio are well and beaten and step aside so the Baddies can do as they will, BTA double facebuster on Paxley and then Jaded takes Flair out!
Nikki Bella is interviewed backstage.
She says the only thing she took too far was her trust in Paige, who let the Bella brand down and is nothing more than a D class skank. Paige ruined her big return, so now she’s going to ruin–
Paige rolls up and says Nikki has never ever liked her, because she built her career on hustle, loyalty, and respect, and Bella just slept with it. And in Mexico City next week, she better bring it or Paige will end her career quicker than her last relationship.
Nick Aldis is on the phone with a doctor and thanks them and says he’ll see them out there in a few minutes.
GUNTHER rolls up and says he’s been thinking about the decisions Aldis has been making. Sami Zayn and the ghost of Finn Balor get put in line when they shouldn’t be in any line, and then the guy who’s sleeping on road cases for a year gets a title match? He’s figured it out, Nick stepped in the ring with him and got a taste of the limelight and now he makes crazy decisions to keep attention on him and he needs him to get his stuff together and run the place properly.
As far as Gargano is concerned, Nick says he needs to take that up with CM Punk, and as far as everything else, he has more important women’s championship things to take care of and he goes to do just that.
Danhausen rolls up and puts a hand on GUNTHER’s shoulder and tells him not to worry, he knows exactly how he feels. GUNTHER wrenches his hand off and tells him never to touch him again and he walks off.
Danhausen hangs back and sets a framed 8×10 of himself with a crude (but surely completely legitimate) “employee of the month” tag attached to it on Nick’s desk and sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Nick Aldis is in the ring with a Dr. Woodruff, who is here to talk about the Chelsea Green situation with complete transparency.
Chelsea Green makes her entrance to join them, wearing her gear but no protective mask.
Green says with all due respect she doesn’t care what the doctor has to say and she tells Aldis they’ve done this before and she’s not going to beg, plead, or cry. Cleveland isn’t getting waterworks, they’re getting an extremely pissed off WWE Women’s Champion. She reminds Aldis she’s still champion and it was him who said she could be a fighting champion and don’t you dare take that away from her.
She says she realizes she has a bullseye on her face for every women in that locker room but she’s waited thirteen years for that title so if the women in that locker room think it’s that easy to take the title off her, then let them try because she doesn’t need protection and she’s not concerned about her safety, just about her legacy.
Nick says he gets that and he respects it but it’s his job to be concerned about her safety and what it boils down to is it’s not up to him anymore.
He passes the mic to the doctor, who says as they discussed, Chelsea has a fractured orbital bone that hasn’t fully healed, but it is healing, and in his medical opinion that, as long as she wears the protective facemask at all times, she’s cleared to compete!
Green thanks the doctor and shakes his hand–
Enter the Irresistible Forces.
Nia Jax says that was exactly what she was waiting to hear and she wants to stop playing games because she wants that title. So either Chelsea gives her a match right now or she’ll break her other orbital bone.
Lash Legend gets on Green’s other side of a pincer maneuver…
TIFFANY STRATTON IS HERE TO HELP!
She clears Nia out, Legend picks her up for the Lash Extension but Tiffany counters!
Nick Aldis says Jax can have her title match against Chelsea next week in Mexico City, but right now tonight Nia can wrestle Stratton!
Tiffany responds to the news by baseball sliding Lash and then Jax freight trains her on the floor to send us to break!
Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton
Back from commercial, match joined in progress, Jax lays her out, Nia up for her Banzai Drop, Stratton trips her up and folds her over for a nearfall! Clubbing blows, off the ropes, shoulder block, lariat, no avail, la casadora Stunner does something though! Handspring Ace Crusher sends Jax reeling, float over, crucifix driver… NOPE!
Back and forth, Nia with a Samoan drop, off the turnbuckles…
Nia Jax wins by pinfall with her Banzai Drop.
Post-match, the Forces yank the face-mask off of Chelsea’s face while she’s checking on her pal!
They taunt her with the mask, the crowd chants for Green and she rushes into the ring and gets face-to-face to stand the heels down!
Jax chucks the mask aside and she and Lash leave together talking trash.
Byron Saxton interviews Kevin Owens backstage.
He’s happy for Johnny Gargano to get this opportunity but CM Punk didn’t do this out of the kindess of his heart. He figures Punk is doing it to draw Sami Zayn to the ring and he’d respect it if he respected anything CM ever does. But something tells him if Sami does go out there, he won’t be alone.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Corey Graves has a sitdown interview with “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes.
Before Rhodes can answer one question, Randy Orton storms in and says don’t worry they can’t touch, and hey last week he called Cody’s mom trailer park trash and he didn’t do anything! What kind of son does that make him, hey, does he want to hit him now, one week later, saying the same stuff? No? Really?
Well what about the wife, Orton called her trashy and turns out his dog isn’t even dead yet! No, Cody’s such a good guy that he respects the rules so much that he won’t lay a finger on him to defend his family. He loves the world title so much, he’s a freakin’ addict man, he loves the WWE Championship more than he loves his whole family!
Randy calls him sick, more sick than he is with the voices and everything, more sick than anybody. Cody stands up and gets in his face and says maybe he’s sick, but if he’s right, then on Sunday, Orton is screwed.
Rhodes leaves calmly and Randy collapses into a chair, clearly frustrated that his mindgames aren’t working.
Commentary hypes up the card for Saturday Sunday Night’s Main Event.
Backstage, Trick Williams asks Lil Yachty how he’s feeling.
Yachty says he’s gonna whoop that trick up and down Atlant and Trick says he just needs him to last the five minutes so he can get his title match. Lil Yachty says he’s been training and plays a music video of him training with “Hurricane” Shane Helms that’s more about him partying as it is his training.
Williams asks where the training was, all he saw moving was booty!
Baron Corbin rolls up and says he’s gonna humiliate Lil Yachty in front of his friends and family. Trick calls him Megamind and Mr. Clean and says after Yachty survives, he’s gonna make sure Corbin doesn’t. Baron says he’s gonna slaughter Lil Yachty like Williams’ hopes and dreams of ever being United States Champion again.
Corbin storms off and Yachty and Trick make fun of him behind his back.
The Miz and Kit Wilson make their entrance ahead of our next contest and send us to break.
Back from commercial, Bakusai get a video promo about how they can’t keep the explosion of chaos inside anymore and make their entrance to get us going.
Bakusai (Kyoki & Shinsuke Nakamura) vs. Kit Wilson & the Miz
Wilson and Kyoki to start, collar and elbow, Kit forces him into the corner, hip swivel, Hiromu charges out with a pair of crossbodies, corner lariat, basement dropkick, fired up! Miz tags in, Kyoki is game, the A-Lister offers a test of strength and gets a stomp to the foot! Catches a crossbody, sets Kyoki on his feet, big chop but he’s just fired up and he wants more!
Another chop, still Hiromu wants more, and then he wades in and lays his own chops in in the corner! off the ropes, blind tag, set Miz up in the corner, rising knee from the King of Strong Style, cover… NOPE! Nakamura ducks a lariat, fired up, duck the Awesome Clothesline, sliding German suplex connects! Wilson runs interference, Shinsuke back inside, met by a knee to the gut while referee Dan Engler keeps Kyoki on the apron!
Kitty attacks Nakamura on the floor, Kyoki rushes around to save his teammate and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Miz working Nakamura over, front chancery applied, putting him in the corner, Shinsuke out with elbows, the A-Lister with the inverted facelock backbreaker, counter the neckbreaker to a cover for two! Miz with an ankle lock, Nakamura to his feet, fight out with a spinning kick, the path is clear… TAGS MADE!
Kyoki in hot, tijeras on Wilson, duck Miz, whip Kit into him, he uses Wilson to Frankensteiner the A-Lister, superkicks Miz to the floor after him, goes up top… DIVING DOUBLE BULLDOG OFF THE TOP AND TO THE FLOOR AND HE IS KYOKI! Back in the ring, sheerdrop brainbuster on Kitty… MIZ BREAKS IT UP! Passing Shinsuke into the turnbuckles and to the floor, the A-Lister stalks after Kyoki, full nelson countered with an arm drag, jawbreaker, Kinshasa connects!
Wilson rolls Kyoki off for two, inverted Stunner…
Bakusai win by pinfall with an inverted Stunner from Kyoki on Kit Wilson.
Post-match, the MFTs, accompaned by Haku, come to the stage and stare Bakusai down.
Damian Priest and Ron Killings send in a video promo ahead of their match against War Raiders, about how they’re going to win the AAA tag titles (and how Truth is going to take their masks and their pride as luchadors and they won’t be able to show face in their pueblo again)
Commentary hypes up next week’s show for us and sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Blake Monroe is interviewed in Gorilla.
She says this match still isn’t suitable for her and she deserves a grander opponent and entrance, but if Giulia thinks she can slap her in the face–
GIULIA BLINDSIDES HER AND BEATS HER DOWN TOWARDS THE STAGE! Vicious headbutts on the stage, referees break it up but Monroe rushes back in and takes her turn! Giulia gets the better of her, separated again… ARRIVEDERCI SENDS BLAKE CRASHING DOWN THE RAMP!
Monroe rolls around on the ramp clutching her face.
No match, go figure.
Johnny Gargano is backstage with Candice LeRae admiring his freshly-trimmed beard when Sami Zayn bangs on the window.
Zayn says he’s so happy for Johnny to get the big one, Gargano says he knows he wanted the title match and Sami says it’s a win for the little guy, for guys like them anyway, and it’s not safe out there but he’s gonna be out there with Johnny in spirit and he wants him, if something should happen and an opportunity falls in his lap, to take it.
He doesn’t want Gargano turning out like Kevin Owens did, and just to be clear he makes sure Johnny is gonna give him the first title match if he beats Punk. Gargano takes a moment before nodding and confirming it to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Johnny Gargano makes his entrance, accompanied by Candice LeRae.
And then CM Punk makes his entrance to get our main event going.
CM Punk (c) vs. Johnny Gargano (Undisputed WWE Men’s Championship)
Circling, Punk with a bodyslam, Gargano unsteady on his feet but he throws punches, off the ropes, monkey flip, punches in the corner, getting his sea legs, mounted punches in the corner as Cleveland counts off! Shoulder block from the apron, slingshot DDT blocked, fireman’s carry… GO TO SLEEP COUNTERED WITH A FRANKENSTEINER!
Enzuigiri sends CM to the floor and the plancha takes him out to send us to break!
Back from commercial, heel kick from Punk, the champion goes up top, Gargano cuts him off with a kick, CM knocks him down, diving crossbody, Johnny rolls through, cover for two! Sunset flip, another nearfall for the challenger, Punk cuts him off with a kick combination, Gargano ducks the last one, superkick connects… NO DEAL!
Gargano wading in with strikes, Punk fires back with the Albert Del Rio Money in the Bank Memorial Flash Kick… JOHNNY WRESTLING WON’T STAY DOWN! CM kicks him out of the ring like a sack of trash, Gargano hits the Superman Spear… NOT ENOUGH! Johnny does the Go to Sleep taunt, basement superkick blocked, Punk hits a Blue Thunder Driver… STILL NO!
Calling for it, drawing Gargano up into a fireman’s carry and Sami Zayn is here! Punk leaves the ring to cut him off and hammer him with punches, Zayn rolls into the ring, referee Ryan Tran warns him off and Candice LeRae lands a Frankensteiner on the champion! Johnny capitalizes with a suicide dive, One Final Beat… PUNK FINDS THE WILL TO KICK OUT!
Sami grabs the world title belt and goes to slide it in the ring… BUT KEVIN OWENS IS HERE AND BEATS HIM DOWN BEFORE HE CAN THROW IT! Looking for the apron powerbomb but GUNTHER comes charging down for his own pound of flesh on Zayn! Ring General has a powerbomb queued up but Finn Balor cuts him off with a Sling Blade!
Zayn hits everybody with the title again, Punk hits the Go to Sleep but Candice distracts Tran and there’s no count! Sami clobbers CM with the title belt, both men are down and out! Ryan circles the scene as Johnny flops into a cover… PUNK KICKS OUT AGAIN! Sami confers with Candice on the floor but Nick Aldis is here to escort him out!
Punk gets Gargano up one more time…
CM Punk wins by pinfall with Go to Sleep, retaining the Undisputed WWE Men’s Championship.
Aldis and Zayn argue on the stage.
Punk holds the title high.
Everybody is unhappy.
CM Punk gets on the mic and says he has some juice and can call a shot from time to time. He’ll gladly go into enemy territory even though he still loves Cleveland, and Sami doesn’t want the title half as bad as he wants to break his face for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. You want a title shot, you little bitch? You got it, next week in Mexico City.
Zayn almost goes to hug Aldis and then turns down the aisle to unload a torrent of trash talk at the champion about how he doesn’t know what he’s unleashing on himself and so on and soforth.
That’s the show, folks.
