This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown is the go-home show for Saturday Night’s Main Event. It will be held at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
Surprisingly, WWE has not announced any match for tonight’s show. General manager Nick Aldis won’t be available to run SmackDown after Gunther’s heinous attack last week.
WWE Raw general manager Adam Pearce will be temporarily in charge, so things could get a little chaotic. WWE isn’t just building for tomorrow’s SNME but for SummerSlam as well.
SmackDown is back to two hours and will start at 8:00 p.m. EST. It will be televised on USA Today in the United States and on Netflix internationally.
WWE SmackDown Preview – July 17, 2026
Gunther will have a lot to say something for tonight’s show after sending a message to Nick Aldis last week. Aldis has been rumored to be making his in-ring debut for WWE, though another popular theory is him choosing an opponent to face The Ring General at SummerSlam.
Reigning WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley hasn’t appeared on SmackDown since June 5. The company has yet to acknowledge her absence, though Ripley recently spoke about her knee injury during the UFC 329 weekend.
Charlotte Flair is expected to address Jade Cargill, B-Fab and Michin taking out Alexa Bliss last week. Flair will likely challenge Cargill to a one-on-one match at SummerSlam.
Finn Balor earned a win over Tama Tonga last week. He also teased a future match against CM Punk, though Talla Tonga could be gunning for revenge. The story is not finished between the former NJPW stars, especially with Shinsuke Nakamura’s previously unfinished story with The Tongans.
Trick Williams, along with Lil Yachty, would have a lot to say about his match against Carmelo Hayes last week getting interrupted by Baron Corbin. It wont’ be surprising if WWE confirms a triple threat match for the United States Championship at SummerSlam.
Blake Monroe has yet to make her in-ring debut for SmackDown, but she already sent a message to the locker room. She has already attacked Giulia, Kiana James and Chelsea Green. Maybe she’s really trying to get the attention of Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton.
WWE SmackDown Results Last Week
Here are the full results of last week’s WWE SmackDown in Oklahoma City:
- CM Punk opened the show to celebrate winning the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cody Rhodes confronted and challenged him to a title match at SummerSlam. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis makes the match official.
- Finn Balor def. Tama Tonga
- Jimmy Uso def. Royce Keys. Jacob Fatu attacked Keys and Solo Sikoa after the match.
- Jade Cargill def. Alexa Bliss. Cargill, B-Fab and Michin injured Bliss’ arm in front of Charlotte Flair after the match.
- Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes ends in a no-contest after an interference from the returning Baron Corbin. The Nomad attacked both Williams and Hayes with the End of Days.
- Gunther attacks SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis.
The show went off the air before Cody Rhodes got into the ring to save Aldis from Gunther. Rhodes was out for revenge after The Ring General took him out last week on Raw before his match against Sami Zayn.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event Match Card
Here is the full match card for Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18 at Madison Square Garden:
- Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh in a No Disqualification Match
- Paige and Brie Bella (c) vs. Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley of Fatal Influence w/ Jacy Jayne for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
- Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria in a Singles Match
- CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Sami Zayn and Gunther in a Tag Team Match
SNME is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. EST. It will be televised on Peacock in the United States and on WWE’s YouTube channel in several international markets.
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