Full Breakdown
London SmackDown Taping Sets Stage for Night of Champions
6/24/2026, 10:22:38 PM
Go-Home Show Overview and Format Shift
WWE taped the June 26, 2026 SmackDown episode on June 23 at London’s O2 Arena. The broadcast acted as the “go-home” show for Night of Champions pay-per-view and was billed as final three-hour SmackDown of the year before the program returns to a two-hour format for rest of 2026.
Key Storylines and Match Outcomes
The show opened with Trick Williams and Ricky Saints promoting their United States Championship bout. Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga announced their split from Solo Sikoa, ending the M.F.T. stable. Rey Fenix retained the AAA Cruiserweight title over Nathan Frazer; Danhausen and Matt Cardona beat Los Garza with help from The Miz and Kit Wilson; Jade Cargill defeated Chelsea Green; Paige retained the Women’s Tag Team Championship against Jacy Jayne; Giulia beat Kiana James before Blake Monroe attacked her in her main-roster debut; War Raiders challenged Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth; and a dark match saw Seth Rollins and Oba Femi defeat The Vision.
Impact on Upcoming Night of Champions
Solo Sikoa’s loss of his M.F.T. allies diminishes his power ahead of the Bloodline storyline. Blake Monroe’s debut adds a new competitor to the women’s division. The closing brawl set up a triple-threat WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes, Gunther and Sami Zayn for Night of Champions.
Official WWE Statements
WWE confirmed that the London taping “will be the final 3-hour episode of WWE SmackDown for the rest of the year as the company plans to shift back to the 2-hour format for the remainder of 2026.” The promotion also noted that Blake Monroe has appeared in multiple vignettes since her NXT call-up in April, confirming her integration onto the main roster.
Criticism and Opposition
The Ring Report described the episode as “packed with filler, commercials, promos that go nowhere,” praised the dissolution of the M.F.T. faction, and questioned debuting Monroe on a pre-taped show, calling the timing suboptimal for a roster addition.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources vary on the Mexican tag team’s name, using Los Garza, Los Garzas, or Angel and Berto. A tag-team contest featuring B-Fab & Michin versus Alexa Bliss & Tiffany Stratton appears in some accounts but not others. The dark-match result is reported only by a subset of outlets, leaving its broadcast status uncertain.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Hi” — Blake Monroe, debuting wrestler
- “What are you expecting me, just to keel over and hand you the WWE Championship? That’s not how this works. You know something that I can’t wrap my head around? The fact that you are best friends with Kevin Owens. Oh no, let’s go there, right? That you’re best friends with Kevin Owens. Because there’s two main differences I see with you and him. One, Kevin Owens would have come out here, said what he meant, and stabbed me in the front, not the back. And the other, at least Kevin Owens has been WWE Champion.” — Cody Rhodes, WWE Champion
- “tell Solo Sikoa they are leaving the MFTs! Solo is now… well, ya know… Solo.” — Alex McCarthy, wrestling journalist
- “This will be the final 3-hour episode of WWE SmackDown for the rest of the year as the company plans to shift back to the 2-hour format for the remainder of 2026.” — WWE official statement
What’s Next
Night of Champions on Saturday will feature the advertised triple-threat WWE Championship match, and fallout from Solo Sikoa’s faction split. Tag-team champions Damian Priest & R-Truth remain in contention after the War Raiders challenge. WWE’s two-hour SmackDown format will commence after the event, continuing through the remainder of 2026.
