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WWE SmackDown Results (2/6/26): Randy Orton & Tiffany Stratton Qualify for Elimination Chamber

The Viper is heading to the Men's Elimination Chamber Match for the 10th time in his career after Randy Orton won his qualifying match Friday night on WWE SmackDown. Here are all the results from the show in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Rick Ucchino|
Randy Orton
Randy Orton | WWE

For the 10th time in his illustrious career, Randy Orton is heading to the Men's Elimination Chamber Match.

The Viper defeated Solo Sikoa and Aleister Black in a high stakes main event triple threat match on Friday night's episode of WWE SmackDown to qualify.

Orton will now be locked inside the chamber with five other men at the end of the month, all of whom are looking to earn a shot at Drew McIntyre and the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.

Tiffany Stratton is back to her winning ways. The former WWE Women's Champion took a massive step toward winning her title back when she defeated Chelsea Green and Lash Legend to qualify for the Women's Elimination Chamber Match in Chicago.

Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu nearly ruined their chances at qualifying for Elimination Chamber when they both attack Drew McIntyre on Friday, Liv Morgan made a special appearance, Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY successfully defended their Women's Tag Team Titles and Oba Femi absolutely crushed Kit Wilson.

Here's everything you may have missed from the latest episode of SmackDown in Charlotte, North Carolina.

WWE SmackDown Results:

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off the show and was all smiles as he made his way down to the ring, but that was before a pissed off Cody Rhodes jumped him from behind. After getting tossed into the steel ring post, the Scottish Warrior made his escape through the crowd and Rhodes grabbed himself a microphone.

The American Nightmare expressed his genuine excitement that Roman Reigns chose to face CM Punk at WrestleMania 42, because that leaves McIntyre's plans for Las Vegas wide open. Although, if Cody has his way, Drew won't make it to the 'Showcase of the Immortals'.

Back from a commercial break, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis was attempting to calm down Cody Rhodes backstage. Surrounded by security personnel, Rhodes was told to control his emotions. He would get an opportunity to qualify for the Elimination Chamber next week, but his commitments in Charlotte had been fulfilled. Cody was then escorted from the building.

Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY defeated Women's United States Champion Giulia and Kiana James to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. This was an extremely fun opening contest that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The Beautiful Madness and her personal assistant once again proved to be a formidable team, but Rhiyo was able to isolate Giulia from Kiana James and took out the Women's United States Champion with a Rip Tide, Over the Moonsault combo.

Men's United States Champion Carmelo Hayes defeated The Miz in a non-title match. The A-lister went to Nick Aldis ahead of Melo's open challenge to try and secure his spot, but Hayes said when it comes to his title, he makes the rules. Carmelo said Miz didn't deserve a shot at the United States Championship after losing to Ilja Dragunov the week before, and solidified that believe with a win over his former "mentor". Hayes pulled off an incredibly slick counter of the Skull Crushing Finale, and caught Miz with the First 48 to score the pinfall.

Bo Dallas delivered an ominous message to Solo Sikoa via a pre-recorded video. He said fear always strikes when your alone, which might be a signal that the MFTs need to watch their backs.

Tiffany Stratton defeated Chelsea Green and Lash Legend to qualify for the Women's Elimination Chamber Match. This one got a bit chaotic toward the end as both Nia Jax and Alba Fyre got involved. Jax pulled Green out of the ring after she appeared to have Legend beat on a coast-to-coast. Alba then ate a massive shoulder tackle from Nia, which allowed Chelsea and Tiffany to take out the Irresistible Force with a double super kick. Back in the ring, Chelsea went for the Un-Pretty-Her on Tiffany, but she rolled through and ended up connecting with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to pick up the win.

Cathy Kelley interviewed Randy Orton backstage, but they were interrupted by Aleister Black and Zelina Vega. Aleister said WWE just lost two of the greatest wrestlers ever, referring to John Cena and AJ Styles, but that the locker room was blessed to still have Randy around... at least one part of him.

Oba Femi squashed Kit Wilson. The self-proclaimed topic of conversation on SmackDown cut a lengthy promo about the disgusting and toxic competitors from last Saturday's Royal Rumble. He challenged any of those 30 men to come down to the ring and face him. The Ruler appeared and decimated Wilson in seconds. Femi won the match after a massive Fall From Grace.

After a brief run-in with Damian Priest and R-Truth backstage, Drew McIntyre made his way down to the ring. With Cody Rhodes barred from the building, the WWE Champion thought he was in the clear to finally address the crowd. He was wrong. Jacob Fatu jumped the Scottish Warrior from behind and forced him to run off to the back for the second time on the night.

After a commercial break, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis told Jacob Fatu the exact same thing he told Cody Rhodes earlier in the show. He'll have his chance to qualify for Elimination Chamber next week, but he needed to leave the Spectrum Center immediately.

Tama Tonga defeated Shinsuke Nakamura. These former NJPW rivals faced each other in a singles match for the first time in over well over a decade, but it wasn't exactly one-on-one. The King of Strong Style had Tama lined up for a Kinshasa, but Tonga Loa grabbed ahold of his ankle, which allowed Tama to hit a Cutthroat to the back of Nakamura's head. He then landed another one underneath his chin to put Shinsuke away.

Axiom and the Motor City Machine Guns were chatting backstage when they ran into a visibly depressed Johnny Gargano slumped over an equipment container. Candice LeRae pleaded with Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin to try and cheer up her husband, but she didn't receive much help.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez made their way to the ring for the start of the third hour. Morgan took yet another victory lap after last Saturday's Royal Rumble, and said she had a massive decision she needed to make in regard to WrestleMania. WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill soon cut off her potential challenger, and said she would whoop Liv's ass if she chose to face her. The war of words ramped up even further once Jordynne Grace got involved, and Nick Aldis decided to have some fun and booked a tag team match.

WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill and Jordynne Grace defeated Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Neither team was really on the same page, which was a bit surprising considering Liv and Raquel's decorated resume together. After Big Sexy accidentally dropped Morgan with a big boot, Grace shoved her right into Cargill and their heads collided. Jordynne then cradled Raquel and pinned her with a high stack.

Rey Fenix tried to give Sami Zayn a pep talk as he was clearly down following his loss to Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble. Trick Williams interrupted and told Ray not to bother with "Mr. Can't Get The Job Done". Fenix told him to stop talking or he was going to kick his teeth down his throat. Trick said he could try any time.

Drew McIntyre finally got his hands on a microphone, and said that both Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu should be disqualified from Elimination Chamber for attacking him like a coward. He then addressed Monday's promo exchange between Roman Reigns and CM Punk and said their shunning of the WWE Championship should be a declaration of war to the entire SmackDown locker room. He understands why Roman would choose to challenge "Fragile Phil" and he's looking forward to seeing who steps up to earn a shot against him at WrestleMania.

Trick Williams made his way down to the ring to watch the main event up close, and he told the WWE Champion that he was focusing on all the wrong people. McIntyre seemed to appreciate Williams' desire to step up, but he said if he ever interrupted him again, he would stick Trick's lemon pepper steppers where the sun doesn't shine. 

Solo Sikoa was shown walking around backstage. He was unable to find any of his MFTs, and said they better find their way to the ring.

Several huge matches were announced for next Friday's episode of SmackDown on SyFy. Jade Cargill will defend her WWE Women's Championship against Jordynne Grace, while Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY will defend their WWE Women's Tag Team Titles against Nia Jax and Lash Legend. Trick Williams will face off against Rey Fenix and the next two Elimination Chamber qualifying matches were announced. Cody Rhodes, Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn will meet on the men's side, while Women's United States Champion Giulia faces off against Alexa Bliss and Zelina Vega.

Randy Orton defeated Solo Sikoa and Aleister Black to qualify for the Men's Elimination Chamber Match. This was a highly competitive match-up that saw a clean finish with the MFT's missing in action. Orton was able to duck a Black Mass Kick and hit Aleister with an RKO, but Black was able to roll out of the ring to avoid a cover. Solo Sikoa then line Orton up for a Samoan Spike, but The Viper struck him with an RKO, without even turning around, and punched his ticket to Chicago later this month.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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