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WWE SmackDown Results [7/10/26]: CM Punk's First WWE Title Defense Set for SummerSlam

CM Punk will defend the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. His first title defense was made official Friday night on SmackDown.
Rick Ucchino|
CM Punk
CM Punk | Netflix

With just over three weeks left before SummerSlam takes over U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, WWE made a stop in The 405.

Friday night's episode of WWE SmackDown emanated from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and for the first time in over 15 years, CM Punk is officially a member of the Blue Brand roster.

The Best in the World earned his nickname once again when he defeated Sami Zayn this past Monday night on Raw to win the WWE Championship. From sitting at home to carrying the company on his shoulder in a matter of a few hours, CM Punk is now turning his attention toward the future.

Fans did not have to wait long at all to find out who Punk will be defending his title against during the "Biggest Party of the Summer", as Cody Rhodes interrupted his SmackDown opening promo. The American Nightmare came calling for the title shot that was stolen from him on Monday, and Punk was more than willing to acquiesce to his request.

Baron Corbin also made his return to WWE and Gunther absolutely snapped on General Manager Nick Aldis after learning about his upcoming match at Saturday Night's Main Event. Here's everything you may have missed during Friday night's episode of SmackDown.

WWE SmackDown highlights for 7/10/26:

The show kicked off with a recap of CM Punk's shocking WWE Championship victory over Sami Zayn Monday night on Raw.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis was standing center ring after the opening video package concluded. He announced that he had been reinstated after spending the past week on administrative leave, and he introduced the new WWE Champion to Oklahoma City.

CM Punk revealed that Nick Aldis and NBC Universal had been attempting to negotiate his move to SmackDown for the past couple of months, and those negotiations were expedited Monday night when a spot opened up in the WWE Championship Match against Sami Zayn.

Punk then promised to be every bit the WWE Champion on Friday nights that he was the World Heavyweight Champion on Monday nights. That means defending the title as often as possible and against anyone who wants a shot, whether it be Sami Zayn, Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys or a number of others.

One name that Punk failed to mention was three-time WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, but he didn't have to say his name for the American Nightmare to appear. Rhodes came down to the ring in search of the title opportunity that was stolen from him Monday night, and Punk told him to say when. Cody said, "SummerSlam", and the two of them shook hands.

Jade Cargill spoke to Cathy Kelley backstage and said that if Charlotte Flair wants to keep playing games with her, then she's going to take out her frustrations on Alexa Bliss later in the evening.

Finn Balor defeated Tama Tonga. The PrinXe had to overcome the presence of Talla Tonga at ringside, but he was able to neutralize the big man with a dive to the outside that also connected with Tama. He then rolled his fellow Bullet Club founder back into the ring, where he hit a shotgun dropkick and the Coup de Grâce for the win.

Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu tried to shake down R-Truth for information on the whereabouts of Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys. Damian Priest showed up and said the Keys was in the building, which prompted Fatu to head toward the ring.

Nick Aldis was shown on the phone in his office, and it was revealed that he was speaking with Sami Zayn. It turns out that Zayn requested a mental health break and that's why he wasn't in Oklahoma City, but he was clearly upset about Cody Rhodes getting the first shot at the WWE Championship. So was Gunther. The Ring General marched into Aldis' office and gave him until the end of the night to change his mind.

Jimmy Uso defeated Royce Keys. An in-ring promo segment, where Big Jim ran his big mouth, led to this impromptu match-up after Jacob Fatu refused to help Jimmy attack his longtime friend. Solo Sikoa tried to get involved in the match, but he was intercepted by Fatu. Their brawl distracted Keys, which allowed Jimmy to hit a spear and steal the win. Fatu gave Sikoa a final warning after the match to rejoin the family or else. 

CM Punk was backstage for an interview with Cathy Kelley when he noticed Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae nearby. LeRae blasted Punk for stealing hope from the true underdogs by taking the WWE Title from Sami Zayn. Punk advised them both to get back in the ring, because what they've been doing the past few months isn't working.

Punk then turned to leave, but he ran into Finn Balor. The PrinXe said that he hoped he'd run into Punk and officially welcomed him to SmackDown.

WWE aired a pre-recorded promo with Fatal Influence, who promised to take center stage inside the world's most famous arena when they win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship from Paige and Brie Bella at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Jade Cargill defeated Alexa Bliss. The five-time WWE Women's Champion was more than up to the task of weathering The Storm, but the involvement of B-Fab and Michin allowed Cargill to drop her with a big pump kick and then a Jaded slam for the win. B-Fab and Michin then forced Charlotte to watch as Cargill attacked Bliss' arm with a steel chair.

We saw Lil Yachty gift Trick Williams a white fur legacy Men's United States Championship belt ahead of his non-title match against Carmelo Hayes.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes ended in a no contest after Baron Corbin made his return to WWE and layed out both men. The Oklahoma City crowd stated chanting "holy shit" as Corbin held up Williams' brand new legacy title.

Nick Aldis met Gunther in the ring and announced that the Ring General would team with Sami Zayn to take on WWE Champion CM Punk and Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night's Main Event. A pissed off Gunther then attacked the SmackDown General and locked him in a sleeper hold as several producers desperately attempted to pry him off.

When they finally did get Gunther off, he rushed right back into the ring to lock in the sleeper two more times. Cody Rhodes rushed to the ring to help Nick Aldis as SmackDown went off the air.

WWE SmackDown match results for 7/10/26:

Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes
Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes | WWE
  • Finn Balor defeated Tama Tonga with the Coup de Grâce.
  • Jimmy Uso defeated Royce Keys after he was distracted by Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa.
  • Jade Cargill defeated Alexa Bliss and injured her after the match.
  • Men's United States Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes ended in a no contest after a returning Baron Corbin attacked both men.
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Published | Modified
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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