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WWE SmackDown Results (1/9/26): Drew McIntyre Wins WWE Championship Thanks To Jacob Fatu

WrestleMania dreams may have just been broken. Drew McIntyre won the WWE Championship Friday night on SmackDown. Here are all the results from the show in Berlin, Germany.
Rick Ucchino|
Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre | WWE

Drew McIntyre said Friday night on SmackDown was now or never for his WWE Championship aspirations. Turns out, his time is now.

The Scottish Warrior survived Three Stages of Hell and defeated Cody Rhodes to capture his first WWE Title in nearly five years, but he did it courtesy of a very unlikely assist from the returning Jacob Fatu.

As the match's decisive third fall was winding down inside a steel cage, the Samoan Werewolf emerged for the first time in weeks to assault his believed assailant, Drew McIntyre. Seemingly with a desire to defeat McIntyre on his own, Rhodes came in to break up the onslaught and ended up the target of Fatu's aggression.

As Rhodes and Fatu continued to fight in the corner of the ring, McIntyre slid out of the cage door and fell to the ground to become a three-time WWE Champion.

It was an absolutely stunning victory with WrestleMania season right around the corner. The landscape has completely changed with The American Nightmare no longer holding the top prize in all of professional wrestling.

Here's everything you may have missed from Friday's episode of WWE SmackDown in Berlin, Germany.

WWE SmackDown Match & Segment Results:

Randy Orton
Randy Orton | WWE

Randy Orton kicked off the show and received a great ovation from the crowd in Berlin. Before he could utter a word, however, he was interrupted by Trick Williams. Trick told The Viper that 2026 would be the beginning of the 'Whoop That Era'.

Orton threatened to whoop Tricks' ass, which led Williams to knock the microphone out of his hand. Randy responded by punching him and then delivering a Hangman's DDT. He geared up for the RKO, but The Miz attacked from behind. He attempted a Skull Crushing Finale, but Orton broke free & gave Miz the RKO to stand tall.

Trick Williams defeated Rey Fenix. This was a solid back-and-forth contest that saw the former NXT Champion utilize some nefarious tactics to pull out the victory. Trick plucked Fenix out of the air after a dive off the top rope, and he attempted to deliver a modified Book End, but Fenix countered with a roll-through pinfall attempt. Williams was able to reverse it and grabbed a handful of Rey's tights to hold him down for the three count.

Women's United States Champion Giulia spoke to Byron Saxton backstage and put Alexa Bliss over as a legend of the women's division, but she also promised to make an example out of her later in the evening.

After a video package recap of last week's Ambulance Match, Damian Priest spoke with Byron Saxton and made it clear that he is now seeking an opportunity at Cody Rhodes' WWE Championship. The mere mention of Rhodes brought Drew McIntyre into the frame.

Priest admitted right away that he shouldn't overlook having to face the Scottish Warrior for the title, but he reminded Drew that he won their cage match the last time they wrestled at Saturday Night's Main Event back in May.

Once Priest had walked away, Saxton took the opportunity to ask McIntyre about his Three Stages of Hell Match against Cody Rhodes. Drew revealed that not only did he steal a photo of Cody and Dusty from Rhodes' bus last week, but he also took his late father's watch. He wants Cody good and angry so he'll get disqualified in the first fall and give McIntyre a clear path toward winning the WWE Title in either the second or third stage.

Alexa Bliss was shown having a phone conversation with Charlotte, who was not at SmackDown due to being ill. She was interrupted by Nia Jax and Lash Legend, who said it was very convenient that Flair was absent when Alexa had a major singles opportunity. Bliss said they didn't know what they were talking about, and she warned Lash to cut ties with Nia before it's too late.

Giulia
Giulia | Netflix

Giulia defeated Alexa Bliss to retain the Women's United States Championship. Little Miss Bliss took the fight straight to The Beautiful Madness, and had her in position for Sister Abigail when Kiana James hopped onto the ring apron. Alexa ended up dropping Giulia with a DDT before delivering a right cross to James.

As the referee checked on Kiana, Bliss went up to the top rope for a Twisted Bliss, but Lash Legend came out of nowhere to shove her off. Giulia then capitalized with a Northern Lights Bomb for the victory. Legend and Nia Jax attacked Alexa after the match and laid her out with an Annihilator. 

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis officially signed Jordynne Grace to the roster. Just as he was offering his congratulations, Chelsea Green showed up to demand a rematch for the Women's United States Championship. Not only was she declined, but Alba Fyre ended up getting in the face of Grace, which prompted Aldis to book a match between the two for later in the show.

Byron Saxton spoke with Matt Cardona one week after he re-signed with WWE. The man formerly known as Zack Ryder spoke briefly about his six-year journey back to the company, before he noticed his good buddy Cody Rhodes a few feet away. Cardona wished Rhodes the best of luck in his match with Drew McIntyre, but respectfully let him know that he came back to win the WWE Championship.

The MFTs defeated The Wyatt Sicks in an 8-Man Tag Team Match. These two families were very evenly matched, but Solo Sikoa was willing to go personal to pull out the victory. Just as Uncle Howdy was lining up to finish Tama Tonga off with a Sister Abigail, Sikoa grabbed hold of Bray Wyatt's lantern outside the ring.

Howdy let go once he saw what was happening, and Talla Tonga capitalized by delivering a big boot to Howdy. Tama Tonga then drilled him with the Cut Throat and pinned him. The MFTs left the ring together, with the lantern in their possession. 

Men's United States Champion Carmelo Hayes ran into The Miz backstage and asked if he was going to answer his open challenge later in the night. Miz claimed to be too banged up after suffering Randy Orton's RKO. After Miz stormed off, Hayes ran into Ilja Dragunov and urged him to answer the challenge. The Mad Dragon promised they would fight again one day, but said right now he needed to talk to GM Nick Aldis about something "different".

WWE aired a vignette for former two-time NXT Champion and imminent main roster call-up Oba Femi, but the video package did not indicate if he was on his way to SmackDown or Raw.

Jordynne Grace defeated Alba Fyre w/ Chelsea Green. The Juggernaut picked a one-sided victory in her debut match on SmackDown. Grace's power was on full display as she hit Fyre with a Package Power Bomb. Green jumped on the apron in an effort to give Alba a breather, but Jordynne immediately cleaned her clock. She then picked up Alba and dropped her with a Torture Rack Bomb for the three count.

WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill confronted Grace as she was walking back to Gorilla Position. She issued a reminder that Jordynne was on her show now, and she's that bitch.

Byron Saxton spoke to Sami Zayn backstage and asked him who he thought would win the WWE Championship Match later in the evening. Zayn admitted that he kind of wanted Drew to win, because he's never been able to beat him, and it would be doubly sweet to finally do it with the WWE Title on the line. That said, Sami put his money on Cody to win and said he'd be waiting for him on the other side. 

Johnny Gargano disguised himself as Axiom by wearing his mask and he attacked Nathan Frazer backstage, which kept him from being able to answer the United States Open Challenge.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the Men's United States Championship. The King of Strong Style did an excellent job of slowing down Hayes' offense after Carmelo tweaked his left knee early in the bout, but he battled through the pain to deliver yet another spectacular Men's United States Championship Match.

Despite his injury, Melo was able to stun Nakamura with the First 48. He then powered his way up to the top rope and connected with Nothing But Net to retain the gold.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced that a tournament would begin next week to determine the next No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship. There will be four qualifying matches on the January 16 edition of SmackDown in London, with the winners advancing to a Fatal 4-Way Match at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Those matches will be Randy Orton vs. The Miz, Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams, Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov. The winner at Saturday Night's Main Event will face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble.

Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell Match to win the WWE Championship. The Scottish Warrior was able to win the first stage of the match after he pulled off one of the turnbuckle pads. When the referee turned around to fix it, McIntyre kicked Rhodes below the belt and delivered a Claymore Kick for a shockingly quick pinfall.

The second stage was fought under falls count anywhere rules, and both men battled each other all over the Uber Arena. The American Nightmare nearly won the fall after jumping 20 feet off a ledge and splashing McIntyre through a table. He would eventually pick up a three-count after dropping Drew through the commentary desk with a Cross Rhodes to even the score at 1-1.

The decisive fall came inside of a steel cage, sort of, but not before both men survived each other's best shots. McIntyre delivered a Claymore after Cody went face-first into the exposed turnbuckle, but Rhodes was able to kick out at two. The American Nightmare followed up with a supreme cutter off the top of the cage, but Drew somehow got his shoulder up to keep his title hopes alive.

McIntyre soon attempted to flee the cage, but as he reached the door, he found himself staring Jacob Fatu in the eyes. The Samoan Werewolf entered the cage and started to beat Drew down, only for Cody Rhodes to come and pull him off his opponent.

Fatu immediately decked the American Nightmare with a right hand and the two began to brawl. As they continued to fight, McIntyre wisely crawled through the cage door, escaped, and won the WWE Championship.

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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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