Photo: Carter Sterling / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
WWE SmackDown Episode 1,395 aired live on Friday, 15 May 2026, from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.
This was the first SmackDown after Backlash, the first step on the road to Clash in Italy on 31 May, and the night the title picture on the blue brand became crystal clear. Gunther is going to Turin. He is going after Cody Rhodes. And if you were watching closely, the Undisputed WWE Championship suddenly looks more vulnerable than it has in months.
The episode had a clear mission: sort out who challenges Rhodes in Italy and set the tone for the next three weeks of programming. It did both. Gunther spent the first half of the night making demands he had no business making.
However, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis stripped him of his guaranteed title shot and forced him to earn it. Therefore, the resulting main event between Gunther and rising star Royce Keys was the best match on the show by some distance, and the finish told its own story.
Columbia also gave Trick Williams the homecoming he deserved. Jade Cargill made her intentions known to the entire women’s division. Carmelo Hayes returned and immediately made enemies.
And somewhere backstage, Sami Zayn had a very awkward conversation with a man lying on a table. It was a proper SmackDown. Here is everything that happened.
Table of Contents
Full SmackDown Results: May 15, 2026
- Non-Title Match: Trick Williams def. The Miz via pinfall (Trick Shot)
- Non-Title Match: Brie Bella and Paige (c) def. Giulia and Kiana James via pinfall (Ram-Paige)
- Singles Match: Carmelo Hayes def. Ricky Saints via pinfall (rope-assisted roll-up)
- Non-Title Match: Damian Priest def. Tama Tonga via pinfall (South of Heaven)
- Six-Woman Tag: Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss def. Michin and B-Fab via disqualification (Jade Cargill interference)
- No. 1 Contender’s Match: Gunther def. Royce Keys via pinfall (powerbomb) to earn an Undisputed WWE Championship match at Clash in Italy.
How Gunther Earned His Shot the Hard Way
SmackDown opened with Cody Rhodes doing something you do not see from many champions: he set up a contract-signing table himself, pulling furniture from under the ring and arranging it in the middle of the Colonial Life Arena. He had two contracts ready. One for Gunther to officially join SmackDown. One for their title match at Clash in Italy. Simple enough, right?
Not with Gunther involved. The Ring General came to the ring and immediately turned the moment into a lecture. He told Rhodes that he was making everything about himself, that this occasion was about Gunther being courted to SmackDown, and that if Rhodes truly wanted a match at Clash in Italy, he needed to say, “Please, Mr. Gunther.” And the crowd let him know exactly what they thought of that.
Rhodes played along just enough. He said, ‘Please.’ Gunther said it was not sincere. Then Royce Keys walked out, offered to sign the contract himself, and that was the trigger. Gunther slid into the ring to rip the pen from Keys’ hands, and chaos broke out. Aldis appeared, told Gunther he had overplayed his hand, and ruled that the title shot was no longer guaranteed. Gunther had to beat Keys in a No. 1 Contender’s match to earn it.
The Main Event: Gunther vs Keys
This match was excellent. Keys, who only debuted at the Royal Rumble, held his own against a man who retired three future Hall of Famers in six months. He sent Gunther over the announcer’s table. He hit a superplex that shook the ring. Furthermore, he survived Gunther’s sleeper hold not once but twice, powering out on the second attempt while Solo Sikoa watched from ringside, trying to will him through it.
It was a messy finish in the best way. Keys hit a massive Pounce, but the impact sent Gunther crashing into the referee, taking the official down. Sikoa tried to hand Keys a steel chair. Keys picked it up, faked the shot, and hurled it straight into Sikoa’s face instead! That distraction was all Gunther needed. He planted Keys with a powerbomb, stacked him up, and covered him for the three count.
Cody Rhodes was waiting. As soon as the match ended, Rhodes sprang up from behind Gunther and dropped him with a Cross Rhodes, sending the new No. 1 Contender stumbling out of the ring. Their match at Clash in Italy on 31 May is official. It is going to be very good.
Trick Williams Comes Home
If Gunther’s segment was the most important of the night, Trick Williams’ homecoming celebration was the most fun. The United States Champion opened the show at the Colonial Life Arena, the same city where he played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the crowd made sure he felt every second of it.
He talked about the sauce at Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles, pointed out his family in the crowd, and was clearly emotional throughout. Then The Miz’s music hit. The Miz crashed the celebration and mocked the university mascot, and Kit Wilson read out slam poetry about Trick and Lil Yachty that did not go well for anyone. Wilson’s bars about the crowd being “toxic Gamecocks” were a bold choice. Columbia did not appreciate it!
A brawl broke out, and by the time the referee arrived, we had a match. Miz hit a Skull Crushing Finale, but Trick kicked out. Wilson tried to interfere and got whacked with a kendo stick by Lil Yachty for his trouble. And the Trick Shot finished it. Williams won in his hometown, and the celebration was exactly what it should have been.
Jade Cargill Draws Her Battle Lines
Jade Cargill returned to SmackDown last week and laid out Rhea Ripley. On Friday night, she picked up a microphone and explained why. She told Columbia that everyone acts tough when she is not around, but the moment her music hits, the building goes silent. She told them Ripley learnt that last week. She wants the Women’s Championship back, and she intends to take it at Clash in Italy.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss came out to argue. And the argument ended with a match against Michin and B-Fab. Bliss hit Sister Abigail on B-Fab, went for the cover, and Cargill pulled her out of the ring for the disqualification. Flair and Bliss won with the DQ, but Cargill had already made her point. With Rhea Ripley nowhere in the building, nobody stopped her. She stood tall. She looked dangerous. Clash in Italy cannot come soon enough.
The Rest of the Card
Brie Bella and Paige retained the tag titles in a comfortable non-title win over Giulia and Kiana James. Paige hit the Ram-Paige on James to finish. The split between Giulia and James continues to simmer quietly in the background.
Carmelo Hayes returned to SmackDown and immediately had a run-in with Ricky Saints backstage, comparing their situation to looking into a dirty mirror. Their match was competitive throughout, with Saints hitting the Revolution DDT and still not getting the win. Hayes won with a roll-up using the ropes for leverage. He is back; he is sharp, and he immediately set his sights on the United States Championship.
Damian Priest defeated Tama Tonga cleanly with a South of Heaven chokeslam in a solid contest, only for Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga to beat him down after the bell. R-Truth was not medically cleared to be at ringside. Royce Keys made the save, continuing his complicated relationship with the MFT faction.
Sami Zayn asked Aldis for a United States Championship rematch and was told he had already had his. He stormed off. He later found Johnny Gargano lying on a table and complained to him. Gargano had no useful advice. Candice LeRae had even less patience. Whatever Zayn does next, he needs a proper plan.
What Comes Next
Clash in Italy on 31 May now has its headline match confirmed. Cody Rhodes defends the Undisputed WWE Championship against Gunther in Turin. Jade Cargill has made clear she is coming for Rhea Ripley’s Women’s Championship. Somewhere in the background, the MFT faction continue to tear through SmackDown’s tag team scene while Carmelo Hayes eyes the United States title.
Before Italy, SmackDown has two more episodes and Saturday Night’s Main Event on 23 May, where a six-woman tag has been announced: Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss versus Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin. That match alone is worth clearing your schedule for.
