WWE SmackDown 5/1/2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," the show that gave us the blue brand debut of Ricky Saints, added two matches to Backlash 2026, and featured the shocking death of Trick Williams' gingerbread man. In other words, we've got a lot to talk about.

Of course, it's a three hour show, so there are some things we won't talk about — with apologies to both the men's and the women's tag team title matches on this week's episode. If you want full comprehensive coverage, untainted by the WINC staff's biases and preferences, check out the 5/1/26 "SmackDown" results page. If, on the other hand, you want to know what the WINC crew thought stood out most on this particular installment, both in a positive and a negative light, you're in the right place. Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 5/1/26 episode of "WWE SmackDown!"

I thought the storyline tension between WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair felt familiar last week, and when I thought through it a bit more this week after their backstage segment ahead of Flair's match against Jacy Jayne, I realized we're rehashing their story from November. Back at WarGames, Flair had to be convinced to team with Ripley to take on the other team of Asuka, Becky Lynch, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and Kairi Sane. There were plenty of segments, including a heavily produced backstage sitdown, where Flair and Ripley met to make peace with one another, at least enough to get through the match on the same team.

In their current story, where Ripley keeps trying to tell Flair, alongside Alexa Bliss, that she should be helping them even the numbers game against Fatal Influence, Flair isn't having it. Sure, at the end of the post-match angle where Fatal Influence had the upper hand and Ripley ran out to make the save, they shook hands, but I can't imagine that's the end of it, considering November's storyline. It took them weeks to be good with one another, and even then, they barely tolerated one another (though they really didn't cross paths or need one another in the match, anyway).

Toward the end of the night, it was revealed that Ripley, Bliss, and Flair will take on Fatal Influence in a six-woman tag team match next week. While I'm hoping Flair and Ripley can work together, I really don't see it. Fatal Influence is still so new on the roster, and Jayne just beat Flair — they have to get the win, and I'm assuming it will be through Ripley and Flair not getting along.

Things are obviously different now than they were in November, with Ripley now holding the WWE Women's Championship, but Flair hasn't gone after that title for awhile now — not since changing her heelish ways in her tag team with Bliss. And, surprising for Flair, she really hasn't given any indication she wants to at the moment. Flair's turned over a new leaf, but apparently not enough of one to be entirely good with Ripley outright, even after all the work she did six months ago, and now, alongside Bliss. I'm sure this ends with Flair and Ripley going to war over the WWE Women's Championship, as Ripley has no challengers for the gold, and I don't know how I feel about the way we might be getting there.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Was it clean? No. Was there so much blatant interference being ignored by the referee that I thought for a moment I was watching an AEW show? Yes. Do I care? Not in the slightest! Jacy Jayne pinned Charlotte Flair on "SmackDown" tonight, and I was here. For. It.

I really want to see these "NXT" call-ups succeed, and while I'm not one of those people who thinks someone like Ricky Saints suffers that much from losing his debut match tonight, I'm not exactly in favor of calling up an "NXT" prospect and immediately putting them up against the top star so they have no choice but to lose. The same thing happened years ago with Cody and Carmelo Hayes; it's not exactly a winning strategy. And while yes, Jayne did technically lose to Rhea Ripley in her first "SmackDown" match last week, that was a DQ finish, and Jayne and Fatal Influence ended the segment standing tall. This week, it was time to give Jayne a proper win over a big division opponent, and credit where credit is due, "SmackDown" delivered.

The match mostly delivered too (despite the fact that Charlotte still can't land a basic moonsault to save her life). Jayne and Flair worked well together, and Jayne really looked like she belonged in the ring with the 14-time world champion. Granted, Flair is riper pickings these days by virtue of being firmly ensconced in the tag division, but she's still Charlotte Flair. She's still the kind of talent you protect in a singles match (which is why there was so much Fatal Influence interference) and it's still a massive deal that Jayne got this particular win in her second-ever "SmackDown" match. It goes a long way toward establishing her as a big deal, and if Fatal Influence win the six-woman tag match next week (as they should) that should be enough to cement their straight-to-the-top push. As a big fan of all three of these women, I think they deserve everything WWE has to give them, and tonight's win over Flair was a great start.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

So this week saw the further descent into whatever it is Sami Zayn is descending into following on from his jumping of Trick Williams and Lil Yachty while dressed up as a gingerbread man last week. Yachty was out of action this week, and not because he just didn't want to turn up like other celebrities who pop in for a cup of coffee and a DDT around WrestleMania. 

No. He was absent because of the heinous assault on him with a candy cane. Dentists have been warning you all this time and you never wanted to heed the dangers of candy canes. Here we are. 

Anyway, Yachty was not here and Williams sure wasn't getting beaten up for the second week in a row so WWE had to pivot as they do so well to the next thing: the gingerbread man. Or rather, the gingerbread man costume, because Shrek is not a documentary despite my best efforts to get it recognized as such. At least so I thought. The first sign something was off was Zayn talking to and about the costume like it was occupied with someone – it was not. But given the whole point (I do presume there is a point anyway) is that Zayn is going off the deep-end into heeldom, it made a little bit of sense. 

He went to go and hit it, clocked that he was coming off as a bit odd, opted to instead shake the hand of the costume, because that was less odd, and hit it with a low blow before whaling on it. Then Joe Tessitore exclaimed like Zayn had just kicked someone in the 'nads for real, but again, he can be quite terrible at the best of times so I put it down to that. 

Williams came out and threw up the 'X' sign for the costume, medical staff were treating the costume, and Williams later found out that the gingerbread costume had died, thus swearing vengeance upon his rival. Zayn complained to Aldis about the bit being dragged too far, so Aldis said he was being insensitive and people were grieving. Oh, and a funeral segment for the costume was booked for next week. 

I'm with Zayn. This is ridiculous. It was barely funny when Williams called him the gingerbread man – go figure, Zayn is ginger – and only marginally more funny when the costume first came into play. Then it came into play again with Zayn being the one inside it, that seemed fair enough. But who in their right mind thought it had to continue being a central theme to the feud? A feud about a title no less.

Written by Max Everett

We got a week's notice that Ricky Saints would be making not only his "SmackDown" debut, but also his main roster debut. A few nights ago, Saints gave an emotional farewell speech to the "NXT" faithful following the show. Saints made a big impression when he came out during an in-ring segment with the Undisputed WWE Champion. It's a smart thing to do for the hot new act to come straight for the champion. In this case, it's also fun because Starks and Rhodes are close friends outside of the ring. Rhodes' wife, Brandi, posted that her husband and nephew were facing off. 

Saints has always been known for his mic skills, but tonight's promo was even better due to their close relationship. This is the type of banter one gets into with a close friend. Rhodes started the banter on X (formerly known as Twitter) where he teased Saints for getting emotional after "NXT." Keep in mind that Rhodes cries at the drop of a hat. Honestly, I should've seen Saints challenging Rhodes after that tweet. Saints is extremely charismatic and quick on his feet. Rhodes gave it right back and the segment was very enjoyable.

It led to a match that was not for the title or the main event. Saints and Rhodes not only match each other on the mic, but in the ring. This was a match between two people who know one another so well that they can anticipate what is coming. We even got Saints' rope walk. My one complaint is that since it was non-title, Saints should've gotten the win here. It would have solidified him even more after he opened the show calling out the blue brand's top star. Getting a win over the champion, even if just barely, would've been huge, and with fellow "NXT" call-up Jacy Jayne picking up a win over Charlotte Flair earlier in the show, it would have been cool to see both of them get massive wins the same night. Hopefully Saints can get a big win soon since the revolution is now being televised.

Written by Samantha Schipman

Whether you love it or hate it (like I do), Cody Rhodes and GUNTHER for the Undisputed WWE Championship is a high profile match. For that reason, I can understand why WWE would be interested in exploring it but I still think that there are other and better avenues that WWE should be exploring instead.

GUNTHER just came off a storyline with Seth Rollins that felt incredibly random and convoluted. There was no rhyme or reason for GUNTHER to attack Rollins, and it feels like the same can be said for GUNTHER's attack on Rhodes from this edition of "SmackDown." If WWE still has intentions for GUNTHER to retire Brock Lesnar in his hometown of Minneapolis at WWE SummerSlam, then having him feud against Rhodes simply feels like nothing more than a way to kill time for GUNTHER between now and then by giving him something notable to do on television. Everything felt incredibly unnecessary, and not something that I am personally looking forward to or interested in seeing how it'll play out in the coming weeks.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

Though I kind of wanted to see him come out with Jacob Fatu at the end of the night to take on The Usos, I loved the fact that Royce Keys got a backstage moment with Fatu that made him seem like he's getting involved in this story. I don't know if Fatu really needs any backup in this feud, but Keys needs something to do and it would help even the numbers game against the Bloodline, at least. I didn't realize that Fatu and Keys are actually friends until tonight, so it's something I'd like to see happen.

Even if it doesn't get involved, the interaction made Keys feel important, something I think he needs right now. He's winning on the blue brand, but the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and random victories over Los Garza aren't doing terribly much for him.

Keys initially looked like he was going to square up to Fatu in this segment, but they bro hugged, and Keys said he's known Fatu for about 15 years. He said he could be 10 toes down and still run with Fatu seven days of the week and told a cute story about when they were on the road together in an old car of his, putting in the work. Keys hyped up Fatu throughout the interaction, and asked if he was going to let Reigns take food off his table. He questioned if being in WWE made Fatu "forget the smell of the streets," which I thought was a fire line, then quoted his own theme by telling Fatu that people like them take "everything that they want." They bro hugged again, and it was the attack after that made me think maybe Keys would be getting involved.

Talla Tonga attacked Keys, then went after Fatu, and of course Solo Sikoa got in there as well, before the MFTs main event match against The Usos. I already figured Fatu would be interfering, or at least coming out after that match, and after this attack, I thought maybe Keys would be right there with him. Sadly, that wasn't the case, and it probably leads to Keys just running through the MFTs until he beats Sikoa, which kind of sucks, but I like that we established tonight that he's tight with Fatu. WWE can go back to that well when they need it, though I do of course question as to whether they will or not.

Written by Daisy Ruth