WWE SmackDown Results 5/8 - Women's US Championship On The Line, GUNTHER Appears

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s live coverage for "WWE SmackDown" on May 8, 2026, coming to you live from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida!

Tiffany Stratton will be putting the Women's United States Championship on the line for the first time since dethroning Giulia as titleholder on the April 24 episode of "WWE SmackDown" as she defends against Giulia's ally Kiana James. Stratton and James have met in singles competition on "SmackDown" on two other occasions on the October 24, 2025 episode of "SmackDown" and the March 13 episode of the show, with Stratton emerging as the victor both times.

Jacob Fatu will be challenging Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship tomorrow night at WWE Backlash. Before he does, he will be appearing in the opening moments of tonight's show with something on his mind to share. Not only did Fatu and Reigns this past Monday on "WWE Raw" during a Backlash Contract signing that ended in a physical brawl between both men, but Fatu also encountered Reigns' allies The Usos during last Friday's edition of "SmackDown" moments after inadvertently helping MFT's Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga win a match against them by taking out Talla with a crossbody off the barricades.

Speaking of Talla, he will be competing in a match of his own tonight as he takes on one half of the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest. Priest's tag team partner R-Truth has gotten the pair several defenses of their WWE Tag Team Championship over the course of the last several weeks, including last Friday when the pair retained against Nathan Frazer and Axiom.

Women's Champion Rhea Ripley will be joining forces with Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair to square off against Fatal Influence's Jacy Jayne, Lainey Reid, and Fallon Henley. After Jayne emerged victorious against Flair in singles action last Friday thanks to assistance from Henley and Reid, Ripley came to Flair and Bliss' aid when Fatal Influence blindsided them with a post-match attack.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes scored a win against Ricky Saints last Friday, but GUNTHER unexpectedly blindsided him with an attack just moments later and left Rhodes laid out with a sleeper. Following such, GUNTHER will be making an appearance on tonight's show with something on his mind to share.

Additionally, United States Champion Trick Williams will be holding a funeral for The Gingerbread Man after his Backlash opponent Sami Zayn took out The Gingerbread Man with an attack and he was helped to the back by medical officials.

We are live! The show kicks off with a sneak peak at the wake for The Gingerbread Man, as well as a video recapping what's led up to the Backlash World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu.

Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore then greet audiences at home as Fatu makes his way to the ring.

Fatu says he's not fighting Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash, but taking the World Heavyweight Championship from Reigns at Backlash. He says since they were young, people saw the future in Reigns while they saw nothing in him. He says people want to call him and talk nice to him now to get him to fall in line, but he won't do that and says he's seen this before with Reigns because history repeats himself. He says no one is trying to protect him, but Reigns instead. He says Reigns was born with opportunity, but he was born with doubt.

The Usos' music hits, and Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso make their way out. Jimmy says himself and Jey aren't in the ring to try changing Fatu's mind, then says they're proud of him for main eventing Backlash tomorrow night and says he respects it because he gets where Fatu is coming from. He says part of him is rooting for Fatu, but the other part is looking out for him and says he knows Fatu needs a win badly. He questions if Fatu has stopped to think about what happens in the event that he loses tomorrow night, and Jey chimes in by saying he doesn't think Fatu thinks like that.

Jey says he lived what will happen to Fatu tomorrow night, and that's Reigns being the one to walk out of Backlash as World Heavyweight Champion. He says the worst part is that Reigns will break down Fatu emotionally and physically in front of Fatu's family who will be in the front row. Jimmy adds that Fatu's wife and seven children will have to acknowledge Reigns.

Fatu reminds Jey that he never beat Reigns, then says that there won't be any acknowledging tomorrow because Backlash is for his wife and seven children. He says they'll see him become the new World Heavyweight Champion, then says Reigns will learn tomorrow night that he's all gas and no breaks tomorrow night. He says if Jey and Jimmy think about interfering at Backlash, he'll burn the Anoa'i family tree down.

We then head backstage, where Royce Keys offers some encouraging words to Jacob Fatu ahead of Backlash. Keys then runs into Solo Sikoa, where Sikoa tells Keys that there's room in his family for him and time is running out. 

Tiffany Stratton then makes her way to the ring. Kiana James and Giulia follow. 

The bell rings and the two lock up. James delivers a kick to the side of Stratton's head and sends her left knee bouncing off the ring post twice, then jams her knee into the back of her head using the bottom rope and sends her head bouncing off the top turnbuckle.

James pins Stratton, but Stratton kicks out and James fires off stomps on her. She continues to target Stratton's knee and fires off a right hand on her, then cinches in a Half Boston Crab on Stratton. Stratton crawls over to the bottom rope to break the hold, but James sends her crashing out of the ring and dumps her back inside.

Stratton catches a handspring back elbow on James and follows it up with a basement dropkick to her, but James delivers a kick to Stratton's head and rolls up Stratton. Giulia hops up on the apron and distracts the referee, causing James to get in Giulia's face. This opens the door for Stratton to deliver Prettiest Moonsault Ever on James for the win.

Winner (and still): Tiffany Stratton

We then head backstage and see Sami Zayn crash The Gingerbread Man's wake as Nick Aldis explains to Zayn that everyone deserves to pay their respects to The Gingerbread Man. R-Truth approaches Zayn to pay his condolences to The Gingerbread Man.

Back at ringside, Talla Tonga and Solo Sikoa make their way out. Damian Priest follows.

The bell rings and Priest looks to land a jumping knee on Talla on the outside of the ring off the ring apron. Talla ducks out of the way, but Priest fires off forearms on him. Talla sends Priest bouncing off the barricade first during the commercial break, then dumps him back in the ring.

Talla whips Priest into the corner spine first and connects with a splash on him, then connects with a delayed vertical suplex on him and goes for a pin. Priest kicks out, but Talla levels him with a strike and delivers an elbow to him. He fires off more strikes on Priest, then looks to land an elbow drop on him back from the break.

Priest rolls out of the way, then rocks Talla with a right hand and follows it up with a kick to him. He connects with a Mongolian Chop and a pair of kicks on Talla, then flies off the ring steps on the outside to take out Talla and levels Sikoa with a big boot.

Priest ascends to the top rope back inside the ring, then levels Talla with a clothesline and goes for a pin. Talla kicks out, but R-Truth runs out to the ring. Tama Tonga and Sikoa look to take out Truth, but Priest comes to Truth's aid. Talla then blindsides Priest from behind and catches him with a chokeslam back inside the ring for the win.

Winner: Talla Tonga

After the match, Royce Keys storms down to the ring to even the odds and come to Priest and Truth's aid. 

We then head backstage and see Danhausen holding a sign-up to be his partner for Backlash. Kit Wilson and The Miz approach Danhausen to mock him for not having a partner, and The Miz looks to beat down Danhausen. Wilson stops The Miz and advises him to wait until tomorrow night, then shows Danhausen his own reflection as a means of showing him that the only person toxic enough to team up with Danhausen is himself. 

We then head over to a series of moments throughout WWE history that The Gingerbread Man was present for in the crowd as a fan. 

We then head over to Nick Aldis' office, where Paul Heyman asks Aldis if everything has been taken care of. GUNTHER enters and signs a contract to become the newest member of "SmackDown", but GUNTHER, Aldis, and Heyman see Cody Rhodes making his way to the ring. GUNTHER says he doesn't do business like this, then leaves Aldis' office as Heyman follows him. 

Rhodes asks Jacksonville what they want to talk about, then says GUNTHER had his way of saying he was next in line for an Undisputed WWE Championship last Friday. He calls GUNTHER to the ring to say just that to him.

Paul Heyman makes his way out and says he holds a contract for an Undisputed WWE Championship match, but Rhodes stops Heyman and asks him if he's now an advocate for GUNTHER because they don't need a contract. He says he's medically cleared and says both himself and GUNTHER are in Jacksonville, but Heyman clarifies that he's not GUNTHER's advocate and says he owes GUNTHER a favor. He explains that the favor is an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Rhodes, then asks to enter the ring.

Rhodes allows Heyman to enter the ring, and Heyman informs Rhodes that the contract he holds for GUNTHER's Undisputed WWE Championship isn't for Jacksonville or the United States of America, but at WWE Clash In Italy on May 31. Heyman tells Rhodes that he needs to get the signature himself and looks to leave, but Rhodes stops Heyman. He says Brock Lesnar has retired, and Roman Reigns and CM Punk don't want anything to do with him. He asks Heyman if he's out of options, but Heyman says he's not the one who's running out of options and says everyone needs the "Wise Man" sooner or later. Heyman leaves as GUNTHER sneaks up behind Rhodes to cinch in a sleeper on him, but Rhodes fights off GUNTHER and reminds him that he's easy to find but hard to beat.

We then head backstage, where Tama Tonga takes issue with Solo Sikoa looking to recruit Royce Keys and tells him that he's planning on handling business. Talla Tonga looks to go after Tama, but Sikoa stops him and tells Talla that Tama has to learn on his own.

Back at ringside, Matt Cardona makes his way out. Ricky Saints follows.

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