WWE SmackDown 6/12/2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," the show that saw two more wrestlers advance to the semifinals in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments! Here at WINC, we have thoughts about both those four-way matches, as well as Giulia, the women's tag team champions, and of course, Danhausen! We always have thoughts about Danhausen.

If you missed the show, feel free to catch up by checking out our "WWE SmackDown" 6/12/26 results page; that's where you can find coverage of the entire three hour show. This column will not be doing that, because here, we only talk about the segments and matches that stood out to us the most (with apologies to Rey Fenix vs. Axiom) either in a positive or a negative way. Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 6/12/26 episode of "WWE SmackDown!"

I have an abundance of respect for what Sol Ruca, Lyra Valkyria, Jade Cargill, and Charlotte Flair can do in the ring, and truly think that each of them is quite talented in their own regard. With that being said, I didn't exactly think that they gelled well with one another in their First Round Fatal Four-Way Match for the 2026 Queen of the Ring Tournament.

To start with, I think WWE might have set a record here for the quickest time that interference has taken place on one of their weekly shows in a match. The company does interference in so many matches as is, but it felt extra abrupt happening just 15 minutes into this edition of "SmackDown." On top of that, they didn't really need to have the interference in the first place and the brawl between Michin, B-Fab, Tiffany Stratton, and Alexa Bliss didn't have any impact on the rest of this match. It was totally unnecessary, and something I absolutely could've done without.

There were also quite a few noticeable botches throughout the course of this match that kept taking me out of the action. Whether it was Ruca looking to land a crossbody on Cargill only for Cargill to almost miss catching her or Valkyria messing up an enzuigiri she landed on Flair moments later or a couple of other moments in the match, I felt like the four women couldn't quite find their footing together and it didn't work for me.

I also felt like there was a little too heavy of a focus on the storyline between Flair and Cargill in this match. I know that they're feuding with one another at the moment and there's rumblings of a potential SummerSlam match between them, but it also made Ruca and Valkyria feel like a bit of an afterthought especially in the earlier stages of this match. Flair ultimately being the one to emerge as the victor of this match too was fine; I do understand why WWE chose to go with her. I personally just would've preferred it if either Ruca or Valkyria had gone over, as it would've benefitted either of them more.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

At long last, Giulia and Kiana James have split up. Last week, James blamed Giulia for her loss even though it wasn't her fault. She said they were done, finally ending an on-screen pairing that was long overdue. I've said in this column before that the only reason Giulia was paired with James is because someone in creative/higher up thought fans wouldn't be able to understand her English, even though it was clear enough to understand. Giulia pretty much confirmed my theory in a backstage segment tonight.

James told Cathy Kelley that she secured matches for Giulia and was the reason she was ever a champion. Giulia walked up and said she only ever needed her help with English and with contracts, "not with being a fighter. That's who I am." She said James used her and her momentum. Giulia said her English is better and she finally had the words to say it before slapping James in the face and walking away.

Giulia has been held back in WWE, even as a two-time U.S. Champion. She barely defended her title during either title reign. She and James competed in tag matches more than she had singles matches. I would say hopefully now Giulia can start being pushed like the star that she is, but I know better. So I can only hope that she and James have a decent feud for a few weeks. Once upon a time, Giulia was the hottest free agent for a reason. Now that she's away from James, I'd like to obviously see her wrestle more often and have more promos.

Written by Samantha Schipman

Brie Bella and Paige haven't defended their Women's Tag Team Championships since Saturday Night's Main Event on May 23. While that doesn't sound like it's been a long time, it certainly feels like it, especially knowing that they were on the European tour and didn't wrestle a single match, not even a dark match in front of the fans. They didn't even appear in any in-ring segments — televised ones, at least — and only had a brief backstage segment last week alongside Fatal Influence, where Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley took them out after they badmouthed Jacy Jayne following her Queen of the Ring tournament loss.

That's why their match tonight against Henley and Reid being a non-title bout was pretty annoying, as they haven't really done anything for awhile now, in a division where just a few weeks ago, plenty of teams were vying for a shot at those titles. WWE flew "Scream Mode" over for the tour, and then didn't use them. Okay, whatever, I'm not the one paying for the flights, but you'd think they'd want the fan favorites, especially in Europe, on those shows. And now that they're back in the states, their match not being a title defense felt like yet another waste.

Especially since it was Bella and Paige to score the victory. Usually, you'd assume in a non-title bout, it would be the potential challengers to get the win, to earn a shot at the gold. Not the case tonight. The match wasn't bad, but the longer it went on, the better Fatal Influence looked. Paige looked worn out toward the end, and while I'm sure WWE is being very careful with her, given her injury history, the fact she and Bella haven't been wrestling often can't be helping that.

In the end, it was Paige to get the win off basically a distraction from the referee kicking Jayne out. While the match really needed to be over at that point, it was still a really lame finish that made Reid and Henley look silly.

Since winning the belts, Paige and Brie have had only three title defenses total, and it honestly feels like WWE is waiting for Nikki Bella to be cleared to travel, at least, so she can be ringside for her sister and Paige and get things moving on some kind of storyline there, where presumably the Bellas turn heel on Paige. For titles that felt so hot going into WrestleMania just last month, it's crazy to see them cooled off on Paige and Bella.

Written by Daisy Ruth

It is really, genuinely refreshing when real emotion meets narrative cohesion, and much of that during this week's show was done through Solo Sikoa in his part of the Bloodline story. The Bloodline is in the midst of its The Force Awakens reboot, going back to the well that hasn't quite run dry. Despite an understandable fatigue, it still remains one of the only long-running storylines that maintains some semblance of continuity and being compelling. 

And Sikoa personified that during just the briefest of backstage segments between him and Jacob Fatu ahead of the main event. Fatu said he was sent by Roman Reigns to tell Sikoa it was time to come home, abandon his little Oceanic Orchard and rejoin the Bloodline. Sikoa's response was honest, pointing out that Fatu was serving the Tribal Chief's bidding, something he had already been and done, and had no intention of doing again. And if Reigns wants Sikoa back, then he can come to "SmackDown" himself and tell him. 

Sikoa felt real in the moment, a man that may not have found the best of times outside of the Bloodline but still has the opportunity to walk to his own beat. If anything, he seems upset that Fatu put himself in that position, and was framed later in the main event as the one man trying to ensure Reigns does not have his way. 

That was ultimately in vain as Jey picked up the win. But even then, his reaction was the one that communicated the weight behind Jey actually advancing. He is the one man from the Bloodline saga, including Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes, that made the effort to sell the significance of the Bloodline's return. WWE could use more of that.

Written by Max Everett

I dislike four-way matches in general, so the main event of this week's episode wasn't for me. But that's not really enough for me to fully hate something. For that to happen, Solo Sikoa has to be really, really great in a backstage segment (as my colleague alluded to), and then turn out to be a big old stinking hypocrite during the actual match.

Now i get that Solo is the heel here, but that's sort of my problem. The entire company should be freaking out that the Bloodline is back together, because the Bloodline will doubtless do what the Bloodline does — help each other win wrestling matches. That's exactly why people like LA Knight and Solo have been going around warning everyone that, for example, they should watch out for Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu in the four-way main event. Only what actually happened in the match itself? Jimmy didn't interfere, Fatu wasn't ringside at all and didn't make an appearance, and it was actually Sikoa who interfered in the match, trying (and failing) to hand the contest to Royce Keys. This drove home a fundamental truth about the new Bloodline: They are babyfaces. They are not going back to the old way of doing things. They will fight and win matches on their own merits, because they're good guys now.

And I guess I just ... kind of think that sucks? Roman Reigns still hasn't meaningfully changed from his previous ways. He's still making people acknowledge him. He still won at least one match, recently, by cheating. He still browbeats his family members and makes them bow down before him. So the fact that WWE is attempting to tell me a story about how the Bloodline are in fact now heroes makes me a little mad. That's why I thought Solo's backstage promo was so on point — I'm out here agreeing with the heels that this is a bad thing that's happening, and WWE keeps doing storytelling to try and get me on the side of the Babyface Bloodline. With all due respect, screw that.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

It's essentially a given at this point that any segment that Danhausen lays his little Demon-Gremlin hands on will turn to gold, and once again this week there came a segment that had just one complaint: it was too short. At this point anything short of an entire show or serial of skits featuring Danhausen and his victims, chiefly the Miz and Kit Wilson, is going to feel like an untapped opportunity. But for the time being, allow this writer to make do with the little spots of goofy there are. 

This week, Danhausen was shown in his makeshift backstage laboratory having inadvertently launched himself a cursing racket, Los Garzas paying him human monies to re-curse the Knicks. Matt Cardona then approached him and asked him to keep them uncursed, to which Danhausen said he would require human monies. When Cardona said he didn't have anything, Danhausen settled for the watch on his wrist and tried to negotiate the wedding ring off his finger. 

Only, then Wilson entered, dismissing Cardona and demanding to know what Danhausen had done to the Miz, himself appearing with his hair shocked outward with a white streak – cartoon electrocution style. Miz was forced to contend with the electrocution of last week, one he could have avoided if he listened to the Roadrunner to his Wile E. Coyote and just not touched what was not his – and is most likely also not Danhausen's, but still. What ensued was Kit Wilson trying desperately to discern what Miz meant through his slam poetry of previous catchphrases. In growing frustration, Wilson then decided to strike a device that then electrocuted him. So stay tuned next week for them to be his new Igors. 

The segments are so beyond stupid and don't take themselves seriously, embracing the sheer insanity of the character and the anomaly of entertainment that is wrestling. It's just a bit of fun, and WWE could use a little – or a lot – more of that, lest it actually stumbles onto a seriously good idea once a blue moon.

Written by Max Everett