5 Things Triple H Got Right on WWE SmackDown Last Night

This week’s WWE SmackDown kicked off WWE’s Europe Tour ahead of the Royal Rumble PLE. The show featured some stellar bouts between top WWE stars, including not one but two title matches. Triple H crafted a solid show for the Berlin crowd that had the fans on the edge of their seats. Therefore, it can be said that last night’s show was pretty good if not perfect.

The event was headlined by a blockbuster three stages of hell match between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Apart from that, Giulia also defended her Women’s United States title against veteran Alexa Bliss. Moreover, the show featured a decent lineup of young talents, including Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, and Jordynne Grace.

In this article, let’s take a look at 5 things Triple H got right on WWE SmackDown last night:

#5. Trick Williams getting a segment with Randy Orton

Trick Williams made his debut last week on WWE SmackDown. It was clear that WWE envisions him as a top star for the company. Therefore, it was announced that Williams will face Rey Fenix in a match on SmackDown in Berlin. But before that match, the former NXT Champion confronted The Legend Killer, Randy Orton, to kick off this week’s show.

Williams made it clear that he is on the show to make a name for himself, and therefore, he wants to go after The Viper. While Orton had the last laugh in the encounter, it was enough to shine a big spotlight on Trick Williams. He was presented as a cocky heel, and the segment served as an effective introduction to the global main-roster audience.

#4. MFT finally overcoming The Wyatt Sicks

MFT has been feuding with The Wyatt Sicks for more than two months now. While the rivalry had a strong start, it landed pretty flat after a few weeks. This week, the two factions faced each other in an 8-Man Tag Team match. The match was decent enough to give a proper payoff to this prolonged feud. With a strong ending, MFT managed to pick up the win over The Wyatts.

It seemed like Triple H had finally moved on with this ongoing faction warfare. Fans were enjoying Solo Sikoa and his faction over the past few weeks. WWE can use this momentum to give MFT a big push in the coming weeks. Therefore, a win over WWE Tag Team Champions was enough to fuel its momentum. With that, now fans are excited to see what is next for Sikoa’s family.

#3. Solid start for the new year for Carmelo Hayes and Jordynne Grace, and others

Last night’s WWE SmackDown had a solid lineup of fresh stars on the show. Names like Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, and Jordynne Grace were featured in prominent matches to give them a promising start to 2026. Williams received a good booking with a segment with The Viper and a win over Rey Fenix later on in their match. Meanwhile, Hayes successfully defended his United States Title against Shinsuke Nakamura.

Moreover, Jordynne Grace faced Alba Fyre on the show, where she earned herself an easy win. After the match, Grace was confronted by the WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill in the entrance way. The two stars had an intense staredown, where it was teased that WWE could be setting up their feud down the line. These segments were a breath of fresh air in the WWE product.

#2. Jacob Fatu’s return on WWE SmackDown

Jacob Fatu made his return to WWE SmackDown this week. He was out for the past few weeks due to a dental issue. The Samoan Werewolf jumped into the Undisputed WWE Championship main event of the show to take out Drew McIntyre. But he even attacked Cody Rhodes, which eventually became the reason for his loss in the ‘Three Stages of Hell’ match.

Fatu’s return was pretty much needed to raise the stakes for the main event scene of SmackDown. Over the past few weeks, McIntyre and Rhodes were the only two men who were carrying WWE SmackDown’s main event scene. Triple H brought back Jacob at the right time, and now there is a buzz about his role on the brand moving forward.

#1. Drew McIntyre becoming Undisputed WWE Champion

Drew McIntyre finally became the Undisputed WWE Champion this week on WWE SmackDown. It was the correct decision by Triple H as The Scottish Warrior had already endured some big losses against Cody Rhodes. Besides, WWE has already screwed him in his previous World Title matches. Therefore, it was becoming frustrating not only for McIntyre but for the fans as well.

Now that Drew has claimed the WWE Championship in front of the fans, WWE has finally put closure on his prolonged story. Additionally, the company needed a shocking moment to fuel the excitement for the Royal Rumble PLE. With Rhodes dropping the title just days ahead of the beginning of the road to WrestleMania 42, things have become more unpredictable than ever.