Overview
- Carmelo Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov to capture the United States Championship, his first main-roster title.
- Drew McIntyre returned and floored Cody Rhodes, setting a Three Stages of Hell bout for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Jan. 9 in Berlin.
- Joe Hendry won his SmackDown debut by beating The Miz in a Christmas Street Fight featuring comedic holiday cameos.
- With the program expanding in 2026, Trick Williams appeared in backstage segments that signaled an imminent move to the main roster.
- The episode was pre-taped for the holidays and marked the last two-hour SmackDown before the show shifts to three hours next year.