Overview
- Carmelo Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov in Grand Rapids to capture the United States Championship on the year-end SmackDown.
- Drew McIntyre returned and set a Three Stages of Hell match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on Jan. 9 in Berlin.
- Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest was announced as an Ambulance Match for the Jan. 2 SmackDown in Buffalo.
- Joe Hendry scored a debut win over The Miz in a Christmas Street Fight, with crowd-pleasing holiday gags anchoring the segment.
- Trick Williams appeared in a featured backstage spot with GM Nick Aldis, signaling an impending main-roster move as SmackDown readies a three-hour expansion in 2026.