Every Match Ranked & Reviewed

In a massive episode of Friday Night SmackDown on September 11, WWE took over the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, putting forth a show that featured several huge title matches. CM Punk defended the WWE Championship against Sami Zayn, Chelsea Green put her WWE Women’s Title on the line against Nia Jax, and more across the show!

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look across every match on WWE’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Mexico to determine the best match on the card, the weakest showcase of the night, and how everything else stacked up in between too.

5

Nikki Bella Vs. Paige

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 3.75/10

Two friends-turned-rivals finally met in singles action on Friday Night SmackDown, with issues stemming back to SummerSlam 2026 when Nikki & Brie Bella betrayed and turned their back on Paige. Unfortunately for Bella & Paige, they were reminded of booking from the days of the Divas division as they were handed just three minutes of in-ring time. The pair attempted to make the most of this, with Paige coming out of the gate hot with a violent attack on her opponent.

Paige beat Bella down for a couple of minutes, until Bella dragged the referee in front of her and won the match with a rope-assisted roll-up after getting essentially zero offense. This whole thing was rushed, executed poorly, and served very little benefit for anyone.

4

Chelsea Green Vs. Nia Jax (WWE Women’s Championship)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

In the first defense of her WWE Women’s Championship since her title win back at SummerSlam 2026, Chelsea Green put her gold on the line against Nia Jax. From very early on, it was Green fighting from below against the larger competitor, who had the crowd rallied behind her as she attempted to battle against the clubbing dominance of her challenger. Jax took firm control, slowing things down until Green sparked a comeback with a press slam off the top rope.

Jax removed the protective mask from Green, chaos ensued ringside between Tiffany Stratton & Lash Legend, and the door opened for Jax to try and hit her finisher (only for Green to avoid her attack). In front of a red hot audience, Green managed to hit a last-ditch Unprettier (which was unfortunately botched) to retain her belt in a fun but imperfect sprint.

3

War Raiders Vs. Damian Priest & R-Truth (AAA Tag Team Championships)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 6.25/10

After losing their WWE Tag Team Titles to The MFTs several weeks back, R-Truth & Damian Priest looked to try and reclaim some gold by taking on AAA Tag Team Champions The War Raiders on SmackDown in Mexico. The champions wasted zero time in taking it to their opponents, coming out of the gate hot in a dominant assault. R-Truth managed to survive this early attack before bringing in Priest for an explosive flurry.

Truth later came in for his own hot tag, which perked up the audience, though it wasn’t long until the War Raiders turned the tide once again and took out their opponents with a big Ragnarok on Truth for the win. Post-match, Priest turned heel and took out his now former friend.

2

Rey Fenix Vs. Ricky Saints (AAA Cruiserweight Championship)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

On the back of his big loss to his brother Penta, Rey Fenix sought to recoup some momentum and continue his impressive WWE Cruiserweight Title reign, defending his gold against Ricky Saints, serving as the latter’s first TV match since Night Of Champions 2026. This showdown had a hot start with Fenix dishing out some stylish lucha libre offense and Saints hitting back with his own quality (along with heelish posturing that conjured up boos).

The two continued going back-and-forth in a well-wrestled contest, ending with a big Mexican Muscle Buster to hand Fenix an impressive home country win.

1

CM Punk Vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Championship)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

In a rematch from their clash on Monday Night RAW earlier this year, CM Punk & Sami Zayn once again battled with the WWE Championship on the line. It was a hot start between these two as they went to war with relentless strikes, but early on Punk landed awkwardly on his leg and created a target for Zayn to hone in on, who was aggressive and vicious in his attacks on Punk’s knee. The WWE Champion sold the pain and injury effectively, crafting strong psychology between the two in the ring. Punk would then target Zayn’s injured hand, with each man showing a lot of agony.

This main event progressed, being presented like an authentic struggle with high stakes, and handed a strong atmosphere by the fans too. Punk managed to nail a GTS, but the damage to his leg prevented a quick cover, allowing Zayn to kick out at the last gasp. After his loss last week, Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae arrived to cause a distraction, distracting the referee before Kevin Owens arrived to try and take on Zayn… only to hit Punk accidentally with the title belt. The chaos opened the door to Zayn hitting a Helluva Kick and shockingly defeating Punk to win back the WWE Championship. The match was overbooked but it was a lot of fun.