Every Match Ranked & Reviewed

As we inch closer to the 2026 Money In The Bank PLE, WWE continued the build on the most recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown, which took over the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 25. The show featured more qualifying matches for both the men’s and women’s Money In The Bank ladder matches, a big Steel Cage match for the United States Title, and more.

TheSportster’s rating system will take a look across the entire match card for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown to determine the best bout of the night, the weakest showing on the card, and how everything else stacked up in between.

4

Chelsea Green, Paige & Tiffany Stratton Vs. Fatal Influence

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

Reigning WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green teamed up with Paige & Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown this week to do battle with reigning women’s United States & Tag Team Champions, Fatal Influence. The babyface trio ran wild in the opening stages, showing good levels of cohesion and intensity to take down the heels. However, it wasn’t long until Fatal Influence cut the ring in half and slowed down the action.

Both Green & Paige eventually entered the ring for their own respective hot tags, with the match soon breaking down with everyone getting involved. Just as Paige was building in momentum, Nikki Bella arrived to halt her in her tracks, interfering to give her former rivals Fatal Influence the win. The match was fine but carried little weight or interest.

3

Charlotte Flair Vs. Lash Legend Vs. Giulia (Money In The Bank Qualifying)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 5.75/10

Charlotte Flair, Giulia & Lash Legend all looked to build some momentum by qualifying for the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match, with all three bringing something different to the table in terms of style. There were some decent moments throughout, this match getting much better in the final moments wherein the urgency was well felt, but there is no denying that there were some clunky, sloppy moments, with it at times feeling as though these three were just going through the motions.

Legend was presented as a dominant powerhouse, being handed some big moments in which she was in the spotlight (such as a big Tower Of Doom spot), but her greenness between the ropes was still prevalent. The matchup didn’t have much of a cohesive structure and storyline throughout, which did also impact the quality. After several finishers being dished out, it was a Lash Extension on Giulia that earned Legend’s ticket to Money In The Bank. As ever, it was a shame to see Giulia handed yet another defeat.

2

Trick Williams Vs. Baron Corbin (United States Championship, Steel Cage)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.25/10

Trick Williams & Baron Corbin have been feuding for a little while, trading the men’s United States Championship at both SummerSlam 2026 and at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Friday Night SmackDown looked to finally settle the score between these two names, this time inside a Steel Cage. This match had a hot start, with both men coming out of the gate to provide a good level of intensity to get the crowd invested – something they managed to do for the entirety of the bout, as the audience got more and more into it as it progressed.

It was a pretty simple Steel Cage match and nothing majorly special in terms of execution, but it was fine for what it was, with notable moments including a strike exchange on top the cage, a massive suplex from Corbin to Williams, Corbin kicking the cage door into Lil Yachty’s face, and Corbin becoming the first man to kick out of the Trick Shot. The match continued to escalate with big moves and kickouts, but in the end it was a spree of Book Ends that secured Williams the victory. The cage itself didn’t come into play too much, but this proved to be a decent ending to this rivalry.

1

CM Punk Vs. Gunther Vs. Finn Balor (Money In The Bank Qualifying)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

Three men with WWE Championship pursuits in CM Punk (the former champ), Gunther & Finn Balor battled it out in the main event of Friday Night SmackDown to earn a spot in the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match. As expected, these three world class stars collided in a match that was full of good in-ring work, technically sound action, and plenty of fluid offense. After early exchanges in which all three were involved, Gunther exerted his dominance and control over his two opponents with punishing blows, brutal back body drops on the barricade, and nasty strikes, being presented as the hurdle to overcome.

When all three men were back in the ring, things got even better with big moves, near-falls, submissions, and more. It wasn’t the longest of matches, but Balor, Punk & Gunther managed to fit a lot into 12 minutes, ensuring a strong main event for SmackDown. Following on from a struggle of Punk trying to hit the GTS on Gunther but failing, he fell victim to a sleeper hold, only for Balor to hit Gunther with a Coup De Grace. Punk rolled into the cover to escape with the win, pinning Gunther as a shocked Balor watched on.