The 1,397th episode of SmackDown came from the Olimpic Arena in Barcelona on the European tour, two days out from Clash in Italy in Turin. A genuinely loaded go-home show: six matches plus a face-to-face between Cody Rhodes and Gunther, with the WWE confirming on the night that Rhodes vs. Gunther for the Undisputed WWE Championship would open the PLE.

Opening Segment — Rhea Ripley, Jade Cargill & The Two Factions

Rhea Ripley came out for a promo and was interrupted by Jade Cargill alongside B-Fab and Michin. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss then appeared to back Ripley up, and the resulting back-and-forth led directly to Jade Cargill vs. Alexa Bliss being made for later in the show.

Match 1 — Jade Cargill def. Alexa Bliss via Jaded (9:34)

In front of the Barcelona crowd, Bliss got real spells of offense but Cargill cut her down with the Jaded. Michin and B-Fab interfered to help Jade keep control before Ripley and Flair stormed the ring and chased them off. The post-match was the statement: with Bliss down, Cargill set up and hit a second Jaded on top of a steel chair to leave Ripley a message 48 hours out from their PLE rematch.

Smart booking — Bliss gets in enough to look credible, Cargill gets the win and the visual. The chair Jaded was the kind of go-home image WWE builds whole campaigns around.

Backstage — Sami Zayn & Cody Rhodes

A pointed exchange between the two. Sami pressed: “You got something you want to say to me?” Cody: “I’ve got nothing to say to you!” Sami responded that maybe Cody should apologise, reminding him that he had his back, did the right thing, took care of him — and what did Cody do? Hit him. A lingering thread that’s been building for weeks.

Match 2 — Axiom def. The Miz via Golden Ratio (9:16)

Backstage, GM Nick Aldis apologised to Danhausen that his equipment hadn’t arrived (Danhausen was caught stealing things in the background of the shot), then The Miz arrived asking Aldis to cancel the match because Kit Wilson was supposedly held up in customs. Aldis refused. In front of his home Spanish crowd, Axiom got the win — assisted in part by the flickering arena lights (the running “Wyatt Sicks curse” angle continues to follow Miz around). Golden Ratio sealed it for a huge Barcelona pop.

Match of the night candidate on paper. Axiom is one of the best workers on the roster and the hometown crowd added significantly to the moment.

Backstage — Damian Priest & R-Truth

R-Truth informed Priest that he’s still not medically cleared to compete, meaning Priest would have to find a new partner. Priest teamed with Royce Keys later in the night.

Match 3 — MFTs (Talla Tonga & Tama Tonga) def. Damian Priest & Royce Keys via Tall Bomb on Priest (9:04)

A statement win for the MFTs, with Talla and Tama Tonga finishing Priest — the WWE Tag Team Champion — with the Tall Bomb. With R-Truth still on the shelf, the tag titles look firmly in the MFTs’ crosshairs.

The Tongas getting a clean finish on a champion gives the result real weight.

Mid-Show — King & Queen of the Ring Hype

WWE played a hype reel for the upcoming King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, which were announced earlier in the week on Raw to begin June 1.

Match 4 — Sami Zayn def. Matt Cardona via Helluva Kick (10:18)

A worked match for Cardona on a SmackDown stage, but Sami got the win clean off the Helluva Kick. The Cody/Sami subplot remains the more interesting story arc.

Sami is a reliable hand and Cardona made him work. Mostly here to keep Zayn moving while the Cody storyline cooks.

Match 5 — Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints ended in a Double Count-Out (11:10)

The longest match of the night, with both men taken out of the equation by a double count-out. A genuine “no winner” finish that points clearly toward a continuation — likely a rematch with a more decisive stipulation.

Hayes and Saints are both strong workers and reportedly worked a competitive match. The non-finish keeps the story going at the cost of a satisfying ending.

Match 6 — Chelsea Green def. Nia Jax (6:24)

A short Women’s United States Championship-adjacent match (with a future US Title shot on the line per the build) that saw Green pull off the upset over Jax. The size gap made for a clear David-vs-Goliath structure.

Rating: ★★½ (2.5/5) — Short but purposeful, Green’s character work doing the heavy lifting.

Main Event Segment — Cody Rhodes & Gunther Face-to-Face

The closing segment of the show was the contract-signing-style face-off for Sunday’s Undisputed WWE Championship main event at Clash in Italy. The two reportedly exchanged “shocking words” before the title match — with WWE confirming during the show that Rhodes vs. Gunther will open Clash in Italy, an interesting structural decision for a championship feud of this magnitude.

Notes & Looking Ahead

• Clash in Italy (Sunday, May 31) — Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther for the Undisputed WWE Championship will open the show. Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill for the Women’s Title is also confirmed.
• King & Queen of the Ring tournaments begin June 1 on Raw.
• R-Truth is still not medically cleared; the tag title picture flips toward Damian Priest needing answers.
• The Cody/Sami subplot continues to simmer — Sami clearly wants an apology and Cody isn’t giving one.
• The Wyatt Sicks “curse” continues to follow Miz, costing him another match.