Jacob Fatu heads to the ring to start tonight's show. Jacob says that tomorrow night, he is not fighting Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship; he is taking the World Heavyweight Championship. He says that ever since they were young, everyone saw Roman as the future while seeing nothing in him, and now those same people want to talk nice to him. He says that history repeats himself, but everyone tagging in with him really wants to protect Roman. Jacob says that Roman was born with opportunity while he was born with doubt, then The Usos (Jimmy and "Main Event" Jey Uso) make their way to the ring. Jimmy says they are not here to change Jacob's mind, as part of him is still proud of him while the other part is watching out for him, and wants to know if he has thought about what would happen if he lost to Roman. Jey says Jacob has not thought about that because he never thinks like that, and tells Jacob "Tribal Chief is gonna beat that ass" and break Jacob down emotionally and physically in front of his family. Jimmy says he knows Jacob's family will be in the front row, and if Jacob loses, they will have to acknowledge Roman Reigns as Tribal Chief. Jacob says that he is not losing and that he cannot lose, then says that Jay wants to school him on losing to Roman when he has never beaten Roman. He also tells Jimmy that there will be no acknowledging for his family, because the match is all about his family, who will see him become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Jacob says he is willing to put it all on the line, and asks if Roman is willing to do the same. He also tells The Usos that if they interfere in tomorrow night's, he will "burn the whole goddamn family tree down."
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews General Manager Nick Aldis, who says that Gunther's recent actions were completely unacceptable. All of a sudden, Ricky Saints says everyone should be talking about him and his debut, then says he has gone from facing "QB1" to "QB4." Matt Cardona says he is not here to pass the torch to guys like him, and that he will see him in the ring tonight.
Backstage, General Manager Nick Aldis wishes Jacob Fatu well on his way out of the building, then Jacob Fatu runs into Royce Keys, who says that failure was never an option for Jacob Fatu and tells Jacob to "werewolf up" and beat Roman Reigns. Afterwards, Royce Keys runs into Solo Sikoa, and tells him to pick his words carefully. Solo says that last week was just the wrong place at the wrong time, then tells Royce Keys that there is room in his family for him and that he needs an answer soon, and time is running out.
We hear from Chelsea Green, who wishes Tiffany Stratton luck on her first title defense via a video on X (formerly Twitter).
Tiffany Stratton retains the WWE Women's United States Championship against Kiana James after Giulia inadvertently costs Kiana the victory while distracting the referee.
Sami Zayn is at the funeral for The Gingerbread Man. General Manager Nick Aldis says everyone just needs closure, then R-Truth shows up with a rose and says "I'm sorry for your loss" while trying to console Sami, much to Sami's chagrin.
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. Rhea says Fatal Influence have made an impression, but chose the wrong people to attack, and she cannot wait to get her hands on them. Charlotte says they can all get their hands on Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, Lainey Reid), and Alexa has to get between them as things get tense and tell them that they need to trust each other.
Backstage, R-Truth meets on Damian Priest, who is more focused on Talla Tonga than the funeral for the Gingerbread Man. Priest asks R-Truth to stay backstage, as Solo Sikoa and Talla Tonga will get to R-Truth to get to him. He asks R-Truth to trust him, as he knows how to handle them alone.
Talla Tonga beats Damian Priest despite R-Truth and Damian Priest being able to fend off both Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa. After the match, The MFTs (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Talla Tonga) are about to attack Damian Priest when Royce Keys shows up, causing them to retreat.
Backstage, Danhausen takes sign-ups for his tag team partner at Backlash when The Miz and Kit Wilson show up and notice that Danhausen has no tag team partner. Kit Wilson says that the only person toxic enough to team with Danhausen is Danhausen, who likes what he sees in Kit Wilson's mirror.
We see footage of Gingerbread Man in the middle of great moments in WWE history.
Backstage, General Manager Nick Aldis meets with Paul Heyman regarding a contract when Gunther shows up. Aldis chides Gunther for his recent behavior even though he is happy to have him on SmackDown, then "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes heads to the ring, much to Gunther's chagrin. Gunther walks out angrily, and Heyman tells Aldis that he will handle this. Cody says that Gunther has made it clear that he is next in line, and would like it if Gunther would come out to the ring and do just that. Heyman shows up with a contract for a Gunther-Cody match, and Cody asks if Heyman is now Gunther's advocate. Cody then says the contract is not necessary and that they can just do this right now, but Heyman says he owes Gunther a favor and that this match is the favor he owes him. Heyman also admits that he is a big fan of Cody, and just wants him to know that he needs a contract when an undisputed heavyweight championship is at stake, and tells him that the contract for the match will be for Clash in Italy. Heyman hands Cody the contract, then tells Cody that if he wants Gunther's name on the contract, then he will have to get it himself. Cody notes that CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Brock Lensar are now gone and that Heyman is running out of options. Heyman says that he is not running out of options as he leaves, and that sooner or later, they all need the wiseman. All of a sudden, Gunther comes out of the crowd, and Cody fights back only to be put in a sleeper hold. Cody slings Gunther out of the ring and keeps him out, then says he does not sweat Gunther and dares him to get the high ground.
We see The MFTs (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Talla Tonga) backstage. Tama Tonga says that Royce Keys is a problem that needs to be dealt with, but Solo Sikoa says he sees Royce as more of a solution than a problem and a perfect fit for the family. Tama says Royce embarrassed them, which does not sit right with him, and that he will handle business and show what he is all about. Talla Tonga is about to follow Tama, but Solo says that if Tama wants to go out on his own, then he will find out on his own.
Ricky Saints beats Matt Cardona.
At the Gingerbread Man's funeral, Sami Zayn is talking to someone about how this is all a big joke. The person he is talking to is a planking Johnny Gargano, and Sami wants to know if "Johnny Wrestling" is still in there. Johnny barely rises. As Candice LeRae checks on Gargano, Sami notices Rey Fenix, but Rey Fenix says this is not the time or place as Sami gets mad at Fenix being a funeral for something that was all one big shot at him.
Backstage, a ladder falls behind Brie Bella and Paige, then Danhausen streaks by, plucking a hair from Brie's head when Brie and Paige turn around.
We see another vignette for Blake Monroe as Blake Monroe picks a dress. Blake Monroe is coming soon to SmackDown.
Brie Bella and Paige head to the ring. Brie says there are a lot of teams in WWE saying they have wait to takes to beat them and become champions, but it is not so easy to beat them, and the results will always be the same. Paige says that this is not a nostalgia tour and that she and Brie are at the best they have ever been, and if The Judgment Day (Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez) want to step up, then they should step up, for they are the champions and this is their house. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, Lainey Reid) shows up, and Jacy Jayne says that Brie and Paige are in over their heads and that The Judgment Day are not the ones to worry about, especially after they dropped them and left them laying in the middle of the ring two weeks ago. Fallon Henley says that Fatal Influence is taking over SmackDown, and that part of the takeover includes the women's tag team titles. Lainey Reid says there is plenty of gold to go around, and that Jacy will soon be WWE Women's Champion. Jacy then says they have business to take care, and tells Brie and Paige to get out of the ring to see how a real team gets it done. Suddenly, The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) show up. Nia says that Fatal Influence cannot just skip the line, and Lash Legend says that this is not NXT and that Fatal Influence will not get in the way of them getting the women's tag team titles back. Nia says Fatal Influence look like "discount mean girls," then Lash tells Fatal Influence to get to the back of the line before she and Nia lay out Brie and Paige. Rhea Ripley then heads to the ring for the next match - and stares down Lash Legend - on The Irresistible Forces' way out.
We see more footage of The Gingerbread Man at even more iconic moments in WWE history.
Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, Lainey Reid) beat Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss in a six-woman tag match after Jade Cargill shows up and yanks Rhea Ripley off the ring apron, allowing Jacy to hit Alexa with the Rolling Encore for the win. After the match, Fatal Influence back away from Jade Cargill as they leave the ring, and Cargill mockingly tells Alexa Bliss to get up. As Charlotte Flair gets in the ring, she is attacked by "Michin" Mia Yim and B-Fab. Rhea Ripley gets in the ring and lays out Michin and B-Fab, but she is taken out with a pump kick by Cargill. B-Fab then puts Alexa in a full nelson slam, and Charlotte tries to fight back only to fare no better.
Backstage, Royce Keys is met by The Usos (Jimmy and "Main Event" Jey Uso). They know that Royce has been talking to Jacob Fatu, and Jey tells Royce to stay in his lane or else he might catch Roman Reigns' eye.
We see even more footage of The Gingerbread Man at even more iconic WWE moments.
Royce Keys beas Tama Tonga.
Backstage, Danhausen performs a science experiment where he decides to make a clone with Brie Bella's hair and one of his own teeth with a cloning machine. It is not going very well.
Backstage, Tama Tonga is met by Shinsuke Nakamura, who says that not even his own brother will help him. Talla Tonga shows up and tells Nakamura to stay away from Tama, or else they will have problems. Nakamura says something in Japanese, then walks away.
Backstage, General Manager Nick Aldis welcomes Trick Williams to the arena and to the funeral for the Gingerbread Man, saying that the rest of the broadcast is all for him. The ring is then prepared for The Gingerbread Man's funeral.
Trick Williams heads to the ring for The Gingerbread Man's funeral. Trick eulogizes The Gingerbread Man in song, then we see an AI-generated montage of The Gingerbread Man's life. During the moment of silence, however, Sami Zayn interrupts, calling the funeral a waste of SmackDown TV time and calling it a joke targeting him. He also criticizes how expensive the funeral is before getting in the ring while Trick takes his fur coat off, then says he would not do something like this because he has too much respect for himself, the fans and the show. Sami Zayn says he is a working class hero and that he represents his "ride or die" fans until the end, and says he has been all over the card against people who thought they would knock him off his perch and has been in the game for twenty years, then gives credit where credit is due to Trick for getting in his head. Sami then tells Trick that he played himself and that he will make a joke out of him, then tells Trick to enjoy his night before he sees him at Backlash. Sami turns to leave, then hits a cheap shot. All of a sudden, The Gingerbread Man rises from the dead and unmasks to reveal that he is Lil Yachty, who hits Sami Zayn in the back with a candy cane. Trick then hits the Trick Shot on Sami to end the show.
Here are the highlights from tonight's show!