WWE SmackDown takeaways: Sami Zayn turns back on Cody Rhodes, Blake Monroe debuts

WWE SmackDown on May 22, 2026, took place at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. , and featured a singles match between Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn. This week’s show served as a primer for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Talla Tonga picked up a win over Shinsuke Nakamura, and the team of Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair managed to work together well enough to defeat Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. Ripley also accepted a title match against Jade Cargill at Clash in Italy, and Cargill sent a message with a post-match Jaded. Danhausen also caused an electrical issue in the arena while continuing his large experiment.

Here’s the top takeaways from this week’s show: Tiffany Stratton defends US title vs. Lash Legend The Women’s United States Championship was on the line when Tiffany Stratton put it up for grabs in an open challenge. The call was answered by Lash Legend, who entered with her tag partner Nia Jax.

As the match got underway, Chelsea Green joined ringside to give Stratton some support. The match was solid. Stratton hit a nice springboard stunner, and Legend showed off her power game well.