WWE SmackDown hosts four title matches tonight at Arena CDMX

Something about land south of the United States border just agrees with WWE in the TKO era. For most its time as WWE property, AAA’s been the best-booked brand in the company for a year. And when SmackDown came our way from Mexico City on Fri., Sept. 11, 2026, it gave us a fast-paced, enjoyable, eventful two hours of wrestling television. Here’s the internet’s best live blog for that, courtesy of the one and only Claire Elizabeth. Now to answer Randy Orton’s question, which he asked to mock the absent Cody Rhodes… let’s talk about Smackdown, and let’s start with the now-two-time WWE champion(!) Sami Zayn. The arc of the moral universe is long… Along with some gorgeous aerial shots of the Mexican capital, we opened with footage of then-champion CM Punk and then-challenger Zayn entering Arena CMDX. The next we saw Sami, he was nailing a backstage promo — as he pretty much always does, which is why he’s still in this spot. The scene was also important because Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae showed up. Months of talking to Johnny Wrestling while he was in a dissociative state doing core exercises paid off for Sami, and he’s got something cooking with Gargano and Mrs. Wrestling for tonight. Johnny is smart enough to insist Zayn promise to give him the first shot if he beats Punk, but not smart enough to see the Last Real Good Guy not really make that promise. He's BACK and he wants his SHOT! 👀@JohnnyGargano | @SamiZayn pic.twitter.com/mVAbjVg9fU — WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2026 Later, Cathy Kelley caught up with Punk, who also nailed the always-tricky babyface champ promo — which he can do in addition to playing a great rudo titleholder, and is why he’s gonna be in this spot for as long as he wants to be and his body holds up. Punk’s seriously excellent example of how to do a good guy interview, within the context of his rivalry with Zayn, made me think of his famous line to John Cena about “becoming the thing you hate”. In his case it would have to be repurposed into… I don’t know, a Cubs/Cardinals analogy? Blackhawks/Red Wings? You have to go back to the 90s Bulls for a Chicago dynasty though. But I digress. Point is, whatever you think of it, CM Punk really is the face of WWE now. Especially with more and more crowds turning on Cody Rhodes. But more on that in a bit, too. "My name is CM Punk and I have approved this message" 👏@CMPunk is ready to defend the Undisputed WWE Title against Sami Zayn tonight! pic.twitter.com/rG4WlrT4iE — WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2026 Punk’s entrance was also great, with the crowd fully embracing him as he paid tribute to lucha history and tradition. Mexico City was a fantastic crowd all night, btw, and makes me even more excited for Penta/Roman Reigns on Raw Monday night. Mexico City LOVES CM Punk 😍@CMPunk pic.twitter.com/TQVhHy8Q9T — WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2026 The match itself was good. Sami targeting Punk’s wounded knee and trying for win via figure-four, while Punk went after Zayn’s damaged wrist. It built to a good Blue Thunder Bomb nearfall and a great GTS one, and then the circus came to town. TOTAL COMPLETE CHAOS 😱 pic.twitter.com/NWvctnhzvG — WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2026 I kid, but I’m not really criticizing. Sami’s not winning clean, so I’ll take the shenanigans. It’s pro wrestling, after all. And these shenanigans were all logical. We’ve been watching Zayn prime Gargano for this for months (long-term storytelling!), and we’ve already got intrigue about how that relationship will progress now that Sami has the gold. There are recent and ancient reasons for Kevin Owens to arrive in an attempt to thwart Zayn (longer term storytelling!), and my favorite wrinkle to the whole glorious mess might have been KO’s “oh well” smirk when he nailed Punk with the belt instead of his fellow Quebecer. Zayn winning the WWE title by low-blowing frenemy Owens after KO ko-ed someone they both don’t like in Punk, allowing Sami to take a belt from Punk, in a match Owens wasn’t even in? That might be one of the most perfect things I’ve ever seen in pro wrestling. “There’s a lot of people gunning for your title…” That’s what Michael Cole said after Zayn’s win. Let’s run through the ones who appeared on SmackDown Friday night, shall we? Owens Gargano Punk would seem to have grounds for a rematch. Randy Orton opened the show with a promo announcing that after his win at Sunday Night’s Main Event, he’s moving on from “good man” Cody Rhodes. Instead, Orton will be aiming for his 15th WWE World championship reign. The Viper beating Sami feels a lot more likely than him beating Punk or Rhodes, does it not? We also have to point out how the crowd’s only reaction to Cody was boos. I doubt it was the plan — and if he’s still moving merch and getting love from the kids I doubt it will happen. But having Orton beat Zayn for the belt, then having Rhodes take it from Randy would be a nifty way to cement a double turn. Finn Bálor Gunther Danhausen? The Irishman and the Austrian plainly state their interest in a scene that that teases Money in the Bank, and I’m just guessing that’s why Danhausen was trying to give Gunther bunny ears at the end. Absolute CHAOS backstage tonight AND Danhausen! 😂 pic.twitter.com/sLhDyacypO — WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2026 Never forget It will always be a somber day for those of us who experienced 9/11/2001, and we should always remember those that died that day — especially those that were selflessly trying to save others. We should continually reflect on it, and the ways it changed the world. It was odd that WWE wasn’t in the United States to commemorate it, because as was covered in SmackDown’s excellent video package, 25 years ago the company did play a role in returning life to some semblance of normalcy for a lot of us. Also on SmackDown… Neither of SmackDown’s women’s matches was what I would call… good. But the one that I had any investment in got the right reaction out of me and the crowd, and the one I’m not terribly interested in seemed to mostly get the right reaction from a packed Arena CMDX. First off, is Chelsea Green’s WWE Women’s title no longer interim? Pretty sure they didn’t use that word here, including when General Manager Nick Aldis was warning her to keep her protective mask on. And then there was this from The Feed: Anyway, Nia Jax and her Irresistible Forces partner Lash Legend were heelish as always, and got heat accordingly. Green was as over there as she is around here. The match was sloppy, which was especially unfortunate at the finish. But even though she didn’t nail the Unpretty-Her set-up from the top rope, Green still used her brains to retain. And her storyline with Tiffany Stratton advanced when Tiffy took a punch intended for the champ. The other women’s match was just sloppy. But Paige’s beatdown of Nikki Bella was getting a decent reaction, so hopefully the folks who are following this closely have reason to be optimistic for what’s next, maybe? Rey Fenix and Ricky Saints opened the action with a fun match. It was mostly a showcase for Fenix en route to his retaining the AAA Cruiserweight title. I’d love for Saints to prove me wrong and really standout, but he didn’t so anything to make me change my opinion in Mexico City. Maybe his later backstage pettiness will help him unlock another gear… Ricky Saints is PISSED 😨 pic.twitter.com/oPP0LsW4gc — WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2026 The AAA Tag title match was fine, but never rose above that as War Raiders retained over Damian Priest and R-Truth. This latest loss was too much for Priest, especially after Truth came to the ring in a sombrero for their chance to get some gold back around their waists. The turn was never gonna come out of nowhere, so doing it in front of the right crowd was smart. I respect Baron Corbin for sticking to his straight-forward mean-ass heel character, but I really wanted Trick Williams to be moving on from the Lone Wolf after reclaiming the United States title at SNME. Trick still has to Lemon Pepper Step his way into Money in the Bank, right? This was competently executed, but having Williams idle like this isn’t competent booking. At least I don’t think so. Overall? Grade: A- Look, this is a fan blog. Unless something logically or morally offensive happens on said show, this fan is not giving any show with a Sami Zayn World title win on it anything less than than an A. But it wasn’t perfect, thus the symbol. Sorry not sorry. The fan in fan blog is plural, though. What was your take on SmackDown from Mexico City last night? Give it to us in the comments below, or in The Feed!

(Photo by Cooper Neill/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images WWE SmackDown is live tonight (Sept. 11, 2026) from Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico, and the blue brand gets the first crack at tearing the house down in Mexico City! Advertised for tonight: Sami Zayn finally gets his rematch for the Undisputed WWE Men’s Championship against CM Punk! Plus a bevy of title matches as Chelsea Green defends the WWE Women’s Championship against Nia Jax, War Raiders defend the AAA Tag Team Championship against Damian Priest and R-Truth, and Rey Fenix defends the AAA Cruiserweight Championship against Ricky Saints! All that and Paige and Nikki Bella have a grudge match! Get ready with our preview here! Come right back here back at the normal start time of 8 pm ET. That’s when the SmackDown live blog will kick off in the space below once the show starts on USA. WWE SmackDown RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR SEPT. 11

"WWE SmackDown" heads to Mexico City for tonight's big CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn title rematch. Follow live results and play-by-play of the action here.

SmackDown airs tonight with a live show emanating from Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. This is the sixth episode of SmackDown during the nine week build to Money in the Bank, which takes place on October 10. One of these WWE stars has to be getting a surprise title win in Mexico City WWE is bringing SmackDown television back to Mexico tonight for the first time since 2011, and is coming loaded with four title matches. The main event is Sami Zayn challenging CM Punk for the WWE championship. The Last Real Good Guy in WWE is looking for justice after Punk ended his run with the belt in just nine days, back in early July. Sami hasn’t wrestled in over one month due to a broken hand, so he’ll likely have his cast around to use as a weapon when the referee’s back is turned. It might be harder for the referee to miss potential interference from the likes of Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and GUNTHER. Zayn has meddled in all their affairs in recent weeks to put himself in position to challenge for the belt, and he may pay the price for that aggression tonight. There’s also the fact that CM Punk has vowed to break Sami’s face. The next title match is Interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green defending her belt against Nia Jax. This is Green’s first title defense, but it may already be her last given the fact that she is working with a broken orbital bone. Green will probably need to rely on Tiffany Stratton being at ringside to neutralize Jax’s partner, Lash Legend. If it comes down to a fair fight after that, Chelsea has a chance to establish herself as a badass babyface by beating Nia’s ass to retain her interim belt. AAA World Tag Team Champions War Raiders defend the belts tonight against R-Truth and Damian Priest. Priest was ready to move on from teaming with Truth after they recently lost the WWE tag team championship, but they’ll have one last hurrah here in Mexico City. Finally, AAA World Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix vs. Ricky Saints is also booked on the card. Saints has struggled to get TV time this summer, with his last SmackDown match taking place back in June. Is WWE just feeding him to Fenix here to get the beloved local hero a win in his home country? On paper, it looks to me like the defending champions are the favorites to retain their belts in all four title matches. But given that Mexico has been waiting nearly 15 years for a WWE show like this, I assume that means at least one championship has to change hands. Which challenger will pull off a surprise win and walk out of Mexico City as a new champion? Tune into SmackDown tonight to find out. The rest of the card The Paige vs. Nikki Bella grudge match is happening tonight. Will the crowd chant John Cena’s name at Nikki after Paige brought him up in last week’s promo? What scheme does Nikki have in mind for cheating her way to victory? What’s next for Cody Rhodes after he lost to Randy Orton at Sunday Night’s Main Event? WWE says we’ll find out the answer to that question tonight. I’d be shocked if Cody doesn’t challenge Randy to a rematch of some kind, with higher stakes and/or a more violent gimmick in play. Other stuff to keep an eye on – Can United States Champion Trick Williams finally move on from Baron Corbin after winning the title back from him at Sunday Night’s Main Event? Will both of these stars be included in the upcoming Money in the Bank qualifying matches? – A miscommunication between Charlotte Flair and Tatum Paxley cost them their six-woman tag team match against Jade Cargill and her Baddies at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Has Flair run out of patience for dealing with Paxley, or can Alexa Bliss convince The Queen to give her another chance? – Johnny Gargano is done laying down backstage each week at SmackDown. Does that mean WWE creative has a new direction planned for him? What does Sami Zayn have to say to Johnny Wrestling after he failed to beat CM Punk last week? – Can GM Nick Aldis do his job and nail down an actual match between Blake Monroe and Giulia so that we can finally see the official SmackDown in-ring debut of The Glamour? – Kyoki had his in-ring debut last week in a tag team win with Shinsuke Nakamura against The Miz and Kit Wilson. WWE fans didn’t really seem to care all that much about it, but maybe the crowd reaction will be different in Mexico City. Are Bakusai already on the verge of challenging MFT for the WWE Tag Team Championship after just one win against jobbers? – WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Fatal Influence need to rebound after dropping a non-title match last week. Can they find someone new to pick a fight with tonight? – Will Danhausen tempt fate by touching GOONER GUNTHER again? – Is there any chance that AAA Mega Champion “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano show up tonight to shoot an angle or cut one last promo ahead of their main event match this weekend at Triplemania 34? – Where the f*** are Carmelo Hayes and Jordynne Grace? What will you be looking for on SmackDown?