Friday Night WWE SmackDown in Boston was packed with major moments and title changes on August 14. CM Punk fired up the crowd while Chelsea Green fought hard to keep her WWE Women’s Championship. In the ring, Gunther made quick work of Matt Cardona. Meanwhile, Jacy Jayne and MFT both walked away with new championships, and Randy Orton stepped in to crash what was set to be a huge main event between Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn.
Chelsea Green Keeps Her Gold & Gunther Destroys Cardona
SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis initially called Chelsea Green to the ring to strip her of the WWE Women’s Championship due to her broken orbital bone. After a passionate and heartbreaking promo where Green claimed she was always treated as “comic relief”, Aldis relented, giving her a 30-day grace period to get cleared or find a protective mask.
Paige responds to Nikki Bella’s threat to make her life miserable! 👀@Saraya | #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/9u8tirU0pQ
— WWE (@WWE) August 15, 2026
The heartfelt moment was quickly ruined by Gunther, who came out to complain about his SummerSlam match. Matt Cardona stepped up to defend his wife, leading to an impromptu match. Despite Cardona hitting a sneaky low-blow and a Rough Ryder, the Ring General dominated the bout, finishing Cardona off with a barrage of powerbombs and a Boston Crab submission. Following the match, Nia Jax and Lash Legend ambushed Green, and Tiffany Stratton’s attempt to make the save was quickly thwarted.
CM Punk and Kevin Owens Get Personal
Ahead of their Undisputed WWE Championship match next week in Toronto, CM Punk and Kevin Owens came face-to-face in the ring, and things quickly got personal. Owens, who recently returned from a long hiatus following neck surgery, aired his grievances, claiming he could no longer respect Punk due to his past behaviour. Punk fired back, mocking Owens for clinging to the past and questioning if Owens would have achieved the same level of success had Punk never stepped away from wrestling. Owens retaliated by reminding everyone of his massive accomplishments, including winning the Universal Championship and main-eventing WrestleMania against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The bitter verbal exchange recounting their nearly 20-year history on the independent circuit almost escalated into a full-blown brawl when Owens shoved Punk at the end of the segment.
Baron Corbin Retains the US Title
In the first of two United States Championship matches of the night, Baron Corbin put his title on the line against the high-flying Carmelo Hayes. Corbin utilized his massive size and power advantage to grind down Hayes, ultimately securing the pinfall victory to successfully retain his championship.
MFT Shocks the Tag Team Division
The tag team division was flipped upside down during a chaotic Triple Threat Tag Team Championship match. The trio of MFT squared off against the powerhouse War Raiders and the fan-favorite duo of Damian Priest and R-Truth. Relying on the sheer chaos of the triple threat rules, MFT managed to score the pinfall, shocking the crowd and walking out as the brand-new WWE Tag Team Champions.
Jacy Jayne Wins the Women’s US Title
Tiffany Stratton, already beaten down earlier in the night by Nia Jax and Lash Legend, had to defend her Women’s United States Championship against Jacy Jayne (accompanied by Fatal Influence). The pre-match assault took its toll, and Jayne capitalized on the opportunity, defeating Stratton via pinfall to become the new Women’s United States Champion.
Orton Thwarts Rhodes vs. Zayn
Cody Rhodes kicked off his segment demanding a piece of Randy Orton ahead of Sunday Night’s Main Event. He was interrupted by a bitter Sami Zayn, who complained that Rhodes always gets whatever he wants. Nick Aldis booked a match between the two, promising Zayn a future contender’s spot if he won, but the blockbuster television main event never officially happened due to Randy Orton making his presence felt and ruining the bout.
Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are fighting all over BOSTON! 👊 pic.twitter.com/lMyDjQSnBO
— WWE (@WWE) August 15, 2026
WWE SmackDown Results (August 14, 2026)
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Singles Match | Gunther defeated Matt Cardona via submission |
| United States Championship | Baron Corbin (c) defeated Carmelo Hayes via pinfall |
| WWE Tag Team Championship | MFT defeated R-Truth & Damian Priest and The War Raiders via pinfall (New Champions) |
| Women’s United States Championship | Jacy Jayne defeated Tiffany Stratton (c) via pinfall (New Champion) |
