Sami Zayn retains after CM Punk attack on SmackDown; Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne win Money in the Bank qualifiers
On September 18 at the Hilliard Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, Sami Zayn retained the Undisputed title against Kevin Owens on Friday Night SmackDown after CM Punk struck Owens with the championship and then attacked Zayn. Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne each won Money in the Bank qualifying matches on the Blue brand that night.
The September 18 edition of SmackDown opened the Blue brand's first Money in the Bank qualifiers, with matches contested in both the men's and women's divisions. The show also featured the return of Cody Rhodes, who sat down with Michael Cole for an on-air interview. Sami Zayn entered the broadcast as the newly crowned Undisputed Champion and put the title on the line against Kevin Owens. The episode combined qualifying bouts, non-title segments and a championship defence on the same card.
In the men's Money in the Bank qualifying triple threat, Trick Williams defeated Randy Orton and Rey Fenix to secure a spot in the ladder match. On the women's side, Jacy Jayne defeated Jade Cargill and Alexa Bliss to advance to the women's Money in the Bank ladder match. These matches served as the first MITB qualifiers on SmackDown's Blue brand.
Sami Zayn retained the Undisputed title in the main event against Kevin Owens. As the match concluded, CM Punk appeared and struck Owens with the championship belt. Punk then laid out Zayn, with the post-match attack closing the broadcast.
Elsewhere on the show, BAKUSAI defeated MFT via disqualification following interference by HAKU. Despite the DQ finish, the MFTs were shown standing tall after the segment. That finish was one of several non-qualifying outcomes on the SmackDown card.
Cody Rhodes returned to SmackDown and spoke to Michael Cole during an interview segment. He said he was tired of the discussion around his morality, that he was proud of the success he's had in WWE, and that he had learned from his mistakes and was ready for whatever's next. Rhodes's appearance was among the program's promotional and interview moments between matches.
Other official outcomes from the episode included Trick Williams defeating Randy Orton and Rey Fenix in a MITB qualifier, Jacy Jayne defeating Jade Cargill and Alexa Bliss in a MITB qualifier, and BAKUSAI defeating MFT via disqualification; the show ended with CM Punk laying out both Owens and Zayn. These results concluded the September 18 SmackDown broadcast.
The 2026 Money in the Bank pay-per-view is scheduled for October 10, 2026, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the qualifiers from tonight — including Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne — are set to compete in the respective ladder matches on that date.