Last time in action: Bliss and Flair vs. Ripley and Sky ended in a no contest (Raw, Dec. 1), Jax and Legend defeated Kabuki Warriors (SD, Dec. 15) The first match of the night was the big eight-woman tag match with Ripley, Sky, Bliss and Flair taking on Asuka, Kairi Sane, Jax and Legend.

The first SmackDown of 2026 is also the first three-hour episode. Here's the full card, start time, and how to watch from Buffalo on USA Network.

SmackDown goes 3 hours from Buffalo. Priest vs Black Ambulance Match, Giulia vs Green for US Title, Rhodes-McIntyre reveal Three Stages of Hell stipulations.

SmackDown's first show of 2026 kicked off with a bang as the blue brand returned to three hours, but which match was the best on the card?

WWE SmackDown returns to three hours for its first broadcast of the year on January 2, 2026. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre set the stipulations for Three Stages of Hell.

At last year's SummerSlam, Seth Rollins made his surprise return to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on CM Punk. WWE: Unreal takes fans behind the scenes of that shocking moment and more.

On the first Friday of 2026, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 1/2/26 episode of "WWE SmackDown!"