WWE Friday Night SmackDown Preview – May 22, 2026
WWE SmackDown 5/20/26
Confirmed Match: Talla Tonga vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
(The Side Quest Finally Becomes Mandatory)
This one’s been quietly brewing like optional DLC you keep skipping… until now.
Shinsuke Nakamura has been in Tama Tonga’s ear for weeks, hitting him with that disappointed mentor energy from their NJPW days: “You used to be a champion. Now you’re just riding with Solo?”
He’s planting seeds that Tama doesn’t need the MFT crew and can’t even fully trust his own family. Every time Nakamura talks, Talla Tonga (Tama’s massive big brother and Solo’s enforcer) shuts it down — warnings turned into shoves, shoves turned into a brutal chokeslam through a table/crate last week.
Friday night the protective brother finally gets his hands on the outsider. Will Talla smash the meddling and keep the Tongan family locked tight? Or does Nakamura survive long enough to crack the group wide open?
Expected Segments & Appearances
The building is stacked with talent:
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes
Gunther
WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss
Jade Cargill
Randy Orton
Drew McIntyre
United States Champion Trick Williams
Sami Zayn
Solo Sikoa
Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella & Paige
And more!
Expect heavy fallout from last week, promos building to SNME, and likely another match or two added before showtime. This is prime real estate for teases around the big six-woman tag, Cody/Gunther tension, and whatever chaos Solo’s crew has cooking.
Card subject to change — WWE loves dropping fresh news Thursday/Friday morning.
SmackDown Predictions
Talla Tonga defeats Shinsuke Nakamura
Tiffany Stratton WWE Women's US Title Open Challenge: Tiffany Stratton defeats Jacy Jayne
Backstage: Candice LeRae tries to check on Johnny Gargano but Rhea Ripley carries Candice away.
Charlotte Flair defeats Fallon Henley
Main Event: Trick Williams defeats The Miz
WWE SmackDown is one of WWE's flagship weekly programs, showcasing the biggest Superstars on the SmackDown brand in explosive matches, heated rivalries, intense promos, and major storyline advancements that shape the future of WWE.
It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network (in the US), with episodes also available on demand shortly after the live broadcast on Peacock (in the US) and on WWE Network or Netflix internationally (depending on the region).
