The SmackDown brand kicked off 2026 in a big way as Randy Orton returned at the top of the show and Zack Ryder also returned as Matt Cardona. Sami Zayn also made his first appearance on SmackDown since November and he was interrupted by Trick Williams.
Sami talked about how he got to sit in the front row and watch John Cena’s final match with his son. He said that his son asked him why they call John Cena the never seen seventeen, and he told his son that it’s because Cena won the world championship seventeen times. His son then asked him how many times he’s won the world championship, and he had to tell him zero.
Zayn said he has pictures of his son with the title belts he’s won such as the United States Championship, Intercontinental Championship, Tag Team Championship, but one is missing. He got fired up as he declared that 2026 is the year he wins the WWE Championship.
Trick Williams’ music hit and the former NXT Champion came out to a big reaction from the fans in Buffalo. Williams said that Nick Aldis called him up and told him SmackDown needs him. Sami tried to speak up, but Trick cut him off and told Sami he wasn’t done talking. Trick told Sami that he’s here to become world champion, and they’re not the same, because it’s not going to take him twenty years to get opportunities.
Sami told Trick that he has no problem teaching him a lesson, and he has no problem teaching him how to be humbled. Zayn put the mic on Trick’s chest then dropped it and walked out.
Later in the show Trick got into an altercation with Rey Fenix backstage and Nick Aldis announced that Trick will make his in-ring debut for SmackDown when he faces Rey Fenix on next week’s episode.
WHOOP THAT TRICK 🙌@_trickwilliams is HERE! pic.twitter.com/j0CkFtOz1b
— WWE (@WWE) January 3, 2026