Drew McIntyre Drives SmackDown’s Royal Rumble Build with Four-Way Qualifiers
TL;DR
Drew McIntyre celebrated as WWE Champion on SmackDown in London, while four contenders secured a shot at the title at the Royal Rumble: Randy Orton defeated The Miz, Trick Williams beat Matt Cardona, Damian Priest toppled Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn defeated Ilja Dragunov. Carmelo Hayes retained the U.S. Championship against Leon Slater. The show also teased Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu for Saturday Night’s Main Event and set up additional Rumble-related moments, wrapping with Trick Williams’s post-match attack on Zayn.
- WWE Smackdown results (1/16): Powell's live review of new WWE Champion Drew McIntyre's appearance, qualifiers for the four-way for a title shot, Carmelo Hayes's U.S. Title open challenge Pro Wrestling Dot Net
- SmackDown preview, Jan. 16, 2026: New Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre returns to SmackDown WWE
- WWE SmackDown results, grades (Jan. 16): Cody Rhodes reveals next move; Carmelo Hayes and Leon Slater tear the house down Yahoo Sports
- WWE SmackDown Results (Jan. 16, 2026): Takeaways From London Forbes
- WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reactions and Highlights From Jan. 16 Bleacher Report
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