Cody Rhodes, Gunther trade pointed words on ‘SmackDown’ before Clash in Italy

Cody Rhodes and Gunther faced off to end “Friday Night SmackDown”; the former will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against the latter at the Clash in Italy on Sunday.

Rhodes had a lot to be upset about. Gunther was forced into the championship match thanks to a favor owed to him by Paul Heyman. Gunther has since attacked Rhodes from behind multiple times in the last week. Gunther promised that the sneak attacks would end when he came out to address Rhodes.

Gunther pointed to Rhodes again.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. GET THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

“I’m pretty new to ‘SmackDown,’ but I realized pretty quickly that this show has to be all about you,” Gunther began. “And if it’s not about you, you find a way to make it about you. And it might not be your fault, Cody, because you’re just a product of the culture you grew up in, where selfishness, narcissism, and nepotism are rewarded. That puts you one step ahead of everyone else. And it’s fitting that your name is ‘American Nightmare’ because right now you’re the perfect symbol of the crumbling American dream.”

“I know what you’re thinking, maybe it’s low hanging fruit. But I’m talking about the concept of the American dream. They told me when I was a kid that if you wanted to maximize your life, you had to leave home, move to America, and through discipline, hard work, and sacrifice, you could achieve it all. That’s what I did. I deserved the position I was in. Whereas for you, everything was just a phone call away.”

Gunther covered Rhodes’ professional wrestling career and everything he did was just a phone call away. He said this made Rhodes “a bit of an entitled brat.” Gunther said that for him all this was unnecessary. He said his goal was to protect “this sacred sport” from people like him and that it was a “sign” for him.

Rhodes said Gunther was a “liar.”

“Yeah, because every kid dreams of being a pro wrestler and carrying the chip and not getting that much attention, right? You don’t want the attention that comes with carrying the WWE championship. You don’t want to be on the poster for the Clash in Italy. You don’t want to be in the featured match on prime time on ESPN. You don’t want the third-party appearance, the talk shows, the media, you don’t want the weight that comes with the WWE championship. The crowd that knows and signs every word of the song. Don’t you want that?

“I’ll tell you something; I know you want this. Otherwise, I’d be talking to a 330-pound version of you in front of a few hundred people at an independent show. But instead, I’ll be talking to the most refined, most dangerous, peak form of an athlete of your own creation.”

Rhodes said Gunther would “get this close” and find the worst thing he could find, which he was “desperately” searching for.

Reminding Gunther that he is “Easy to find but hard to beat”, “You’re not that good.”

Gunther said he has eliminated legends like Goldberg, AJ Styles and John Cena and Rhodes will be next on his list.

A Sami Zayn ‘lesson’

Sami Zayn wins his match during Friday Night Smackdown at the Olimpic Arena in Barcelona, ​​Spain on May 29, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

Sami Zayn left Cody Rhodes in the ring and was attacked by Gunther on “Friday Night SmackDown” last week. While Gunther kept Rhodes asleep, Zayn turned his back and walked down the ramp following his loss to the undisputed WWE champion.

Zayn called out Rhodes earlier in the night. Rhodes and Zayn met in the back. The “American Nightmare” said he had nothing to say to Zayn after last week.

“Maybe you should. Maybe you should start by saying you’re ‘sorry’. I didn’t mean for you to fight last week,” Zayn said. “I didn’t want to fight my friend. You wanted that fight. And yet, despite everything that’s happened between you and me, what did I do last week when Gunther stepped in and started choking you? I had your back. I looked after him. I did the right thing. I tried to help you. So how did you repay me? You stuck the Cross Rhodes into my back like a knife.”

Rhodes questioned Zayn’s feelings. He reminded Zayn that he was the one watching him drown.

“I wanted to help, Cody. Every instinct in me was saying, ‘Help him. Help him.’ I wanted to do it. Do you know why? Because I’m wired that way. I’m a good guy.” said Zayn. “It seems I’m the last real good guy here. And I did everything I could to not help you there. Do you know why I didn’t? Because as I watched your life fade away from your eyes, my instinct in that moment was to leave you there so you could learn a lesson.”

“I hope I can teach you a lesson too,” said the paralyzed Rhodes when he was done with Gunther.

Zayn continued his therapy session with Johnny Gargano. But Gargano was still catatonic. Matt Cardona interrupted the conversation and Zayn tried to show that Gargano was still disrespected. Zayn challenged Cardona to a match before the night was over.

Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley speak before Clash

Jade Cargill addresses the WWE Universe alongside B-Fab and Michin on Friday Night Smackdown from the Olimpic Arena in Barcelona, ​​Spain on May 29, 2026. (Joe Maher/WWE)

The crowd was excited for Rhea Ripley as Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab came to the ring to address their fans in Barcelona. Cargill reminded them that he was “one-on-one” and didn’t need their approval. “The future is now,” Michin said. Just as Cargill’s group was warming up, Ripley interrupted them.

Ripley and Cargill will face off for the WWE Women’s Championship at the Clash in Italy on Sunday, a week after Cargill defeated the champion in a six-man tag team match on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

“Jade, you come in here every week and try to assert your dominance by acting like 90% of your success isn’t because you use people to make yourself look better,” Ripley said. “And here’s the detail you keep forgetting: I beat you when it was just you and me in this ring. I beat you at WrestleMania, and I’m going to beat you again this Sunday. So you can continue to assert your self-proclaimed dominance, because when the match is over, you’ll be looking at your true champion.”

Cargill grinned as the crow gathered behind “Mami.”

“Do you realize how stupid you sound?” Cargill asked. “Do you really think this division revolves around you? No, these women you’re talking about are with me because they want some power and you’re so weak you have to work with women who don’t like you.”

Ripley didn’t come alone. As soon as Cargill mentioned Ripley’s friends, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss walked towards the ring. Flair told Cargill not to confuse his “deception” with ignorance. Bliss agreed that Cargill had the “ego of a legend” but against Bliss and Flair he had “the resume of a rookie.”

SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis arrived and called the match after fighting words were exchanged between Bliss and Cargill. While Cargill and Bliss continued to battle in the ring, the four women outside eventually got into a brawl. Bliss missed Twisted Bliss. Cargill hit Jaded and pinned Bliss for the win.

Cargill added another blow, sending Jaded hitting Bliss back into the chair. Ripley and Flair returned and chased Cargill before any more damage could be done.

CLICK HERE TO GET MORE SPORTS NEWS ON FOXNEWS.COM

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are one step closer to the match

Carmelo Hayes and United States Champion Trick Williams will face off during Friday Night Smackdown on May 29, 2026 at the Olimpic Arena in Barcelona, ​​Spain. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

Trick Williams has been on fire since he first joined the SmackDown roster a few months ago. He took advantage of every opportunity presented to him, including winning the United States title against Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 42.

Williams said there is no better superstar to prove that he is the future of professional wrestling. Declared himself a participant in the King of the Ring Tournament

As his legacy grew, he was haunted by ghosts from NXT’s past. As Carmelo Hayes continues to hover around Williams, it appears the duo have been on a collision course for some time. Hayes interrupted Williams’ speech immediately after making his decision.

Hayes said that King of the Ring was “grown-up work” and that he would deal with Williams after dealing with Ricky Saints. But Williams said Hayes was being “melodramatic” and suggested Hayes was making excuses.

When the two came nose to nose, Williams said, “If you grow an inch every time you make an excuse, then maybe… you can see Trick Williams face to face, eye to eye, man to man, and realize I’m better than you.”

The Saints came out and said no one wanted a “telenovela” and they wanted to see it. The Saints have said they will go after the U.S. championship once they are done with Hayes. Williams said the Saints made him “sick.” As the Saints fought back, Williams backhanded him. He said the winner between Hayes and the Saints would get the next title shot.

It would count in the Hayes and Saints games.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

SmackDown match results:

Jade Cargill Def. Alexa Happiness.

axiom definition Miz.

Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga def. Damian Priest and Royce Keys.

Sami Zayn Def. Matt Cardona.

Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints come into the double countout draw.

Chelsea Green Def. Nia Jax.