WWE SmackDown recap, reactions (Sept. 11, 2026): ¡Justicia para Sami!

Something about land south of the United States border just agrees with WWE in the TKO era. For most its time as WWE property, AAA’s been the best-booked brand in the company for a year. And when SmackDown came our way from Mexico City on Fri., Sept. 11, 2026, it gave us a fast-paced, enjoyable, eventful two hours of wrestling television. Here’s the internet’s best live blog for that, courtesy of the one and only Claire Elizabeth. Now to answer Randy Orton’s question, which he asked to mock the absent Cody Rhodes… let’s talk about Smackdown, and let’s start with the now-two-time WWE champion(!) Sami Zayn. The arc of the moral universe is long… Along with some gorgeous aerial shots of the Mexican capital, we opened with footage of then-champion CM Punk and then-challenger Zayn entering Arena CMDX. The next we saw Sami, he was nailing a backstage promo — as he pretty much always does, which is why he’s still in this spot. The scene was also important because Johnny Gargano and Candice L