CM Punk and Kevin Owens face off, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, three-way tag title chaos, and two US championships

WWE SmackDown’s edition of Aug. 14, 2026, took place in Boston, Massachusetts. (Image via WWE)

WWE Friday Night SmackDown has completed another edition of its August 14, 2026, episode with face-offs and several new developments. The segments featured CM Punk and Kevin Owens’ face-off, who recently made a comeback to the wrestling ring after a long hiatus following his neck surgery. It witnessed a match between Ring General” Gunther vs. Matt Cardona w/ Interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green. A Three-way title tag chaos among Damian Priest and R-Truth vs The War Raiders vs The MFT in a Triple Threat Tag Team match for the WWE Tag Team Championships.The SmackDown also featured a segment on two US Champions. The Singles match for the WWE United States Championship was fought between Baron Corbin and Carmelo Hayes, while Tiffany Stratton and Jacy Jayne had another segment for their Women’s United States Championship. It is to be noted that the matches took place in Boston, Massachusetts. Let’s take a look at the results and highlights of the exciting SmackDown matches.

Match results at a glance

Gunther vs. Matt Cardona with Interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green

The segment begins with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announcing that WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green broke her orbital bone last week on SmackDown after facing Jacy Jayne. After talking with medical, he has decided to end her championship reign, however, Nick Aldis ultimately gave her 30 days to recover and defend the championship. The Ring General enters the conversation, mocks Green’s accomplishment, and has an altercation with Nick Aldis, too. This mocking prompted Cardona, Chelsea Green’s husband, to confront him. Cardona attacked Gunther, leading to their impromptu match on the show. Cardona showed early defense and a low blow that almost secured his victory, but Gunther’s two powerbombs forced Cardona to submit to a Boston Crab.

WWE United States Championship Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin

Carmelo Hayes, WWE United States Champion, and Baron Corbin had a face-off at the SmackDown edition of August 14, 2026. The segment opened with Carmelo Hayes and Baron Corbin delivering a hard-hitting opening exchange. In the match, it could be seen that Hayes attacked Corbin before the bell, taking advantage of his entrance and immediately gaining momentum. Next, using his speed and agility, Hayes landed some dropkicks and a diving clothesline on Corbin, but the latter quickly kicked out.Hayes continued his assault, attempting another strike and later diving from the top rope. However, Corbin caught him and briefly regained his control. Hayes fought back, knocking Corbin outside of the ring and following up with a diving leg drop that drove Corbin’s head into the canvas.Hayes then attempted to hit the first 48, but Corbin countered the attack into a powerbomb and sent Hayes out of the ring. Corbin later pushed Hayes into the barricade and smashed his head against the ring post before throwing him into the timekeeper’s area. Corbin returned to the ring and declared himself the winner of the Championship.

CM Punk and Kevin Owens get personal

CM Punk and Kevin Owens had a heated altercation ahead of their first-ever WWE Championship match next week on SmackDown, reminding their issues date back nearly 20 years, when they were both competing on the independent wrestling scene. Kevin Owens, who has recently returned to the wrestling ring, claimed that due to Punk’s behavior, he could not respect him. Punk mocked Owens for still bringing up past references.Punk dismissed Owens’ grievances and mocked him for holding onto the past. He questioned whether Owens would have achieved the same success if Punk had remained active during those years.Owens also responded by highlighting his accomplishments, including winning the Universal Championship and main-eventing WrestleMania against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The confrontation grew personal, with both men attacking each other’s career accomplishments, personalities, and failures. This marks a development for their upcoming match at the WWE Championship in Toronto.

Damian Priest and R-Truth vs The War Raiders vs The MFT in a Triple Threat Tag Team

In the WWE tag team match, The MFTs, Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga, captured the WWE Tag Team Championship against the reigning champions, Damian Priest and R-Truth, and the War Raiders. All three teams had a heavy exchange of moves, with Priest and R-Truth, the War Raiders, and the MFTs battling around the ring. The War Raiders nearly secured the victory with a power slam, but Talla Tonga managed to turn the situation also showed his strength. However, later, Priest was driven to the barricade by one of his opponents, and R-Truth attempted a comeback. But Tama Tonga countered his Attitude Adjustment move. The MFTs then hit the Brother’s Keeper to pin R-Truth and ultimately won the title.

“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Cody Rhodes’ match against Randy Orton was never planned. However, things turned after Randy Orton launched a surprise attack on The American Nightmare from behind, as the segment started with Sami Zayn’s entry. He threw him onto the apron before delivering a draping DDT. When Orton attempted an RKO, Rhodes countered and tried to hit a Cross Rhodes, but Orton escaped by raking his face.The match then intensified, driving Rhodes into the steel steps and smashing the steps into his face, while Sami Zayn looked and complained to the referee, Charles Robinson. Rhodes fought back, throwing a drink in Orton’s face before the two exchanged blows through the crowd.He then slammed Randy Orton into a barricade and struck him with a garbage can, but Orton could quickly regain his momentum and blow Rhodes with kicks and uppercuts. Rhodes then suffered a nasty bruise on his back, and Orton continued to attack him.The confrontation became increasingly violent, with Orton even chopping a stretcher during the chaos. The segment further escalated the bitter rivalry between the two former allies, forming Orton’s actions at SummerSlam.