WWE SmackDown 11/6/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," the show that, this time around, saw Kevin Owens and CM Punk tear each other apart in a No Holds Barred match! We have thoughts about that here in the column this week, to go along with our thoughts on the women's tag title match, the continued build toward Crown Jewel 2026, the feud between GUNTHER and Finn Balor, and more!

As always, if you missed the show, you should definitely be checking out our "WWE SmackDown" 11/6/26 live blog so you can catch up on everything that went down. If you want to know more about what the WINC crew thought of all the happenings on Friday night — or at least the ones that stood out to us the most, for better or worse — this column is the place to be! Here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 11/6/26 episode of "WWE SmackDown!"

Thanks to the magic of taped television, I knew about the results for the November 6 episode of "WWE SmackDown" ahead of watching it. Of all the spoilers I read, I noticed that the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match between the champions, B-Fab and Michin, and the challengers, Fatal Influence, lasted less than four minutes and ended in a no contest. I thought surely there would be a good explanation for that, and that the match wasn't that bad. I was right — it wasn't bad, it was terrible.

I have been bashing the booking of the women's division for a couple of weeks and I was hoping to change that here tonight, but the bashing continues because this whole thing was a waste of time. These four ladies do a bare bones tag team match for basically the entire bout before we get Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley coming out of the crowd to attack Jacy Jayne and Jade Cargill at ringside. There's nothing wrong with babyfaces getting their heat back, and if it stayed out of the ring it would have been fine, but then Bliss and Paxley got in the ring and just broke up the match by attacking both teams? Excuse me?

The only women's match on the entire show was an angle walking around pretending to be a title match, because it was after Bliss and Paxley couldn't outwork the six-on-two advantage where Charlotte Flair returned from injury after being taken out by Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab a few weeks earlier. Someone else who was attacked by Cargill and her pals was Bayley, who also showed up, and when the two group stared at each other to close out the segment, it fully hit me. This was an angle to build towards the women's War Games match at WWE Survivor Series 2026.

It was only right that with The Bloodline vs. 946 being built up on "WWE Raw," "SmackDown" had the task of building the women's match, but this entire segment just wasn't it. The two heel teams who now look like they are teaming together were opponents in a match that was bad even before it went nowhere. The babyfaces are still missing two people which means we're going to get more thrown together stuff, and the crowd didn't really care about it either way.

I am once again asking for WWE to book its women's division better (especially on "SmackDown"). Between the awful Chelsea Green/Liv Morgan feud and this wonky build to WarGames, it just feels like WWE have ran out of good ideas for what to do with the division.

Written by Sam Palmer

I'd love to see Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn beat World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel this weekend, and I think if more stars were going to travel to Riyadh, that could happen with 946 interference. Sadly, I don't think that's the case, but I'm really glad that Zayn is cutting some strong, excellent promos ahead of the match, which is what we saw tonight.

Zayn came out to open "SmackDown" after laying out Reigns with a Helluva Kick post-946 beatdown on "Raw." He didn't get to address the crowd for long before Jimmy Uso came out to confront him. I loved how Zayn told Uso he is still his "Honorary Uce" and family is forever, pretty much the opposite of what he told Reigns, and I especially liked that Zayn told him that in a different world, he'd absolutely be helping the Bloodline in the fight against Royce Keys' faction.

I also loved the switch after that line, where Zayn said that in this world, he's finally WWE Champion. When he said he thought that Uso would be the one to understand, I was ever-so-briefly confused, thinking he had him mixed up with Jey Uso, who once held the World Heavyweight title, but because Zayn is no dummy, of course it quickly made sense. He explained that it's always been Jimmy to pull the trigger before anyone else, doing what he needs to do, like when Zayn's time in the Bloodline had run its course and it was Uso to beat him down first after he betrayed Reigns. I really loved Zayn bringing up all that history, even if the Usos don't get involved in the match tomorrow, as it helped strengthen this story with Reigns without the champion even being present.

Zayn is completely right in saying he's doing what he needs to get the respect he deserves, and finally, he has that respect from Reigns. After Monday, he has Reigns' attention, 100 percent, according to Uso, and he's ready for the fight.

WWE is also balancing the Zayn/Reigns Crown Jewel match and the Bloodline's feud with 946 much better than I expected. Keys and 946 attacked Uso after this promo, and instead of helping his "Uce," Zayn just walked away. I'm not sure how the Zayn vs. Reigns feud would continue to play out following Crown Jewel, but this all adds to their history for the next time they face off, which is going to be fantastic.

Written by Daisy Ruth

I'll be the first to admit it was no surprise to see Damian Priest score a win against Nathan Frazer, as it makes sense for WWE to want to keep him looking strong whilst pushing him as a force to be reckoned with on "SmackDown." However, I was a little surprised by the manner in which WWE chose to have Priest ultimately be on the one to come out on top via referee stoppage.

Having Priest score the win over Frazer via pinfall would've been just as effective in order to position Priest as dominant and dangerous in a short little match between the pair. Frazer can easily afford the loss, and WWE still would've ended up with the same outcome in a manner that felt more straightforward and productive. WWE also has done multiple spots in multiple matches that feature stars going through announce desks or being pushed over announce desks in regular matches that just continue without any consequences afterwards, making this instance of referee stoppage feel even more silly for something that's a relatively common occurrence in the company. On the whole, there weren't any positives about this for me and it felt like the lowest point on an otherwise alright episode of "SmackDown."

Written by Olivia Quinlan

After the special Halloween return of "The Demon" Finn Balor last week to scare the s*** out of GUNTHER, this week was an opportunity for the "Ring General" to get back in a position of command. He sought to do that by calling Balor out, running him down in ways only GUNTHER can really say and be convincing.

Balor then came out and the inevitable brawl came to fruition, GUNTHER looking to reaffirm himself as the A-side in this feud. He had the better of Balor for the briefest of moments before the speed of his foil turned back to bite him, catching a slingblade and a shotgun dropkick before barely surviving a Coup de Grace.

It was a little thing but this segment continued to tell the story of Balor and GUNTHER to great effect. Balor donning the war-paint wasn't a metamorphosis into some abstract alter ego, it's a psychological trick as opposed to supernatural.

All it took was that little seed of doubt to be planted in GUNTHER's head; it's why he called out Balor as himself. It's why he fell victim when all was said and done. Because he overlooks Balor as himself. "The Demon" is just a lick of paint, but it creates an aura of infallibility that actually lurks with Balor himself. GUNTHER made the mistake of separating the characters, and Balor reminded him he may be of multiple mindsets but it's just the one body.

It's stuff like that which adds an extra element of excitement to their eventual contest. GUNTHER feels on the backfoot as it comes to mind games and build-up, but he undoubtedly holds the physical advantage and most would likely consider him the favorite to win. Yes, it does also help that these are two of the best workers on the planet, but this was a segment well done from where this writer stands, and "WWE SmackDown" could sure do with a lore more of that.

Written by Max Everett

All I want is to see is WWE Women's Champion Chelsea Green confident and thriving in her role as champion, and I feel like I have yet to see that following her victory at SummerSlam. Her Crown Jewel feud with Women's World Champion Liv Morgan is not for me, though I'll admit I'm extremely tired of Morgan's character overall. If Green doesn't win the Women's Crown Jewel Championship, after everything Morgan has said to her, it's going to be extremely frustrating.

I didn't like tonight's segment whatsoever. Green is a fantastic actress, but I'm not sure if it translated to the promo tonight. She was almost too quiet and meek, which would work for more dramatic role on any other primetime show, though I understand the point she was trying to get across.

Green questioned whether or not her name belongs amongst those that held the title before her, and while I understand she's not confident and questioning herself after weeks of Morgan being a mean girl, there was something about it that was way too much for me. I've ranted before about how I hate that WWE is making Green look like a weak champion, and that line really drove it home.

Just as she started to hype herself up, saying that she'll believe in herself and cement her place in WWE as a true champion with a victory over Morgan, of course, Morgan's music hit so she could tell Green more of the same about how much she thinks she sucks. I hated the fact "SmackDown" General Manager Nick Aldis told Green she had the floor, because Morgan had come into "their house" to insult her previously. Then, Morgan came out again anyway and Aldis just stood in the corner and let her rip into Green once again. The segment didn't even end in a beat down, just Morgan proclaiming she's the "greatest Women's World Champion of ALLLLLL TIME" and dropping the microphone.

Green desperately needs this victory tomorrow, especially after this promo where she questioned herself more than we've ever heard before. If Morgan walks away a two-time Women's Crown Jewel Champion, I'm not sure Green's character will be able to recover from the loss.

Written by Daisy Ruth

The main event of "SmackDown" was the next chapter in the feud between CM Punk and Kevin Owens. Punk defeated Owens in his hometown in August to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship. They crossed paths in the Money in the Bank Ladder match. Owens evened the score tonight when he picked up the victory in a No Holds Bar match.

It's no secret that these two men genuinely don't like each other and haven't for decades. They easily channeled it tonight and took out years of frustration on each other in the perfect setting for their anger and disdain. With the No Holds Barred stipulation, Owens and Punk took full advantage by brawling into the announce table, amongst the crowd, and both crashing through a pair of tables. Punk even sent Owens crashing into the side of the ring on a dolley.

Punk appeared to be on his way to another victory when he went for the GTS, but Owens connected with a chain wrapped punch to the jaw for the pin. The match lived up to the intensity that is promised. Despite their history, these two know how to make money and can at least tolerate one another long enough to cut scathing promos and beat the crap out of each other. I don't know how they follow that, but since they're 1-1, a rubber match is definitely coming. Perhaps they go for Last Man Standing, although I'd personally like to see a Dog Collar match.

Written by Samantha Schipman