WWE SmackDown 2/20/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved
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Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," the show that spent this week sending a pair of "WWE NXT" graduates to Elimination Chamber! We'll talk about one of those here in the column, along with Tama Tonga's win over Ilja Dragunov, Cody Rhodes' backstage confrontation with Sami Zayn, and much more!
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If you're wondering why we're not discussing Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson, or Tiffany Stratton vs. Alba Fyre (just to give two examples) it's because this show is three hours long and we can't cover everything — that's what our "SmackDown" results page is for. This column's subject material is reserved for matches and segments that moved us in some way, either positive or negative, as we continue to navigate the Road to WrestleMania. So without further ado, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about the 2/20/26 episode of "WWE SmackDown!"
Read more: WWE SmackDown Stars: Meet Their Wives & Girlfriends
Hated: MFTs win, but where do they go?
The MFTs on "WWE SmackDown" - WWEI have spent more time brainstorming creative ways to say "I don't care" than I have actually caring about the Wyatt Sicks and the MFTs' feud.
How long have these two factions been feuding? Weeks? Months? Maybe even years? Regardless, even as the MFTs attempted to turn a new leaf with Tama Tonga's match against Ilja Dragunov (and "attempted" is the operative word here; Solo Sikoa is still walking out with Uncle Howdy's iconic lamp), we still find ourselves in Wyatt Sicks/MFT purgatory. Aside from Sikoa stealing Howdy's lamp, nothing about this feud has changed people. Nothing about this feud has changed. The world of professional wrestling is supposed to be dynamic — the card is, famously, subject to change. How can a professional wrestling storyline remain so incredibly static?
First off, I applaud Tonga getting a win over Dragunov. I don't particularly love the call, but I can realize that it's because of my own Dragunov biases. Dragunov will be fine after this loss; in all honesty, Tonga stands to gain more from a win over Dragunov, rather than the other way around. Tonga is the one in more desperate need of a momentum push, which is exactly what a win over Dragunov would give him...if WWE actually moved his character, or any of the MFTs characters', forward, past their relationship with the Wyatt Sicks. I know that Ilja tried to jump the MFTs all on his own after the match, but let's be real: that's not leading to a feud, not if the ending vignette with the Wyatt Sicks says anything about it. Tonga got a momentum-building win, but with no trajectory for him to move towards, what good is a boost?
What good is a boost for any of these guys, MFT and Wyatt Sicks both, if they have nowhere to go? I don't care how cool you look walking to the ring with your arch nemesis' stolen lamp, or how creepy you are with a jumpscare at the end of your vignette. If you're doing the same thing, week in and week out, with no narrative progression other than a title change, I don't want to hear it. It sucks so bad, because the Wyatt Sicks and the MFTs are, on paper, good ideas. The Wyatt Sicks was the most anticipated stable in wrestling, and had the potential to be an incredible, living honor to the late Bray Wyat. The MFTs had the opportunity to be a dominant force on the blue brand, similar to Roman Reigns' original Bloodline. Instead, they're caught in this endless cycle of lukewarm conflict against each other. The narrative stagnation is choking them out like vines. Nothing changes. These men are wasted.
Written by Angeline Phu
Loved: Tama Tonga scores another significant win
Referee raising Tama Tonga's arm on "WWE SmackDown" - WWETama Tonga beat Ilja Dragunov this week and although it came with a heap of help from the MFT, it continues what appears to be a genuine effort to build him up as a credible singles competitor. That may turn out to mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, but for the wishcasting of this writer. However, with the spotlight came quite a uniquely fought bout between Tama and the "Mad Dragon."
No one could ever rightfully call a Dragunov match clean, with his entire attraction being the untempered violence he dishes out and endures. And Tama has very clearly packed a lot more meat onto his frame, while still seeming to move like he did when he was smaller. So everything had a little more weight behind it, everything had a little more ugliness, and personally that only added to the quality of the match.
This wasn't an instant classic between two technical magicians, but it was a fight and interference aside it served both competitors very well. It does put a little bit of a dampener on things that Tama needed help to get the win. The argument on the other hand would surely be that Dragunov needed protecting. But at the end of the day Tama got the win and continues to roll through former United States Champions, having beaten Shinsuke Nakamura earlier this month. And that seems to put him in the trajectory for challenging for singles gold.
I have long been a fan of Tama and while the creative behind MFT leaves much to be desired, it's just cool to see that he may be getting the opportunity to progress for himself. Guerillas of Destiny/Sons of Tonga had been a great act for well over a decade, mostly through Tama's doing, and one could argue he deserves his HBK moment. However that may come.
Written by Max Everett
Hated: A pointless promo
Jade Cargill speaks into a microphone while holding her title on "WWE SmackDown" - WWEIt's great to see Jade Cargill get some television time on this edition of "SmackDown", but if we're being honest, that television time wasn't really put to good use.
Cargill's promo felt incredibly basic, brief, and by the book. It was nothing more than Cargill essentially saying that she was ready for whoever her WrestleMania 42 opponent, whether it's Liv Morgan choosing to face her as the winner of the 2026 Women's Royal Rumble or the winner of the 2026 Women's Elimination Chamber Match. While it can be argued that this promo was used to set up some mystery intrigue as to who Cargill will face, I would say that's both a good thing and a bad thing. It does generate hype and excitement for the fans, but at the same time, it leaves a whole lot of questions and creates some confusion for me personally.
Cargill's staredown with Charlotte Flair on the entrance ramp did seem to be a bit of a tease and would indicate a potential meeting between them at WrestleMania 42, but at the same time, Flair lost her Triple Threat Elimination Chamber Qualifier to Kiana James which seems to rule out that possibility. It's always possible that Flair could turn on Bliss to cost her the match and maybe take over her place, but I'm not convinced that WWE would be willing to do something like that. Morgan has also been set up as another potential opponent for Cargill, but it seems more likely than not that she'll be picking Women's World Stephanie Vaquer given their recent heated confrontations on "Raw". WWE could also opt to have Tiffany Stratton win the 2026 Women's Elimination Chamber match to set up a WrestleMania rematch between Cargill, but that feels like a really boring and safe choice.
With so many potential opponents for Cargill and with so much uncertainty as to which route WWE will go for her WrestleMania 42 opponent, I can't help but get the feeling that perhaps WWE doesn't quite know which route they want to go down themselves. It feels so convoluted and murky as of this moment, although time will ultimately tell how things will play out.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Loved: Kiana James pins Charlotte Flair
Kiana James celebrates a big win on "WWE SmackDown" - WWEBy whatever metric you choose to measure the word success in professional wrestling, there is two things that matter when it comes to progressing one way or the other: matches and moments. You need to win the matches that matter most, and you only really get those matches when you start to prove yourself in the moments department.
So Kiana James getting the win over Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax, two well-established names, in a qualifying match for the Women's Elimination Chamber, gave a little of both in that respect. It is just a throw-away match on a Friday "WWE SmackDown" and it is hardly a sign that she is going to main event WrestleMania. But it is also a pin on Charlotte Flair, in a really inventive way too, that also saw her beat Nia Jax – a dominant former champion – to her first Elimination Chamber match.
That at the very least says the company has faith in James and gives her an opportunity to make a name for herself in the Chamber match on a PLE. And considering the depth – or lack thereof – of the current "SmackDown" women's division, that's certainly a good thing.
The match itself was pretty fun, with each participant offering something different; Flair was the quarterback veteran, Jax was the dominant force and anchor to the action, and James sneaked in where she could and that ultimately paid off. Flair had worked hard to get Jax in a position to beat her, only for James to leverage her submission into the winning pinfall.
That immediately casts James as a would-be dark horse in the upcoming Chamber match. She may not be the one getting the win and going to the "Show of Shows," but there is a strong chance that she gets a pin or two on some of the faves in the match.
Written by Max Everett
Hated: WWE is wasting five talented men
Nick Aldis, Fraxiom, Candice LeRae, and Johnny Gargano around a massive crate on "WWE SmackDown" - WWEWe're on the "Road to WrestleMania,", but it's mostly talk and no action. Superstars are mentioning it and commentary is pushing tickets, but the card is coming together at a snail's pace. One would think one of the matches they'd be building towards is a match for the men's tag titles. MFT only won them a few weeks ago, yet no one is challenging for them. In fact, none of the tag teams seem to even care about them. Instead, they are preoccupied by one half of a former tag team. (There's also one less tag team competing for the titles, but I digress.)
Wrestling storylines sometimes revolve around objects like a fan-made bracelet or a lantern. In the case of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, it was a mask belonging to Axiom. Since losing possession of it, Gargano has become depressed and taken up planking (or maybe it's because he regrets his life choices after seeing his former tag partner winning a title on his first night in a rival company). He is often laid out across a storage trunk or the box containing Danhausen or Chris Jericho or EVIL or the Gobbedley Gooker. LeRae is fed up that no one will help her husband. Gargano is depressed and you're laughing? Fraxiom and Motor City Machine Guns are. In their defense, Gargano has been a jerk to all four men and it's understandable.
The men's tag team division on "SmackDown" has been a mess for a while and the "Raw" division barely qualifies as a division. WWE is wasting one of the greatest tag teams of their generation in MCMG. Fraxiom is a great tag team that should be in the title picture. The problem is no tag teams are in the title picture because no one cares. Street Profits are wrestling house shows when they should've never been off TV. As a fan of tag team wrestling, it's frustrating that there's no effort (but WWE has long stopped caring about tag team wrestling). Last year, the tag title match was left off the WrestleMania card and there was a TLC match the following "SmackDown" that proved they deserved a 'Mania match. It seems we're heading towards another year where the titles are left off one of the biggest PLE's of the year.
Written by Samantha Schipman
Loved: Sami Zayn down, but not forgotten
Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn backstage on "WWE SmackDown" - WWEWith how easily WWE moves on from storylines and its characters, something we've sadly seen for Sami Zayn before, I really liked his backstage segment with Cody Rhodes, keeping him hot and at the forefront of fans' minds, especially during the busy WrestleMania season. This short backstage segment made me believe (or at least have hope) that Zayn isn't going to get lost in the shuffle, and on a pretty average episode of "SmackDown" tonight, it's one thing I really liked.
Zayn has been locked in some kind of mini-feud/rivalry with newcomer Trick Williams, which I've mentioned I really like a lot, but that wasn't the highlight of his story tonight. Sure, Williams got in his face there for a second after a brief crash-out following his interaction with Rhodes, but his confrontation with the former Undisputed WWE Champion was the highlight of this. And, it was something that needed to be addressed after Rhodes pinned Zayn in the Elimination Chamber qualifier last week. But, as we all know, it easily could have been something WWE chose to just never address again.
Rhodes appeared to be attempting to cheer Zayn up backstage, but after Rhodes being the one to dash his Chamber dreams last week, I really loved that Zayn wasn't having it. He wasn't all, "Aw, shucks, man, thanks," when Rhodes told him that he shouldn't be ashamed of himself. Zayn was quick to say that he knew that, and it was Rhodes who should be ashamed for stabbing him in the back. Zayn said everything always comes up roses for Rhodes, but for him? He's been trying to finish his story for 10 years, and Rhodes doesn't know what it's like to do the right thing.
That's when things really started getting heated, and Zayn still wasn't having any of it, and had his mini-crash out, slamming stuff around as Rhodes walked away. I didn't love how Zayn apologized to him after his words with Williams, but this was still one of the best things on the show tonight. I'm also not sure if I love Zayn possibly turning heel, but I don't really know if fans would let that work at this point.
I liked that this was simple and that we didn't see Zayn again for the rest of the night. He's involved with himself and his feelings and plans for the moment, and didn't need to get involved with Williams' qualifying match for the Elimination Chamber, or in the main event where McIntyre cost Randy Orton the match, which brought out Rhodes. This was clean, simple, and effective, and I'm glad WWE doesn't appear to be dropping anything for Zayn, at the moment, at least.
Written by Daisy Ruth
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