WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From Danhausen's Very Nice, Very Evil Show

Danhausen appropriately hosted a Halloween Eve edition of WWE SmackDown, live from Charleston, West Virginia, headlined by Sami Zayn defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against United States Champion Trick Williams.

What went down in the high-stakes main event? What did the very nice, very evil host have in store for the rest of the SmackDown brand?

Find out in this recap of the October 30 broadcast.

Announced in advance of Friday's show were:

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn (c)

WWE Women's Championship Match: Chelsea Green (c) vs. Nikki Bella

AAA Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rey Fenix (c) vs. Ricky Saints

Last Time in Action: Cody Rhodes defeated Baron Corbin via DQ (SmackDown, October 16)

After a Halloween-themed opening to the show featuring Danhausen, The American Nightmare took to the squared circle to kick things off.

Cody Rhodes apologized to Randy Orton's family for having to keep his promise to punt him in the face the next time he gets the chance.

He showed off the picture of his face after WrestleMania 42, where he nearly lost his eye and left Las Vegas a bloody mess, despite beating The Viper in their WWE Championship Match at that show.

A fired-up wrapped up his Crown Jewel hype promo, eight days before his Last Man Standing Match against his former mentor in short, sweet fashion.

This was a perfect opening promo. It was short and sweet promo that laid out the story and gave fans an idea of what to expect from Rhodes, who upped the ante by introducing Orton's family into the picture, much as his rival had done his.

This was the first time in weeks where the crowd seemed to be at least a little split on Rhodes. It will be interesting to see, if he is pushed over the edge, if that grows.

WWE Women's Championship Match: Chelsea Green vs. Nikki Bella

Last Time in Action: Chelsea Green defeated Roxanne Perez (SmackDown, October 23); Nikki Bella lost to Paige (SmackDown, October 16)

It was a case of Single White Female as Chelsea Green entered the arena dressed like her challenger, one final mind game before the bell rang.

Bella dominated entering the break but after, the champion mounted a comeback. The challenger stunted that with a big dropkick that netted her a two-count. Looking to match her mockery, Bella attempted a Broski Boot (ala Green's husband, Matt Cardona) but missed. Green responded with a Rough Ryder for a near-fall.

She survived the Fearless Lock and the Rack Attack, then caught Bella with a small package for the victory from nowhere.

After the match, Women's World Champion Liv Morgan, Green's opponent at Crown Jewel, appeared and called herself a real champion.

Tiffany Stratton appeared and teased a cash-in but was ambushed by Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. Iyo Sky made the save, clearing the ring of the Judgment Day before checking on her fellow babyfaces.

The match was limited in time by the commercial break and everything that followed it was nearly a carbon copy of the same Judgment Day beatdown and Iyo Sky save that we have seen multiple times in recent weeks.

Stratton was badly nursing her left knee at one point during the beatdown.

Backstage, Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn cut a passionate promo on Roman Reigns. His contributions to the Crown Jewel rivalry have carried the program.

AAA Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rey Fenix vs. Ricky Saints

Last Time In Action: Rey Fenix defeated Jack Cartwheel, Kento, and Laredo Kid (AAA Heroes Inmortales 2026, October 24); Ricky Saints, Sami Zayn, and Johnny Gargano lost to Fenix, Penta, and Trick Williams (SmackDown, October 23)

Saints sought to end Fenix's run of successful title defenses Friday on SmackDown, going as far as to target the mask of his opponent while he controlled the pace of the bout.

Fenix fought back and rocked Absolute with a kick, but could not put him away. Saints answered with a Death Valley Driver but also netted just a two-count as chants of "this is awesome" rained down from the stands.

Late in the match, Saints looked for the Revolution but Fenix fought out. With the challenger on the top rope, Fenix tried a hurricanrana but was shoved to the mat. He rebounded quickly, delivered the Mexican Muscle Buster, and scored the win.

Fenix defeated Saints to retain the title

Backstage, Paige and Blake Monroe kicked off their rivalry with a verbal exchange that interrupted a Cathy Kelley interview with the latter.

This was the best Saints has looked outside of his series with Carmelo Hayes. SmackDown could benefit from more of his work.

Fenix finally looks comfortable and has momentum on his side. Like Chad Gable over on Raw, he has become the workhorse of the blue brand and can be counted on to deliver more weeks than not.

Last Time in Action: Tatum Paxley and Alexa Bliss lost to B-Fab and Michin (SmackDown, October 23); Jade Cargill lost to Jacy Jayne and Bliss (SmackDown, September 18)

Jade Cargill attempted to make Tatum Paxley an even sadder clown Friday night when the two squared off, the result of the former's cheap shot on the latter that cost her and Alexa Bliss the Women's Tag Team Championship.

A big knee by Cargill to Paxley's face stunned her, entering the commercial break as the Poison Ivy-costumed villain seized control.

During the break, Cargill dominated, trapping Paxley in a Boston Crab. The babyface fought back as the show returned to the air. She fired up, rocked her opponent with a pair of forearms and a step-up enzuigiri.

Late in the match, Michin and B-Fab made their presence felt at ringside, providing a distraction that allowed Cargill to recover and deliver a pumpkick for the win.

At least this repetitive, distraction-filled finale made sense within the context of the story being told. Michin and B-Fab benefited from Cargill inserting herself into last week's match and they repaid the favor here.

Why beat Paxley so much all of the sudden? She was garnering good reactions and had made a positive impact early in her run. Unless the goal is to put the title back on her and Bliss, this feels like an unnecessary cool down.

After months of backstage experiments, Danhausen made like Re-Animator and debuted his latest creation.

Gunther attacked him from behind, punishing the face-painted horror host before the minihausens made the save. The Ring General brutalized them, driving them through a pair of tables.

He put down Danhausen with a sleeper, but not before the babyface could issue a curse that was revealed to be The Demon, Finn Balor.

The crowd erupted for Balor, who unleashed a pair of kicks and no-sold a chop from Gunther before driving the former world champion through another table.

Balor ended the beatdown with a Coup de Grace from the top of a ladder to Gunther and through the announcer's table.

Backstage, Fraxiom interrupted an interview by Cathy Kelley with Damian Priest. Nathan Frazer talked his way into a match with The Archer of Infamy, to which Priest warned that if he brutalized Truth and he likes him, imagine what he will do to either of them.

Gunther, for the first time in his career, displayed a genuine look of fear as The Demon entered the ring and that did more to put over this incarnation of the former Universal Champion than any win ever could.

Did this feud necessarily warrant The Demon? Not really, but if there is any way to convince fans that Balor stands a chance against the Career Killer, having him break out his mostly unbeatable alter-ego is a great way to do it. That the segment was great and Gunther sold the moment perfectly only helped.

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn

Last Time In Action: Trick Williams, Penta, and Rey Fenix defeated Sami Zayn, Johnny Gargano, and Ricky Saints (SmackDown, October 23) ; Zayn defeated Je'Von Evans (Raw, October 26)

Like Michael Myers every Halloween, the rivalry between Sami Zayn and Trick Williams was resurrected for the main event of Friday's broadcast.

Zayn controlled during the commercial break, looking to prove his assertions correct that Williams was not ready to be the top guy on Friday nights; that he does not have the required "it" to be the WWE champ.

Williams fought back, stomping Zayn in the corner. The heel hung him up on the ropes to thwart his comeback, but the United States Champion rocked him with a jumping knee.

Zayn recovered and sought a Helluva Kick, but Williams cut him off. Johnny Gargano tried to interfere, but Lil Yachty countered him. Candice LeRae threw the WWE title to Zayn, but Williams delivered the Book End, only for Gargano to pull referee Charles Robinson to the floor and draw a disqualification.

Or so it appeared. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis appeared and made the match No Disqualification, but not before escorting the outside parties out of the arena.

Zayn attacked Williams with a kendo stick emerging from the break, only for the challenger to deliver a neck breaker. He rocked Zayn with a big kick but could not keep him down for the win and the title.

The champion recovered and delivered a Blue Thunder Bomb on a pile of steel chairs, but still only netted a two-count. Williams recovered and delivered a Trick Shot, but Zayn survived.

The so-called Last Real Good Guy used Robinson as a shield, delivered a low blow, and blasted his opponent with a championship shot to the face for the win.

The match was good enough without the need for the GM restart and No DQ gimmick. Considering Zayn cheated to win anyway, why not just continue the story of him manipulating Gargano and LeRae into helping him?

Williams will be just fine, but the United States Championship definitely takes a blow with the loss here. Based on Damian Priest's disgust over his championship opportunity, could a feud between him and Trick be up next?

Finn Balor's return as The Demon was amazing and easily the single most memorable moment of this show. With that said, it was enhanced significantly by Gunther's facial expressions and sell job. He displayed fear and made the fans at home recognize the dire situation that he found himself in.

Has his recent usage been great? No, but Gunther at his best is special.

There was some fun stuff here, including the main event and the aforementioned notable segment. Cody Rhodes delivered a pinpoint promo that did not overstay its welcome, and Fenix vs. Ricky Starks had the best in-ring performances of the week.

Still, it felt very much like a placeholder show ahead of next week's go-home edition before Crown Jewel, and the two women's segments felt oddly familiar, at least if you have been paying attention in recent weeks, and both of those knocks prevent land it squarely in "B" territory.