In the ancient theater of professional wrestling, where loyalty is currency and betrayal is the sharpest weapon, WWE SmackDown unfolded in Tempe, Arizona on October 24th as a night of shifting allegiances and settled scores. Jade Cargill's sudden turn against her own ally Tiffany Stratton reminded audiences that in this world, the most dangerous blow often comes from the hand you trusted most. Drew McIntyre, driven by his feud with Cody Rhodes, dismantled Jimmy Uso in a violent extreme rules contest before standing over the fallen champion himself — a closing image that spoke less to victory t
WWE SmackDown: Jade Cargill Turns Heel as McIntyre Defeats Uso in Extreme Rules Match
Cargill clotheslined the champion and unleashed a vicious assault
Mark
Why does Jade Cargill's turn matter so much? She was just doing what a good ally does—saving someone.
Mimi
Because she was supposed to be the loyal enforcer. The moment she helped Stratton up, the crowd expected her to stand there. Instead, she became the threat. That's the whole point of a heel turn—it rewrites the relationship.
Mark
And the crowd was mixed on it?
Mimi
Yes. Some people booed because they liked her as a face. But others cheered because they saw something dangerous. That's actually the sign it worked. She's no longer predictable.
Mark
What about McIntyre and Cody? They keep fighting.
Mimi
They're building toward something bigger. McIntyre keeps inserting himself into Cody's business, and now he's made it personal by attacking the champion. Cody can't ignore that.
Mark
The Dragunov match felt complicated.
Mimi
It did. Dragunov's got the fire and the passion, but the crowd didn't fully connect with him. Then Priest showed up with a real injury, a real grudge, and suddenly the match had stakes beyond the title.
Mark
So what's next?
Mimi
Cargill's got the women's division in chaos. McIntyre's got Cody's attention. And Priest, Black, and Dragunov are all tangled up now. The show planted seeds everywhere.
The Pulse
- Jade Cargill's heel turn shattered the women's division's alliance structure in an instant, leaving Tiffany Stratton — moments after being rescued — crumpled on the mat by the very hands that lifted her.
- The crowd's divided reaction to Cargill's betrayal captured the moral ambiguity at the heart of the moment: some booed the treachery, others cheered the audacity, and no one quite knew how to feel.
- Drew McIntyre and Jimmy Uso tore through the arena and into the crowd, turning the entire building into a battlefield in a match that was less a contest than a statement of intent.
- Ilja Dragunov's US Championship defense against Aleister Black descended into chaos as Damian Priest arrived bearing the wounds of a previous attack, his presence alone enough to tip the scales.
- The show closed with Cody Rhodes flat on his back after a second Claymore Kick from McIntyre — a deliberate, humiliating punctuation mark that reframed the entire evening as prologue to a larger war.
In the ancient theater of professional wrestling, where loyalty is currency and betrayal is the sharpest weapon, WWE SmackDown unfolded in Tempe, Arizona on October 24th as a night of shifting allegiances and settled scores. Jade Cargill's sudden turn against her own ally Tiffany Stratton reminded audiences that in this world, the most dangerous blow often comes from the hand you trusted most. Drew McIntyre, driven by his feud with Cody Rhodes, dismantled Jimmy Uso in a violent extreme rules contest before standing over the fallen champion himself — a closing image that spoke less to victory than to the relentless hunger for dominance that defines this particular human drama.
WWE SmackDown drew 1.18 million viewers on October 24th from Tempe, Arizona, delivering a night defined by sudden betrayals and escalating violence across its major storylines.
The evening began with Drew McIntyre provoking Jimmy Uso by directing insults at Uso's wife Naomi, drawing Uso into the ring and pulling Solo Sikoa and the Judgment Day Faction into an opening tag match alongside Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Fenix. Despite Fenix's crowd support and high-flying brilliance — a style that made him a legend in Mexico — the numbers disadvantage proved insurmountable, and the Judgment Day Faction won out.
The women's division produced the night's most talked-about moment. Tiffany Stratton defeated Kiana James in a competitive match, but the real drama arrived afterward when Giulia joined James in a post-match attack on the champion. Jade Cargill ran down to intervene, clearing both attackers and helping Stratton to her feet — before suddenly clotheslining her and delivering a brutal assault. Cargill posed with the women's title as the segment ended, her transformation from ally to antagonist unmistakable and complete.
Ilja Dragunov answered an open challenge from Aleister Black in a US Championship match that earned genuine crowd enthusiasm, with both men trading near-falls and high-impact offense. The match unraveled when Damian Priest appeared at ringside, still visibly marked from a previous fireball attack by Black. The distraction gave Dragunov the opening he needed to hit the H-Bomb and retain. Priest then attacked Black with chairs, only for Black's manager Zelina Vega to target Priest's injured eye, allowing the Black family to escape into the crowd and leaving the feud's next chapter unresolved.
The main event was a brawl from the first moment, with McIntyre attacking Uso during his entrance and the two fighting through the crowd before returning to the ring. Tables and chairs defined the contest — Uso hit a Samoan Drop through a table, but McIntyre answered with a chair shot and a Claymore Kick to take the win. Cody Rhodes rushed down to confront McIntyre, only to be met with a second Claymore Kick that left the WWE champion on his back as the broadcast ended — a closing image that felt less like a conclusion than a declaration of war.
WWE SmackDown pulled 1.18 million viewers on October 24th from Tempe, Arizona, with the show centered on two major storyline turns: Jade Cargill's sudden betrayal of her ally Tiffany Stratton, and Drew McIntyre's brutal victory over Jimmy Uso in an extreme rules match that left the WWE champion on his back.
The evening opened with the tension that had been building between Cody Rhodes and McIntyre boiling over once again. Rhodes appeared in his trademark trench coat, and when McIntyre began directing insults at Jimmy Uso's wife Naomi, Uso rushed the ring to defend her honor. This brought Solo Sikoa and the Judgment Day Faction into the fray, setting the stage for the night's opening match between those four and Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Fenix. The Judgment Day Faction's numbers advantage proved decisive, with Fenix's high-flying offense unable to overcome the four-on-two disadvantage. The crowd had been behind Fenix early, chanting his name as he displayed the technical mastery that made him a legend in Mexico, but the numbers game wore him down.
The women's championship picture shifted dramatically when Tiffany Stratton defeated Kiana James in a competitive bout. James, who had spent most of her time on the main roster in a managerial capacity, held her own in the ring. But the real story came after the final bell. Giulia rushed out and joined James in attacking Stratton, leaving the champion vulnerable. Jade Cargill sprinted down to make the save, clearing both attackers from the ring and helping Stratton to her feet. Then, without warning, Cargill clotheslined the champion and unleashed a vicious assault. The crowd's reaction was split—some booed the betrayal, others cheered—but Cargill's transformation from ally to enemy was unmistakable. She posed with the women's title as the segment ended, her heel turn complete.
Ilja Dragunov's open challenge for the United States Championship drew Aleister Black and his manager Zelina Vega. The crowd warmed to the match as it progressed, chanting "This is awesome!" as both men traded near-falls and high-impact offense. Black hit a hurricanrana on the outside, and Dragunov responded with the Torpedo Moscow, though he injured himself in the process. Vega's involvement drew a referee's ejection that got a huge pop. But Damian Priest's arrival changed everything. Priest appeared at ringside with a visible wound over his eye from a previous encounter with Black's fireball attack. The distraction allowed Dragunov to hit the H-Bomb on Black and retain his title. After the match, Priest attacked Black with chairs, only to have Vega turn the tables by targeting his injured eye. The Black family escaped through the crowd, leaving the door open for a larger confrontation.
The main event between McIntyre and Uso was a brawl from the opening bell. McIntyre attacked Uso during his entrance, and the two fought into the crowd before returning to the ring, where McIntyre produced a table. Uso grabbed a fan's hand to help him leap the barricade for a dive, though the momentary hesitation cost him as McIntyre recovered. The match became a series of brutal chair shots and table spots. Uso hit a Whisper in the Wind from the top rope and a Samoan Drop through the table, but McIntyre's Future Shock and a chair shot to Uso mid-Splash turned the tide. McIntyre finished with a Claymore Kick. Cody Rhodes ran down to confront McIntyre, but the Scottish wrestler returned and leveled the WWE champion with another Claymore Kick to close the show, leaving Rhodes on his back as the broadcast ended.
Notable Quotes
Dragunov cut an emphatic promo about how he was going to continue the tradition of the United States Open Challenge— Ilja Dragunov
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