WWE SmackDown Results (November 13, 2026): Gunther Beats Finn Bálor, Stephanie Vaquer Returns, Women's WarGames Challenge

Gunther finally got his hands on Finn Bálor, and he did it the dirty way. Here is everything that happened on the November 13, 2026, episode of SmackDown from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, the first SmackDown after Crown Jewel and two weeks before Survivor Series: WarGames.

SmackDown results (November 13, 2026)

• WWE Tag Team Championship: The MFTs (Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga) (c) vs. Bakusai (Shinsuke Nakamura & Kyoki) ended in a no contest
• Damian Priest def. Axiom
• Charlotte Flair def. Jacy Jayne (non-title)
• Gunther def. Finn Bálor

John Cena invites Charlotte Flair to the John Cena Classic

John Cena opened the show and named his next entrant for the John Cena Classic on December 14: Charlotte Flair. The two shared an emotional moment in the ring, and both said they plan to win it. Later, backstage, Fatal Influence questioned why Flair got the invitation, and Cena answered by inviting all three of them, Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid.

Our take: Flair is the right pick for a tournament built around Cena's legacy. Between them they hold 31 world and women's championships, and the moment felt sincere rather than staged. Adding all of Fatal Influence in a quick backstage scene was less convincing. It filled three spots at once, but it made the invitations feel less special than they did on Raw and NXT. The field now stands at nine: Cody Rhodes, Zilla Fatu, Noam Dar, Romeo Moreno, Kelani Jordan, Flair, Jayne, Henley and Reid. See our John Cena Classic lineup and how the Classic works.

The War Raiders wreck the Tag Team Championship match

The MFTs defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against Bakusai, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki, the team that desecrated Haku's Tongan Staff last month. Nakamura was about to get the pin when Erik and Ivar of The War Raiders stormed the ring, causing a no contest, and then laid out both teams.

Our take: the match was building well, and Nakamura looked a few seconds away from a title win, which made the interruption feel like a real swerve. The War Raiders were part of the triple threat when The MFTs won the titles in August, so they have a fair claim. But a no contest in a title match on the first show after a PLE is a frustrating way to end the night's first match, and the tag division now has three teams fighting over one title with no clear next step.

Damian Priest beats Axiom

Damian Priest kept his run going. Axiom threw everything at him with fast, high-risk offence, but Priest caught him with a Razor's Edge for the win. When Nathan Frazer came in after the bell to check on his partner, Priest dropped him too with South of Heaven.

Our take: two weeks, two members of the same team flattened. Priest is being booked as a force, and the crowd is with him. The next step needs to be a name above Frazer and Axiom.

Kevin Owens confronts Sami Zayn

Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn came out with Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, and Kevin Owens interrupted straight away. Fresh from beating CM Punk last week, Owens said he believed Zayn was the greatest of all time, but that he still had to beat him for the title. Gargano got in the way and attacked Owens from behind, and Owens answered with a Stunner. Owens left Zayn with a warning that his reign is on borrowed time.

Our take: the best talking segment of the night. Owens and Zayn have more than 20 years of history together, and Owens playing it as respect mixed with menace was the right tone. Gargano taking the Stunner was a smart way to show Owens means it without having him touch Zayn yet.

Rey Fénix joins Team Mexico

Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes spoke with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis earlier in the night. Later, Mysterio told Rhodes and CM Punk that Rey Fénix is the newest member of Team Mexico for the Survivor Series match against Team USA on November 28. Read our Team USA vs. Team Mexico breakdown.

Our take: Fénix is the AAA World Cruiserweight Champion, a title he now defends on every WWE brand, so this is a real addition, not a filler name. Team Mexico now looks like a team that can match Team USA in the ring.

Stephanie Vaquer returns as Charlotte Flair beats Jacy Jayne

Flair's non-title match with Women's United States Champion Jacy Jayne turned into chaos. Flair had Alexa Bliss, Tatum Paxley and Bayley in her corner, and Jayne had Jade Cargill, Fallon Henley, Lainey Reid, Michin and B-Fab. In the middle of the brawl, Stephanie Vaquer made her return to WWE TV, her first appearance since Money in the Bank, and the distraction helped Flair get the win.

After the match, Vaquer stood in the ring with Flair, Alexa Bliss, Tatum Paxley and Bayley, and they challenged Jade Cargill, Fatal Influence, Michin and B-Fab to a WarGames match at Survivor Series. WWE has not yet made it official.

Our take: this was the right place for Vaquer's return. She comes back into the biggest women's story on the show, on the side of the babyfaces, a day after Pro Wrestling Illustrated named her the No. 1 woman in its 2026 Women's 250. The match itself was barely a match, with so many people at ringside, but its job was the challenge at the end, and that landed. Our Vaquer status update has the background on her time out.

Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green brawl

New WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton came out to celebrate her Money in the Bank cash-in at Crown Jewel. Chelsea Green, the woman she cashed in on, interrupted and demanded the Crown Jewel ring back. Stratton dropped it on the floor, mocked Green's future, and the two brawled until Stratton laid her out. Backstage later, Paige checked on Green before Blake Monroe arrived to make fun of her.

Our take: Stratton is clearly comfortable as a heel champion again, and Green's anger after losing the title and her best friend on the same night gives this feud real emotion. For the full story, read our Crown Jewel 2026 results and review.

Main event: Gunther beats Finn Bálor

After two weeks of brawls, including the night Danhausen helped Bálor's Demon put Gunther through the announce table, the two finally had their match. It was a hard-hitting main event, with Gunther's chops and power against Bálor's speed and counters. In the closing stretch, Gunther pushed Bálor into the referee, waited for the official to be dazed, hit Finn Bálor with a low blow and finished him with a powerbomb.

Our take: a good main event with a cheap ending, which is exactly the point. Gunther needed a win after being made to look foolish two weeks running, and taking it this way keeps Bálor strong. It also leaves the feud unsettled.

What's next

• Survivor Series: WarGames is Saturday, November 28, in Houston, at 6 p.m. ET. The card, start time and how to watch are in our Survivor Series: WarGames 2026 guide, and our event page has a countdown in your time zone.
• The John Cena Classic is Monday, December 14, at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.
• The men's WarGames match is The Bloodline vs. The 946. Read the full story so far.

Our view

A busy, solid post-PLE show. The best parts were the talking: Cena and Flair, Owens and Zayn, and Stratton against Green all had clear emotion and a clear story. Vaquer's return and the women's WarGames challenge gave the night its big moment. The weak spots were the in-ring finishes. A title match with a no contest and a main event decided by a low blow are both fine on their own, but together they made the show feel like it was protecting everyone instead of letting anything be settled. With two weeks until Houston, that is understandable, but it means next week's SmackDown has to start making matches official.