Spoiler warning: This article contains results from the October 16, 2026 edition of WWE SmackDown.
Cody Rhodes delivered the punt to Baron Corbin in front of Randy Orton on the October 16 SmackDown, turning a disqualification victory into a pointed message to the man who had interfered in his match.
WWE’s official results record Rhodes beating Corbin by disqualification after Orton attacked Rhodes. Corbin subsequently prevented a punt on Orton, only for Rhodes to turn the situation around and deliver the kick to Corbin while Orton watched.
That sequence had been signaled in Ringside News’s pre-show lineup report, which credited Fightful Select and warned that plans could change before broadcast. It described Corbin interrupting in Orton’s place, a Rhodes-Corbin main event and Orton’s involvement leading into the punt.
The distinction is the official finish. The advance report described an anticipated non-finish; WWE’s recap gives Rhodes a disqualification win. The attack afterward was a separate part of the segment, not a pinfall or submission deciding the match.
Elsewhere, United States Champion Trick Williams beat Johnny Gargano in a non-title match, finishing with the Trick Shot and a Book End. Paige and Nikki Bella also wrestled on the card.
Damian Priest beat R-Truth by referee stoppage, with Fraxiom intervening afterward to prevent further punishment. Rey Fenix beat Ricky Saints by disqualification after Saints confronted referee Charles Robinson; Saints continued attacking Fenix after the decision.
Williams and Sami Zayn had also featured in The Eastern Herald’s earlier coverage of their rivalry during May’s Backlash build. The October 16 advance report again placed their confrontation near the start of SmackDown, before Williams faced Gargano.
The reported running order mixed those matches with backstage material involving Nick Aldis, Kevin Owens and CM Punk, as well as a Gunther-Danhausen segment. Ringside also listed Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley in a segment expected to draw Fatal Influence into the action. These were reported production plans, not independently obtained documents.
For readers following professional wrestling, the pre-show report and the published recap serve different purposes. One describes the intended running order; the other records what happened. On Friday’s closing angle, the confirmed outcome was a Rhodes disqualification victory followed by Corbin taking the punt in Orton’s view.
