WWE SmackDown takeaways: Gingerbread Man funeral closes go-home show

WWE SmackDown on May 8, 2026, took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and featured a funeral for the Gingerbread Man.

The go-home show for Backlash saw Danhausen search for his tag team partner for his match against The Miz and Kit Wilson. He even went as far as trying to clone himself. Talla Tonga picked up a win over Damian Priest, Ricky Saints pinned Matt Cardona, Royce Keys defeated Tama Tonga, and Fatal Influence got a six-woman tag win over Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley, thanks to an attack from Jade Cargill, B-Fab and Michin.

Here’s the top takeaways from this week’s show:

Jacob Fatu threatens to burn the whole family tree down

Kicking off the show was Jacob Fatu, who delivered his final remarks about Roman Reigns before Backlash. The Usos joined him in the ring, where Jimmy and Jey attempted to warn Fatu one last time.

.@WWEUsos with a STERN warning for @jacobfatu_wwe ahead of #WWEBacklash! ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/AjQTNhyEi3

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2026

Jey told Fatu straight up that Reigns is going to "beat that ass" at Backlash, and beyond that, break him down emotionally and physically. Oh, and all of that will happen in front of his family, who will then have to acknowledge Reigns.

Fatu, of course, said none of that would happen. He went on to say that if either of The Usos interferes in the match, he’ll burn the whole family tree down.

"This is for MY FAMILY" 😤@jacobfatu_wwe is willing to do WHATEVER it takes to walk out of #WWEBacklash with the World Heavyweight Title! pic.twitter.com/zno77aoNlG

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2026

It was good to see this lead off the show after Fatu-Reigns segments ended multiple episodes in the lead-up to Backlash. Fatu was intense as always, and his final statement really drove home how serious he is about wanting to beat Reigns without anybody else affecting the match. WWE has the chance to give Fatu a huge moment with a win, but this current creative team doesn’t seem like the group to do it, unfortunately.

Tiffany Stratton defends US title vs. Kiana James

The first match of the night was for the Women’s United States Championship with Tiffany Stratton taking on Kiana James. This match came to be when Stratton overlooked Giulia’s rematch in favor of James, which apparently didn’t sit well with the former champ.

James worked the leg early and often as the match got going. The first sign of Giulia not being on the same page was when James sent Stratton to the outside, but Giulia didn’t cause any damage when the ref wasn’t looking. A moment later, Giulia hopped on the apron to distract Stratton, but kept the ref occupied, which caused James’ rollup pin to be missed. Stratton recovered and hit her moonsault finisher a moment later to keep the title.

Tiffy RETAINS 🏆@tiffstrattonwwe fights off @kianajames_wwe and the distraction from @giulia0221g to retain her title! pic.twitter.com/H5knJrnt7T

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2026

While this was a title match, the real story was the rift between Giulia and James. Stratton sold the leg damage, but the match wasn’t long enough to let that have a real effect on how things unfolded. We’ll see if Giulia and James can get back as a solid unit.

Massive foreshadowing for Cody Rhodes?

Cody Rhodes and Gunther look to be a thing at Clash in Italy, although it’s not signed just yet.

Rhodes entered the ring and called out Gunther. Instead, he was joined by Paul Heyman. Rhodes asked him straight up if he was acting as an "advocate" for Gunther, which Heyman denied. Heyman simply delivered the contract to Rhodes, but also dropped a line that could foreshadow what’s to come. Rhodes said that Heyman appears to be running out of options with Brock Lesnar retired, plus Roman Reigns and CM Punk want nothing to do with him. Heyman said from his perspective, he’s not the one running out of options.

"Sooner or later, they all need the Wise Man," Heyman told Rhodes.

"Sooner or later they all need the Wise Man" 👀@HeymanHustle warns @CodyRhodes but the Undisputed WWE Champion was READY for @Gunther_AUT! pic.twitter.com/H28ZZmnNfZ

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2026

Then Gunther attacked from behind, but this time, Rhodes was able to fight him off. He's easy to find, hard to beat, after all.

So we know Gunther is next for Rhodes now, but the potential teaser of an alliance between Heyman and Rhodes was super interesting. Imagine if WWE finally pulls the trigger on a Rhodes heel turn and he has Heyman by his side? That would be incredible. It all seems very unlikely, but just imagine the possibility for a moment.

Gingerbread Man funeral comes with a surprise

The final segment of this week’s show was the funeral for the Gingerbread Man. Trick Williams entered wearing all black gear and his US title. GBM lay in a casket in the ring, with a choir standing close by.

Williams sang "Why did Gingerbread have to die," with assistance from the choir in the ring. Then a ridiculous photo montage of GBM and Williams’ time together, with scenes ranging from GBM's "birth," to a trip to outer space, to a strip club.

A song for The Gingerbread Man 🎶 @_trickwilliamspic.twitter.com/hAgKd7n5Q9

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2026

Williams asked for a moment of silence, and then a frustrated Sami Zayn made his way to the ring, asking if he was losing his mind that the funeral was allowed to go on.

"Closing out an episode of SmackDown used to mean something," Zayn said. Preach.

Zayn, who didn’t appreciate all of this being a joke directed at him, questioned Williams’ budget for the funeral and criticized the choir for being off-key, which they were. Continuing his rant, Zayn promised to get Williams back tenfold before taking a cheap shot and beating down Williams.

Then GMB sat up in the casket. Turns out it was Lil Yachty inside the costume. Yachty beat down Zayn with the candy cane, and then Williams hit a Trick Shot knee, laying out Zayn.

THE GINGERBREAD MAN IS ALIVE!! 🙌@lilyachty |@_trickwilliamspic.twitter.com/O3nfgz8V1F

— WWE (@WWE) May 9, 2026

This was the most ridiculous ending to SmackDown, maybe ever?

Zayn was spot on with the aforementioned quote. However, the surprise of Lil Yachty being inside the costume helped it all make sense, as this whole thing was to set up a surprise attack on Zayn, proving that Williams thinks a few steps ahead. Zayn’s impassioned rant was solid, but the crowd didn’t care. We’ll see what happens at Backlash, but surely there’s no way Williams gives the title back to Zayn, right?

This article originally appeared on Wrestling Junkie: WWE SmackDown: Gingerbread Man funeral, Stratton defends title