Start Time And Match Card In Montreal

WWE SmackDown Montreal (Jan. 23, 2026) | Key Points

• AJ Styles appears live ahead of his Career Match against Gunther at the WWE Royal Rumble.
• Sami Zayn is likely to address his hometown crowd the night before he competes in a Fatal 4-Way to become No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship.
• The Wyatt Sicks put the WWE Tag Team Championships on the line against the MFTs.
• Jade Cargill returns to in-ring competition in a match against Chelsea Green.

AJ Styles Retirement Tour?

WWE Raw Superstar AJ Styles will appear live on SmackDown to address his upcoming high-stakes match against Gunther. After losing his first match against Gunther in controversial fashion, Styles agreed to a rematch at the Royal Rumble. But there’s a catch: AJ Styles will put his career on the line on the 10-year anniversary of his WWE debut, which happened at Royal Rumble 2016.

This is a very unpredictable matchup that can go either way. Styles retiring in just over a week feels too abrupt. Even if AJ confirmed that this is his last year, nobody thought that meant that January 2026 would be his last month. Gunther has already retired Goldberg and John Cena, so he has all the credibility in the world for fans to believe that AJ Styles could be next. As a result, fans will fall for every false finish in that match.

SmackDown also features the return of Jade Cargill, who has come under fire by nerds online for not defending her WWE Women’s Championship for 70 days. Though Cargill will not be defending the title, she will take on former Women’s United States champion Chelsea Green in singles action.

SmackDown will emanate from Montreal, Canada, which all but guarantees a SmackDown appearance from Sami Zayn as he heads into a Fatal 4-Way on Saturday Night’s Main Event against Trick Williams, Damian Priest and Randy Orton. After homecomings from Gunther in Dusseldorf, Finn Balor in Belfast and now Sami Zayn in Montreal, tonight’s SmackDown will feel like a pep rally.

WWE SmackDown (Jan. 23, 2026) Match Card

• Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend and Giulia and Kiana James | No. 1 Contender Match
• Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams
• Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green
• Carmelo Hayes United States Championship Open Challenge

WWE SmackDown Ratings And Viewership

• January 16, 2026 | Total Viewership Unavailable, 0.21 18-49
• January 9, 2026 | 990,000
• January 2, 2026 | 1.175 million
• December 26, 2025 | 1.138 million
• December 19, 2025 | 995,000

WWE SmackDown (Jan. 23, 2026) Start Time And Where To Stream

• WWE SmackDown Date: Friday, January 23, 2026
• WWE SmackDown Start Time: 5:00 pm PST (8:00 pm EST)
• Where to Watch/Stream WWE SmackDown: USA Network

WWE SmackDown Ticket Sales On January 23, 2026

• WWE SmackDown Venue: Bell Centre (Montreal, QC Canada)
• WWE SmackDown Ticket Sales: 7,083
• WWE SmackDown Tickets Available: 3,066