{"id":160215,"date":"2026-04-24T23:54:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T03:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=160215"},"modified":"2026-04-30T22:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T02:42:36","slug":"wwe-smackdown-preview-5-1-26-ricky-saints-debuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/04\/24\/wwe-smackdown-preview-5-1-26-ricky-saints-debuts\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SmackDown Preview (5\/1\/26) – Ricky Saints Debuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new season of WWE is now in full swing, and Friday Night Fight Night opens the month of May with a bang, as an “Absolute” superstar, Ricky Starks, makes his debut on the Blue brand. Last week’s edition of SmackDown<\/a> saw some top NXT talent graduate to the big time<\/a>, making a huge impact on their first night. Now, we get another one. Here’s a WWE SmackDown preview for May 1, 2026. Let’s run it down.<\/p>\n

Absolutely Ready<\/h2>\n

Ricky Saints made his debut on the NXT brand on February 11, 2025, and suffice it to say, he made an immediate impact. The next two weeks following his unprecedented debut, he quickly picked up a win, teaming with Je’Von Evans to take down heavy-hitters Wes Lee and the ever-talented Ethan Page<\/a>. Only over a month upon entering the WWE system, Ricky Saints would strike gold<\/a> by winning the NXT North American title over Shawn Spears on the April 1st edition of NXT.<\/p>\n

In September of that year, Saints would continue his roll, defeating the “Ruler” Oba Femi of all people, to claim his first and only NXT Championship. In just seven short months, Ricky Saints proved that he was one of the big boys, and he’s ready to take this whole thing to another level. That’s why this Friday night, Ricky Saints makes his debut for the Blue brand.<\/p>\n

Ricky Saints can do it all, whether it’s on the mic or in the ring, winning the top singles prizes the White and Gold brand had to offer. Now that he’s done all he can do, Ricky is ready for the big time. As for what Ricky Saints is going to do, that all depends on his mood.<\/p>\n

Ricky Saints has a deep and long-standing friendship that transcended different companies with current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes; could he be looking to gun for the top dog and prize right away?<\/p>\n

\"NXT
An NXT graphic of former NXT Champion Ricky Saints and Trick Williams. (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or maybe he could be gunning for an NXT legend who recently won the United States Title<\/a> in the form of Trick Williams? Regardless of what Saints chooses to do, he will be a big-time player that everyone should be aware of.<\/p>\n

A Fatal Fight<\/h2>\n

Fatal Influence had a huge night in their debut on WWE SmackDown last week, dismantling legends such as Paige, Brie Bella, Alexa Bliss, and their leader’s opponent for this Friday night, Charlotte Flair. Fatal Influence was a highlight on last week’s SmackDown<\/a>, as Jacy Jayne took it to the #AndNEW WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill, in a bout that ended in a no-contest.<\/p>\n

This week, Jayne has an opportunity to make her mark once again as she faces off against a 14-time WWE Women’s Champion in the form of “The Queen” Charlotte Flair. Charlotte must be livid after what happened last week, considering they had the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions on the ropes, and she’ll be out looking for revenge. For Jacy Jayne, it’s just another opportunity to cement herself among the elite in WWE.<\/p>\n

WWE SmackDown Preview and Match Card (5\/1\/26):<\/h2>\n