Add as a preferred source on Google Raquel Rodriguez took a major step toward the Queen of the Ring final. On this week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown, held at the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, she defeated Bayley, Jacy Jayne, and Kiana James in a first-round Fatal 4-Way Match.
The winner of Queen of the Ring will earn a world title opportunity at SummerSlam 2026, while the tournament final will take place at Night of Champions.
The closing stretch of the match was chaotic. Kiana James nearly caught Bayley by surprise with a roll-up, but she got distracted after believing Giulia had interfered against her at ringside.
The confusion allowed Bayley to hit the Rose Plant on Kiana. Moments later, Jacy Jayne dropped Bayley with the Rolling Encore, but she was unable to capitalize.
Rodriguez then showed up at the right time, hit Kiana James with the Tejana Bomb, and scored the win to advance to the next round.
With the victory, Raquel Rodriguez will face IYO SKY in the semifinal. SKY had already advanced on the latest episode of RAW, where she defeated Roxanne Perez, Giulia, and Lash Legend in another Fatal 4-Way Match.
The other side of the bracket still features matches involving Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Chelsea Green, Sol Ruca, Lyra Valkyria, Charlotte Flair, and Jade Cargill.