WWE kicked off the year 2026 with its Holiday Live Tour in Syracuse, New York, on January 1st. While this date has historically been associated with WWE’s 'Day 1', the event did not capture that same enchanting spirit this time around. However, fans were treated to the end of Gunther's impressive streak of submission victories, even as he maintained his overall dominance in the ring.
The card for the evening changed quite a bit from what was initially advertised. Such alterations are not uncommon in live events, and unfortunately, several popular stars were absent from the lineup. Among those missing were:
- Jey Uso
- LA Knight
- Tiffany Stratton
- Rhea Ripley
- Jacob Fatu
- Penta
Injuries—both part of storylines and real-life situations—kept Knight, Penta, and Fatu from competing, preventing them from making an appearance in Syracuse. Tiffany Stratton had been off television since her defeat against Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship during a Saturday Night’s Main Event in November. She had recently been involved in promotional activities for WWE in Saudi Arabia as part of the Riyadh Season campaign.
Jey Uso's absence was particularly unexpected, considering he had been actively participating in WWE’s tour and Monday Night Raw, where he recently defeated Bron Breakker by disqualification at multiple live events and won the World Tag Team Championships alongside his brother Jimmy just last week.
Rhea Ripley last stepped into the ring on December 19, where she faced off against Asuka, experiencing a loss. Nevertheless, she made a brief appearance on this week's episode, where she confronted the Kabuki Warriors alongside Iyo Sky. Fans can look forward to seeing her compete again tonight on SmackDown.
In other notable developments, Bron Breakker managed to reverse a disappointing four-match losing streak on WWE’s holiday tour. He teamed up with Bronson Reed to secure victory over the War Raiders, pinning Erik after executing a powerful spear.
Meanwhile, Michin opted to leave the tour early and was supposed to have a match against Jade Cargill but was replaced by B-Fab, who has had some tensions with Cargill on recent episodes. Ultimately, Cargill emerged victorious in this matchup.
Gunther had been riding high on a six-match streak of forcing opponents to submit, having made John Cena tap out at Saturday Night’s Main Event. However, this streak came to an abrupt halt when he faced Sami Zayn. Despite having Zayn trapped in a sleeper hold, Zayn managed to roll Gunther up for a surprise pinfall victory before reaching the ropes.
In the main event, Cody Rhodes continued his winning streak, achieving his fifth consecutive victory over Drew McIntyre during this tour. With no disqualifications allowed, Rhodes repeated his successful strategy from previous encounters, finishing McIntyre with a top-rope splash through a table, leading to the pinfall.
Fans can expect another showdown between these two athletes next Friday on SmackDown, where they will compete for the Undisputed WWE Championship in a Three Stages of Hell match. This unique format traditionally begins with a standard wrestling fall, followed by additional stipulations in the second and possibly third falls.
If one of these stipulations involves no disqualifications, it’s likely that viewers could witness a similar dramatic finish as seen in their previous matches.
