– Michael Cole welcomed everyone to the show as footage of
the city of Indianapolis was shown. Liv Morgan, Naomi,
Bianca Belair, Michin, Chelsea Green and Damian Priest were
shown walking through portions of the arena earlier in the
day.
– Cole was at a small desk in the crowd, ala Saturday
Night’s Main Event. Cole then introduced Pat McAfee and said
he was the reason the Royal Rumble will be in Indianapolis
this year. McAfee made his entrance and stood at the small
desk with Cole. The crowd chanted “McAfee!” and McAfee
called Indianapolis the greatest host city on earth. McAfee
said the city is world-class and it hosts Final Fours,
National Championships and the like and the people there are
the best in the world. McAfee said he was “so damn thankful
to be here.” Cole then threw to Joe Tessitore in the ring.
The Kevin Owens Interview
This was really good. Not necessarily on Punk/Cody level
from Monday, but intriguing nonetheless, if only for how
loud Owens has been about not liking Punk in or out of the
ring (of course, this is professional wrestling, so who
really knows where the real life truth lies, but the tension
here felt palpable). Owens looked legitimately unhappy that
he had to be out there with Punk and Punk looked as happy as
the Young Bucks taking their victory lap as he smirked his
way through this thing. It all added up to a fun way to open
the show and it has me hopeful that we might actually get
Owens vs. Punk someday in WWE one way or another.
Both belts that will be up for grabs at the Royal Rumble
were hanging in the middle of the ring. Tessitore said it’s
difficult to look past Owens’s latest actions. Tessitore
played up the idea that he plays a big role covering
wrestlers, so he wanted to give Owens fair time. Tessitore
asked Owens what everyone was missing about how Owens feels
about Cody. Owens began to talk and the crowd started to
drown him out with boos. Owens called Tessitore a Cody
Rhodes fan boy and lamented that everyone was talking about
how they would face Cody at WrestleMania, but Owens said he
will win the title at the Rumble and go onto WrestleMania
himself.
Owens asked Tessitore if he thought he was a tough guy and
Owens did not accept Tessitore’s initial apology for not
giving him mic time. Owens then grabbed the winged-eagle
belt as it hung in the middle of the ring and went to leave,
but CM Punk’s music hit and Punk walked out. Owens looked
less than thrilled. Punk grabbed a microphone and the crowd
loudly chanted “CM Punk!” and Punk took it in. Owens and
Punk stood silent and started at each other for a minute
while “Holy s-!@#” chants broke out in the crowd.
Owens asked Punk if he could help him and Punk said no.
Instead, Punk said he was there to offer two apologies – one
for interrupting him; the other was for Owens thinking Punk
was looking past Owens for WrestleMania. Punk said when he
wins the Royal Rumble and if Owens makes it past an angry
Cody Rhodes, the main event of WrestleMania could be Kevin
Owens vs. CM Punk. Punk said if Owens wins at the Rumble,
then Owens’s title reign won’t last long.
Owens said he felt conflicted because on one hand there are
29 guys in the Rumble that he likes more than Punk. But at
the same time, Owens said the thought of Punk vs. Owens in
the main event at WrestleMania – or Owens beating Punk’s ass
at WrestleMania, he corrected himself to say – appealed to
him. Owens played up the fact that all Punk wants to do is
main event WrestleMania and it’s right at Punk’s fingertips.
Owens said the idea of Punk never getting to main event
WrestleMania is so good to Owens. Owens said he loves the
thought of Punk never completing that dream. Owens stepped
towards Punk and said Punk will go to his grave as a
miserable failure. Owens said he hopes Punk doesn’t win the
Royal Rumble and dropped the mic to leave.
Punk, however, kept going. Owens stood on the ring apron.
Punk said he had never lost five title matches at the Royal
Rumble while Owens has. Punk said he had never lost to Logan
Paul, but Owens has. Punk said he had never tried to
manipulate his best friend to help him win a title, but
Owens has taken short cuts. Punk noted how he has to throw
29 other people over the top rope while Owens has to survive
a pissed off Cody Rhodes in a ladder match. Punk invited
Owens back into the ring and said he’d kick his ass. Punk
told Owens to not be afraid. Owens dropped his mic. Punk
did, too. Owens teased getting into the ring and instead
walked away with his winged-eagle belt. Punk’s music hit to
end the segment.
**********
– The Miz was talking to Nick Aldis backstage and said if
Andrade was standing right there, right now, he’d punch
Andrade in the face. Andrade asked if Miz issued a
challenge. Andrade suggested The Miz vs. Andrade later
tonight and Miz said if Andrade wanted a lesson in
greatness, that’d be fine. Aldis made the match for later
tonight.
– Carmelo Hayes walked to the ring with a microphone and
called Jimmy Uso not “The One,” but “The Two.” Melo said he
won’t miss because his name isn’t Tyrese Halliburton. The
show naturally cut to the Indiana Pacers star, who was
sitting in the front row. Jimmy tried to jumpstart the
match, but Melo quickly countered and the first match was
under way.
Jimmy Uso defeated Carmelo Hayes [8:31]
I was expecting more from the Melo/Halliburton interaction,
but maybe they are saving something for Tyrese later in the
show. Another thing I was expecting was Jimmy getting a
clean, easy win, but Uce had to kind of/sort of cheat to win
and Melo, for what it’s worth, got a lot of offense in
before taking the loss. Maybe this means they run it back
sooner than later. While it helped Melo to be competitive
here, he still took the loss and it’s probably about time
for him to earn some wins now that he’s gone nearly a year
as the No. 1 draft pick for SmackDown. Time will tell. As
for this match, it was fairly boilerplate. Melo looked more
crisp than Jimmy, but Jimmy’s power stood out. A fine-enough
way to fill television for about 10 minutes.
Melo kept control for a good part of the first minute until
he tried to headbutt Jimmy, but that turned out to hurt Melo
more than it hurt Jimmy. Melo ran into an uppercut from
Jimmy and Jimmy yeeted. Jimmy clotheslined Melo over the top
rope and went for a dive, but Melo cut Jimmy off with a
clothesline inside the ring. Melo landed a hip attack and
went for another one, but Jimmy moved and tried a pop-up
move, but Melo turned it into a DDT for a two count.
With Jimmy on the outside, Melo landed a dive and jawed at
Halliburton. Jimmy attacked Melo from behind and rolled Melo
back into the ring to hit an enziguri. Jimmy then went for a
hip attack, but Melo moved. It didn’t matter because Jimmy
came back with a pop-up Samoan Drop for a two count. Jimmy
went to the top rope, but Melo cut him off and went for
something of his own, but Jimmy denied him and landed some
type of arm-drag suplex on Melo to reset the match as both
guys were down.
Jimmy kicked Melo, but then ultimately jumped into Melo’s
First 48, but Jimmy kicked out at two-and-a-half. Melo went
for a springboard move, but Jimmy move and super-kicked Melo
for a good near-fall. Jimmy went to the top and went for a
splash, but Melo go the knees up and rolled Jimmy up for a
two count. Melo then hit a running knee and went to the top,
where Melo landed a splash of his own for a nice near-fall.
Melo looked shocked.
Melo went back to the top rope, but Jimmy cut him off with a
kick. Jimmy went for something, but Melo countered into a
rollup. Jimmy kicked out and rolled Melo up for the win.
Jimmy had a handful of tights to help him get the win.
**********
– The Royal Rumble “By The Numbers” video aired and man,
those are always so good.
– Chelsea Green was interviewed by Byron Saxton backstage.
Green said last week, Michin tried to destroy the face of
the United States and tonight, Green will return the favor.
Green then said she will win the Royal Rumble Saturday
night. Green also called Piper Niven her “Secret Hervice”
and it was damn funny.
Michin defeated Chelsea Green via DQ [6:21]
Eh. OK. That’s fine. I guess. I think. Maybe. Probably. It
was hard to think a clean finish was coming when this was
slotted 45 minutes into the episode, and I have no problem
with them stretching this program out a little more, but it
was a disappointing finish and if Green vs. Michin isn’t
about to walk over the line, it can certainly see the line
from where it sits currently. It’s hard to think of Green
dropping that belt anytime soon, but the way they have built
this feud, I can be convinced that Michin would be the best
opponent to eventually take it from her. Either way, this
was a bit too short to really get going. As an aside:
Without Green in WWE and Toni Storm in AEW, professional
wrestling on all American channels would be a lot less
interesting. God bless them for that.
The two traded pin attempts to begin the match and Green
rolled outside the ring to roll back into it. Michin hit a
series of German Suplexes and Green went to the outside,
where Michin landed a dive through the ropes. Back inside
the ring, Michin went for Eat Defeat, but Green got away
from it. Michin pounded on Green until Green pushed Michin
over the top and to the outside. Back inside the ring, Green
worked a chin-lock. Eventually, Green went to a head-lock.
Michin fought back with a series of kicks, including a
running strike. Michin set up the Long Back Attack and hit a
Cannonball and got a two count out of it. The two traded pin
attempts until Michin landed Eat Defeat, but Green rolled to
the outside. B-Fab rolled Green back into the ring, but
Green escaped again, but Michin chased after her. Green kept
running away regardless. Green found the kendo stick and hit
Michin with it to end the match. After the match, Michin got
a hold of the stick and worked Green over with it.
**********
– Saxton interviewed Belair and Naomi backstage. Saxton
asked what will happen if Naomi and Belair are the final two
in the Rumble on Saturday. They both said they’d support
each other, no matter the outcome. Saxton noted how Liv and
Raquel have their eyes on the WWE Women’s Tag Team
Championship.
– Another Charlotte Flair vignette aired.
– Stephanie McMahon was shown sitting in the crowd with a
child.
The Damian Priest/Jacob Fatu Segment
The future of SmackDown, probably, and it’s hard to be mad
at that. Fatu vs. Priest is a nice way to introduce Priest
to Fridays – and it’ll be even better if they can figure out
how to involve a title with all this. Knight being there
makes sense, too. I will now insert the complaint I keep
writing each week these days: Why wouldn’t they advertise
this tag match ahead of time? It has some of the brand’s
biggest star power. Don’t you think people might tune in if
they knew this was coming ahead of time? Anyway, Fatu saying
he and Tonga run SmackDown now is mighty interesting
considering how Solo Sikoa walked out of the entire arena
without saying a word the last time we saw him. Something’s
going to eventually give with all that … right?
Priest said he wanted to make an impact after coming up to
the main roster and he went from a nobody to a heavyweight
champion. Priest said he doesn’t want to live in the past,
though, because now he’s on SmackDown. Priest said the goal
on SmackDown is championships and it will start at the Royal
Rumble as he secures his spot at WrestleMania. On cue, Jacob
Fatu’s music hit and Fatu walked to the ring.
Fatu screamed into the mic and said he sees Priest and he
knows who he is, what he’s done. Fatu said Priest has
accomplished so much more than the others in the back. Fatu
said they’re alike because they both got out the gutter and
they both came from the streets. The difference, Fatu said,
was that Fatu spent time in jail. Fatu said he’s all gas, no
breaks now, and if Priest thinks he’s going to make a name
for himself on SmackDown, that’s not going to happen. Fatu
said Priest can lay down or he could “beat his ass down.”
Fatu said he and Tama Tonga are running SmackDown now and
yelled “Fatu!”
Priest asked Fatu if that was supposed to intimidate him.
Priest then spoke in Spanish. Priest said Fatu should know
better and asked Fatu why they’re even talking at all.
Priest then super-kicked Tonga. Fatu glared at Priest and
removed his vest. The two circled each other. A “Holy SH$#@”
chant broke out and the two brawled with each other. Tonga
got up and inserted himself. The two played the numbers game
on Priest until LA Knight’s music hit and Knight ran down to
make the save. Knight hit Fatu with a chair and grabbed the
mic. Knight challenged Fatu and Tonga to go up against
Priest and Knight later in the show. Knight offered up his
catchphrase to end the segment.
**********
– Santos Escobar was shown talking to Los Garza backstage.
MCMG walked in and Escobar pointed out that MCMG have their
opportunity to win gold at the Rumble. Meanwhile, Legado Del
Fantasma have to fight for what they have. Alex Shelley said
they will have Los Garza’s backs tonight. Angel said if MCMG
because #DIY at the Rumble, they want the first shot at the
tag titles.
– Footage of the moment HHH was told he’d be inducted into
the Hall Of Fame this year from earlier this week aired.
Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) and Los
Garza (Angel & Berto) defeated #DIY (Johnny Gargano and
Tommaso Ciampa) and Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit
Wilson) [12:08]
This went pretty much as expected, but there’s nothing wrong
with that. MCMG getting the win for their team all but
promises that they will continue to be in chase mode with
#DIY coming out of the Royal Rumble Saturday night. Then
again, this is a new era, so perhaps new things can and will
happen. I got a kick out of how MCMG kept trying to tag each
other in, only to have Los Garza members cut them off. It
was a tiny touch, but a necessary one in order to make sure
we all know that Los Garza are still heels. Here’s hoping
that 2-out-of-3 falls tag match gets at least a half hour at
the Rumble Saturday night. Seeing, as always, is believing.
Berto and Prince were the first to lock up. The show almost
immediately went to a picutre-in-picture break, but it came
right back and Ciampa was the legal man for the heels. Berto
landed a rolling moonsault on Ciampa for a two-count.
Shelley tried to tag in, but Angel tagged himself in … but
Sabin tagged himself in. Gargano was the legal man briefly
and things broke down. The babyfaces hit stereo dives on the
heels on the outside of the ring and the show went to
another PIP break, weirdly.
When the show returned this time around, Prince was working
over Sabin. Wilson tagged in and Sabin hit a double
clothesline on both Prince and Wilson. Sabin tagged in Angel
(who stole the tag from Shelley). Angel fired up and ripped
off his pants. Angel went to the top and hit a cross-body on
Wilson for a two count. Gargano tagged himself in and things
broke down again with all eight wrestlers getting a
signature move in, complete with a moonsault from Angel onto
Pretty Deadly on the outside.
Berto powerbombed Gargano inside the ring for a nice near-
fall. “This is awesome!” chants began. Sabin tagged himself
in, but Angel stopped Sabin from entering the ring. Los
Garza jawed at Sabin and left ringside, leaving MCMG on
their own. Ciampa, meanwhile, worked out Sabin on the
outside of the ring, throwing him into the crowd barrier.
Shelley popped up on the apron, but Gargano pulled Shelley
to the floor.
Ciampa clotheslined the hell out of Sabin. Ciampa
accidentally kicked Prince in the head and as a result,
Pretty Deadly walked away. Sabin then rolled Ciampa up and
got the win for his team.
**********
– Fatu and Tonga were shown walking backstage and saw the
tag titles laid out on a road case. Ciampa and Gargano
walked up and grabbed them. Tonga “Yeeee Yeeee Yeeee”-ed at
#DIY. Ciampa ran into and yelled at Pretty Deadly. Gargano
said the tag title match at the Rumble is the biggest match
of their lives. Elton Prince told Gargano and Ciampa that
tomorrow night, they will be on their own.
– Cole and McAfee were shown at their tiny desk and McAfee
introduced Tyrese Halliburton, who joined the two at the
tiny desk in the crowd. Halliburton said he was excited to
have the Rumble in his town. McAfee noted how it’s Pacers
vs. Hawks at 5 p.m. tomorrow and wondered if we could see
Halliburton in the Rumble. Halliburton said the plan is to
beat the Hawks and then show up at Lucas Oil. Footage of
Cole and Cody crowdsurfing earlier in the day aired.
– A vignette focusing on Owens vs. Rhodes aired.
Naomi defeated Liv Morgan [10:21]
Boy, it sure does feel like Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
are going to be the next in line for those WWE Women’s Tag
Team Titles, doesn’t it? That’s fine and all, but what about
the other end of the equation? At what point does Jade
Cargill get re-inserted into the Naomi/Belair circle? And
when do we find out about the attacker? All of this feels
like it will develop sooner than later, but this viewer is
starting to get at least a tiny bit impatient. In the
meantime, this was a mildly surprising result and a well-
worked match on both ends. Morgan was just one of the
biggest champions in the company. Now she’s losing in the
second-to-third hour of SmackDown in a match with little
stakes. Perhaps there is a plan. There’s always a plan.
Right?
The women locked up to begin things. Morgan got the best of
it at first, but Naomi came back with an arm-drag and a
head-scissors takedown. Morgan rolled to the outside. Back
inside the ring, Naomi kicked Morgan a handful of times.
Naomi then hit her split splash for a two count. Naomi
landed a vertical suplex for a two count. Raquel hopped up
on the apron to distract Naomi and Morgan too advantage of
that with a backstabber for a two count. The show went to a
break.
Back to the show, Morgan pinned Naomi, got a two count and
then worked a chin-lock. Naomi Stunned Morgan to even things
out. Naomi kicked Morgan in the head and followed up with a
clothesline and back elbow. Naomi ran Morgan’s face into the
second turnbuckle and went to the top. From there, Naomi
landed a cross-body for a two count. Morgan ultimately came
back with a running knee and a Codebreaker from the top for
a near-fall.
Naomi hit a Rear View out of nowhere and went for the split-
legged moonsault, but Raquel distracted Naomi. Even so,
Morgan and Naomi traded pin attempts in the wake of the
distraction and Naomi got the best of it, rolling Morgan up
for the win. After the match, Raquel attacked Belair and
Naomi. Morgan joined in on the fun and Raquel powerbombed
Morgan onto both Naomi and Belair.
**********
– A video recapping the Fatu vs. Strowman match from SNME
aired.
Andrade defeated The Miz [10:02]
The expected outcome in a match that would have gone too
long if this didn’t involve a commercial break. I’m a fan of
the back elbow being a finisher for Andrade, so here’s
hoping that sticks around. Speaking of “here’s hoping,”
here’s hoping Andrade gets somewhat of a kickstart in the
wake of WrestleMania season. The Melo/Andrade program was
filled with fireworks but both guys haven’t really found a
safe place to land since then. Facing The Miz in a throwaway
third hour of SmackDown proves as much on Andrade’s side.
Here’s hoping he gets back to something meaningful sooner
than later.
The two locked up and Miz hit an arm-drag before posing. A
lock-up happened again and Andrade got the best of that one.
The Miz actually landed a flying head-scissors and the crowd
cheered as the action spilled outside. Andrade followed it
up with a springboard moonsault on Miz and the show went to
a commercial break at about the two-minute mark.
Back from the break and Miz was in control, giving Andrade
some Miz Kicks. Andrade popped up and chopped the hell out
of Miz. From there, Andrade hit a Dragon-Screw Leg Whip and
a flying elbow before firing up the crowd. Andrade then
landed the double-knees onto Miz in a corner. Andrade booted
Miz in the face, but Miz came back with a tilt-a-whirl DDT
for a nice near-fall. Miz clotheslined Andrade in a corner
and went to the top. but Andrade cut him off. With the two
on the top, Andrade pulled off a top rope Spanish Fly for a
good near-fall.
“This is awesome!” chants broke out (let’s not get carried
away, friends). Andrade missed a moonsault attempt and the
two traded rollup attempts, but nothing came of it. Andrade
then hit his spinning back elbow and that, surprisingly
enough, was good enough to get Andrade the win.
**********
– Priest ran into Escobar backstage. Priest wondered why
Escobar was even talking to him in the first place. Escobar
told Priest he’d see him around. R-Truth appeared and told
Priest they were at Raw. Priest told Truth to never change
and turned into LA Knight. Nakamura was standing in the
shadows as Knight and Priest talked to each other. Truth
hopped in and said “Welcome to Raw!” to both Knight and
Priest.
– Tiffany Stratton was shown walking and she ran into Zelina
Vega, who said she had her eyes on Tiffy’s title. Tiffy
talked down to Vega and it turns out Stratton is going to
talk to Cole and McAfee next.
The Tiffany Stratton segment
Nia Jax is working overtime these days between SNME and
SmackDown. Good for her. I have to think this means the
story isn’t over between Stratton and Jax, no matter how
Saturday night turns out. Tiffany, for her part, needs to
decide if she wants to be a proper heel or a proper
babyface. She heel’d on Vega backstage and then sold like a
babyface after Jax attacked her in the ring. We all feel
like it’s going one way, but the more WWE denies it, the
more unnatural – and more frustrating – her entire
presentation feels.
McAfee and Cole were in the ring and Cole introduced
Stratton, who made her entrance. Cole asked Tiffy how her
life has changed since she won the WWE Women’s Championship.
Tiffy said she has always been championship material.
Stratton said now everybody knows she’s championship
material. McAfee said everybody wants what she has and
McAfee listed off wrestlers who might win the Royal Rumble,
including Nia Jax. Tiffy said it doesn’t matter who wins
because it will always be Tiffy Time.
As Tiffy was talking, Candice LeRae’s music hit and LeRae
walked out with a microphone. LeRae called Tiffy pathetic
and said Tiffy didn’t deserve to even say Nia’s name. LeRae
said Tiffy betrayed both Jax and LeRae. The crowd started
the “WHAT?” treatment as LeRae stepped into the ring and
called Tiffy jealous. LeRae told Tiffy to enjoy what little
bit of Tiffy Time she has left. LeRae said she has entered
the Rumble. Tiffy backed LeRae into a corner and Jax tried
to attack Tiffy, but Tiffy moved and Jax splashed LeRae. Jax
rebounded quickly, and hit a leg drop and her finisher on
Tiffy. Jax stood tall to end the segment.
**********
– The commentary team ran down the card for the Royal
Rumble.
LA Knight & Damian Priest defeated Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga
[14:44]
A good-enough main event for the Royal Rumble go-home show,
but “good-enough” isn’t by much. It’s no secret that
SmackDown has lost its luster over the last few months and
with Raw On Netflix now the shiny new thing, it was clear
that SmackDown was going to be given the short end of the
stick. To see it come this early is a little disheartening.
You have one of your four (probably three?) biggest shows of
the year tomorrow night and your main event is a throwaway
tag that has no real implications for anything significant
in the immediate future? Or, well, probably more accurate:
No Big Time Stars in the last 10 minutes of TV leading up to
A Very Important PLE? No Cody? No Roman? No Punk? Not even
Owens? Switch out the Monday and Friday shows and you’d have
something. Tonight, though? Not so much.
Knight and Priest jumpstarted the match and ran into the
ring to attack the heels. Fatu was kicked to the outside and
Tonga and Priest turned out to be the legal men. Priest got
the best of him and tagged in Knight. Still, Tonga came
back, corner Knight and tagged in Fatu. Knight landed a
neck-breaker on Fatu and stomped a mudhole in him. Knight
then ran into a knee from Fatu, but Knight came back with
another neck-breaker.
Priest tagged in and worked over Fatu until Tonga distracted
Priest and Fatu capitalized with a hip attack. Tonga tagged
in and took some punishment from Tonga. Fatu tagged in and
worked Priest’s neck. Priest came back and threw Fatu to the
outside. Knight tagged in and Knight went after Fatu,
complete with his top-rope elbow. Out of nowhere, Fatu
landed a leaping elbow on Knight to settle things down. The
show then went to its final commercial break.
The show returned and Fatu went for a hip attack on Knight,
but Knight moved. From there, Knight back-suplexed Fatu and
ultimately got the hot tag to Priest, who came in and
cleaned house. Priest hit a Flapjack on Tonga and fired up
the crowd. Priest sent Tonga flying over the commentary
table and then planted Fatu on said table. Back inside the
ring, Priest walked the top rope, ala Undertaker, and hit a
cross-body for a near-fall that the referee kind of/sort of
gave away before Tonga kicked out.
Priest set up for a Razor’s Edge, but Tonga countered into a
sleeper hold. Priest tried to fire up, but it didn’t really
work at first. Eventually, it worked and Priest got out of
it. Tonga landed the Hanging DDT on Priest inside the ring
and Knight tackled Fatu over into the timekeeper’s area.
“This is awesome!” chants broke out. Tonga ran at Priest,
but Priest caught him and eventually clotheslined the hell
out of Tonga. Priest then hit South Of Heaven on Tonga for
the win.
After the match, Fatu ran into the ring and attacked Priest,
complete with super-kick, pop-up Samoan Drop and a
moonsault. The show barely made it off air before fitting
all of this in. Everything ended with a shot of Fatu
scowling.
