SMACKDOWN 1/26/24 REVIEW

What a week we've had in the WWE universe! With so much going on in the WWE, it's hard to believe the Royal Rumble is tomorrow. Let's dive into the Smackdown before the Rumble coming to you live from beautiful Miami, Fl! 

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Smackdown opens with the highlights from last week's Smackdown and the events surrounding the fatal four way for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. 

 

Eladio Carrion, Latin Grammy Winner, who just released a new single entitled RKO and friend of Randy Orton started off the live portion of Smackdown by welcoming Randy to the ring. 

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Randy Orton, welcomes the Miami crowd to Friday Night Smackdown and thanked Eladio for putting him in his music video and the Miami crowd erupted for Randy and Eladio. After the celebrations with Eladio, Randy got down to business and that business was the Bloodline and the almost three year reign of the Tribal Chief. He said the the 1300 plus day title reign was unfathomable and unheard of but once the smoke settled and the dust cleared the only number that would matter is fifteen. Randy declared after the Royal Rumble he will be a fifteen time world champion and the crowd erupted in "Randy" chants. Randy said he'll become a fifteen time world heavy champion courtesy of the three most destructive letters in Sports Entertainment, R K O! 

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Randy barely got the "O" in RKO out when AJ Styles decided to get some spotlight for himself. AJ reminds Randy there is other people in the match besides himself and Roman Reigns and asked if he looked past AJ Styles. He then tells Randy to join the club because he asked Nick Aldis for a match with Solo Sikoa but Nick gave that match to the man, who AJ claims to have stepped over his dead body, LA Knight. AJ asked Randy again if he forgot about him and said Randy should know better.

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AJ tells Randy they have history together and that he has a receipt coming after the RKO last week. AJ tells the WWE universe that he will be stepping over Randy, Roman Reigns and L...we all know where this is headed...you say someone's name standing in the ring they are going to show up. 

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LA comes out and tells AJ to have a time with because you were about to say the name of the next WWE Champion...the Miami crowd erupted, LA Knight! Yeah! LA Knights tears in AJ. He told AJ all he's done since being back is whine and complain about everybody stepping over him. LA told him to quit his whining, Dummy. He asked AJ, "Do you think I want to fight the muscle of the Bloodline, twenty-four hours before our fatal four way?", You'd be smart if you weren't stupid". LA says its convvenient that of the four men in the match tomorrow at the Rumble, that he is the only one with a match tonight and thats because the Wise Man knows he's a threat to the Tribal Chief. He said he wasn't going to complain about it, he's going to walk in to his match tonight and hit Solo so hard that he'll do his dad's dance moves. He then says he'll bring that same energy into the match at the Rumble and walk over everyone in it to become the next WWE Champion and that's just a fact of life. YEAH!  After the face to face, AJ kicks Randy Orton in the gut and delivers a Pele Kick. Receipt delivered. 

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Match 1 

Carlito w/ Latino World Order vs. Santos Escobar w/ Legado del Fantasma 

Carlito has been asking for this match for months and tonight promises to be a hard hitting match-up and it did not disappoint. These two superstars were throwing haymakers at each other and at about the mid point in the match Santos ripped the shirt off of Carlito and the kenzio tape that he wore to help protect his shoulder. Santos had been targeting that shoulder the duration of the match trying to injure it again. As Carlito mounted a comeback, Humberto jumped on the ring apron to distract the referee and Carlito while Angel snuck to the opposite of the ring to pull the middle rope just as Carlito hit the ropes and fell out of the ring.

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This set off a mele outside of the ring between the LWO and LdF and during the melee Zelina jumped on the ring apron to scream instructions to her fellow LWO members and we see someone jump the railing and sweep the legs of Zelina sending her crashing to the ring apron and then throw her into the floor. The camera cut to that side of the ring and it was the former LdF stable mate of SAntos', Electra Lopez. Elektra is on Smackdown! As Carlito leaned out of the ring to check on Zelina, Santos scored the roll-up pin fall. 

Winner: Santos Escobar 

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Backstage Segment 

AJ Styles is walking through the back and Jimmy Uso stopped him and asked him to help the Bloodline to take out LA Knight ahead of the Rumble. This encounter was cut short by The Good Brothers and MiChin, who asked what that was about. AJ, the lone wolf these days, tells his OC Brothers not to worry about it. 

After the commercial break, Nick Aldis welcomed Ava Raine, the new NXT GM and youngest in the history of WWE, to Smackdown. She asked him for any tips, and he told her there was plenty of time for that later but there was business to attend to. Bobby Lasley and the Street Profits are in Nick Aldis' office and we see Bobby is reaching in to a tumbler to select his entrant number into the Rumble. As Bobby and the profits walk are about to walk out the LdF show up celebrating their victory. Bobby reminds him that he hasn't forgot about him and Santos Escobar picked his number out of the tumbler. 

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Back from the progressive match flo and another commercial break, The Crown Jewel of WWE, R-Truth is spinning the tumbler over and over again, both ways while singing, the wheels on The Judgement Day go round before stopping it. He reaches in and selects one, pops it open and yells, "Oh NO" and shows it to Nick and Ava. He then asked them does that mean he's out of the quarantine. Nick told him no, its his entrant number in the Royal Rumble. R-Truth then said, "Thank you, Adam" to Nick Aldis. "Mr. Pierce, you hair sure grew extremely fast."

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Match 2 WWE Womens Tag Team Championship 

Kabuki Warriors (Asuka/Kairi Sane) vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter (c) 

Katana and Kayden are on fire right out of the gate, they are cutting the ring off and using great tag team offense to keep Asuka away from her corner. Back from the commercial break and the Kabuki Warriors are in control of the match-up and have cut Katana off from her corner. Katana fights off some hard double teaming from the Kabuki Warriors and gets a tag to Kayden Carter. Kayden off the top rope onto the Kabuki Warriors who are both outside on the floor. Kairi hits the spinning backhand on both Katana and Kayden and headed to the top rope for the insane elbow but Kayden fot her feet up and catches Kairi hard. Kairi manages the tag to Asuka and Kayden catches a second wind and hits a face buster on Asuka and tags in Katana to try and put the Kabuki Warriors away with the "Keg Stand". Kairi breaks up a very close three count and the match continues. Katana and Kayden go for more high risk offense on Asuka but Kairi is up and Katana audibles into a cross body on Kairi and both women roll outside. Kairi is on her feet first and Alabama slams Katana onto the announce table and it folds Katana in half. That was a vicious Alabama Slam by Kairi. Back in the ring, Kayden goes for a quick roll-up and Asuka is out at one. Asuka some quick offense on Kayden and a quick tag to Kairi who goes to the top rope and hits a insane elbow on Kayden for the win. AND NEW....

Winner: Kabuki Warriors 

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Damage Ctrl meet the Kabuki Warriors ring side to celebrate the new champions. 

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Backstage Segment

Inside the Bloodline locker room, Paul Heyman is going over the differences of solve and fix. Paul Heyman tells Solo last week he solved the problem but failed to fix the problem and tonight he needs to fix the problem and not to be merciful. Solo just smirked and said, Ok. Jimmy jumps up and said that was a smirk and thats scary. Paul Heyman told Jimmy to seize his moment and enter the Royal Rumble and win it and then take out the visionary, Seth "Freakin" Rollins for the Bloodline so he can be named the Tribal Heir. 

Ringside the Street Profits and Bobby Lashley are out for their face-to-face with the Final Testament but before we get into that segment we are back in Nick Aldis' office and Bayley comes in asking him if he seen the Kabuki Warriors win the titles. However, Bianca is there picking her entrant number to the womens Royal Rumble and Bayley asked what she was doing there. Bianca tells her picking her number and the only thing she needs to know is she is about to become a two time Royal Rumble winner. Bayley picked her number and looked upset by the number she chose. 

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Bobby introduces the triple crown tag team champions and himself to the crowd and says they are there for a fight and invites the Final Testament out for a fight. The Final Testament arrive with all the theatrics that Karrion Kross is known for and says there will be no fight. However, Bobby has other plans and they go to meet the Final Testament half way. AOP dropped the Street Profits quickly and they hit the ring to get after Bobby Lashley who was distracted by Scarlett. AOP mugged Bobby Lashley and then Karrion hit him with the Kross Hammer from behind leaving him and the Profits laying on the mat. 

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Back in Nick Aldis' office, Jimmy Uso arrives to pick his number for the Royal Rumble with a yeet and draws his number and says no yeet before showing it to Nick and Ava who also had the look of no yeet on their faces.

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Match 3 

Austin Theory vs. Carmelo Hayes 

Lets run it back! This is the rematch from two weeks ago that ended in a Dr.'s stoppage. These two start the match mouthing off to each other and then its a go. Both superstars are giving each other everything they can and Carmelo is looking great but Austin is also looking great tonight and he has the advantage with Grayson in his corner. The advantage paid off and Austin was able to get the advantage and score a roll-up victory with a handful of tights. After the match, Austin and Grayson were putting the boots to Melo when Trick Williams showed up to make the save. There still feels like there's some tension between these two but they are competing together in the Dusty Cup on NXT. 

Winner: Austin Theory 

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Backstage Segment 

Kayla Braxton is talking to Eladio Carrion and asked him how it was to be inside a WWE ring. Eladio said it was his first time and was a amazing experience. Kayla asked who he thought was walking out WWE Champion and he immediately said Randy Orton. We see Kayla quickly leave and the Bloodline appear just on camera and Eladio got real quiet and maybe even wet himself a little bit. 

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Main Event 

LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa (w/Bloodline) 

These two superstars don't have any love lost and it is showing. LA Knight out the gate is targeting Solo's right hand, yes the one he delivers the Samoan Spike with. LA has the match fully under his control, back from a commercial break these two are beating the hell out of each other and throwing haymakers to try to take the other out. Outside the ring, LA Knight is using Solo's head as a basketball against the announce table. LA turns around and AJ Styles out of no where with a phenomenal forearm.

IThe Bloodline bring the chairs out and give AJ one to take LA Knight with. AJ takes the chair and looks like he is about to hit LA with it when he hammers Solo Sikoa with it and follows it up by hammering Jimmy Uso with it as well. AJ throws Jimmy into the ring and Randy Orton's music hits and he comes running out to get his revenge on AJ Styles who hit him with a Pele Kick to start the show. Randy goes for a RKO on AJ and AJ pushes it off and rolls outside the ring. Jimmy Uso is back up and Randy hits him with a vicious power slam, Solo grabs Randy and brings him outside the ring and goes for a spinning Solo but Randy fights out of it and drops Solo onto the announce table. Back in the ring, Randy get his hands on Jimmy and hits him with a hanging DDT, followed by the same thing on AJ Styles and adding a RKO on top of it. Randy is celebrating on the top rope and when he turns around LA hits a BFT to close out a great Smackdown. 

Winner: LA Knight by DQ 

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Takeaways 

1. Elektra Lopez is on Smackdown w/ LdF 

2. Trick Williams made an appearance to save Carmello. 

3. #ANDNEW - The Kabuki Warriors take home the Women's Tag Team Belts.