Smackdown
WWE Thunderdome
St. Petersburgh, Florida
January 22, 2021
results thanks to
wrestleview.com
SmackDown kicks off with highlights of last week’s show with Kevin
Owens being named as Adam Pearce’s replacement.
In the arena, it’s Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman making their way
down to the ring. Reigns says Owen mentioned that he would deliver a
message today but he won’t. Reigns says we won’t see Owens tonight
because he said so. And about last week, card subject to change.
Reigns says it was clever. A lot of people made comments about how
they were outsmarted but that way of thinking is beneath him. Card
subject to change is how losers think.
Reigns says he doesn’t miss appearances, he shows up and puts in
work. It took his health being at risk in a pandemic to keep him out
of this ring. He doesn’t want to hear from anyone ever about him
missing an appearance. But what if he did think like Adam Pearce?
And he started saying my elbow and shoulder hurt. He doesn’t think
anyone would doubt it because of the amount of work he puts in. He
says his knees and neck hurt too along with his ankles. Reigns says
his back hurts because he has been carrying this company for years
now.
Roman asks Paul what if his back continues to hurt until next week,
next Sunday? What if he can’t make the Royal Rumble. Out comes Adam
Pearce who cuts them off. He gets in the ring and says this is out
of control. Roman says Adam comes out and wants to talk about
control. What’s out of control is that Adam would go against him.
What’s out of control is that he favored Owens. That is out of
control. Roman says Adam is Kevin’s bitch and if he is Kevin’s
bitch, he is his bitch. Roman says Adam hasn’t had a match in 6
years and he will come out and complain about how his body hurts?
Roman says he never complains, it never bothered him. He never
stopped because he busted his ass for this place.
Reigns tells Adam he will complain about that? No wonder Pearce
never made it to WWE. Heyman laughs as Adam asks him if he finds
that funny. Pearce tells Heyman he will take the intimidation from
Roman but not from him. Roman tells Heyman that Pearce is
disrespecting him and if he disrespecting Heyman, he is
disrespecting Roman. He tells Heyman he better straighten Adam up.
Heyman says Adam has disrespected Roman and Roman’s family. He has
known Roman’s family since he was 15 and he can’t hang out with them
and not be a man. He thinks he can’t handle himself? He’s from New
York, he can handle himself. Both men stare down as Heyman says he
may not be a lawyer but he comes from a Synagogue that’s full of
them. Heyman says Adam Pearce vs. Paul Heyman, straight up, tonight
on SmackDown. He extends his arm to Pearce and Pearce tells Heyman
his verbal agreement is official as they shake on it.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from commercial and Sami Zayn has handcuffed himself to
the barricade. He says he will compete in the Royal Rumble match and
he cuts a promo about how he lost last week.
Charlotte Flair and Asuka vs. The Riott Squad with Billie Kay
The bell rings and we are under way. Flair and Riott in the ring. A
head lock take down by Flair as Asuka is tagged in. A snap mare bu
Charlotte as Asuka knocks Riott down. A head lock by Asuka and Flair
is tagged back in. They double team Riott. Flair slams Ruby into the
turnbuckle. Billie gets on the ring apron and distracts Flair as
Morgan is tagged in. Flair throws Ruby to the outside. Flair grabs
Billie Kay by the hair and Liv Morgan kicks Flair down. A cross body
by Liv onto Flair.
-Commercial Break-
Back from commercial, Flair is stomping on Liv in the corner. Flair
goes to pick Liv up but Liv with a huriccanrana and Riott is tagged
in. Ruby slams Flair face first into the turnbuckle. She goes for
the cover but Flair kicks out. Liv is tagged back in as they double
team Flair. Ruby is tagged back in. They stomp on Flair in the
corner and Liv is tagged back in. Flair with a kick and a right hand
as she fights back. Ruby is thrown into the turnbuckle and a fall
away slam on Liv.
Asuka is tagged in and a knee to the face. She goes for the cover
but Ruby breaks it up. In comes Flair with a big boot on Ruby and
Liv knocks Flair down. Asuka grabs Liv by the leg and turns it into
a German suplex. Asuka goes for the Asuka lock but Ruby tags herself
in. Ruby goes for the rollup cover but Billie distracts the referee.
Liv gets Kay off the ring apron, Asuka with the hip attack onto Liv
knocking her down onto Billie. Asuka knocks Ruby down and tags Flair
in. Flair with the Natural Selection. She goes for the cover and
gets the pin.
Winners: Asuka and Charlotte Flair
-Commercial Break-
Billie is backstage apologizing. Ruby says she didn’t mean to stop
her from pinning Asuka or their opportunity at the Women’s Tag Team
Championships? Liv says maybe she should add that to her resume.
Billie says all good teams have to overcome obstacles. She has good
news. She spoke to Sonya and both Liv and Ruby are in the Royal
Rumble match. Ruby tells her there is no us, maybe the Squad was
better when it was just her and Liv.
Out comes Daniel Bryan to the ring with Sami Zayn still handcuffed
to the barricade. Bryan talks about the Royal Rumble match. He says
it’s the uncertainty of what number you will draw. It’s watching the
countdown, the buzzer to hit, the music to play. It’s the
exhilaration of competing against 29 other superstars in a match
that could go over an hour. He says to him, it makes him feel alive
because despite all of the pain, it is absolutely worth it because
the winner gets to face the Champion of their choosing in the main
event of WrestleMania.
Bryan says he is very proud of his career, he has accomplished a
lot. But one thing he has never done is win a Royal Rumble match.
Out comes Cesaro to the ring. Cesaro says he thought he beat some
sense into him last week but here he is again talking about how he
will win the Rumble. Cesaro says he could have explained the rules
of the Rumble match better and in 5 different languages too. He says
Bryan is not winning this year’s Royal Rumble, he is.
Cesaro says as the first ever winner of the Andre the Giant Memorial
Battle Royal, he is an expert at it. Bryan says instead of talking,
they can put the microphones down and fight. Cesaro says how about
no. He tells Bryan he is sick and tired of proving himself doing the
same thing every week. He already beat him and he will issue an open
challenge instead. Dolph Ziggler’s music hits.
Ziggler says they are talking Royal Rumbles? He has been in the
second most Royal Rumbles, ever. His stamina is unmatched, he can go
all night long and to ask anybody. There is no one in that locker
room that can go toe to toe with him, except Cesaro. Ziggler says he
wants to win the Rumble and go to WrestleMania and get paid. He
tells Bryan to leave the ring and for Cesaro to consider that
challenge accepted.
-Commercial Break-
Cesaro vs. Dolph Ziggler
Daniel Bryan is on commentary. We come back from commercial and the
match is already under way. Cesaro grabs Ziggler but Ziggler holds
onto Cesaro’s leg and reverses it but Cesaro reverses that. Ziggler
grabs the ropes and a back elbow onto Cesaro. A sleeper hold by
Ziggler as Cesaro slams him into the turnbuckle. Cesaro grabs
Ziggler by the legs and swings him around the ring. He slams Ziggler
and goes for the cover but Ziggler kicks out.
Cesaro runs towards Ziggler but Ziggler moves out of the way and
Cesaro hits shoulder first onto the ringpost. Ziggler goes for the
cover but Cesaro reverses it. Ziggler reverses that. Several
reversals by both men and Ziggler hits him with the Zig Zag. He goes
for the cover but Cesaro kicks out. Ziggler with another sleeper but
Cesaro gets out of it. Ziggler runs to the ropes but Cesaro catches
him with the Neutralizer. He goes for the cover and gets the pin.
Winner: Cesaro
-Commercial Break-
Sasha Banks vs. Reginald with Carmella
The bell rings and we are under way with Carmella joining the
commentary team. Reginald offers Sasha a rose. He asks Sasha for a
kiss as she tries to slap him, he blocks her arm but she slaps him
with the other hand. Sasha tries to flip Reginald but he lands on
his feet. Carmella distracts Sasha as he goes for a waist lock. He
lifts Sasha up but Sasha reverses it into a waist lock. Reginald
gets out of it and acrobatically rolls out of the ring. Sasha with a
baseball slide onto the barricade.
Sasha tries to throw him into the ring steps but he jumps off it and
flips landing on his feet. He runs into the ring as Sasha goes for a
sunset flip, he lifts her up but she slams Reginald into the mat.
Sasha goes for the double knees but Reginald moves out of the way.
He goes for an elbow but Sasha moves out of the way. Sasha goes for
the cover but he moves out of the way.
Reginald grabs Sasha but Sasha with an arm drag. Sasha on the ring
apron as she hits him with a knee to the face. Sasha on the top rope
and a cross body but Reginald catches her. He flips Sasha but she
reverses it into an arm drag. Reginald to the outside and the
meteora by Sasha. She slaps the champagne away from Carmella.
Reginald gets back in the ring and Sasha goes for the Backstabber
but Reginald lands on his feet.
Sasha with the double knees. Sasha with the Banks Statement as
Reginald taps out.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Reginald is thrown to the outside after the match.
Heyman is backstage with Roman and he tells Roman we got it. Roman
tells him he told him to speak to cut him to shreds verbally, not to
challenge Pearce to a match. He tells Heyman he has to do this, he
didn’t hire a punk to do his counselling, he hired a man. Heyman
represents Roman, he has to represent him. He tells Heyman to be a
man and handle his business.
-Commercial Break-
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match – Big E (c) vs. Apollo Crews
The bell rings and we are under way. Big E with a belly to belly.
Crews on the ring apron and Big E with the big splash on the ring
apron. Back in the ring, Big E runs towards Crews but Crews with a
back elbow followed by a boot to the face. Kicks by Crews followed
by a moon sault. He goes for the cover but Big E kicks out. Crews
with a German suplex and a second German. He goes for a third but
Big E gets out of it. Crews runs towards Big E but Big E slams him
into the mat. He goes for the cover but Apollo kicks out.
Crews rolls to the outside. Big E follows him to the outside but
Crews on the ring apron with a moonsault. He throws Big E back into
the ring and he climbs the turnbuckle. Big E gets to his feet and a
right hand onto Crews. Big E on the second rope but Apollo knocks
him down. Sami Zayn takes the handcuffs off. Crews with a drop kick
off the top rope. Sami gets in the ring and hits Crews with the
Helluva Kick as the referee calls for the bell. Sami hits Big E with
the Helluva Kick.
Winner: Apollo Crews by disqualification
A promo of Kevin Owens in his car airs. He says he showed up to the
arena earlier and they told him Roman Reigns won’t allow him to
enter the building. He cuts a promo talking about his family and how
they fought through illnesses. And if they did that, how could he
stop fighting, he won’t.
-Commercial Break-
The Street Profits are backstage holding a gift basket. They see
Ziggler and Sonya as they tell Sonya it’s been two weeks since they
lost their Tag Team Championships. They would like their rematch but
Sonya mentions not yet.
-Commercial Break-
Obstacle Course – Bayley vs. Bianca Belair
Michael Cole is on stage with them as Bayley tells him to leave.
Bayley explains the obstacles that are around the ring as Chad Gable
is at ringside who will also play a role in the obstacles.
Bayley flips over a 400 pound tire and goes through the obstacles at
ring side. She gets Chad Gable into a fireman’s carry and goes
through the obstacle. She makes a basket and her time is 1:12, which
is what Bianca has to best.
Just as Bianca is about to start her course, Bayley asks to
customize the course as they make the obstacles more difficult for
her. Bianca flips the tire and goes through t he obstacles. Out
comes Otis from under the ring and she has to get him in a fireman’s
carry which she does through the obstacle. Bianca grabs the
basketball and tells Bayley to defend her, she goes through Bayley
and dunks to beat her with 17 seconds left.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Bayley attacks Bianca after the match.
Rey Mysterio is backstage with Dominik as he gives him a pep talk.
Rey tells him if something goes wrong, they will do it his way next
time.
-Commercial Break-
Baron Corbin vs. Dominik Mysterio
The bell rings and we are under way. Corbin pushes Dominik away but
Dominik with a drop kick. A take down by Dominik and Corbin to the
outside. Dominik jumps over the top rope as Corbin moves out of the
way and he knocks Dominik down. He throws Dominik back into the
ring. He goes for the cover but Dominik kicks out. Corbin slams
Dominik into the opposite turnbuckle. Corbin goes for End of Days,
Dominik reverses it with a drop kick. He goes for the 619 but Corbin
blocks it and a right hand by Corbin.
He gets Dominik up and hits him with the End of Days. He goes for
the cover and gets the pin.
Winner: Baron Corbin
-Commercial Break-
Adam Pearce vs. Paul Heyman
Pearce is already in the ring and as Heyman is making his way down,
he can’t make it up the ring steps. Heyman tells him card subject to
change as Roman’s music hits.
Reigns gets in the ring and hits him with the Superman Punch. Pearce
rolls to the outside. A low blow by Reigns as he throws Pearce over
the barricade. Roman places Pearce near the LED boards. Kevin Owens
attacks Roman Reigns as both men fight into the ring. Reigns goes
for the Superman Punch but Kevin Owens hits him with the Stunner.
WWE officials run to the outside as Owens hits him with another
Stunner. Kevin Owens with the pop up powerbomb through the table.
Winner: No contest