Smackdown Live Review 01/22/2019
Live from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas
Opening In-Ring Segment: Becky Lynch, Asuka, Charlotte Flair
The Man, Becky Lynch appears to kick things off and enters the ring. Lynch then claims that The Man should be main eventing WrestleMania and will go through anybody to achieve it. She then goes onto state that she never was beat for the SmackDown Live Women’s championship and will take her title back from the Empress of Tomorrow at the Royal Rumble. As she is making her promises of what she will do this Sunday, the SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka appears to respond to her comments. Asuka holds the title high in front of Becky Lynch to make an emphatic statement to her challenger. Charlotte Flair then appears to make her claim that she has beaten both women before, even mentioning Asuka’s streak being broken. Flair makes the statement that she has owned the Women’s division for the past four years and out of nowhere, Asuka attacks Becky Lynch in a blindside attack. The two championship participants brawl in and outside of the ring with Charlotte staring on and then the fight is broken up by WWE officials. The segment ends with Becky Lynch standing tall, leaving Asuka being assisted to near the commentary table, screaming in anger. My Opinion:
Let me address the elephant in the room here! Witnessing Asuka attack The Man out of nowhere was definitely unexpected considering that she has been the silent assassin in this triangle rivalry between SmackDown’s hottest female athletes. I expect Asuka to retain this Sunday but I expect the biggest pop of the night to be when The Man comes around and wins the rumble later on in the night!
Match #1: Mandy Rose (with Sonya Deville) vs. Naomi
Before the bell rings, Naomi interrupts Mandy Rose’s entrance and brawls with her heated rival. After a fury of strikes, Naomi sends Rose to ringside where she meets Deville on the outside to regroup and send the television audience to our first commercial break of the night. Coming back from commercial break, Mandy Rose dominates and gets in complete control of Naomi offensively. Rose then traps Naomi in the corner but the momentum quickly shifts as the former Women’s champion gains a comeback. Naomi gains a strike on Mandy Rose, which intertribally catches the referee of guard, leading to a Sonya Deville distraction to get Rose the victory. Post match, Jimmy Uso appears to be in the aid of Naomi after the loss.
Result: Mandy Rose via pinfall
My Opinion:
I will be honest here, I find this rivalry the most boring in all of sports entertainment history. First of all, having a scandalous storyline is not how you present a good product in the world of professional wrestling! Now, sure, that would have been great during the 90’s and 2000’s but this is 2019! The people care about the greatness of competition. This is not The Jerry Springer Show people!
Rey Mysterio Exclusive
Rey Mysterio is seen backstage where he cuts a promo about his upcoming match against Andrade. He claims that he had respect for Andrade until the result of their match in the previous week where he used Zelina Vega as a distraction. Mysterio claims that he will beat the respect out of Andrade tonight during their highly anticipated match.
Match #2: The Miz (w/ Shane McMahon) vs. Cesaro (w/ Sheamus)
As soon as the bell rings, Cesaro goes off on The Miz with a fury of swiss uppercuts and gains the advantage early on. However, it is not long where Miz finds an opening and gathers momentum. He sends Cesaro onto ringside to regroup to re-strategize with Sheamus. The Miz knocks Cesaro down with an apron dropkick and attempts to take out Sheamus from the equation, nonetheless, Cesaro hits a uppercut out of nowhere which starts a standoff between The Bar and Shane McMahon to send us into commercial break. After intermission, Cesaro is seen handling Miz with a headlock but is quickly escaped. Cesaro is brought to the corner turnbuckle and hits his vintage yes kicks. After a pin attempt by Cesaro, Shane McMahon saves the match by putting Miz’s foot on the rope. Sheamus answers back by striking Miz and helping Cesaro gain the victory, while taking out Shane in the process. Shane comes back and attacks The Bar by himself. During the attempt to hit a flying elbow to Cesaro through the announce table, Sheamus pushes Shane off onto ringside. The Bar end the match by lhitting Shane with a Brogue Kick, laying Miz on the announce table, and uses a double team maneuver to put Shane and Miz through the announce table with the titles held high.
Result: Cesaro via pinfall
My Opinion:
This tag team title rivalry gives me the vibes of Braun Strowman and Nicholas from WrestleMania 34 last year. However, the difference between that and this is that I am thoroughly enjoying the talent showcase of The Bar, The Miz, and Shane McMahon. Seeing The Bar actually look strong was bittersweet considering that they are one of, if not the longest reigning SmackDown Live tag team champions of all time! Great finish heading into the Royal Rumble.
In-Ring Segment: Mr. McMahon, AJ Styles, The New Daniel Bryan
The Boss is back in town as Vince McMahon enters the arena looking to laydown the law between Styles and Bryan. Vince addresses the heat between The Miz, Shane McMahon, and The Bar for the Royal Rumble. He then transitions to the highly anticipated face off between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. He then introduces AJ Styles. Styles enters the ring. Vince then introduces The New Daniel Bryan. Bryan enters the arena and surfaces around the ring. Bryan then grabs a microphone and states to refuse to enter the ring with Styles after last week’s backstage brawl. He then states that Styles uses his power to gain fame and popularity. He continues to ramble, stating that he is not The People’s Champion but the Planet’s champion. Styles responds by calling Bryan with his vintage catchphrase, “fickle”. Styles then goes onto ask Bryan, what would he have left after he beats him at the Royal Rumble. Before Bryan can speak any further, Vince McMahon interrupts him and says to get into the ring. Bryan responds by saying that baby-boomers are the parasites of this earth and bow to him for it. Styles then states that the face to face does not necessarily need to happen in the ring and starts to brawl with Bryan onto the outside area. While attempting the Phenomenal Forearm, Bryan hides behind Vince and hits Styles with a Running Knee. Bryan exits the ring and stands tall with the WWE title to end the segment.
My Opinion:
This face to face confrontation actually turned out better than I expected when this was first advertised earlier this past week. It is not your typical face to face confrontation where both competitors have a stare down and it ends up being a brawl. I love how The New Daniel Bryan channels his inner Brock Lesnar heel tactic and circles the ring. Witnessing Daniel’s growth as a bad guy is truly amazing. Even with the addition of the boss being harmed by Bryan as a distraction was really intriguing. This got me really excited for the WWE championship match at Royal Rumble.
Backstage Segment: Carmella, Charlotte Flair, and R-Truth
R-Truth and Carmella are seen backstage walking while Truth explains how he will enter the Royal Rumble match at number thirty and face either AJ Styles or The New Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Carmella questions why he will not choose Brock Lesnar as an option. Truth responds by saying he will not be able to be put into Suplex City. Carmella then runs into Charlotte Flair while she grins in arrogance. Carmella then questions how Charlotte earned her way into the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Charlotte Flair responds by saying she is the most dominant woman in this division and staked her claim to winning the rumble and going onto the main event of WrestleMania.
Match #3: Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali
The match begins with Samoa Joe coming out hot against SmackDown’s newest signee and takes him onto ringside. Joe attempts to slam Ali’s head onto the ring post once more just as like last week however, Ali reverses and lands on his feet from a standing moonsault. After an exchange of offense from both competitors, Joe throws Ali over the top rope to send us into commercial break. After coming back, Joe drags Ali’s tired body onto the corner turnbuckle nonetheless, Ali finds a fire to gain another offensive run. However, again, Joe makes the stoppage to the young upstart and gains control. Then, Ali brings valuable time into the match when he stuns Joe and hits the Submission Specialist with a rolling X-Factor. He then takes Joe onto the outside and hits him with a suicide dive. After hitting Joe with a fury of superkicks, Ali hits him with a flying DDT. Dragging Joe into the corner, Ali tirelessly attempts a 054 but is stopped by Samoa Joe and gets caught in the Coquina Clutch for the submission victory.
Result: Samoa Joe via submission (Coqunia Clutch)
My Opinion:
If I have said this once, I will say it a billion more times. I love the fresh faces getting the spotlight and putting on a classic bout to prove who is indeed the best. In addition, I love seeing fresh new rivalries too! Seeing two combustible elements and two different wrestling styles with Joe and Ali really makes me as not only a WWE fan but a wrestling fan smile. I really love how this rivalry is heading and cannot wait what will happen next!
The New Day Interview: The New Day, Kayla Braxton, Tony Chimmel
The New Day are seen chilling backstage playing pool when they are interrupted by Kayla Braxton. Kayla Braxton asks them if they know that the Royal Rumble this upcoming Sunday is every man for himself. Xavier Woods answers the question by asking why they keep getting asked that exact same question each and every year from Mike Rome, Renee Young, her, and even Tony Chimmel. Tony Chimmel appears and asks the exact same question sarcastically. The New Day tells him to get out and then ends the interview by saying that they as a unit will win the Rumble and that nothing will tear them apart.
Match #4 (Main Event): Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio – 2 out of 3 Falls
The match begins hot as both Rey Mysterio and Andrade exchange strikes to gain the upperhand. However, it is Mysterio who shows a display of athleticism with a springboard bulldog that sends Andrade to ringside for a commercial break. Coming back, Andrade throws Rey into the corner but that only opens the door for the resident of San Diego to gain momentum. However, that momentum is stopped when Andrade hits Rey with a dropkick. Rey comes back and attempts a high hurricanerana but is reversed by Andrade into a super powerbomb for the first fall victory. Andrade hits Mysterio with a springboard powerbomb but only gets a two count. Rey Mysterio catches Andrade and hits him with another Canadian Destroyer for the second fall victory. Both competitors are laid out to head into the second intermission of the match. Coming back for a third time, Rey Mysterio sends Andrade onto the outside over the top rope. Attempting a baseball slide, Rey is caught by Andrade. However, Rey connects with the baseball slide and hits a rolling powerbomb onto the outside. He then throws Andrade into the ring and hits a insane dragonarana for a unsuccessful two count. Andrade catches Mysterio with a rope triangle and gains the upper hand. He then goes to work on the hurt left arm. Rey attempts at a ringside sunset flip powerbomb onto the outside but is countered which leads into an outside powerbomb onto the ring post. While regaining himself, Rey is caught with a wristlock DDT from Andrade for an unsuccessful two count. Andrade applies the armbar submission to the injured left arm of Mysterio. Rey escapes and hits Andrade with a reverse Huricanarana for another two count. Rey hits the hits the 619 on Andrade but Samoa Joe interferes which causes the disqualification finish. Joe takes out both Mysterio and Andrade by using a powerbomb and the Coquina Clutch. He then grabs a microphone and claims that his attack is just a small taste of what he will do at the Royal Rumble Sunday. Then, out of nowhere, Randy Orton hits the vintage RKO on Joe to end the night, standing tall.
Result: Andrade pinfall (first fall)
Rey Mysterio pinfall (second fall)
Rey Mysterio disqualification (third fall)
My Opinion:
I do not care about the disqualification finish to yet another classic match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade, that was absolutely insanity! Seeing the showcase of the Lucha Libre style between two great and legendary athletes each and every week convinces me to be invested each time they pop onto my television screen. Now I get that a majority of fans keep getting pissed off to the fact that there was no clear finish for the match but that RKO caught your attention didn’t it? Samoa Joe attacking Andrade and Rey was a shocker right? That is the beauty of the WWE, you never know what to expect! However, I do believe I crunched the numbers correctly by stating Mysterio technically won the match but I just hope WWE does not pull some hot mess stating it was a tie because the referee logically called for the bell when Joe attacked Rey, right? This ending got me really hyped for the Royal Rumble this Sunday!
Final Thoughts
Let me start things off by saying, wow! I am in complete shock about how this episode of SmackDown Live before Royal Rumble played out so great! Despite a tedious storyline between Naomi and Mandy Rose, tonight’s episode stepped up from last week. We witnessed new faces getting the spotlight, the bad guys standing tall, and a hellacious main event. I am greatly confident that Team Blue will steal the pay-per-view come Sunday.
