Tag: Authors of Pain

WWE SmackDown results 03/22/24: Cody Rhodes comes prepared for Bloodline hijinks

Turns out that neither Roman Reigns nor Cody Rhodes really kept their word on WWE SmackDown in Milwaukee.

Promises are a funny thing. Even villains, when they have a code of honor, can keep them, and there’s a big one that is at the heart of tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Milwaukee.

This week on Raw, Roman Reigns gave his word via Paul Heyman that he wanted to talk to Cody Rhodes on SmackDown and that he’d show up alone — no other Bloodline except for Heyman. In return, he asked that Rhodes also bring no backup, and Cody agreed.

It was somewhat reminiscent of the kind of agreement you’d see in movies, like a hostage exchange or drop of some sort. Meet me at this place, at this time, no cops.

Whether Reigns actually follows through will tell us a lot about how he’s feeling on the Road to WrestleMania. Does it make sense, at this point in his tale, that he’d be confident enough to stand across from Cody with no contingency plan? He did defeat Rhodes last year at WrestleMania, after all.

Or is Roman now paranoid and willing to go back on his word, a sign he’d do anything to keep the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from even possibly slipping through his grasp?

It’ll also be nice to see Reigns take center stage on the Bloodline portion of things, as he’s been somewhat upstaged by The Rock the last few weeks. Pretty sure that’s never going to come up again somewhere down the road. Yep, probably never. Wink, wink.

There are important tag team matches in store as well, which will help shape the Tag Team Ladder match at WrestleMania. Buckle up and prepare, Milwaukee, because here we go.

WWE SmackDown results from Milwaukee:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Cody Rhodes and Damage CTRL are shown entering the arena
  • Santos Escobar def. Rey Mysterio by pinfall, in large part due to a distraction from Dominik Mysterio
  • Bayley thanks Naomi for helping her last week, but Bianca Belair hasn’t forgiven the Role Model for what she did as leader of Damage CTRL, and Naomi ends up having to step between them as they bicker
  • Backstage, Bianca and Naomi continue to have a conversation, to which Naomi says she can’t change what’s happened in the past and won’t back down when Damage CTRL is picking them off one by one
  • Austin Theory and Grayson Waller def. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows by pinfall in a Tag Team Championship Qualifying Match, with Theory using the ropes for leverage to aid in his pinfall
  • A hype video pushes Bron Breakker as a superior athlete
  • Highlights are shown from Roman Reigns’ appearance on “The  Pat McAfee Show”
  • IYO SKY def. Naomi by pinfall thanks to aid from Damage CTRL; after the match, Naomi gets a dose of the poison mist from Asuka before Bianca Belair hits the ring with a vengeance, and is able to do pretty well against the whole group until numbers wear her down
  • Jade Cargill will make her first official appearance as a SmackDown superstar next week
  • Tiffany Stratton mocks Naomi as she’s trying to get the mist rinsed out of her eyes
  • Nick Aldis is talking to Kevin Owens when they’re interrupted by Pretty Deadly, and KO ends up challenging them to a tag team match alongside Randy Orton; K.O. ends up punching both members of Pretty Deadly in the face at once, as he does
  • Footage is shown of LA Knight rolling up at the house of AJ Styles and starting a fight with him, then dashcam video shows Knight getting arrested

  • Street Profits def. Authors of Pain by pinfall in a Tag Team Championship Qualifying Match
  • Paul Heyman is on the phone telling Roman Reigns that Cody Rhodes is here alone, and that his public awaits
  • Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes go face to face, and when it turns out Reigns actually did bring The Bloodline with him, Cody has backup too in the form of Jey Uso and Seth Rollins

Naomi learns going it alone against IYO SKY isn’t really a great idea

Is IYO even going to make it out to the ring? Cameras find her backstage scrapping with Bayley, but she gets the better of it and refs finally tell the WWE Women’s Champion to get to the ring.

SKY has to weather an early storm, and the crowd gets behind Naomi as she rallies to hit a springboard bulldog of sorts for a near fall that leads to a commercial break.

Yes Corey Graves, Milwaukee is starting to feel the glow after the break. She splashes into a split but gets only another two count.

You feel like Damage CTRL is going to interfere at some point, and perhaps others may get involved too. Maybe soon after Naomi hits a superplex and rolls through to produce another near fall.

Ah here come the Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai, perfectly timed to set their leader up for an Over the Moonsault to win it.

Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes exchange insults, and neither came alone

So far so good for Reigns sticking to his word, as Roman comes to the ring accompanied only by Paul Heyman. The Tribal Chief asks for and is handed a mic, talking about how he kept his word and showed up without the Bloodline. He asks everyone to acknowledge him while Cody is shown walking toward the entrance.

After commercials, Rhodes makes his way out to join Reigns in the ring. Cody says he’s as much a man of his word and also came alone, to which Roman calls him a fool.

From Reigns’ perspective, Rhodes is unfit for the position of face of the company. He scoffs at Cody aligning himself with Seth Rollins, reminding Rhodes that Rollins eventually stabbed him in the back.

Cody of course remembers The Shield, but asks if Roman remembers the first team that defeated them. He also says he has his “bullet cufflinks” on so he knows all about factions and betrayals, and he’s banking on Rollins hating Reigns more than he hates Cody.

There’s also a good question: Can Roman trust The Rock? Who’s really in charge of The Bloodline anyway, the Tribal Chief or the Final Boss? A “Roman sucks” chant breaks out in response.

Reigns retorts that Rhodes said the same thing to The Rock in reverse, then ridicules him for promising things and failing to deliver like a politician. All Cody will ever be is No. 2, while he’s No. 1 … forever.

Talking about how Reigns grew up in the business like he did, Rhodes says he’s accepted the idea that the next generation of youngsters will grow up wanting to be the next Roman. Cody disagrees about being No. 2, though, saying he’s the one and offering a handshake and good luck at WrestleMania.

Reigns shakes Heyman’s hand instead and they leave the ring. But Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa are approaching the ring through the crowd, and the American Nightmare looks surrounded.

Cody cracks a smile, though, as Jey Uso and Seth Rollins are also out in the crowd. It’s a big standoff to end the show, like something out of a movie.

WWE SmackDown preview 03/22/24: Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes face off

WWE SmackDown from Milwaukee will also see two teams get closer to qualifying for the Ladder match at WrestleMania.

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Paul Heyman says Roman Reigns is a Tribal Chief of his word. Whether Cody Rhodes can truly trust that or not is an issue at the very heart of tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Milwaukee.

What will Cody, Roman want to talk about — and will they do it alone?

Even though Reigns and Rhodes are no strangers to each other, it’s only right that they have another face-to-face meeting before they fight not once but twice at WrestleMania 40. It’s good that they are, too, because as one of the Wrestling Junkie staffers said last week, it was starting to feel like Cody vs. The Rock was the main event since they’ve been interacting the most.

That shouldn’t happen tonight, as The Rock isn’t scheduled to be here and Reigns promised (via Heyman) that no other members of The Bloodline would be on hand. If we were Reigns, though, we’d have Seth Rollins or Jey Uso on speed dial. You know, just in case.

Can Rey Mysterio get some revenge against Santos Escobar?

One of the pieces of the WrestleMania 40 puzzle that hasn’t quite fallen into place yet is the one concerning Legado Del Fantasma and the LWO. Will there be a multi-person match of some sort? We might get an idea tonight.

On the surface, it’s going to be Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar one on one. But while that sounds great on paper, it seems unlikely that no one from their respective groups will try to get involved. And if that happens, a match could very well be made for Philly by the end of the night.

Who will get closer to joining the teams in the Six-Pack Ladder match at WrestleMania?

There are two spots left in the Ladder match at the Show of Shows, and there still will be by the time SmackDown fades to black. But two teams will advance one more step in two separate matches, one of which is very interesting.

Let’s deal with the one that should be by the books first. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller will take on the Good Brothers and … let’s be real, Anderson and Gallows haven’t done anything as of late to make one think they’ll be competing for gold at WrestleMania.

The other match pits the Street Profits against Authors of Pain. Not only could you see either team in the Ladder match, it’s going to be a continuation of the beef between Bobby Lashley and the Profits (please give them a stable name already) and The Final Testament. Should be intriguing.

We’re going to tear ourselves away from college hoops for a few hours tonight to recap all the action live, so join us back here at Wrestling Junkie at 8 p.m. ET for all the latest.

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WWE SmackDown results 03/08/24: Cody, Seth accept Bloodline’s challenge, Cody slaps The Rock

A dramatic final confrontation was cut short by time, but not before Cody Rhodes had enough of The Rock on WWE SmackDown.

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins aren’t usually on WWE SmackDown. But they’re needed in Dallas tonight to solidify an important part of the WrestleMania picture.

As you may have heard, The Rock turned down Rhodes’ request for a singles match last week on this very show. But being the businessman that he is, he made a counteroffer, albeit it one that he and Roman Reigns made it clear that they expected an answer to in seven days’ time.

That sounds like something from an old timey movie, but we digress.

Since this is WrestleMania SZN pacing we’re talking about here, Rhodes and Seth Rollins took Monday on Raw to deliberate. The deal is this: a tag team match on night 1 of Mania pitting Rhodes and Rollins against Rock and Reigns. If the former team wins, Rhodes vs. Reigns on night 2 will be blissfully free of Bloodline interference, allowing Cody the chance to “this time we mean it” finish his story solo.

If they lose, then it’s all Bloodline, all the time during the rematch, with The Rock pretty much guaranteeing he’d interfere himself.

That sounds like it’s a no-brainer, as in they should take him up on the offer just to give Rhodes the best chance. But that’s also asking a lot from Seth, who has his own match against Drew McIntyre to consider.

Anyway, we should probably get an answer tonight, though The Rock also said he’ll be on SmackDown next week, so it could possibly get dragged out another seven days. There’s other fun stuff in store too, including an appearance from Logan Paul, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens taking on Grayson Waller and Austin Theory (and those two things might overlap, just saying) and Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross.

Let’s find out what this night has in store.

WWE SmackDown results from Dallas:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • The cold open recaps The Rock and Roman Reigns’ counteroffer and the threat to “end your story tragically” if they don’t accept
  • The Rock is shown getting out of a pickup truck and putting on a cowboy hat about two hours before the show, while Roman Reigns looks and laughs at the extra security following him at the behest of GM Nick Aldis; Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are also here
  • Logan Paul unveils some Prime sponsorship with KSI, who ends up on the wrong side of a Randy Orton RKO
  • Triple H shows off the Red Diamond Award WWE received from YouTube for having 100 million subscribers
  • Randy Orton and Kevin Owens def. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller by pinfall, but both men are attacked by Paul after the bell and narrowly escape a brass knuckles attack
  • Kayla Braxton talks to Bayley about Dakota Kai becoming the final member of Damage CTRL to turn on her, questioning if any of her time with the group was ever what it seemed; while Bayley admits that she’s done plenty of stuff for attention, she says much of it was done for the benefit of IYO SKY and Kai, and she also says they are underestimating her ability and drive to break them
  • Bianca Belair and Naomi disagree about whether Bayley is someone to feel sorry for
  • A ton of security is shown posted up outside the Bloodline dressing room
  • Bobby Lashley def. Karrion Kross by DQ after an attack by the Authors of Pain that soon draws in the Street Profits and B-Fab; The Final Testament wins the brawl and Lashley is flattened by The Final Prayer
  • Legado Del Fantasma mocks Dragon Lee and tries to bully him as well
  • Tiffany Stratton def. Michin by pinfall
  • AJ Styles cuts a taped promo laying out his issues with LA Knight (yeah!), who reacts angrily backstage
  • Tyler Bate is busy playing WWE 2K24 but Pete Dunne looks unenthused, though he changes his mind and takes over the sticks once Bate leaves to check on the tag team title situation with Aldis
  • Dragon Lee def. Angel by pinfall, but he takes a brief but hellacious beatdown by Legado Del Fantasma after the bell
  • Damage CTRL mocks Bayley and says they’ll see her in the ring next wee
  • Aldis is ticked at security when they find the locker room for Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins empty
  • What will Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins tell The Bloodline? Well they accept the challenge, and Cody slaps The Rock right as the show goes off the air

Logan Paul is thinking Prime, while Randy Orton just sees a prime opportunity for payback

Addressing the crowd, Paul calls Dallas a city of firsts. He wrestled in his first WrestleMania there and also vows he’ll make more history there tonight.

Working right through the “what?” chants, Paul says everything he touches turns to gold and no one can garner attention like he does. Logan says he’s not talking about his podcast or even his wrestling matches, but WWE. He claims a lot of credit for helping the company to its recent string of huge successes, calling himself the “secret sauce.”

Paul makes a pun about prime and unveils the Prime energy drink logo, which he says will be center ring starting at WrestleMania for all premium live events. He summons his partner KSI to the ring and they prepare to pose for a pic.

Something needs to interrupt, and in this case that something is Randy Orton’s music. Paul senses the Viper coming but KSI is not so lucky, receiving an RKO that is very popular with the fans, especially after Orton drags his body across the Prime logo.

After taking a sip of the Prime KSI was carrying and declaring it “very good,” Orton pours it on his crotch so it looks like he wet himself. As one does.

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens team well together but have to watch out for Logan Paul

The announcers put over Theory and Waller, and particularly Theory, as a threat to our heroes. Waller doesn’t seem to want any part of Orton, which only makes KO want to tag him in more.

Orton backs Waller into the corner and wails away as the crowd counts along with his right hands. He saves one for Theory too, knocking the former U.S. champ off the apron.

The heels try a two-man assault, but Owens tags back in and goes to work on Theory. A rolling dropkick makes for a good rally by Theory, and Waller lands a cheap shot on Owens so the bad guys are looking good for the commercial break.

Owens is badly in need of a tag, having worked during the entire time away. Waller mocks Orton’s theatrics prior to the RKO but immediately thinks better of it when Orton tags in and unleashes clotheslines and his snap powerslam.

Waller looks like he’s in trouble on the apron but is saved by Theory. KO get laid our by the barricade but Waller is too close to the ring and pulled in by Orton for the draping DDT.

The crowd erupts as the Viper coils, but Orton is rolled up when distracted by Theory. It’s a kickout at two, of course, but the heels now have Orton two on one … though for only a moment. KO comes back fighting with a Stunner for Waller, and Theory eats an RKO that ends this one.

While the good guys are celebrating, Paul attacks both of them from behind, pulling out the brass knux and zeroing in on Orton. Randy sees him coming, kicks Logan in the stomach and puts on the knux, but Paul ducks out of the ring and almost causes Orton to clock Owens.

Bobby Lashley wins his match against Karrion Kross but hardly feels like a winner afterward

This should be a straight ahead slugfest, to say the least. Scarlett enjoys Kross’ early success, but Lashley hits a big suplex to swing the momentum in his favor.

The All Mighty pursues Kross to the floor, but Scarlett puts herself in the line of fire to prevent Lashley from swinging her man into the post. Karrion takes advantage with several hard shots prior to a commercial break.

Kross is still bossing the action when the broadcast returns, hurling Lashley around in impressive fashion. But Lashley battles back when they return to the floor, and there’s nothing Scarlett can do this time.

Lashley wants the Hurt Lock but is hurled away toward a corner, and Kross’ Death Valley Driver earns him a near fall. As Lashley fights back, the Authors of Pain enter the battle, and even though the ref has called for the bell, the Street Profits run down to even the odds.

Just as Lashley looks like he might get the Hurt Lock applied, Scarlett interrupts, only to be violently interrupted by B-Fab. The two women chase each other to the back while the men continue to brawl in the ring, but The Final Testament prevails, and Kross smashes Lashley down with The Final Prayer.

Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins accept the challenge, and Cody slaps The Rock

Roman Reigns heads to the ring, flanked as always by Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. The announcers remind us that Reigns will face Rhodes again in the main event on night 2, as if we can ever forget.

The Rock has an amazing new entrance video with a lightning theme now as well.

The Rock says greatness stands before you now and hands the mic to Reigns, who says “acknowledge us.” Someone who might not is Cody Rhodes, who comes down through the crowd instead of from the stage. Seth Rollins is with him as well, but we cut to commercial.

After the break, everyone leaves the ring but the four most important players in this drama. Rhodes says it’s a little tense but he feels very lucky to be standing in the ring and thinks the four of them should take a moment to feel this.

Cody says he understands the tag team challenge but teases The Rock by questioning whether he has the authority after acknowledging Reigns as his Tribal Chief. He’s about to give their answer when The Rock angrily interrupts, explaining it’s what family does.

The Rock reiterates the stakes, which everyone already knows. A “diarrhea” chant breaks out after Rollins made it a thing on Raw, which he loves. So much that he has the balls to remind The Rock that they already knows the stakes and he passionately says they accept.

Reigns starts laughing at Rhodes, wondering why he’d let Rollins answer for him. Roman says when he wins on WrestleMania Sunday, it’s over for Cody, his story is over.

The Rock reminds both our heroes he’s technically their boss, clarifying that if Rhodes doesn’t win, he’ll never get a shot at this championship again. He starts talking about Cody’s siblings and calls Cody “a mistake,: which earns him an angry slap in return, just as the show goes off the air.

WWE SmackDown preview 02/23/24: Can LA Knight stop Drew McIntyre?

Some Elimination Chamber previews highlight tonight’s pre-taped edition of WWE SmackDown.

This is where we’d usually say something about the next premium live event being just one night away. But thanks to the magic of time zones, it turns out that this episode of WWE SmackDown is just hours before the start of Elimination Chamber Perth. Wild.

This episode was also taped last Friday because travel, so there are spoilers out there if you want them. Not us, no sir. We’re acting like this is all unfolding fresh.

Can even LA Knight stop the run Drew McIntyre is on?

For someone who believes the world is against him and he’s the only truth-teller left, Drew McIntyre sure is on a roll. It’s one that could take him all the way to a victory in the Elimination Chamber and on to WrestleMania.

Or … perhaps LA Knight will claim those honors. One thing’s for sure, though: Neither will want to lose this one right before they battle four others Down Under.

Will Bron Breakker impress in his SmackDown debut?

Welcome to the blue brand, Bron Breakker. Not quite free of NXT just yet, considering he’s now a tag team champion there, Breakker nonetheless appears more than ready for the main roster.

Tonight he’ll be in action, though we don’t know the identity of his opponent. And does it really matter? A blue chipper like this isn’t jobbing as soon as he hits Friday night, so whoever is on the other side of this match better beware.

The Street Profits really could use a ‘W’ against Authors of Pain

Is it a rivalry when everything is one-sided? Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits have done their best to stand against The Final Testament, but so far it hasn’t gone all that great.

The Profits can change that feeling on SmackDown if they can defeat the Authors of Pain. No big deal, though, because AOP has looked unstoppable since their WWE return. Something has to give, and hopefully it’s not Tez and Angelo’s spines.

Also advertised for this pre-Elimination Chamber edition of WWE SmackDown:

  • Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate take on The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh

Perhaps your plans for tonight include a nap so you can be up for Elimination Chamber, but we’re going to be here for both shows. Join us back here at 8 p.m. ET for live-esque WWE SmackDown results here on Wrestling Junkie.

WWE SmackDown results 02/16/24: The Rock officially joins The Bloodline

The Elimination Chamber fields are set except for one women’s spot after WWE SmackDown in Salt Lake City.

Haven’t been watching WWE long enough to remember the Two-Man Power Trip? No worries, because The Rock and Roman Reigns are doing their best to update the concept for the 2020s, which we’ll see again tonight on WWE SmackDown from Salt Lake City.

It’s been a little more than a week since the WrestleMania XL Kickoff in Las Vegas shook up the landscape along the Road to WrestleMania. It wasn’t just that Cody Rhodes stepped up and challenged Reigns again, bumping The Rock out of the way.

The more surprising development was that The Great One sided with the Tribal Chief, potentially adding one of the most famed champions in WWE history to The Bloodline. That’s pretty much a complete 180 from when it looked like those two men would be doing battle in the main event in Philly.

WWE wants us to think tonight’s show will answer the big unanswered question after Rhodes shuffled everything, which is what role The Rock will play at WrestleMania 40. Since Rhodes and Seth Rollins are on Raw, we probably won’t get a definitive answer tonight, but we should at least find out if things are leaning toward a tag team match, perhaps on night 1.

The other big thing that will happen in Salt Lake City will be finding several more competitors for the Elimination Chamber matches set for eight days from now in Perth, Australia. Two men and two women will join those bouts after tonight’s qualifiers, which will finish off the men’s field and leave just one spot left for the women.

That means it should be a fast-moving show and an eventful two hours. Off we go to find out.

WWE SmackDown results from Salt Lake City:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • A big Ford pickup truck pulls up to the arena earlier tonight, and out hops The Rock
  • Dominik Mysterio get some mic time ahead of his qualifier, but you know that just means the fans get to boo the crap out of him
  • Kevin Owens def. Dominik Mysterio by pinfall in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match
  • Drew McIntyre says everyone wants to win the Chamber match, but he’s the only one who needs to win it, for himself and all of WWE; LA Knight arrives to throw some water on that idea as only he can, and they eventually need to be separated
  • Earlier today, The Bloodline arrives, and Roman Reigns tells Jimmy Uso they’re going to fix everything Cody messed up
  • Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are feeling good ahead of their tag team title shot at Elimination Chamber; when an angry Mysterio dismisses their chances as he passes by, they challenge him and R-Truth to a match, but he responds that Truth isn’t part of The Judgment Day and they should know that
  • Tiffany Stratton def. Zelina Vega by pinfall in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match; a slight distraction by Elektra Lopez furthers the LWO-Legado Del Fantasma beef too
  • Things get heated in the locker room between Karl Anderson and AJ Styles, so any hopes of The O.C. getting back on the same page appears dead for right now
  • IYO SKY delivers a taunting message for Bayley, and, alongside Asuka and Kairi Sane, says no one is ready for Damage CTRL
  • Authors of Pain def. Javier Bernal and Beau Morris by pinfall in a quick squash match
  • Byron Saxton gets a word with Logan Paul, who says everyone should be thankful for seeing his first live match on SmackDown and also says he’ll win tonight, at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania to become a double champ
  • Logan Paul def. The Miz by pinfall in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match
  • Stratton is making no friends backstage, annoying Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, and eventually, Jade Cargill
  • Paul Heyman is shown speaking with Grayson Waller outside the Bloodline dressing room
  • Naomi def. Alba Fyre by submission in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match
  • Dakota Kai approaches Bayley, but the Role Model still isn’t sure who she can trust and doesn’t want to discuss it right now
  • Aldis says one of the free agents he’s been talking to is no longer a free agent: Bron Breakker has signed to be on SmackDown
  • Roman Reigns and The Rock are in your city, and The Rock is in The Bloodline now

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Kevin Owens is in Elimination Chamber, and that’s the (R-)truth

Dom gets an early taste of KO’s power and doesn’t like it. He fires back with an athletic combo that ends with a dropkick, but Owens sends him out to the floor. Dom manages to walk away to avoid any chance of a dive to the floor, but he eats a right hand while avoiding the steel steps.

KO turns and gets a surprise in the form of R-Truth, and his sudden appearance gives the momentum back to Mysterio, who quickly earns a near fall.

After commercials it’s still Dom on the attack, with Truth looking concerned for … Owens, we guess? The crowd comes alive as KO rallies by simply punching and stomping the heck out of Mysterio until he ends up on the outside. A lariat sets up a running senton, and back into the ring they go.

Truth calls for a Cannonball, which KO delivers after a crotch chop. There’s a frog splash, but Dirty Dom digs deep to kick out.

Mysterio counters a Popup Powerbomb with a facebuster (sort of) and a near fall. Dom wants Three Amigos but ends up getting outdone by his opponent. Mysterio counters the final suplex with a DDT for two.

Shortly after, KO finds the mark with a Swanton Bomb, but Mysterio is able to kick out yet again. Dom responds with a 619, which still isn’t enough to win it. Mysterio tells Truth to get a chair, even telling him he’s in The Judgment Day if he does it.

Truth grabs a chair from the timekeeper’s area … but sits in it instead of handing it over.

Owens delivers a superkick and a Popup Powerbomb, and that’s the end of that.

Logan Paul’s double champ plan continues with a victory over The Miz

The announcers put over how hard it is to believe that this is Paul’s first match on SmackDown, and it is a little wild. He and Miz know each other well, of course, having worked together when Paul was first breaking into WWE.

Paul isn’t quite on target with a standing moonsault, showing a little of his inexperience, as Nick Aldis is shown watching the action from a luxury box with Jade Cargill and Bron Breakker, among others.

Miz’s strikes back Paul into a corner, where the It Kicks draw applause from the fans. His corner attack is on target as well, but Paul has some fight left and sends Miz hard into the ringpost. A jumping clothesline sets up a splash on the apron before a commercial break.

Miz is feeling his second wind after that, with a Hart Attack to send Paul to the canvas. A flatliner follows, and the A-Lister covers for a two count.

Double knees in the corner don’t finish Paul either, so Miz keeps working over the right knee that Logan has been selling from early in the bout. Paul isn’t finished, though, hitting Miz with his own finisher and earning a near fall.

This one still isn’t out of gas, as they fight to the floor and Paul gets brass knux from his buddy again. Miz rushes in and clobbers him, angrily taking the weapon for himself. But Paul is able to take advantage of the brief moment of confusion, dragging Miz back into the ring for an inverted Skull Crushing Finale and a victory to secure a spot in Elimination Chamber.

Roman Reigns welcomes The Rock to The Bloodline

With all of The Bloodline beside him, Reigns heads to the ring for some acknowledgement. He lets the crowd reaction soak in for some time before he even says a word.

“Can I be honest with all of you?” Reigns finally says. The Tribal Chief calls the people of Utah idiots, at least collectively. He doesn’t want them to mess up the “greatest night ever in WWE,” to which they immediately chime in with “Cody” chants.

The occasion, however, is that tonight is the first night we can say The Rock is a member of The Bloodline. That brings out The People’s Champ himself, to a very loud and somewhat mixed reaction. But we’ll have to wait through commercials to see what he says.

The Rock tells the fans they’ve broken a Utah state indoor attendance record … for the biggest group of trailer park trash The Rock has ever seen. He says they’ll all have a story to tell about looking greatness in the face.

This side of The Rock has been there all along, even if we haven’t seen it in years. He blames the people for having the biggest WrestleMania event in years in their hands and flushing it down the toilet by pining for Cody having the chance to finish his story.

But what is Cody’s story? After all, Reigns beat Rhodes last year at WrestleMania. Should he get a rematch? The Rock talks about teams from real sports who get to the championship game, lose and move on. But the fans here don’t understand that because they’re “spoiled, entitled, little crybaby bitches.”

The Rock says he’ll do anything to ensure Rhodes leaves a loser like he is now … if you smell what The Bloodline is cooking.

WWE SmackDown results 01/05/24: Roman Reigns earns himself a Fatal 4-Way

The Bloodline got some licks in but paid for it by the very end of WWE SmackDown in Vancouver.

We know that Roman Reigns is going to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Royal Rumble later this month. What we don’t know yet is who will be the challenger when that match takes place, but that’s something that tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown New Year’s Revolution in Vancouver is supposed to answer.

The candidates are all popular names. AJ Styles recently returned on a mission after The Bloodline put him (in storyline) out of action. Randy Orton was away much longer and has beef with Reigns’ group as well. And LA Knight has been fighting the good fight for some time, coming close to unseating the Head of the Table a few months ago.

All three of them will do battle in a Triple Threat match to determine who will stand across the ring from Reigns at Royal Rumble. Could there be hijinks? Well, considering that Reigns and The Bloodline are also slated for tonight’s show, there’s a decent chance, yes.

Guess who else needs a No. contender? Logan Paul, that’s who. He’ll also be in the house in Vancouver, and assuming he has swapped back with Patrick Mahomes, he’ll be defending his United States Championship against either Kevin Owens or Santos Escobar. We’ll see which one of them emerges with a chance to win some gold in Florida later this month, and Paul will almost certainly not pass up the chance to egg on whoever is the victor.

There’s other intriguing stuff on tap as well, including IYO SKY defending her title and the chance for some returns/debuts as well. Let’s get into it.

WWE SmackDown New Year’s Revolution results from Vancouver:

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • The broadcast begins with highlights of The Rock appearing on this week’s Raw Day 1 episode, followed by Roman Reigns getting out of his ride and laughing, followed by Paul Heyman
  • Kevin Owens def. Santos Escobar by pinfall in the United States Championship Tournament Final, them smashes a mouthy Logan Paul with a right hand
  • A hype video shows why Randy Orton is in the position he is in going into tonight’s Triple Threat match
  • Paul is carrying an ice bag on his forehead when he’s stopped backstage, and while a concerned Austin Theory and Grayson Waller check on him, Cameron Grimes can only laugh at his fate
  • Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are set to make 2024 their year, but they’ve got a new problem: Karrion Kross is back and has the Authors of Pain with him
  • Now it’s time for AJ styles to get his hype video
  • IYO SKY def. Michin by pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
  • Heyman says The Rock namedropped Roman Reigns because he wants to sit at the Head of the Table … but he hasn’t been nor will he be invited to a Dinner of Relevancy; Heyman also says he upgraded from the time he was CM Punk’s friend before he promises whoever wins tonight will be smashed by Reigns
  • Bayley and the rest of Damage CTRL celebrate SKY’s victory and says Kabuki Warriors will win the tag team titles, but Bianca Belair stops by to congratulate SKY and announce that she’s entering the Royal Rumble and can’t wait to KOD Bayley over the top rope
  • Butch and Tyler Bate def. Pretty Deadly by pinfall
  • Yes, LA Knight gets a hype video for tonight too
  • Ashante Thee Adonis tells Nick Aldis he is starving for an opportunity, and the GM says he has some ideas he thinks will be very interesting to him
  • AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton

Kevin Owens wins a shot at the U.S. title, gets in a shot on Logan Paul

Lest you think Logan Paul wasn’t going to watch this closely, he comes down to join the announcers. Escobar also sees his new running buddies Humberto and Angel attacked by Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde, so he has no help when KO nearly pins him just seconds after the opening bell.

Owens is still in command after commercials, but Escobar turns things around by concentrating on KO’s damaged right hand. Paul, as usual, is unimpressed with both combatants.

There’s a tope suicida by Escobar to knock Owens back into the barricade. The obviously pro-Owens crowd starts a “Logan sucks” chant.

The battle goes to the top rope, where Escobar leaps right into an inverted atomic drop of sorts, followed by a DDT. Now it’s Owens trying to fly, but Escobar joins him up top. KO reverses a superplex attempt and slams his foe to the mat but holds his right hand as another ad break arrives.

Owens shows no fear of coming off the apron to smash Escobar on the floor, then tries a Swanton Bomb back into the ring only to catch nothing but knees. Escobar hits a Frankensteiner off the top rope and ascends again for a frog splash. It’s not enough to get the three.

Egged on by the crowd, Paul expressed some grudging respect for Owens’ wrestling ability, and he proves why with a rolling senton off the second rope. Escobar kicks out at two as the U.S. champ laughs.

A superkick by Owens leads to a Popup Powerbomb attempt, and while the first one is countered, his second try is not. There’s a Stunner with Escobar rushing out of the corner, and that’s sufficient to win it.

After the bell, Paul grabs the mic to mock the idea of a Canadian holding the United States Championship. Owens hits him with a right hand, however, laying him out with one shot.

Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits have a problem called Karrion Kross … and the Authors of Pain

Lashley calls 2023 the toughest year of his career from a professional standpoint but says his highlight was linking up with the Street Profits. They plan on taking “everything that we deserve” in 2024.

Montez Ford says they’re going to hop on the trend but fast forward the part where they think the grass is greener on the other side. Angelo Dawkins puts The Judgment Day on notice in terms of the tag team titles, while Lashley says his goal it to get back to being the All Mighty.

To that end, he declares himself an entrant in the 2024 Royal Rumble match. That announcement brings a new video to the big screen and brings out Karrion Kross, Scarlett … and Paul Ellering.

The Authors of Pain are back, and they absolutely destroy the Profits before Kross takes out Lashley.

IYO SKY pushed but triumphs over Michin

The announcers say Michin claims she’s been so focused on “helping the boys” that she hasn’t had much time to focus on herself. SKY is tackling this title defense alone, smiling as Michin is able to match her move for move early on.

A double stomp has the champ feeling some swagger, but Michin lures her into flying to the floor and then connects on a tope suicida. After commercials, Michin lands a wicked knee shot and a cannonball in the corner, but the champ kicks out at two.

Double knees in the corner have SKY looking rocked, but she’s able to kick out at two again. Michin cinches in a half crab, though SKY is close to the ropes and can force a break.

SKY wants to springboard in from the apron but is met by a right hand. But it’s IYO who is able to deliver a German suplex on the apron, bringing cheers from the fans.

The champ wants the Over the Moonsault but hits knees and is thrown backward by a dragon suplex that earns Michin another near fall. SKY squirts free from trouble and hits double knees to the face for her own near fall.

They both head toward the corner, where SKY is knocked down … but only for a second. Michin catches her, however, and executes a Styles Clash from the middle rope that would win it if SKY wasn’t able to grab the ropes.

Alas, the champ is able to bounce back quickly, as that’s why she’s the champ — and it doesn’t hurt that Michin splats on the floor trying for a dive to the outside. An Over the Moonsault wins it for SKY, but props to Michin for that battle.

AJ Styles, LA Knight and Randy Orton all win thanks to The Bloodline’s main event invasion

The announce team reminds us that all three men have their own issues with The Bloodline, and thus will all be equally motivated. Styles has the aerial advantage, Orton the experience edge, but Knight is probably the hottest of the trio right this second. The crowd certainly loves it when he’s bouncing the heads of his foes off the announce table, though Orton suplexes him onto it before doing the same to Styles.

Styles is eventually able to give the Viper a taste of his own medicine, briefly leaving everyone down. Orton is the first to emerge with a big move, hitting his hanging DDT on Styles. Knight drags Orton out of the ring and sends him into the steps, but Styles wipes him out with an aerial assault right after that, sending us to commercials.

Styles is still in command on the other side, burying his knee in Knight’s midsection. A belly to back suplex is next and leads to a near fall for AJ.

Orton is treated to a taste of the steps, and Styles returns to the ring only to find Knight counter his sunset flip attempt for a two count. Knight and Orton both get their shots in on Styles, who eventually is beaten down into the corner.

The same thing looks like it’ll happen to Orton, but he takes a Russian leg sweep instead. A hip attack smashes Styles, as well as a big back body drop. Orton has rallied for several clotheslines, though, and his snap powerslam has him feeling good, especially after he dishes out one to Styles too.

Suddenly, Knight hits Orton with Blunt Force Trauma, and Styles has to physically stop the ref from counting to three. Knight and Styles trade right hands, with AJ finally pulling out a Pele Kick to end the stalemate.

Styles casually hits a springboard 450 on Knight, but LA manages to kick out at two. Orton is repulsed by Styles as well, but he’s able to counter the Phenomenal Forearm with an RKO. That looks like the end … until Knight pulls the referee out of the ring.

And just like that, here comes The Bloodline: Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Reigns motions for Solo to hit the ring, and all three of them are beating the hell out of the actual competitors.

The steel steps are used as a weapon, and Uso clears off the announce table. Reigns hits a hellacious powerbomb on Styles, then a Superman punch on a now bloodied Knight, followed by a spear.

Orton is rolled into the ring next to receive a Samoan Spike/spear combo. Nick Aldis wants to talk to Paul Heyman, and he tells the Wise Man he can congratulate Reigns — because he earned himself a Fatal 4-Way at Royal Rumble.