Logan Paul accomplished his goal of becoming WWE United States Champion, but we’ll find out starting tonight on SmackDown in Brooklyn if perhaps the hard part of his pro wrestling journey really starts now.
So far, Paul has been the hunter, pursuing big fights like his Crown Jewel 2022 main event with Roman Reigns, and his ultimately successful title pursuit of Rey Mysterio. It’s just that now he has the gold and other wrestlers are going to want to take it from him.
The question now is who will be first. WWE has hinted that we’ll get that answer tonight, and one would expect that may lead to a title clash at Royal Rumble if not before.
Another big emphasis tonight will be an appearance by Randy Orton. The Viper seems to be enjoying his WWE return so far, as he was on the winning side in WarGames and emerged with a victory this week on Raw in his first singles match in more than 20 months.
But is Orton here for the duration or just for a visit? In storyline terms, he’s appearing because he was invited by SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. The suspicion is that in real life terms, he may be heading to Friday nights because he’s the next in line for a feud with Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief won’t be at Barclays Center tonight, but it’s possible we’ll get a hint toward a program between the two of them anyway.
Plus we’ll see Kevin Owens take on Grayson Waller, and WWE has pushed the idea that we’ll learn what’s next for Damage CTRL after a losing effort at WarGames.
We’re set to recap everything that goes down from Barclays Center and even have two of our team members in the house tonight. Let’s get into it.
WWE SmackDown results from Brooklyn:
As Kevin Patrick notes, Bianca Belair has every reason to smile after she captained her team to WarGames victory. She gives a shoutout to all of her teammates before making it clear she still has business with IYO SKY since she wants “her” title back.
That brings out Damage CTRL, minus Bayley, with Dakota Kai speaking for SKY. The champ (apparently) says Brooklyn smells and that since she’s already beaten Belair twice, Bianca will have to go through all of Damage CTRL to get another shot.
She’s willing to fight them all solo, but Charlotte Flair and Shotzi soon arrive to declare they’re down for a fight as well, and pretty soon we’ve got a six-woman brawl that is quickly won by the fan favorites.
Damage CTRL wants to know why Bayley wasn’t out there, but it sort of doesn’t matter now as Kairi Sane has a match with Belair, and Kai says she would really appreciate Bayley’s help.
Butch battles Bobby Lashley alone, can’t beat the All Mighty
This match was apparently made on the SmackDown Lowdown last Saturday. Didn’t know stories actually advanced there. In any case, the focus of the announcers is on Ridge Holland walking out on Butch last week, making him a solo act for now. Lashley gets on the mic before the match and says that while he did advise Butch to make a name for himself, he didn’t mean against the All Mighty.
An unimpressed Butch simply goes right at Lashley, but that only works temporarily. The crowd is chanting for Bobby, which may not be what WWE intended. Bitch doesn’t care, taking flight from the apron to the floor a few times with success before commercials arrive.
It’s apparently all Lashley while we’re away, and while Butch is able to wriggle free of a vertical suplex, Bobby catches and simply slams him straight down with one hand.
As the Street Profits cheer him on, Lashley looks for a Spear and hits nothing but post. Butch peppers him with head kicks in the corner, then double stomps Lashley’s left arm from behind. Next comes some small joint manipulation and a stomp on the left hand, followed by a two count.
Lashley shakes it off to deliver a powerslam, but Butch kicks out at two. The Brawling Brute still has some fight left in him, but a Spear takes care of that, and the All Mighty has this one wrapped up.
Highlights are shown of the Men’s WarGames match from Survivor Series, though not including the return of CM Punk afterward.
Paul Heyman seems upset that Nick Aldis invited Randy Orton to SmackDown tonight, and is especially irritated that Aldis wants to sign Orton to an exclusive contract. He tells Heyman he can tell Roman Reigns it’s happening, and that he’ll offer up the entire Bloodline if needed to get the deal done.
Butch says he doesn’t know why Ridge Holland walked out on him, but while he’s not about to take any taunting about it from Pretty Deadly, he soon learns, painfully, that he can’t do much about it.
After a replay of the beginning of Santos Escobar’s heel turn, he says he’s going to put Joaquin Wilde on the shelf right now if he can’t see the “truth” about Rey Mysterio.
Santos Escobar takes down Joaquin Wilde but Dragon Lee is still hunting him
Not sure if the LWO is still alive, but Wilde is trying his best to keep it that way, not just by sporting a shirt but by controlling the early action and getting the first near fall.
Escobar fights back effectively, scoring several two counts and ripping Wilde’s LWO shirt off. Santos mocks the group to the hard cam but gets his legs taken out by a low dropkick. A big DDT follows, but Escobar is able to kick out at two.
After stunning his former teammate, Escobar scream that this is what happens when you cross him, and he finishes the match with a Phantom Driver. Santos wants to continue the beating after the bell, bringing Dragon Lee to the rescue.
Escobar fakes leaving and tries attacking from behind, but Dragon Lee is ready, battering Santos into the corner and nailing a low dropkick.
Adam Pearce is also in the house, and he tells Aldis he intends to join him in the ring to offer Orton a Raw contract.
Logan Paul explains who will challenge him next … if Kevin Owens doesn’t get to him first
To everyone who prayed for his downfall, Logan Paul wants to know where they are now. He says the more anyone hopes he fails, the harder he works and the more he wins.
Paul says wrestlers are jealous and want his U.S. title, which has been on his junk just like everyone has since he’s been there. His words, not ours.
Since Rey Mysterio can’t face him in a rematch due to injury, he and Aldis have come up with an eight-man tournament to determine his next challenger: Escobar, Lee, Karrion Kross, Lashley, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, Kevin Owens and a mystery NXT wrestler.
Someone is going to answer him, and that someone is Owens. Clearly no fan, KO calls Paul’s time in WWE a nightmare and also takes a shot at Prime. Paul says he’s been in the ring with the greatest boxer ever and would only need five seconds to KO Kevin.
Owens says that’s another world and the WWE is his world, but he’s interrupted by the arrival of Waller and Theory. Waller says the three of them are “forward-thinking disruptor” types with a lot of common, and Theory runs his mouth until Owens smacks him down with a right hand. That leaves Owens and Paul exchanging words that we can’t hear to end the segment.
Kevin Owens just keeps fighting to defeat Grayson Waller
Paul sticks around on guest commentary, calling Owens the “Humpty Dumpty of WWE” and bragging about how he’s already beaten the best luchador of all time. He also plays dumb about the brass knuckles he used to beat Rey.
Oh right, the match. Owens is beating down Waller in one corner only to see Theory grab his buddy to avoid the Cannonball. That allows Waller to gain the upper hand on the outside, but that changes quickly when a clothesline puts him down on the floor and KO hits a frog splash from the apron.
Theory stomps on Owens’ hand as the referee is dealing with Waller, then tells his friend where to concentrate his offense. The announcers report that KO’s hand continued to be targeted all through the break, with Michael Cole putting the idea out there that it could be broken.
Even with one hand, Owens is able to give Waller an atomic drop and a DDT. The Cannonball pulverizes Waller in the corner, and a Swanton Bomb follows, though Grayson is able to kick out.
Waller gives a submission a try, but Owens makes the ropes. To all the heels’ dismay, he’s able to reverse a pinfall attempt and keep Waller’s shoulders down for three.
A replay of CM Punk’s Survivor Series return is shown, as well as a graphic showing he’ll be at SmackDown next week in Providence, which ticks off the Brooklyn crowd.
Kai thinks Bayley doesn’t seem like herself, and SKY tells the nominal leader of Damage CTRL to stay in the back for Kairi’s match.
Bayley tries to assist Kairi Sane, but it’s not enough against Bianca Belair
Everyone but Bayley from Damage CTRL is out to support Sane, while Flair and Shotzi are on hand to back up Belair if need be. Early on it doesn’t appear she’ll need it, as her power is too much for Sane.
Asuka gets involved by tripping Belair near the ropes, giving her teammate a chance to take control until Flair repays Kairi in kind. The difference is that the ref sees Charlotte and ejects her and Shotzi. The ref turns and sees Asuka in the ring, ejecting Damage CTRL as well.
After a commercial break, Belair treats Sane to several body slams before raining down right hands from the middle turnbuckle. A spinebuster sets up her somersault splash, but Kairi barely kicks out before the ref’s count hits three.
Another two count follows, but Sane finally responds with a spinning back fist. A sliding knee and a forearm off the top allow Kairi to cover for her own two.
Sane manages to send Belair to the floor, but she misses a move off the apron and gets dropped hard on the barricade. While the ref is occupied, Bayley comes out and gets a shot in on Bianca. She high fives Bayley before going up top, but Bianca catches her there and lifts her back into the middle of the ring for a KoD to end it.
Both SmackDown and Raw make their pitches to Randy Orton, but the Bloodline helps sway his choice
Nick Aldis is happy to welcome the Viper back to SmackDown, and the fans seem very enthusiastic that he’s there. Pearce and Aldis squabble right away before making their offers. Pearce says if he signs with Raw, he’ll get the winner of Seth Rollins and Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship. In return, Aldis says he can have the guys that took him out if he signs with SmackDown.
That declaration brings out an animated Heyman, who says there will be no RKOs this evening and no decision made by Orton … because the Bloodline is going to make the decision for him.
On cue, here come Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, and even though Orton gamely stands in as they hit the ring, he’s fighting an uphill battle until LA Knight’s music hits.
The Megastar helps even the odds in a hurry, as he pairs off with Sikoa and leaves Uso in the ring with Orton. Jimmy takes the elevated DDT and looks like he’s a sitting duck for an RKO … which he is.
Orton calls for both contracts from the GMs as Heyman yells “go to Raw, you’re safe on Raw.” Of course, Randy chucks the Raw contract out of the ring and signs for SmackDown.
Grabbing a mic, Orton tells Heyman he can call Roman Reigns and tell him “Daddy’s back.” A happy Aldis celebrates with his new signee, but Orton gives him an RKO. Heyman is shown calling Reigns, probably.
