To say that it’s been an eventful week for WWE would be a high grade understatement. While the company no doubt hoped it would coast into the Royal Rumble weekend on the strength of the Netflix-Raw deal and The Rock joining the TKO board, it’s now instead dealing with the latest horrendous Vince McMahon allegations and the prospects of sponsors jumping ship.
Nothing is more WWE than a show playing out against that wide of a backdrop, but that’s exactly what we’ve got with WWE SmackDown in Miami tonight. Even with the Rumble matches and a Fatal Four-Way starring Roman Reigns looming, there’s some potential intrigue bubbling up tonight.
It starts with what should be tonight’s main event. LA Knight got one shot at Reigns already, and he has another on Saturday albeit with the complications of AJ Styles and Randy Orton in the mix. He’ll go one on one with Solo Sikoa in a classic case of either gaining momentum or giving him one last moment of triumph before he takes an ‘L’ tomorrow.
(And even though we love Knight, we have a feeling it’s going to be the latter.)
There’s a women’s tag team title match as well, one that could hint at some developments in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Bayley is the favorite there, but the Kabuki Warriors are going for gold in Miami. Should they win, does that put even more pressure on the Role Model to win on Saturday? Or might it finally signal the beginning of her end in Damage CTRL?
We have no idea, which is why we’ll be tuned in tonight. Here we go.
WWE SmackDown results from Miami:
(scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
- Katana Chance and Kayden Carter are shown walking into the arena earlier, as are their challengers, the Kabuki Warriors; after that, a video package is shown to promote the Fatal Four-Way at Royal Rumble
- Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight all make their cases for dethroning Roman Reigns
- Santos Escobar def. Carlito by pinfall, but the big news is that Elektra Lopez, who was part of Legado Del Fantasma in NXT, joins Escobar’s new version of that group and helps neutralize the LWO
- A scowling Styles (is there any other kind these days?) is stopped by Jimmy Uso, who proposes that he help The Bloodline take out Knight tonight; when approached by The O.C. and Michin asking what that was about, Styles sneers “don’t worry about it”
- Ava’s meeting with Nick Aldis is interrupted by Bobby Lashley drawing his number for the Royal Rumble and Santos Escobar doing the same
- Bayley talks about her goals of winning the Royal Rumble and ensuring Damage CTRL wins all the gold
- R-Truth is confused about what he’s doing while drawing his Rumble number, as well as mistaking Nick Aldis for Adam Pearce, whose hair has grown in awfully fast
- The Kabuki Warriors def. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter by pinfall to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
- Paul Heyman begs Solo Sikoa to “fix the problem” tonight and show no mercy while doing so; he simply says “OK” in response before walking away, while Heyman suggests that there will be a moment for Jimmy Uso to seize this weekend by winning the Royal Rumble
- Bayley comes in to pick her Royal Rumble number and looks a little less excited about hers than Bianca Belair did right before her
- Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits’ encounter with The Final Testament goes poorly
- Jimmy Uso draws his number and says “No Yeet” in response … so is he No. 1?
- Austin Theory def. Carmelo Hayes by pinfall, pulling the tights to do so; but when Theory and Grayson Waller try to attack Hayes after the bell, Trick Williams comes to Hayes’ aid — though it doesn’t seem all good between them
- Eladio Carrión is confronted backstage by The Bloodline but is wise enough not to push things with them
- LA Knight def. Solo Sikoa by DQ (presumably) after Styles attacks Knight; Orton also joins the fight, which ends badly for Sikoa and Uso, and ultimately Orton after a Blunt Force Trauma by Knight
Randy Orton has something to say ahead of Royal Rumble, but so do AJ Styles and LA Knight
Eladio Carrión introduces Orton, who thanks him for the “RKO” video. The Viper is here to talk about The Bloodline, however, and specifically Roman Reigns holding his Universal title for almost 1,300 days. No one can stop The Bloodline … except maybe Randy.
Orton claims that the only number that will mean anything to anyone after Saturday night will be 15, the number of times he’s been world champion. How will he do it? The three most destructive letters in sports entertainment, naturally.
That boast brings out AJ Styles, who wants to remind Orton there are other people in that title match. Styles says he asked for a match with Solo Sikoa, and was ticked that Nick Aldis gave it to LA Knight instead.
Now he’s upset that Orton seems to have forgotten about him, and he says Randy should know better as they have history. He also promises a receipt coming for the RKO he got last week, and he’s about to talk about stepping over the other challengers when LA Knight’s music hits.
Let him talk to you. Knight mocks Styles for crying about people “stepping over me” and ponders why he’s the only one with a match tonight. Is it because Paul Heyman thinks he’s the biggest threat?
As he finishes his statement, Styles makes one of his own, hitting Orton with a Pele kick.
And new … The Kabuki Warriors take down Katana Chance and Kayden Carter to once again wear tag team gold
You figure the champs will want to start fast, which is exactly what Chance does while working against Asuka. She treats both challengers to some arm drags while talking smack, and she flies to the floor to take out both of them to boot.
As is often the case, the Kabuki Warriors have battled back during a commercial break, though Chance is able to lure Asuka into flying through the ropes to the floor. She also sends Kairi Sane out of the ring on the other side, but the delay allows Asuka to grab her briefly in an ankle lock.
Carter tags in and flies from the top rope to the floor to take out both challengers. She smashes Asuka with a boot to the face, followed by a springboard legdrop for two.
Double team offense by the Kabuki Warriors now has Carter in trouble, but Chance is able to make the save. Sane sees an opening for the Insane Elbow, but Carter gets both feet up to ward it off.
Asuka tags in but misses a sliding kick, and Carter treats her to a facebuster. Chance is finally back on the apron to tag in, but while the Keg Stand nails Asuka, Sane is quick enough to break up the pin at the last moment.
The champs aren’t as lucky. After a brief scramble takes chance out of the equation, Sane delivers the Insane Elbow, and the Kabuki Warriors are titleholders once more, celebrating with the rest of Damage CTRL.
Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits come face to face with The Final Testament, to their detriement
Not that he really needs to, but Lashley introduces himself and the Profits to the crowd. He says the people of Miami came to see a fight, so he tells The Final Testament to come on out “and come get some.”
That group obliges, complete with new t-shirts and black and white entrance effects. Lashley and the Profits are unimpressed that they send only Scarlett into the ring, but Paul Ellering says it’s not because of fear. Karrion Kross says when he looks at them, he sees desperation because things aren’t going according to plan, a feeling he understands.
Kross ticks off the fans by saying he won’t give them a fight tonight, but Lashley and the Profits try to bring it to them. Scarlett rakes Lashley’s eyes, allowing Kross to head into the ring to send Bobby into the post. The Authors of Pain make short work of the Profits too, leaving Lashley to try to fight one-on-three.
It goes poorly, with the Kross Hammer laying him out. The Final Testament wins this round, easily.
LA Knight, Solo Sikoa settle nothing as the main event descends into chaos
Again, Knight seems to have a good strategy in mind, as he goes right after Solo’s right hand. That’d be the one he uses to deliver the Samoan Spike.
After a commercial break, though, Sikoa is in control, pummeling the Megastar in one corner and still very much using that right hand. The announcers remind us that Jimmy Uso is lurking on the outside as well if need be.
A clothesline is answered by a bulldog from Knight, leaving both men on the canvas. He pours on shots with both hands, then hits a leaping lariat and a Russian leg sweep.
Over in the corner, the fans do the “yeah!” thing to stomp his foe into the corner. A DDT is next, then a swinging kick that forces Solo into the announce table. Sikoa’s head is bounced repeatedly off the table, much to the delight of the Miami crowd.
Alas, AJ Styles isn’t one of the people in the seats who’s enjoying this, and he hits a Phenomenal Forearm off the barricade. Uso grabs a steel chair, then lays it in front of AJ. But lest we think Styles is down with The Bloodline, he throws Uso into the ring.
Randy Orton quickly joins the fray as well, dropping Sikoa on the announce table before turning his attention back to the ring. Uso tries to flee but can’t escape the hanging DDT … nor can Styles. AJ also eats an RKO, leaving Orton the last man standing ahead of the Royal Rumble.
Or maybe not, as Knight returns and lays out Orton with Blunt Force Trauma just as the show is about to fade to black.