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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 2, 2015) from Norfolk, Virginia with a taped show on the SyFy channel featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for late next month in Philadelphia.
Because SmackDown is a taped show, you can simply go read the spoilers to know everything that happens (find them by clicking here). We will provide results with a live blog below anyway.
You can use this space to discuss all the events as they occur, however, and it's probably going to enhance your viewing experience. In fact, I know it is because we're a lot of fun around here.
Enjoy the show!
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SMACKDOWN RESULTS
- Edge & Christian were out first. Edge apologized for The Authority being back in power. He was wearing a Cesaro shirt. Christian agreed and they talked about being in power tonight and getting things kicked off. A limo showed up on the Titantron and Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury came out. There was a lame joke about the limo driver stepping in shit. E&C were baffled. Then, Seth Rollins music hit. He was nowhere to be found. Instead, Noble & Mercury made their way out. They read a prepared statement that said The Authority were unaware of the planned attack Rollins and Big Show carried out on Raw. "We apologize." They recognized that Edge & Christian will run SmackDown with J&J Security -- that's what they're really calling them -- overseeing things. They teased a few matches before settling on Ryback vs. Big Show and Rusev vs. Roman Reigns in the main event. They abruptly ended the segment by having E&C say "our show starts now" and "Live in Fear" hit the speakers.
- Bray Wyatt vs. Erick Rowan: The match started with Bray telling Rowan to lay down. "Don't you remember me? Lay down, Rowan! Lay down!" Rowan took his mask off and said "No." So Wyatt popped him and that got the match going. Bray beat on him while saying "why are you doing this to me?" The crowd couldn't have cared less. Rowan made a comeback, then suddenly started acting strange. He took Bray in and said he was sorry. Wyatt used the advantage to hit Sister Abigail for the pin.
- "And so he gave his only begotten son. I ask you, Dean Ambrose, if I'm willing to do that to my own flesh and blood, to someone I saved, to someone I love, what on Earth, Dean Ambrose, would I be willing to do to you? It's been fun, Dean. But unfortunately all good things have to come to an end. And our story, Dean, ends with you laying on a slab in the back of an ambulance. Follow the buzzards."
- Edge & Christian were backstage talking about doing their five-second pose. J&J Security came up and did it instead. It was lame. E&C walked off smiling. I don't understand what I just watched.
- Stardust & Goldust & Adam Rose vs. The Usos & R-Truth: Rose tried to mimic Truth early on but that failed. They went to commercial early, then came back and had a typical WWE six-man tag match. They aren't what they used to be, though. The babyfaces went over after a chaotic finish. After the match, the male Rosebuds in the Exotic Express jumped the ring to attack The Usos and Truth but were swiftly dealt with. That seemed strange.
- Ryback vs. Big Show: This was what it was. Slow and steady with Show working a knee throughout most of it, the same knee that Ryback had surgery on as mentioned in that speech he gave on Raw. Finally, he made a comeback and completely forgot that he was supposed to be selling that knee. Just as THE BIG GUY was set up to win, a Russian flag dropped behind him and Rusev & Lana showed up. Ryback climbed out to the apron to encourage them to come down to fight. Show hit the KO punch to knock him off the apron and get him counted out. Rusev tried to attack after and Ryback somehow came to and sent him packing. Wow.
- Another lame backstage bit with Edge and J&J Security.
- Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. Los Matadores: Jobber entrance for the latter team. It wasn't quite a squash but definitely a showcase for Cesaro and Kidd, who have developed quite the chemistry with each other. They've got a tandem finish now, too, with Cesaro lifting Diego up on his shoulders and Kidd hitting a neckbreaker on it. After the match, Kidd ignored Natayla to celebrate with Cesaro.
- Dean Ambrose vs. Curtis Axel: Dean came out strutting with his usual swagger and just bum rushed Axel. The referee never started the match and Ambrose just beat on him for a minute before hitting Dirty Deeds. He demanded a mic. "Bray Wyatt I hope you're listening. I hope you're listening real good. This Monday, you and I have the first Ambulance match on Monday Night Raw. And what a way to kick off 2015. Let me show you how I'm going to kick off my new year." He went to an Ambulance that was set up near the entrance. He ran over the various things he planned on doing to Bray, like running him over, breaking his fingers, tying him to the bumper, and taking him "on a one-way trip to happy new year hell", whatever that means.
- They ran an Ascension promo outright acknowledging they ripped off the Road Warriors and Demolition.
- The Ascension vs. Local Talent: It was a squash. Heavy offense, Fall of Man, pin.
- Another backstage segment with E&C, this time featuring the two drawing on a poster of The Authority on the cover of Muscle & Fitness. Edge wrote "I Love HBK" on Triple H's arm.
- Roman Reigns vs. Rusev: Somehow I lost everything I typed here. Apologies, Cagesiders. Reigns and Rusev got the chance to show their stuff but it's questionable how well they got over. They went with a disqualification finish when Big Show ran in and ran back the angle on Raw except in reverse, with Reigns standing over Show after pushing the announce table over him.