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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Dec. 13, 2016) from the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., featuring all the latest build to the upcoming dual brand Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for next month in San Antonio, Texas.
Advertised for tonight: AJ Styles defending the WWE world championship against the juggernaut that is James Ellsworth, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR DEC. 13
But still the wars go on as the years go by, with no love of God or human rights; 'cause all these dreams are swept aside by bloody hands of the hypnotized who carry the cross of homicide, but me, I'm just here to liveblog a pro wrestling show, folks.
Show opens with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan watching a replay of last week’s Intercontinental Championship main event. James Ellsworth is there and Shane and Bryan at him while he hacks his head off, coughing and sneezing. He tries to do the “any man with two hands” bit but Bryan tells him until he’s better, his title shot is on hold. He leaves, sneezing all over the both of them, and they sanitize their hands before throwing to the intro video.
In the arena, Miz and Maryse are in the ring, ready for MizTV. Miz does the deal before continuing saying that MizTV is always a star-studded event because he and his wife are on it, but tonight is special because two of the most powerful champions WWE has to offer are on the show. He introduces AJ Styles, who makes his entrance.
Miz mentions Bryan and Shane’s segment and AJ suggests that Ellsworth came down with some chinfluenza. But sooner or later, he’ll destroy James Ellsworth in the middle of the ring. Miz asks him how he’ll sleep at night knowing that anywhere, at any time, he might have to defend his title, and AJ busts out laughing telling Miz that he’s hilarious. Miz says AJ’s hair is much cooler than people give credit for and Styles says he’s looking to get a shampoo endorsement.
But they’re not gonna sit and polish each other’s titles, and Miz asks what’s next for AJ. He beat John Cena, he beat Dean Ambrose, he’s gonna destroy Ellsworth, who else is there? He’s the Face That Runs the Place, the Champ That Runs the Camp, the most prestigious champion on SmackDown. Who else is even on his level? Miz says there’s no doubt he’s a great WWE Champion, but only one man has brought his title from the depths to new heights, and he made the Intercontinental Championship legendary.
Miz points out that he beat Ambrose last week, and AJ asks what his point is. Miz says he’s not on AJ’s level, that’s right... he’s above it. And maybe it’s time for the WWE Championship to be legendary as well. They posture like they’re gonna fight then and there when Dean Ambrose comes down.
Everybody bails to the apron and Dean throws the MizTV chairs around before Dolph Ziggler’s music hits! He says these two paper champions are talking a big game for two guys who can’t win without cheating and claims that Miz is always hiding behind his wife. He and Miz brawl before Miz drops Ziggler with a Skull Crushing Finale only to eat a Dirty Deeds right after. AJ circles the ring staring daggers at Ambrose, who soon hits another Dirty Deeds on Dolph to send a message.
(Wyatt noise)
Luke Harper’s in the ring to level Dean with a lariat! He points at AJ and flexes his lariat arm.
Commentary put over a #1 contender’s tag team battle royal for later and Carmella vs. Natalya for after the break, and then we go thence.
Back from commercial and Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon are backstage when AJ Styles comes in demanding protection with all these dudes after him. Bryan makes a condom joke and announces that Ambrose, Miz, Harper, and Ziggler will be in an elimination match, where interference on your behalf also gets you eliminated. Styles calls it stupid and storms off.
Back in the arena Natalya enters and gets on the mic to talk to Nikki Bella, who is on commentary. She wants to publicly tell her that she did not attack her, and needed to do it before Carmella came out... speak of the devil!
Carmella vs. Natalya
Nattie comes right in with a double leg takedown, throwing wild punches. Carmella bails and Nattie sends her back in and goes right back to the beatdown. Carmella gets to the ropes and referee Jason Ayers gets her some separation and a chance to go outside. A slap across the face brings Carmella back in and she takes her turn to throw grounded punches as we go to break.
Back from commercial and Nattie throws a punch and a straight suplex before calling Carmella a liar and slapping her face off. Another straight suplex, double leg into the corner followed by knee lifts, Ayers forces a break and Nattie comes back in hard with forearms. Charge in, Carmella with a headscissors takeover and a clothesline for two.
Putting the boots to Nattie in the corner now, moonwalk, Bronco Buster... only two! Carmella works a bodyscissors as Natalya scoots across the ring and eventually turns it around and goes back to the grounded punches. Carmella catches her in a guillotine choke but Nattie gets fired up and deadlifts her up, turning it into a Michinoku Driver!
Looking for the Sharpshooter, Carmella escapes and bails outside only to catch a dropkick. Nattie takes a minute to talk to Nikki and bowls Carmella over when she comes over to attack. Back in the ring, Carmella has her wits about her...
Carmella wins by pinfall with a small package.
Carmella celebrates up the ramp as Natalya continues to protest her innocence to Nikki Bella.
Commentary hypes up the battle royal and sends us to break.
Back from commercial and commentary shills for the Network for a bit before recapping John Cena’s Saturday Night Live experience.
Gabriel Iglesias is walking backstage when he runs into Apollo Crews. He grunts and flexes at him before apologizing, saying he thought he was lookin’ in the mirror. He’s excited to be here and Maryse rolls up demanding quiet on the set because Miz is trying to prepare for his match later. She calls his shirt loud and Iglesias asks what planet Miz got his suit from, Uranus?
Miz calls him 12 and says his suit cost five grand before nearly calling Gabriel a fluffy piece of sh— before getting shushed.
In the arena proper, American Alpha make their entrance for the #1 contender’s battle royal, which is contested to the elimination of both members of a team. Hype Bros come out next, and we head to break.
Back from break and entrances continue with Breezango and Beauty and the Man-Beast.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royal
Mojo Rawley eliminates Simon Gotch right out the gates! The rest of the wrestlers in the match pair off in twos and threes and struggle against the ropes, Tyler Breeze nearly dumping Jason Jordan. Rhyno makes the save for Heath Slater as Fandango tries to dump him, so friendship lives, for now at least.
Mojo saves Zack Ryder and the struggle continues. Rhyno slams Fandango’s head into the turnbuckles moments before Viktor nearly eliminates Slater. Mojo has Aiden English on the apron but can’t finish him off. Slater tries to dump Viktor but he’s not going over and ends up stomping Slater. Heath hits a hesitation dropkick on English! Chad Gable with the ARMBREAKER IN THE ROPES to eliminate Viktor!
Konnor clotheslines Gable outside and eliminates him! Rhyno’s on the apron and Slater accidentally eliminates him trying to save him from Fandango! We then go to break.
Back from commercial and the chaos continues. English sends Jordan into the turnbuckles and beats on him They end up on the apron and Jordan eliminates English with a huge pop-up slam! Fandango gets Slater on the apron with a front facelock and they slug it out until Slater eliminates Fandango with a trip.
Tyler Breeze and Slater pair off, Prince Pretty wailing on him with punches in the corner until Jason Jordan starts throwing spears on everybody! Overhead belly-to-belly suplexes for Slater and Ryder, going for the Capture Suplex on Konnor but he blocks, gets a bear hug... Breeze eliminates Jason Jordan with a huge kick!
Down to the final four, Breeze and Konnor double-team Ryder and Slater but Heath manages a comeback with a jumping knee, leg lariat, Miller’s Crossing, Konnor tries to dump him and they slug it out from the apron. Breeze comes over and Heath keeps fighting, but as soon as he gets in Konnor picks him up and eliminates him!
Breeze tries to direct traffic but Konnor ain’t buying it. He goes ahead and chokes Ryder in the corner anyway, but when Breeze tries to follow up and double-cross him, Konnor dumps him to the apron where Zack Ryder tries to eliminate him with a missile dropkick! Konnor charges Zack and Ryder ducks, leading Breeze to be eliminated! Looking for the Rough Ryder, Konnor tries to dump him...
Hype Bros win the battle royal, last eliminating the Ascension with a headscissors takeover from Zack Ryder on Konnor to become #1 contenders to the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
Commentary hypes up the #1 contender’s match for the WWE Championship and cut to Alexa Bliss walking backstage to throw us to break.
Back from commercial with a Baron Corbin vignette.
In the arena, Alexa Bliss makes her entrance, and she has a match. Greg Hamilton goes to introuduce her opponent, indie standout and occasional NXT superstar Deonna Purrazzo but Alexa grabs the mic. She gets it, everybody’s in the holiday spirit and SmackDown is the land of opportunity, but unlike Becky Lynch, she doesn’t do charity cases.
Who does Deonna think she is, Jane Ellsworth? She steps to Alexa and the champion backs off a second, saying it’s nothing personal before clobbering her with forearms and throwing her outside!
Like she was saying, she’s the— Becky Lynch comes down the aisle! She apologises for being rude last week, she complete caught her off-guard asking for her rematch since she wasn’t in her ring-gear and all. (Hey Swift! I see you there, pal.) She’s looking for some real competition, so what about having that rematch right now?
Two weeks in a row being interrupted? Fine, Alexa says, you’ve got your match... but not tonight. On her terms. Shane McMahon’s music hits. He shuffles out with a microphone, asking Bliss what’s up before asking DC as a whole. He doesn’t know what’s going through her mind, but that’s not how they roll on SmackDown. She has a rematch against Becky Lynch, and that match is up next!
Back from commercial and referee Charles Robinson is holding the title up, ready to ring the bell.
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Becky Lynch (WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship)
They circle, Bliss dodging and gettign the ropes. Collar and elbow, Lynch takes her down looking for the arm but Alexa gets the ropes. Waistlock takedown from the challenger, and another, float over to a front chancery before trying a pin. Alexa picks a leg, Becky with a World of Sport escape into a side headlock, the champion to her feet and out wiht an elbow.
Drop-down, arm drag, another, Bliss dodges a charge in the corner but eats a kick and a rolling solebutt anyway. Looking for the exploder, Alexa whips her away and delivers a stiff kick to the midsection for two. Bliss steps on her hair and tries to drop a knee but Lynch dodges and grabs a crucifix for two.
Bliss hits a forearm, off the ropes, Becky starts throwing lariats, arm and leg, Straight Fire forearm, but Alexa blocks the exploder and turns it around into a facelock, trying for the DDT.Lynch reverses to arm control but Bliss gets the ropes. They spill outside, Lynch stepping off the steps for a forearm before sending Alexa back inside.
Champ bails on the other side and her knee appears to go out on her. Charles Robinson counts...
Becky Lynch wins by countout.
Bliss continues to sell up the ramp and Becky attacks her, but when they go back in the ring Alexa starts throwing kicks in the corner. Lynch turns it around and puts boots to her, judo throw, grounded punches and the champion bails, hobbling up the ramp.
Commentary shills the Network again and puts over the elimination match, which is up after the break.
Back from commercial and John Cena’s return is hyped up before we cut to a package about Randy Orton’s guest appearance on Shooter.
Entrances for our main event then commence, Dean Ambrose coming out first. AJ Styles will be on commentary, but we have one more commmercial break to get through before we get there.
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper vs. the Miz (WWE World Championship #1 Contender’s Elimination Match)
Harper levels Dean with a dropkick, pops Ziggler up, does it again and knocks him down with a big right hand. Suicide dive on Ambrose and it’s just Luke and Miz now! The Intercontinental Champion claps for him and offers an alliance but Harper just hauls off and slaps him before hitting a Michinoku Driver for two. He fends off Ambrose and Ziggler momentarily but eats dropkicks from both men and gets clotheslined to the outside.
Ambrose throws chops and gets whipped but comes back with a lariat. Miz low-bridges Dean outside and hits the basement DDT on Dolph for a nearfall. Miz hits slingshot dropkicks on both former Dragon Gate USA stars before mockingly doing the Yes! fingers and firing the chest kicks at Ziggler. Dolph ducks the last one, looks for his big DDT but Miz escapes and throws the series of running dropkicks only to get cut off on the third and bulldog’d by Dean.
Ambrose dives on Harper but Luke blocks and levels him with a big boot! Harper in the ring for a powerbomb on Dolph, Ziggler slips out for a sunset flip and Harper hits a backbreaker after. He sets Dolph in the corner for a big chop and stares at AJ. Big right hand crumples Dolph to the mat and Harper follows with a catapult into the middle rope for a nearfall.
He draws Dolph to his feet and into the corner for another big chop and a whip across before heading outside to throw Dean into the barricade. Miz begs off, so Harper goes in the ring and pumps up, grabbing an Argentine backbreaker on Ziggler. Dean breaks it up, grabs Dirty Deeds, Dolph hits a superkick to cut him off, Ambrose with the pendulum lariat! Miz tries to steal pins, but Dean is aware of his surroundings...
Dean Ambrose eliminates the Miz by pinfall with a small package.
We head to break after the elimination.
Back from commercial and Ambrose gets a nearfall on Ziggler with a bridging fisherman suplex. He follows with chops in the corner and against the ropes, whipping Dolph over and catching him into a Black Hole Slam backbreaker for another nearfall. Dean busts out the Regal Stretch! Dolph gets away and Dean throws him with a straight suplex.
Ambrose heads up top and Dolph gets there first, looking for the X Factor. Harper cuts him off, electric chair, Dolph escapes... ZIG ZAG! But Ambrose comes off the top with a clothesline first and gets a nearfall. Whip across, Ziggler with a sunset flip, they trade pins for a second before wiping out with a double crossbody. At this point, AJ Styles calls David Otunga a moron.
Dean and Ziggler draw to their feet but Harper cuts in and clears them out, getting a TIGHT nearfall on Ambrose with a Truck Stop. BRODIE BOMB ON DOLPH! NO GOOD! Charging back elbows, Harper sets Dean up top and runs into a superkick from Dolph...
Dean Ambrose eliminates Luke Harper by pinfall with Dirty Deeds.
Dolph scrambles to his feet, stumbling over, dukes up before generating the adrenaline surge for a pair of lariats, Stinger splash, swinging neckbreaker but Dean dodges the elbow drop! Dean’s on the apron and Ziggler hooks him, only to get catapulted face-first into the ringpost. Ambrose drags Dolph’s unconscious body back in the ring and heads up top. Dolph wakes up... AVALANCHE X FACTOR! Dean grabs a small package when Dolph goes for a pin and a double lariat leaves both men out on the mat again after.
Miz comes back out, Dolph heading out to contront him. Ambrose wipes Miz out with a suicide dive and Ziggler hits a superkick! Dean sends Ziggler back in the ringpost but when he tries to go in, Miz grabs his foot. Dean throws Miz into the barricade, heads inside...
Dolph Ziggler wins, last eliminating Dean Ambrose by pinfall with a superkick and becoming #1 contender to the WWE World Championship.
Dolph jaws at AJ and we cut to Rich Swann backstage.
He has a match tonight against TJ Perkins, and he says TJP knows he can’t handle this.
Back in the arena, AJ celebrates up the ramp with the title. That’s the show, folks.