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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Feb. 6, 2018) from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for next month in Ohio.
Advertised for tonight: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn to decide the next number one contender to the WWE championship, 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 FEB. 6
You can make a fortune in lies, you can keep a giant alive, you can ride the red until everybody smiles. A trifling euphoria was such an untimely religion, maybe your life can explain the reason for my indecision. Here is a poor man, the heart of this monster creation. He said we both will be heroes and I was led into temptation, in order to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens up with some hype for our #1 contender’s match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
Live in the arena, Shane McMahon is in the ring. He says normally he’d be ecstatic about that match but he’s not, because the stakes have epic implications. The winner goes on to Fast Lane to compete for the WWE Championship against AJ Styles, you see, and this leads Shane to call general manager Daniel Bryan out. McMahon says they both agree that SmackDown is the land of opportunity and one of the keys of their success is listening to the fans every week.
When we all feel a superstar deserves an opportunity, it’s up to them to give that superstar that opportunity, and Shane says he thinks Bryan isn’t listening. “Rusev Day!” chants go up before Dan has a chance to answer and McMahon takes due note of them. He says Bryan keeps giving the same two guys opportunity after opportunity and the fans might want to see another superstar go after the WWE Championship.
He polls the crowd and gets a middling response, and Dan says the referee made a mistake at the Royal Rumble and he’s tried to turn a negative into a positive, make a huge main event for tonight wherein two of Shane’s least favorite superstars get to rip each other apart tonight and honestly he thought he was gonna get a well-deserved raise in pay.
Shane holds his horses on that even as the crowd chants and Bryan hopes he made due note of that as well. McMahon says he’s looking forward to seeing Owens and Zayn rip each other apart but Bryan gives them opportunity after opportunity for the WWE Championship. What Bryan has done with the Yes! Movement changed the WWE landscape forever and although he had a similar career path to Sami and Kevin, they’re not him.
The Yep! Movement is a cheap imitation of the greatest thing Daniel Bryan created, and Shane doesn’t want him to let them manipulate him further. He knows Bryan, more than anything in this world, wants to compete in the ring, but what he’s doing-- Dan cuts him off and asks what exactly it is that he’s doing. Shane says he thinks it’s plain to see that Bryan is living vicariously through Owens and Zayn.
Enter AJ Styles. He says since the new year started he’s traveled over ten thousand miles defending the WWE Championship. He’s been all over the world competing at the highest level because that’s what he does, and he was put on this planet to be phenomenal. He can deal with the bumps and the bruises and the pain, with canceled flight, with travel taking him away from his family, that’s part of the grind and he was built for it.
But what he can’t deal with is SmackDown management obsessing over Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. And he’s not just talking about Dan, he’s talking to Shane too. Every time they make a decision based on those two, it affects him. He’s a fighting champion, he doesn’t care who wins tonight, so do him a favor-- just stay out of the way tonight. He can control his own destiny, and he’ll walk out of Fast Lane right into WrestleMania as WWE Champion.
Backstage with the New Day, Kofi Kingston’s hand is a unicorn attacking pancakes. Big E has Twitter open for social media questions and asks whether Corey Graves has a better jab or a left hook.
Commentary pumps up the rest of the show and we go to break on a hype package for tonight’s Mixed Match Challenge.
Back from commercial, AJ Styles is walking backstage when he rolls up on Shinsuke Nakamura. Shinsuke tells him he’s gonna beat him at WrestleMania and walks off.
Charlotte Flair vs. Liv Morgan
Flair with a double leg into the corner for shoulder thrusts, referee Mike Chioda pulling her off but she presses the attack, repeated boots and only finally breaking after he begins a count! Morgan to the outside, Charlotte follows, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Liv in charge and taunting over a fallen Charlotte. Flair slowly to her knees and Morgan capitalizes with a kick before throwing her into the turnbuckles. To the next corner, Charlotte gets some chops off and evens the score! Strutting, fallaway slam, big boot, she pulls Liv into position, giant step, climbing up top but Morgan picks her leg before she can attack!
Cover comes up empty, Japanese stranglehold applied with a knee to Flair’s back but Charlotte reverses to an electric chair! Reversed again to a victory roll, nope, neckbreaker and a spear and the Queen is rolling! Sarah Logan gets on the apron and takes a spear for her trouble but Ruby Riott pulls Morgan out of the ring! Chioda throws Logan and Riott out!
Charlotte rolls Liv back inside and dodges an enzuigiri, off the ropes with the Mafia kick, spinning toehold into the figure four, bridging back...
Charlotte Flair wins by submission with the Figure Eight.
Flair heads over to commentary and informs them that’s one down, two to go.
We go to break on a Black History Month bumper about WWE’s recent visit to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Back from commercial, Renee Young is knocking on Kevin Owens’ door. He waits a beat and comes out and she asks if tonight will affect his relationship with Sami Zayn. He says that’s actually a great question, but it’s up to Sami and whether or not he can handle losing.
Bludgeon Brothers (Harper & Rowan) vs. Mat Fitchett & ???
Harper with a dropkick and a t-bone suplex on black tights and he heads out to Fitchett and Rowan runs over him on the floor with a crossbody! They stack ‘em up in the corner, body avalanche, assisted powerbomb on Mat, other guy up...
Bludgeon Brothers win by pinfall with the double crucifix powerbomb.
The Usos come down as the Brothers are leaving and the two teams pass each other by before we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Usos are in the ring to cut a promo.
Last week they came out here to let us know what Day One Ish means, and this week they’re gonna let us know what being locked down is all about. It’s not about getting booked and fingerprinted, orange jumpsuits, cold showers, assume the position, sleeping on a slap on concrete, no, what they’re talking about is a state of mind. They turn your mind into a prison and they run that prison.
Lotta cats out here starving and acting real hungry, and not for cupcakes, the hunger for success, and y’all can’t eat until they say you can eat. Lotta cats are thirsty, not for purple stuff, but for the spotlight, and if you try to take a sip of their holy grail they’ll split you like the Red Sea. Lotta cats sleeping on the Usos, and not like bunk beds, but 2017 was a turnaround for them, from facepaint to snapbacks, from rainbow colors to white and black, from “yeah they might be alright” to “they had match of the night.”
Can’t sleep until they say we can sleep, and we better recognize when we feel those goosebumps it’s not paranoia, it’s the Usos!
Backstage, Daniel Bryan is going to reveal the first ever SmackDown Top 10 List. He reminds us of the rules and begins. In descending order, Tye Dillinger, Randy Orton, Becky Lynch, the Usos (together at 7), the New Day (likewise at 6), Bobby Roode, Naomi, Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte Flair, and at number one, AJ Styles.
Backstage with the New Day, Big E is rubbing pancakes on Xavier Woods’ face and saying he’d give Corey Graves a 6% chance of winning a street fight.
We get a handcam promo from Aiden English about how the mat is canvas because they’re artists, and the difference between him and Rusev. He tells Bob Roode to prepare to lose his title, because Rusev is ready for his magnum opus, and that sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Aiden English is in the ring to sing his buddy to the ring with a song about how some holidays have groundhogs and cupid, but those are stupid, and today is Rusev Day and also he’s gonna win the title.
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Rusev (WWE United States Championship)
Circling, collar and elbow, Rusev backs Roode into the corner and breaks clean at referee Brian Nguyen’s command. Back to the lockup, Bobby turning him into the corner this time and again a clean break at Nguyen’s command leads into a taunt. Another lockup, this time Rusev gets a waistlock, takedown, trying to shift to a front chancery but Roode reverses to a hammerlock.
Rusev out of it, snapmare into a cover, only one, front chancery takes hold this time, arm wringer escape into a side headlock from the champion, shot off, shoulder block wipes him out and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Roode hits the blockbuster and Rusev kicks out! Whip, duck the lariat, Rusev catches him and hits the fallaway slam! Straight punch, stomp, kick to the back, straight suplex, pressing the attack with a reverse chinlock, trying to grind the champion down. Overhead elbows to switch it up, shifting to a rear chinlock and the champion busts out with punches.
The Lion of Bulgaria staggered and against the ropes, but he manages to reverse a whip... and Roo catches him with a lariat. Corner lariat to a swinging neckbreaker, building up a head of steam... and Aiden English runs interference enough that Rusev gets a huge roundhouse kick... NOPE! And we go to break.
Back from commercial, Glorious DDT blocked and Rusev gets a good shot in but Bobby is able to hit the spinning spinebuster for a nearfall! English running interference again, Rusev gets a rollup, not enough, he throws Roode out of the corner, Machka Kick lands true but he’s slow to capitalize, he goes for the accolade, Roode reverses, roll through, back to the Accolade, jockeying for position...
Bobby Roode wins by pinfall with the Glorious DDT, retaining the WWE United States Championship.
Roode celebrates... RKO OUTTA NOWHERE! Randy Orton pulls English into the ring... RKO OUTTA PLAIN SIGHT! Rusev pulls himself up in the corner, Orton waits for him... AN RKO ON RUSEV DAY! Randy poses in the turnbuckles.
Commentary hypes up the main event and we get a handcam promo from Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin calling Breezango buffoons and the Ascension clowns. They’re here to bring prestige to the tag division and if the other teams are jokes, they got the punchlines. This week they’re targeting the Ascension, and they’re weapons of tag destruction.
This sends us not to the wasteland, but to break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin vs. the Ascension (Konnor & Viktor)
Benjamin and Konnor to start, jawing at each other, Shelton with a shove and a forearm, Konnor returns the forearms, off the ropes, back elbow, elbow drop comes up empty! Benjamin catches him with the left after Konnor catches the right but the Wastelander throws him in the corner. Mafia kick comes up empty, Gable yanks the legs over the middle rope, big knee from Shelton into a cover, only two.
Chad tags in and presses the attack, stepover kneebreakers, stump puller leg whip, single leg takedown into a stepover toehold, wrenching it it. Stomps to the hamstring, but Gable takes a minute to jaw at Viktor and Konnor is able to flapjack him for some separation! Tag to Viktor, he comes in hot with forearms and chops, backing the Olympian into the corner.
Hard whip, back elbow, Gable sidesteps but Viktor comes off the second with an elbow! Benjamin with a thrust spinebuster on Konnor, Viktor dumps him to the floor, Chad from behind, blind tag, Chaos Theory, Shelton gets him up...
Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin win by pinfall with the powerbomb / lariat combo on Viktor.
New Day are answering more questions, and if they were judged individually, it would have to be the smartest and strongest of them... which Xavier and E swerve us on by agreeing that’s Kofi Kingston. Kofi, for his part, says he’d break his #1 position in half and give it to both of them if he could.
Commentary walks us through some Twitter reactions from the top ten ranked superstars.
We go backstage with Sami Zayn where he’s being interviewed. He says tonight is his opportunity to step out from KO’s shadow. It’s hard for him to admit it, but he’s won all these titles and that’s fine because they’re best friends. But even as best friends they’ve fought more than anybody, and he knows what Kevin is capable of. He’ll stop at nothing, but then again, neither will he.
Sami makes his entrance, and our main event will begin after the break.
Back from commercial we get some hype for tonight’s Cruiserweight Championship Tournament matches on 205 Live.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Circling, collar and elbow, Owens gets Zayn in the ropes and breaks clean. Back to the lockup, KO with a waistlock, Sami reverses but Owens picks the leg and grabs a front chancery. In the ropes again, breaking with a slap this time. Side headlock, Zayn shoots him off, shoulder block, drop down, arm drag, float-over arm drag into a kneeling armbar!
Kev gets to the ropes and Sami piefaces him on the break! Waistlock, standing switch, KO breaks with a hard back elbow and Zayn gets a look on his face before double legging him into mounted punches! Owens rolls to the floor and demands Sami calm down. Back in, Zayn with the double leg into punches again, he tries to escape and Sami knocks him off the apron to send us to break.
Back from commercial, both men are getting to their feet and KO advances to throw chops. Sami returning punches, whip, springboard up and over and they trade kicks unto Owens wipes his best friend out with a lariat! Kev ducks a lariat, hard forearms and chops, whip, Zayn has the back body drop scouted with a kick but gets caught seconds later with an enzuigiri, fisherman’s brainbuster over the knee... NOPE!
Looking for the cannonball, Sami wakes up, exploder denied, knucklelock into the step-up tornado DDT, only a nearfall! Trying to set him up in the turnbuckles, they slug it out but Sami gets his way and climbs after Owens. Looking for maybe the brainbuster, KO clubs him aside and knocks him down with an overhead elbow... SENTON ATOMICO BUT THE KNEES WERE UP!
Both men on the floor, Sami charges around... SUICIDE DIVE THROUGH THE CORNER INTO THE TORNADO DDT! Back inside, Zayn gets him in position for the Helluva Kick... OWENS CUTS HIM OFF WITH A SUPERKICK! Up top, Frog Splash... NOT ENOUGH! Jawing and shoving at his best friend, Owens tells him to stay down but Sami reuses, leapfrogs over the pop-up powerbomb... HALF & HALF!
Blue Thunder Driver connects... NO GOOD! KO under the ropes, Zayn crawls to him but Owens falls to the floor. Pulling himself up the announce table, Sami’s right behind him but he can’t really get him up and Zayn talks to AJ Styles on commentary, who begs him to finish the match. AJ shoves Sami into Kevin...
Sami Zayn wins by disqualification, presumably, but no finish is announced.
AJ puts boots to Sami and clobbers KO with a single punch when he comes from behind... PLANCHA ON BOTH GUYS!
Daniel Bryan comes down and has an announcement to make. Due to the superlative performance of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and the outside interference of AJ Styles, he’s making it a triple threat at Fast Lane!
Commentary reviews the footage as AJ jaws at Zayn and Owens.
That’s the show, folks.