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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 15, 2019) from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Phoenix.
Advertised for tonight: The Miz celebrates Shane McMahon’s birthday, Carmella vs. Sonya Deville, 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 JAN. 15
I found myself awake last night. May the players take their place, repeat their lines exactly to my public disgrace. The years exaggerate how horrible it was to be stricken silent with no explanation for the cause. I can’t be the only one losing sleep over things I should or shouldn’t have done, but in any case, I’ve gotta liveblog this here pro wrestling show for y’all folks.
The show opens with Becky Lynch driving into the arena and running into an interview as soon as she steps out of her vehicle.
She scoffs at the idea of waiting to ask a question we know the answer to and heads to the ring, tossing her keys at the interviewer. On the way she runs into New Day observing Heavy Machinery’s Otis Dozovic making and drinking some kind of crazy protein shake. New Day don’t want a sip but The Man is up for the challenge and says it’s a little weak before heading off.
In the ring, she gets on the mic and says in a few short weeks she gets a chance to take her SmackDown Women’s Championship back. She got the whole world talking about it, but where is it now? Everyone thinks what she did was a fluke and that it was all easy... until they try it, and boy are they all trying. Men, women, Raw, SmackDown, all trying to find that extra badass gear ever since she broke through.
And Asuka is finding out just how hard leading this division really is. There’s those that try to discredit Lynch, say that she’s hype, and yet she delivers on everything she says every single time. Asuka walked into WrestleMania last year indestructible and unbeatable... and yet she lost. Not only did she lose, but it shook her to her core, and the invincible Asuka couldn’t beat once the woman Becky beat five times in a row around the world, and she asks if Lynch is ready for her?
Enter Asuka. She gets on the mic and says Becky is like a little bee, but no sting. After Royal Rumble, she won’t be in Charlotte’s shadow, she’ll be in Asuka’s! A primal scream from the champion punctuates that statement, and--
Enter the Iconic Duo. Billie Kay starts and tells Asuka that’s not how a proper champion behaves, making scary faces and threats. Where’s the dignity and the class? Peyton Royce then addresses “that bully Becky”, and Billie dubs her Bossy Becky and calls it typical behaviour from a man. (Internalized misogyny is a hell of a drug, ma’am.) Anyway, they say it doesn’t matter who wins the title match because they’re going to win the Royal Rumble and then the tag belts and then make WrestleMania absolutely... iconic.
Becky turns to Asuka and says she’ll show her why she’s the talk of the industry and then asks which Iconic wants to be made an example of right here in Birmingham, Alabama. They debate amongst themselves, and we go to break.
Back from commercial in time for the bell!
Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce
Becky paintbrushes Peyton, who rolls to the floor. Lynch returns her, pin, rolling solebutt, going right for Dis-Arm-Her but Royce gets away! Whip into a dropkick, The Man fired up, backslide for two, arm drag into a kneeling armbar as we see Lacey Evans watching backstage. Royce surviving shockingly long in the armbar, Becky rolls out of it and hits a stomp as a followup and Peyton rolls to safety.
Lynch with a baseball slide, back inside and Royce catches her with a right hand and follows with a flurry of punches for a nearfall. Right hands in the corner, Becky cuts her off with a knee, forearms, whip reversed, corner lariat staggers the Lasskicker. Clubbing blows from the Iconic, choke on the ropes, overhead elbows, Lynch recovers and hits a battering ram forearm out of the corner.
Royce rolling outside again into Billie Kay’s loving arms, and when Becky follows after her Peyton takes advantage of her partner as cover to drop Lynch with a lariat that sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Royce is in control with a kneeling rear chinlock. Lynch out, uppercuts, off the ropes, Lou Thesz Press into mounted punches! Exploder suplex, back elbow, mule kick in the corner, Peyton with a reverse roundhouse into a cover, only two! Becky gains control, takes her down...
Becky Lynch wins by submission with Dis-Arm-Her.
Asuka gets on the mic and yells a bunch of stuff at Becky in Japanese and they stare each other down. Asuka addresses the Iconic Duo in there as well and chases after them, throwing Kay into the apron and into the ring! We’ve got a match I guess?
Asuka vs. Billie Kay
Asuka with kicks, the hip attack, off the ropes, sliding knee for two! Fall back into the armbar, rolling into her own version of Dis-Arm-Her but Billie reverses while she’s jawing at Becky! Asuka turns it around...
Asuka wins by submission with the Asuka Lock.
Lynch gets in her face right after and the tension is cut by AJ Styles’ theme.
The Phenomenal One makes his entrance and immediately leaps the barricade into the crowd, heading up the steps, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, AJ Styles is at the concession stand. He’s got a table full of hot dogs, popcorn, and soda lined up and you can barely hear him over the excited fans there.
He says the people spent their hard-earned money to be here and that means they should do what makes ‘em happy, and if that means eating a hot dog, so be it. He’s gonna kick Daniel Bryan’s ass at the Royal Rumble and take his title back, and he punctuates his point by throwing t-shirts to the crowd... BRYAN ATTACKS HIM OUT OF THE CROWD! WE GOT A CONCESSION STAND BRAWL!
STYLES WITH A DOUBLE LEG THROUGH THE HOT DOG TABLE! THERE’S MUSTARD EVERYWHERE, IT’S TUPELO ALL OVER AGAIN BABY!
We go backstage with the Usos, when a man delivers a present. Jey reads the card for Jimmy, and it’s about how whoever sent it is a naughty girl that needs to be locked up in the Uso Penitentiary. He finishes the note, and of course it’s from Mandy Rose. There’s a key to her hotel room in the box and he asks Jimmy what he’s going to do, but his brother is uncertain.
Samoa Joe is walking backstage when he runs into EC3 flexing in front of a mirror.
On that, er... Impactful note, we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary talks about Fabulous Truth’s vacation at WWE headquarters while a slideshow of pictures from it plays.
Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega are interviewed backstage.
Almas says Rey Mysterio was his idol, but last week he showed him times have changed and he’s the future. Vega says what year it is and that it’s time to focus on the future. A future in which Almas beats Rey, wins the Royal Rumble, and wins the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Samoa Joe blindsides Mustafa Ali during his entrance and hits the corner elbow / enzuigiri combination! Beating Mustafa down on the floor, throwing him into the ringpost, Samoa is furious and Ali is out cold! Referee Danilo Anfibio calls for medics and the match is called off. Back for more, Joe hammering headbutts, dragging Mustafa to his feet and screaming in his face and he throws him into the post a second time, practically wrapping him around the LED boards!
Back for a third time, Samoa goes for a powerbomb clutch before choosing to simply throw Ali hard into the barricade!
Backstage, Sonya Devill tells Mandy Rose she’s stressing her out and asks if she’s sure she wants to give her hotel key out. Mandy’s sure, and she just can’t stand Naomi, so if she can make her life the slightest bit more miserable, she will. She’s going to break her marriage to Jimmy up, and she walks off, leaving Sonya with a very “cishets, whatcha gonna do?” expression on her face.
Commentary hypes up Miz’s birthday party for Shane McMahon.
We go backstage with Rey Mysterio walking when he runs across Nikki Cross shaking a chain link barrier and offering to play with him to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get a hype reel for the Royal Rumble.
A recap of what we just saw last segment follows.
Backstage, Samoa Joe is interviewed and says that wasn’t an attack, it was a statement, a declaration. See, he’s entering his first Royal Rumble soon, and he intends to win it. He tells the rest of the roster that he’ll treat them with the same respect he just did Ali, and he’ll hunt them down and put them to sleep.
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Rey Mysterio
Collar and elbow, Almas shoves Mysterio away and puffs himself up. Test of strength, back to back, Cien hosses Rey over but the legend gets a casadora arm drag off! Back to the test, waistlock from Andrade, Mysterio rolls him through, back and forth and a stalemate on the mat! Shoving Rey, offering the test again but the veteran ain’t having it this time, swatting his hands away and grabbing a side headlock.
Trying to shoot him off but Mysterio slides low to stop him, Almas to his feet, Rey up and over in the corner and right back to the side headlock. Andrade reverses to a pin but Mysterio turns him right back, shot off, drop down... and the legend slides low and right back to the headlock! Float over the back suplex to counter but Almas hits a low dropkcik and grabs a hammerlock to follow.
Back elbow, slingshot snapmare to try and escape but Cien holds on and keeps Rey locked down! Throwing him into the turnbuckle, keylock applied, trying to grind Mysterio down but he gets to his feet and fires a kick off. Arm wringer to keep control, Rey keeps punching, springboard headscissors takeover and another headscissors off the ropes! Off the ropes, wheelbarrow puts Andrade into position but he ducks the 619!
Hammerlock DDT blocked, trading pins, no good, stalemate! Whip across, Rey stops short of the dropkick, buzzsaw roundhouse connects, springboard... VICTORY ROLL TO THE FLOOR BUT ANDRADE LANDS ON HIS FEET AND COUNTERS THE FRANKENSTEINER INTO A SITOUT POWERBOMB! WE’RE OFF TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Rey goes for a sunset flip powerbomb and Andrade lands on his feet! Springboard seated senton, off the ropes, Frankensteiner, springboard... Almas catches him but Mysterio completes it into a tornado DDT for two! Off the ropes, sunset flip, Rey rolls through, Cien ducks the kick and hip tosses him into the turnbuckles hard! Charging in, corner knees connect... NOPE!
Shoving Mysterio into the corner, hammerlock to soften the arm up again but Rey turns it into a headscissors takeover that puts Almas face-first into the turnbuckles. Headed up top, Cien cuts him off, Mysterio hanging over the apron as he climbs but he’s able to recover and shove him to the apron! Rey up top... AVALANCHE FRANKENSTEINER OFF THE APRON! Back up top... DIVING SEATED SENTON TO THE FLOOR AND WE’RE OFF TO BREAK AGAIN!
Back from commercial, Rey hits the Yoshi Tonic... SO CLOSE! Drawing Andrade up, whip reversed, off the ropes, he holds on through the headscissors and turns it into a sunset flip! Rey with an enzuigiri but he runs right into the back elbow for two! Pop-up into the Alabama Slam, Cien falls into the ropes and drags himself up top... moonsault, nobody home, land on his feet, hit the standing moonsault... STILL NO!
Boot up in the corner, off the ropes... ROLLING FLIP PILEDRIVER BUT ALMAS FINDS THE WILL TO KICK OUT! Rey calling for it, off the ropes... 619 CAUGHT INTO A FIREMAN’S CARRY AND MYSTERIO REVERSES TO A CRUCIFIX DRIVER FOR A NEARFALL! Sick Kick sets him back up... 619 LANDS TRUE THIS TIME! Headed up top, Vega distracting referee Mike Chioda and Cien crotches the legend and keeps himself in the match!
Hammerlock with Rey’s feet up in the corner...
Andrade “Cien” Almas wins by pinfall with the elevated hammerlock DDT.
We get a recap of the Jimmy Uso / Mandy Rose stuff and cut to Jimmy walking down a hotel hallway. He gets to the door and pulls out the card and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jimmy’s still standing in front of that dang door.
He knocks after some hesitation and uses the key to let himself in. He steps in and Mandy is seated on a chair in a short black robe, beckoning him to come closer. She says the time to play hard to get is over and she takes the robe off to reveal her undergarments. She asks what he thinks and what his wife will thing, and Uso says he can’t do this and it needs to stop.
Rose has different ideas... and a photographer busts in, as if we don’t have video footage of the whole exchange right here on cable TV. Anyway, Mandy says this isn’t about him, it’s about how much she hates Naomi. She calls Naomi a nobody that will never be as hot as her and everybody knows it. So when she sees the photos, which I remind you, we have video footage of the context for that was broadcast on TV, it’ll destroy her entire life.
Jimmy kinda shrugs it off and leaves, at which point Naomi comes in and BEATS! HER! ASS! Rose with a spear into the bed, mounted punches, they brawl to the floor and in front of the TV, hammering each other with right hands! Naomi yanks Mandy back into it, mounted punches, but she gets thrown over the chair from earlier and Rose beats a retreat while she’s stunned.
Uso comes to check on her and she’s fine but she didn’t get her like she wanted.
Commentary recaps the announcement of the women’s tag titles from yesterday and runs through the card for the Royal Rumble to shill for the WWE Network.
Miz makes his entrance, his birthday party for Shane McMahon is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial the camera pans across the cakes and presents Miz has assembled for Shane McMahon’s birthday.
He gets on the mic and welcomes us to the best birthday bash in the world and introduces Shane as one half of the Best Tag Team in the World. McMahon shuffles his way to the ring and the A-Lister wishes him a happy birthday on all our behalf. Shane thanks him and Birmingham and says he appreciates it but he’s a little uncomfortable with birthday parties.
Miz asks if this looks like Chuck E. Cheese’s before saying he called Shane’s favorite bakery and got two cakes, one of which McMahon points out has a picture of them on it. This is a segue to talk about the Best in the World trophy, which Miz says he hopes means as much to him as this present does to Shane. McMahon opens the gift... and it’s sneakers that he’s very excited about.
The A-Lister points out they match all the outfits he’s devised and directs Shane to the tron for his next gift, which is a video package focused on Shane’s career and especially his story with the Miz over the last few months. McMahon thanks him and says Miz opening up makes him want to open up himself-- ever since he was a kid, he always dreamt of being tag team champions, first with Andre the Giant, but he’s very proud to be walking into Royal Rumble with Miz as his partner.
Miz leads a singalong of “Happy Birthday” that is rudely interrupted by the Bar.
Sheamus says that was embarrassing, but more embarrassing is that they didn’t invite the tag champs. Cesaro says it’s more shameful that they didn’t invite Vince, but Sheamus points out he doesn’t give a damn about Shane and just didn’t show up, and claims they’ll destroy them at Royal Rumble. Shane fires back and says they teamed up on Miz last week and calls the Celtic Warrior out as a fake tough guy for Brogue Kicking Miz while he wasn’t looking.
He proposes to see how tough he is tonight in a singles match against Miz right here tonight! The A-Lister protests saying he’s wearing a suit, to which Shane says he wasn’t dressed when he won their trophy and pumps him up by listing off his accomplishments and furthermore it’s his birthday wish, so Miz agrees.
It’ll happen after the break.
Sheamus vs. the Miz
Collar and elbow, Sheamus backs Miz into the corner and piefaces him. The A-Lister fires back with punches, rights and lefts, whip reversed, hang onto the ropes and pass the Celtic Warrior to the floor. Slingshot dropkick, brawling against the barricade and Sheamus takes him out with a clothesline! Back inside, putting boots to Miz, smashing him into the corner, shoulder thrusts, Mafia kick in the corner!
Fired up, Beats of the Bodhran after tearing the A-Lister’s shirt open and he dumps him to the floor. Miz slow to recover as referee Charles Robinson counts but he makes it in and reverses White Noise to a schoolboy pin for two. Sheamus with a knee, pulling his shirt off entirely, reverse chinlock applied and he wrenches the A-Lister down over his knee. Back elbows to escape, Miz floats over a slam, full nelson, Sheamus slings him away and runs into a boot to the face.
Miz with a kick into punches, backing the Celtic Warrior into the corner, whip reversed, sidestep puts Sheamus shoulder-first into the post and sets up the running corner dropkicks! Awesome Clothesline countered with a double axehandle, choking Miz against the ropes and Cesaro ends up going through a table! Schoolboy...
Miz wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin.
Post-match, Sheamus puts boots to him and Shane makes the save! Whip into a flying back elbow, Miz recovers... SKULL-CRUSHING FINALE! Did you boys just figure out a tag finish?! Setting Sheamus down in the corner, the A-Lister calls for it and McMahon climbs. Hesitation while Miz brings a cake around and holds it up... COAST 2 CAKE!
They rub the cake in Sheamus’ face for good measure.
The Best Tag Team in the World celebrate with their trophy.
That’s the show, folks.