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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 15, 2021) with a show from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Advertised for tonight: Adam Pearce signs a contract to fight Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio vs. King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jey Uso, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. 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
Fourth quarter earning expectations expedited his demise. The panic grew as the humans stalked among them. When the screaming began, Francis shut his eyes and felt the hand of inhumanity brush over him, but me? I’m just here to liveblog this pro wrestling show.
The show opens with a recap of last week’s events that lead to five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce becoming #1 contender to the Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns is sitting backstage reading the contract for the match with Paul Heyman.
Paul admits that yeah, they delivered it two minutes ago, but it’s cookie cutter boilerplate lawyer BS, a copy and paste with the name changed. Roman’s expression remains sour and Heyman changes direction, saying he hates it and it needs a stipulation to teach Pearce about fear and respect.
Jey Uso makes his entrance and get on the mic.
He welcomes us to “the Bloodline Show” and says he and his cuz run the show, not five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce, not Kevin Owens, it’s his family calling the shots. He says Adam’s gonna find out the hard way at the Royal Rumble, and they’re not stopping with SmackDown. Fresh towels backstage? Millions of people watching and making you relevant? Say “Thank you, Roman.”
He says the family’s about to expand, and he’s gonna enter the Royal Rumble, win, and then go to Raw and whoop Drew McIntyre or Oldberg or whoever has the title at WrestleMania, because the Bloodline is the whole WWE. But before the Rumble, he’s got business with Shinsuke Nakamura. Everybody talks about his performance in the gauntlet match, and he did good.
He beat Rey Mysterio, he beat Baron “Bighead” Corbin, he beat Daniel Bryan, but as soon as they said “Nope, not tonight Uce”, he was done, out like a light. So Nakamura should thank them for letting him survive.
Enter Shinsuke Nakamura.
He says if Roman Reigns is the Big Dog, then Jey Uso must be his little puppy. Uso rushes him but Shinsuke lays him out with a roundhouse kick!
Nakamura poses in the ropes and we go to break.
Jey Uso vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Trading forearms in the middle of the ring to start, Uso shoves him off but Nakamura bowls him over with an elbow. Snapmare into a knee drop across the throat, only a nearfall! Side headlock applied, shot off, drop down, back elbow gets a boot to the head and a body slam puts Shinsuke on his back. More forearms, Jey with a hammer whip, Nakamura with falling knees in return, a gourdbuster, more falling knees to hammer Uso’s ribs!
Passing stomp, sleeper hold applied, shifting to a reverse chinlock as he seeks to grind Jey down at length. Into the corner, Good Vibrations, Cesaro’s music hits and he makes his way to ringside in street clothes. Nakamura with a dropkick through the ropes, he puts Uso’s head into the ringpost and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Cesaro has joined the commentary booth. Back body drop to the apron, Uso follows it up with an enzuigiri that sends Nakamura crashing to the floor! Smashing Shinsuke’s face into the apron, staring Cesaro down, stomps in the corner, sliding forearm, Ode to Rikishi connects! Pressing the attack, lying in wait, Nakamura cuts him off the charge with a superkick!
Chest and leg kicks, whip across, kitchen sink knee lift sets up a sliding knee! Waiting for Jey to rise, Uso catches him with a boot but Shinsuke hits the sliding German suplex! Back inside, cover for two! Inverted exploder blocked, off the ropes, Samoan Drop for two! Ducking forearms, kneeling uppercut, big back suplex dropped into a neckbreaker... NAKAMURA KICKS OUT! Back and forth, superkick counters Kinshasa, Uso goes up top... KNEES UP ON THE DIVING SPLASH!
A schoolboy with his feet on the ropes for leverage gets three but referee Charles Robinson sees him cheating and doesn’t call for the bell! Nakamura outta nowhere...
Shinsuke Nakamura wins by pinfall with Kinshasa.
Sonya Deville and five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce are backstage talking business when Paul Heyman rolls up and gives Pearce an amended contract to look at. He says he’s being given an opportunity that the Scrap Daddy never got, and says it’s a no disqualification match. Adam says they all know it’s ridiculous and he signs the contract.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jey Uso berates referee Charles Robinson and threatens him that Roman Reigns will have him fired if he doesn’t “do his job.”
Street Profits are interviewed backstage.
They talk about how they were fighting champions during their whole reign and it would have gone against everything they stand for to turn down the challenge from the Dirty Dawgs last week. But you best believe they’re gonna run it back, and when the sequel happens, they’re gonna drop the bodies like Blumhouse, and they want the smoke.
Roman Reigns is backstage explaining his line of thinking to Apollo Crews, who nods attentively. Paul Heyman rolls up to give him the contract, Crews goes to get up but Reigns tells him to stay and learn from this. Roman says he won’t sign it because he doesn’t want a no disqualification match, he wants a Last Man Standing. Paul says five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce will never go for it, but Reigns tells him he’ll make him sign the contract in the ring tonight.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Billie Kay makes her entrance with the Riott Squad, awkwardly failing to be punk before joing the commentary booth for the next match.
Liv Morgan vs. Natalya
Morgan in control early, Natalya turns it around, wheelbarrow Hot Shot of sorts into punches in the corner. Referee Danilo Anfibio warns her, she presses the attack, Canadian backbreaker rack applied, shaking it in but unable to end it. Trading pins, Billie Kay gets into it with Tamina on the floor, she goes in the ring, that’s enough of a distraction...
Natalya wins by pinfall with a folding press.
Rey Mysterio makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Dominik is on commentary for this match.
King Baron Corbin vs. Rey Mysterio
Corbin going for a chokeslam early, countered into a Frankensteiner, whip reversed, Baron drops him with a lariat and mockingly asks Dominik if he’s enjoying the show. Beating Mysterio up, he gets a wheelbarrow bulldog in for some breathing room but Corbin throws him out to the floor and drops him with a lariat! Back inside, continuing to attack Rey and jaw at his son, Mysterio gets a dropkick to the knee and goes up top, hitting the diving seated senton!
Springboard crossbody caught, fireman’s carry, Rey gets up into an electric chair... DRAGONRANA SETS BARON ON THE SECOND BUT HE CATCHES MYSTERIO WITH DEEP SIX WHEN HE COMES CHARGING FOR THE 619! Only a nearfall! Out and back in, Rey keeps him on the floor with a penalty kick! Slide outside, Baron catches him with an elbow, Dominik gets up and gets in his face and Corbin drops him with a right hand!
Mysterio with a dropkick through the ropes, he has to keep Dom from interfering and Baron shoves them both! Taking advantage of the distraction...
King Baron Corbin wins by pinfall with End of Days.
Five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce runs into Paul Heyman backstage.
He asks if Roman Reigns has signed the contract and Heyman informs him about the “wrinkle” from earlier, saying Roman agreed with his concerns about a no disqualification match and tells him to talk about it with Reigns face to face in the ring later tonight.
The set for Ding Dong, Hello (Bayley’s new talk show) is being built in the ring as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Dominik Mysterio is asking his father why he’s choosing to back down now.
Rey says you don’t just pick a fight with a guy like Baron Corbin without having a plan, and runs down all of Corbin’s credentials. He says if he wants to take care of Corbin, he knows just the guy he has to talk to.
Ding Dong, Hello has a theme song and Bayley busting through a door set up in the ring.
She says her show is already bigger than Wandavision and introduces her guest, Bianca Belair. She makes her ring the doorbell and lets her in, but Bianca sits down on her big comfy chair and makes Bayley take the bare wooden stool. Bayley says she’ll stand to get her legs ready for the Royal Rumble.
She asks Bianca to explain her EST gimmick but immediately cuts her off and asks if she thinks using her pre-WWE accomplishments isn’t an insult to the women on the roster and suggests that actually she’s the best since she beat her fair and square three weeks ago. Belair says she can go put on her dusty gear and they can have a rematch right now, but Bayley says she’s got nothing to prove.
Bayley suggests an obstacle course next week to determine who’s really to superior athlete, and Bianca accepts the challenge.
We cut to footage from earlier of Chad Gable training Otis Dozovic and Daniel Bryan backstage when an interview rolls up.
Bryan says the pursuit of excellence never ends with these guys and they have a fresh positive approach. Dan says there’s no shame in losing to Shinsuke Nakamura and they have infinite respect for each other. Cesaro rolls up to tell him that the only reason Nakamura shook his hand was because he felt sorry for him. He mocks their training methos and Bryan says he’ll show him in the ring.
Daniel Bryan makes his entrance to send us to break.
Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan
Collar and elbow, Cesaro with a headlock takeover, blocking the counter, Bryan to his feet, shot off, shoulder block, cover for one and the Swiss Superman goes right back to the side headlock. Shot off, drop down, arm drag into an armbar. Dan looking for the wristlock, shoulder armbreaker follows and into the hammerlock. Cesaro breaks by ramming him into the corner, back elbow for the break, uppercut, referee Jason Ayers warning him.
Whip across, corner uppercut, Bryan returns the favori with kicks in the corner and the running corner dropkick! Running Divorce Court into an armbar! Cesaro shoves him into the ropes, Nodowa Otoshi into a test of strength, Bryan bridges out and monkey flips the Swiss Superman into the ropes! Cesaro on the floor, the American Dragon with a plancha!
Cesaro ducks a kick and Bryan kicks the post as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Cesaro working the leg over. Bryan to his feet, trading uppercuts, leg kicks from Dan, Cesaro sticking to uppercuts, whip across, backflip up and over, shaky on the bad leg, drop toehold into a penalty kick to the arm! Tilt-a-whirl LeBell Lock, Cesaro gets out of it and stomps the leg, giant swing into a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring!
Bryan reaching for the arm, Cesaro goes for a crossface but Dan rolls through and locks the LeBell Lock in again! The Swiss Cyborg reaching, he gets a foot in the ropes and forces the break! Up in the corner, Cesaro blocks a Frankensteiner... TURNING SUPERPLEX! Neutralizer countered, boot up in the corner, Swiss Death countered into a backslide... NOPE!
Chest kicks, a second try sees Swiss Death land true, Gotch lift...
Cesaro wins by pinfall with the Neutralizer.
Carmella is interviewed backstage.
She says she told the truth about Sasha Banks and Banks hasn’t been here in two weeks, why is that? She proved that she’s better in every way, and Sasha is hiding from her—
SASHA BLINDSIDES HER! Reginald the Sommelier gets between them and breaks it up. Sasha says Carmella can have her title match as long as she lets Reginald wrestle her first.
Apollo Crews makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Big E is on commentary, lounging on a couch at ringside wearing a Ghostbusters sweater and eating a fruit cup.
Apollo Crews vs. Sami Zayn
Crews in with right hands, an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, Zayn manages to knock him to the floor and follows out after him. Punches on the floor, Apollo smashes his head into the announce table and hits an Asai Moonsault off of it! Back in, up top, Sami cuts him off and knocks him down! Overhead elbow, cover for two, another elbow countered into a German suplex!
Enzuigiri connects, standing moonsault, knees up, small package for two! Schoolboy, again just a two when referee Jessika Carr catches Sami with a handful of tights. Exploder suplex in the corner, lining him up, Crews with a schoolboy...
Apollo Crews wins by pinfall with a schoolboy and a handful of tights.
Post-match, Crews grabs the Intercontinental Championship and jaws with Big E. He throws the belt back and E repeatedly tells him he’s never going to hold the title.
Backstage, five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce is looking over the contract for his match against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. He starts walking and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Roman Reigns makes his entrance, flanked as usual by Paul Heyman and Jey Uso.
Five-time NWA World Heavyweight Adam Pearce makes his entrance.
Reigns makes a power play of letting Pearce sit down before demanding his chair. Uso pulls him out physically and Roman takes his seat. Adam signs the contract while Reigns looks on in silence. He slides the contract over, Paul E gives Roman his pen, and the Big Dog slowly leans over and deigns to sign the contract. Reigns says it’ll be the last contract Pearce ever signs.
Adam says he’s waited all night for Roman to do that and leaves without a further word. He gets a hitch in his step halfway up the ramp and his leg gives out on him. Pearce says his knee’s been acting up, an old injury that just creeps up on you at the worst possible time, but don’t worry, standard WWE contracts all say the same thing— card subject to change.
And as WWE official, he reserves the right, since he’s not sure he’ll be medically cleared, to name a suitable replacement, and he has just the replacement in mind...
Kevin Owens makes his entrance and signs the contract.
That’s the show, folks.