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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Feb. 12, 2021) with a show from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
WWE is advertising the return of “The Messiah” Seth Rollins on tonight’s episode. They are also teasing further developments concerning the ongoing feud between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. This could potentially include Adam Pearce making an announcement about the Universal championship match at Elimination Chamber 2021.
With only two episodes of SmackDown remaining before the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, we could very well find out more about what WWE has lined up for Intercontinental champion Big E, as well as SmackDown women’s champion Sasha Banks.
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 FEB. 12
My sisters and brothers they hated so bad to see me go west like someone gone mad. To leave all my loved ones and kiss them goodbye, just hoping I’d see them in the sweet by-and-by. California promised heaven, but me, I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with Roman Reigns making his entrance, flanked by Jey Uso and Paul Heyman as always.
They get in the ring to thunderous “You suck!” chants and Reigns stares five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce down before asking why he’s standing back there in the corner. He says Pearce has no power over him and says Edge was scared of him, because he knows what he’ll do if they wrestle, leave him stuck on a Legends’ contract. He says he’s not dropping the title until he’s ready to.
He tells Pearce to go ahead and make his announcement, and Adam says Roman will be defending his title inside the Elimination Chamber. Reigns tells him he’ll let Paul handle things now and passes the mic. Heyman says he understands there’s an agreement he has to look at, and he understands the show has to be built around the Elimination Chamber, but nothing says Roman has to defend the title inside of the chamber.
So put anybody you want in the Elimination Chamber match, let out all your fetishes and fantasies out (ooh, who we force feminizing in the chamber, Adam?!), and the winner will receive a title match on the spot against Roman Reigns. He sells the idea and Pearce says they’ll have qualifying matches, but there are two stars who don’t need to qualify, who already deserve spots in the match.
He says Roman is familiar with both of these men— Jey Uso and Kevin Owens. Adam got a safe distance away before announcing Owens, but Reigns rolled right up on him all the same. He gets in his face and threatens Pearce, leading Paul to remind him to do this on his time and keep calling the shots.
Commentary hypes up the rest of the show and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for Sasha Banks’ role as an honorary starter at the Daytona 500 this weekend.
Five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce runs into Sonya Deville backstage and she congratulates him on standing up to Reigns.
She has an out of the box idea, she wants to do a tag team qualifier where both members of the winning team qualify for a spot. He says he thinks that works, she says she already told everyone, and he thanks her for her quick thinking.
Sami Zayn cuts a promo during his entrance, mostly complaining about having to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match.
King Baron Corbin & Sami Zayn vs. Dominik & Rey Mysterio (Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match)
Mysterio and Corbin to start, big man cuts him off, but Rey pops him onto the second rope with a dropkick. Zayn trips him up, Dominik dives and torpdoes himself into the announce table! Rey suplexes Baron over the ropes and to the apron, the babyfaces stand tall, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Rey is being worked over by Corbin but breaks away for a tag! Dominik in hot, whip reversed, bodyscissors takeover puts Zayn in the corner, charging back elbow, tornado DDT connects! Shoulder thrusts, mounted punches, he ends up on the apron, slingshot senton atomico! Elbow takes Corbin out, slingshot senton atomico for him, too!
Sami with a schoolboy pin for two, Blue Thunder Driver connects... NO GOOD! Dom hits a swinging neckbreaker, Corbin breaks the pin up, clears the apron, draws him up, End of Days blocked, Rey comes in with the seated senton off the top! Drop toehold, father and son charge in... DOUBLE 619! Dominik has Zayn lined up, he charges in... HALF AND HALF INTO THE CORNER!
Zayn charges...
King Baron Corbin & Sami Zayn win by pinfall with a Helluva Kick from Zayn on Dominik Mysterio to qualify for the Elimination Chamber.
The Dirty Dawgz meet backstage with five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville and try to sell them on putting them in the Elimination Chamber. Deville mocks them by suggesting they want to be in the same pod, but they insist on two separate pods. But they were thinking that they could earn a shot in a match against Cesaro and Daniel Bryan later tonight!
Big E makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of last week’s segment between Bianca Belair, Carmella, and Sasha Banks.
Reginald the Sommelier is walking backstage with a glass of bubbly on a platter and he approaches Sasha Banks.
She says she’s the Boss around here and she deserves respect, and Reginald apologizes and says it’ll never happen again. Sasha tells him to send Carmella her regards, takes the glass, and Reginald walks off smiling.
Big E is in the ring and he gets on the mic.
He talks about defending his Intercontinental Championship last week against the odds last week. He made a vow to be a fighting champion, and much like the bond between hair follicles and Gorilla Glue, that bond is strong. He’s putting the Apollo Crews chapter behind him—
Enter Apollo Crews.
He says he knows exactly why E is out here because he reads him, and he’s gonna offer an open challenge, which Crews intends to accept. Big says he was kinda right, because he was going to offer an open challenge to anyone in this arena, from Michael Cole to security guard Jim Kelly, to the janitor... anyone but Crews. Apollo says he’s the guy the locker room looks up to and he’s supposed to take all comers, right?
E talks to him off mic, accusing him of whining for another opportunity and tells him to go back to catering and take his paycheck. They bicker back and forth, Big says they’re done, Apollo says he’s not going to the back...
Enter Shinsuke Nakamura to send us to break.
Big E (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Back from commercial, the match is joined in progress, Nakamura lays E out with a sliding kick, cover for two. Boots to Big in the corner, Good Vibrations, charging in but Big blasts him with a back elbow and drags him out onto the apron. Clubbing blows, Big Splash on the apron! Back inside, Shinsuke turns the tide, big knee in the corner, diving knee strike... NOPE!
Kinshasa attempt, E sidesteps, a kick plants him, Nakamura fired up and charging in but Big counters with the big Rock Bottom out of the corner... STILL NO! Up for the Big Ending, Apollo Crews runs in...
Big E wins by disqualification, presumably.
We get a Seth Rollins hype reel and the roster makes their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, with the assembled SmackDown roster arrayed around the ring, Seth Rollins makes his entrance.
He gets on the mic and says it feels good to be back. A lot of things have changed in his absence, and he was expecting that, but the thing that changed the most, is him. He’s become a father for the first time, the parent of a beautiful, perfect baby girl, and he has a new perception and a new vision. He looks around this ring and he sees some of the most talented performers in the history of this business, and he wonders where he fits in.
After a lot of self-reflection, the answer came very clear— he is the great leader that SmackDown needs to push it into the future and make it greater than it already is. He continues talking about success and leadership as the assembled roster leaves, promising to be teacher, father, and mentor to anyone who sees that vision.
Everyone’s gone except for Cesaro, and Seth says he knew he’d see it. Cesaro shakes his head at him and leaves. Rollins chases him out to the ramp, chop blocks him, and beats him down! Referees swarm, Daniel Bryan makes the save and regroups with Cesaro while Seth stares on.
We get a hype reel for the Elimination Chamber match.
Bayley makes her entrance to send us to break.
Bayley vs. Liv Morgan
Morgan out the gates hot with a dropkick and forearms, Bayley puts her into the corner, boot and a forearm, short whip, up and over, back elbow, Liv with the Matrix evasion, drop toehold puts Bayley into the ropes for a dropkick! Missile dropkick follows, only two! Natalya and Tamina are shown watching backstage, Bayley passes Morgan into the barricade, back inside, cover for two!
Stomps, hammerlock over the ropes but Liv throws desperate punches back! Whip reversed, up to the second, Bayley cuts her off, inverted facelock backbreaker targets the shoulder, cover for two. Enzuigiri, codebreaker... STILL NO! Billie Kay rolls up to apologize, demanding Ruby Riott’s attention. Ruby throws resumes into the ring, referee Jason Ayers is busy clearing them out, Bayley with an eyepoke...
Bayley wins by pinfall with the Bus Driver.
Daniel Bryan and Cesaro are interviewed backstage.
Cesaro says he’s going to compete tonight because he’s not going to waste his time. Bryan says he’s tough.
We get a video package of Street Profits visiting the Daytona Speedway and presenting a title belt to a driving man of some renown.
Street Profits cut a promo about wanting the smoke and make their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get an Alpha Academy promo where Otis Dozovic does squats in smoke. Because he wants the smoke, you see.
Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis Dozovic) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Dawkins and Gable to start, mat grappling, shifting to lucha libre and trading hip tosses with abandon! Ford tags in, using his superior agility and proclaiming that he’s back. Trip counters a leapfrog, bodyscissors Gedo Clutch, deep arm drag into the armbar! Tags made, Otis in hot, freight training Dawkins and planting Ford! Overhead belly-to-belly on Angelo, the Caterpillar connects!
Gable tags in, no dice, sidestep the spinning Stinger Splash, Ford tags in, Angelo with the spinebuster, Montez off the top...
Street Profits win by pinfall with Cash Out from Montez Ford on Chad Gable.
Sasha Banks makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for tomorrow morning’s episode of Talking Smack.
Sasha Banks gets on the mic and says she likes Bianca Belair a lot, she’s like a big little sister, and she knows in her heart there’s only one choice for the EST to make.
Enter Bianca Belair.
She says she sees her and she heard what she said, and she likes her too, but girl, uh-uh. She says Sasha isn’t the boss of her and this is her time to enjoy every second of it. She’s right, everybody is thinking about her decision, and—
Enter Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.
They ask why they’re being ignored when they’re the most dominant force in WWE and everyone should be talking about them. We get the “My hole!” clip over Nia’s protests. After the clip plays, the tag champs attack but get run off and Nia again takes an awkward bump on the apron tailbone first. Bianca gets Shayna up for the Glam Slam and Sasha assists with a kick!
We see Daniel Bryan and Cesaro chatting backstage.
Dirty Dawgz make their entrance to send us to break.
Dirty Dawgz (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) vs. Team Uppercut (Cesaro & Daniel Bryan) (Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match)
Ziggler and Bryan to start, side headlock, shot off, drop down, leapfrog, chest kick from Dan lays him out, tag made. Double slam, cover for two, tag to Roode but Bryan comes back in and lays the kicks in. Duck the buzzsaw, schoolboy for one, convert it to an omoplata but Robert crawls to the ropes for the break before he can lock the LeBell Lock in.
Clearing Cesaro off the apron, right hands, whip across, Bryan passes him to the floor, off the ropes, he dives but Robert sidesteps and Dan hits Cesaro full force! The Dawgz hit the floor and beat Cesaro down briefly, Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn come to the stage, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Ziggler has a sleeper hold locked in on Bryan. Dan gets his feet back under him and staggers to the corner, but Dolph powers up, shoves him in the corner, and makes the tag. Working Bryan over, quick tags, he gets up top, missile dropkick for some separation, Roode tags in, schoolboy, only two and Dan follows it up with uppercuts. Off the ropes, Robert catches him with the spinning spinebuster... NOPE!
Double whip, powerbomb / neckbreaker combo, but Bryan gets away in the aftermath and makes the tag! Cesaro in hot, uppercuts in the corner, Swiss Death to Dolph... NOT ENOUGH! The match breaks down into “everybody do something cool” stuff, superkick blocked, Cesaro gets the backbreaker rack and drops it into the backbreaker, Giant Swing, step through...
Team Uppercut win by submission with a Sharpshooter from Cesaro on Dolph Ziggler to qualify for Elimination Chamber.
Post-match, Jey Uso attacks Cesaro with a steel chair! Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn attack Daniel Bryan until the commentary talks about the Chamber being every man for himself! Bryan recovers, Busaiku Knee on Sami, Kevin Owens runs down, Stunner on Corbin! One for Bryan, too! And Cesaro! And Jey Uso!
We see Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns watching backstage as Owens stares the camera down and asks if he’s watching before saying he’s coming for Roman.
That’s the show, folks.