WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Jan. 21, 2022) with a show emanating from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring all the latest build to the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event coming up on January 29.
Advertised for tonight: Naomi is getting a non-title rematch against SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair. Naomi lost against Flair two weeks ago thanks to Sonya Deville abusing her powers once again, but was granted this rematch after pleading her case to Adam Pearce.
We’ll also presumably have some follow-up to Raw’s closing angle where the Usos ambushed Seth Rollins, who is scheduled to face Roman Reigns for the Universal title at Royal Rumble.
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (Note: Going forward, there will be no ban on GIFs or images in the live blog threads. Feel free to post as you wish.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JAN. 21
What will it take to show you that it’s not the life it seems? I’ve told you time and time again, tou sing the words, but don’t know what it means. To be a joke and look, another line without a hook, I held you close as we both shook but now I’m just liveblogging this here pro wrestling show for y’all, folks.
The show opens with a recap.
The Usos make their entrance and crow about Roman Reigns having been Universal Champion for 508 days, longer than anyone else in history, giving him a big introduction.
Roman Reigns makes his entrance.
He gets on the mic and asks Nashville to acknowledge him, and we get a video package recapping his reign to date.
Before he can continue after the video finishes, Seth Rollins makes his entrance.
He gets on the mic and says they should celebrate the impending end of Roman’s title reign but also Reigns making an honest man out of him. Rollins points out that the Usos also deserve to be celebrated as longest-reigning SmackDown tag champs, and they’re the ones that make everything Roman does possible.
He says the Usos hold Reigns up just like he and Mox (and he said Mox!) did in the Shield. Roman asks him if John Cena wrote that promo for him and says their match at the Royal Rumble will be one-on-one, and he has his word. Seth tells him to put his money where his mouth is, and he’ll wrestle the Usos with a partner tonight, and if he wins, the Usos are officially barred from ringside at the Royal Rumble.
The Usos say nobody’s crazy enough to team with Rollins in the first place, so they’re good. Seth says they have a point, but he thinks—
Enter Kevin Owens.
Reigns says he’ll let the tag match happen on one condition— if Seth loses, he’ll lose his title match and Roman will take a vacation until WrestleMania.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss get on the mic and Moss let’s another silly joke rip.
Big E is here to second Kofi Kingston!
Kofi Kingston vs. Madcap Moss
Kingston goes behind, side headlock, dropkick, leaping lariat, fired up, off the ropes, Boom Drop! Corbin runs interference, Moss takes control, Kofi takes him out with a leap off the steps and E neutralizes Happy as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Kingston with a jawbreaker, off the ropes, Moss catches him with a spinebuster! Kofi explodes with a pop-up stomp, off the ropes again, Madcap hits a big Rock Bottom... NOPE! Up in a Canadian backbreaker rack, Kingston slips out...
Kofi Kingston wins by pinfall with Trouble in Paradise.
Post-match, Big E stops Corbin from running in and asks him if Moss is his boy before lifting him up and hitting the Big Ending!
Aliyah makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we see Summer Rae in the crowd.
Aliyah vs. Natalya
Natalya hot out the gates, throwing Aliyah around. Big headscissors out of the corner gets her a comeback but Nattie cuts her off with a discus lariat, Canadian backbreaker rack applied, wrenching it in, Aliyah reverses to a sunset flip! Neidhart puts boots to her in the corner as the referee counts...
Aliyah wins by disqualification due to castigo de excesivo.
Post-match, Nattie rains more strikes down on Aliyah in the corner. Xia Li’s music hits and she makes the save!
Los Lotharios make their entrance to send us to break.
Los Lotharios (Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo) vs. Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
Vikings in control early, working poor Carrillo over, he slips away and tags Garza in and they manage to take control of Erik for a minute. Pants off, a moonsault comes up empty and the Viking blasts him with a knee! Tag to Ivar, tilt-a-whirl slam, freight train crossbody, fired up! Reverse roundhouse to Humberto, Warbeard charges but Angel reverses the Banzai Drop to a Tenryu Powerbomb!
Stacking both Lotharios up on Erik, combination powerbomb / World’s Strongest Slam, they pop Humberto up...
Viking Raiders win by pinfall with Viking Experience on Humberto Carrillo.
We get a recap of Adam Pearce booking Naomi vs. Charlotte Flair for tonight.
Naomi makes her entrance and we go to break.
Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi
Before the match can begin, Sonya Deville orders referee Charles Robinson to take his shirt off and takes it, putting it on to be the official for this match! Flair with a rolling elbow, putting boots to her in the corner, smashing her face into the mat, figure four headscissors applied and more face smashing ensues!
Chops in the corner, Naomi with a roundhouse kick off the ropes, headscissors countered, high-angle Boston Crab applied! Naomi manages to sit up in it and break free, kicking Charlotte into Deville! Naomi hits the Rear View, but with no referee there’s no count!
Sonya takes her sweet time putting herself back together, Flair with a chop block, figure four, Deville immediately calls for the bell...
Charlotte Flair wins by referee stoppage with the figure four leglock.
Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins are interviewed backstage.
Owens says if it wasn’t for the Usos, he’d be the longest reigning Universal Champion of all time, but they kept it from happening, and the thought of that happening to his best friend tears him up inside. Seth says he knows the stakes are huge but the risk is worth the reward.
Can he beat Roman Reigns with the Usos by his side? Probably, but alone? Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and Seth Rollins beats Roman Reigns.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Sami Zayn has a table full of self-defense implements he’s gonna test on himself to prove that he’s better than Johnny Knoxville.
He starts it with a cattle prod that he alleges can put a rhinoceros down on maximum setting. He puts it on level one and holds it against his calf, count of three... BZZZT! Sami shocks himself, screaming agony and hopping on one leg. He puts it on level two and remarks how high the voltage is.
He says that’s what Johnny tested himself on and he was incapacitated for fifteen minutes but he’ll show you what a real man can do. And he’ll up the ante, straight to the heart! Shaking, he counts... BZZZT! Screaming agony, falling into the ropes, but Zayn gets back to his feet!
Enter Johnny Knoxville.
He says Sami’s so concerned about him making a mockery of pro wrestling, but he’s never considered that Zayn is himself mocking Johnny’s living. Knoxville wants to see the cattle prod and yanks it away over Sami’s objections, and points out that he forgot to turn it on!
Johnny turns it on and pokes Zayn with it, leaving him crumpled on the mat and screaming agony. Knoxville helps him up and tells him he’s a good guy and he’ll see him at the Rumble, and makes his point by dumping Sami over the top rope and to the floor.
Backstage, Eric Bischoff is giving Adam Pearce advice about running the show and what makes a true leader.
Sonya Deville rolls up and Adam introduces her to Eric and says she was completely over the line out there tonight and this issue with Naomi needs to stop because it’s affecting her leadership ability, and he’s going to suggest to upper management that the two of them have a match next week.
Deville says to let her know what they say and leaves, and Bischoff puts Adam’s leadership over.
Sheamus makes his entrance, with Ridge Holland at his side again, to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get an extended hype reel for WWE 2K22.
Ricochet vs. Sheamus
Sheamus in hot from the start, Ricochet up and over to get away, front kick and forearms, tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but the Celtic Warrior grabs a reverse chinlock to grind him down. Jawbreaker to escape, Ricky floats over a slam, dropkick into an enzuigiri and Sheamus is staggered on his feet.
Irish Curse cuts him off, following it up with a standing surfboard, action to the floor and back inside...
Sheamus wins by pinfall with the Brogue Kick.
We see Roman Reigns and the Usos backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Rick Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura run into Jeff by god Jarrett backstage.
They introduce themselves to the man who’s going to wrestle EFFY at Hammerstein Ballroom for GCW on Sunday and chat, Jeff setting Boogs up for the big intro.
We get entrances for our main event and go to break.
Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
Rollins and Jimmy to start, Uso ends up bailing during the feeling out. Sliding back in, tag to Jey, headlock takeover, Seth reverses to a pin but Jey stays on him! Superkick on the break, ramming Rollins in the corner, quick tag to his brother and they beat on him to keep him down!
Seth breaks away, tag to Owens, momentum changes as they put boots to Jimmy! Uso turns it around while Rollins is back in, cutting him off and beating him down at length! Seth gets away again, tag to KO, big senton, clear the apron, charging in for the cannonball in the corner!
Senton atomico, knees up, Uso with a superkick and a desperate tag to Jey! He hits another superkick on the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial, both Owens and Jimmy down, crawling, Jey gets the tag first and clears the apron! Dragging Kev back into the middle of the ring, putting boots to him as referee Dan Engler warns Rollins about not getting involved! Chops and punches for the Usos but Owens is cut off and put boots to!
A path is cleared, tags made, Rollins in hot with Sling Blade and a fireman’s carry gutbuster! Lariat sends Jey to the floor, diving knee follows it up, cover for two! Neckbreaker gets Uso a nearfall, a pop-up Samoan Drop follows but Seth kicks out!
KO tags in, pop-up powerbomb... JIMMY KICKS OUT! Up top, jockeying for position... OWENS HITS THE TOP ROPE FISHERMAN BUSTER BUT JEY USO BREAKS IT UP! The match breaks down, Stunner gets a superkick gets a superkick, big elbow, Death Blow! Blackout connects but Roman Reigns hits the ring... SUPERMAN PUNCH!
Kevin Owens & Seth Rollins wins by disqualification.
That’s the show, folks.
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