Posted on 2/07/126 by Bob Magee
– Over a shot of Charlotte’s skyline, Joe Tessitore
introduced us to tonight’s show as he tossed to a recap of
last Saturday’s Royal Rumble event.
Drew McIntyre opens SmackDown
The Undisputed WWE Champion arrived to the arena with a
smile on his face, but before he can even be properly
introduced, Drew McIntyre was attacked from behind by a
vengeful Cody Rhodes. McIntyre’s hated foe wanted to get
revenge for the champion’s involvement in the Royal Rumble
that got him eliminated. As a gaggle of officials came out
to separate the bitter rivals, McIntyre was forced to
retreat as Rhodes stood tall inside the ring.
Rhodes took the mic and said that things would never be the
same, despite McIntyre’s best efforts. He said that for the
first time, he can’t in good conscience point at the
WrestleMania thanks to McIntyre’s interference. Rhodes
discussed CM Punk and Roman Reigns making their WrestleMania
main event official this past Monday, stating that the two
of them were both glad that he wasn’t in their “you-know-
what measuring contest”, because he didn’t get the nickname
of “Raheem” for no reason.
He talked about how much WrestleMania meant to him, and how
he was born in Charlotte. “Imagine my discomfort returning
here without the championship,” said the hometown boy.
Rhodes said that McIntyre wasn’t mad that he wasn’t
champion, but rather because Rhodes was the champ. He
concluded by promising that his shame and discomfort would
be McIntyre’s downfall, and that the Undisputed WWE Champ
wouldn’t make it to WrestleMania.
I quite liked that Rhodes was understandably fired up after
getting screwed out of the Royal Rumble by McIntyre and
responded in kind with the attack. I am curious if this
means we’ll see some kind of ultimate blowoff to this at
Elimination Chamber instead of WrestleMania. What I didn’t
like, however, was the “Raheem” meme being acknowledged, and
the context it was mentioned in. To put it simply, it
doesn’t take much to put two and two together to know that
having the top babyface imply what he said, even in a joking
manner, is a huge no-no. And that’s especially given the
implications (the “you-know-what measuring contest”) coming
from what was said by Rhodes and the timing of when it was
said — this being Black History Month. Really, just a bad
call all around.
**********
– Backstage, Giulia and Kiana James were interviewed ahead
of their Women’s Tag Title Match against RHIYO coming up
next. James again made it clear that winning the tag titles
was part of the plan of making Giulia a triple champion.
– Elsewhere, Nick Aldis was admonishing Cody Rhodes for his
attack on McIntyre, as he told him to control his emotions
because he was set for an Elimination Chamber qualifier
match for next week. Rhodes promised to control his emotions
before leaving for the night, led by a group of referees.
WWE Womens’ Tag Team Championships: RHIYO (IYO SKY & Rhea
Ripley) (c) vs. Giulia & Kiana James
Ripley and James started off this match with a test of
strength, as the challenger flinched when Ripley was about
to punch her. Giulia stepped up to Ripley as the legal
woman, but wanted to face IYO SKY. Ripley obliged that
request and tagged SKY in as we got some joshi action here
early.
Giulia stomped at SKY’s head and mocked her taunt as she
grabbed at her hair. SKY dodged an attempt at a throw by
Giulia and hit her with an impressive shotgun dropkick. SKY
got slammed down by Giulia, but couldn’t capitalize, so
Kiana James involved herself by dropping SKY’s throat across
the top rope. James tagged in and took over against SKY on
the outside. James held SKY in position outside as Giulia
hit her with a dropkick from the apron, which sent us to a
break in the action.
This Papa Johns-sponsored match returned from commercial as
SKY got blasted with a missile dropkick from Giulia for a
near-fall. James tagged in as she and Giulia failed to hit a
double team move on SKY. James tried to get the sneaky entry
back into the ring to stop SKY from tagging Ripley, but
couldn’t get it done. SKY tagged Ripley in, who was a house
of fire as she cleared house on Giulia and James. SKY dove
to the outside to take Giulia out right in front of the
annunce tables.
Back in the ring, Ripley slammed James face-first like a
pancake, but that wasn’t enough. James escaped a Riptide
attempt and powerbombed SKY right on Ripley. Giulia and
James hit a combination of their signature moves — the
Arrivederci Knee and 401K — on SKY, but couldn’t capitalize.
Giulia attempted a Northern Lights Bomb, but SKY reversed
it. Ripley with the blind tag as she headbutted Giulia,
followed by the Riptide. SKY finished this match off with
the Over The Moonsault to pick up the win and retain the
Women’s Tag Titles.
RHIYO def. Giulia & Kiana James via pinfall
This was a fun opening contest from start to finish. The
brief glimpses we got of IYO SKY and Giulia facing off was a
good appetizer for when we do get these two in one-on-one
action down the line. There’s just something about the
SKY/Ripley pairing that works so well, and it translates to
their tag matches being really entertaining.
**********
– Ilja Dragunov was interrupted by the Miz, who claimed that
he went to Nick Aldis and got a U.S. Title Open Challenge
match. Carmelo Hayes then appeared, and stated that Miz
didn’t deserve a shot at the U.S. Title, as he then offered
to face him in a non-title match coming up next.
Carmelo Hayes vs. The Miz
Hayes started off hot as he hit his springboard clothesline
on Miz. However, the former WWE Champion got the advantage
as he flattened Hayes with an elbow afterwards. Miz worked
over Hayes in the corners, but got hit with a kick to the
back of the head, followed by a springboard leg drop. Hayes
battered Miz with a chop in the corner, as he then stomped
away on him for a bit before the referee backed Hayes off.
Miz clipped at Hayes’ legs as another springboard
clothesline attempt, before he hit him with a running
clothesline, which took us to an awkwardly-placed ad break.
We returned from commercial as Hayes attempted to fight back
against Miz with a series of furious strikes that forced his
foe into the corner. Hayes connected with La Mistica on Miz,
which sent him out of the ring. Hayes hit a dive from the
ring to the outside on Miz, as he then attempted a frog
splash. Miz got his knees up to block Hayes’ splash and
nearly got the win on the pin, but only got two instead.
Miz teed off with his kicks, but failed to hit the last one
as Hayes dodged it. The U.S. Champion countered a Skull-
Crushing Finale attempt and cracked him right in the jaw
with a superkick for the near-fall. Hayes pulled himself
back up and headed to the top, as Miz turned that around and
hit a slingshot sitdown powerbomb. One, two…. NO! Miz sized
Hayes up, but couldn’t connect with the Skull-Crushing
Finale. Hayes tried for First 48, but got countered into
another Skull-Crushing Finale attempt. Somehow, Hayes
avoided the impact at the last second and finally hit FIrst
48 to pick up the victory.
Carmelo Hayes def. The Miz via pinfall
That was a great match, yes, but that ending sequence where
Hayes reversed the Skull-Crushing Finale into a First 48 was
silky smooth and highlights why I enjoy watching Hayes in
action every week. He just doesn’t miss.
**********
– Tiffany Stratton was interviewed about nearly winning the
Royal Rumble, as she promised to get herself back on the
winning track by way of qualifying for the Elimination
Chamber. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre showed up and taunted
Stratton, but were told off as the former WWE Women’s
Champion got ready for her Chamber qualifier coming up next.
– The Wyatt Sicks interruption played as Bo Dallas talked
about Solo Sikoa’s theft of the lantern. Dallas said Sikoa
was scared of being left in the dark all by himself, which
is why he stole the lantern. Dallas mentioned that fear
doesn’t show up when everyone’s together, it shows up when
you’re all alone. He chuckled as the video ended.
Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Chelsea Green (w/ Alba Fyre)
vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Lash Legend (w/ Nia Jax)
Green slapped Stratton and Legend to start this match off,
which led to her getting bashed around by both the women she
slapped. Stratton and Legend stood face-to-face and got
ready for their own battle. Stratton leaped at Legend but
was grabbed and used as a battering ram of sorts to take
Alba Fyre out of the apron. Stratton recovered and forced
Legend to the outside, as she then dove onto both Legend and
Nia Jax.
Back in the ring, Green tried to steal Stratton’s pin and
yelled at her. Legend tried to get involved, which forced a
temporary alliance between Green and Stratton to clothesline
her out of the ring. That alliance ended as it began as she
headed to the top and took out Stratton and Jax with a dive
to the outside. Green did her salute, but got rocked by a
big boot from Legend, which took us into the break.
We returned from commercial as Legend lifted Stratton over
her head and slammed her onto a prone Green before she
splashed onto both women, but couldn’t get the win off of
this. Stratton recovered and used Green as an impromptu
stepping stone to kick Legend in the corner. Stratton caught
Legend with a rough dropkick as she reversed an Un-Pretty-
Her attempt from Green. On the top rope, Stratton hit Green
with a superplex, as she rolled through with the uranage.
Legend broke up the pin and tried for the Lash Extension,
but couldn’t capitalize.
Legend caught Stratton and hit a buckle bomb, followed by
the chokeslam for the near-fall. Meanwhile, Green leapt from
the top rope and hit a Coast-to-Coast dropkick on both
Stratton and Legend. Nia Jax pulled Green out as she made
the pin, which led to a scuffle between her and Fyre at
ringside. Things broke down as Green and Stratton heaved
Legend over the timekeeper’s area with a toss. In the ring,
Green attempted an Un-Pretty-Her, but was reversed by
Stratton, who finished this match off with the Prettiest
Moonsault Ever.
Tiffany Stratton def. Chelsea Green & Lash Legend via
pinfall to qualify for Elimination Chamber
That was a bit of a rough match to watch. Moves looked rough
and it seemed like nobody really clicked with anyone in this
contest.
**********
– As Randy Orton was being interviewed about his Elimination
Chamber qualifier, Aleister Black interrupted and talked
about how we’ve said goodbye to two great wrestlers in John
Cena and AJ Styles, and it was fortunate that Orton was
still around.
– A video package highlighting the stars of NXT and their
performance in the men’s and women’s Royal Rumbles was
shown.
Kit Wilson’s Lesson in Toxic Masculinity
Kit Wilson made his way to the ring and got ready to teach
us all a lesson in toxic masculinity. He talked about being
in the Royal Rumble last week, and it disgusted him. He
called everyone in the Rumble “toxic”, and stated that
“they” didn’t want him in the Royal Rumble because of what
he represents. Wilson called himself a man who moisturizes
and a man who listens, as well as a man who moves his hips
in a particular way. Wilson called the Charlotte crowd toxic
as he then challenge anyone who was in the Rumble to face
him right now to prove themselves.
Oba Femi made his way to answer Wilson’s challenge,
garnering a great reaction from this crowd.
Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson
Wilson yelled at Femi, and got met with a hard strike from
the former NXT Champion. Femi repeatedly hit Wilson in the
corner with running elbows a-plenty before he put an end to
this match with a Fall From Grace.
Oba Femi def. Kit Wilson via pinfall
Not much to say here other than if Femi is booked as strong
as he’s been booked, then he’ll be a cornerstone of WWE’s
main event scene for years to come.
**********
– Damian Priest and R-Truth were seen watching Femi’s match
as Drew McIntyre rudely bumped into Truth. Priest said that
McIntyre have had their problems, but it seems like the
champ has his own problems to deal with, so he wasn’t going
to add to that.
Drew McIntyre, Interrupted
The Undisputed WWE Champion made his way down to the ring
and got ready to speak his mind, at least until Jacob Fatu
attacked him in the ring. Fatu flattened McIntyre with a
running hip attack as he then clotheslined him out of the
ring. Fatu hit a suicide dive on McIntyre and battered him
at ringside. Officials tried to stop Fatu, but found
themselves in the path of his destructive force. Fatu struck
at McIntyre, and forced him to run away through the crowd.
Fatu stood on the announce table and taunted his foe in
victory.
After the break, Nick Aldis told Fatu that he’d be in an
Elimination Chamber qualifier match next week if he
desperately wanted to get a shot at Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre getting attacked by both Fatu and Rhodes tonight
seems to make it clear that their business with the champion
is far from done, so I do wonder how that will play into
Elimination Chamber, assuming both men qualify.
**********
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tama Tonga (w/ J.C. Mateo & Tanga Loa)
Tama hit Nakamura in the ribs and got the early advantage
with strikes to the head of his opponent. Tama missed with a
running strike into the corner, which allowed Nakamura to
hit him with a knee to the ribs while Tama was prone on the
top turnbuckle. On the opposite corner, Nakamura did his
signature “stomp” on Tama, but he got hit with a modifed
Flatliner afterwards. Outside the ring, Tama slammed
Nakamura across the announce table and draped him on top of
it. Tama got on the timekeeper’s area barricade and hit
Nakamura with an elbow drop, which took us to a break in the
action.
This match returned from break as Nakamura hit Tama with a
sliding dropkick, followed by a set of strong-style kicks
that rocked his foe. Nakamura then hit a nice enzuigiri to
Tama, before he connected with the sliding German suplex in
the corner. Nakamura continued momentum with the diving knee
strike, but couldn’t get the win just yet. Tama found
momentum with a reverse DDT, as he then hit the running
splash into the corner. Tama hit a double underhook
facebuster on Nakamura for the near-fall as he then had him
in position for a move of some sort.
Nakamura reversed that attempt into a suplex, that sent Tama
scurrying out of the ring. Nakamura took J.C. Mateo out with
a baseball slide, but fell victim to a jumping DDT from Tama
back in the ring. Tama lifted Nakamura on his shoulders, but
got countered into a side suplex from the King of Strong
Style. Both men struggled to their feet and went back and
forth with clubbing blows. Nakamura got the best of Tama
with his trademark spinning wheel kick, and delivered a
Michinoku Driver for the near-fall. As Nakamura had Tama in
sight for Kinshasa, J.C. Mateo distracted the referee long
enough for Tanga Loa to grab at his legs. Tama recovered and
hit an unelevated Cutthroat, followed by one last one for
the victory.
Tama Tonga def. Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall
That was an alright match, but the inevitable M.F.T.
interference put a damper on things.
**********
– Fraxiom and the Motor City Machine Guns were walking
backstage, as Candice LeRae approached the four and told
them to look at what happened to Johnny Gargano lying on a
box marked “NXT”. LeRae talked about what Axiom did to
Gargano after he beat him last week, but didn’t get any sort
of sympathy from Fraxiom and the MCMGs.
– As RHIYO talked about their victory earlier tonight, they
were interrupted by Nia Jax and Lash Legend, who appeared to
call their shot for the Women’s Tag Titles.
– A defeated Kit Wilson sauntered about backstage and
noticed Matt Cardona, as he blamed him for his shortcomings.
Cardona, who was chatting with Apollo Crews, told Wilson
that he was always ready for a challenge.
Liv Morgan makes her presence known
The 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble winner was introduced by Nick
Aldis in the ring, as she made her way alongside fellow
Judgment Day cohort Raquel Rodriguez.
Morgan said that we were now in the presence of the
“greatest Royal Rumble winner of all time”. She said she
wasn’t just the greatest, as she called herself the hottest,
funniest, smartest, and most iconic woman in the history of
WWE. Morgan said that all of that came with a lot of power,
but she didn’t have a lot of time to make a certain
decision. Morgan said she could choose Stephanie Vaquer or
face Jade Cargill. Morgan said that WrestleMania wasn’t the
only thing on her mind, but that there was a huge elephant
in the room. Before she could say what that was, Rodriguez
took her mic and said that she had something to say instead.
However, they were both interrupted by the arrival of WWE
Women’s Champion Jade Cargill.
Cargill said that she didn’t care if Morgan won the Royal
Rumble, and that she didn’t care if she was on SmackDown.
Cargill said that if Morgan chose her, she’d beat her ass at
WrestleMania before she turned her attention to Rodriguez.
Morgan interrupted and talked about how she could pick
Stephanie Vaquer and ensure Raquel Rodriguez would beat
Cargill instead. This led to Jordynne Grace interrupting
proceedings.
Grace said that Morgan did what she had to do to win the
Rumble, but if she could get Cargill to defend her title,
maybe it’ll be Grace who Morgan might end up facing at
WrestleMania. Morgan interrupted and got told to shut up by
both Cargill and Grace. Mr. Aldis talked about how if Morgan
was available to talk, she was available to fight, which led
to a tag match between Cargill and Grace versus Morgan and
Rodriguez to be booked.
Not really my cup of tea, with this style of segment, mainly
because of how Morgan’s style of promos isn’t really for me.
**********
Jade Cargill & Jordynne Grace vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel
Rodriguez
This match started in progress after the commercial break,
as Rodriguez was battering Grasce with elbows to the chest.
Grace got lifted by a back suplex from Rodriguez, but she
avoided a diving bomb. However, Morgan tagged in and tried
for the Three Amigos. Grace countered on the third of the
Amigos and delivered a suplex of her own. Grace flattened
Morgan with a series of lariats, followed by repeated scoop
slams. The cover by Grace, but Rodriguez interrupted the
count. As Grace sent Rodriguez out of the ring, Morgan
attempted ObLIVion, but was blocked by the strength fo
Grace.
Cargill “accidentally” hit Grace with a superkick after
Rodriguez got out of the way. Meanwhile, Rodriguez had an
accident of her own as she hit Morgan with a kick as Cargill
got out of the way. As Cargill and Rodriguez were staring
down, Grace pushed the latter onto the former and pulled off
the roll-up for the win.
Jordynne Grace & Jade Cargill def. Raquel Rodriguez & Liv
Morgan via pinfall
This match was a bit on the short side, but the friendly
fire finish playing into Grace and Cargill’s feud, as well
as a potential Judgment Day rift worked well.
**********
– Sami Zayn was met by Rey Fenix, who consoled him after his
Royal Rumble loss, but both were interrupted by Trick
Williams, who called himself the Michael Jordan to Zayn’s
Charles Barkley. Williams talked about how he was the guy
who gets things done around here. Fenix told Williams that
he had a big mouth and he’d shut him up if he kept it up.
Williams responded to Fenix, saying he’d do it “any time,
any place.”
– Elsewhere, Jade Cargill and Jordynne Grace were at each
other’s throats following their tag match, as Nick Aldis
told the two there’d be a WWE Women’s Title match next week
on SmackDown, with Cargill set to defend against Grace.
– A recap of Roman Reigns & CM Punk’s fiery confrontation on
Raw was shown, as we got official confirmation of Punk
defending the World Title against Reigns at WrestleMania in
ten weeks time.
Drew McIntyre has something to say
Now with seemingly no interruptions to hamper him, Drew
McIntyre talked about how both Jacob Fatu & Cody Rhodes
should be banned from the Elimination Chamber qualifiers for
what they did to him earlier. He also took credit for
dashing Sami Zayn’s dreams at the Royal Rumble before he
finally turned his attention to Reigns and Punk’s promo from
Monday night.
McIntyre talked about how he was been through hell to get
the Undisputed World Title and that he’d never go part time.
He put over the heritage of his Undisputed WWE Title, and
that he didn’t blame Reigns for choosing Punk. McIntyre said
that while Reigns and Punk were busy aura farming, he has
the entire roster climbing the Elimination Chamber for the
right to be the Undisputed WWE Champion.
As McIntyre was making his exit, Trick Williams interrupted
to a huge ovation of “Whoop That Trick” chants. Williams
said maybe he was just here to watch the main events and
kicking up his lemon pepper steppers. Willams said that
maybe McIntyre was worried about the wrong people, when he
should be worried about him, the man who will take the WWE
Title at WrestleMania.
McIntyre warned Willaims to walk before running, because if
he interrupted him again, McIntyre promised he’d stick
Williams’ “lemon pepper steppers” where the sun didn’t
shine.
So, how was McIntyre’s response to essentially being treated
as a third wheel on Monday by Reigns and Punk? He tried his
best, yes, but it’s still an uphill battle to get ahead of
it given how big the Punk vs. Reigns match is being sold as.
Meanwhile, it’s nice seeing Trick Williams get into these
big main event situations, as it’s clear as day that he’s
being viewed as a big star.
**********
Next Week on SmackDown
WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Jordynne
Grace
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: RHIYO (IYO SKY & Rhea
Ripley) vs. Lash Legend & Nia Jax
Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Alexa Bliss vs.
Giulia vs. Zelina
Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Cody Rhodes vs. Sami
Zayn vs. Jacob Fatu
Trick Williams vs. Rey Fenix
Elimination Chamber Qualifier: Solo Sikoa vs. Randy Orton
vs. Aleister Black
Prior to the match, Sikoa was seen wondering where his
M.F.T.s allies were, but they were nowhere to be found, as
he made his way down to the ring alone.
Sikoa tried to get Black to team up on Orton, but it was a
double-cross. Orton went for the RKO early, but couldn’t
connect. Sikoa pulled Orton out of the ring and threw him
into the ring post. Black hit his moonsault from the apron
on Sikoa, as he then countered an attempted back suplex to
the announce table and instead took Orton out with a
clubbing blow. This took us into the break.
We returned from break as Orton stomped on Black while he
had Sikoa trapped in an ankle submission. This opened both
men up to Orton’s Garvin-style stomps, as Sikoa found
himself in the corner being battered by punches. Black
stopped Orton from attacking further, but got himself in the
crosshairs of Orton’s punches in the corners instead. Black
escaped his predicament and hit Orton with kicks across the
chests, followed by punches to the ribs.
Black pulled Orton to the middle of the ring and worked him
over until he was pulled out of the ring and thrown into the
barrricade by Sikoa, who briefly stared Trick Williams down
before he entered the ring. Sikoa kept Orton grounded with
chops and punches as he pointed at the WrestleMania sign.
Orton recovered and hit Sikoa with a series of clotheslines,
but couldn’t hit the scoop powerslam, as Sikoa dodged it.
Black entered the fray and got dropped with a pop-up Samoan
Drop by Sikoa for the near-fall, as we took one more break
in the action.
We returned to our main event as Orton hit a superplex on
Black, but it put him in prime position for Sikoa to drop
down on him with a splash for the near-fall. Black and Sikoa
got themselves on their feet and traded strikes, but it was
the Samoan who got the upper hand. Sikoa missed with the
running hip attack, as Black hit him with the top rope
Meteora. Orton got back in the ring and hit Black with
clotheslines. Sikoa avoided the draping DDT from Orton, but
he couldn’t avoid being dropped across the commentary table
by Orton. Black also got dropped with the back suplex for
his troubles.
Back in the ring, Sikoa was left stunned long enough to fall
victim to Orton’s draping DDT. Orton had Sikoa in sights for
the RKO, but Black kicked him hard. Sikoa recovered and
caught Black with the Spinning Solo. One, two… NO! Sikoa
attempted a Samoan Spike, but Black avoided it and got Sikoa
with a big knee, followed by a bridging suplex for the two.
Black hit Sikoa with a running knee, and almost got caught
with the RKO. Black reversed it and attempted Black Mass.
Orton dodged and got Black with the RKO, but the momentum
sent him rolling out of the ring.
Sikoa snuck up on Orton and looked like he was going to get
him with the Samoan Spike, but he got hit with an RKO
instead. One, two, three. This one’s done.
Tonight’s show ended with Orton celebrating his win.
Randy Orton def. Solo Sikoa & Aleister Black via pinfall to
qualify for Elimination Chamber
**********
Weird opening promo from Cody Rhodes aside (and I’ve said my
piece on it above), this was an entertaining SmackDown, and
a hot Charlotte crowd really added to it. The matches
tonight were all at least decent and the Elimination Chamber
build is taking shape well, even though it’s early on.
The Women’s Tag Title Match was my pick for top match of the
evening. There’s just something really enjoyable about the
Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY tag team and it brings out the best in
both women, as well as the people they face in the ring.
Lots of exciting action to be had there. The other matches
were good and nothing really dragged.