WWE Smackdown 1/19/2024

WWE Smackdown 1/19/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/wwe-smackdown-1122024.html 

The Bloodline arrive. Roman said he's here to make everything right and fix things. Solo said he'll fix everything.

Nick Aldis talks in the ring and said we are having a contract signing for the four way at The Rumble. AJ, LA and Orton sign the contract. Paul Heyman comes out. He said they haven't submitted this contract to an attorney yet and Paul said he didn't even see it. He says Roman will not sign the contract. Nick Aldis says he will make it a three way for the vacant title then if that's the case.

Paul says he admires the mediocre job he has done so far. He said there is no way Nick can sell this to the board of directors or the fans in Georgia. LA tells him to shut up and agrees that it should be a 1v1 match since Roman's cousins saved him in their match. AJ says The Bloodline tried to end his career and LA walked over his dead body to get the match with Roman, then lost. He says he's lucky to be in this. LA says if anyone is lucky, it's AJ. He said to turn his attention to Roman instead of him. LA says if he has to walk over his dead body again to win the title, he will. LA then goes to leave and AJ hits him. They fight and it's broken up.

Orton grabs Paul by the tie and says he sees what he is trying to do. He says he will beat Solo in the ring tonight. He says he will re-introduce the RKO to Roman.

Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto) vs The LWO

 

Angel nails Carlito from behind. Carlito chops him. Angel and Cruz trade chops. Cruz springboard hurricanrana's him. Angel takes double back elbow then is hiptossed into the ropes and onto him. Wilde walks up the ropes and armdrags Angel, missing Humberto. Wilde and Cruz do dives outside while Carlito watches.

We go to break and return. Wilde takes a slingshot cutter off the gori special then Wilde takes a basement dropkick. Wilde is double gorilla pressed onto Santos' knee. Santos backdrops Wilde then Wilde is stomped by two people.

Wilde tornado ddt's Humberto. Carlito gets the hot tag in. He kneelifts Humberto then lariats him. Carlito dropkicks Angel then spinebusters Humberto for 2. Humberto springboard kicks Carlito and Cruz breaks it up with a spingboard headbutt. Santos superkicks Cruz. Wilde superkicks Santos then Angel superkicks him. Carlito throws down Angel then backcrackers Humberto. Santos then rolls up Carlito.

It felt like it ended too early and the beating Wilde took went on too long here.

Pretty Deadly are interviewed. They feel more prepared for Butch and Bate tonight. Elton says there will be no more surprises. Kit said they have been studying them for the last week and said they have never been more prepared.

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits do a promo. They say the scare tactics won't work. Ford said they aren't the ones. Dawkins said they've been the real monsters while they have been playing boogeyman. Bobby says to name the time and place. He says when they find him, they will show Kross' crew what real intimidation is.

Pretty Deadly vs Butch and Tyler Bate

Bate escapes Kit's hammerlock then Butch runs in and lariats Kit as he runs the ropes. Butch stomps Kit's hand then twists his finger. Bate does a rolling senton onto Kit off of Butch's shoulders then airplane spin's Kit, hitting Elton. PD slides out and we go to break.

We reutrn and Elton has Bate in an armlock. Bate is held for a euro in the corner then thrown onto Kit's double knees. Bate exploders Kit. Butch gets in and dropkicks Elton. Butch germans Kit then stomps his fingers. Butch buzzsaw kicks him and kicks Elton in the back of the head. Butch release suplexes Kit onto Elton. Elton face kicks Butch.

Bate euros Elton and punches him and Kit. Bate rebound lariats Kit. Elton takes a double enzugiri in the corner then Bate suicide dives on Kit. Butch hits a bitter end on Elton and wins it.

It was fine for what it was but it was basically a long squash. Pretty Deadly got almost nothing in here and never looked like they had much of a chance. Bate and Butch didn't get much of a pop as expected.

Pretty Deadly are interviewed in the back. Kit said they weren't ready. Elton said they were ready and then both get mad and leave.

The Kevin Owens Show with Logan Paul

Logan mocks him and says it's his show now. He said Owens is the reason he's in the WWE. Owens questions it and we see Owens hitting a stunner on Logan at Wrestlemania 2021. Logan said Owens embarrassed him in front of 70,000 people. He said he had to prove that he belonged here. Owens said he barely remembers that.

Owens says he is just one of many he hit a stunner on. He said he thought he was just another celeb guest but he stuck around. He said he is way better at this than anyone though. He said Logan is not one of us though. Logan said he's happy he's not one of them. The video then cuts out for some reason.

We return and Owens said Logan can say he was US champ at some point. He said it's a joke though that has gone on too long. He said he will put an end to the joke at The Rumble. Logan complains about Owens' cast and said he knocks people out clean and says it will only take him a second to knock him out.

Owens says he can take a punch and beating better than anyone. He said there isn't a punch he can throw that can knock him out.  Owens says he will not wear the cast at The Rumble and will take it off right now. Logan then drops him with a punch while he is taking it off. Owens gets back up then takes him down and hits punches. Logan rolls out, pushes him into the post then bangs his hand off the post. It was a clever segment that was a good pay off to the issues with the cast.

The Bloodline talk in the back. Roman said he got to his bus and saw a viper on Paul's neck. He said we have 2 wise men with Jimmy and gets mad at him for messing around. Solo then gets in Roman's face. He says last week was on him and said tonight he will show him and fix it. He said he was named the tribal heir for a reason. 

WWE Women's Tag Titles - Kayden Carter and Katana Chance (c) vs The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn)

I have no idea how Alba and Isla earned this since they hadn't won a TV match for 7 months. Damage Ctrl are on commentary. Carter and Chance are jumped from behind then Isla kicks Carter. Carter goes down off of being sent into the buckles. Carter takes a superkick + backdrop combo. Chancer gets in and hits both opponents. She spinning headscissors Isla then corner lariats her.

Isla is lifted up top. Carter superkicks Alba then flips Chance into a hurricanrana on Isla, landing her on Alba. Isla bangs Carter's head off the mat then Carter rolls Alba for 2. Isla hits Carter from outside and Carter is rolled up for 2. Chance dives off the steps onto Isla. Chance uses the ropes and canadian destroyers Alba. The faces hit the keg stand and win it.

It was short but fine. The faces did their usual flying. This was only like 5 minutes long.

Sane and Asuka get in the ring after with the women's tag titles. They dance with the titles then give them back to the faces. Bayley says they want some and says they got a tag title match for them.

The OC talk in the back. AJ comes in. Gallows says they still have his back. AJ looks mad though at Anderson for some reason.

The Final Testament do a video. Kross says they know who Bobby and the Profits are. They said they know they want to be the faces of this place. Kross said they don't get opportunities like them because they are uncivilized. Kross says they got a new game to play and we will see them next week. Kross says then maybe the whole world will see who the real almighty actually are.

They talk about Melo vs Theory from last week. They said Melo is okay.

Melo is interviewed. He said things happen in the heat of battle and said thankfully he is able to walk away from it. He said he didn't win but he didn't lose. He said he will ball out because that's who he is. He says he is him. Theory said Melo tried to end his career and is being rewarded for it. Melo said let's do the match again next week. Theory said he's busy. Waller then accepts for Theory. Theory tells him he has to stop doing this.

AJ Styles vs LA Knight

LA hits some punches then backdrops him. AJ is then sent into the bottom buckle. LA chokes him over the middle rope then leg lariats him there. LA hits a nice suplex for 2. They trade chops and AJ hits a strike combo. AJ backbreakers LA and chokes him over the middle rope.

LA hits punches on AJ and AJ leg kicks him. LA powerslams him for 2. LA stomps him in the corner then AJ slides out. LA goes after him and AJ sliding knees him from the apron. LA is sent into the rails then AJ is dropped on the rails. AJ's head is banged off the commentary table then Jimmy Uso comes out.

LA walks near Uso and Uso backs off. AJ enzugiri's LA then Solo hits a samoan spike on LA on the rails. Solo then nails AJ. The match is called off.

It was a basic match as usual with LA. I liked AJ's sliding knee on the apron. It was a weird match as it's not clear whether AJ is a face or a heel and it wasn't clear what they wanted us to think here as fans.

Solo sends AJ into the steps then hits a samoan spike in the ring. Solo says "2 down, 1 to go". He calls out Randy Orton.

We go to break and return. Orton's music hits.

Randy Orton vs Solo Sikoa

AJ and LA are gone from ringside already. Orton hits shots then takes an uppercut. Solo hits punches in the corner then hip attacks him. Orton's head is banged off the table and then he is sent into the stairs.

We go to break and return. Orton backdrops Solo on the commentary table. Orton hits a draping ddt over the middle rope. Jimmy Uso comes back out then is nailed by LA Knight. Jimmy hits a shot and runs for it then is hit by AJ Styles. AJ throws Uso into the set then Orton RKO's Solo to win it.

I didn't like Solo losing so easy and this was a real waste of this matchup. We only got a few minutes of it and it had our 2nd straight dirty finish.

AJ and LA gets in the ring with Orton after. LA decks AJ then Orton RKO's LA. Orton then RKO's AJ. Roman then shows up behind Orton and superman punches him. Roman smiles as all of his opponents are down. 

Nick Aldis appears and gives Roman the contract to sign. Roman signs it and goes for a spear on Orton but takes an RKO. Orton then puts the contract down under Roman while Roman is recovering. Why Orton stopped there and didn't further beat him down is unknown.

Overall thoughts: The show sucked. They had 2 big matches here with Orton/Solo and AJ/LA. Both had messy finishes and with it not being clear whether AJ is a face, heel or tweener, it hurt LA's reactions. Orton had been waiting for months to get revenge on Roman and just settled for an RKO here instead of beating him up for taking him out. We saw PD vs Butch and Bate last week and Isla/Alba got a random title shot. The feed also cut out during the Paul/Owens segment which is not acceptable.