WWE Smackdown 1/5/2024

WWE Smackdown 1/5/2024

There was no show last week, the show from 2 weeks ago is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/wwe-smackdown-12222023.html

Dark Match -  Gable Steveson vs Cedric Alexander

This is a rare dark match/satellite feed match. Gable gets no reaction and just walks down the ramp smiling doing absolutely nothing for his entrance. They both try to get the crowd to cheer for them and Cedric wins. Gable picks him up and takes him down twice. Gable wrestles him and makes him back off.

Gable shoulders him over and grabs him, then has his ears clapped. Cedric goes up and over and dropkicks him. Cedric hits corner punches then Gable front suplexes him. Gable hits boots in the corner. Gable carries him and sends him into the corner where he hits corner spears.

Gable carries him on his shoulder and kind of dances with him on his shoulder. Gable clubs him in the back and stomps him. Gable then hits mounted punches. Gable hits a belly to belly suplex then a german suplex. Cedric hit superkicks out of the corner then does something on the apron then sends Gable to the floor.

Cedric gets crotched up and put on Gable's shoulder. Gable then hits a razor's edge style move and wins it.

I didn't think this was good. With most rookies, they mess up moves and stuff but do get what wrestling is and get the basics of being a face and heel. Gable can hit all the moves clean, but doesn't seem to have any idea about the rest of wrestling. It can be taught, but combined with his lack of personality/interest and the crowd basically being out to get him, it's going to be a difficult challenge. This was a very weird match to watch as it was like watching a robot out there.

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Start of the show:

Roman Reigns and Heyman arrive. They try to interview them about what Rock said and Roman laughs and leaves.

US Title #1 Contender Tournament Final - Kevin Owens vs Santos Escobar

Escobar is with Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza. Logan Paul comes out. Cruz and Wilde then come out and push Garza and Carrillo into the posts and fight them to the back. Owens superkicks Santos then cannonballs him. Owens hits a top rope splash for 2.

We go to break and return. Kevin is seated up top and Santos punches him. Santos bangs KO's hand off the post and apron. KO works his way out of a hammerlock then takes a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. KO is kicked in the hand then forearmed. Santos flying headscissors him then topes him. Kevin's hand is banged off the apron and they go up top.

Santos comes off the top and lands takes an atomic drop. KO ddt's him then top rope twisting suplexes him. We go to break and return. They are up top again then Owens' neck is pulled over the top rope. KO superkicks him on the apron then swantons him from the apron to the floor. Kevin top rope swantons him and Santos gets his knees up. Santos jumping double knees him in the corner then 2nd rope hurricanrana's him.

Santos top rope splashes him for 2. Logan argues with the crowd outside. Kevin hits a 2nd rope green bay plunge for 2. KO superkicks him then goes for a pop-up powerbomb but Santos hurricanrana's him. KO pop-up powerbombs him then stunners him for the win.

I didn't like this. They did way too much and didn't sell enough. They had an easy story here with Owens having an injured hand but they forgot about halfway through and just did their usual match.

Logan Paul gets on the mic after. He congrats him. He said a canadian cannot have the US title and said him winning it would be like the Canucks winning the Stanley Cup. He says it would never happen. Logan gets in the ring and gets dropped with a shot.

Daivari helps out Logan Paul in the back. Waller and Theory complain about this interview. Cameron Grimes comes in and marks Paul then Waller pushes him. It is then broken up by I think Jamie Noble.

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits come out. Bobby said last year the toughest year of his career. He said he put in the work but didn't get the results he wanted. He said the highlight of the year was hooking up with the greatest tag team in the WWE, The Street Profits. Bobby said they will take everything they deserve in 2024.

Ford says they will hop on the trend in 2024 and take full advantage of getting championship gold. Dawkins calls out Judgment Day and says Bobby is making his way to the top. Bobby says he wants to get back to being The Almighty and said he is declaring himself for the Royal Rumble. Karrion Kross' music hits and he comes out with Scarlett and Paul Ellering. The Authors of Pain then return and jump Bobby's crew. Kross nails Bobby with a forearm and sends him into the steps. Ford and Dawkins take a super collider then Kross hits a pumphandle drop on Bobby. They then pose.

I'm happy to see the AOP back. I was a huge fan of theirs. 

We get a package on AJ Styles with him talking about wanting Roman at The Royal Rumble.

WWE Women's Title - Iyo Sky (c) vs Michin

Michin pinned Iyo in in the holiday havoc match two weeks ago so I guess that's how she earned this. They lock up. Iyo ducks punches and boots then Michin push kicks her. Iyo cartwheels and backflips then Michin rolls from a headscissors. Michin backslides her then rolls her up and dropkicks her. Iyo rolls her into a double stomp then Michin lays on the ropes. Iyo goes out then Michin topes her.

We go to break and return. Michin hits forearms and a spin kick to the gut. They botch a powerbomb reversal as Iyo is powerbombed by no sells it. Michin high kicks her then karelin's lifts her. Michin corner cannonballs her then codebreakers her off the 2nd rope. Michin half crabs her and Iyo ropebreaks. Iyo goes to springboard and is forearmed. Iyo apron germans her.

Iyo top rope dropkicks her then Michin gets her knees up on Iyo's moonsault. Michin dragon suplexes her for 2. Iyo gets hit up top and goes down. Iyo shotei's her then Michin blocks a hurricanrana. Michin then 2nd rope styles clashes her but Iyo grabs the ropes. Michin goes to tope her and gets nothing. Iyo meteora's her against the rail then in the corner. Iyo top rope moonsaults her and wins it.

I thought they did too much here and didn't sell enough. The crowd didn't care about this at all and the outcome was obvious.

Paul Heyman is interviewed. He said The Rock name drops Roman because he wants to sit at the head of the table. Paul says one must be invited to a dinner of relevancy to sit at the head of the table. He said Rock has not invited nor will he be. He said Rock is looking for a shortcut to the headline. Paul says to go viral, you either date Taylor Swift or call out Roman Reigns. He said Brock and Cena called Roman out then says Cody and Punk want Roman too. He said the winner of the match tonight fights to be smashed by Roman and said the winner of the Rumble will also be smashed by Roman. Paul said there isn't one man on the planet that can be Roman Reigns. 

Damage Ctrl celebrate in the back. Bayley said it's the year of Damage Ctrl and said their greatness means gold. Iyo said her era will never end and Bayley said her plan will never end and next up is the Kabuki Warriors winning the tag titles. Kai said Bayley will win the Rumble and take the title off Rhea. Bianca Belair walks in and congratulates Iyo. She said Bayley is getting ahead of herself and said she isn't winning the Royal Rumble because Bianca will be in it. Bianca says she will win it and take the title back at Mania, then the Iyo Era ends. She then says Happy New Year. Kai says Iyo said that Bayley needs to take care of Bianca as the leader of Damage Ctrl.

Pretty Deadly vs Butch and Tyler Bate

Butch's partner is a surprise here and it's Tyler Bate. We kind of knew this as it was said he might be called up. Bate takes down Kit then Kit headscissors him. Bate handstands out of a headscissors then side headlocks him. Bate grabs his own boot and hits him in the head with it. Bate hopes over and under him then rolls Kit up for 2.

Bate dropkicks Kit and poses. Elton tags in. Bate boots him in the corner then 2nd rope swantons him, kneeling on Butch's shoulders in the process. Butch leapfrogs Elton and nails him. Butch stomps Kit's fingers. Bate suicide dives on the outside while Butch apron moonsaults outside.

We go to break and return. Butch works his way out of the corner then takes a boot from Elton. Butch release suplexes Elton then tags out with Kit. Bate beats up both opponents then Bate flying headscissors Kit. Bate 2nd rope euros Kit then exploders Elton. Bate standing ssp's Elton then airplane spins Kit.

Butch and Bate hit stereo kicks on Kit. Bate rebound lariats Kit into a Butch german for 2. Bate dives on elton outside and is kicked in mid-air. Elton pushes Butch off the buckles and Kit rolls up Butch for 2. Butch splits Kit's fingers then Bate punches Elton. Kit takes a double tiger driver and is pinned.

I didn't like them just bringing out Bate here with no intro. People who don't watch NXT would not know him and didn't care as much as they might have with some kind of intro. It was a decent match though and the two teams worked together well.

We get a video on LA Knight's 2023.

Nick Aldis and Ashantee thee Adonis talk in the back. Adonis says he feels lost and doesn't know his place here. He says he's hungry and has been ready. He said he needs an opportunity. He said not to feel sorry for him. Nick doesn't feel sorry for him and has believed in him since the beginning. He said he has some opportunities for him that he will be interested in.

Bianca Belair vs Bayley is set for next week as is Grimes vs Waller and Toro/Cruz vs Carrillo/Garza.

#1 Contenders Match - Randy Orton vs LA Knight vs AJ Styles

 

 

This started during the break. LA hits shots on AJ in the corner then is booted by Orton. LA takes a 2v1 then AJ stomps Orton in the corner. Nick Aldis is out watching. AJ is thrown into the buckles chest first and goes down. LA lariats him on the ropes then lariats AJ over the top. Orton sends LA out to the floor.

LA bangs AJ's head off the table then Orton backdrops LA on the table. AJ is then backdropped on the table and La is backdropped on it again. AJ then backdrops Orton on the table. AJ goes for a springboard and is knocked off the ropes by Orton. Orton bridging ddt's AJ. They say LA is nowhere to be seen 5 seconds after we see him on the outside laying down.

LA pulls out Orton then throws him into the steps. AJ dropkicks LA through the ropes and all 3 are down. We go to break and return. AJ snapmares and sliding punches LA. AJ knees LA in the gut then backdrops him for 2. Orton is thrown into the rails then has his head banged off the steps. AJ slingshot sunset flips LA but LA tries to pin him off of it.

LA jawbreakers AJ then Orton brings AJ's neck over the top rope. LA hits punches on AJ then stomps him in the corner. LA hits punches on Orton then russian legsweeps him. LA running knees AJ  then hits a nice back body drop on AJ. Orton lariats LA then powerslams him. Orton powerslams AJ. LA hits a BFT on Orton for 2 when AJ stops the ref's count.

LA and AJ trade punches. LA kneelifts him then takes a pele kick. AJ springboard 450's LA for 2. AJ punches LA then throws him out. Orton spears AJ in the corner. AJ forearms him from the apron then springboards, catching an RKO on his way down. LA pulls out the ref on the pin count.

LA is busted open and The Bloodline come out. Solo gets in the ring and nails LA. Orton and AJ then get beaten up too by Roman and Jimmy. Solo hits Orton with the steps and Roman talks trash to Aldis. Roman powerbombs AJ and Aldis looks mad. Roman superman punches LA then spears him. Orton takes a spear + samoan spike combo. Aldis grabs Paul and tells Paul to Roman congratulations. He said Roman just earned himself a fatal four way match with these guys at the Rumble.

The ending wasn't that great but at least Aldis made sense of it at the end by making a fatal four way at the Rumble. It was an average three way and nothing too special except for LA getting busted open.

Overall thoughts: The main wasn't anything special. Bate and Butch had a good match but Bate was not introduced well. They did too much in the other two matches and didn't sell enough. I wouldn't recommend this one.