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Credit: WWE.com
The January 8 edition of Friday Night SmackDown looked like the second part of the blue brand new year celebration. With some important title fights and important moments ahead towards the WWE Royal Rumble, it had a chance to be a great show.
Kevin Owens went too far in the war with Roman Reigns, and the Chief of Staff alongside Jey Uso ensured that he was seriously injured. This left the door open for the announcement of a huge gauntlet dispute.
Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin would face off to determine the No. 1 contender for the WWE universal champion, facing him in the WWE Royal Rumble.
Big E promised to be a fighting champion, and it started with the announcement that he would defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against the man who helped him defeat Sami Zayn and King Corbin last week, Apollo Crews.
The Street Profits also continued its rivalry with Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, putting their titles into play once again. The heels had already used all the tricks in the book and fell short, but this was the time to use their best secret tricks.
SmackDown started off strong, but the show is just building towards a better future. The list must continue to count on young and impressive rising stars to thrive in 2021.
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Roman Reigns respected Kevin Owens for fighting with ambition. He blamed Adam Pearce for the knockout injuries due to the sanctioned match between Owens and Jey Uso. The head of the table showed Pearce a video package about what led to the KO injuries.
Reigns ran over the authority figure for putting injured Owens in danger. He got in Pearce’s face for not showing him the respect he deserved, allowing him to choose his next opponent instead of waiting for a gauntlet fight.
Pearce was unable to defend himself when the head of the table approached him, wondering if he was being called stupid. Reigns narrowly backed away, but left Pearce with a lasting threat.
Degree
B +
Analyze
Although it made more sense to involve members of the gauntlet fight in this segment, Reigns took the same thing. His fierce attitude towards Pearce was difficult to ignore and to configure the quiet potential of a unique fight between the head of the table and the veteran independent fighter.
Casual WWE fans probably have no idea who Pearce is, but NWA’s five-time world heavyweight champion could certainly sell an overwhelmed rivalry with Reigns. It all depends on whether he can be released for action at the end of his career. The possibility of history is limitless.
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Credit: WWE.com
Apollo Crews came after Big E from the start and seemed to be the best man from start to finish. He played around the intercontinental WWE champion with ease. After a massive superplex, the two legs locked for a double pinfall, causing the match to end in a draw.
Crews demanded the title and slapped his friend in the face. This convinced Big E to restart the game. An angry champion went after Crews until he was caught with a knee to the face.
A spinebuster and splash of frog almost took the win, but Big E refused to stay on the ground. And he fought back hard, wearing his opponent with the extendable scarf and planted him with Big Ending to win.
Result
Big E vs. Crews tie; And def. Pinfall crews on restart to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Degree
B
Analyze
Strange timing and lack of time diminished an impressive and energetic race between two motivated players. Big E and Crews were committed to doing this job and gave fans an impressive physical war of strength and speed. A rematch should last at least another five minutes.
Crews caused a heel turn after slapping his friend in frustration. It would be too soon to transform it, but Crews could make some noise if it finally set him up to succeed at SmackDown.
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Credit: WWE.com
Bianca Belair announced her entry into the Royal Rumble followed by an interruption by Bayley, who decided to join the fight and eliminate EST on his way to a new reign. Carmella bragged backstage about Sasha Banks’ defeat, making it clear that she is still more talented than The Legit Boss.
Dolph Ziggler survived an early wave of Montez Ford, going after his injured left leg, then Robert Roode did the same. Ford still refused to slow down, hitting a somersault plank on his heels that clearly damaged his leg as he struggled to get up.
Angelo Dawkins realized that he would have to fight alone for a while while Ford recovered, and the jumps happily transformed the fight into a handicap loss. Ford received the hot brand and had to be physical rather than explosive, which worked for a while, including a disc loop.
The Showoff planted Ford with a facebuster off the top rope to stop it on its way. Dawkins made a crucial save, but failed to reach the mark when Ziggler knocked over the bigger man in the apron. While Ford kicked out a fisherman, he fell for the count after a spinebuster / Zig Zag combination.
While Dawkins cared for his injured partner, the newly crowned champions attacked The Street Profits from behind.
Result
Ziggler and Roode def. Pinfall profits to become the new champions of the SmackDown tag team.
Degree
AN
Analyze
This was the absolute best that these teams found together. Ford was always the star of the show, but in a very different way. He sold like a champion to make it clear that this was never a fair fight. The fans had already seen that The Profits was better, so it was important to make it clear how different it was.
Ziggler and Roode needed to win this match. If they lost after all, the pair may well have parted ways. Fortunately, WWE is finally committing to the teams for a while. Profits held the tag team’s gold medal for much of last year, so it will be fun to see them back in hunting mode.
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Behind the scenes, Pearce spoke to his new assistant Sonya Deville, who questioned whether the authority figure would enter the challenge after Reigns threatened him. Paul Heyman told Pearce that he was up for the challenge. Billie Kay talked to The Riott Squad about joining the group.
Sami Zayn brought in a special camera crew to film a documentary that exposes the conspiracy against him. He entered the ring and immediately took a 619 for a splash, the first being eliminated by Rey Mysterio. Shinsuke Nakamura had Mysterio hit an armbar.
King Corbin attacked everyone on his way to the ring, sneaking up on the Artist. The king used this advantage to dominate Nakamura, but his opponent refused to give up even after Deep Six. He caught Corbin returning to the ring with a Kinshasa to eliminate him.
Bryan knew he had an advantage and took down Nakamura in his third straight fight of the night. A technical war between these veterans ensued, where Bryan seemed to have the fight up his sleeve until Nakamura caught him running with Kinshasa for a shocking elimination.
Pearce reluctantly left with Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Heyman encouraging him. Use attacked The Artist with the Head of the Table. Reigns then knocked out Pearce and threw him over Nakamura to win.
Result
Pearce wins the challenge by the last elimination Nakamura to become the new No. 1 contender for the WWE Universal Championship.
Degree
AN
Analyze
This match had some interesting stories along the way. Nakamura felt the stranger in this contest, but stole the show with one of his best performances in WWE. He and Corbin looked great together, and it was fun to see the champion of the planet and the artist again.
At the end of Nakamura’s presentation, The Artist looked as good as ever. He was made as a superior face in the blue mark. Even though he “lost”, it is clear that Nakamura is now defined as a challenging future for the WWE universal champion.
Pearce is a veteran artist, potentially having his big break. He worked well as an authority figure and this can be rewarded for his work in that role, as well as training at the Performance Center. The story is set to make him the biggest underdog possible for the head of the table.