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WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
“NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION”
JANUARY 5, 2024
VANCOUVER, B.C. AT ROGERS ARENA
AIRED ON FOX
Announcers: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
[HOUR ONE]
-After then “Then, Now, Forever, Together” brand stamp, a two minute video recap aired of The Rock’s surprise appearance on Raw earlier in the week.
-Kayla Braxton approached Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman exiting a black SUV. She asked for a comment and Reigns laughed in her face. (It was difficult to understand exactly what Kayla said.)
-Kevin Patrick introduced the show as a camera panned the audience and an augmented reality graphic featured New Year’s Revolution graphics.
(1) KEVIN OWENS vs. SANTOS ESCOBAR (w/Angel, Humberto) – United States Championship Contender Tournament Final
They went to Patrick and Corey Graves on camera during KO’s ring entrance. No Michael Cole and no mention of Cole. Graves said KO better keep his head on a swivel. Logan Paul made his ring entrance, carrying the U.S. Title belt over his shoulder. As the bell rang 7 minutes into the show, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde jumped over the barricade and attacked Angel and Humberto at ringside. They fought them up the aisle. KO then superkicked a distracted Escobar and landed a cannonball in the corner. He followed up with a top rope frog splash for a convincing early near fall. They cut to an early break a minute into the match. [c]
Escobar was in control after the break. They replayed Escobar ramming KO’s injured right hand into the ringpost. Logan joined in on commentary. He said he likes Escobar in a round-about way because he helped him become U.S. Champion. Logan seemingly joked about taking up lifting weights for the first time this year. Graves laughed. Logan said it’s actually true. Escobar dove through the ropes and tackled KO into the barricade. Logan said KO is Canadian and thus he doesn’t know how he can be considered a United States Champion. Logan taunted the crowd. KO countered Escobar and landed a Fisherman’s Buster off the top rope. With both men down they cut to another break at 8:00. [c]
Graves talked to Logan about how KO and Escobar have sacrificed everything to become pro wrestlers. Logan said he believes in working smarter, not harder. He said he’s been doing this a year and a half and they want what he has because he’s a star. KO leaped off the ring apron with a flip senton splash. He threw Escobar back into the ring and then went for another top rope flip senton, but Escobar raised his knees. Escobar charged with two high knees in the corner. He followed with a huracanrana off the top turnbuckle and then a splash for a near fall at 14:00.
They battled with rapid-fire back-and-forth action. KO eventually hit a stunner for the win.
WINNER: Owens in 17:00 to earn a U.S. Title match against Logan at the Royal Rumble.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match and Logan was entertaining and effective on commentary.)
-Logan congratulated Owens afterward and said he’s about to face the greatest U.S. Champion ever. He said KO is sweating whereas he hasn’t even broken a sweat yet and he’s been U.S. Champion for 62 days. He said KO winning the U.S. Title would be like the Canucks winning a Stanley Cup. “It’s never going to happen,” he said. He entered the ring and KO punched him with the cast on his right hand.
-They went to Graves and Patrick at ringside to react.
-A vignette aired which was focused on Randy Orton’s desire to face Reigns at the Rumble.
-Graves and Patrick hyped the main event Triple Threat match.
-Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits made their ring entrance.
-A commercial aired for Raw hyping Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Cody Rhodes plus the return of C.M. Punk on Monday. [c]
-Patrick hyped the July 5-7 weekend in Toronto featuring Smackdown, Money in the Bank, and NXT Heatwave.
-They showed Logan icing his eye backstage and being checked on Shawn Daivari. Cathy Kelley approached him for comment. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller approached him and told Logan to get to the trainer’s room. Cameron Grimes laughed. Waller and Grimes shoved each other.
-Lashley and the Profits were standing mid-ring. Lashley said 2023 was probably the toughest year of his career because, while he put in the work, it didn’t result in the results he wanted. He said the highlight of the year, though, was linking up with the Profits. He said their New Year’s Resolution is simple – taking everything they deserve in 2024. Montez Ford said they’re going to take full advantage of every opportunity they can when it comes to winning titles. Angelo Dawkins told The Judgment Day to keep their heads on a swivel. Lashley said his goal is to get back to being The Almighty. He declared himself for the Royal Rumble. They were interrupted by a video on the big screen of Karrion Kross and Scarlett. “The End is Here,” read a graphic on the screen.
Kross and Scarlett walked out. Paul Ellering joined them. The Authors of Pain (Rezar & Akam) jumped the Profits. Kross smiled as he entered the ring. They gave the Profits a Super Collider. Kross then gave Lashley his finisher. They posed in the ring and soaked up boos.
(Keller’s Analysis: Is this a definitive sign that WWE is waving the white flag on trying to position Lashley and the Profits as heels? It’s cool to see Paul Ellering again. He seems the same age now as the first time I saw him manage the Road Warriors 40 years ago.)
-They went to Patrick and Graves. Patrick said since Styles returned, he’s been “spitting fire.” He said you can’t blame him because The Bloodline nearly cost him everything.
-A vignette aired on Styles including The Bloodline beating him up backstage months ago.
-Michin made her ring entrance. [c]
-A sponsored video package showed the set-up for this match.
(2) IYO SKY vs. MICHIN – WWE Women’s Title match
The bell rang 50 minutes into the hour. Michin dove through the ropes and tackled Skye at 2:00. They cut to an early break. [c]
Michin powered Sky over with a gut-wrench suplex. She scored a two count at 6:00 after dropping Sky onto her knees out of the corner. Michin lifted her knees as Sky went for an Over the Moonsault, then landed a Dragon suplex at 8:00 for another near fall. Michin landed a Styles Clash off the second rope for a near fall, with Sky grabbing the bottom rope to stop the count.
[HOUR TWO]
Sky avoided another dive by Michin through the ropes. She threw her back into the ring and landed the Over the Moonsault for the win.
WINNER: Sky in 11:00 to retain the WWE Women’s Title.
-Paul Heyman backstage addressed The Rock dropping Roman Reigns’s name. He said to sit at the Head of the Table, one must be invited to a Dinner of Relevancy, and The Rock has not been invited nor will he be. He said The Rock is just like everybody else. He said he’s looking for a shortcut to the headlines. He said there are only two guaranteed ways to go viral – date Taylor Swift or call out Roman Reigns. He talked about Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and C.M. Punk going after Reigns. He said he upgraded from Best Friend to Advocate to Wise Man since they were together, though. He said the Tribal Chief will smash anyone who opposes him in the main event of WrestleMania.
(Keller’s Analysis: Great content and cadence from Heyman there, hitting on the growing list of big names aiming to win the Rumble and challenge Reigns at WM.)
-Pretty Deadly made their ring entrance. [c]
-Backstage, Bayley, Asuka, Dakota Kai, and Kairi Sane ran up to Sky and congratulated her. Bayley said Sky’s reign will never end, and her plan will lead to the Kabuki Warriors winning the tag titles; Dakota said Bayley is going to win the Rumble and take the title off of Rhea Ripley. Bianca Belair walked up to them. She congratulated Sky on her win. Belair said Bayley won’t win the Rumble because she’s entering the Rumble and she plans to K.O.D. her over the top rope and then take back her title at WrestleMania, and that will be the end of the Iyo Era. Dakota told Bayley to take care of Belair because she has to protect her plan.
(3) PRETTY DEADLY (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. BUTCH & TYLER BATE
Butch came out first. Then Bate came out. Graves said NXT viewers are familiar with them. Patrick said they go back teaming together 12 years ago. Graves said Bate’s first match was against Butch, and they went on to be friends and partners. The bell rang 12 minutes into the hour. Graves talked about British Strong Style. Bate got in a flurry of flashy moves first. Bate and Butch each dove over the top rope onto Prince and Wilson at ringside and they cut to an early break. [c]
They won with a Double Tyler Driver ’97.
WINNERS: Butch & Tyler Bate in 8:00.
-A vignette aired on L.A. Knight’s quest to earn a match against Reigns at the Rumble. [c]
-Postcard shots aired of Vancouver.
-As a clip aired of The Rock arriving on Raw, Graves touted his social media reaction breaking records.
-Ashante “Thee” Adonis was shown walking into Nick Aldis’s office. He told Aldis he feels lost lately, but he’s hungry and ready. He said he just needs an opportunity. Aldis leaned in and said he’s believed in him from the beginning and he has some ideas for him that he thinks he’ll be interested in.
(Keller’s Analysis: Are all of Aldis’s meetings with wrestlers filmed? I’m intrigued with what Aldis has in mind for him. I’m also a bit nervous that it’ll be corny.)
-Graves and Patrick hyped matches for next week: Grimes vs. Waller and Angel & Humberto vs. Wilde & Del Toro.
-Ring entrances took place for the main event; Styles, Knight, and finally Orton. [c]
(4) RANDY ORTON vs. A.J. STYLES vs. L.A KNIGHT – Winner Receives Title Match Against Reigns at the Rumble
The match was joined in progress after the break 38 minutes into the hour. They fought at ringside two minutes into the match. Orton landed a draping DDT and then signaled for an RKO on Styles. Knight yanked Orton out of the ring by his boots and threw him into ringside steps. Styles then dove through the ropes and sorta dropkicked Knight. With all three men down, they cut to a break at 6:00. [c]
Back from the break, Styles was in control of Knight. He beat up Knight and then Orton. Knight took control against Styles, but then Orton clotheslined Knight. Orton landed a snap powerslam on Knight and then the same to a charging Styles. Knight was bleeding from his forehead.
Styles leaped off the top rope at 16:00, but Orton caught him mid-air with an RKO. A bloodied Knight broke up the cover in a dramatic moment. At that moment, with all three down, Reigns’s music played and he walked out with Heyman, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa. They attacked all three competitors. Graves said this has to be disappointing to the WWE audience.
WINNER: No contest in 17:00.
-Jimmy whipped Orton who was met with Solo slamming him with the ringside steps. Back in the ring, Jimmy attacked Styles and Reigns raised his arm and then delivered a powerbomb to Styles. They cut to Aldis watching at ringside. Reigns then set up and delivered a Superman Punch to Knight followed by some trash-talking and then a spear. Solo lifted Orton and held him as Reigns speared him. Aldis told Heyman to congratulate Reigns because he just earned himself a Fatal Four-way at the Royal Rumble.
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