{"id":72580,"date":"2019-01-01T14:23:06","date_gmt":"2019-01-01T20:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=72580"},"modified":"2019-01-01T14:23:06","modified_gmt":"2019-01-01T20:23:06","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-1-1-19-spoiler-free-cenas-back-new-day-rings-in-2019-vinces-attack-on-a-j-next-up-for-miz-and-shane-rusevs-championship-reign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/01\/01\/wwe-smackdown-primer-1-1-19-spoiler-free-cenas-back-new-day-rings-in-2019-vinces-attack-on-a-j-next-up-for-miz-and-shane-rusevs-championship-reign\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 1\/1\/19: (SPOILER-FREE) Cena\u2019s back, New Day rings in 2019, Vince\u2019s attack on A.J., Next up for Miz and Shane, Rusev\u2019s championship reign"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-132956183\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3><strong>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>JANUARY 1, 2019<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>PITTSBURGH, PA. AT THE PPG PAINTS ARENA<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8 P.M. EST<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Personal Note to PWTorch Readers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As I did in yesterday\u2019s Raw primer, I would like to wish everyone and their families a happy and healthy prosperous new year.\u00a0 Thank you to all whom have taken the time to read my primers.\u00a0 I sincerely hope I serve you well getting ready for the shows and look forward to continuing to do so here in 2019.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Arena and Items Advertised by WWE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Tonight\u2019s New Year\u2019s Day episode was pre-recorded this past Saturday in the PPG Paints arena in Pittsburgh, PA.\u00a0 The arena previously hosted Smackdown in March of this year in the run-up to WrestleMania and also was the site of this year\u2019s Extreme Rules.\u00a0 Here are the items advertised by <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> for the show:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>New Day\u2019s New Year\u2019s Day Celebration<\/li>\n<li>John Cena Returns<\/li>\n<li>What will be the fallout of Mr. McMahon\u2019s attack on A.J. Styles<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s next for Miz and Shane McMahon<\/li>\n<li>How will Rusev\u2019s U.S. Championship reign begin?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As has been the case the past few weeks due to the holidays, there are spoilers out for tonight.\u00a0 I have not read any of them and treated this article as if you have done the same.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>New Day\u2019s New Year\u2019s Celebration<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Here\u2019s what <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> is saying about this segment:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It wouldn\u2019t be New Year\u2019s Day without a celebration. Thankfully, The New Day is here to throw a party worthy of 2019.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s sure to be plenty of pancakes at The New Day\u2019s New Year Celebration, but what else will Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods &amp; Big E have planned for the WWE Universe?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Yeah so, we\u2019re doing this.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 Thankfully, New Day is here to throw a party worthy of 2019.\u00a0 Thankfully folks!\u00a0 We would not know what to do with ourselves if we didn\u2019t have New Day flinging pancakes or gyrating for us on a regular basis.\u00a0 It is interesting to note I came across and article saying New Day will no longer be allowed to fling pancakes into the crowd.\u00a0 Apparently, something happens in tonight\u2019s segment that doesn\u2019t sit well with Vince McMahon.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to know if it\u2019s true, but if it is, it\u2019s no great loss to me.\u00a0 I understand people get a kick out of New Day, but I don\u2019t need their antics on a weekly basis.\u00a0 I\u2019m hard on them because they\u2019re talented men and should be presented as credible wrestlers.\u00a0 Drop the pancakes, the gyrations, and the trombone.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>John Cena Returns<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Sixteen-time world champion John Cena returns to WWE programming for the first time since Super Showdown this past October and Smackdown for the first time since the run-up to WrestleMania last year.\u00a0 His return was one of Vince McMahon\u2019s \u201cgifts\u201d to the fans as he announced last week on Raw.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4151708797\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>In early 2018 Cena pursued the WWE Championship but came up short.\u00a0 He then went on to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania and lost a strange squash match.\u00a0 He returned in October to team with Bobby Lashley and defeated Elias and the currently injured Kevin Owens.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, we kick off 2019 with the return of Cena.\u00a0 He is a \u201cfree agent,\u201d and will also be part of Raw in some capacity as Vince pointed out.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 It\u2019s WrestleMania season, and thus we can expect the heavy hitters to start making their way back.\u00a0 No matter how you feel about Cena, he\u2019s been the guy in WWE since 2004 (I contend he became a big deal with the babyface version of his thuganomics gimmick).\u00a0 It\u2019s likely he\u2019s in the WWE Championship picture, as a match with Daniel Bryan has a WrestleMania feel to it assuming Bryan is still champion at that point.\u00a0 Either way, we\u2019ll look forward to what he brings to the table as we get ready for the Royal Rumble and the start of WrestleMania season.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Mr. McMahon Attack on A.J. Styles<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>At the close of Smackdown last week, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon confronted A.J. Styles.\u00a0 He told him he felt they were a lot alike, and there was an animal inside him wanting to come out.\u00a0 He wanted to know the real A.J. and why he was letting people compete in \u201chis house.\u201d\u00a0 He then proceeded to slap A.J., to which A.J. punched him back and knocked him to the floor.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the YouTube clip to get the full effect:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AJ Styles attacks Mr. McMahon: SmackDown LIVE, Dec. 25, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IrTFJsEVYEs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Tonight, we can expect to follow up on this situation.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 It was a strange segment that came somewhat out of nowhere.\u00a0 Historically, when a former champion moves out of the title picture or when someone prominent is unoccupied, we\u2019ve seen him get involved with the McMahons in some way.\u00a0 Shawn Michaels in 2006 comes to mind; however, I don\u2019t see this leading to a match between the two at WrestleMania the way that situation went.\u00a0 Where this goes is anybody\u2019s guess.\u00a0 It certainly tells me they value A.J. to have him take a shot at Mr. McMahon and keep him occupied after running through pretty much all of the heels on Smackdown.\u00a0 We\u2019ll need to see more to get a better feel as to where they are headed with the situation.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Next for Miz and Shane McMahon<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After weeks and weeks of hiring jobbers and referees, Miz had Shane McMahon on MizTV last week to ask him to be his partner again.\u00a0 Miz revealed his motivation for wanting to team with Shane.\u00a0 He said nothing was ever good enough for his father, even when he main evented WrestleMania years ago and retained the WWE Championship over John Cena.\u00a0 He said he was finally proud of him during the World Cup tournament and wanted to continue the partnership with the man who became best in the world.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the segment from last week:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shane McMahon agrees to be The Miz&#039;s tag team partner: SmackDown LIVE, Dec. 25, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Afm-P5H43kw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Tonight, we\u2019ll learn what\u2019s next for the \u201cco-besties.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-182913325\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 It was clever of Miz to tap into his feelings about his father with Shane, whether or not they are actually true.\u00a0 Watching Miz and Mrs. I don\u2019t get the sense their relationship is strained in any way, but who knows.\u00a0 At any rate, like A.J., Miz is also unoccupied at the moment and thus his involvement with a McMahon is no surprise.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible this leads to a match between the two at WrestleMania.\u00a0 If that\u2019s the case, it\u2019s early to try and predict who would turn on who.\u00a0 Just thinking outside the box, the situation with A.J. and Vince could be tied to this as well.\u00a0 Perhaps Miz and Shane vs. A.J. and a partner of his choosing with Vince\u2019s blessing could be in the offing?\u00a0 I\u2019m just throwing spaghetti at the wall here to try and figure out where this is headed.\u00a0 It could also be a partnership that makes Miz a babyface and just fizzles out over time.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Rusev\u2019s U.S. Championship Reign Begins<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the main event last week, Rusev captured his third U.S. Championship by defeating incumbent champion Shinsuke Nakamura.\u00a0 He did so with his signature Machka kick after a well-wrestled 20+ minute match.\u00a0 Here\u2019s some highlights from the match:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev - United States Championship Match: SmackDown LIVE, Dec. 25, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lyywR2Xz7u8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Tonight, we\u2019ll see what\u2019s in store for Rusev as his reign begins.\u00a0 He has been working with Nakamura at house shows, but there\u2019s no guarantee we\u2019ll see a rematch.\u00a0 The McMahons have said the automatic rematch clause no longer exists.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 It was an enjoyable match and it was great to see Rusev genuinely happy winning the U.S. title on an episode aired on his birthday, Christmas Day. \u00a0Rusev had been one of the more popular figures in 2018, and we wondered when WWE would capitalize on that popularity.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be interesting to see his opponents going forward.\u00a0 After Shinsuke, you\u2019re looking at Samoa Joe and Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas on the heel side.\u00a0 Almas lost to Mustafa Ali last week and has lost several matches recently, so he\u2019d have to be heated up to feel legitimate.\u00a0 Joe could be turned around quickly, and perhaps that process began with his strange DQ victory over Jeff Hardy last week.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Other Items from Last Week&#8230;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>R-Truth and Carmella came out as Santa Claus and an elf, respectively, to start the show.\u00a0 They wanted to both celebrate Christmas and tout their #30 entries I their upcoming Royal Rumbles.\u00a0 They were interrupted by WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.\u00a0 He told them there\u2019d be no Santa Claus and North Pole in 20 years.\u00a0 After Truth and Carmella did a dance break, Bryan went after Truth.<\/li>\n<li>The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson &amp; Luke Gallows) and the Usos defeated Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Bar (Cesaro &amp; Sheamus) and Sanity (Killian Dane &amp; Alexander Wolfe.\u00a0 Will Sanity ever win a match?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Start Time &amp; Matches Advertised<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This section is not applicable as the episode was pre-recorded Saturday night in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani.\u00a0 My e-mail is <a href=\"mailto:fpeteani@gmail.com\">fpeteani@gmail.com<\/a>.\u00a0 Questions and discussion are welcome.\u00a0 Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3361823806\"><div id=\"pwtor-2646048055\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER JANUARY 1, 2019 PITTSBURGH, PA. AT THE PPG PAINTS ARENA AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8 P.M. EST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves Personal <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/01\/01\/wwe-smackdown-primer-1-1-19-spoiler-free-cenas-back-new-day-rings-in-2019-vinces-attack-on-a-j-next-up-for-miz-and-shane-rusevs-championship-reign\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 1\/1\/19: (SPOILER-FREE) Cena\u2019s back, New Day rings in 2019, Vince\u2019s attack on A.J., Next up for Miz and Shane, Rusev\u2019s championship reign\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2018\/01\/CenaJohnWK3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72580"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72589,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72580\/revisions\/72589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}