{"id":73112,"date":"2019-01-08T16:24:53","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T22:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=73112"},"modified":"2019-01-08T19:31:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-09T01:31:07","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-1-8-usos-vs-the-bar-womens-triple-threat-1-contender-match-a-j-to-confront-bryan-rusev-may-want-retribution-rumble-momentum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/01\/08\/wwe-smackdown-primer-1-8-usos-vs-the-bar-womens-triple-threat-1-contender-match-a-j-to-confront-bryan-rusev-may-want-retribution-rumble-momentum\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 1\/8: Usos vs. The Bar, Women\u2019s Triple Threat #1 Contender match, A.J. to confront Bryan, Rusev may want retribution, Rumble momentum"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-953000469\" 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><p><strong>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>JANUARY 8, 2019<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT THE JACKSONVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL ARENA<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. ET<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Arena and Items Advertised by WWE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Smackdown returns to the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena for the first time in two years.\u00a0 Raw emanated from here back in August of 2018 in the runup to SummerSlam.\u00a0 We continue to get ready for the Royal Rumble which of course kicks off WrestleMania season.\u00a0 Here\u2019s what advertised for the show tonight according to <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a>, subject to change as the day goes on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Triple Threat Match to determine who will square off against Asuka at the Royal Rumble<\/li>\n<li>The Usos to battle the Bar for a Smackdown Tag Team Championship opportunity<\/li>\n<li>A.J. Styles to confront WWE Champion Daniel Bryan<\/li>\n<li>Who will gain momentum heading into the Men\u2019s Royal Rumble Match?<\/li>\n<li>Will Rusev be looking for retribution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>#1 Contender Triple Threat Match: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last week, three former Smackdown Women\u2019s Champions made their case to Triple H to be the #1 contender to current champion Asuka at the Royal Rumble.\u00a0 Charlotte Flair was the first to make her case, followed by Carmella who claimed she should be the one considering her long reign as champion and the fact that she defeated both Charlotte and Asuka.\u00a0 \u201cThe Man\u201d Becky Lynch then walked in and said it should be her.\u00a0 Triple H said all women make good cases, and it would be taken under advisement.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, all three women will go at it in a triple threat match where the winner will challenge Asuka for the title at the Royal Rumble.\u00a0 I can\u2019t cut a Smackdown primer without a little Becky Lynch trash talk on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1081372670288027648<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1874787255\" 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>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1082077784942485504<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s Charlotte:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/MsCharlotteWWE\/status\/1082331570952982534<\/p>\n<p>Finally, here\u2019s Carmella:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarmellaWWE\/status\/1082280511316344833<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 Did Carmella have to remind us that she defeated both Charlotte and Asuka last year?\u00a0 Thankfully that didn\u2019t do long-term damage to both women as we\u2019re still anticipating Charlotte and perhaps Becky to go at it with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania.\u00a0 Asuka\u2019s popularity didn\u2019t wane, and now she\u2019s finally champion.\u00a0 Overall this is fine as Carmella is calling on history and trash talking in a way that works for the feud by saying she doesn\u2019t come from a legacy like Charlotte, wasn\u2019t part of the horsewomen, etc.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always thought Charlotte was smart in how she utilized her family lineage, and Becky always delivers.\u00a0 It would be WWE to have Carmella win this match, which would be fine if they want to keep the title on Asuka through the Rumble.<\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Non-Title Match: Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Bar vs. The Usos<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was announced by WWE this past weekend that the Usos will take on the Bar for a future opportunity at the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3274800305\" 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>The Usos last held the titles from October of 2017 until WrestleMania of last year.\u00a0 The Bar have been champions since the 1000<sup>th<\/sup> episode of Smackdown when they defeated New Day with the assistance of the Big Show (in one of his many turns).\u00a0 Recently, the Usos unsuccessfully challenged the Bar and New Day in a triple threat match at TLC.<\/p>\n<p>WWE has indicated that a victory will give the Usos a future championship match.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 While we\u2019ve seen the Usos vs. the Bar before, they always deliver and thus we can expect the same tonight.\u00a0 It\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility that the championship match takes place at the Royal Rumble should the Usos win tonight.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>A.J. Styles Confronts Daniel Bryan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last week, A.J. Styles won a fatal five-way to earn a WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble against current champion Daniel Bryan.<\/p>\n<p>A.J. dropped the championship to Bryan just prior to Survivor Series and was unsuccessful in his attempt to regain it at TLC.\u00a0 A few weeks ago, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon challenged A.J. to find the \u201canimal\u201d inside of him.\u00a0 Vince slapped him in the face, to which A.J. responded with a punch on the boss.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, A.J. confronts Bryan in advance of their match at the Rumble.\u00a0 In browsing Twitter, I found this picture, which I found interesting:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/kingslayer112\/status\/1078979374563479552<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 It didn\u2019t dawn upon me in regard to the possibility of A.J. facing Triple H at WrestleMania, but his involvement with Vince recently could certainly lead in that direction especially if A.J. is not going to regain the championship.\u00a0 Typically, when they want to give someone the \u201cbig rub\u201d after losing a championship, Triple H is usually on the docket.\u00a0 That\u2019s what was planned for CM Punk at WrestleMania 30 before he left following the Rumble.\u00a0 At any rate, thus far the work between A.J. and Bryan has been very well done, and I expect more of the same tonight.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Momentum Heading into the Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last week, we learned that all three members of the New Day will enter the Royal Rumble (along with a troll job on Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t help getting a kick out of that).\u00a0 This past weekend we learned the currently feuding Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy have both thrown their names in the hat.\u00a0 We also learned Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas is in thanks to his business manager Zelina Vega on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Zelina_VegaWWE\/status\/1082477292440506368<\/p>\n<p>Also, from the Smackdown side of the ledger, we know that R-Truth will enter at #30 thanks to he and Carmella winning the recent Mixed Match Challenge.\u00a0 Carmella enters at #30 for the women\u2019s Rumble.\u00a0 \u201cFree agent\u201d John Cena threw his name in last night.<\/p>\n<p>The names keep accumulating.\u00a0 Perhaps we get more tonight as well as some talk from those already in the match.\u00a0 The winner gets a championship match for the world title of his choosing at the upcoming WrestleMania.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 For the most part, I usually don\u2019t predict Rumble winners especially in recent years with two world titles in play.\u00a0 There are too many variables and possibilities, and thus I make a list.\u00a0 This year I\u2019m including Andrade on that list.\u00a0 I think about how he\u2019s lost a lot recently, but all matches have been highly competitive and against the top stars (A.J., Bryan, Hardy, Rey, and a mixed tag last week against Cena).\u00a0 Granted that\u2019s basically the entire Smackdown roster but my point is sometimes we\u2019ve seen something like this lead to a big push, and with cautious optimism I hope that\u2019s where Andrade is headed.\u00a0 As I said I\u2019m not predicting him to be the winner, but I\u2019d certainly put him on the list.\u00a0 It rings of Alberto Del Rio in 2011. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rusev and Nakamura<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last week, U.S. Champion Rusev came out with his wife Lana to discuss his winning the championship from Shinsuke Nakamura on Christmas Day which is also his birthday (Christmas Day is Rusev\u2019s birthday, and thus Christmas Day is also Rusev Day!\u00a0 I\u2019ll remind my wife when she orders the Christmas cards next year.\u00a0 Or are they Rusev cards?\u00a0 I\u2019ll see myself out now\u2026)\u00a0 Anyway, he talked about being proud to be the U.S. Champion, his animal magnetism, his beard, and bacon flavored cinnamon buns before being attacked by former champion Nakamura.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the clip:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shinsuke Nakamura ruins Rusev&#039;s celebration: SmackDown LIVE, Jan. 1, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ht7UGhvaxiU?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 look to follow up on this feud which appears to be heating up.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> exclusive with Nakamura following the attack:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">EXCLUSIVE: &quot;There&#39;s no Rusev Day in my calendar.&quot; &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShinsukeN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ShinsukeN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SDLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SDLive<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fzDvSvPKHk\">pic.twitter.com\/fzDvSvPKHk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1080309059939491840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 2, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 One has to wonder if a match between these two at the Royal Rumble is in the cards.\u00a0 Nakamura was last year\u2019s Rumble winner which doesn\u2019t disqualify him from winning this year, but he\u2019s not in as of yet and I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if WWE skips having him in this year\u2019s offering in favor of a rematch against Rusev.\u00a0 Rusev is not in the Rumble either.\u00a0 Now there are no automatic rematches according to the McMahons, which is fine, but does the attack on Rusev earn Nakamura the rematch?\u00a0 Seth Rollins recent attacks on Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush earned him an Intercontinental Championship rematch on Raw.\u00a0 One would only such ruthless aggression would earn the same for Nakamura.\u00a0 By the way, has the United States of Nakamerica been dismantled?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Other Items from Last Week:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Cena returned to Smackdown and teamed with \u201cThe Man\u201d Becky Lynch to defeat Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas and his business manager Zelina Vega.\u00a0 After the match, Cena tried to shake the Man\u2019s hand, but she had none of it.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> exclusive with Cena after the match:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What does John Cena think of Becky Lynch?: WWE Exclusive, Jan. 1, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/665wyVuBBWE?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<ul>\n<li>New Day regretfully informed us their doctor told them not to eat pancakes anymore.\u00a0 Big E, dressed as a New Year\u2019s baby, proceeded to eat a few that were stored in his diaper.\u00a0 No, you don\u2019t get a YouTube clip of that.\u00a0 Go find it yourself if you want to waste two minutes of your life.<\/li>\n<li>Samoa Joe defeated Jeff Hardy to get into the fatal five-way main event to determine the #1 contender to Daniel Bryan\u2019s WWE Championship.\u00a0 Look for this feud to continue.<\/li>\n<li>Sonya Deville defeated Naomi.\u00a0 We expected Naomi to face Mandy Rose, but Mandy and Sonya switched out on the authority of \u2026\u2026. yeah, I still don\u2019t know.\u00a0 During the match, Mandy revealed a photo of her wrapped in a towel she claimed she sent to Naomi\u2019s husband Jimmy Uso.<\/li>\n<li>Miz and Shane McMahon discussed potential matching ring gear.<\/li>\n<li>Shane warned his father Vince to be careful what he wishes for in pushing A.J. Styles\u2019 buttons, referring to their feud of two years ago heading into that WrestleMania.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>NXT Callups<\/strong><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">We didn\u2019t get any NXT callups last night on television; however, ECIII and Lacey Evans worked matches on Main Event filmed prior to Raw.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to know if anyone will show up on Smackdown or in dark matches tonight.\u00a0 As we were reminded again last night, the following are on their way up to main roster:<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"m_7756203394859743906MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst\">EC3 (likely to Raw)<\/li>\n<li class=\"m_7756203394859743906MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle\">Lacey Evans (likely to Raw)<\/li>\n<li class=\"m_7756203394859743906MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle\">Nikki Cross<\/li>\n<li class=\"m_7756203394859743906MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle\">Lars Sullivan<\/li>\n<li class=\"m_7756203394859743906MsoListParagraphCxSpLast\">Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Start Time &amp; Matches Advertised by the Arena Website<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The arena website shows a start time of 7:30 but doesn\u2019t specify when doors will open.\u00a0 No matches are advertised.<\/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-3621594905\"><div id=\"pwtor-2257472980\"><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 8, 2019 JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AT THE JACKSONVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL ARENA AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. ET BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves Arena <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/01\/08\/wwe-smackdown-primer-1-8-usos-vs-the-bar-womens-triple-threat-1-contender-match-a-j-to-confront-bryan-rusev-may-want-retribution-rumble-momentum\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 1\/8: Usos vs. The Bar, Women\u2019s Triple Threat #1 Contender match, A.J. to confront Bryan, Rusev may want retribution, Rumble momentum\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5540,"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":[52,4403,27,5893],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CesaroGG_3x2_600.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73112","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=73112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73122,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73112\/revisions\/73122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}