{"id":73524,"date":"2019-01-15T13:23:48","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T19:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=73524"},"modified":"2019-01-15T13:23:48","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T19:23:48","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-1-15-rey-vs-andrade-carmella-squares-up-against-sonya-shanes-birthday-bash-a-j-gets-ready-for-bryan-beckys-gunning-for-asuka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/01\/15\/wwe-smackdown-primer-1-15-rey-vs-andrade-carmella-squares-up-against-sonya-shanes-birthday-bash-a-j-gets-ready-for-bryan-beckys-gunning-for-asuka\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 1\/15: Rey vs. Andrade, Carmella \u201csquares up\u201d against Sonya, Shane\u2019s birthday bash, A.J. gets ready for Bryan, Becky\u2019s gunning for Asuka"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3790515708\" 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 15, 2019<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>BIRMINGHAM, ALA. AT THE LEGACY ARENA AT THE BJCC<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 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><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Arena and Items Advertised by WWE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Smackdown returns to the Legacy Arena at the BJCC for the first time in nearly three years.\u00a0 This arena has hosted WWE events going back to Wrestling Challenge from the late 1980s.\u00a0 WCW Monday Nitro and Thunder (sorry to remind you about that show) also took place here through the 1990s.\u00a0 WWE (then WWF) had its Armageddon PPV here in December of 2000.\u00a0 That night saw Kurt Angle retain the WWF Championship in a six-pack Hell in a Cell match that featured \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Rikishi, and Triple H.\u00a0 During the match, Undertaker choke slammed Rikishi off the top of the cell onto a truck filled with pine chips in one of the many \u201cOMG\u201d moments in WWF\/E history.\u00a0 It\u2019s funny how time flies as Austin, Rikishi, and Angle are all members of the WWE Hall of Fame.\u00a0 The others are certain to enter at some point.<\/p>\n<p>Back to today\u2019s events, here\u2019s what\u2019s on tap for tonight according to <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carmella and Sonya Deville to square up<\/li>\n<li>The Miz to throw Shane McMahon the \u201cbest birthday bash in the world\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Rey Mysterio and Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas to continue their epic series<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s next for Becky Lynch and Asuka?<\/li>\n<li>Will A.J. Styles find out how vicious Daniel Bryan can be?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Carmella vs. Sonya Deville<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Last week, Carmella participated in a triple threat match involving Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair to determine the #1 contender to Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Asuka at the Royal Rumble.\u00a0 She was unsuccessful as she tapped out to Becky\u2019s Disarm-her, allowing Becky to move on to challenge Asuka.\u00a0 Charlotte, Carmella, and Becky all held the title at various times throughout 2018 before Asuka captured the title at TLC in December.<\/p>\n<p>You can always smell a match brewing if you follow Twitter.\u00a0 Carmella, who\u2019s never at a loss for words in her social media platform, has been going at it with Sonya Deville all week.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a few tweets to paint the picture:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarmellaWWE\/status\/1084196217129701378<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarmellaWWE\/status\/1084206904199577606<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarmellaWWE\/status\/1084211067071463425<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4001048924\" 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>Tonight, Carmella and Sonya go at it one-on-one.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 I have to admit I liked Carmella in her pre-match promo last week.\u00a0 I could have done without the \u201cMella is Money\u201d catchphrase at the end, but I know WWE writers are addicted to this so, I just accept it as standard operating procedure.\u00a0 Nonetheless I thought she held her own in the triple threat match, as best as Carmella can.\u00a0 I hope we move forward with a more serious and competition-driven Carmella instead of the person who gives us \u201cdance breaks.\u201d\u00a0 Look for Naomi and Mandy Rose\u2019s feud to be tied into this match.\u00a0 Last week, Mandy cost the Usos an opportunity for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship by distracting Jimmy Uso during their non-title match against the Bar. <\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Miz\u2019s Birthday Bash for Shane McMahon<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Before I proceed, do I still have to call Shane McMahon \u201cBest in the World?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Wikipedia, Shane\u2019s birthday is tonight (as is my niece, a fact I know nobody reading these cares about LOL).\u00a0 Anyway, his \u201cbestie\u201d The Miz is planning to throw him the \u201cbest birthday bash in the world.\u201d\u00a0 He announced it on Twitter:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Make sure to tune in this Tuesday on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SDLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SDLive<\/a> as yours truly hosts the best birthday bash in the world for my bestie <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/shanemcmahon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@shanemcmahon<\/a>&#8230;it\u2019s gonna be AWESOME! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WWE<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nOqhhg3mjC\">pic.twitter.com\/nOqhhg3mjC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Miz (@mikethemiz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mikethemiz\/status\/1084276543227084800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 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 Is there really an intelligible analysis for this?\u00a0 I just wonder where this is ultimately going.\u00a0 The Miz turning on Shane would be the first thought, but that\u2019s too obvious.\u00a0 Shane turning on the Miz is a possibility, but do we need a heel Shane at this stage of the game?\u00a0 What purpose would it serve?\u00a0 It\u2019s not as if a win over Shane does a babyface any favors.\u00a0 My thought is this just plays itself out, and Miz goes on as a babyface.\u00a0 His last babyface run was from late 2012-late 2013.\u00a0 He never truly turned then, and still hasn\u2019t had that moment during this apparent babyface turn. <\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last week, Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas and Samoa Joe teamed up to defeat Mustafa Ali and Rey Mysterio.\u00a0 They got the win when Almas hit his signature hammer lock DDT on Mysterio to score the pin.<\/p>\n<p>They last had a singles match back in November following Mysterio\u2019s return to WWE.\u00a0 That match saw Mysterio come out on top.\u00a0 They go at it again tonight.<\/p>\n<p>Almas and his business manager Zelina Vega have not been at a loss for words on Twitter:<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-118992408\" 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<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This year is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Tranquilo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Tranquilo<\/a> 2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RoyalRumble?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RoyalRumble<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ElIdolo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ElIdolo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7T9dKbhsoV\">pic.twitter.com\/7T9dKbhsoV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \u201cEL IDOLO\u201d ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndradeElIdolo\/status\/1084260869645746176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 13, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Zelina_VegaWWE\/status\/1083430897683259394<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 In my opinion this match should have more build and should have been saved for a PPV, but I\u2019m not going to complain.\u00a0 WWE announced this match on Saturday, so that tells me they see it as a big deal.\u00a0 Both men are in the Royal Rumble, so it\u2019s possible whatever happens from tonight and up to and including the Rumble leads to a bigger match at a PPV.\u00a0 Mysterio won the Rumble in 2006, which lead to a World Championship win at that year\u2019s WrestleMania.\u00a0 I have Almas as a dark horse candidate to win this year\u2019s offering, and if not be one of the guys to spend significant time in the match.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take it a step further and say it\u2019s not crazy to see them as #1 and #2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Becky Lynch and Asuka<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As discussed earlier, Becky Lynch won a triple threat match against Carmella and Charlotte Flair to earn the right to face Asuka at the Royal Rumble for the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship.\u00a0 She did so by tapping out Carmella to the Disarm-her.\u00a0 All three women held the title in 2018 prior to Asuka winning at TLC.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the match, Asuka came out and had a face-to-face with Becky to close out the show.\u00a0 Here\u2019s Becky in a <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a>exclusive after the match:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Becky Lynch is coming for her title at Royal Rumble: SmackDown Exclusive, Jan. 8, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8AVovGP0LUU?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 continue to get ready for this championship match taking place in less than two weeks.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 I could probably do an entire report on the women\u2019s division.\u00a0 It is intriguing where things are headed.\u00a0 It has been speculated that Raw Women\u2019s Champion Ronda Rousey, Charlotte, and Becky will have a triple threat match at WrestleMania.\u00a0 How do we get there?\u00a0 If Becky wins back the title, does Ronda and\/or Becky challenge each other in the champion vs. champion match we never got at Survivor Series and do we cherry pick Charlotte into the match if she wins the Royal Rumble?\u00a0 What if Becky doesn\u2019t win the title?\u00a0 Is their title match before the women\u2019s Royal Rumble where she can enter and win and challenge Ronda?\u00a0 Perhaps Charlotte gets involved either in the title match or dare I say, we do a Bret Hart &amp; Lex Luger finish to the Rumble from 1994 where both men\u2019s feet touched the floor (please no, but the thought crossed my mind)?\u00a0 I could go on and on.\u00a0 I think they\u2019ve set things up in a way that make it difficult to figure out the path to WrestleMania, and in a way that\u2019s good.\u00a0 When things are too predictable as they were in recent years, it makes watching the events boring.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>A.J. Styles and Daniel Bryan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Two weeks ago, A.J. Styles (and the animal inside of him) won a fatal five-way to earn a WWE Championship match against the \u201cNew\u201d Daniel Bryan.<\/p>\n<p>Bryan went on a tirade to start Smackdown last week in the concession area.\u00a0 He lambasted fans for various reasons including eating popcorn, candy, hot dogs and drinking soda containing high fructose corn syrup.\u00a0 He went so far as to slap a hot dog out of someone\u2019s hand and pour soda on another.\u00a0 Does anybody know if those fans were compensated?\u00a0 Nonetheless he went on and on and went even further to call a fan \u201cimpotent.\u201d\u00a0 Eventually R-Truth attacked Bryan prior to their scheduled match (that wasn\u2019t announced ahead of time).\u00a0 Bryan would make quick work of Truth in a non-title match.<\/p>\n<p>Later on, Kayla Braxton caught up with Bryan as he was leaving the arena.\u00a0 He continued discussing how he wants to make the world a better place and will be WWE Champion forever.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the clip:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Daniel Bryan vows to be WWE Champion forever: SmackDown LIVE, Jan. 8, 2\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kkKfFBeiask?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>The build for their match at the Royal Rumble continues tonight.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis:\u00a0 Bryan has truly settled into his character.\u00a0 I am legitimately intrigued by what he\u2019s going to do on a weekly basis.\u00a0 My uncle, who watched wrestling during the Bruno days up until the mid-1990s, recently started watching wrestling casually again.\u00a0 He said he likes this Bryan character better than when he was a babyface.\u00a0 I thought that observation was interesting because it seems a lot of people feel that way about Bryan, and you can put me in that camp.\u00a0 I thought his babyface character was good, but he looks all in (no pun intended) on this character.\u00a0 I do reserve it could be Vince\u2019s negative feelings about \u201cenvironmentally conscious\u201d people coming through Bryan, but even if it is, he seems 100% invested.\u00a0 I am intrigued by the finish to this match.\u00a0 It\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility that A.J. regains the title, but I\u2019ll stick with Bryan retaining.<\/em><em>\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Other Items from Last Week:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. Champion blamed Shinsuke Nakamura for his wife Lana being home injured, after taking a bump in the previous week.\u00a0 Nakamura was in the video truck to attempt to prove otherwise.\u00a0 When Rusev went after Nakamura, he was waiting and attacked him in the back.<\/li>\n<li>Naomi went after Mandy Rose after she interfered in the match between the Usos and the Bar.\u00a0 By the Usos losing, it cost them a chance for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>NXT Callups<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last night on Raw, all of the NXT callups appeared on Raw except for Lars Sullivan.\u00a0 EC3 was standing outside of Vince McMahon\u2019s office smiling (is he replacing Finn Balor in that role?) in his attempt to get a Universal Championship match, Nikki Cross teamed with Bayley &amp; Natalya to defeat the Riott Squad, Lacey Evans was seen in the back talking to Dana Brooke, and Heavy Machinery interrupted A Moment of Bliss with Alexa Bliss and Paul Heyman in a vey odd spot.\u00a0 Michael Cole informed us that the callups would appear on both shows for the time being until it was decided on what shows they would permanently reside.<\/p>\n<p>Nikki had previously worked a match with Becky Lynch on Smackdown when Becky was women\u2019s champion.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still unknown what\u2019s going on with Sullivan.\u00a0 Rumors are he was to work with John Cena at WrestleMania, but that is looking more unlikely.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Start Time and Matches Advertised by the Arena Website<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The arena website shows a start time of 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5:15 p.m.\u00a0 The website was troublesome, but I was able to watch a YouTube clip of their advertisement.\u00a0 It announces the following matches:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship:\u00a0 Daniel Bryan (champ) vs. The Miz vs. A.J. Styles<\/li>\n<li>Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The triple threat match I suppose is possible as a dark match.\u00a0 Mysterio vs. Orton could happen I suppose if Orton gets involved in the Mysterio-Almas match.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani.\u00a0 My e-mail is <a>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-1797745580\"><div id=\"pwtor-3259463429\"><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 15, 2019 BIRMINGHAM, ALA. AT THE LEGACY ARENA AT THE BJCC AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. EST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Corey <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/01\/15\/wwe-smackdown-primer-1-15-rey-vs-andrade-carmella-squares-up-against-sonya-shanes-birthday-bash-a-j-gets-ready-for-bryan-beckys-gunning-for-asuka\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 1\/15: Rey vs. Andrade, Carmella \u201csquares up\u201d against Sonya, Shane\u2019s birthday bash, A.J. gets ready for Bryan, Becky\u2019s gunning for Asuka\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55180,"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":[2,52,4354,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-raw-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2018\/02\/McMahonShane_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73524","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=73524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73533,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73524\/revisions\/73533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}