It’s the first Smackdown Live of 2017, and we’ve got the contract signing for John Cena facing WWE Champion AJ Styles at Royal Rumble, plus an Intercontinental Championship match between the Champion, The Miz, with Maryse at his side, facing Dean Ambrose, with his real-life favourite gal, Renee Young. Let’s get underway!
IN-RING SEGMENT: THE MIZ
We start off with The Miz and Maryse in the ring, basking in the boos of the WWE Universe here at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The Miz starts off by saying he has only one New Year’s resolution and that’s to be more forgiving. Speaking of that, there’s one person who owes him and apology. And she should come out right now and apologize. For slapping him two weeks ago, and for setting him up last week when Dean Ambrose attacked him.
Ambrose’s music hits and he storms the ring, where he’s met with a slap from Maryse. Miz and Maryse flee the ring, while Ambrose says he’s got no worries, because Maryse hits harder than him.
Miz and Maryse look on as COMMERCIAL!
SmackBack: The Miz continues his run as the WWE’s top male heel. His work has been flawlessly entertaining and he’s brought a real sense of urgency and prestige to the Intercontinental title. Ambrose feels better in the mid-card. Not that he was a bad World Champion per say, but he shines better in less pressure situations. Hopefully this continues for a while, as it has a real chance at rejuvenating Ambrose after a stale few months.
DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. BARON CORBIN
Back from the break and Baron Corbin is making his way to the ring to his music. He’s soon joined by Dolph Ziggler and the match is underway quickly.
They trade blows early, with the disdain carrying over from last year’s rivalry. Ziggler had some very good matches with Corbin last year and it really upped Corbin’s stock in the ring. Apparently Kane (Glen Jacobs) is mentoring Corbin backstage, and it’s working well. Corbin’s presence is overpowering now.
Corbin takes over the momentum in the ring, manhandling Ziggler and going for a quick 2-count. Ziggler fights back in small pockets, but Corbin’s strength and aggression overpower him at every turn of the match.
Corbin methodically walks Ziggler around the ring before Ziggler turns a missed corner charge by Corbin into a standing dropkick on the big man. Corbin rolls out the ring to regroup and COMMERCIAL!
Back from commercial, and Corbin is standing on Ziggler’s head, wrenching his arm. He drags Ziggler up and applies a half nelson rear chin lock. Ziggler breaks out and tries to make a running go at Corbin but he’s caught mid-air and thrown.
Ziggler lands on the top rope and bounces, right into a solid shot out of mid-air. Just a 2-count.
Corbin lifts Ziggler up and the two trade blows, before Ziggler throws Corbin in the corner followed by a Stinger Splash. Ziggler goes for his first pin attempt but only a two.
Ziggler goes for the Fame-Asser, but Corbin reverses and clotheslines him, once again, a kick out at two. Both men are slow to get up.
The #LoneWolf @BaronCorbinWWE's fame is on the rise, but @HEELZiggler is clearly #FAMOUSER! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/6tHqaNroUF
— WWE (@WWE) January 4, 2017
Ziggler finally lands the Fame-Asser, but Corbin kicks out at two and a half and Ziggler is stunned. He charges at Corbin but he’s caught in the air and tossed again. Ziggler gets back up quickly and lands the Zig-Zag, but once again Corbin kicks out. Ziggler is mortified and exhausted.
Corbin crawls to the corner and Ziggler runs in, right into The End of Days, and Corbin picks up the win, 1-2-3.
Corbin grabs a chair to assault Ziggler, but Kalisto comes down to save Ziggler. Corbin leaves as Kalisto stands over Ziggler protectively. Ziggler gets up and lands a Superkick on Kalisto, yelling “I DON’T NEED ANYONE!” before storming out.
SmackBack: Corbin continues to impress week by week. For months after his debut, he was a laughing stock and many feared he was brought up too early. But he’s made huge strides in the past few months. He’s on a good pace to be a legitimate Big Man in the WWE for years to come. Ziggler has looked great – much like the past year as well – and the Kalisto interference is an interesting one. Corbin could be moving on to bigger things, while a heel Ziggler could feud against Kalisto, which at least would be an athletic match-up we haven’t seen before.
Backstage, Carmella is working out, when James Ellsworth comes up to her. He takes off his shirt and gives it to her as a present. Carmella tells him he should accompany her to the ring.
In the locker room, Apollo Crews, Mojo Rawley and Rhyno are chatting when angry Ziggler comes back in. Crews approaches him about what he did to Kalisto and Ziggler jumps him. Rawley and Rhyno separate the two and Ziggler storms out again.
SmackBack: Hmmm. Ziggler vs Crews could be just the feud Apollo needs to re-shine his character. Kalisto would still be a decent interval, but hopefully it all leads to this. And a true heel Ziggler, finally cracking after the past year he’s had, is just what the doctor ordered.
BECKY LYNCH vs. LA LUCHADORA
The commentators discuss the mystery of Who is La Luchadora, as Becky Lynch makes her way down to the ring. La Luchadora comes down and the commentators all wonder who is under the mask. Not sure if it’s the same person as last week – she looks a bit slighter.
Lynch dominates early and often, with Luchadora rolling out of the ring and under it. She comes out the other side and sneak attacks Lynch.
She goes upstairs for an aerial move, but fails and gets caught in the Dis-Arm-Her and Luchadora taps. Lynch quickly unmasks Luchadora and it’s ALEXA BLISS!
#SDLive #WomensChampion @AlexaBliss_WWE is #LaLuchadora?! pic.twitter.com/RI2ylcY9eu
— WWE (@WWE) January 4, 2017
The first Luchadora who originally snuck under the ring comes out and distracts Lynch, who falls to a DDT from Bliss.
Lynch takes the victory, but Bliss and La Luchadora walk up the ramp laughing as the mind games of the Smackdown Women’s Champion continues…
SmackBack: Bliss continues to play her games with Lynch and the mystery of La Luchadora remains a mystery. Who is Bliss’ accomplice? The match was sub-par but was clearly just advancing the mystery and continuing the psychological head games of Alexa Bliss.
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH CONTRACT SIGNING
Smackdown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan is in the ring to welcome the two participants in the WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble. He introduces the challenger first, John Cena, who comes out to a pretty hot crowd. He takes his seat at the table.
Out next is your WWE Champion, AJ Styles, who comes out to more of a heelish reaction than he’s gotten of late. Surprising, as Florida is notoriously TNA country. He looks at the contract on the table, but doesn’t sit down at the table with Cena.
AJ takes the mic and asks Bryan what he’s doing. They both have a lot of history together, back when they were wrestling in gyms and small arenas. Cena is nothing like them. Bryan says he understands, but last week Smackdown Live beat Raw and they need to continue the momentum. Bryan wishes both men luck and leaves the two in the ring.
AJ tells Cena he’s lucky to get this title match, because Bryan is pretty much his brother-in-law. He reminds Cena that last year John called him an over rated indie darling and now here AJ was, WWE Champion. Smackdown Live beat Raw because AJ was the champ. And they can do it without Cena.
Styles says that Cena is now like The Rock. He’s moved on from the WWE and he’s turned his back on the company. But when it comes to Hollywood, he’ll never be as good as The Rock. And when it comes to this ring, he’ll never be as good as AJ Styles. With that, Styles signs the contract.
A loud “CENA! CENA!” chant begins and Cena takes the mic. He says AJ pushed him and now he’s pissed off John Cena and that AJ is a “punk little bitch”. Because guys like Styles think that Cena has already left, but Cena has made a career of shutting people’s mouths. Cena goes into his Super Cena mode with a speech about his passion and how that all those who chant “Cena Sucks”, on their best day, couldn’t be John Cena. Cena quickly signs the contract.
Suddenly Baron Corbin’s music hits and he heads down the ramp. He says he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale in his first match in the WWE and he’s entering the Royal Rumble and heading to Wrestlemania to take the title from Cena or Styles. Cena challenges Corbin to fight right now, but Styles suckers Cena from behind and leaves.
Backstage, Maryse walks up to Renee Young and slaps her viciously in the faces “on behalf of my husband.”
"Don't you EVER touch my husband again!" – @MaryseMizanin issues a stern message to @ReneeYoungWWE… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/3wg5d5j1f8
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 4, 2017
SmackBack: Cena continues to show subtle signs of a heel turn. May not be soon, but it’s becoming more evident. Normally he applauds those who cheer against them, but tonight he actually called them out as losers. Both men shone in their dialogue – this feels like a main event battle. Corbin kind of deflated the thunder – he’s getting there, but up against two veterans like Cena and Styles and his shortcomings are more evident. On a side note, that slap from Maryse was BRUTAL looking. It sounded nastier.
CARMELLA w/ James Ellsworth vs. ALIYAH
Nice to see Aliyah get a call-up to the main roster, even if it’s to job to Carmella. Carmella takes the offence early. Aliyah gets some offence in, but Carmella continues to take it to the NXT rookie.
A Northern Lights Suplex from Aliyah changes the momentum but Ellsworth grabs her foot when she’s up on the top ropes.
Carmella lands a Superkick on a distracted Aliyah and follows up with her Code of Silence submission and Aliyah taps.
Carmella hugs Ellsworth as they head back up the ramp.
SmackBack: Surprising amount of offence from Aliyah with a distraction costing her the loss. She’s been developing well in NXT. Carmella picks up the win thanks to Ellsworth and the creepiest romance in recent WWE history continues.
AMERICAN ALPHA (Chad Gable & Jason Jordan) vs. BREEZANGO (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) NON-TITLE MATCH
Tyler Breeze and Fandango make their way to the ring, followed by the new Smackdown Tag Team Champions, American Alpha.
In the time it took me to write that first paragraph, Chad Gable pinned Tyler Breeze.
The Wyatts music comes on and on the Titantron, Bray tells them that they haven’t really won anything yet. They didn’t steal the light from the Family, they only made it stronger. Randy looks into the camera and utters, “RUN”
"Next week, we are COMING to RECLAIM what is rightfully OURS!" – @WWEBrayWyatt to #AmericanAlpha #SDLive @WWEGable @JasonJordanJJ pic.twitter.com/x6jXpf4Fle
— WWE (@WWE) January 4, 2017
SmackBack: Smackdown Live is heads above Raw right now, but one thing that baffles me is the misuse of Fandango and Tyler Breeze. Both are gifted athletes and great storytellers, but every time they get their stupid new gimmick over, they get jobbed out. Hopefully it leads to something more aggressive down the line, but it’s been nearly a year now and expectations are fading. Alpha still aren’t entirely connecting yet like they did in NXT but it’s getting better. Here’s hoping the Wyatts get another title run before the seeming implosion happens.
IN-RING SEGMENT: NIKKI BELLA & NATALYA
Nikki is out to confront Natalya and talk their issues out. Nikki Bella says that her and her sister worked hard to build the Bella brand, but Natalya has done nothing but cash in on her family’s name – her theme song, her finishing move.
Natalya says that Nikki just uses her sex appeal to get what she wants. But beauty fades and when it does John Cena will leave her and she’ll die alone.
Nikki slugs Natalya and leaves her laid out in the ring.
SmackBack: Interesting to see Natalya turn on her uncle, WWE Hall of Famer Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart, after his tweet last week praising Nikki Bella. Her words continue to be ruthless against Nikki and we could see the beginning of Nikki’s most physical feud to date.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP: THE MIZ (c) w/ Maryse vs. DEAN AMBROSE
Ambrose is in the ring first, followed by the Champion, who is accompanied to the ring by Maryse. No Renee Young yet, but after that slap, it’s safe to say we see her out by the end of the match.
Ambrose explodes out of the gate with a quick take down followed by chasing Miz outside the ring then back in. Ambrose unloads on Miz and attempts a Dirty Deeds early, but Miz breaks free and runs out the ring to regroup with Maryse.
Ambrose turns his back on Miz to goad him back in only to throw Miz out the ring when he does. Ambrose slams him head first into the ring post before throwing up into the timekeeper’s area. Ambrose tosses him back in the ring to avoid the count out and goes for a quick pin, but Miz kicks out at two and rolls back out the ring.
Ambrose follows and tosses him over the announce table, then back in the ring. Maryse begins berating Ambrose, as Miz launches a sliding kick to take Ambrose down, for his first offence of the match.
The opening @mikethemiz needed? DELIVERED by @MaryseMizanin on the outside! #SDLive #ICTitle pic.twitter.com/l3f2hmLRN7
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 4, 2017
Back from a commercial break, Ambrose is back in charge. The Miz is at ringside and Ambrose lands a flying elbow from the top rope on the Champion on the floor. Both men crawl back into the ring and Ambrose returns to his assault on the Miz.
A bulldog by Ambrose is reversed but Ambrose nearly rolls up Miz for the pin. Ambrose goes for his second Dirty Deeds but Miz slams him back into the corner and begins working on Ambrose’s left leg, softening it up for the Figure Four. A quick attempt of the hold is reversed, followed by a reversed Skull Crushing Finale.
A reverse neckbreaker by Ambrose gets a two-count as Maryse looks on concerned. Ambrose goes top rope again but Miz cuts him off. He climbs up and attempts a superplex but Ambrose headbutts Miz down to the canvas. Maryse distracts Ambrose enough for Miz to recover, and Ambrose’s top rope maneuver ends in a Skull Crushing Finale, but Ambrose kicks out at 2.
Ambrose lands a quick lariat and both men are beaten and wounded, trying to get to their feet.
A third missed Dirty Deeds, but Ambrose tosses Miz out again, followed by a dive to the ground. Maryse interferes and slaps Ambrose. The ref momentarily considers disqualifying Miz for the interference, but instead tosses Maryse from ringside, after Ambrose convinces him to let the match continue.
Ambrose turns into a head shot from Miz with the belt, but only a two count.
Miz picks Ambrose up for another Skull Crushing Finale, but Ambrose reverses it quickly and finally lands the Dirty Deeds. 1-2-3, and your NEW Intercontinental Champion, Dean Ambrose!
SmackBack: Solid television match. Not PPV quality, but a solid back and forth between these two. Surprising that Renee Young never made an appearance, but it’s probably being saved for a PPV match-up, as this feud is far from over.
Overall, another solid Smackdown Live. AJ and Cena showed how savage you could get on the mic in the PG era and still be captivating, and Corbin and Ziggler had arguably the match of the night, although the Miz and Ambrose also delivered. All three women’s segments were throwaways as far as in ring, but advanced the narratives nicely, so they weren’t without merit. Not as strong as last week, but it sets up next week nicely – where we’ll have John Cena vs. Baron Corbin, Natalya vs. Nikki Bella and American Alpha defending their tag titles versus the Wyatt Family.
Main Photo: WWE.com
