The first WWE SmackDown for 2024 set the tone for the company in a big way. If last week’s New Year’s Revolution edition of the premier Friday night show is to go by, WWE will probably top what they did from the previous 12 months, which is statistically the biggest year for the conglomerate ever.
We are officially on the road to WrestleMania 40. However, one big stop before the ‘Granddaddy of them All’ is the annual January spectacular, the Royal Rumble.
On this week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown, expect things to heat up as we hit the first of the big five PLEs for WWE. With all that said, let’s preview the latest installment of WWE SmackDown. Let’s run it down.
Full WWE SmackDown Match Card:
- Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
- Cameron Grimes vs. Grayson Waller
- Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro vs. Angel & Humberto
Fighting for Honor?
That’s one way to shut up @LoganPaul!👊💥
Is this a preview of what’s to come when @FightOwensFight battles @LoganPaul for the #USTitle at #RoyalRumble? 👀#SmackDown: New Year’s Revolution pic.twitter.com/4IGk1eZUWW
— WWE (@WWE) January 6, 2024
The WWE United States Championship Logan Paul got his comeuppance after berating U.S. Title Tournament winner Kevin Owens immediately after his victory over Santos Escobar, eating a cast-covered blow from the ‘Prized Fighter.’
To add insult to injury, Cameron Grimes would welcome him backstage with a smile so wide you can see it from the moon. Unfortunately, the ‘friends’ of Paul, Grayson Waller, and Austin Theory took exception to this, leading to a bit of a scuffle in the back.
After all that animosity, WWE higher-ups made the match official for this Friday night. It will be Cameron Grimes versus Grayson Waller. Will Grimes regret the way he acted, or will Waller get exposed for his brown-nosing ways by the former Million Dollar Champion?
Leading the Charge
Damage CTRL started the new year at New Year’s Revolution with a bang, or so they thought. WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY and ‘Michin’ Mia Yim put on one heck of a contest on last week’s SmackDown, giving it their absolute best with the championship on the line.
After a barn-burner of a bout, SKY came out on top by executing a flawless Over the Moonsault to put away a very defiant Michin to keep her championship. Damage CTRL celebrated this win like they won the lottery, referring to it as the first step toward their grand takeover plan.
Unfortunately for them, the ‘EST of WWE’ Bianca Belair has an axe to grind with them, declaring for the Women’s Royal Rumble match, a contest in which Damage CTRL leader Bayley is guaranteeing she’ll win.
The rest of the group reached a consensus that Bayley needs to ‘take care of the problem’ immediately since they can’t afford any form of roadblock on the road to the ‘Grandest Stage of them All.’
And, solve she shall. It will be Bayley taking on Bianca Belair on this week’s WWE SmackDown! Who will gain momentum as we inch closer to the Royal Rumble? Tune in this Friday night for another exciting iteration of SmackDown only on Fox!
Read More: Bayley: The Underappreciated Member of WWE’s “Four Horsewomen”
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