Detailed Results
After outlasting 29 other Superstars to win the Men’s Royal Rumble Match this past Sunday before declaring that he will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, SmackDown LIVE kicks off with “The Artist” Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura first runs down everyone he delivered a “knee to the face” to at the Royal Rumble before saying that AJ Styles will suffer the same fate at WrestleMania, vowing that he will leave WrestleMania as the new WWE Champion. Nakamura is then interrupted by Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn as Owens says that they were “screwed” out of the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, showing photos from the Royal Rumble where AJ Styles pinned Kevin Owens for the win despite Owens not being the legal man in the 2-on-1 Handicap Match. Sami says the referee has “one job” and that is to “protect the integrity” of the match at all times before saying that Kevin Owens’ “passion” coupled with the “incompetence” of the referee is what has gotten them in this situation. Sami then says that AJ Styles pinned the “wrong man” before Owens says that they deserve another shot at the WWE Title, claiming that Nakamura will be facing them at WrestleMania.
Nakamura responds by saying that Owens & Zayn are “losers” before WWE Champion AJ Styles comes out. AJ vows that there will be a dream match between himself and Nakamura at WrestleMania before Styles gets in the ring, suggesting that he and Nakamura form a “dream team” to face Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn right here tonight! However, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn back away from the challenge, leaving the ring before pretending to change their minds, getting on the ring apron, but giving Styles and Nakamura a “nope”. Styles and Nakamura respond by knocking Owens & Zayn off of the ring apron with a right hand.
Backstage, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn confront SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan as Daniel says that AJ Styles does not have the power to make matches but he does. The GM then says that, tonight, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn will face the team of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura! Sami then brings up what happened at the Royal Rumble with Daniel saying that the referee’s decision is “final” before saying that the referee made a “mistake”. Owens argues that this wasn’t a mistake, it was a “catastrophe” before saying that the GM knows that they “deserve better”. Daniel says that he agrees with them before saying that he has a huge main event planned next week where the winner will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Fastlane on March 11 and that main event will see Kevin Owens face Sami Zayn!
The opening match of the night would decide a new #1 Contender for the United States Title as Rusev, with Aiden English in his corner, Zack Ryder, Jinder Mahal, with Sunil Singh in his corner, and The New Day’s Kofi Kingston, with Big E & Xavier Woods in his corner, would face off in a Fatal 4-Way Match with the winner earning a match against Bobby Roode for the United States Title next week with United States Champion Bobby Roode a guest on commentary. During the match, all the outside parties would confront each other on the outside with Sunil Singh accidentally spilling The New Day’s pancakes. The referee would respond by ejecting Aiden English, Sunil Singh, and Big E & Xavier Woods from ringside! During the wild Fatal 4-Way Match, Rusev would propel Zack Ryder into the Rough Ryder on Jinder Mahal before Rusev takes Ryder out with a Machka Kick. Kofi Kingston then looks for Trouble in Paradise but Rusev counters before locking in the Accolade, making Kofi tap out to pick up the win as Rusev will challenge Bobby Roode for the United States Title on next week’s SmackDown LIVE!
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos would then make an appearance on SmackDown LIVE to state that they’ve got the SmackDown LIVE tag team division “on lock”, proclaiming that they are the “best tag team” in WWE. The Usos then start to leave the ring before they are halted by the arrival of the destructive and strange Bludgeon Brothers as Harper & Rowan walk past The Usos on their way to the ring.
The Bludgeon Brothers were then in action on SmackDown LIVE as Harper & Rowan would face two local competitors in tag team action. It was another dominant victory for The Bludgeon Brothers as Harper & Rowan plant one of the local competitors with the double arm lift powerbomb with Rowan pinning the local competitor to pick up the win for The Bludgeon Brothers.
With a decision still to be made by Women’s Royal Rumble Match winner Asuka on which title she will challenge for at WrestleMania, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair would make an appearance on SmackDown LIVE to address what happened at the Royal Rumble. Charlotte says that she wanted to be a part of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match before saying that she was standing in the ring with RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Royal Rumble winner Asuka, and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Charlotte then says that she knows that she will be walking into WrestleMania as the SmackDown Women’s Champion but what she doesn’t know is who she will be facing. This brings out The Riott Squad as Ruby Riott says that Charlotte’s “ego” is as big as her father’s before Ruby says that she has met versions of Charlotte throughout her life. Ruby then calls the champion “arrogant” and “unoriginal” before saying that there is only “one” Ruby Riott, calling Charlotte a “cheap imitation” of her father.
As The Riott Squad surrounds Charlotte in the ring, Ruby tells Charlotte that her “time is over” before saying that, if it’s up to her, she will make sure that Charlotte won’t even make it to WrestleMania. Charlotte then attacks Ruby before fighting off Liv Morgan and struggling with Sarah Logan before tossing Sarah to the outside. Charlotte then stands tall in the ring before The Riott Squad regroups and re-enters the ring on a united front, beating the champion down before Ruby levels Charlotte with a kick to the face. Sarah Logan then follows this up with her cartwheel knee to the back before Liv Morgan flattens Charlotte with a double stomp in the corner. Morgan & Logan then hold Charlotte up so that Ruby Riott can blast the champion with the Riott Kick, leaving Charlotte laid out.
The Riott Squad then leaves the ring, paving the way for Carmella to pick her spot as “Ms. Money-in-the-Bank” rushes to the ring with her Money-in-the-Bank briefcase in hand and a referee in tow! Carmella then hands the briefcase over to the referee, telling the referee that she’s cashing in her Money-in-the-Bank contract right now! As the referee explains the cash-in to the ring announcer, Charlotte starts to come to and Carmella tries to deliver a dropkick to the champion but Charlotte moves out of the way and Carmella inadvertently knocks the referee out of the ring! Carmella then screams at the referee to get up but Carmella’s pre-occupation with the referee gives Charlotte time to recover and Carmella decides to save her cash-in for another time, grabbing her briefcase and leaving the scene.
After both Superstars had a disappointing night at the Royal Rumble, SmackDown LIVE would see “The Perfect Ten” Tye Dillinger square off with “The Lone Wolf” Baron Corbin. In the end, it was Baron Corbin hitting Tye Dillinger with the End of Days, pinning Dillinger for the win.
After losing two straight falls to The Usos at the Royal Rumble, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin would be looking to get back on track as Gable & Benjamin would face Breezango on SmackDown LIVE. In the end, it was Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin hitting their double team powerbomb neckbreaker on Tyler Breeze with Benjamin pinning Breeze to pick up the win for his team.
Then it was time for the main event as WWE Champion AJ Styles would team with 2018 Royal Rumble Match winner Shinsuke Nakamura to face Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. During the match, problems would arise between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on the outside as an argument between the best friends would lead to Sami Zayn leaving Kevin Owens high and dry to face AJ Styles & Shinsuke Nakamura on his own as Sami watches from the stage before ultimately deciding to come back down to be there for Owens. The bickering would continue between Owens and Zayn before Styles shoves Owens into Zayn, knocking Sami off of the ring apron. Fed up, Sami would once again abandon Kevin Owens and, this time, Sami would not come back, leaving Owens at the mercy of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Nakamura would then size Owens up for the Kinshasa and Owens would roll out of the ring, trying to leave, but AJ would retrieve Owens, rolling Owens back into the ring so Nakamura can hit Owens with the Kinshasa, pinning Owens to pick up the win for himself and AJ Styles. Backstage, Sami Zayn is interviewed about his friendship with Kevin Owens possibly being over. Sami explains that his friendship with Kevin Owens is not over, saying that Owens has been a champion before but he has been “overlooked”. Sami then vows to beat Kevin Owens next week and go on to Fastlane where he will beat AJ Styles to become the WWE Champion. Meanwhile, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura celebrate their victory in the ring, having taken advantage of the dissention between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
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