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WWE SmackDown results, recap, reactions (Feb. 5, 2021): The future

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This recap is properly titled “The future” because there are many men and women in WWE who are indeed the future of wrestling. Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, Apollo Crews, Bianca Belair, Dominik Mysterio, Liv, Ruby, and Billie Kay are just some of those names.

Hulk Hogan has no place in that future, and it’s time for the business to move on from him.

Hogan right before the Black History Month video package? Hmm. I am not interested in hearing from ol’ red and yellow talking about the Andre the Giant match or any of his opinions on what’s going on right now. And I’ve got a bridge to sell you if you think that he’s even interested in the modern era of wrestling.

Total contrast to the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Edge. Edge is not here for himself. You could see it on this show, and you could see it throughout his interactions with people. You can see the happiness in his face. This is not even comparable to Goldberg, and yeah I’ve seen that and it’s a dumb comparison.

The future of wrestling is bright. Time to stop trotting out the legends of yesteryear to “pop a rating”. Build up the performers who this generation will want to look to in 20 years. SmackDown generally does the right thing, and did with this show too, with one miss I’ll touch on in a moment.

Let’s get into the main hits and misses of this show. For a full rundown of SmackDown, check out the live blog by Rev. Claire Elizabeth!

Building the suspense

Reigns started the show, talking about looking to the future. (Hey I did that, too!)

He demanded Edge come out to make his decision because Edge should be begging to face him, but Heyman had to inform him that Edge was not here yet.

Dude got MAD. He demanded an answer from Edge by the end of the night.

This promo wasn’t even over yet and I wanted Edge to pick Roman. Immediately was sold on this match. I haven’t seen him as irate as he was since his feud with Jey Uso. Angry Roman is… is something, isn’t he?

Edge came out later and put over all the WWE champions throughout the brands. Reigns came out with a very creepy Uso stalking Edge and Edge called him out for having back up. Reigns told Uso to go back to the bus and said he insulted his family, and he wants to be acknowledged. All of a sudden, Kevin Owens hit the Stunner on Reigns. Edge smirked and got out of the ring to close the show.

The way Jey Uso stalked Edge was frightening, by the way. I just needed to mention that. Jey’s fully enrolled in Fight Club with Roman Durden. We all know the first rule…

This was a brilliant finish. Accomplished multiple things. For starters, I said on my Royal Rumble recap that the ending of Owens and Reigns should not be the last time they interact. Seeing this Stunner likely means one more match? I’ll take it. We need a placeholder until WrestleMania. Secondly, the suspense. And it’s already killing me. Edge and Drew would be fun, as would Edge and Balor.

But Edge and Reigns? After this show, sign me up.

Who’s the bEST?

People are blowing up Belair’s phone because of her Royal Rumble win.

She put over the Empress of Tomorrow and The Boss Sasha Banks’ Mandalorian appearances, and said both would be incredible opponents.

Enter Reginald. He offered advice, saying picking Asuka would be way better because she’ll never beat Banks. Carmella came out and said she beat Banks twice and Belair wouldn’t be able to beat her.

Banks made her grand entrance and put Belair over hard. She’s been paying attention to the EST and her record breaking win, but she’s not the bEST. Reginald tried to butt in again and Belair whipped him with her ponytail.

The emotion and presence did not match from last Sunday, but that’s really because WWE has no clue how to book babyfaces. Bianca is a damn star. Let her talk. She was brilliant after her win on Sunday. She didn’t even need to sell it because that was real. We need more of that.

The Rest

Big E defeated Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn

Big E knew he signed up for fights by being champion. He really is such a wonderful talker.

Crews’ strength was on full display here. He launched himself over the top rope and took out Big E, and then did a moonsault from the apron to the floor. Even my gut hurt from that. Zayn tried for a Blue Thunder Bomb but couldn’t get E up. E sent Crews of the rope and I almost jumped because it looked nasty. But he came back in and got a near fall on Zayn. Incredible height on a frog splash! Crews took Zayn out but fell to the Big Ending. This was a great match and boy did Crews look pissed. I’m excited to see what comes of that!

Cesaro defeated Daniel Bryan

These two locked up immediately. Bryan had urgency and aggression right from the jump. Cesaro threw Bryan up for an uppercut but Bryan took him down and tried for the Yes Lock. Cesaro’s head was already bleeding. Bryan stomped on that bleeding head and went for the running knee and Cesaro transitioned into a Backbreaker. I did not expect Cesaro to make Bryan tap, but as Bryan’s said in the past, he wants to put guys over. Cesaro going back to show respect to Bryan was intriguing! Rumor mills swirled saying that Cesaro was originally planned to be in the Nakamura spot weeks ago, so maybe a face turn incoming?

Bayley defeated Ruby Riott

I really hope they never make this Billie Kay stuff bad. It’s so so good, y’all. She was at commentary claiming that she didn’t take Riott’s and Morgan’s discussion as them telling her they didn’t want her around. Some really awesome spots in the match, like when Bayley launched Riott into the top turnbuckle head first and I nearly gout Carmella from the Royal Rumble vibes. She also sold her arm like it was broken, and of course Kay tried to help but it didn’t work. Loved Billie going up to Bayley with her resume.

Dirty Dawgz defeated Otis and Chad Gable

Roode and Ziggler have new music, and it sounded pretty good! Y’all I have no clue what happened in this match because I was totally distracted by the new box that popped up with the Street Profits doing Cole’s and Graves’ jobs. All I know is Roode and Ziggler have new music, and Roode and Ziggler won. My apologies to Otis and Gable.

Dominik Mysterio defeated King Corbin

Dominik was the super underdog for most of this match, but I actually like what they did here. Both Corey and Corbin were selling Dom needing to split from his father in order to become something, while Cole was selling Dom’s babyface qualities linked with his father. Corbin got out of the 619 path and hit the Deep Six. Rey crawled under the ring and grabbed Corbin’s leg and Dom took advantage with a 619, frog splash, and victory.

Grade: A-

What were your thoughts, Cagesiders?

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WWE Reportedly Nixed Royal Rumble Comedy Angle At The Last Minute

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WWE reportedly had Angel Garza scheduled for a comedy spot in the recent Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

Garza did not appear in the 2021 Men’s Rumble after a late decision to replace the RAW Superstar with Otis from SmackDown, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. While Otis had been advertised at one point, he ended up being pulled internally, but then replaced Garza.

Garza was at Tropicana Field for the Rumble pay-per-view and was originally booked to do a comedy spot where he would run in, tear his pants off as he often does, and then be eliminated right away.

There’s no word yet on why Garza was pulled from the match, but it was noted that it was a last minute decision.

Garza has not been booked in a regular RAW storyline since the feud with Andrade ended back in mid-October. His last RAW appearance came on January 4 when he dropped the WWE 24/7 Title to R-Truth on Legends Night. He’s worked the last 4 episodes of WWE Main Event, picking up 3 wins over Ricochet, Humberto Carrillo, and Akira Tozawa, and 1 loss to Tozawa.

Otis ended up being the #20 entrant in the Men’s Rumble. He lasted 53 seconds before being tossed out by King Baron Corbin, as the 13th elimination. He had no eliminations of his own during the match.

Stay tuned for more.



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2021 WWE Royal Rumble results, recap, grades: Edge, Bianca Belair emerge as winners on strong show

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While there are other meaningful matches on every WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view card, the Royal Rumble matches themselves are the true highlight of the annual event. In 2021, both the men’s and women’s side featured impressive performances that saw the winners last nearly a full hour before securing their shot at a world title at WrestleMania.

On the women’s side, Bianca Belair battled from the No. 3 spot, outlasting 29 other women before last eliminating Rhea Ripley. While Belair represents the new blood on the WWE roster, the men’s side was won by a legend when Edge last eliminated Randy Orton to secure his title shot. Edge’s win was the second time he had won a Royal Rumble match, this effort coming 11 years to the day after his previous victory.

Those two matches will be the lasting memories from the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but the card was filled with entertaining and satisfying action from top to bottom.

CBS Sports was with you the whole way through the event, providing results and grades as the action went down. Read on for everything you need to know coming out of the Royal Rumble and scroll further for highlights from the show.

2021 WWE Royal Rumble results, grades

Women’s Tag Team Championship — Charlotte Flair & Asuka (c) vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (Kickoff Show): Flair and Asuka got things off to a good start, with Flair handling Baszler before Asuka took the fight to Jax. Baszler and Jax eventually took over by isolating Asuka and wearing her down while an anxious Flair paced on the ring apron. Flair eventually got the hot tag and ran through Baszler before hitting a double Natural Selection and scoring a near fall. Ric Flair’s music hit, leading to a distraction that almost allowed Baszler to score a roll-up on Charlotte. Lacey Evans then interrupted from ringside, including pulling Charlotte’s arms out while she was in the Figure Eight. Ric handed Evans something to load her fist and hit the Women’s Right when Charlotte locked in the hold again, setting up Jax to pin Charlotte after a leg drop for the win to capture the titles. The match was fine, but the ending was entirely predictable and the tag titles continue to be more prop than valuable asset.  Jax & Baszler def. Flair & Asuka (c) via pinfall to win the titles — Grade: B-

WWE Championship — Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Goldberg: McIntyre hit Goldberg with the Glasgow Kiss dropped him with a spear before the match started, taking the action outside where Goldberg threw him into the ring steps before spearing him through the barricade. McIntyre eventually made his way back into the ring for the bell to ring, starting the match. McIntyre hit a Claymore seconds later, but Goldberg kicked out. Goldberg followed with two more spears for his own near fall. McIntyre again kicked out after a Jackhammer. McIntyre hit another Claymore, scoring the pin and retaining the title. After the match, Goldberg nodded, told McIntyre “You passed the test,” and the two shared a handshake and hug. The match was short, as expected, and followed the “Goldberg Formula,” for better or worse. For a match nobody really wanted to see, it was as inoffensive as possible, if unspectacular. McIntyre (c) def. Goldberg via pinfall to retain the title — Grade: C+

SmackDown Women’s Championship — Sasha Banks (c) vs. Carmella: Banks was one step ahead early, but interference from Reginald allowed Carmella to take over the action outside put Banks on the defensive. Carmella continued to blast away at Banks with elbows and forearms and Banks began grabbing at her knee after hitting a meteora, allowing Carmella to continue running the match. Carmella threw Banks from the ring, where she was caught by Reginald. After Banks hit a huricanrana on Reginald, he was ejected from ringside, but Carmella hit Banks — and the floor — face-first on a suicide dive. Banks started rolling but Carmella countered a frog splash by getting her knees up and then locked in the Code of Silence to nearly force a submission. Moments later, it was Banks who got the submission with the Banks Statement, retaining her title. Carmella is a limited worker in some ways, but when she is working heel against a very good wrestler like Banks, she can more than hold her own playing into nastier offensive tendencies. Not everything here was smooth, but Banks is so good and Carmella good enough that there was plenty to like. Banks (c) def. Carmella via submission to retain the title — Grade: B 

Women’s Royal Rumble: Bayley and Naomi started as No. 1 and 2, respectively. There were no eliminations before Bayley had to deal with her rival in No. 3 entrant Bianca Belair. After coming out at No. 4, Billie Kay settled in at the announce table rather than enter the ring before the first NXT entrant of the night, Shotzi Blackheart. Contestants continued to pile up as no eliminations were scored until Shayna Baszler dumped Blackheart for the first elimination of the match. Former superstar Jillian Hall was the first true surprise entrant of the night, forming an alliance with Kay to form “Billie and Jilly.” Victoria also made her return, entering the match at No. 10. Participants continued to pile up in the ring with eliminations hard to come by before Hall was finally the second woman out, followed by Kay and the match settled into a more familiar rhythm after Rhea Ripley entered the match and she and Baszler began to clear out the ring.

Ric Flair’s music hit — with Charlotte already in the ring — though Ric was only there to escort Lacey Evans to the ring, wearing the same robe as Charlotte wore earlier in the night. Charlotte and Evans battled immediately before an angry Flair turned her attention back to the rest of the participants. Mickie James also made her return, coming in at No. 19. Another return came at No. 21 with Alicia Fox, but R-Truth’s music hit right after and he announced he was at the wrong Royal Rumble before being pursued by 24/7 title seekers, only to be pinned by Fox to win her the 24/7 belt. 

Ripley continued to impress, scoring several eliminations. Belair also continued hanging around despite her No. 2 entry into the match. In the near-elimination spot, Naomi was thrown from the ring but landed on her back with her feet in the air, she then used Belair to climb her way back into the ring. Alexa Bliss entered at No. 27 and as she was preparing to transform as in recent weeks, Ripley eliminated her from behind. Nia Jax entered and she and Baszler went on a run of eliminations to thin the field late before brawling with each other and Jax eventually eliminated Baszler and was the eliminated by Lana before Natalya entered in the No. 30 spot to complete the field.

The final four in the match came down to Natalya, Belair, Flair and Ripley. Belair eliminated Natalya first and then Ripley and Belair teamed up to knock Flair from the match, leaving Ripley and Belair as the final two women in the match. The two battled back and forth in an extended segment with several near eliminations before Belair managed to knock Ripley from the ring with a clothesline to win the match. This was a bit of a rocky match at parts, many of the bigger issues being matters of production than in-ring, though some stretches dragged a bit. Belair is a great choice to win and coming down to Belair and Ripley showed how bright the future of the women’s division is for WWE going forward. Belair also set a record for longest entry in a women’s Rumble match. Bianca Belair won the women’s Royal Rumble in 56:49 — Grade: B

1

Bayley

Blackheart (Baszler)

2

Naomi

Hall (Kay)

3

Bianca Belair

Kay (Morgan)

4

Billie Kay

Storm (Ripley)

5

Shotzi Blackheart

Victoria (Baszler 2)

6

Shayna Baszler

Garrett (Ripley 2)

7

Toni Storm

Riott (Bayley)

8

Jillian Hall

Morgan (Royce)

9

Ruby Riott

Brooke (Ripley 3)

10

Victoria

Royce (Flair)

11

Peyton Royce

Wilson (Baszler 3)

12

Santana Garrett

Bayley (Belair)

13

Liv Morgan

Fox (Rose)

14

Rhea Ripley

James (Evans)

15

Charlotte Flair

Kai (Ripley 4)

16

Dana Brooke

Rose (Ripley 5)

17

Torrie Wilson

Cross (Carmella)

18

Lacey Evans

Carmella (Ripley 6)

19

Mickie James

Bliss (Ripley 7)

20

Nikki Cross

Evans (Baszler 4)

21

Alicia Fox

Moon (Jax)

22

Mandy Rose

Naomi (Jax 2)

23

Dakota Kai

Tamina (Jax 3)

24

Carmella

Baszler (Jax 4)

25

Tamina

Jax (Lana)

26

Lana

Lana (Natalya)

27

Alexa Bliss

Natalya (Belair 2)

28

Ember Moon

Flair (Belair 3)

29

Nia Jax

Ripley (Belair 4)

30

Natalya

Winner: Belair (56:49)

Men’s Royal Rumble: No. 1 entrant Edge attacked No. 2 entrant Randy Orton before Orton even made it to the ring. They continued to brawl around ringside until Sami Zayn entered at No. 3 and took out the leg of Edge, helping Orton work him over. Mustafa Ali joined in on the attack at No. 4, with Edge facing increasingly long odds until Jeff Hardy entered to help even things up.The first elimination came when Dolph Ziggler entered the match and immediately eliminated Jeff Hardy. Carlito was the first surprise entrant, coming into the match at No. 8. Orton was shown being helped to the back by officials, limping after the attack of Edge. Damien Priest was the first NXT star to make his way into the match, coming in at No. 14 and making his first appearance in a Royal Rumble. The Miz destroyed Bad Bunny’s DJ booth on his way to the ring, leading Bunny to walk to the ring, distracting Miz and John Morrison and allowing Priest to eliminate both. Bunny then hit a crossbody from the top rope to the outside on Miz and Morrison. Daniel Bryan, one of the favorites coming into the match, made his entrance at No. 17. Kane returned at No. 18, chokeslamming many of the current entrants and eliminating Dolph Ziggler and Ricochet before being tossed by Priest.

Bobby Lashley made a big entrance, running through Dominik Mysterio and Priest, eliminating both before a big showdown with Big E that saw both men brawl and exchange counters before the surprise entrance of The Hurricane, who was quickly tossed by Lashley and Big E. With Edge still in the match, Christian entered the match at No. 24. Christian helped Riddle, Bryan and Big E eliminate Lashley. Big E was eliminated from the match when Omos reached into the ring and pulled him to the floor. Omos also eliminated Rey Mysterio, giving some big help to AJ Styles.

Seth Rollins made his return at No. 29, his first match since Survivor Series, after which he took time off to be with Becky Lynch for the birth of their child. Braun Strowman was the final entrant into the match. Strowman went on a run of eliminations, bringing the final six to Rollins, Riddle, Edge, Christian, Bryan and Strowman — although Orton had not actually been eliminated when he was taken to the back. Rollins eliminated Bryan after hiding out on the outside of the ring and then eliminated Riddle to bring the match down to Strowman, Rollins, Edge and Christian. Edge and Christian worked together to eliminate Strowman and Edge eliminated Rollins, seemingly winning the match, but Orton ran back into the match and hit an RKO. Orton’s attempt to eliminate Edge backfired, however, as Edge reversed and tossed Orton to the floor, winning the Rumble from the No. 1 spot, lasting more than 58 minutes to win his second Royal Rumble. This dragged far less than the women’s Royal Rumble earlier and didn’t feel like it relied on as many gimmicky surprise entrants, though there were some. Edge was an interesting choice and told a great story as he’s taking one more ride to WrestleMania and a shot at a world championship. Edge wins the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Edge won the men’s Royal Rumble — Grade: A-

1

Edge

Hardy (Ziggler)

2

Randy Orton

Zayn (Big E)

3

Sami Zayn

Woods (Ali)

4

Mustafa Ali

Ali (Big E 2)

5

Jeff Hardy

Carlito (Elias)

6

Dolph Ziggler

Elias (Priest)

7

Shinsuke Nakamura

Miz (Priest 2)

8

Carlito

Morrison (Priest 3)

9

Xavier Woods

Ziggler (Kane)

10

Big E

Ricochet (Kane 2)

11

John Morrison

Kane (Priest 4)

12

Ricochet

Nakamura (Corbin)

13

Elias

Otis (Corbin 2)

14

Damian Priest

Corbin (D. Mysterio)

15

The Miz

D. Mysterio (Lashley)

16

Riddle

Priest (Lashley 2)

17

Daniel Bryan

Helms (Lashley 3)

18

Kane

Lashley (Bryan)

19

King Corbin

Big E (n/a)

20

Otis

R. Mysterio (n/a)

21

Dominik Mysterio

Cesaro (Strowman)

22

Bobby Lashley

Sheamus (Strowman 2)

23

Hurricane Helms

Styles (Strowman 3)

24

Christian

Bryan (Rollins)

25

AJ Styles

Riddle (Rollins 2)

26

Rey Mysterio

Strowman (Edge)

27

Sheamus

Christian (Rollins)

28

Cesaro

Rollins (Edge 2)

29

Seth Rollins

Orton (Edge 3)

30

Braun Strowman

Winner: Edge ()

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2021 WWE Royal Rumble predictions, matches, card, start time, date, PPV preview, location

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The annual Royal Rumble event, one of the most anticipated annual events on the WWE calendar and a company staple in the month of January, takes center stage on Sunday as the road to WrestleMania 37 opens up. The victors of the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches will, as usual, earn world championship opportunities at WrestleMania 37 in April.

In addition to the two Royal Rumble matches, there are two world title matches currently confirmed for the event. Roman Reigns will defend the universal championship against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match, and the legendary Goldberg will return to the ring for the first time since WrestleMania 36 to challenge WWE champion Drew McIntyre.

The Royal Rumble will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 31, with the show expected to last anywhere from 3-4 hours, not counting the kickoff show, which starts one hour prior to the main card at 6 p.m. CBS Sports will be with you the entire way on Sunday with live results, highlights and analysis.

For now, let’s take a look at how our experts believe the Royal Rumble will play out this Sunday. 

2021 WWE Royal Rumble predictions

Women’s Tag Team Championship: Asuka & Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax

It was ridiculous to put the titles on Asuka & Flair in the first place, and given that each are embroiled in separate singles storylines, it makes even less sense to keep the straps on them. Baszler & Jax were operating perfectly fine as champions and had a nice storyline setup with Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke. With the muscle friends now healthy and back in action, it would be hysterical — albeit depressing — for WWE to flip the titles back to the heels, but I think that’s exactly what they are going to wind up doing, completely eliminating any value from the champions’ current title run. Pick: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler win the titles — Adam Silverstein (also Brent Brookhouse)

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Carmella

Carmella has done a good job in her current heel run, and there’s no denying that she has improved as a performer. All that said, Banks is finally enjoying a title reign where she has managed to actually defend the title. It’s hard to see her run coming to an end against Carmella in what has been her first real storyline after winning the belt from Bayley. Banks is an appealing champion heading into WrestleMania, and a match featuring her in the champion role feels like a bigger deal than one with Carmella. It doesn’t feel like there’s much mystery to this one. Pick: Sasha Banks retains the title — Brookhouse (also Silverstein)

Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens (Last Man Standing match)

As fun as a swerve Owens win would be, it just feels entirely unrealistic to expect WWE to cut off Reings’ run ahead of WrestleMania. Reigns has been the best attraction in the company since returning at SummerSlam and Owens has provided a good foil in recent months, but he’s never really seemed a threat to beat Reigns for the title. A Last Man Standing match does provide some outs to keep Owens strong (interference from Jey Uso), but he’s not leaving as universal champion. Pick: Roman Reigns retains the title — Brookhouse (also Silverstein)

WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Goldberg

Fans were rightly enraged when Goldberg emerged on Legends Night to challenge McIntyre, particularly given the fact that the storyline to create the match did not make a shred of sense. With McIntyre out two weeks due to COVID-19, the temperature of fan resentment cooled down but so did any actual interest in this match. Though Goldberg has defeated heel Kevin Owens and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the universal title twice — and WWE is building this championship as the lone world title Goldberg has never conquered — it would make absolutely zero sense to put him over the company’s top male babyface that it has spent the last year building. This should be a short match with McIntyre overcoming an early barrage of offense from Goldberg to retain the title and keep it at least until WrestleMania. Pick: Drew McIntyre retains the title — Silverstein (also Brookhouse)

Women’s Royal Rumble match

There are plenty of viable options to win the match, but none that accomplish what a Belair win would. She’s a big time talent who just needs the right storyline to fully break through to being a main event player. Belair showing off her strength and athleticism again in the Rumble while outlasting every other woman immediately establishes her in the title picture far better than her current awkward rivalry with Bayley. Pick: Bianca Belair wins — Brookhouse (also Silverstein)

Men’s Royal Rumble match

If there’s one thing WWE loves to do, it’s give legends main spots at the biggest PPV events of the year. That’s why Goldberg is facing McIntyre, that’s why Goldberg held a world title ahead of last year’s WrestleMania, that’s why The Rock’s name was tied to Reigns for WrestleMania before the lack of a sellout live crowd seemed to tank that. Edge wasn’t returning to be a full-time talent, but it seemed he was ready to be in big spots throughout the year. If WWE wants to take a big swing on an underdog to face Reigns at WrestleMania, Edge would tick a lot of the boxes they’re looking for. Daniel Bryan would also nicely fit the bill, but there’s an itch in the back of my mind saying Edge gets the feel-good moment and the Mania slot. Pick: Edge wins — Brookhouse

Edge announcing his return to WWE and entry into the Royal Rumble on Raw felt like a wasted surprise moment even if that’s what we got last year at this very event, but it did add a level of intrigue to the match because Edge (as predicted above) would make a ton of sense as a Royal Rumble winner and future McIntyre challenger. However, prior to Edge’s announcement, I believed that WWE would move in its best possible booking direction, which is putting Bryan over in the match as the WrestleMania challenger of Roman Reigns. There is a ready-made storyline between Bryan and Reigns dating back to 2014 when Bryan made his long-awaited return at the Royal Rumble only to unceremoniously be eliminated as Reigns went on to win the whole thing. Fans revolted, and that moment was the catalyst to continued dissatisfaction with Reigns as a face.

Seven years later, with Reigns now a heel, WWE can easily reach back and play off that storyline. We saw interactions between Bryan, Reigns and Jey Uso a couple of months ago, and I believe those were planting the seeds for the Road to WrestleMania. There are other legitimate possibilities to win this match, but Bryan makes the most sense by far. He could still earn a shot at Reigns through the Elimination Chamber, but why waste the perfect storyline? Pick: Daniel Bryan wins — Silverstein

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WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 29 | Bleacher Report

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    Credit: WWE.com

    It’s the last show before WWE Royal Rumble, and you know what that means. Friday Night SmackDown promised to build the excitement to a fever pitch just two days before one of the biggest nights of the year. This January 29 edition of the blue brand was certain to be unpredictable.

    Only one match was promised ahead of the night as Bianca Belair looked to avenge her loss to Bayley. After everything The Role Model has put her through, this was The EST’s opportunity for welcomed revenge.

    Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens did not want to wait until Sunday to start the trash talk. SmackDown promised a war of words where KO and The Head of the Table could speak their final piece before an epic Last Man Standing match.

    This was far from all that SmackDown would give fans just days before the Rumble. However, the blue brand was keeping it all under wraps. Could Raw stars invade SmackDown to make a statement? Would new stars earn a slot in the men’s or women’s Rumble matches? Everyone wanted to build momentum.

    The January 29 edition of SmackDown felt like a monumental occasion and a chance for WWE to truly bring the absolute best to the table before the night that will begin to define the Road to WrestleMania.

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    Daniel Bryan opened the show to talk about what it meant to him to win the men’s Royal Rumble. He wanted to change his life one more time by main eventing WrestleMania one last time. He was not certain of how many more WrestleMania moments he had left.

    He put over Chad Gable and Otis with the Alpha Academy getting him in shape for a long difficult climb to the top. AJ Styles interrupted as part of the quarterly Brand-to-Brand Invitational, setting up e challenge by The Planet’s Champion for later in the night.

    Styles pushed Bryan to the mat, and Omos got in the way of The Planet’s Champion seeking retribution. Bryan called out Styles for standing behind the big man too often.

               

    Grade

    B-

                

    Analysis

    Bryan is one of the best in the world, but his promos each week are growing tiring. He continues to play hype man for the Royal Rumble, spending too much time explaining how the match works. It will be best for him to get past WWE Royal Rumble.

    The quarterly Brand-to-Brand Invitational is a silly technicality that WWE likes to pull out at random times. However, bringing The Phenomenal One to SmackDown just before Royal Rumble was a smart way to hype the event.

    Styles vs. Bryan is a guaranteed fantastic clash of top talent. Both men have been considered the best wrestler in the world, and each time they step into the ring, they steal the show.

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    Credit: WWE.com

    After a video package was rolled for last week’s obstacle course, Bayley explained to Kayla Braxton in a pre-match interview why she was simply better than The EST and would win the women’s Royal Rumble.

    The Role Model took over the action early, beating down on The EST. Bayley made a mistake by taunting Belair with her braid, motivating The EST to get physical. She landed a series of punches followed by an impressive standing moonsault for a nearfall.

    Bayley tried to take advantage of the injured left elbow of Belair from last week, stopping her from hitting a Glam Slam. However, The EST fought with all that she had, knocking Bayley loopy with a right hand followed by the KOD for the win.

    Afterward, on the top of the ramp, Braxton asked Belair about how much this win meant to her, and The EST put over Bayley as The Role Model glared at her from inside the ring.

              

    Result

    Belair def. Bayley by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    Bayley has been the perfect challenger to introduce Belair to the SmackDown audience. Each segment shows more and more why The EST is not just the future of WWE but good enough to challenge the absolute best already. This match was no different.

    While Belair can just rely on her athletic prowess to shine, she has a complete game in the ring, switching her style to tell a complete story. She just needs time. She and Bayley got it in a really good opening contest. This was completely different from their first fight.

    The main mistake WWE made her was the post-match interview. Belair can cut a promo, but she was exhausted after a long fight. She should not have had to put words together when her actions spoke for themselves.

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    Dominik Mysterio attacked King Corbin from behind while The King was headed to the ring. This only seemed to anger Corbin, who emphatically took over once the match began. He physically beat down Dominik with right hands as Rey Mysterio watched on commentary.

    Rey’s son tried everything he could to stay in the action, reversing The King’s dangerous attempts injure him. Both men went into the steel post, and Dominik managed to reverse an End of Days attempt into a tilt-a-whirl DDT. However, that could not get the win, and the second End of Days attempt connected to win.

    Afterward, Corbin tried to attack Rey as well, but The Master of the 619 sent him into the steel post outside.

              

    Result

    Corbin def. Dominik by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    C+

                

    Analysis

    Corbin vs. the Mysterios has hardly been an interesting rivalry. After Rey and Dominik disappeared from television, the story halted, and their return has made Dominik look like a rookie again rather than the young prodigy he seemed to be against Seth Rollins.

    Dominik has decent chemistry with The King, but each loss has cut off what little momentum Dominik already had. He is back to playing second fiddle to his father. The clear focus is to build up one more match between Corbin and Rey.

    Ideally, this rivalry ends within the next month. However, with The Knights of the Lone Wolf off TV lately as well as Murphy, WWE will likely complicate things again soon with those stars returning.

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    After Kalisto chatted up Sasha Banks, The Boss ran into Reginald, who gave her the “perfect wine to pair with losing” the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Banks left the wine bottle with the sommelier to return to Carmella.

    WWE showed a video package for the whole history of Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. Michael Cole led a final interview between The Head of the Table and KO. Owens explained that he would never stop getting back up on Sunday until he won.

    Paul Heyman initially refused to let Reigns waste his words on KO, but The Head of the Tables heard Owens speak for too long. He blamed Owens’ father for raising him the wrong way to believe he could beat a better man. He called him and his whole family fools.

    With each painful word, Owens lost his cool more and more, calling him a fake mob boss. Reigns turned off the camera for his side of the interview as KO yelled at the screen with fire. Owens looked ready to find Reigns and start the fight early.

               

    Grade

    A+

                

    Analysis

    WWE hyped up KO and Reigns’ interview as the biggest moment of the night, and it absolutely was. Reigns found a way under Owens’ skin and exploited it. However, at the same time, KO clearly frustrated his rival by never losing his confidence.

    The Head of the Table promotes himself as a family man while KO prides himself as the ultimate family man. This interview clearly defined the dynamic between these two that has made this story so special. Without being able to defeat Reigns, KO has just made the WWE universal champion better.

    This match could be the best on the whole card. Even if it is not, these two men will tell a special story together as they have all along the way to get to WWE Royal Rumble.

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    The Miz and John Morrison got into a fight with Big E backstage about who would make a bigger impact in the men’s Royal Rumble match. Sami Zayn tried to recruit Shinsuke Nakamura, but The Artist completely dismissed him.

    AJ Styles told Omos to stay in the back for this match, wanting to prove he can beat The Planet’s Champion. Cesaro joined commentary to explain why he has more momentum than either man in the ring.

    After an impressive series to start off the match, Bryan got the upper hand only to be interrupted by Sami Zayn. The distraction allowed The Phenomenal One to knock The Planet’s Champion off the top rope to the floor.

    The Master Strategist refused to be left off the show and be silenced, so he spoke to commentary with his camera crew. In the ring, Bryan struggled to get off the ring, trapped in the Calf Crusher until he made it to the bottom rope.

    Bryan shifted his weight to plant Styles with a butterfly suplex that transitioned into the Yes Lock until The Phenomenal One made it to the ropes. Big E arrived and clotheslined The Master Strategist, starting a brawl between everyone.

    Zayn attacked Bryan to cause a disqualification then the heels beat down the faces until Shinsuke Nakamura evened the odds. Cesaro and Nakamura almost came to blows, but Zayn got involved and dumped outside.

              

    Result

    Bryan def. Styles by disqualification.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    While the cheap ending was expected and stopped this match from becoming truly special, Bryan vs. Styles was fantastic once again. The two had a great technical showcase in the midst of chaos at ringside, reminding everyone that they still both have plenty more great matches in store together.

    The two got too much time to wrestle the rest of the hour, so something was always going to happen. With the Rumble Sunday, this was the time to build up a variety of challengers. Bryan and Styles may be more likely to win than most in the match, but WWE needs to build a variety of options.

    The six-man tag team match was only a promise of more action and a story that feels more apprioriate as the Royal Rumble go-home show main event.

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    Daniel Bryan was the first victim of the heels after Sami Zayn caught The Planet’s Champion with a chop block. After an emphatic missile dropkick, Bryan finally got to rest his knee, giving an impressive hot tag to Big E that could not be stopped even after a European uppercut from Cesaro.

    The Miz and John Morrison arrived to take out Shinsuke Nakamura at ringside then team up on Big E, forcing the referee to call for another disqualification. Otis arrived, seeing an opportunity to finally get revenge on The A-Lister and The Shaman of Sexy. He cleared both out of the ring.

    The match was restarted as a five-on-four handicap match by Sonya Deville. Again, the heels isolated Bryan, who competed over 30 minutes in the various restarted matches. It looked like the heels had the match won after taking out the other faces, but Sheamus arrived to even the odds.

    Everyone hit impressive offense in a chaotic scene that left Zayn fighting a fresh Celtic Warrior. Sheamus planted him with a Brogue Kick to win. Braun Strowman arrived and took out everyone, hitting a running powerslam on Cesaro to end the night.

              

    Result

    Big E, Bryan and Nakamura def. Cesaro, Styles and Zayn by disqualification; Sheamus, Big E, Bryan, Nakamura and Otis def. Cesaro, Styles, Zayn, Miz and Morrison by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    C

                

    Analysis

    The positive in the original six-man match was seeing more great action. Cesaro and Nakamura gave an early preview of the great match they can have together soon. Bryan and Zayn got back to basics with a fun sequence. Big E got to look like a monster with his hot tag.

    It was just an awkward transition to an unnecessary bigger match because Miz and Morrison had to get involved. All the wrestling here was memorable, and everyone got a small chance to stand out. It just was far too much chaos to enjoy it.

    Strowman ended the night as the big late addition to the men’s Royal Rumble match, but everyone knew he would be in the contest without official word. While The Monster Among Men should be seen as a favorite, this moment may have built him up too strong to actually pull it out.



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Edge Announces WWE Royal Rumble Ring Return

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WWE Hall of Famer Edge will be making his ring return at the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Tonight’s Rumble go-home edition of RAW saw Edge deliver a pre-recorded promo where he announced that he will be returning to action in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match next Sunday.

There are now 14 open spots for the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match. Edge joins Daniel Bryan, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis, The Miz, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Jeff Hardy, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler, WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E, Sheamus, and John Morrison as confirmed entrants.

The Rated R Superstar has been out of action since suffering a torn triceps during the loss to Randy Orton at the 2020 WWE Backlash pay-per-view last June. Edge came out of retirement at the 2020 Royal Rumble, and then made his in-ring return to singles action at WrestleMania 36, where he defeated Orton in a Last Man Standing match.

The 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view will take place on January 31 from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. Below is the current card, along with shots and video from Edge’s promo:

WWE Title Match
Bill Goldberg vs. Drew McIntyre (c)

Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Universal Title
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns (c)

WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles Match
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Charlotte Flair and RAW Women’s Champion Asuka (c)

30-Man Royal Rumble Match
Daniel Bryan, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis, The Miz, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Jeff Hardy, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Dolph Ziggler, WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E, Sheamus, John Morrison, Edge, 14 Superstars TBA
Winner earns a title shot at WrestleMania 37

30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Nia Jax, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Tamina Snuka, 18 Superstars TBA
Winner earns a title shot at WrestleMania 37



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Rapper Bad Bunny To Perform ‘Booker T’ Single At WWE Royal Rumble

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Rapper Bad Bunny is set to perform his “Booker T” single at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view this Sunday.

We noted a few months back that the Grammy Award nominated rapper had released the “Booker T” single to pay tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer. Booker even appears in a new music video for the single, which you can see above. WWE announced this afternoon that Bad Bunny will make his first-ever live performance of the single, from his history-making album, at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

“Performing at the Royal Rumble is a childhood dream come true,” Bad Bunny said in a press release. “I have been a lifelong fan of WWE and I am excited to take the stage and entertain fans around the world.”

Stay tuned for more on Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. Below is WWE’s announcement on the Bad Bunny performance:

Bad Bunny to perform live at Royal Rumble this Sunday

STAMFORD, Conn., January 25, 2020 – Multi-platinum recording artist and international superstar Bad Bunny will perform his hit single “Booker T” off his new album “El Último Tour Del Mundo” live for the first time at Royal Rumble this Sunday, Jan. 31 streaming live on WWE Network at 7 pm ET, as early reported by Billboard.

“Performing at the Royal Rumble is a childhood dream come true,” said Bad Bunny. “I have been a lifelong fan of WWE and I am excited to take the stage and entertain fans around the world.”

“Bad Bunny is at the top of the music industry, and a pop culture icon with strong ties to WWE and our fans around the world,” said Neil Lawi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, WWE Music Group. “We are thrilled to provide a global platform for his first-ever live performance of ‘Booker T’ as we kick off the road to WrestleMania.”

Bad Bunny has taken over the global music scene as one of the most respected and talented singer-songwriters and producers of this generation. Declared the #1 artist globally of 2020 by Spotify, he has won multiple Latin Grammy Awards, American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards for Best Reggaeton Performance, Artist of the Year and Top Latin Album of the Year among others.

Bad Bunny’s most recent and third album of 2020, “El Último Tour Del Mundo” debuted at #1 on the “Billboard 200” chart, the first all-Spanish-language album to reach #1 in the 64-year history of the all-genre chart, as well as #1 on Apple Music’s global “Top Albums” chart for all genres.

(Photo Credit: Billboard)



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Peacock Becomes WWE Network Exclusive U.S. Streaming Distributor

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NBCUniversal’s Peacock soon will be the only place to watch WWE Network in the U.S.

WWE and NBCU reached a multiyear agreement giving Peacock exclusive streaming rights to WWE Network for American viewers. The over-the-top wrestling entertainment service’s existing U.S. subscribers (about 1.1 million in total) will be migrated over to Peacock Premium, where they’ll continue to get access to WWE Network but will pay 50% less per month while getting full access to the version of the Peacock Premium tier with ads.

Peacock will launch WWE Network on March 18, 2021, when Peacock will begin the rollout of more than 17,000 hours of WWE Network new, original, and library programming (both on-demand and on a new 24-hour channel).

The NBCU streamer will have all WWE live events — for no additional charge — including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, with Fastlane the first event to stream on Peacock on Sunday, March 21. (WWE fans who would prefer to order events via traditional pay-per-view will still have that option.)

WWE Network will be available on Peacock Premium (which includes ads) for $4.99 per month, half the price of WWE Network’s current $9.99/month pricing. The no-commercials Peacock Premium Plus plan, which costs $9.99/month, also will include WWE Network.

The companies plans to share details of how existing WWE Network subscribers in the U.S. will be switched to Peacock (e.g., whether they will be automatically subscribed to Peacock) in the next few weeks. Nothing will change for WWE Network subscribers outside the U.S.

Financial terms of the Peacock-WWE Network pact were not disclosed. “We feel great about the financials. Otherwise we wouldn’t have done the deal,” said Nick Khan, WWE’s president and chief revenue officer, who joined the company last August from CAA. “To have WrestleMania in particular — which is our Super Bowl — available [for no extra cost] on Peacock is quite different from other models you’re seeing.”

For Peacock, the WWE Network is “a transformative addition,” said Rick Cordella, Peacock’s EVP and chief revenue officer. “We have a lot of data that shows live events and sports drives a lot of user acquisition,” he said. “The bet is that there exists a much larger total available audience [for WWE programming] than is on WWE Network today.”

NBCU and WWE have been partners for almost 30 years, starting in 1993 with “Monday Night Raw” on USA. “WWE has always tapped into the cultural zeitgeist with spectacular live events and larger-than-life characters, and we are thrilled to be the exclusive home for WWE Network and its millions of fans across the country,” said Cordella.

In the third quarter of 2020, WWE Network had average paid subscribers of 1.6 million, down about 60,000 from the prior quarter but an increase of 6% year over year — marking the service’s first annual growth since Q1 of 2019. The entertainment company originally launched WWE Network in February 2014, when it ended its traditional pay-per-view events business.

Starting in 2022, WWE will produce “one signature documentary annually” for the WWE Network on Peacock. Also available on WWE Network are about 100 hours of original series like “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions,” “Undertaker: The Last Ride” and the recently premiered “WWE Icons”; in-ring shows like NXT, NXT UK and WWE 205 Live, as well as replays of “Raw” and “SmackDown”; WWE Network archives, including every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view event in history; and documentaries including “WWE 24,” “WWE Untold” and “WWE 365.”

Peacock, which NBCU launched nationwide in July 2020, attracted nearly 22 million user “sign-ups” in its first six months of wide release, according to the company. Eligible customers of Comcast Xfinity X1 and Flex and Cox’s Contour — a total of about 24 million households — get Peacock Premium included at no additional cost.

Peacock’s content lineup includes a slate of originals, libraries of TV shows — including all episodes of “The Office” and “Yellowstone” — and films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and other studios. In addition, the OTT service provides news, sports, late-night, Spanish-language, and reality from across NBCUniversal.

Peacock Premium now offers more than 47,000 hours of programming. NBCU also offers a free, ad-supported version of Peacock with a trimmed-down bucket of content.

Pictured above: WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36



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WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction, Highlights from January 22 | Bleacher Report

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    Credit: WWE.com

    As WWE prepares for the Royal Rumble on January 31, it’s all hands on deck as more and more Superstars declare their entries and attempt to qualify for the titular Rumble matches.

    This week’s SmackDown continued to build up the pay-per-view while also dealing with some in-house business for the blue brand.

    After earning a title shot by defeating Sami Zayn last week, Apollo Crews challenged Big E in a match for the Intercontinental Championship.

    We also saw Bayley and Bianca Belair compete on an obstacle course to see which one was the superior athlete, and Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens prepared for their showdown at The Royal Rumble.

    Let’s look at everything that happened on Friday’s show. 

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    SmackDown opened with a video package recapping what happened last week with Reigns and Adam Pearce before The Tribal Chief and Paul Heyman made their way to the ring. 

    Reigns spoke about how Owens and Pearce might have put one over on him but he is the champion because he doesn’t believe in the mentality of “Card subject to change.” He said his back is starting to hurt from carrying this company for years.

    Pearce came out and said this has gone too far and things are getting out of control. Reigns said the only thing that is out of control is Owens being in a title match. 

    Reigns felt disrespected and had Heyman rip into Pearce. This led to Heyman challenging Pearce to a match, which was quickly accepted. 

                            

    Grade: B-

                            

    Analysis

    Pearce has grown into a great on-screen authority figure and seeing him used in more meaningful ways in recent weeks has been a lot of fun.

    This was a solid opening segment that probably lasted a few minutes longer than it needed to but never became insufferable. 

    Reigns was more vocal than usual, which helped express his rage at being tricked. Despite being a heel, almost everything he said was true, especially when it came to his health.

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    The women’s tag team champions took a trip to the blue brand this week to take on Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott with Billie Kay in their corner.

    The Queen and Riott started the match with a basic lockup and takedown combination. Asuka got the tag and ran Riott over with a shoulder tackle. 

    Morgan made a blind tag and hit a dropkick to Charlotte while she was distracted with Kay. She scored a two-count with a crossbody from the top rope. After a break, Riott and Morgan still had the upper hand. 

    Asuka tagged in and hit a running knee but Riott was there to break up the pin. Riott had Asuka pinned but Kay accidentally distracted the ref. The Empress recovered and tagged in The Queen to hit Natural Selection for the win. 

                           

    Grade: B

                           

    Analysis

    We are only a couple of weeks into this angle but Kay is already impacting the outcome of The Riott Squad’s matches in a negative way, which means this union is doomed to fail.

    The match itself was pretty good and gave all four women a chance to showcase their skills. Morgan and Riott looked especially good despite Kay’s involvement.

    The women’s tag team division needs a lot of work but if The Riott Squad is one of the main duos holding it down, there is hope that it can improve in 2021. 

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    Daniel Bryan came out to talk about how The Royal Rumble event always makes him feel excited. He was eventually interrupted by Cesaro, who rubbed in how he beat Bryan last week.

    Cesaro issued an open challenge and Dolph Ziggler answered the call. We returned from a commercial to see the match getting going. They fought for control with a series of holds and reversals. 

    The Swiss Cyborg nailed an uppercut in the corner and swung Ziggler around by his feet. They went back and forth with near falls until The Showoff hit the Zig Zag for a two-count. Cesaro caught him and hit the Neutralizer for the win. 

                           

    Grade: A

                           

    Analysis

    This was what pro wrestling could be. Cesaro and Ziggler are miles ahead of most of the roster in terms of technical ability and they didn’t even need a long match to prove how good they are.

    A few more minutes would have helped but they packed a lot into the time they had and told a solid story from bell to bell while Bryan provided context on commentary.

    Between this and his win over Bryan last week, Cesaro appears to be getting a push heading into the men’s Royal Rumble match. Even if he doesn’t win at the PPV, it’s awesome to see a talented performer being used the right way for once. 

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    Reginald tried to win over Sasha Banks with a rose at the start of the match but she smacked the taste out of his mouth. She tried to take him down but he flipped up to his feet.

    He grabbed Banks by the waist but she reversed it. He rolled right out of the ring and he backflipped off of the apron just to show off. The Boss made him pay with a baseball slide dropkick. 

    Banks took him down with a wheelbarrow bulldog but missed a meteora in the corner. Reginald ate a knee to the face but caught her in a crossbody. She sent him out of the ring with an arm drag and took him down with a meteora from the apron. 

    She eventually brought him down into the Bank Statement for the submission victory. 

                       

    Grade: C+

                           

    Analysis

    As impressive as some of Reginald’s acrobatics were, this match still had some sloppy moments and awkward spots that would have benefitted from this bout being pre-taped.

    Still, this was better than anyone expected it to be, so that’s a plus. The feud between Carmella and Banks didn’t need this but it was a fun change of pace from what we have seen in the past.

    WWE has always shied away from intergender wrestling so it will be interesting to see if we get more matches like this down the road. 

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    As soon as the bell rang, Big E hit a huge belly to belly suplex followed by a splash on the apron. Crews fired back with a couple of kicks that rocked the champ. He got a quick two-count with a standing moonsault and stayed on the big man with a pair of German suplexes.

    Big E prevented a third and hit a big urinagi slam for another near-fall. Crews fought him off in the corner with a few headbutts. Sami Zayn had handcuffed himself in the aisle as a protest but he released himself and ran to the ring to hit both men with Helluva Kicks to cause a no-contest finish.

                              

    Grade: C

                             

    Analysis

    The match was just getting going when Zayn interfered, so it ended up stopping short of reaching its full potential in many ways.

    This might keep the storyline going but it still robbed us of what could have been a great title fight, so it’s hard not to be a little mad about it.

    Crews, Zayn and Big E will likely end up in a triple threat match at The Royal Rumble to settle this once and for all. 

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    Bayley gave us a rundown of the obstacles before they took to the course. She decided to run the course first and pushed Belair out of the way. 

    She took her time getting through each obstacle and ended up cheating by running around the walls that were set up instead of climbing over them. She ended with a time of 1:12.

    Before Belair took her turn, Bayley had some of the obstacles made more difficult. Belair still flew through the course but when she got to the fireman’s carry, she had to carry Otis instead of Chad Gable. She still did it and beat Bayley’s time by 17 seconds. 

    Bayley attacked her and beat her down before throwing her into the pole of a basketball hoop that was part of the course. 

                            

    Grade: C+

                               

    Analysis

    This was nothing special in terms of entertainment value but Belair’s physical prowess made it more enjoyable than it would have been without her.

    We all saw this ending with an attack so there was no surprise or swerve. It played out how it needed to even if it was the most predictable thing on the show.

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    Dominik Mysterio was looking to get some payback on Baron Corbin after The King defeated his father last week. Corbin’s knights were absent once again.

    Dom went right after him and hit a few quick strikes before he sent Corbin out of the ring. The King leveled him with a clothesline for a two-count. 

    Corbin was able to secure the win with The End of Days. 

                                

    Grade: C

                             

    Analysis

    This wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t good. It just…was. We’ll move on and forget about this in a week or two after one of the Mysterios beats Corbin in a rematch.

    It was nice to see Dominik again but it’s hard not to wonder why WWE had him skip NXT altogether. He could benefit from having more time to polish his mic skills. 

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    As Heyman made his way to the ring, he pretended to suffer a leg injury. He did the same thing Pearce did last week and named a replacement. That is when Reigns came to the ring.

    As soon as he hit the ring, The Tribal Chief nailed him with a Superman Punch. Pearce tried to come back but a low blow stopped him in his tracks. 

    KO came out of nowhere and saved Pearce from certain destruction by attacking the universal champion. They brawled near the LED screens with fans on them before going back to the ring.

    Owens blocked a Superman Punch and hit a Stunner. It took several officials to keep them apart and even then, they still managed to get to each other a few times. KO hit a second Stunner before he put Reigns through the announce table with a Popup Powerbomb. 

                            

    Grade: B

                           

    Analysis

    We might not have gotten to see Pearce come out of retirement to hand Heyman a beating but we did get to see Owens destroy Reigns, so the show had a happy ending.

    It was clear Heyman was never going to have a real match but there was still hope for Pearce to get in a few good shots. Maybe he will have another chance in the future.

    The feud between Reigns and KO is being carried solely by the skill of the two men involved. The storyline is nothing special or original but how it is being executed has been fun to watch. 



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