SmackDown Results: Orton/Styles/Knight Defeat Uso & Sikoa, Belair Over Bayley

January 12, 2024 John Kleinchester NEWS, Show Reports
Photo Courtesy: WWE

January 12, 2024
Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, NE

By: John Kleinchester

 

Nick Aldis is the Bad Guy

Smackdown kicked off with what was supposed to be Grayson Waller taking on Cameron Grimes. A recap of last week’s events leading to Roman having to defend his title against AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and LA Knight at the Royal Rumble with Roman telling his minions to “fix this”. As we returned from the video, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa had jumped Cameron Grimes on his way to the ring and Grayson Waller and Austin Theory took off leaving the ring to The Bloodline. Heyman said they’re not the bad guys, Nick Aldis is for putting Reigns in a Fatal Four-Way Match. 

Aldis grabbed the mic from Heyman and said that this was the second match in two weeks ruined by The Bloodline and it would not happen again because tonight AJ Styles, LA Knight, and Randy Orton would be taking on Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Roman Reigns. Heyman explained to Aldis that Reigns wasn’t there tonight so they could either find a third man or it would be a 2-on-3 handicap match. 

Backstage, Paul Heyman attempted to calm Jimmy Uso down and said he would find them someone to team with. Solo Sikoa said he never worries.

Latino World Order vs. Legado World Order

The first actual match of the night was Angel and Humberto with Santos Escobar in their corner taking on Joaquin Wilde and Cruz del Toro. Before the match, a promo aired with Santos calling Angel and Humberto “Familia”. Escobar was on commentary for this match and referred to his team as the “Legado World Order”. During the match, Carlito’s music hit but he appeared behind Escobar on commentary and brawled with him to the back.

Meanwhile, Angel rolled Wilde up and used the ropes for leverage to score the pinfall. 

Carmelo Hayes, Looking Good in Blue

Camelo Hayes was in the back meeting with Nick Aldis as Grayson Waller and Austin Theory interrupted. Hayes challenged Waller to a match but Waller offered Austin Theory in his stead. Nick Aldis agreed and the match was set for later tonight.

Heyman and Carlito

Paul Heyman approached Carlito backstage trying to bribe him with an apple but Carlito said he only wanted to fight Santos Escobar as he swiped Heyman’s apple.

Litigious Logan Paul

Logan Paul cut a backstage promo teasing he was going to sue Kevin Owens for punching him with his cast and that the match would be canceled if he showed up to the Royal Rumble with it on.

Bate & Butch

A video from earlier today was shown with Tyler Bate and Butch having tea where Bate said that he knows that Butch is lost and without an identity. Butch said that The Brawling Brutes are in the past and told Bate to focus on himself. Bate said “remember who told you to be that guy back in Blackpool… you need to ask yourself what that name is going to be.” Butch looked intense and it cut to black. 

 

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Up next was Bianca Belair renewing her rivalry with Bayley who was accompanied to ringside by all four other members of Damage CTRL. At one point in the match, Bayley tied Belair’s braid to the rope but Belair was able to use it to trip Bayley and she went face-first into the second rope.

Bayley threw Belair outside the ring at the feet of Damage CTRL and distracted the referee with a faux injury but her teammates did nothing. Belair then won with a spear and the KOD.

After the match, Bayley asked the rest of Damage CTRL what happened out there and Dakota Kai explained that the referee was looking right at them and they thought she should do it on her own.

 

Kevin Owens: The Rebuttal

Kevin Owens responded in a backstage video to Logan Paul’s claim that his cast was a liability. Owens invited Logan Paul to be his guest on The KO Show next week on SmackDown.

The Final Testament

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits came down to the ring and called out the Authors of Pain and Karrion Kross after they jumped them last week. The lights went out and Paul Ellering emerged on the stage and pointed to the TitanTron as a Karrion Kross promo package was shown. Kross ended the video by announcing his group was known as “The Final Testament”. 

Heyman & Pretty Deadly

A very nervous Pretty Deadly approached who they referred to as “Lord Heyman” and proposed they help The Bloodline tonight. Heyman reminded them that it would just be one of them taking on Orton/Knight/Styles and Pretty Deadly made an excuse and scurried away.

 

Heyman & Bobby Lashley

Paul Heyman approached Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits in the back and asked him to team with Jimmy and Solo tonight. Lashley said they’ve known each other a long time but the only time he wants to be in the ring with the ring with The Bloodline is when he’s standing across from Roman Reigns.

“Him” vs. Austin Theory

Up next was Carmelo Hayes taking on Austin Theory. Before the match, a Hayes promo package aired hyping up his NXT accolades. Corey Graves explained that Hayes was “looking for a way into the Royal Rumble” and would seemingly have to defeat Theory in order to do so. Unfortunately, this match was thrown out just after the nine-minute mark after a botched modified Spanish Fly from the top rope where both Hayes and Theory seemed to knock heads with the official quickly checking on them and calling off the match. 

Paul Heyman Has Some Bad News

Backstage, Paul Heyman tried to spin it that no one in the back was worthy of standing with The Bloodline and Jimmy said he was worried. Solo reiterated he wasn’t so Jimmy said he wasn’t either.

Main Event

Randy Orton started coming down to the ring when Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso jumped him. Solo hit Orton with the Samoan Spike, attempting to even the odds, and Orton was shown going to the back. AJ Styles and LA Knight started off the match arguing about who was going to start the match and was jumped by Jimmy Uso. Later in the match, AJ Styles refused to tag LA Knight even though he needed it, yelling that Knight tried to screw him – again allowing the heels to gain the advantage.

Randy Orton’s music then hit and he returned to join the match and was immediately tagged in by Styles. Orton hit the RKO on Jimmy Uso for the win. After the match, Solo Sikoa was going to his Orton with the Spike again but AJ Styles and LA Knight hit their finishers on Sikoa. The faces continued to argue but still managed to put a beating on the heels, hitting them with the ring steps and finally triple-powerbombing Solo Sikoa through the announce table, Shield-style. The show went off the air with Heyman calling Roman Reigns. 

 

Announced for SmackDown Next Week in Atlanta:

  • The KO Show with Logan Paul
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Katana Chance & Kayden Carter vs. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn
  • Contract Signing: Roman Reigns, LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles

Friday Night SmackDown Results:

  • Humberto & Angel over Joaquin Wilde & Cruz del Toro in 9:55
  • Bianca Belair over Bayley in 16:26
  • Carmelo Hayes / Austin Theory – No Contest in 9:01
  • Randy Orton, AJ Styles & LA Knight over Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso in 11:40
About John Kleinchester 204 Articles
New Jersey born and raised. Wrestling fan since Lex slammed Yokozuna on the deck of the USS Intrepid. Favorite Wrestler of all time is Owen "The Rocket" Hart.
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