By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown on Fox
Aired live on December 27, 2019 from Detroit, Michigan at Little Caesars Arena
[Hour One] Smackdown opened with Elias being introduced by the ring announcer. Elias played his guitar and sang a song about the Triple Threat main event… The Smackdown opening aired… The broadcast team of Michael Cole and Corey Graves checked in, then entrances took place for the Triple Threat match…
Daniel Bryan made his entrance while Cole spoke of how The Fiend has changed his opponents and wondered if he’d actually changed Bryan for the better. King Corbin was carried to the ring on his usual platform and spoke of how Bryan and The Miz are similar, including how they are terrible fathers who headlined WrestleMania. Corbin said that if Bryan thinks he would beat him then The Fiend tore out his brain matter along with his hair.
Corbin said Bryan is a nice guy who is no longer championship material, much like The Miz plays an action hero in the movies but isn’t really a hero. Roman Reigns’ entrance music played and he appeared at ringside and hit Corbin with an uppercut punch. Reigns worked over Corbin at ringside and hit him with a Superman Punch from the ring steps. Agents Adam Pearce and Sonjay Dutt joined referees in talking Reigns down while the broadcast team wondered what this mean for the Triple Threat match… [C]
Cole and Graves recapped Reigns attacking Corbin. Footage aired of Corbin barking at Pearce about being attacked by Reigns. The broadcast team wondered whether the Triple Threat match should be postponed…
1. Braun Strowman, Kofi Kingston, and Big E vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, and Sami Zayn. Cesaro hit Kingston with an elbow at ringside that sent him over the broadcast table heading into a a break a couple minutes into the match. [C] Kingston was isolated by the heel trio coming out of the break. Nakamura set up for his finisher, but Kingston caught him with a double knee press.
Strowman took the hot tag and then did his running shoulder block bit at ringside on Nakamura and Cesaro. Zayn ran away to avoid Strowman, who ran into a shot from Nakamura. Back inside the ring, Nakamura took New Day’s pancake tray and set up to use is as a weapon, but Kingston took it away from him. Moments later, Strowman powerslammed Nakamura and pinned him.
Braun Strowman, Kofi Kingston, and Big E beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, and Sami Zayn in 12:30.
After the match, Kingston took the mic and said everyone knows that Strowman has a great set up hips on him. Kingston and Big E fired up the crowd, then Strowman pushed them both aside, looked to the crowd for approval, and then danced…
Powell’s POV: The match was entertaining. The post match was sports entertainment silliness. Chances are you got a chuckle out of Strowman dancing or you found it to be ridiculous. I doubt there’s much middle ground.
The broadcast team hyped upcoming segments heading into a break… An ad hyped the Bobby Lashley and Lana wedding for Monday’s Raw… [C]
Backstage, Kayla Braxton stood outside the doctor/trainer’s room and said that Corbin was refusing to perform after being attacked by Reigns. Braxton said Bryan would face The Miz in the main event instead… The broadcast team recapped the dog food angle…
Backstage, Mandy Rose told Sonya Deville it was time to go to the ring. Deville recalled Rose not being in her corner last week. Rose said she had sweat all over her and couldn’t go to ringside. Otis showed up and offered Rose a homemade holiday fruitcake that his mother made. Rose headed off for her match…
Powell’s POV: Rose isn’t acting like she’s interested in the smitten Otis, but she’s not being a mean spirited heel toward him either.
Carmella made her entrance while a pre-taped promo aired. She said she would remind Rose why Mella is money… [C]
2. Carmella vs. Mandy Rose. Cole tried to sell this as “an important matchup.” After near falls for both women, Carmella caught Rose with a superkick and pinned her…
Carmella beat Mandy Rose in 3:20.
Powell’s POV: Sonya Deville wasn’t in Rose’s corner despite telling her that she would be, so apparently it will be her fault that Carmella superkicked and pinned Rose.
A Sheamus vignette aired. He’s ready to break the door down on a whole new Smackdown…
[Hour Two] Cole hyped a rundown of the top five matches of 2019 on Tuesday’s WWE Backstage…
Powell’s POV: I hope you all have better things to do on New Year’s Eve.
3. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz for a WWE Universal Title shot at the Royal Rumble. Bryan’s entrance was not televised since he made a previous entrance. Corbin’s security hit the ring and attacked both men to end the match.
Daniel Bryan fought The Miz to an apparent no-contest in 2:35.
Bryan and Miz quickly cleared the ring. Backstage, Braxton asked Corbin what that was all about. Corbin called it justice and said she should ask Reigns about making it an unsafe work environment. She said she’d been told that Reigns was asked to leave the building. Corbin said that if that’s the case then he was willing to compete. Bryan and Miz headed backstage and attacked Corbin and his security guards at the Gorilla position… [C]
Cole and Graves announced that the Triple Threat main event would take place after all…
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross came out for the “A Moment of Bliss” talkshow segment on the stage. Bliss let Cross introduce Evans as the guest. Bliss set up footage from last week of Sasha Banks taunting Evans’ six-year-old daughter. Evans said Banks crossed a line that you do not cross.
Evans said her daughter means everything to her and she snapped when she saw Banks in her daughter’s face. Evans said there’s nothing she wouldn’t do to stop anyone who comes between her and her child. Evans said she wasn’t going to let herself be attacked from behind, which usually happens on talkshows.
Evans headed to the ring while Bliss and Cross headed backstage. Dana Brooke’s music played and then she was dragged onto the stage by Banks and Bayley. Banks said Evans might be a good mother, but she’s a terrible tag team partner. Evans ran to the stage where the teams brawled. Referees got between them heading into a break… [C]
4. Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans and Dana Brooke. Cole said Bayley would become the longest reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion on Saturday, surpassing the record set by Becky Lynch. Brooke was isolated by the heels early on. Evans had Bayley pinned at one point when Banks broke it up. Evans chased Evans around and then back into the ring. Bayley had Evans pinned, but Brooke broke it up. In the end, Brooke rolled up Banks for a two count, then Banks immediately put her in the Bank Statement and bot the submission win…
Bayley and Sasha Banks beat Lacey Evans and Dana Brooke in 6:30.
Backstage, Rose was tasting the frosting of Otis’s fruitcake when she was approached by Dolph Ziggler, who assumed she had plans for New Year’s Eve. Rose said she actually did not have plans. Ziggler tasted the frosting of the fruitcake and then said people find roaches in them. Ziggler smushed the cake with his foot. Corbin showed up and said he needed to talk with Ziggler immediately…
The broadcast team hyped the Triple Threat main event… [C]
Mustafa Ali stood backstage and said 2019 didn’t exactly go according to plan. Footage aired of Ali nearly winning the Money in the Bank match until Brock Lesnar stopped him. Ali said 2019 was filled with plenty of dark moments, but he refused to stand in the dark. He said he would continue to shatter stereotypes and continue being the light as he continued the chase of becoming a champion…
Otis found his smushed fruitcake backstage. Sadly, he didn’t eat it even though you know he wanted to…
5. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. King Corbin in a Triple Threat match for a shot at the WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. None of the entrances were televised. Corbin was in offensive control early on. Bryan and Miz took turns working over Corbin, who took out Miz, only to take a missile dropkick from Bryan heading into a break. [C]
Miz had his moment of shine by DDT’ing Bryan and then throwing his bad kicks at Corbin. Miz put Corbin in a figure four leg lock. Bryan leapt from the top rope and performed a headbutt on Corbin on the way down. Bryan turned Corbin over to break the figure four, then applied a LeBell Lock, which was broken up by Miz. Corbin eventually hit End of Days on Miz and had him pinned, but Bryan broke it up.
Bryan avoided Corbin’s finisher and then hit him with a running knee out of the corner. Dolph Ziggler entered the ring and attacked Bryan. Corbin made the cover, but Roman Reigns showed up and pulled Corbin to ringside and roughed him up. [C]
Coming out of the break, Cole noted that Corbin and Reigns brawled out of the arena. He said the match would continue without Corbin and the winner would challenge Wyatt at the Rumble. Miz went on the offensive until Bryan blocked his big finale kick. Bryan fired kicks of his own until Miz blocked his finale kick. Late in the match, Miz applied a figure four on Bryan, who escaped and then applied a LeBell Lock for the submission win…
Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz and King Corbin in 20:20 in a Triple Threat to earn a WWE Universal Title shot at the Royal Rumble.
Afterward, the Firefly Funhouse opening played. Bray Wyatt appeared from the Funhouse and congratulated Bryan. Wyatt said “he” remembers everything. He asked if Bryan is willing to do whatever it takes and whether he’s willing to let him in. In the ring, Bryan led the crowd in Yes! chants to close the show, which went off the air nearly three minutes before the top of the hour…
Powell’s POV: I’m actually surprised they didn’t find a way to put Miz in the match along with Bryan and Wyatt. They’ve been working house show matches and I thought they might use Miz to avoid having Bryan and Wyatt lose via pinfall or submission at the pay-per-view. It was nice to have a meaningful main event in terms of the match determining who will challenge Wyatt at the Rumble, but the early start and stop and the drama with Reigns felt counterproductive. The rest of the show felt flat, as Smackdown continues to be the worst of WWE’s weekly television shows. I will have more to say about Smackdown in my members’ exclusive audio show coming up shortly. Let me know what you thought of Smackdown by giving it a letter grade in our post show poll available on the main page.
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