By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Episode 1,274)
Atlanta, Georgia at State Farm Arena
Aired live January 19, 2024 on Fox
[Hour One] Smackdown opened with a brief recap video… Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman arrived at the building where Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa were waiting for them. Jimmy acted excited to see Reigns, who asked if he fixed things. Jimmy said no. Reigns said he was there to make everything right again. After Reigns and Heyman walked away, Sikoa said he would fix everything… The broadcast team of Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves checked in…
Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis stood in the ring to host the contract signing for the WWE Universal Championship match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis welcomed viewers to a sold out Smackdown in Atlanta. AJ Styles came out first and signed the contract. LA Knight came out next and also signed the contract. Randy Orton made his entrance dressed in a t-shirt and shorts and signed the contract.
Roman Reigns was introduced by Aldis. Roman’s entrance theme played, but Paul Heyman walked out instead with a microphone in hand. Heyman introduced himself. Heyman said that Reigns didn’t get a chance to review the contract and therefore would not sign it.
Aldis said that was fine. Heyman started to walk to the back, but he stopped when Aldis said they could have a Triple Threat for the vacant WWE Universal Championship. Heyman walked to the ring and stood on the apron while he spoke to Aldis. Heyman put his hand on Aldis’s arm and told him that he cares deeply about him.
Heyman said he halfway respects and admires the mediocre job that Aldis has done as the general manager. Heyman said that while Aldis does the mediocre job, he looks good doing it in his Heyman wannabe suits. Heyman said there was no way that Aldis could sell what he was pitching to the fans or to Reigns, whom Heyman said calls the shots. Heyman wanted a one-on-one match.
“Will you shut the hell up?” Knight asked. Knight said he should have a one-on-one match with Reigns because he had him pinned at Crown Jewel before his halfwit cousin showed up. Knight complained about Styles and Orton being in the match after taking time away.
Styles pointed out a loss that Knight took and said he’s lucky to be in the match. Knight said Styles has a horseshoe up his ass and he should focus on Reigns. Styles reminded him that they would all be fighting each other. Knight mockingly thanked him for telling him how it works.
Knight delivered his catchphrase and started to leave, but Styles spun him around and punched him. Styles and Knight fought in the entrance aisle. Aldis motioned for help and then a group of producers and referees ran out and tried to pull them apart. They eventually fought to the back.
Heyman was smiling as he stood on the apron and leaned against the ropes. Orton grabbed Heyman by the tie and told him that he saw what Heyman was trying to do and it would not work. Orton said he would beat Sikoa in the main event and then reintroduce Reigns to the letters RKO. Orton’s music played to end the segment…
Powell’s POV: A decent segment. It was a letdown that Reigns wasn’t involved, but he’s obviously in the building so we should see more of him throughout the show. I like the way they continue to establish that Aldis isn’t putting up with Bloodline power plays. By the way, I’m filling in for Jake Barnett tonight with this review and our weekly Smackdown audio review, which will be available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). A word of warning. Smackdown is bumped to a later time on my local Fox affiliate, so I’m watching on the Fox Sports app, which does not allow me to rewind the live broadcast. Feel free to email me if you are watching along with me and notice that I missed something notable.
U.S. Champion Logan Paul was shown walking backstage with his own cameraman…
LWO members Carlito, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Zelina Vega made their entrance for the opening six-man tag match heading into a commercial break… [C]
Nick Aldis was shown walking backstage. AJ Styles stopped him and told him that he wanted to face LA Knight later in the show. Aldis agreed to make the match… Santos Escobar, Angel Garza, and Humberto Carrillo made their entrance and were introduced by ring announcer Mike Rome…
1. “Legado Del Fantasma” Santos Escobar, Angel Garza, and Humberto Carrillo vs. “The LWO” Carlito, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro (w/Zelina Vega). Wilde and Del Toro performed a couple of early dives on their opponents and then the LWO members stood tall in the ring. [C] Patrick said the venue was sold out with 13,470 in attendance.
Wilde was isolated by the heels and eventually made the hot tag to Carlito, who worked over Garza and Carrillo. Carlito put Carrillo down with a spinebuster and had him pinned, but Escobar broke up the pin. Escobar begged off and threw a kick that Carlito blocked before Carrillo caught him with a springboard enzuigiri.
A short time later, Carlito put Carrillo down with a Backstabber. However, Escobar made a blind tag before Carlito performed his finisher. Escobar snuck in and rolled up Carlito and got the three count…
“Legado Del Fantasma” Santos Escobar, Angel Garza, and Humberto Carrillo defeated “The LWO” Carlito, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro in 8:25.
Powell’s POV: A throwaway finish that kept the feud going by giving the heels a win while not really hurting the babyfaces.
The Pretty Deadly duo of Elton Prince and Kit Wilson were briefly interviewed by Kayla Braxton on the backstage interview set before they made their entrance… The broadcast team hyped Styles vs. Knight for later in the show…
A video package featured a promo from Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford, and Angelo Dawkins while footage aired of them being attacked by Karrion Kross, Akam, and Rezar. They said the heels have their attention now and they shouldn’t let their suits fool them. Lashley said they would show them what real intimidation looks like…
Tyler Bate made his entrance. “And his tag team partner…” Mike Rome said. There was a pause and then the video wall listed Pete Dunne rather than Butch. There were some cheers from the crowd. Rome introduced him by the Pete Dunne name. Graves expressed excitement while labeling Dunne as The Bruiserweight…
2. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate vs. “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson. There was a brief “Bruiserweight” chant while the match started. Dunne and Bate got the better of their opponents heading into an early break. [C]
Dunne took a hot tag and had a nice flurry of offense until he ran into a boot from Prince. Bate tagged in and worked over both opponents with punches. Dunne tagged in and then he and Bate threw simultaneous kicks at Prince. Bate dove onto Wilson on the floor. Dunne hit his Bitter End finisher on Prince and then pinned him…
Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate beat “Pretty Deadly” Elton Prince and Kit Wilson in 7:20.
Powell’s POV: It’s good to see Pete Dunne get his name back. Bate continued to be more comedic than I prefer, especially when the announcers are playing up their British Strong Style history. I’m guessing the idea is that Bate’s comedic approach provides a nice contrast with the serious Dunne character.
A sponsored video package recapped Kevin Owens knocking out Logan Paul, followed by Paul’s rebuttal promo in which he threatened to sue Owens so that he couldn’t wear a cast during their title match at the Royal Rumble…
Kevin Owens made his entrance to host The KO Show and had the black cast on his right hand… [C] The broadcast team hyped Orton vs. Sikoa, and Styles vs. Knight for later in the show…
Kayla Braxton caught up with Elton Prince and Kit Wilson and recalled them telling her that they were ready for their match. They claimed they were not ready and complained about Pete Dunne no longer being Butch…
[Hour Two] Kevin Owens stood in the ring and introduced Logan Paul as his guest. Paul joined Owens in the ring and claimed that it’s his show now. He also said Owens is the reason he entered WWE. Footage aired of Owens giving Paul a Stunner at WrestleMania three years ago.
Paul said Owens embarrassed him in front of 70,000 people three years ago. Owens said he barely remembered doing that. He said Paul isn’t an actual wrestler. Paul said he is a maverick and an innovator, whereas “you are just you.”
Owens said he didn’t know what any of that meant. He recalled Paul taking jabs at his weight and said Paul gets to say whatever he wants. Owens said he can’t say what he wants to say about Paul because Paul is protected. Owens gave Paul credit for using the tools that were given to him to win the U.S. Championship.
Owens said it’s a joke that has gone on for far too long and he will end the joke at the Royal Rumble. Paul accused Owens of being hypocritical because his hand is protected by the cast. He said it would take him one second to KO Owens.
Owens said anyone who has watched him over the last ten years knows that he has taken big blows and fallen from high places and always gets up. Owens said there’s not a punch that Paul could hit him with that would keep him down. Owens gave Paul his word that he would not wear the cast during their Royal Rumble match.
Owens said he would even remove the cast while they were in the ring just to make Paul feel better. As Owens started to remove the cast, Paul hit him with a cheap shot punch. Paul celebrated and then his face showed fear when he noticed that Owens got back to his feet. They ended up at ringside where Paul slammed Owens’ injured hand into the ring post casing. Owens sold hand pain while Paul stood on the ring steps and held up the U.S. Championship…
Powell’s POV: There was a limited capacity at Raymond James Stadium due to Covid at WrestleMania in 2021, so Paul was embellishing when he said there were 70,000 fans in attendance. The two night attendance figure was actually 40,806. Putting that aside, this was a solid segment that put heat on Paul while also establishing that Owens has a weakness heading into their title match.
Roman Reigns held court in a backstage dressing room. Reigns scolded Paul Heyman and Jimmy Uso. Solo Sikoa stepped up and told Reigns that last week was on him. Sikoa said he would show him by fixing it in the ring. Reigns looked taken aback as Sikoa exited the room…
The broadcast team hyped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match as coming up next while the beginning of Kayden Carter and Katana Chance’s entrance was shown… [C] Mike Rome introduced the tag team champions while Damage CTRL members Iyo Sky, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Bayley, and Dakota Kai were shown at ringside. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn made their entrance to a flat reaction…
3. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance vs. “The Unholy Union” Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Bayley sat in on commentary while the rest of Damage CTRL stood by. Bayley, who wore a Rhea Ripley t-shirt, said she would win the Royal Rumble and then take out Ripley so that Damage CTRL would hold all the gold. Carter hit a nice Destroyer on Fyre. Chance tagged in and the champions hit the Keg Stand and got the quick pin…
Kayden Carter and Katana Chance defeated “The Unholy Union” Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn in 2:55 to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.
After the match, Asuka and Kairi Sane brought the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title belts into the ring. Sane dropped to one knee and the Carter ripped the belt away from her while Chance took the other belt from Asuka. Bayley played up the idea that it seemed as if they had agreed to a future tag team title match…
Powell’s POV: There wasn’t much to the match. It gave the champions a quick win, but it seemed like it was more about setting up a Carter and Chance vs. Asuka and Sane. With Bayley talking about Damage CTRL trying to take all the gold, I could definitely see the tag titles changing hands soon.
The broadcast team paid tribute to Royal Rumble creator Pat Patterson while acknowledging today as his birthday…
Backstage, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Mia Yim spoke to AJ Styles. Gallows said that they still have his back. Styles walked away without responding while Graves questioned if Styles wants them to have his back… [C]
A video package aired on The Final Testament. Karrion Kross delivered a promo while Paul Ellering, Scarlett, Akam, and Rezar stood by. Kross said they don’t get the same opportunities as Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits because they are disruptors. He said they would meet them face to face next week…
Carmelo Hayes was interviewed on the backstage ring set by Cathy Kelley. Hayes said he and Austin Theory were fortunate to walk away from last week’s match without injuries. He spoke about how he balls out. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller crashed the set. Theory accused Hayes of trying to hurt him. Hayes challenged Theory to face him next week. Theory said he had a lot going on, but Waller interrupted and accepted the match for Theory, who told him that he had to stop doing that…
AJ Styles made his entrance… The Raw ad for Monday’s show focused on Cody Rhodes and CM Punk meeting face-to-face, Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins kicking off the show with an update regarding his future as the World Heavyweight Champion… [C]
Patrick hyped tickets for Undertaker’s one-man show during Royal Rumble weekend…
The broadcast team listed the following matches for next week’s Smackdown: Carlito vs. Santos Escobar, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits go face-to-face with The Final Testament, Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance vs. “The Kabuki Warriors” Asuka and Kairi Sane for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles… LA Knight made his entrance…
4. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight. Styles fled to ringside when Knight went on the offensive. Knight followed and then Styles went to the apron and hit him with a knee strike. Knight picked up Styles and dropped him on the top of the barricade. Knight slammed Styles’ head off the broadcast table.
Jimmy Uso walked out. Knight stopped slamming Styles head on the broadcast table and turned his attention to Uso. When Knight turned back, Styles hit him with an enzuigiri. Solo Sikoa showed up behind the barricade and hit Knight with a Samoan Spike to end the match.
AJ Styles fought LA Knight to a no-contest in 4:50.
After the match, Sikoa attacked Styles and put him down in the ring with a Samoan Spike. Sikoa took the mic and said two down, one to go. Sikoa called out Randy Orton for the main event… [C]
Powell’s POV: You had to know this match wasn’t going to have a clean finish given that both men are in the four-way title match at the Rumble.
Nick Aldis was at ringside coming out of the break. Graves reminded viewers that Roman Reigns had yet to sign the contract for the four-way championship match at the Royal Rumble… Randy Orton made his entrance…
5. Randy Orton vs. Solo Sikoa. Sikoa jumped out to a fast start and hit Orton with a hip attack in the corner. Orton rolled to the floor. Sikoa followed and they fought near the broadcast table. Sikoa slammed Orton’s head on the broadcast table and then ran him into the ring steps. Sikoa stood on the apron and mugged for the booing crowd. [C]
Orton put Sikoa down with a Draping DDT. Orton played to the crowd and then struck the Viper’s Pose. Jimmy Uso walked out, but LA Knight ran out and hit him. Jimmy caught Knight with a shot and laughed as he headed toward the back, but AJ Styles cut him off. Meanwhile, Sikoa stood behind Orton and held up his Samoan Spike hand, but Orton dropped him with an RKO and pinned him.
Randy Orton defeated Solo Sikoa in 5:10.
Orton, Styles, and Knight all ended up in the ring. Knight dropped Styles with a punch and then talked smack over him. Orton spun Knight around and gave him and RKO. Styles got to his feet and was also dropped by an RKO from Orton.
Roman Reigns entered the ring and hit Orton with a Superman Punch. Reigns, who wore an Atlanta specific “Acknowledge Me” hoodie, laughed while the fans booed. Aldis handed Reigns the contract. Reigns signed the contract and then dropped it on the ground rather than hand it back to Aldis.
Reigns set up in a corner of the ring and let out his war cry. Once Orton got back to his feet, Reigns charged toward him and went for a Superman Punch, but Orton dropped him with an RKO. Orton’s music played and they replayed Orton’s RKO on Reigns twice in slow motion. Orton looked at the contract and then placed it in front of Reigns’s face. Orton went to the ropes to celebrate to close the show…
Powell’s POV: I don’t know if Orton was pointing out something in the contract that Reigns missed or if he was just taunting him about the upcoming four-way match. This was Orton’s night to shine. It was disappointing that we didn’t get much of Reigns during one of his rare appearances, but they did a good job of playing up that Orton in particular is a threat to his title.
Overall, a solid show that continued the build to the four-way match for the WWE Universal Championship and the U.S. Championship. The Royal Rumble matches didn’t get much hype this week. I don’t mind the way they have had a limited the number of wrestlers declare for the Rumble matches so that they can focus on the favorites, but these shows have felt a little less newsworthy without new Rumble entrants.
I will be back shortly with my same night audio review of Smackdown for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of Smackdown by grading the show below. Have a great weekend!
wait has solo sikai ever been beat before? he beat John Cena i did nt expect him go down so easily. I want to see John Cena vs solo SIKAI last man standing match at mania