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Credit: WWE.com
The January 8 issue of Friday Night SmackDown feels like part two of the blue brand’s celebration of the new year. With some important title matches and important moments to build after WWE Royal Rumble, it had the chance to be a great show.
Kevin Owens pushed himself too far in the war with Roman Reigns, and The Head of The Table with Jey Uso left him badly injured. It left the door open for the announcement of a major glove match.
Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin will take on the battle to determine the number 1 candidate for the WWE Universal Champion, who faces him in the WWE Royal Rumble.
Big E promised to be a fighting champion, and it started with the announcement that he would defend his WWE Intercontinental Championship against the man who helped him defeat Sami Zayn and King Corbin last week, Apollo Crews.
The Street Profits also continued their rivalry with Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode by putting their titles back on the line. The heels used all the tricks in the book and got short, but it was time to pull out their best kept secret tricks.
SmackDown started strong, but the show is only building towards a better future. The roster should continue to rely on young impressive rising stars to thrive in 2021.
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Roman Reigns gave Kevin Owens respect because he fought with ambition. He blamed Adam Pearce for KO’s injuries due to the match between Owens and Jey Uso. The Head of The Table showed Pearce a video package that led to KO’s injuries.
Reigns dismissed the government figure for injuring an injured Owens. He came into Pearce’s face because he did not show him the respect he deserved by allowing him to pick his next challenger rather than wait for a glove match.
Pearce could not defend himself when The Head of The Table approached him, wondering if he was being called stupid. Reigns barely deteriorated, but left Pearce with a lasting threat.
Grade
B +
Analysis
While it would have made more sense to involve the members of the glove contest in this segment, Reigns did it all the same. His fierce attitude towards Pearce was hard to ignore and set up the silent potential of a one-off match between The Head of The Table and the veteran-independent wrestler.
Comfortable WWE fans probably have no idea who Pearce is, but the five-time NWA world heavyweight champion can certainly sell an underdog rivalry with Reigns. That’s all if he can be released late in his career. The possibility of the story is unlimited.
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Credit: WWE.com
Apollo Crews came behind Big E from the start and looked like the better man throughout. He tossed the WWE intercontinental champion around with ease. After a massive superplex, the two legs closed for a double fall, which ended the match in a draw.
Crews claimed the title and slapped his friend in the face. That convinced Big E to start the game again. An angry champion went after Crews until he was caught with a knee in the face.
A spinbuster and frog splash almost took the win, but Big E refused to stay. E fought back violently, carrying his challenger with the exhaust damper and planting him with the Big Ending to win.
Outcome
Big E vs. Crews draw; E def. Crew patterns in the reload to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Grade
B
Analysis
Strange discussion and a lack of time allow for an impressive and energetic sprint between two motivated artists. Big E and Crews were all busy making this work work, and they gave fans an impressive physical war of strength and speed. A rematch should take another five minutes.
Crews teased a heel turn after hitting his friend in the face out of frustration. It would be too early to stop him, but Crews could make a splash if it’s finally what makes him thrive on SmackDown.
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Credit: WWE.com
Bianca Belair announced her entry into the Royal Rumble, followed by an interruption by Bayley, who decided to enter the match and eliminate The EST on its way to a new government. Carmella boasts behind the scenes defeating Sasha Banks, making it clear that she’s still more talented than The Legit Boss.
Dolph Ziggler survived an early bout of Montez Ford by going after his injured left leg and Robert Roode did the same. Ford still refused to slow down and hit a somersault plancha on the heels that clearly damaged his leg when he struggled to stand.
Angelo Dawkins realized he would have to fight alone for a while while Ford recovered, and the heels gladly turned the game into a handicap. Ford got the hot label and had to get physical rather than explosive, which worked for a while, including a discus lariat.
The Showoff planted Ford with a face shoulder from the top rope to stop him in his tracks. Dawkins made a crucial save, but could not get to the label because Ziggler hit the bigger man from the apron. While Ford kicked out a fishing buster, he was for the score after a backbone / Zig Zag combination.
When Dawkins looks after his injured partner, the newly crowned champion The Street Profits attacks from behind.
Outcome
Ziggler and Roode defended it. Profit per pinfall to become the new SmackDown team champion.
Grade
A
Analysis
It was the best that these teams watched together. Ford was, as always, the star of the program, but in a very different way. He sold like a champion to make it clear that it was never a fair fight. Fans have already seen that the profit was better, so it was important to make clear how different it was.
Ziggler and Roode had to win this match. If they had lost after all, the duo could just as well have broken out. Hopefully WWE finally joins the teams for a while. The profits have held a large portion of gold over the past year, so it will be nice to see them hunt again.
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Backstage, Pearce spoke to his new assistant Sonya Deville, who asked if the authority figure would enter the glove match after Reigns threatened him. Paul Heyman told Pearce he was in the glove match. Billie Kay spoke to The Riott Squad about joining the group.
Sami Zayn brought in a special camera crew to film a documentary exposing the conspiracy against him. He steps into the ring and immediately takes a 619 in a splash to be eliminated first by Rey Mysterio. Shinsuke Nakamura had Mysterio sticking out to a bracelet.
King Corbin attacked everyone on the way to the ring and attacked The Artist. The king used the lead to dominate Nakamura, but his opponent refused to stop even after the Deep Six. He catches Corbin returning to the ring with a Kinshasa to eliminate him.
Bryan knew he had a lead and knocked Nakamura down in his third consecutive fight of the night. A technical war ensued between these veterans where Bryan apparently had the fight in the bag until Nakamura caught him running with the Kinshasa for a shocking elimination.
Pearce reluctantly dated Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Heyman encouraged him. Uso attacked The Artist with The Head of The Table. Reigns then knocks Pearce out and drapes him over Nakamura to win.
Outcome
Pearce wins the glove with the final elimination Nakamura to become the new number one contestant in the WWE Universal Championship.
Grade
A
Analysis
This game had some interesting stories along the way. Nakamura feels like the strange man in this match, but he stole the show with one of his best performances in WWE. He and Corbin looked good together, and it was nice to see The Planet’s Champion and The Artist again.
At the end of this performance of Nakamura, The Artist looks as good as ever. He was made as a top face on the blue brand. Even though he ‘lost’, it is clear that Nakamura is now considered a future top challenger to the WWE universal champion.
Pearce is a veteran artist who is possibly his one big breakthrough. He has worked well as an authority figure, and this could be the reward for his work in that role as well as training in the Performance Center. The story is going to make him the biggest underdog possible for The Head of The Table.