WWE SmackDown LIVE Results: January 23, 2018By Cassidy| January 24, 2018 WWE SmackDown Previous Page Detailed Results Before they challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, SmackDown LIVE kicks off with Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Kevin Owens says that he and Sami Zayn are the “future of WWE”, not a bunch of “retirees” like they saw on RAW 25 before saying that they are looking at the new co-WWE Champions after this Sunday. Owens then says that AJ Styles has “no chance” of walking out of the Royal Rumble as the WWE Champion, saying that he and Zayn are the “absolute best” in WWE. Sami Zayn then says that, at the Royal Rumble, they are going to beat AJ Styles and take the WWE Championship and become the first ever co-WWE Champions. Sami then says that they’re not only going to take AJ Styles’ WWE Title at the Royal Rumble, they are going to “hurt” AJ Styles before Owens & Zayn start their own “yep” chant. Naturally, this brings out WWE Champion AJ Styles, who refers to Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn as “Kami” before saying “nope” to all of the boastful claims made by Owens & Zayn. Owens responds by saying that, after they become the co-WWE Champions at the Royal Rumble, they will be hearing “yep” all the time. Styles says that Owens & Zayn have the obvious advantage, but they are facing someone who is “phenomenal”, saying that as long as there is fight left in his body, he will make sure that Owens & Zayn will “never” be co-WWE Champions, declaring that this is “the house that AJ Styles built”. Owens responds by calling the WWE Champion “ignorant” before saying that ignorance is “the official language of Washington, D.C.”. Sami then follows up by saying that it’s ignorance that got AJ Styles into this mess in the first place. Sami then says that Daniel Bryan is “making” AJ Styles live up to his word, asking it Styles will still stay true to his word without Daniel Bryan making him. Owens & Zayn then show footage from two weeks ago where AJ said that he could beat Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn on the same night before Kevin Owens asks if AJ Styles is going to be “the man” that he claims to be. Owens then challenges AJ Styles to face Kevin Owens in a one-on-one match followed immediately by a one-on-one match against Sami Zayn! However, before the WWE Champion can respond, SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan comes out to the stage, saying he has the “utmost faith” in AJ Styles. AJ cuts the GM off, though, saying that he doesn’t know if Daniel is working with “these two dirt bags” before AJ accepts the challenge, vowing to “hurt” Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn tonight! AJ then heads to the back as Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn exude confidence in the ring. Before The Usos defend the SmackDown Tag Team Titles against Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match at the Royal Rumble this Sunday, one-half of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions Jey Uso, with Jimmy Uso in his corner, went one-on-one with Chad Gable, with Shelton Benjamin in his corner, in the opening match of the night. In the end, it was Chad Gable hitting his roll-through German suplex, pinning Jey Uso to pick up the win as well as picking up some momentum heading into the Royal Rumble. Before they are both a part of the Women’s Royal Rumble Match this Sunday night, Naomi would go one-on-one with The Riott Squad’s Liv Morgan, with Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan in her corner. During the match, Natalya, Lana, Carmella, and Becky Lynch would make their way to ringside, looking on as the match concludes with Naomi using a sunset flip to pin Liv Morgan for the win. After the match, Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan would ambush Naomi before Becky Lynch gets involved, sparking a brawl between the four women. Natalya, Lana, & Carmella then join the fray with each woman symbolically throwing an adversary over the top rope to the outside. It would then come down to Natalya and Carmella in the ring with Natalya dropping “Ms. Money-in-the-Bank” with the Discus Clothesline before Becky Lynch & Naomi chase Natalya out of the ring. However, Becky Lynch would surprise Naomi by trying to eliminate Naomi. This brings SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair out to the stage as Charlotte says that friendships don’t matter come this Sunday, wishing “good luck” to all of the women in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, especially to whoever wins the Women’s Royal Rumble Match. With the Men’s Royal Rumble Match coming this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, two of the thirty competitors in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match would go one-on-one on SmackDown LIVE as “The Artist” Shinsuke Nakamura would face “The Lone Wolf” Baron Corbin. After escaping the End of Days, Shinsuke Nakamura would size Baron Corbin up for the Kinshasa but this is when a lightning quick Randy Orton would enter the ring with a shocking RKO out of nowhere to Shinsuke Nakamura, ending the match by disqualification! Baron Corbin then tries to pick a fight with “The Viper” but Corbin also gets dropped with an RKO! Orton then stands tall in the ring, having made a major statement heading into the Royal Rumble. After beating Jinder Mahal in the Finals of the United States Championship Tournament last week, new United States Champion Bobby Roode would team with The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, with Big E in their corner, to face the team of Jinder Mahal and Rusev Day, with one of The Singh Brothers in their corner, in a 6-Man Tag Match. In the end, it was Xavier Woods hitting the Up, Up, Down, Down on Aiden English, pinning Aiden to pick up the win for his team. Then it was time for WWE Champion AJ Styles to face the unenviable task of having to compete in back-to-back one-on-one matches against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. However, as Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn make their way to the ring, SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon comes out to ban Sami Zayn from ringside for the match between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, telling Sami that, if he goes anywhere near the ring during the match, he will lose his opportunity at the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble because will fire Sami on the spot tonight, making the same ruling for the match between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn as, if Kevin Owens gets anywhere near the ring during that match, then Kevin Owens will be fired on the spot! With Sami Zayn banned from being anywhere near the ring, WWE Champion AJ Styles would go one-on-one with Kevin Owens in a non-title match. During the match, AJ Styles would move out of the way of an attempted Cannonball in the corner and Kevin Owens would appear to hurt his left leg. The WWE Champion is quick to take advantage, locking in the Calf Crusher as Kevin Owens quickly taps out as AJ picks up the win. Sami Zayn then immediately pounces on AJ Styles and, as Kevin Owens limps away from ringside, Sami would repeatedly put the boots to the WWE Champion, refusing to let the match even begin. Sami then pulls AJ out of the ring, sending AJ into the steel steps before hammering the WWE Champion with right hands. The referee is then finally able to restore order and get the match underway as a stretcher is brought out for Kevin Owens at ringside. During the match, AJ Styles would dive to the outside to take out Sami Zayn but, after rolling Sami back into the ring, the WWE Champion would decide to inflict more punishment on the injured Kevin Owens, stomping at the injured left leg of Owens and pummeling Owens before Sami Zayn intervenes. Later on in the match, AJ Styles would again target Kevin Owens, this time flipping the stretcher over, sending Kevin Owens toppling to the floor. However, this would cost “The Phenomenal One” as Sami Zayn would be lying in wait, scoring with the Helluva Kick before hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb, pinning the WWE Champion to pick up the win. After the match, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn stand tall over AJ Styles in a sign of what could become a very real possibility this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. What did you think of the last SmackDown LIVE before the Royal Rumble? Post your comments in the box below.
