20th Jan2020

Friday Night Smackdown – Jan 17th 2020: Results & Review

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have more build before the Royal Rumble. Will Will Byers be found? Will Mel Gibson let go of that lady’s throat? Will you still love me when I’m sixty-four? Will you enjoy this episode of SmackDown? No. Go do something else.

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Match #1: John Morrison def. Big E

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After John Morrison dropped Big E last week to assist The Miz in The A-Lister’s win over Kofi Kingston (sporting a new blonde hair color this week), Morrison squared off against Big E with Miz and Kingston in their respective corners. Competing in his first WWE match in over eight years, Morrison looked dynamic as ever, but he ran into trouble when Big E’s power began to shine. In the critical moments, Miz got up on the apron, but Kingston shoved Miz into the ring steps. JoMo took out Kingston, allowing Miz to recover and distract Big E just enough to give Morrison the opening he needed to connect with several strikes to Big E’s head. The former Intercontinental Champion followed up with Starship Pain for an impressive victory in his first match back.

My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – These guys had a good time on the dance floor together. It kinda looked like the cha-cha or the lambada…can’t tell the difference. JoMo, as God calls him, did well in his return to the league that once promoted him while he wore glitter on his abs. Big E adjusted his training bra and did his best Neal Peart impression to JoMo’s ass. This was equal parts flashy and meaty, with just a dash of cumin to really make that steak sizzle. Overall, this was a whole lotta pretty good.

Match #2: The Usos def. The Revival

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Usos and The Revival are on contrasting paths – Jimmy & Jey looking to build on their monumental return to the blue brand, Dash & Dawson simply trying to get back on track. This tag team contest saw far more of the former than the latter. The Revival came out of the gates strong, looking to isolate The Usos for as long as they could, however, once Jimmy & Jey got rolling, they weren’t to be stopped. The former SmackDown Tag Team Champions took down The Revival in impressive fashion as Jimmy finished Dash Wilder with a massive splash for the win.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – This turned out pretty well for a match that sure as hell was never going to stand a chance to do much more than be good enough to be good enough. There’s a lot of meat left on the bone when it comes to what these two teams can do with each other (they don’t get to do jack here). I enjoy the dynamic of the modern urban duo slapping around the Jim Crockett-esque Dixie fighters like it was a Street Fighter knock-off. Honestly, there’s not much to say here, besides that I wish that this match had been more than it was. I feel like I’m turning into S. Craig Zahler/Craig S. Zahler/what-ever the dink’s name is, because this review is boring the piss out of me.

Match #3: Lacey Evans def. Bayley

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Following Lacey Evans’ raucous backstage brawl with Bayley and Sasha Banks that saw The Boss seemingly injure her ankle, Bayley was forced to saddle up against The Sassy Southern Belle in non-title competition on the blue brand due to Banks not being able to compete. A clearly less-than-enthused Bayley attempted to put the boots to Evans in the early goings, looking for any advantage possible to put Lacey down for three. The Lady of WWE battled back with a gritty showing though, scoring a major victory over the SmackDown Women’s Champion after connecting with the devastating Woman’s Right.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – Bayley carried Evans to a decent match. Evans is a bit more interesting as a face, but I’d rather see her as a merciless killing machine, thanks to her military training. There’s not much else here but business as usual. What a boring episode.

Match #4: Alexa Bliss def. Sonya Deville

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Last week, Otis paid major dividends for Fire & Desire. This week… not so much. After Otis was unintentionally instrumental in helping secure Mandy Rose a victory over Alexa Bliss last week, Sonya Deville figured to keep the good vibes going by actually having Otis in her corner (along with Mandy and Tucker) tonight against Bliss, who was flanked by Nikki Cross. A competitive match saw The Golden Goddess get up on the apron in an attempt to help Deville. However, Cross knocked Rose off the apron, and Mandy fell right into Otis’ arms as the two locked eyes. The chaos distracted Deville, giving Bliss just enough time to sneak up behind Sonya and roll her up for the victory. Sonya was heated, Mandy was speechless and Otis was absolutely devastated. It’s hard to replicate success.

My Opinion: 2.3 out of 5 – This match was dull. There you go. I hate story-line s—.

Match #5: (Main Event) Roman Reigns def. Robert Roode – Tables Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Robert Roode returned last week, getting instant retaliation on Roman Reigns for badly injuring him several weeks ago, leading to this Tables Match in the main event. The stakes were high because the winner would get to choose the stipulation for the match between Reigns and King Corbin at Royal Rumble next Sunday. Roode ambushed Reigns from behind during The Big Dog’s entrance to jumpstart the action. The frenetic match changed completely when Roode used Reigns’ momentum against him to smash him through the barricade. That catastrophic moment prompted the arrival of King Corbin, who leered on from ringside as Roode attempted to put Reigns away. Dolph Ziggler then arrived, also trying to assist, but The Usos intervened, smashing Ziggler through a table and giving The Big Dog the needed space to finish off Roode with a massive Spear through a table for the win.

My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – These guys had a solid fight for about ten minutes. The tables worked well for creating drama and suspense. This whole match was a case of simple yet clever booking, thanks to each man having used a table or two on each other in the past month or so. Roode is too damn good to just be somebody’s whipping boy, but I bet it pays real well, so there’s that. Vince needs to give Roode a new push. Do it Fred Ward. Give Remo Williams his next adventure. Also, Roman is not a candle.

News Of The Night:

  1. Daniel Bryan fights Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title in a Strap Match at the Royal Rumble.
  2. Braun Strowman wants the Intercontinental Title.
  3. Fire And Desire is being teased as splitting.
  4. Roman Reigns fights King Corbin in a Falls Count Any-Where Match at the Royal Rumble.

Final Verdict: 2.7/5

This was a lame episode that had some good wrestling, but not enough of it to go around.

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