WWE Smackdown Review 01/11/2024

Hello everyone, I am one half of your Irn Bruiserweights bringing you your Smackdown Review. So let's get into it.

Up first, Nia Jax for her face to face with Liv Morgan while the gaudy Saudi belt is in the ring. Jax gets a mic and says she’s focused on the women’s Crown Jewel title, she wants it and usually gets everything she wants. Last time in Saudi she won Queen of the Ring, she became women’s champion, and anything that gets in her way gets obliterated. Which is exactly what’ll happen to the insufferable Liv Morgan. Raquel Rodriguez clears the way wearing bad sunglasses, she’s followed by Liv Morgan with a mic and an unwashed dude. Morgan brings up retiring Becky Lynch and thanks Dominik Mysterio for helping her do that. She’s also held her title longer than Jax has had hers, and if her memory is right she beat Jax the last time they wrestled. Everyone’s in the ring now. Tiffany Stratton heads down now to try and inject some life into this whole thing, and she says Crown Jewel will be Tiffy Time. She and her briefcase will be at Crown Jewel and she’ll cash in to become the women’s world champion. Jax tries to talk over Tiffany but Tiffany reminds everyone she could cash in on Jax. After more bickering between all three women, Tiffany again promises to take home at least one title at Crown Jewel. She asks if Dom comes with her if she beats Morgan since he’s just an accessory. Tiffany knocks Morgan out of the ring to set up the match for after this break.

Match 1 - Tiffany Stratton w/ Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan w/ Raquel Rodriguez and Dom Mysterio

The match joined in progress with Morgan and Tiffany brawling on the floor. They head back into the ring where Tiffany kicks Morgan down and then starts laying in punches. Handspring back elbow from Tiffany misses and Morgan lands a dropkick then some corner work but Tiffany counters with a powerbomb for a 2 count. Morgan with an alleged Codebreaker to take over but her ObLIVion is blocked and Tiffany lands a double stomp. Jax distracts the ref so Tiffany can swing the briefcase but misses and Morgan with a School Boy and tight grab to get the pin.

Official Winner - Liv Morgan won in 2:05 give or take

Official thoughts - Too short to be anything other than a dud, and I’m again left cold by the interactions between Jax and Morgan. They’re both heels but not the kind of heels you even remotely want to root for. Tiffany still feels like a little bit of an afterthought, but that’s kind of par for the course for MITB winners at this point.

Post match Jax winds up using the briefcase to lay out Morgan and her goons, then hits an Annihilator on Morgan to stand tall.

Recap of Randy Orton getting his match with Kevin Owens from last week. We also get a video from Owens, he’s been trying to call Randy and he needs to be heard on this. He doesn’t want to fight Randy, he still looks up to him and doesn’t want to be made to do this. Just remember, he never wanted to hurt Randy but he’s going to, and it’s Randy’s fault.

The Street Profits head to the ring, they’ll be in action after this break.

Post break here comes Pretty Deadly.

Match 2 – Tag Team Match - Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) w/ B-Fab vs. Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince)

Wilson and Prince jump Ford and Dawkins before the bell. Wilson with some work to Ford then he tags in Prince and they hit an assisted gutbuster for a 2 count. Some stomps from Prince then he mocks Ford and stomps him again. Wilson tags back in but Ford starts fighting back only to eat a DDT from Wilson for another 2 count. The crowd is dead for this, which is usually true for the second set of a taping but it’s really visible at the moment. Prince tags back in but again Ford fights back and ultimately tags in Dawkins. Dawkins runs wild for a bit but eventually, Prince hits a Stun Gun to slow him down, then tags in Wilson for an assisted Codebreaker and Ford has to break up the pin. Ford gets knocked out of the ring, the ref gets distracted and B-Fab takes out Prince with a scoop slam on the floor. Dawkins tags in Ford and they hit the Doomsday Blockbuster to win.

Official Winners - The Street Profits won in 4:01

Official thoughts -  Another shorter match, the Profits badly need some kind of shift to character or presentation because they feel stale despite still being a very good tag team.

In the back, Tiffany has a visible bump on her head after a briefcase shot from Morgan, she and Jax talk but run into Bayley and Naomi. Naomi reminds Jax that she’s coming for a title shot. After this break, Bayley and Naomi will take on Candice LeRae and the recently released Indi Hartwell.

Post break Naomi and Bayley head to the ring. It sounds like the sound mixing is a little bit off, which is an odd technical issue to have. Candice and Indi follow.

Match 3 – Tag Team Match - Bayley and Naomi vs. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell

Candice and Indi attack at the bell, settling with Indi and Bayley being the legal women. Bayley with some punches but then Indi fights back with punches of her own and stomps away at Bayley. Candice tags in and hits a second rope crossbody to the floor on Bayley as we head to break.

Post break Candice tags in Indi as Bayley is still playing face in peril. Side slam from Indi then she tags in Candice and they hit an assisted splash for a 2 count. Candice starts working the arm of Bayley, but the crowd remains pretty dead as Candice decides to cheap shot, Naomi. Bayley is sent to the apron then Indi tags in but Bayley starts fighting back and slams Candice into the ring post then clobbers Indi in the corner to set up a dropping double knee. Naomi wants in, Candice tags in first and tries to stop the tag but she’s too weak and Bayley just drags her over and tags in Naomi. Naomi runs wild to crickets, including hitting the Heatseeker on the apron, which deserved at least a little pop. Split leg splash from Naomi and Indi breaks up the pin. Indi and Bayley get disposed of then Candice hits an enziguri to Naomi but Naomi fights out of the corner and takes out Indi as Bayley tags in. Bayley snaps Candice over the middle rope and then runs into Naomi but it’s a tag. Parade of signature moves and Candice hits the Lionsault but Bayley isn’t legal. Naomi hits the Rear View and wins.

Official Winners - Bayley and Naomi won in 8:52

Official thoughts - Competent but it felt a little off to watch knowing Indi got released today. The action was fine but man the crowd just did not care about anything.

Next a recap of the Bloodline story over the last few weeks.

After this break, Roman and Jey will talk in the ring.

Post break Roman’s music hits and slightly livens up the crowd. Roman and Jimmy Uso head to the ring. We get a reminder that Roman, Jimmy, and Jey will take on Solo, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu at Crown Jewel. Jimmy has a mic and plays with the crowd a bit then reminds us that their group is not solid right now. He loves Roman and needs Roman to listen, he needs to drop the beef with Jey. Jimmy made up with Jey as a “drop the beef” chant hits and makes me miss Big E. Anyway, Jimmy needs Roman to move past this thing with Jey, because if they’re not strong together they’ll fall at Crown Jewel. Roman asks for the mic from Jimmy, but before Jimmy passes it off Jey’s music hits. Jey heads down through the crowd which is at least somewhat lively now. Once he eventually gets to the ring Jey gets a mic and goes to address Roman. Jey says the fight with Solo is about him getting back at Solo after Solo cost him his title and how he’s been messing with the family. The three of them though, that’s not all the way fixed and it’s taking everything Jey has to just be near Roman. He remembers everything Roman did to him, physical damage, emotional damage, and mental damage. He still showed up though, because that’s what family does. For the ones before and after, they have to demonstrate family above all. But this time, Roman doesn’t get to tell Jey what to do or how to do it, he’s not Roman’s lackey or right hand, he’s his equal. All three of them are equals, side by side, and they can run this thing again. And if Jey feels in any way disrespected he’s out all over again, and if Roman doesn’t like this he can walk away. Or Roman can act like his cousin instead of like the Tribal Chief and Jey will see him at Crown Jewel. Roman gets the mic from Jimmy and considers then ultimately replies to Jey with “yeet”. That got a surprisingly good pop. The crowd want a hug, which doesn’t happen but all three men do point to the sky together. I appreciate how they’ve taken their time with the reconciliation here, Roman hasn’t changed his character that much and everyone can sense it but they’ve got bigger fish to fry at the moment.

Byron talks with Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in the back, they want to prove they’re the best but here’s A-Town Down Under to make everything worse. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory chatter, Shelley gets a little burn on Waller about being on Miz TV instead of the Grayson Waller Effect but ultimately they do decide to show up on that show next week. A-Town Down Under haven’t been able to buy a win for love or money but I guess they’re the first challengers for the Guns.

Iyo Sky heads to the ring with Kairi Sane in tow, the women’s four way match will be up after this break.

Piper Niven is walking down with Chelsea Green, Lash and Jackson are already in the ring. In the back, Jade and Belair walk and talk about this match and their tag team titles before Belair heads to the ring.

Match 4 – Fatal 4-Way Match - Iyo Sky w/ Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair w/ Jade Cargill vs. Piper Niven w/ Chelsea Green vs. Lash Legend w/ Jakara Jackson

32 minutes between matches. Everyone squares up and starts trading, Lash not being able to be on the receiving end of a sunset flip is concerning. Belair kicks away at Piper for a bit then Lash and Iyo start brawling to the apron where Iyo slams Lash and they head to the floor. Belair runs into Piper but Piper counters with a shoulder block to drop Belair. Iyo takes a slam onto the apron then we get Lash and Piper squaring off in the ring. Lash tries to lift Piper, no dice and we get a double clothesline. Belair then hits a handspring moonsault onto both women and Iyo breaks up the pin. Iyo sends Lash out of the ring and then kicks her from the apron but Piper breaks up a springboard move. Belair then tips Piper out of the ring and follows with a plancha but Piper and Lash catch her then slam her into a barricade and we head to picture in picture.

Piper and Lash form a temporary alliance to beat up Belair as they head back into the ring. Some corner avalanches to Belair then taunting from both women. Belair starts fighting back and low bridges Lash then tries to roll up Piper but Piper just drops an elbow on her and Iyo has to break up the pin. Iyo with a double stomp to Lash then palm strikes for Piper and a dropkick to the knee then ultimately a dropkick. Man I’ve missed Iyo, she’s still pretty awesome. Corner work from Iyo before Piper cuts her off with a clothesline. Lash with a corner avalanche to Iyo and she and Piper start working over Iyo as we come back to the broadcast. Iyo gets tossed into Belair then Lash with a chokeslam to Iyo and Piper follows with a senton but Piper and Lash start getting into things over who gets the pin. Lash and Piper start trading chops and elbows, and then Belair hits the double crossbody onto both of them. Dropkick for Lash then a spinebuster to Piper. Belair unloads on Lash in the corner, then Piper gets involved and crushes Lash then Belair with the double 10 punch. Piper slips free and she and Lash get Belair into an Electric Chair, Iyo then double dropkicks Lash and Piper so everyone’s down. Iyo looks to fire up again and hits double knee strikes to Lash and Piper, Piper attacks Iyo on the top rope and climbs up there with her, Belair gets involved for the Tower of Doom spot. Lash breaks up the pin on Piper after that. Lash hits her finish on Belair but Green breaks up the pin. That leads to some chaos on the floor ultimately with Jade standing tall. Lash drops Jade but then back in the ring gets planted by Piper who follows up with a senton. Iyo gets caught and dropped then Piper with a senton to Iyo. Piper with a Michinoku Driver to Belair then Lash intercepts the low cross body with a pump kick. Jade heads into the ring to stare down Lash but Jackson and Sane pull her out of the ring so Jade takes them both out. Belair takes out Lash with the Kiss of Death then Iyo with Over the Moonsault onto Belair then pins Lash to get the win.

Official Winner - Iyo Sky won in 12:05

Official thoughts - Solid enough Fatal 4-Way match and ultimately did the job of previewing the tag team match for tomorrow.

Sane and Iyo celebrate in the ring.

In the back, Cody Rhodes is getting ready, and Randy Orton walks up and they talk for a bit. Cody asks Randy to leave enough of Owens for him, Randy will make no such promise. Randy loosely hints that he’s willing to take the place of Owens working opposite Cody for the WWE title as we head to break.

We get a video hype package for LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade.

Next a video of the new Bloodline, Solo is upset he’s talking about their match. He doesn’t agree that he’s a bad guy, he found family that won't let him down. He was always there to help Roman while Roman was never there to help him. At Crown Jewel, the three of them will respect Jacob Fatu and acknowledge Solo. Solo still struggles on the mic and while these kinds of videos help they can only do so much for his presentation.

To the ring and here comes Gunther and Kaiser. Our tag team main event will get the other entrances after this break.

Post break here comes Randy Orton. After Randy’s in the ring, Cody gets his entrance.

Match 5 – Tag Team Match - Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton vs. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser

Cody and Gunther start but Gunther is a heel and tags out quickly to set up Kaiser attacking Cody. Kaiser with strikes but then Cody hits a delayed gordbuster and clotheslines Kaiser out of the ring. Cody then hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring for them as we go picture in picture.

Cody with some arm work then tags in Randy. Randy continues working over Kaiser including hitting the Garvin Stomp. Cody tags back in and again goes after the arm of Kaiser. Kaiser fights back with a corner flurry but Cody fights back with chops and tags in Randy. Randy and Cody with stomps to Kaiser as we come back to broadcast. Gunther with a cheap shot to Cody and Kaiser cuts off a Cody Cutter which then allows Gunther to land a boot from the outside. Kaiser posts Cody then tags in Gunther and they hit a double kick through the ropes that sends Cody staggering to the floor. Uppercut from Gunther then they head back into the ring. A few more strikes from Gunther but Cody fights back, the crowd with a weak “we want tables” chant I think. Gunther cuts Cody off with a chop then tags in Kaiser. Kaiser with a punt kick for a 2 count, then he grabs a chin lock. Cody fights to his feet and he attacks the leg of Kaiser but Kaiser then wraps up an abdominal stretch. Cody counters with a hip toss then looks for a tag, he flips out of a back suplex then we get a double clothesline and both men are down. Randy tags in and starts unloading on Kaiser including a snap powerslam. Kaiser can tag out, but Randy doesn’t see that and looks for the hanging DDT Gunther chops him but Randy then catches Gunther with the hanging DDT. Randy sets for the RKO but Gunther blocks it. Both men tag out and Cody starts punching away at Kaiser and hits the super Cody Cutter. Gunther breaks up Cross Rhodes but Randy hits him with an RKO to let Cody hit the Cross Rhodes and get the pin.

Official Winners - Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton won in 10:13

Official thoughts -  A fine house show style match, they played a bit with the crowd and the good guys went over clean. But as a preview for Cody and Gunther, this felt a little lacklustre.

Post match Owens is here with a chair and he whacks Randy a few times then Gunther grabs Cody with a Sleeper hold as security and officials show up to try and break things up as the episode ends.