wrestling / TV Reports

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 1.24.20

January 25, 2020 | Posted by Larry Csonka
WWE Smackdown 12420
6.5
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 1.24.20  

 photo Smackdown LOgo_zpsu1bl1q4y.jpg

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 1.24.20

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Roman Reigns and The Usos defeated Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode @ 25:00 via pin [***]
– Braun Strowman and Elias defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro @ 8:50 via pin [**½]
– John Morrison defeated Kofi Kingston @ 10:32 via pin [***¼]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode: Dolph and Jey begin, locking up and Jey following with chops until Jimmy tags in for double teams and that gets 2. Roode tags in, they work to the ropes as Roode takes control and lays the boots to Jimmy. Jimmy gets dumped as Dolph slams him to the steps. Jimmy caught his knee on the way out, the refs check on him and he’s taken to the back. Post break and Reigns takes Dolph to the ropes. He follows with strikes and Jey tags in. Double teams follow on Dolph, Jey grounds things and covers for 2. Dolph battles back, Corbin tags in and Jey lights him up with rights. Jey up top and leaps over Corbin as deep six follows for 2. Corbin dumps Jey. Tags in Roode and he slams Jey to the apron. Back in and Roode grounds things and covers for 2. Dolph tags in as double teams follow, and the elbow drop gets 2. Corbin in and delivers elbows, Roode then follows with strikes. Jey fires back, hits an enziguri and Corbin takes out Reigns to stop the tag and slams him to the steps and dumps him into the crowd. Post break and Corbin poses. Jey posts him, and he tags in Reigns. Reigns runs wild on Dolph as Corbin powder. He follows with clotheslines, big boot and the superman punch is stopped by Corbin, superkick by Dolph and that gets 2. Dolph dumps Reigns, Roode attacks as Corbin joins in. Back in and Dolph hits an elbow drop for 2. Corbin back in and he follows with strikes. Roode tags in and the DDT is countered as Reigns cradles him into a powerbomb. Jey is taken out by Dolph and slammed to the barricade and then over the announce table. Corbin works over Reigns, Dolph tags in and the neck breaker gets 2. The superkick is countered with a superman punch. Jimmy limps out and tags in. He limps wildly and hits a Samoan drop. He follow with a suicide dive, heads up top and the high cross gets 2. Superman punch by Reigns and he brawls with Corbin on the floor and into the stands. Jimmy fights off Dolph, and the top roe splash finishes Roode. Roman Reigns and The Usos defeated Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode @ 25:00 via pin [***] This was good, a bit flat in the middle but a good angle for Reigns & Corbin and the crowd was into it.

– We get a video package of Lacey Evans and her journey to The Royal Rumble. Michael Cole then interviewed Evans. Cole asked her how it started with Sasha and Bayley, and why she called them out for her leadership. Evans called them bullies, and she wasn’t going to stand around in the back and talk about bullies. Cole then asked about her upbringing, and what inspires her. Evans broke down a bit, and said her father lost his battle with addiction and depression. She wants to show people that there’s nothing they can’t accomplish if they set their mind to it, even if they are going through tough times. She held herself up as an example, having a rough upbringing and finding her way to WWE through the Marines. She wanted to show the crowd that she knows they are going through things, and wants to inspire them to keep fighting to be their best. Cole then spoke to her about her daughter, and showed footage of Sasha and Bayley assaulting her in front of her daughter. Evans said she was proud of her daughter for standing up to them, but she would show them on Sunday. Bayley attacked from behind and refs had to separate them. Lacey came off really good here.

– Backstage, Carmella and Dana Brooke were interviewed about the Women’s Royal Rumble. Carmella listed her career accomplishments, and said that’s what makes her the favorite on Sunday. Dana said everyone can read her wikipedia page, and said that she knows her worth and how far she’s come in WWE. Bayley and Lacey were brawling in the background as Dana and Carmella eventually pulled Lacey away from Bayley.

– Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross made their ring entrance. They were set for a tag match with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Footage was shown backstage of Mandy and Sonya having a conversation where they seemed to get back on the same page following last week. As the match started, Lacey and Bayley made their way back to ringside and started a brawl. Refs tried to get control back. So no ladies match tonight.

– Elias is in the ring and spoke about the Royal Rumble Match, and the winner facing a Champion at WrestleMania. He said he would put his heart and soul in winning the match, and asked the crowd if they wanted to Walk with Elias. He then started a song called Texas Dream, where he talked about all the superstars he would eliminate in the Rumble. He then brought Strowman out to the ring and reminded Strowman that Sunday is every man for himself, but invited him to do a duet tonight. He polled the crowd, which supported the idea. Strowman warmed up to the idea, but they were interrupted by Nakamura and Cesaro.

Braun Strowman and Elias vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro: Sami is at ringside. Elias and Cesaro begin, Elias slams him to the buckles and hits a clothesline. The ropewalk into a meteora follows. He follows with strikes until Sami causes a distraction and Cesaro dumps Elias. Nakamura attacks, Braun chases and we head to a break. Post break and Cesaro follows with knee strikes, Elias fires back Nakamura tags in. They dump Braun and Nakamura takes down Elias. Kinshasa is cut off with an Elias knee strike. Braun tags in, runs wild with tackles and tosses Nakamura around. Clubbing strikes follow until Nakamura cuts him off. Cesaro in and they post Braun and double teams follow as Cesaro covers for 2. Elias posts Nakamura, Braun hits the powerslam on Cesaro and Elias follows with the top rope elbow drop to finish it. Braun Strowman and Elias defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro @ 8:50 via pin [**½] This was solid, continues the build to Braun vs. Nakamura, and gives Elias a win ahead of the Rumble.

– Big E oils up backstage and tries to test out whether he was slippery. Kofi arrived and asked him what he was doing. Big E said eliminating him won’t be easy if he’s greasy. Kofi said he would take care of his business tonight, but at the Royal Rumble, they would use the power of positivity to climb the mountain together again. But this time, they would do it for the Xavier Woods.

– Backstage, Corbin was interviewed. Kayla asked him why Roman got the better of him earlier. He said they went toe to toe earlier, and promised to embarrass him all over Minute Maid Park. Corbin said Reigns would not make the Royal Rumble match. He will win and go on to Main Event WrestleMania. We then got a Rumble by the Numbers video package.

– Next is a Sheamus video package.

– Miz & Morrison arrived and Miz said last week Morrison made his return after 8 years, and rather than celebrate him, the crowd booed him. He can’t understand why. Miz asked if it was by association with him because they think he changed? Well, he hasn’t changed, you can see that in his reality show premiere next week. Miz said Morrison beat Big E last week, and will beat Kofi tonight, and then they would win the Royal Rumble on Sunday. They officially declared for the Rumble Match.

John Morrison vs. Kofi Kingston: Big E & Miz are at ringside. They lockup and work to the ropes. They work into counters, Kofi counters the monkey flip and hits one on Morrison. Morrison dumps him and he misses a dive as Kofi wipes him out with one. Post break and Morrison delivers uppercuts, Kofi fires back and Morrison cuts him off with a knee strike. Starship pain misses, Kofi up top and flies in with a chop, a dropkick and Morrison fires back until Kofi hits a RANA. He follows with kicks, the boom drop and trouble in paradise is countered with a spin kick as Morrison covers for 2. He takes Kofi up top, Kofi fires back and Morrison pokes the eyes and hits the Spanish fly for 2. Morrison lays the boots to Kofi, but Kofi counters into SOS for 2. Morrison then cradles him with the ropes for 2. Miz attacks Big E, E chases him and Kofi takes out Miz as Morrison cuts him off and Starship pain finishes it. [***¼] Morrison wins again as he and Miz go 3-0 against the New Day, which unless they are completely stupid, sets them up perfectly for an upcoming tag team title match. This was both good and fun.

Contract Signing Time!: Michael Cole was in the ring and said that the strap match can only be won by pin fall or submission. Bryan arrived. Bray Wyatt, who appeared via the Firefly Funhouse, had a fax machine with a bunch of crumpled paper in front of it. He said he was trying to send the contract, but was having trouble with his machine. It might be a blessing in disguise, because no one should willingly tie himself to him. Bryan called him a sick man, and told him to come out to the ring right now. Wyatt said he had been advised by his attorney Mercy the Buzzard not to come to the ring. Bryan said he had him figured out, Bray likes to live in his fantasy world, and all he ever does is run. He won’t make the mistake of letting him get away again. Bray asked if he said mistake, which was the word of the day. He said this was all about Bryan’s mistake of betraying him years ago, and said he would pay on Sunday. Wyatt said he wasn’t facing him on Sunday, so it was only fitting for him to sign the contract. The lights went out and The Fiend appeared. He applied a Mandible Claw and hit Sister Abigail. He whipped Bryan with the strap. The Fiend then grabbed a pen and stab himself with it, so he could sign in a bloody handprint. Bryan had red welts on his back, and the contract was shown with a read smear. Bryan eventually got to his feet as the show ended. I love Bryan, he’s trying and he’s the only one able to get good matches out of Bray. But nothing they are doing makes me want to see this rematch, and I think the stipulation may do more harm than good as strap matches aren’t easy to pull off.

 photo The411onWrestling-KHC15_1A_zps84kblpqb.jpg

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 84. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Steve Cook review the latest between AEW & NXT, and then preview NWA Hard Times, WWE World’s Collide, & The WWE Royal Rumble. The show is approximately 144–minutes long.

* Intro
* AEW Dynamite (1.22.20) Review: 7:45
* NXT TV (1.22.20) Review: 39:05
* The Head to Head Comparison: 53:30
* NWA Hard Times Preview: 57:55
* WWE World’s Collide Preview: 1:19:35
* WWE Royal Rumble Preview: 1:45:56

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

Buy me a coffeeBuy me a coffee

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

6.5
The final score: review Average
The 411
This week’s episode of WWE Smackdown, which was the go home show for the Royal Rumble, was a solid show overall, but didn’t feel like a hot go home show to hype me up for the big PPV on Sunday.
legend