Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 1.31.20

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 1.31.20

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– #1 Contender’s Match: The Miz & John Morrison defeated The Revival, The Lucha House Party, & Heavy Machinery @ 12:00 via pin [***½]
– Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defeated Fire & Desire @ 3:30 via pin [**]
– IC Title Match: Braun Strowman defeated Champion Shinsuke Nakamura @ 4:40 via pin [**½]
– Sheamus defeated Chad Gable @ 3:45 via pin [**½]
– Losers Eat Dog Food Match: Reigns & The Usos defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode @ 9:50 via pin [***]

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– Apparently tonight is “Super” Smackdown because it’s Super Bowl week.

– Reigns & the Usos arrive to kick off the show. Reigns says that he beat Corin at the Rumble, but didn’t win the Rumble match. He doesn’t like to lose but they will bounce back tonight and go through the King and his Bitches. The King and his Bitches arrive. Corbin says Reigns couldn’t have won without the help of the Usos and cheated his way to victory. They attacked him like savages and that cost him the Rumble. They will pay tonight. The Usos run him down and says they beat them last week, Corbin lost at the Rumble and while Corbin plays checkers, they play chess. Corbin says while they were at home embarrassing their families, they were turning the Big Dog into Dog Food Jesus. We get that footage again. Reigns says he’s living in the past and Corbin has a dog food fetish. In tonight’s match the losers eat dog food. Corbin accepts and the Usos have guys wheel out a ton of nasty looking dog food.

#1 Contender’s Match: The Miz & John Morrison vs. The Revival vs. The Lucha House Party vs. Heavy Machinery: The winners get a title shot at the next SaudiMania show on February 27th. Dash and Tucker begin, Tucker hits shoulder tackles, works a bear hug and Otis tags in as he works a bear hug. Dash escapes with head butts, Dawson tags in and follows with strikes and chops. Metalik tags in with Morrison, they pick up the pace and Metalik takes control and hits a RANA. Dropkicks follow and the sunset flip gets 2. Revival makes the save, Dorado flies in and it breaks down as the luchas hit dropkicks until the Revival cut off the luchas. Morrison follows with a dive, Dawson cuts off Miz and it breaks down as Metalik hits the Dragon Lee RANA to the floor. Post break and Morrison has Dorado grounded. Miz tags in and Dorado hits the double lethal injection. Otis tags in, runs wild and Tucker joins in as they clear out bodies. Morrison attacks, Otis fires up and follows with suplexes and the double splash. The caterpillar connects and the cover gets 2. Otis catches Miz, Tucker is dumped and Dawson cradles Otis for 2. Metalik tags in, he and Dorado run wild and Morrison spears Tucker, Otis cuts him off with a powerbomb, It breaks down, Dorado hits moonsaults on Dawson until Dash cuts him off. The powerplex follows, but Miz hits skull crushing finale as Morrison hits starship pain for the win. The Miz & John Morrison defeated The Revival, The Lucha House Party, & Heavy Machinery @ 12:00 via pin [***½] This was a really good and fun match, with the right team winning following the recent booking and setting up a fresh feud for the tag titles.

– Backstage, Mandy & Sonya meets with Heavy Machinery. Mandy thanks Otis for his help in the Rumble and Otis stumbles and asks her out on a date next Friday. Mandy says she has plans, but doesn’t have plans the following Friday. THE POWER OF LOVE!

– We get highlights of Bryan vs. The Fiend at the Rumble. Bryan says his wounds were too much to show his daughter, and contemplates if he loves this too much.

– They look back on the original Half Time Heat between rock & Mandkind.

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Fire & Desire: Mandy & Sonya attack, they all brawl as Mandy & Sonya isolate Bliss. The bell finally rings as Sonya works over Bliss, Mandy tags in and double teams follow. Sonya grounds things, Bliss fights to her feet, Mandy cuts her off with the V trigger for 2. Mandy follows with strikes, Sonya back in and Bliss fights them off, Mandy is cut off and Nikki tags in and runs wild. She isolates Mandy, follows with a bulldog and the high cross for 2 as Sonya makes the save. It breaks down, purge by Nikki and Bliss follows with twisted Bliss and that’s all. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defeated Fire & Desire @ 3:30 via pin [**] This was short and ok.

IC Title Match: Nakamura vs. Braun Strowman: Sami & Cesaro are at ringside. Nakamura uses his sped to avoid Braun, follows with strikes until Braun runs him over. Nakamura fires back, Braun fights him of and delivers clubbing strikes and a corner splash. He misses a boot, Nakamura lands leg kicks and follows with grounded knee strikes. Sami cheap shots Braun, Nakamura grounds things and Braun powers up, but is cut off with kicks. Braun cuts him off and levels Nakamura with a clothesline. Shoulder tackles follow and he then tosses him across the ring. More strikes follow and Nakamura powders. Braun runs him over, back in and Nakamura cuts him off with a head kick, knee strike and covers for 2. Sami takes the ref, they expose the buckle, Braun sends Nakamura into it and the powerslam finishes it. Braun Strowman defeated Champion Shinsuke Nakamura @ 4:40 via pin [**½] This was short and solid, with Braun finally winning singles gold and the heels getting their comeuppance.

– Backstage Sami says they were robbed, and runs down the interview chick as Elias is in the ring. He runs down Sami and Sami says no one cares about Elias or his little jingles. Elias apologizes and tells him to carry on… and starts playing his guitar anyway. They argue and Cesaro heads to the ring. Elias has a song, but Cesaro arrives. They brawl, Elias runs wild and dumps Cesaro to stand tall.

Sheamus vs. Chad Gable: This is a rematch from the Rumble pre-show, which Sheamus won. Gable attacks Sheamus during his entrance. JIP as Sheamus is in control until Gable takes him to the floor, but Sheamus cuts him off with the Finlay roll. Back in and Sheamus lays the boots to him. He follows with a slam, another and Gable fires back until Sheamus quickly cuts him off. Gable stuns him off the ropes, follows with strikes and heads up top and the missile dropkick follows. The rolling Liger kick follows and the moonsault connects for 2. Sheamus counters chaos theory, hits a backbreaker and the brogue kick follows for the win. Sheamus defeated Chad Gable @ 3:45 via pin [**½] It was short, fine, and depressing all at the same time. I guess the good news is that they didn’t 50/50 them. Hopefully they have something planned with Sheamus.

– Bayley arrives and say, “Damn I’m good.” There’s just something about her that can’t be topped or touched. She’s a role model, beat Lacey, crushed her dreams and got revenge for Sasha. And did it all with Lacey’s daughter sitting front row, proving how much of a loser & failure her mother is. She’s a true champion and has beaten them all. She knows Charlotte will chose to face her at Mania, but Naomi arrives instead. Bayley is not impressed by her dance routine and Naomi says she missed being on Smackdown. She heard all of Bayley’s shit talk, but says Bayley never beat her. Naomi is a former champion and thinks the title needs some glow. The next chance she gets… well nothing because Bayley attacks, but Naomi battles back and wipes her out with the disaster kick to stand tall and kick off a new feud.

– The Dirt Sheet & Firefly Funhouse return next week.

King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. Reigns & The Usos: Jey and Corbin begin as Corbin controls. Jimmy quickly tags in and Roode, now wearing long tights to match Dolph and giving up on leg days, cuts off Jey on the floor. He dumps him over the barricade. Post break and Rood has Jey grounded. Jey fights to his feet, hits an enziguri and Dolph tags in, Jey avoids him and Corbin takes out Reigns, post Jey and cradles him for 2. Jey fights out of the heel corner and tags in Reigns. He runs wild with clotheslines, working over Corbin. The big boot follows, takes out Dolph and runs into a Corbin chokeslam for 2. Corbin slams Jimmy to the steps, Reigns fires back but Dolph hits the superkick and Corbin follows with deep six for 2. It breaks down, suicide dive by Jey, Reigns then cradles Corbin and win. Reigns & The Usos defeated King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode @ 9:50 via pin [***] The heels finally get their comeuppance and hopefully we’re done with Reigns and Corbin forever.

– Post match and they hang Corbin like he did with Reigns and dump dog food all over him.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 86. On the show, 411’s Larry Csonka & Steve Cook breakdown and review the latest between NXT & AEW, and then discuss the latest news on Edge’s return, Andrade’s suspension, Lance Archer possibly heading to AEW, while Larry previews NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo. The show is approximately 106-minutes long.

* Intro
* News Roundup (Andrade, Archer, Cage, Rumble, Scurll, More): 2:00
* AEW Dynamite (1.29.20) Review: 41:25
* NXT (1.29.20) Review: 1:01:45
* The Head to Head Comparison: 1:18:25
* Larry’s NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo Previews: 1:22:25

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This week’s WWE Smackdown was a perfectly solid show, Reigns finally got one over on Corbin, Braun won a title, they kicked off Bayley vs. Naomi ands there was some good wrestling, but it didn’t feel like a “super” edition of Smackdown.