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Credit: WWE.com
Happy New Year and welcome to the coverage of the first WWE SmackDown of 2021.
WWE was looking to start the year off on the right foot after a difficult 2020 as it prepared for the annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 31.
Roman Reigns had a few wins over Kevin Owens in a TLC match and a cage match. This week, the tribal chief made a request to management regarding KO.
We also saw Big E take on Baron Corbin in an untitled fight just a week after beating Sami Zayn to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair teamed up to take on Bayley and Carmella after both teams lost to Asuka and Charlotte last week.
Let’s take a look at everything that happened on SmackDown this week.
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After WWE paid homage to Jon Huber with a graphic and recapped last week’s Steel Cage match, Reigns stepped into the ring with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso.
The Universal Champion explained that his golden glove is a reference to how anything he touches turns into greatness. He says Heyman was cast and saved him. He said Uso had the best year of his career thanks to what he learned from The Tribal Chief.
Owens came out and Reigns yelled at him that he had his chance and failed. KO said that despite everything Reigns tried to do to him, he was still on his feet. He told Reigns he should be embarrassed because he has to use Uso to win.
Owens said he was going to ask for a match with Jey to give him some reward before he left.
Classroom: B +
Analysis
Reigns has been at the top of his game for a long time and this promo is yet another example of how far he has come since turning his heels.
As always, KO gave a strong performance on the mic as well. These guys work well with each other because their images are so different. Reigns is the poster boy while KO is the worker hero. It’s a great combination.
It was a decent way to kick off the first show, but a live match could have been a better choice.
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Big E’s first game after winning the IC title was also the first game of 2020. King Corbin was his opponent while Sami Zayn worked with the commentary team.
The two powerhouses have locked themselves in and exchanged demolitions to get things done. After a few minutes, Corbin took control and brought his opponent to the ground.
Wesley Blake and Brandon Cutler watched their boss dominate the action. The King countered Big E’s apron spear, but he ended up running straight into The Big Ending.
Zayn, Cutler and Blake attacked E to cause a disqualification. The big man fought hard but Apollo Crews ended up making the stop and eliminating everyone. After the break it turned into Crews and E against Zayn and Corbin.
The hot tag led Big E to throw Corbin around the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex trio followed by a running splash. After a close call with a Helluva Kick, Corbin and his knights abandoned Zayn. The crews hit him with a powerful bomb for victory.
Classroom: B
Analysis
It was a fun pair of matches although it would have been more satisfying to have a long fight on both segments. However, anything that attracts Crews to television is acceptable.
Zayn is currently one of the best heels in WWE. Every little thing he does is perfect for his character and he uplifts everyone around him.
It was a little surprising to see Crews get the Pin instead of Big E, but if that leads to some kind of push, it makes sense.
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Billie Kay accompanied Natalya and Tamina to the ring for their match against Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott. Kay tried to shout encouraging words but Tamina told her to shut up.
After Nattie and Morgan’s opening salvo, Tamina took control of Riott and put her in the corner. The green-haired grappler deployed and tagged his partner for a flurry of strikes.
The Riott Squad worked together to defeat Tamina with a Russian double leg sweep. For some reason, Kay decided to switch sides and root Riott and Morgan.
Thanks to a distraction from Kay, Morgan was able to pin Tamina. Kay celebrated like she had done something special, but the Riott Squad acted like they didn’t want anything to do with her.
Classroom: C +
Analysis
It was a quick game that could have been a lot better if he had given them five more minutes. Morgan looked particularly good with some of his strikes against Tamina.
The weird stuff with Kay was funny but made no sense. Does she want to beat the Riott Squad or join it? We do not know yet. Should we care?
Riott and Morgan continue to rack up victories and must soon lead to a chance to win the titles. They have the momentum. They just need the last push.
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Belair and Carmella kicked off the action. EST forced Mella to the mat and started working on her arm. Bayley got the tag and encountered a dropkick from Belair.
Banks and Belair worked together at ringside to take out both opponents with a double-team attack. We came back from a break to see Bayley and Mella control the pace.
The boss desperately searched for a tag as the EST struggled to break free from Bayley’s grip. She hit a nice vertical suplex but Carmella tagged her and stopped her from tagging.
The banks finally came along and went crazy on Carmella. Corey Graves made a Mandalorian joke as he watched the true love of his life get beaten up by the female champion of SmackDown.
Belair took out Bayley at ringside while The Boss was able to lock the bank statement on Mella. Reginald took her out of the ring and Banks made her pay. This allowed Mella to hit her finisher to get the pin.
Classroom: B +
Analysis
It was a really good game that everyone should take the time to watch. The four women acted as if they were working in a large PPV.
Mella getting the brooch will set her up for a rematch with Banks for the title down the line, but the real shining star in that fight was Belair.
EST always looks so crisp with every move. She hits a manual suplex that clearly shows how many people don’t know how to do it right by comparison.
Bayley and Banks are two of the best in WWE and showcase those skills. One of the best things about The Role Model is his ability to bring others to his level and we’ve seen that in this fight.
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Daniel Bryan and Otis teamed up to take on Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. Cesaro took control early and brought Bryan around the corner so Nakamura could enter.
We came back from the break to see Cesaro and Nakamura still dominate The Yes Man. The Swiss Superman got a double count with a slingshot elbow.
Bryan was able to reach Otis, and The Dozer began to crush Cesaro. Chad Gable cheered him on by throwing Cesaro and hitting the caterpillar.
Bryan returned with a sunset shot from the top rope for a two-count. Nakamura kicked it in the face before almost putting it in an armband. Otis broke up but was knocked out in the process. Bryan put Nakamura in the Yes Lock for the win.
Classroom: B +
Analysis
Once again, WWE delivered a solid tag team game. It was the fourth in a row for this show, but everyone felt different in their own way.
The Otis and Gable team could be great or a joke. It depends on how WWE books them in the future. The pre-game video showing Otis and Bryan working on the hip technique wasn’t a good sign.
Cesaro and Nakamura remain two of the best and most underused stars on the list. Hopefully they will be more successful in 2021.
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As soon as the bell rang, Owens attacked Uso and began landing on him right and left. He stomped Uce into the carpet and banged his head against the top turnbuckle.
No matter what Uso tried to do, Owens kept the upper hand. He told Uso that none of this was his fault and that he should blame Reigns as he continued to beat him.
We came back from an ad to see Uso stop Owens from hitting a superplex. KO dodged the splash and hit a Stunner for the win. This happened about 30 seconds after we returned.
Owens didn’t stop there. He continued to beat Uce as he tried to get Reigns out. He handcuffed Uso to the top rope and continued to punish him while the tribal chief remained behind the scenes.
He put Uso on crates near the stage and climbed part of the plateau. He was about to jump on him when Reigns appeared out of nowhere to attack him. Uso recovered and helped his cousin beat KO with chairs.
The beating lasted for several minutes and ended with Owen passing through a table about 10 feet high. The show ended with Reigns standing above his fallen enemy.
Classroom: B
Analysis
The match with Uso and the beat that followed made Owens look like a badass, but it wasn’t much of a wrestling fight. It was always very pleasant.
Uso is so good at selling and Owens is amazing on the verbal side of the game. Together they kept everyone’s eyes on them until Reigns showed up to clean up the bats.
The table at the end looked great. This feud has been great and it’s no surprise that WWE wants it to continue. They will likely get a rematch at the Royal Rumble.
Overall it was a good show. WWE has booked solid matches and has advanced some storylines. Deville’s first promo after his return is going to be interesting.
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