WWE SmackDown results, recap, notes: Kevin Owens puts an end to his savage show as the last man standing



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Heading into the Royal Rumble event on January 31, WWE still has some work to do before the second largest of its annual pay-per-view events. That work continued during the Friday night edition of SmackDown, which was largely anchored by the lingering issues between Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, Adam Pearce and Kevin Owens.

Reigns once again sought revenge on Pearce for defying his wishes, by setting up an elaborate series of events that would see the Universal Champion take Pearce one-on-one into the ring to close the show. Reigns wasn’t relying on Owens to spoil his fun, however, and was caught off guard and willing as Owens sent one of his final messages ahead of their Last Man Standing match at the Rumble.

CBS Sports was with you all night, bringing you recaps and highlights from all the action. Read on for everything you need to know about the ThunderDome.

Kevin Owens leaves SmackDown as the last man standing

Roman Reigns opened the show in the ring, saying that despite Kevin Owens’ promise to send a message, no one would see Owens during the show, because Reigns said so. Reigns said no one got past them when Adam Pearce and Kevin Owens managed to switch places for the next Royal Rumble game, calling the use of a “card subject to change” a losers decision. Reigns listed all the injuries he suffered, stressing that they did not prevent him from making all appearances and obligations while wearing the business. He then hinted that maybe his injuries would prevent him from defending the title against Owens at the Royal Rumble event. Pearce joined Reigns and Paul Heyman in the ring, being crushed even more by the duo before stressing that he was unwilling to accept Heyman’s verbal insults, which led Heyman to demand a match against Pearce more late at night. Owens was, in fact, not present, cutting a promo from inside a car and accusing Reigns of pulling the strings to keep him away.

Adam Pearce vs. Paul Heyman ended with a no contest. After Pearce was in the ring, Heyman walked into the ring and started limping before saying to Pearce, “Card subject to change.” Reigns then walked to the ring to replace Heyman in the match. Reigns punched Superman as soon as he entered the ring, sending Pearce out of the ring. Pearce attempted to retaliate with punches but was thrown around the ThunderDome, repeatedly pushed into video cards. Owens then ran and attacked Reigns and the action hit the ring where Owens hit Reigns with a stun. Owens continued the attack, hitting another narcotic even as WWE officials tried to push him away. Finally, Owens led Reigns through the announcement table with a pop-up electric bomb as the show ceased to air.

Scrap Daddy fans are teased with Pearce actually having a game almost every week at this point, but they’ll have to settle for Pearce to land a single punch on Reigns. This has been a necessary development in recent weeks for Owens to receive one on Reigns, otherwise the story is just that Owens is constantly hitting walls and not achieving anything significant. Everyone involved in the angle is exceptional at the microphone, so it’s been another good week for everyone involved and creates more momentum towards another somewhat predictable showdown between Reigns and Owens. Quality: B +

What Else Happened on WWE SmackDown?

Sami Zayn handcuffed himself to the ring barricade for the show. Zayn also announced that he is participating in the Royal Rumble match.

Charlotte Flair and Asuka fight. The Riott Squad via Pinfall when Flair hit Ruby Riott with natural selection. Billie Kay was out with the squad again and cost them the game yet again in her attempt to gain group acceptance. Riott and Liv Morgan were shown to be extremely angry with Kay. Kay tried to regain their favor by telling them that she got them into the Royal Rumble, but Riott left anyway telling Kay things were better without her.

Cesaro beats. Dolph Ziggler via pinfall after hitting a neutralizer. Cesaro cut a promo from Daniel Bryan on his desire to win the Royal Rumble. Bryan challenged Cesaro to fight on the spot, but Cesaro said he’s been throwing an open challenge instead since he beat Bryan last week. Ziggler was the man who accepted the challenge, leading to a short match which was won by Cesaro.

Sasha Banks won. Reginald via submission with the bank statement. Carmella’s sommelier displayed incredible athleticism without committing a foul, in keeping with WWE’s stance on men’s matches, before Banks could finally corner him and lock down the submission.

Apollo Crews def. Sami Zayn by disqualification after interference from Sami Zayn. During the match, Zayn removed his handcuffs as the crews resumed the action. Zayn raced and delivered a Helluva Kick to the Crews for disqualification. He then turned around and gave Big E the same kick, taking revenge on the two men he held responsible for no longer being Intercontinental Champion.

The Street Profits has petitioned Sonya Deville for a rematch for the lost tag titles against Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler. Deville, in charge as Adam Pearce prepared for his match, said they have to wait until Montez Ford recovers from his leg injury, but when he is healed they would be back in the title photo.

Bianca Belair beats. Bayley in the ultimate challenge for athletes. Bayley ran the course first, which included a tire flip, hurdles, rock climbing, and Chad Gable hauling. Before Belair left, Bayley raised the obstacles and instead of Gable, Belair had to carry Otis. She still managed to win with ease, but Bayley attacked after Belair’s victory, moving away after gaining the upper hand over Belair despite losing the challenge.

King Corbin has won. Dominik Mysterio via pinfall after reaching the end of days. Dominik reassured Rey Mysterio that he had a plan to confront Corbin. Corbin dominated the match and won quickly without meeting much resistance from Mysterio.



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