Welcome to the Fightful.com live discussion & coverage for the 1/27/2023 edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. We will bring full results and breakdowns for every match and segment on the show. Follow Fightful on Twitter.com/Fightful and Facebook.com/FIGHTFULONLINE
Here's what is set for the show.
Preview.
WWE SmackDown (1/27)
- Karrion Kross vs. Rey Mysterio.
- SmackDown Tag Team Tournament Semi-Final: Banger Bros (Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) vs. Hit Row (Ashante Adonis & Top Dolla w/ B-Fab).
- SmackDown Tag Team Tournament Semi-Final: Legado Del Fantasma (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci).
- Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa.
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Live Coverage.
- After a recap of The Trial of Sami Zayn from Raw is XXX, Sami Zayn confronted Jey Uso & thanked him in the parking lot before Zayn escaped immediately, as WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns told him he should not see him until the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View.
- Michael Cole & Wade Barrett welcomed the audience to the broadcast before transitioning to the opening match.
Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) vs. Rey Mysterio.
The match began with the two locking up before Kross tossed Mysterio across the mat. Mysterio got back up and hit a basement dropkick & the Tijeras on Kross, but Kross responded with a boot kick on Mysterio before tossing him to the outside. Kross went for the Snake Eyes on Mysterio onto the ring post, but Mysterio slammed Kross onto the ring post before hitting a sliding Sunset Bomb on Kross onto the barricade before the commercial break. After the break, Kross hit a pump-handle backbreaker on Mysterio for a near fall. Kross placed Mysterio on the top rope and went for a top rope move, but Mysterio dropped him with a series of back elbows before Kross left him hanging. Kross went for a corner spear, but Mysterio evaded and hit an enziguri kick on Kross. Mysterio was distracted once by Scarlett before hitting a basement dropkick on Kross to place him in the middle rope. Mysterio hit a 619 & A Frog Splash on Kross for a near fall. Kross got back up and hit a Northern Lights Suplex before going for a second one, but Mysterio reversed it mid-air with a Crucifix for the surprise pinfall win.
Winner: Rey Mysterio.
- There was a video recap of the match between Bobby Lashley & United States Champion Austin Theory from RAW is XXX, which ended with Brock Lesnar hitting an F5 on Theory & Lashley to give Theory the pinfall win.
- Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky) announced in a Digital short that they would be joining the Women's Royal Rumble Match.
- United States Champion Austin Theory cut a promo saying that he would win the Royal Rumble match but was immediately interrupted by the NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods). They told Theory to get to the point & promised that they would win the Rumble, with Woods announcing himself as entering the match. Theory called himself the biggest star in WWE, but The Miz came. to the ramp and stated that he had participated in more matches than him, but Theory responded that it just made him old. Miz & Theory attacked The New Day before Bobby Lashley came to the ring and laid out everyone in his sight. Lashley stood tall in the ring and promised he would win the Rumble, but Brock Lesnar ran from the crowd to the ring and hit an F5 on Lashley. Lesnar told Lashley he would see him in the Rumble, entering himself in the Men's Royal Rumble match.
- Judgement Day's Rhea Ripley revealed that she would be entering the Women's Royal Rumble Match & aimed to win the whole match. Michael Cole revealed on the broadcast that her stablemate, Dominik Mysterio, would join the Men's Royal Rumble Match match.
Lacey Evans vs. Jazmin Allure
Evans hit a big veal on Allure followed by a drop toe-hold and a face slam on Allure to begin the match. Evans hit a knee strike on Allure before posing to the crowd. Allure leaped over Evans, but Evans got her with a front ankle lock before slamming it onto the mat. Allure got Evans in a Schoolboy for a near fall, but Evans responded by hitting the Women's Right before locking in the Cobra Clutch, to which Allure immediately tapped out to give Evans the submission win.
Winner: Lacey Evans.
- Evans called Allure "Little Miss Loser Laredo" before saying that the Cobra Clutch is unbreakable. Evans announced that she would be joining the Women's Royal Rumble match before tossing Allure out of the ring as a demonstration to give an example.
- The Banger Bros (Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) were interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton. McIntyre said that it would be a good birthday gift for Sheamus to win the Rumble match. The two talked while chopping the hell out of each other before promising to send Hit Row to Skid row.
- There was a video vignette of Cody Rhodes ahead of his WWE return in the Men's Royal Rumble.
- The Viking Raiders (Erik, Ivar & Valhalla) attacked the Banger Bros (Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) in vengeance after they lost their match against them. The Viking Raiders laid them out on the ramp before Adam Pearce & some producers ran down to stop them.
- After The Banger Bros walked out of the arena to chase down the Viking Raiders, Braun Strowman & Ricochet were revealed as the replacement team against Hit Row.
SmackDown Tag Team Tournament Semi-Final.
Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Hit Row (Ashante Adonis & Top Dolla w/ B-Fab).
Ricochet & Adonis began the match, with Ricochet hitting an uppercut and running cross-body on Adonis. Adonis hit a body slam and a running elbow drop on Ricochet for a near fall. Ricochet hit the Tijeras & a dropkick on Adonis to send him to the outside. Top Dolla talked trash to Ricochet, but Ricochet hit an enziguri kick on Top Dolla. Thanks to B-Fab, Adonis hit a dropkick on Ricochet for a near fall. Adonis & Top Dola cornered Ricochet, with them hitting a corner spear into Top Dolla's big boot for a near fall. Adonis & Top Dolla had Ricochet in the middle rope to allow B-Fab to hit a jab on Ricochet while the referee was distracted. Adonis hit a snap-mare on Ricochet before Top Dolla tagged in. Adonis tagged back in and hit a scoop body slam & an elbow drop, but Ricochet got a schoolboy roll-up on Adonis. Ricochet flipped over Adonis before tagging in Strwoman. Strowman hit a big boot & a corner splash on Adonis before clotheslining Top Dolla to the outside. Strowman hit a massive Backdrop on Adonis Ricochet hit a spinning cross-body on Top Dolla on the outside to allow Strowman to hit the Monster Bomb on Adonis for the pinfall win, advancing to the Finals of the SmackDown Tournament.
Winners: Braun Strowman & Ricochet.
- Kayla Braxton interviewed Kevin Owens backstage, saying that he wants to face Solo Sikoa because he wants to prove he can become the WWE Universal Champion, specifically wanting to take out as many members of the Bloodline as possible. The Usos tried to confront Owens, but Adam Pearce & his producers interfered before Pearce told Usos to leave the arena.
- Jey Uso called someone from the parking lot to ask for a favor before he & Jimmy left the arena.
- LA Knight came to the ring cosplaying Bray Wyatt to say that he would take out Wyatt in the Pitch Black Match, but Wyatt interrupted him on the ramp. Wyatt told him continue laughing tonight but that he would see at the Rumble. Uncle Howdie was in the crowd moving his hand for some reason.
SmackDown Tag Team Tournament Semi-Final.
Legado Del Fantasma (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) vs. IMPERIUM (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci).
- Wilde & Kaiser began the match locking up before Wilde hit an arm drag on Kaiser, but Kaiser hit a lariat on Wilde. Vinci tagged in and attacked Wilde's back before going for a back suplex, but Wilde evaded and tagged in Del Toro. Del Toro hit a series of jabs at Vinci, but Vinci responded with a wicked lariat on Del Toro for a near fall. Kaiser tagged back in and hit a series of punches on Del Toro, but Del Toro hit a series of strikes and tried to tag in Wilde. Del Toro hit a leaping enziguri before tagging in Wilde. Wilde hit a flipping arm drag on Vinci and the two went for dives on IMPERIUM, but Kaiser & Vinci caught them with stereo lariats before the commercial break.
Back from the break, Kaiser continued to work on Wilde's leg before Vinci tagged back in, and hit a vicious chop & a body slam on Wilde for a near fall. Kaiser tagged back in but was greeted with a slap and two uppercuts from Wilde before he hit a gut kick on Wilde, but Wilde responded by hitting a Tornado DDT on Kaiser. Del Toro & Vinci tagged in, with Del Toro hitting a diving crossbody, the Tijeras, a leaping enziguri in the corner, and a springboard shotgun dropkick on Vinci & Kaiser. Wilde hit a Tope Con giro while Del Toro hit a Fosbury Flop on Vinci & Kaiser on the outside. Back in the ring, Del Toro hit a springboard Frankensteiner on Vinci before Wilde hit a splash on Vinci for a near fall. Kaiser hit a body slam on Del Toro onto the floor on the outside. Vinci hit an Avalanche Gorilla Press Slam on Wilde before he & Kaiser hit the IMPERIUM Bomb on Wilde for the pinfall win. They will face Braun Strowman & Ricochet in the SmackDown Tag Title Tourney.
Winners: IMPERIUM (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci).
- WWE presented the traditional WWE "Royal Rumble By The Numbers" video package ahead of the 2023 Royal Rumble.
- Xia Li revealed she would be entering the Women's Royal Rumble Match, saying that she is both Dangerous & Painful.
- After showing footage of Sonya Deville interrupting an interview with Ryan Satin & SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, Flair confronted Adam Pearce backstage. Flair told Pearce she wanted to give Deville her desired Title match next week, to which Pearce agreed before the two did a high-five.
Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa.
The two began the match exchanging strikes before Owens got a headlock on Sikoa. The two collided in the ring multiple times with shoulder tackles before Owens hit a back elbow & a senton on Sikoa. Owens went for a cannonball, but Sikoa rolled out of the ring. Owens got to the outside of the ring, but Sikoa slammed Owens across the barricade & the ring post before the commercial break.
Back from the break, Sikoa went for a hip attack on Owens, but Owens evaded. Sikoa placed Owens on the top rope and went for a superplex, but Owens hit a series of headbutts & an elbow strike on Sikoa to drop him before hitting a Five-Star Splash on Sikoa for a near fall. Owens tuned up the band before hitting a Thrust kick, bu Sikoa responded with a kick of his own. Owens hit a second thrust kick, btu Sikoa responded with a pop-up Samoan Drop on Owens for a near fall. Sikoa went for a corner splash, but Owens evaded and hit two thrust kicks followed by a cannonball on Sikoa before hitting a Swanton Bomb on Sikoa, but Sami Zayn of all people came from ringside and pulled Sikoa out of the ring. Owens & Zayn argued outside, but Sikoa hit a thrust kick on Zayn before Owens slammed Sikoa onto the stairs. Sikoa slammed Owens onto the ring post before getting a chair. Sikoa climbed on the barricade and leaped, but Owens caught him with a thrust kick mid-air before hitting a pop-up powerbomb on Sikoa onto the table. Owens got a chair and threaten to use a chair on Zayn, but Owens instead used it on Sikoa before slamming the chair to the match. Owens sent a message to Reigns to end the broadcast, as the match ended ina No-Contest.
Result: No Contest.
- Check out the post-show podcast for a full review of the show on Fightful's YouTube & Twitch channels. You can check Fightful's Results Section here.
