Tag: dean ambrose

WWE SmackDown live results: Number one contender’s battle royal

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: February 21, 2017
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA

The Big Takeaway —

There was no winner in the number one contender’s battle royal. AJ Styles and Luke Harper were the final two and eliminated each other at the same time (except that Styles fell out first). Daniel Bryan announced that the number one contender would be determined next week.

Alexa Bliss is once again the Women’s champion after defeating Becky Lynch for the vacant title. The title was vacated by Naomi, who will not be able to defend the belt within 30 days.

Natalya beat Nikki Bella in a falls count anywhere match with help from Maryse. Also, John Cena and Miz eliminated each other from the battle royal, so this mixed tag match does appear to be the direction for WrestleMania.

Show Recap — 

They aired a recap of Bray Wyatt successfully defending the WWE championship last week despite interference from Luke Harper, as well as Randy Orton announcing he would not face Bray at WrestleMania. They plugged the 10-man battle royal for tonight with Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Luke Harper, Kalisto, AJ Styles, John Cena, Dean Ambrose and Mojo Rawley.

Daniel Bryan came out to a big reaction. He said the road to WrestleMania has a lot of twists and turns and brought out Women’s champion Naomi, who was still in a knee brace. Crowd chanted “You deserve it.” Bryan said the fans knew she deserved it because of how hard she worked for years while other women got opportunities she didn’t. Bryan said they were all proud of her, which was what made this so difficult.

Bryan got emotional comparing her situation to his after winning the championship at WrestleMania. He and Shane McMahon went over her medical records and revealed that Naomi will not he able to defend the title within 30 days. He asked her to relinquish the title as the crowd loudly chanted “No.”

Naomi thanked Bryan for the kind words and spoke about how quickly things can change. She was on top of the world last week but now it’s all coming down. She felt like she let down the fans, and knew that if she handed over the title, she could be losing her WrestleMania moment too.

The crowd booed as Naomi handed the title over. Bryan looked annoyed that they were booing, so he got them to give her a round of applause. Naomi said he would be back and everyone would feel the glow. Bryan led the crowd in another round of applause.

As Naomi left, Alexa Bliss marched to the ring, barely acknowledging Naomi as they crossed paths. Bliss mocked the whole thing. The crowd booed and a “We can’t hear you” chant started. She told them to shut up and asked Bryan to give the title to her. The crowd booed.

Bryan teased giving her the belt, but of course, he didn’t and instead announced a women’s championship match between Bliss and Becky Lynch up next.  

Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch

Alexa Bliss won in 9 minutes after a shot to the throat (with the referee distracted) and a roll up holding the tights. Lynch dominated most of the match until the finish, which came out of nowhere. Mickie James tried to attack Lynch afterwards but Lynch sent her packing.

This was pretty underwhelming. It felt like they wanted to get the title back on Bliss as quickly as possible, and so they did. It should also be noted that Lynch went well over 30 days without defending this title last fall, also because of an injury, and also with Bliss awaiting the shot.

Backstage, Dean Ambrose cut a promo for tonight’s main event. He tried to play off the Corbin thing like it didn’t bother him, but it clearly did and he threatened to maybe break Corbin’s leg. They cut to Kalisto who the crowd booed initially. He said it would be a dream come true to main event WrestleMania. Next was The Miz, with Maryse, who was getting his makeup done. He ran down his accomplishments and kissed Maryse.

Renee Young asked Natalya about the “overwhelming support” Nikki Bella receives from the fans. Natalya said she needs supporters because she was created in a lab to gain Instagram followers. She insulted Nikki’s wrestling ability and called her a Natalya knockoff.

Non-title: Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated Breezango

Jordan and Gable won quickly with a Steinerizer. Afterwards, the Usos came out through the crowd and mockingly congratulating the soon-to-be ex-champions. The cut a wild (and loud) promo. I can’t do it justice, but basically, uh, American Alpha should be afraid.

They paid tribute to Jackie Robinson.

Talking Smack tonight will feature Lynch, Styles and the Usos. Styles ran up to some guy backstage and happily announced that he was going to WrestleMania. They cut to Ziggler who said the new era was cancelled and he “superkicked” the “screen” behind him, which looked real dumb. Rawley said he already won a battle royal recently but tonight was for WrestleMania. Luke Harper, who was cheered, told everyone to run.

Nikki told Renee that she was Nikki Bella and she was the longest reigning Diva’s champion for a reason. She said Nattie would be known as the Broken Hart after tonight.

Falls Count Anywhere: Natalya defeated Nikki Bella 

This is the top-of-the-hour segment. Nikki did well early on until Natalya tossed her over the barricade. Natalya tried to suplex her off a platform onto the concrete but Nikki pushed her off and hit a Disaster kick for two. Natalya regained control by tossing Nikki into the barricade and steel steps. She teased using a kendo stick but cleared the announce table instead. Natalya attempted a Last Ride through the table but Nikki punched her way out of it. Nikki followed with a light Alabama Slam on the table, which didn’t break, for a near fall. Crowd chanted “one more time” as they went to commercial.

Back from break, Natalya had on a sharpshooter but let go after Nikki got to the ropes. The announcers pointed out that there are no rope breaks in this match. Natalya followed with a vertical suplex onto the ramp. The brawl continued into the back where Natalya pushed Nikki into Maryse. Nikki then smashed Natalya through a mirror and pinned her for a nearfall. Nikki then speared her on the stage for a two count.

Natalya tried a sharpshooter on the edge of the ramp (the metal part) but Nikki countered into an STF. Maryse ran down and lightly attacked Nikki with a “pipe” until Miz ran down to pull her away. The damage was done, though, and Natalya covered her for the pinfall win at 14 minutes. The crowd seemed into it, but this wasn’t good. A falls count anywhere match with Nikki Bella probably wasn’t the best idea.

They announced Diamond Dallas Page going in the Hall of Fame. Alexa Bliss will be the SportsCenter guest this week.

Backstage, Baron Corbin said he likes destruction, causing pain, and the spotlight, and the spotlight would be on him tonight. Apollo Crews said everyone would get rolled over if they stepped in his way.

Bray said Orton showed great sacrifice and whoever wins tonight would be nothing more than his sacrificial lamb at WrestleMania. He welcomed us to the Era of Wyatt.

Tom Phillips plugged 205 Live calling it the most exciting hour on television. I know that’s just the tagline, but why would the SmackDown announcer say that about a Raw show? Jack Gallagher plugged the show as well.

Number One Contender’s Battle Royal

The announcers are emphasizing that the WrestleMania main event is on the line. John Cena came out first. Dean Ambrose came out last. He went right after Corbin and the match is underway with almost 25 minutes left in the show. Loud dueling chants for Styles and Cena.

Baron Corbin eliminated Mojo Rawley just over 7 minutes into the match, which actually got some boos.

Kalisto briefly ran wild but was eliminated by Ziggler who superkicked him out of the ring.  

Crews then eliminated Ziggler with a roundhouse kick as Ziggler was on the apron. Ziggler attacked Kalisto with a chair, which distracted Crews long enough for him to get eliminated by Corbin.

Cena, Styles, Harper, Ambrose and Corbin traded moves and were all laid out. This allowed Miz to hit corner dropkick, as well was Yes kicks to Cena. Cena ducked the last one and eliminated Miz.

Cena gave Styles and Ambrose a German suplex. Cena went for the five knuckle shuffle, but Corbin cut him off with End of Days. Ambrose then eliminated Corbin. Corbin pulled Ambrose out of the ring and gave him End of Days.

Miz jumped back in the ring and eliminated Cena. Cena tried to go back in the ring but a bunch of referee ran down to escort him out. He was displeased.

Styles, Harper and Ambrose are the final three. Styles tried to eliminate Harper when Ambrose ran up behind them but failed to toss them out. With all three on the apron, Ambrose had Styles on his shoulders but Harper kicked Ambrose, who fell out for the elimination.

Styles and Harper are the final two. With Styles on the top rope, Harper tried yanking him out from the apron. They eventually both fell out, seemingly at the same time. It seemed like Styles landed first and they never showed a replay. The referees argued over who won as the crowd chanted “Luke.”

Daniel Bryan ran out and announced a draw after talking with the referees. He said there was no winner, but they would determine one next week. The crowd booed. Styles pointed at Harper’s chest so Harper clotheslined him to death.

They cut to Bray on the big screen and he laughed and laughed. Orton stood behind him, briefly glimpsed at the belt on his shoulder, took a quick look at Bray, then stared into the screen.

Final Thoughts —

This wasn’t a good week for team blue. While it’s nice they treated Naomi’s injury seriously, I didn’t like the way the handled the rest of it, as noted above. The main event was enjoyable enough, but the finish was lame and designed to just drag this thing along. On the bright side, the crowd was really behind Luke Harper by the end, probably because they just saw him win the match. The crowd can tell when a guy gets screwed, so they could turn this into a positive for Harper. I’m also baffled by the handling of John Cena.

WWE Saskatoon, SK, Canada live results: Ambrose vs. Miz vs. Styles

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Shawn Mullin with additional notes added by Andy McNab

The lower bowl was mostly full and there was pretty decent energy for the night from the crowd.

– Apollo Crews defeated Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler was the favorite but Crews seemed to win over the fans at the end. He kicked out of both the ZigZag and a superkick before getting the win with his spinning powerbomb.

– Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated The Ascension

Rhyno got the pin with the Gore. He was over and there were chants for both him and Slater. The Ascension cut Slater off early but it didn’t last that long before the ending. The crowd liked this one.

– Mojo Rawley defeated Aiden English (w/ Simon Gotch)

Not much to write home about and I wouldn’t call the match snug. Rawley won after botched interference from Simon Gotch and a powerslam on English. Rawley got a pretty reasonable reception.

– Natalya defeated Alexa Bliss by DQ

Natalya came out to cheers and had a sign from the crowd that Bliss ripped up. Natalya got her with the Sharpshooter quick and Carmella and James Ellsworth ran in to break it up. Tamina came out to back Natalya up and it turned into a tag.

– Natalya & Tamina defeated Alexa Bliss & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

There was a lot of comedy stalling from Ellsworth and Carmella with Ellsworth getting big heat for tripping Tamina. Natalya got the hot tag and ran wild on Carmella. Things broke down and Tamina kicked Ellsworth off the apron as he distracted the ref, leading to Natalya making Carmella tap to the sharpshooter. The finish got a big pop.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Corbin was treated like a legit heel. Kalisto got the crowd into it with his aerial moves. Corbin looked more physically impressive in person than on TV and won with the End of Days.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated Breezango to retain their titles

Breezango got the heat on Jason Jordan. After the hot tag and a four-way brawl, American Alpha retained with the Steiner bulldog.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz and AJ Styles in a triple threat match to retain his title

Styles was the most over guy on the show and was treated like the biggest star. Miz was legit hated. Ambrose got a good response. Styles didn’t hit any of his big moves despite several teases. Ambrose beat Miz with the Dirty Deeds with Styles stuck outside. The ending kind of came out of nowhere. It was a decent match, though nothing special and quicker than I expected.

WWE Edmonton, AB, Canada live results: Ambrose vs. Miz vs. Styles

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Colin Baucher

John Cena, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Becky Lynch, The Usos, and Nikki Bella all missing the show hurt its star power and the show wasn’t particularly good for match quality. The top bowl was tarped off, but the lower bowl and floor looked largely full.

– Apollo Crews defeated Dolph Ziggler

Pretty decent match. The crowd was split on Ziggler and only reacted to Crews for his big moves. They traded near falls at the end, then Crews won with the spin-out powerbomb.

– Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated The Ascension

Slater got some reaction, but the crowd really only cared about Rhyno, who got the win for his team with the Gore.

– Mojo Rawley defeated Aiden English (w/ Simon Gotch)

Bad match that the crowd didn’t care about. Rawley won with a press slam.

– Natalya & Tamina defeated Alexa Bliss & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

Natalya was over big, though there wasn’t much of a reaction for anyone else. Tamina got worked over, then Natalya made the save and won with a Sharpshooter.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Corbin won with the End of Days. Kalisto was decently over.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated Breezango to retain their titles

Breezango got some laughs/heat with their shenanigans. American Alpha wasn’t super over. Jason Jordan got worked over for a long time, but then Alpha came back and got the win with the Steiner bulldog.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz and AJ Styles in a triple threat match to retain his title

This was good. Styles and Miz beat on Ambrose for a while before Miz turned on AJ. Ambrose was in the ring for most of the match with the other two switching out after that. Ambrose eventually pinned Miz after the Dirty Deeds. AJ teased the Styles Clash but didn’t hit that or any of his finishers. Styles heeled it up sometimes, but the crowd didn’t want to boo him.

WWE Abbotsford, BC, Canada live results & Raw off-air notes

Posted on by F4W Staff

SmackDown house show results submitted by readers Alex Hanly and Ben Lypka

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha won a tag team turmoil match to retain their titles

American Alpha looked strong while retaining.

– Mojo Rawley defeated Simon Gotch (w/ Aiden English)

– Naomi & Natalya defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

Natalya was the hot tag towards the end of the match and she abandoned Naomi and headed up the ramp. Naomi still managed to win short-handed. Ellsworth was getting great crowd reactions and heat.

– Bray Wyatt defeated Luke Harper

The match was back and forth with Harper teasing the Sister Abigail for most of the match. Bray hit it to finish the match. Harper stayed in the ring for a while and got a standing ovation as a babyface.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

The crowd was quiet for most of the match until Corbin started hitting power moves towards the end of the match. He hit his finish and beat Kalisto, then Curt Hawkins headed out to insult Kalisto.

– Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins

Hawkins went to set up for a Sweet Chin Music, but Kalisto schoolboys him for a pin.

– Dolph Ziggler defeated Apollo Crews

The crowd didn’t seem to be into the match too much. Ziggler won with a superkick.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz and AJ Styles to retain his title

All got great pops from the crowd during their entrances. Styles was super over, with lots of too sweets from the crowd. Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Miz for the finish.

**********

Raw off-air notes submitted by reader John Seiler

Main Event results —

– Curtis Axel defeated Bo Dallas

– Rusev defeated Sin Cara

Pretty basic. Sin Cara hit a frog splash for two. He tried for the swanton and Rusev put up his knees. Rusev kicked Sin Cara in the face and ended the match with the Accolade for the submission win.

After Raw went off the air —

Brock Lesnar came out after the show was over. Paul Heyman extended an open challenge and Big Show answered it. Big Show went for a chokeslam and had it countered into an F5. Lesnar left, while Big Show waved to the people to end the night.

WWE Grand Forks, ND, live results: Ambrose vs. Miz vs. Styles

Posted on by F4W Staff

Reports submitted by readers Ryan Mikkelson and Tyler Herman

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated The Usos, Breezango, Rhyno & Heath Slater, and The Ascension in a tag team turmoil match to retain their titles

It was Rhyno & Slater vs. Ascension to start, with The Ascension eliminated by a Gore to Viktor. Breezango was next, with Fandango reversing a roll-up on Slater to eliminate them.

American Alpha came in next and eliminated Breezango The Usos entered last, with Alpha hitting Grand Amplitude to retain

– Mojo Rawley defeated Aiden English (w/ Simon Gotch)

– Naomi & Natalya defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

Natalya was really playing up to the crowd until Naomi tried to tag out, then Natalya turned away and left the ring. Naomi ended up getting the pin on Bliss.

– Bray Wyatt defeated Luke Harper with Sister Abigail.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto after hitting the End of Days.

– Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins

Kalisto won in about five seconds after Hawkins came to the ring and cut a promo challenging him to a match.

– Dolph Ziggler defeated Apollo Crews with a superkick.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz and AJ Styles in a triple threat match to retain his title

Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Miz to get the victory.

WWE SmackDown video highlights: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles

Posted on by Joseph Currier

SmackDown quickly turned the page from the Royal Rumble and began building to their next brand-exclusive pay-per-view on Tuesday night’s show.

With the Elimination Chamber less than two weeks away, John Cena’s Chamber match title challengers were revealed, Naomi once again got the better of Alexa Bliss, American Alpha’s open challenge was answered by everyone else in the show’s tag team division, and Dean Ambrose faced off with AJ Styles in a non-title main event.

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

John Cena appears for the first time since winning his 16th World Championship

John Cena & Luke Harper vs. Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton

Carmella vs. Delilah Dawson

Kalisto vs. Dolph Ziggler

Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James

American Alpha issue a tag team title open challenge

Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles in a non-title match

SmackDown fallout: The Ascension plan on welcoming American Alpha to their wasteland

Talking Smack: Naomi gets a Women’s Championship match at Elimination Chamber

WWE Saginaw, MI, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Austin Gonzales

– Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Breezango

Slater and Rhyno got a good pop. No reaction for Tyler Breeze and Fandango.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Curt Hawkins came out and cut a promo on Saginaw before announcing that Kalisto has another match against him.

– Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins

Kalisto rolled up Hawkins immediately to win.

– Jack Swagger & Mojo Rawley defeated The Vaudevillians

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated The Ascension, The Usos, and The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper) to retain their titles

Everyone got a pop except for The Ascension.

– Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella & Naomi defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Natalya & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

Lynch and Bella were very over with the crowd.

– The Miz (w/ Maryse) defeated Apollo Crews

The Miz generated lots of heat during a promo before the match.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles to retain the IC title

The crowd was wild for both guys and the match.

WWE Fort Wayne, IN, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Landon Sands

– Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Breezango after a Gore on Tyler Breeze.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto with the End of Days.

Curt Hawkins came out and cut a promo on Kalisto after, leading to a match between the two.

– Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins in seconds with an inside cradle. The crowd popped big for that.

– Jack Swagger & Mojo Rawley defeated The Vaudevillains when Aiden English tapped to the ankle lock.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper, The Ascension, and The Usos to retain their titles after hitting Grand Amplitude on one of the Usos.

– Becky Lynch & Naomi defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Carmella when Bliss tapped to the Dis-arm-her.

– The Miz defeated Apollo Crews with an inside cradle.

Miz got tremendous heat on the mic before the match with a pretty good Rick Rude impression.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles to retain the IC title after hitting Dirty Deeds.

The match was originally for the WWE Championship, but Styles cut a pre-match promo saying he had it changed to an IC title match and got some heat from the crowd.

WWE Dayton, OH, live results: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles for the IC title

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Gregory G

– Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Breezango

Pretty short match, but it was a fine opener. Breezango did lots of posing and stalling for heat, and the crowd was very behind Slater and Rhyno. Rhyno won with a Gore on Tyler Breeze.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Both were over and the match was fine. Corbin and Kalisto have wrestled enough that they’ve got it pretty down. Corbin hit the End of Days from almost out of nowhere to get the win.

– Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins

Hawkins came out and picked on a selling, hurt Kalisto who just lost, and informed us he has another match scheduled. Kalisto immediately small packaged Hawkins for the pin after the bell rang.

– Jack Swagger & Mojo Rawley defeated The Vaudevillains

Swagger got a pretty good pop for someone not on TV in months, and there was a nice one for Mojo who entered separately. Swagger played a big babyface in peril, hot tagged Mojo, but tagged back in for the finish to tap Aiden English out to the ankle lock. In an amusing spot that many people may have missed, Simon Gotch carried the selling English to the back after the match.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha defeated The Wyatt Family and The Ascension in a triple threat match

The Wyatts were Bray and Luke Harper. I assume Orton had the weekend off. This was a very good match. Ascension played their role well and were much better than the last time I saw them. Wyatts were tweeners. Alpha hit Grand Amplitude on Viktor for the finish.

– Becky Lynch & Naomi defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

This was fairly short. Lynch won with the Dis-arm-her on Bliss. Ellsworth didn’t play into the match at all. The only kind of development in the story with Carmella that I noticed was on the entrance to the ring, where Ellsworth would reach out to touch fans’ hands like a babyface, but Carmella would pull him away from the fans and back to her by the arm, wanting all his attention.

– The Miz defeated Apollo Crews

Miz had by far the most heat of the night. He stalled the start of the match forever, and did a Ravishing Rick Rude impression by calling out the “fat, out of shape, Dayton sweathogs,” and ordered us to wish his wife a happy birthday today. He got lots of boos, and called up Greg Hamilton, and ordered him to lead the crowd in a rendition of the Happy Birthday song to Maryse. Hamilton reluctantly did and the crowd drowned him out with the loudest boos of the night.

The match was pretty good, with a nice ending sequence by Crews. Miz hit his patented corner clothesline but Crews just grabbed him from this position in a bear hug, and spinned out of the corner, before hitting a twisting belly-to-belly suplex, followed with a standing moonsault and standing shooting star press in quick succession. He had the three count — only for Maryse to distract the ref.

The ref turned around in time to see Miz small package Crews for the win.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles to retain the IC title

They did the same deal Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns have been doing, where the heel heavyweight champ refuses to defend his title, and the babyface defends his secondary title instead, so it was an IC title match.

Very good match, as expected, that went over 20 minutes, and the two guys were easily seen as the biggest stars of the night. Some AJ fans, but not nearly what you hear on weekly TV. It was a very pro-Ambrose crowd, who is from the area, to be fair.

Most signature spots were hit, except no Styles Clash. The finish was Styles going for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Ambrose kicked him in the gut as he landed and hit the Dirty Deeds in a fluid motion for the pin.

WWE Jackson, MS, (Sunday) live results: Ambrose vs. Miz in a steel cage

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by readers Bradley Robbins and @Spagooda

– American Alpha won a tag team turmoil match to retain their titles. The order of elimination was:

  • Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated The Ascension
  • Breezango defeated Slater & Rhyno
  • American Alpha defeated Breezango
  • American Alpha defeated The Vaudevillains
  • American Alpha defeated The Usos to retain the titles. The Usos received a big pop and face reactions for most of the match. They used heel tactics to get heat later in the match. Both Usos did tributes to Jimmy Snuka before hitting splashes from the ropes.

– Dolph Ziggler defeated Kalisto

Ziggler used heel tactics and won with a superkick in what was a decent match.

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to retain her title

Bliss feigned a broken arm after getting a rope break while Lynch had the Dis-arm-her locked in, then raked Lynch’s eyes and got the win with a DDT.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz (w/ Maryse) in a steel cage match to retain his title

This was a good match. Both guys worked hard. The finish came when Maryse mistakenly hit Miz with the cage door, leading to Ambrose hitting Dirty Deeds and getting the pin.

– Nikki Bella & Naomi defeated Natalya & Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth)

– The Wyatt Family defeated Apollo Crews, Mojo Rawley & Jack Swagger

The Wyatts were in entertaining form. A lot of humor between Harper and Orton with the two mimicking each other’s moves and mannerisms. They even gave each other a “Too sweet” salute while Bray was in the ring. But the match was ultimately a squash except for a bit where Crews got a chance to shine.

– WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated John Cena and Baron Corbin to retain his title

Fun match. Corbin looked like a star here. Styles was a great heel. He pinned Corbin who had taken an Attitude Adjustment. Afterwards, Styles trashed Mississippi on the mic and attempted to attack Cena with a steel chair. Cena recovered and hit the AA to close the show. Cena received the biggest pop by far.

WWE Lafayette, LA, live results: Styles vs. Cena vs. Corbin; Ambrose vs. Ziggler

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: @cajundome. Report submitted by reader Hunter Doucet.

– Kalisto defeated Curt Hawkins

The match went for about eight minutes. Nothing jaw-dropping here, but it was fun and fast-paced. The crowd was hot for Kalisto. After the match, Hawkins got on the mic and cut your typical heel promo, bashing the host city. He said that he won’t leave the ring unless he is given another opponent. That brought out James Ellsworth.

– James Ellsworth defeated Curt Hawkins

Ellsworth ended it within 20 seconds after hitting the No Chin Music.

– Rhyno, Heath Slater, Jack Swagger, Mojo Rawley & The Usos defeated Breezango, The Ascension & The Vaudevillains

I was confused as to why The Usos were teaming with other babyfaces. I’m guessing the goal was to fit the roster on the card.

– Nikki Bella defeated Natalya

Natalya had a lot of heat with the crowd. She spent a good bit of time mocking Bella with “You can’t see me” gestures. Carmella interfered and tried to help her win, but Bella emerged victorious.

– Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain his title

In my opinion, this was the match of the night even though it was clear that the title wouldn’t change hands here. Both men brought it for this match.

It went for about 20 minutes and this was back and forth throughout. Ambrose got a good pop. Ziggler, surprisingly, didn’t get much of a reaction. He showed heel and face tendencies, further adding to the intrigue of his direction.

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to retain her title

Sadly, La Luchadora did not make an appearance. Bliss continued doing good heel work here.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha & Apollo Crews defeated The Wyatt Family

The crowd loved the Wyatts.

– WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated Baron Corbin and John Cena to retain his title

All three men worked well with each other. Styles had a great reaction, but the crowd was obviously at its hottest for Cena.

Styles spent the beginning stages of the match away from the action. It was fun to see him and Cena go at it for a nice period of time. The crowd was eating out of the palm of their hands at that moment. Corbin looked great in the match. Styles won after a low blow to Cena.

WWE SmackDown video highlights: The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Headlined by The Miz putting his Intercontinental Championship on the line against Dean Ambrose, SmackDown kicked off 2017 last night with the brand’s first episode of the year. The show also featured AJ Styles and John Cena signing the contract for their upcoming Royal Rumble title match, Dolph Ziggler imploding after his match with Baron Corbin, and Becky Lynch again running into La Luchadora.

More coverage from last night —

WWE SmackDown video highlights —

Maryse slaps Dean Ambrose

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

Dolph Ziggler brawls with Apollo Crews

Becky Lynch vs. “La Luchadora”

AJ Styles and John Cena sign the contract for their Royal Rumble title match

Maryse warns Renee Young not to touch her husband again

Carmella vs. Aliyah

The Wyatt Family vow to reclaim the tag titles next week

Nikki Bella lays out Natalya

The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose in an Intercontinental Championship match

SmackDown fallout: Alexa Bliss says that she’s always two steps ahead of Becky Lynch

SmackDown fallout: Dean Ambrose reacts to his Intercontinental title win

Talking Smack: The Miz goes ballistic after losing his title

The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose set for the first SmackDown of 2017

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While the first SmackDown of 2017 likely won’t have three title matches like last night’s show did, we know that there will be at least one championship match to kick off the new year.

It was announced on last night’s SmackDown that Dean Ambrose would challenge The Miz for his Intercontinental Championship next week. Ambrose was previously established as the next program for Miz after the IC champion came out on top of his feud with Dolph Ziggler and successfully defended his title against Apollo Crews.

Their storyline took a personal turn last week as Miz brought up Ambrose’s real life relationship with Renee Young, causing Young to slap him in the face. That continued last night with Ambrose attacking Miz in a backstage segment.

Next week will also feature Tajiri’s return to WWE after it was announced that he would be appearing on 205 Live. Goldberg’s return to TV and Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn in a last man standing match are also scheduled for the first Raw of 2017.

WWE Madison Square Garden live results: Styles vs. Cena vs. Ambrose

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Mike Omansky

The crowd was pretty packed. There were a handful of unsold seats at the upper level, but most of the Garden was quite full. A return date was announced with Brock Lesnar scheduled for the show on March 12th, 2017 as part of the ”Road to WrestleMania” tour.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt defeated American Alpha, The Usos, Breezango, Heath Slater & Rhyno, and The Ascension to retain their titles

This was a six-team tag turmoil match with multiple falls involved. Two teams started and had a match, then the winners stayed to face next team, and so on. Orton & Wyatt last defeated American Alpha to retain their titles. They had beat The Usos prior to Chad Gable & Jason Jordan entering as the last team in the match.

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to retain her title

– Apollo Crews, Jack Swagger & Mojo Rawley defeated The Vaudevillains & Curt Hawkins

Crews got the win for his team. After the match, Hawkins stayed in the ring and said he was robbed, and would not leave until he had another match. He challenged anyone in the locker room, and out came James Ellsworth to a strong reaction.

– James Ellsworth defeated Curt Hawkins in seconds with the No Chin Music.

– Dolph Ziggler defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz in a non-title steel cage match

While this had been advertised as an IC title match, The Miz said that he had his lawyer get the match changed so that he wouldn’t have to defend the title in NY. It was a strong match with near falls and climbing the cage. Maryse slammed the door on Ziggler as he tried to exit the cage. Good effort by both. Ziggler won when he hit the superkick and got the pin.

– Nikki Bella defeated Natalya

Carmella came from the locker room to try to distract Bella, but Bella threw Natalya into her. She followed that up with the Rack Attack and pin.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Typical match between these two, but it was very well executed. Kalisto used his speed and Corbin used his power. Corbin hit the End of Days for the pin.

– WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose and John Cena in a triple threat match to retain his title

This was the best match of the night. The finish saw Styles grabs a chair, jump in the ring, and hit Cena (who was down) with it several times, then he hit Ambrose with it as well. Styles pinned Ambrose to win the match.

All three got their big moves in. Both Cena and Styles got huge reactions coming in, although it was a mixed reaction for both. Ambrose got all cheers, but not quite as loud.

WWE Hamilton, Ontario, live results: Ambrose vs. Wyatt; Miz vs. Crews

Posted on by F4W Staff

Submitted by reader Duncan McFarlane

– American Alpha defeated Breezango

This went about 12-15 minutes. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan got some stuff in early before Breezango took over on offense. There was a slow build to some inventive ways to try and get the hot tag by Gable. Jordan finally came in and American Alpha went over.

– Luke Harper defeated Mojo Rawley

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defeated Carmella, Natalya, and Nikki Bella in a fatal four-way match to retain her title

The match started with everyone beating up Bella. Carmella and Bella ended up in the ring for the first part. Bella showcased some good offense. Bliss kept trying to get in and kept getting booted out of the ring.

Bliss eventually hit her finisher on Natalya, then rolled up Carmella and used a handful of tights to win.

– Apollo Crews defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz w/ Maryse in a non-title match

Miz claimed that he signed a contract saying that he doesn’t have to defend the belt in places like Hamilton. He did say that he’s being generous for the holiday season and was going to beat up Apollo Crews and present him with the Miz Participation Award. 

Maryse got thrown out after trying to interfere and Crews hits a sit-out powerbomb for the win. This was the longest match of the night. It had some slow sections but the crowd loved it.

Crews ripped up the Participation Award and threw it at Miz after the match.

– Rhyno & Heath Slater defeated The Vaudevillains and The Ascension

This had some interaction between the heels but it was mostly Rhyno and Slater fighting them off until the end. The finish came when Slater finally made the hot tag. Rhyno tore through everyone and hit the Gore on Aiden English for the win.

– Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Crowds with a lot of children always go crazy for Kalisto and this was much of the same. They had a good little match. Kalisto showed off his abilities to their fullest but Corbin went over after rallying late and blasting him with the End of Days after kicking out of a Salida del Sol.

– Dean Ambrose defeated Bray Wyatt in a Hamilton street fight

The crowd was ready for some tables and chairs from the moment this was announced as a street fight. Earlier billing on the website had Ellsworth as the ring announcer for this but he was absent at the start.

Very good back and forth, just straight up wrestling until Wyatt rolled out around the six minute mark and grabbed a kendo stick. Luke Harper eventually hit the ring and distracted Ambrose, allowing Wyatt to put him through a table. Ambrose looked down and out but Ellsworth ran in, slid into the ring, and pointed at both Wyatt Family members before giving them a crotch chop.

Wyatt clocked Ellsworth with a kick to the head which put him down and out on the apron, but that gave enough time for Ambrose to recover and hit Dirty Deeds for the win.