Tag: Michin

WWE SmackDown live results: Royal Rumble go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

Royal Rumble weekend in Indianapolis begins with tonight’s SmackDown from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

On the eve of the Rumble, Chelsea Green and Michin once again face off for the Women’s United States title. Green beat Michin in the finals of a tournament to crown the inaugural champ in December, but the two have continued their feud since then. Most recently, Michin pinned Green in a tag match last week as she and B-Fab defeated Green and Piper Niven.

An eight-man tag match is also on tap for tonight with Motor City Machine Guns teaming up with Los Garza to take on DIY and Pretty Deadly. It comes in advance of Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin challenging Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa for the WWE Tag Team titles in a two-out-of-three falls bout at the Royal Rumble.

Naomi vs. Liv Morgan and Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes are set for tonight as well. Plus, Joe Tessitore interviews Kevin Owens in advance of his ladder match against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on Saturday.

The first hour of tonight’s show is airing commercial-free. Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Michael Cole welcomed everyone to the show as footage of the city of Indianapolis was shown. Liv Morgan, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Michin, Chelsea Green and Damian Priest were shown walking through portions of the arena earlier in the day.

– Cole was at a small desk in the crowd, ala Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cole then introduced Pat McAfee and said he was the reason the Royal Rumble will be in Indianapolis this year. McAfee made his entrance and stood at the small desk with Cole. The crowd chanted “McAfee!” and McAfee called Indianapolis the greatest host city on earth. McAfee said the city is world-class and it hosts Final Fours, National Championships and the like and the people there are the best in the world. McAfee said he was “so damn thankful to be here.” Cole then threw to Joe Tessitore in the ring.

The Kevin Owens Interview

This was really good. Not necessarily on Punk/Cody level from Monday, but intriguing nonetheless, if only for how loud Owens has been about not liking Punk in or out of the ring (of course, this is professional wrestling, so who really knows where the real life truth lies, but the tension here felt palpable). Owens looked legitimately unhappy that he had to be out there with Punk and Punk looked as happy as the Young Bucks taking their victory lap as he smirked his way through this thing. It all added up to a fun way to open the show and it has me hopeful that we might actually get Owens vs. Punk someday in WWE one way or another.

Both belts that will be up for grabs at the Royal Rumble were hanging in the middle of the ring. Tessitore said it’s difficult to look past Owens’s latest actions. Tessitore played up the idea that he plays a big role covering wrestlers, so he wanted to give Owens fair time. Tessitore asked Owens what everyone was missing about how Owens feels about Cody. Owens began to talk and the crowd started to drown him out with boos. Owens called Tessitore a Cody Rhodes fan boy and lamented that everyone was talking about how they would face Cody at WrestleMania, but Owens said he will win the title at the Rumble and go onto WrestleMania himself.

Owens asked Tessitore if he thought he was a tough guy and Owens did not accept Tessitore’s initial apology for not giving him mic time. Owens then grabbed the winged-eagle belt as it hung in the middle of the ring and went to leave, but CM Punk’s music hit and Punk walked out. Owens looked less than thrilled. Punk grabbed a microphone and the crowd loudly chanted “CM Punk!” and Punk took it in. Owens and Punk stood silent and started at each other for a minute while “Holy s-!@#” chants broke out in the crowd.

Owens asked Punk if he could help him and Punk said no. Instead, Punk said he was there to offer two apologies – one for interrupting him; the other was for Owens thinking Punk was looking past Owens for WrestleMania. Punk said when he wins the Royal Rumble and if Owens makes it past an angry Cody Rhodes, the main event of WrestleMania could be Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk. Punk said if Owens wins at the Rumble, then Owens’s title reign won’t last long.

Owens said he felt conflicted because on one hand there are 29 guys in the Rumble that he likes more than Punk. But at the same time, Owens said the thought of Punk vs. Owens in the main event at WrestleMania – or Owens beating Punk’s ass at WrestleMania, he corrected himself to say – appealed to him. Owens played up the fact that all Punk wants to do is main event WrestleMania and it’s right at Punk’s fingertips. Owens said the idea of Punk never getting to main event WrestleMania is so good to Owens. Owens said he loves the thought of Punk never completing that dream. Owens stepped towards Punk and said Punk will go to his grave as a miserable failure. Owens said he hopes Punk doesn’t win the Royal Rumble and dropped the mic to leave.

Punk, however, kept going. Owens stood on the ring apron. Punk said he had never lost five title matches at the Royal Rumble while Owens has. Punk said he had never lost to Logan Paul, but Owens has. Punk said he had never tried to manipulate his best friend to help him win a title, but Owens has taken short cuts. Punk noted how he has to throw 29 other people over the top rope while Owens has to survive a pissed off Cody Rhodes in a ladder match. Punk invited Owens back into the ring and said he’d kick his ass. Punk told Owens to not be afraid. Owens dropped his mic. Punk did, too. Owens teased getting into the ring and instead walked away with his winged-eagle belt. Punk’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– The Miz was talking to Nick Aldis backstage and said if Andrade was standing right there, right now, he’d punch Andrade in the face. Andrade asked if Miz issued a challenge. Andrade suggested The Miz vs. Andrade later tonight and Miz said if Andrade wanted a lesson in greatness, that’d be fine. Aldis made the match for later tonight.

– Carmelo Hayes walked to the ring with a microphone and called Jimmy Uso not “The One,” but “The Two.” Melo said he won’t miss because his name isn’t Tyrese Halliburton. The show naturally cut to the Indiana Pacers star, who was sitting in the front row. Jimmy tried to jumpstart the match, but Melo quickly countered and the first match was under way.

Jimmy Uso defeated Carmelo Hayes [8:31]

I was expecting more from the Melo/Halliburton interaction, but maybe they are saving something for Tyrese later in the show. Another thing I was expecting was Jimmy getting a clean, easy win, but Uce had to kind of/sort of cheat to win and Melo, for what it’s worth, got a lot of offense in before taking the loss. Maybe this means they run it back sooner than later. While it helped Melo to be competitive here, he still took the loss and it’s probably about time for him to earn some wins now that he’s gone nearly a year as the No. 1 draft pick for SmackDown. Time will tell. As for this match, it was fairly boilerplate. Melo looked more crisp than Jimmy, but Jimmy’s power stood out. A fine-enough way to fill television for about 10 minutes.

Melo kept control for a good part of the first minute until he tried to headbutt Jimmy, but that turned out to hurt Melo more than it hurt Jimmy. Melo ran into an uppercut from Jimmy and Jimmy yeeted. Jimmy clotheslined Melo over the top rope and went for a dive, but Melo cut Jimmy off with a clothesline inside the ring. Melo landed a hip attack and went for another one, but Jimmy moved and tried a pop-up move, but Melo turned it into a DDT for a two count.

With Jimmy on the outside, Melo landed a dive and jawed at Halliburton. Jimmy attacked Melo from behind and rolled Melo back into the ring to hit an enziguri. Jimmy then went for a hip attack, but Melo moved. It didn’t matter because Jimmy came back with a pop-up Samoan Drop for a two count. Jimmy went to the top rope, but Melo cut him off and went for something of his own, but Jimmy denied him and landed some type of arm-drag suplex on Melo to reset the match as both guys were down.

Jimmy kicked Melo, but then ultimately jumped into Melo’s First 48, but Jimmy kicked out at two-and-a-half. Melo went for a springboard move, but Jimmy move and super-kicked Melo for a good near-fall. Jimmy went to the top and went for a splash, but Melo go the knees up and rolled Jimmy up for a two count. Melo then hit a running knee and went to the top, where Melo landed a splash of his own for a nice near-fall. Melo looked shocked.

Melo went back to the top rope, but Jimmy cut him off with a kick. Jimmy went for something, but Melo countered into a rollup. Jimmy kicked out and rolled Melo up for the win. Jimmy had a handful of tights to help him get the win.

**********

– The Royal Rumble “By The Numbers” video aired and man, those are always so good.

– Chelsea Green was interviewed by Byron Saxton backstage. Green said last week, Michin tried to destroy the face of the United States and tonight, Green will return the favor. Green then said she will win the Royal Rumble Saturday night. Green also called Piper Niven her “Secret Hervice” and it was damn funny.

Michin defeated Chelsea Green via DQ [6:21]

Eh. OK. That’s fine. I guess. I think. Maybe. Probably. It was hard to think a clean finish was coming when this was slotted 45 minutes into the episode, and I have no problem with them stretching this program out a little more, but it was a disappointing finish and if Green vs. Michin isn’t about to walk over the line, it can certainly see the line from where it sits currently. It’s hard to think of Green dropping that belt anytime soon, but the way they have built this feud, I can be convinced that Michin would be the best opponent to eventually take it from her. Either way, this was a bit too short to really get going. As an aside: Without Green in WWE and Toni Storm in AEW, professional wrestling on all American channels would be a lot less interesting. God bless them for that.

The two traded pin attempts to begin the match and Green rolled outside the ring to roll back into it. Michin hit a series of German Suplexes and Green went to the outside, where Michin landed a dive through the ropes. Back inside the ring, Michin went for Eat Defeat, but Green got away from it. Michin pounded on Green until Green pushed Michin over the top and to the outside. Back inside the ring, Green worked a chin-lock. Eventually, Green went to a head-lock.

Michin fought back with a series of kicks, including a running strike. Michin set up the Long Back Attack and hit a Cannonball and got a two count out of it. The two traded pin attempts until Michin landed Eat Defeat, but Green rolled to the outside. B-Fab rolled Green back into the ring, but Green escaped again, but Michin chased after her. Green kept running away regardless. Green found the kendo stick and hit Michin with it to end the match. After the match, Michin got a hold of the stick and worked Green over with it.

**********

– Saxton interviewed Belair and Naomi backstage. Saxton asked what will happen if Naomi and Belair are the final two in the Rumble on Saturday. They both said they’d support each other, no matter the outcome. Saxton noted how Liv and Raquel have their eyes on the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.

– Another Charlotte Flair vignette aired.

– Stephanie McMahon was shown sitting in the crowd with a child.

The Damian Priest/Jacob Fatu Segment

The future of SmackDown, probably, and it’s hard to be mad at that. Fatu vs. Priest is a nice way to introduce Priest to Fridays – and it’ll be even better if they can figure out how to involve a title with all this. Knight being there makes sense, too. I will now insert the complaint I keep writing each week these days: Why wouldn’t they advertise this tag match ahead of time? It has some of the brand’s biggest star power. Don’t you think people might tune in if they knew this was coming ahead of time? Anyway, Fatu saying he and Tonga run SmackDown now is mighty interesting considering how Solo Sikoa walked out of the entire arena without saying a word the last time we saw him. Something’s going to eventually give with all that … right?

Priest said he wanted to make an impact after coming up to the main roster and he went from a nobody to a heavyweight champion. Priest said he doesn’t want to live in the past, though, because now he’s on SmackDown. Priest said the goal on SmackDown is championships and it will start at the Royal Rumble as he secures his spot at WrestleMania. On cue, Jacob Fatu’s music hit and Fatu walked to the ring.

Fatu screamed into the mic and said he sees Priest and he knows who he is, what he’s done. Fatu said Priest has accomplished so much more than the others in the back. Fatu said they’re alike because they both got out the gutter and they both came from the streets. The difference, Fatu said, was that Fatu spent time in jail. Fatu said he’s all gas, no breaks now, and if Priest thinks he’s going to make a name for himself on SmackDown, that’s not going to happen. Fatu said Priest can lay down or he could “beat his ass down.” Fatu said he and Tama Tonga are running SmackDown now and yelled “Fatu!”

Priest asked Fatu if that was supposed to intimidate him. Priest then spoke in Spanish. Priest said Fatu should know better and asked Fatu why they’re even talking at all. Priest then super-kicked Tonga. Fatu glared at Priest and removed his vest. The two circled each other. A “Holy SH$#@” chant broke out and the two brawled with each other. Tonga got up and inserted himself. The two played the numbers game on Priest until LA Knight’s music hit and Knight ran down to make the save. Knight hit Fatu with a chair and grabbed the mic. Knight challenged Fatu and Tonga to go up against Priest and Knight later in the show. Knight offered up his catchphrase to end the segment.

**********

– Santos Escobar was shown talking to Los Garza backstage. MCMG walked in and Escobar pointed out that MCMG have their opportunity to win gold at the Rumble. Meanwhile, Legado Del Fantasma have to fight for what they have. Alex Shelley said they will have Los Garza’s backs tonight. Angel said if MCMG because #DIY at the Rumble, they want the first shot at the tag titles.

– Footage of the moment HHH was told he’d be inducted into the Hall Of Fame this year from earlier this week aired.

Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) and Los Garza (Angel & Berto) defeated #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) and Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) [12:08]

This went pretty much as expected, but there’s nothing wrong with that. MCMG getting the win for their team all but promises that they will continue to be in chase mode with #DIY coming out of the Royal Rumble Saturday night. Then again, this is a new era, so perhaps new things can and will happen. I got a kick out of how MCMG kept trying to tag each other in, only to have Los Garza members cut them off. It was a tiny touch, but a necessary one in order to make sure we all know that Los Garza are still heels. Here’s hoping that 2-out-of-3 falls tag match gets at least a half hour at the Rumble Saturday night. Seeing, as always, is believing.

Berto and Prince were the first to lock up. The show almost immediately went to a picutre-in-picture break, but it came right back and Ciampa was the legal man for the heels. Berto landed a rolling moonsault on Ciampa for a two-count. Shelley tried to tag in, but Angel tagged himself in … but Sabin tagged himself in. Gargano was the legal man briefly and things broke down. The babyfaces hit stereo dives on the heels on the outside of the ring and the show went to another PIP break, weirdly.

When the show returned this time around, Prince was working over Sabin. Wilson tagged in and Sabin hit a double clothesline on both Prince and Wilson. Sabin tagged in Angel (who stole the tag from Shelley). Angel fired up and ripped off his pants. Angel went to the top and hit a cross-body on Wilson for a two count. Gargano tagged himself in and things broke down again with all eight wrestlers getting a signature move in, complete with a moonsault from Angel onto Pretty Deadly on the outside.

Berto powerbombed Gargano inside the ring for a nice near-fall. “This is awesome!” chants began. Sabin tagged himself in, but Angel stopped Sabin from entering the ring. Los Garza jawed at Sabin and left ringside, leaving MCMG on their own. Ciampa, meanwhile, worked out Sabin on the outside of the ring, throwing him into the crowd barrier. Shelley popped up on the apron, but Gargano pulled Shelley to the floor.

Ciampa clotheslined the hell out of Sabin. Ciampa accidentally kicked Prince in the head and as a result, Pretty Deadly walked away. Sabin then rolled Ciampa up and got the win for his team.

**********

– Fatu and Tonga were shown walking backstage and saw the tag titles laid out on a road case. Ciampa and Gargano walked up and grabbed them. Tonga “Yeeee Yeeee Yeeee”-ed at #DIY. Ciampa ran into and yelled at Pretty Deadly. Gargano said the tag title match at the Rumble is the biggest match of their lives. Elton Prince told Gargano and Ciampa that tomorrow night, they will be on their own.

– Cole and McAfee were shown at their tiny desk and McAfee introduced Tyrese Halliburton, who joined the two at the tiny desk in the crowd. Halliburton said he was excited to have the Rumble in his town. McAfee noted how it’s Pacers vs. Hawks at 5 p.m. tomorrow and wondered if we could see Halliburton in the Rumble. Halliburton said the plan is to beat the Hawks and then show up at Lucas Oil. Footage of Cole and Cody crowdsurfing earlier in the day aired.

– A vignette focusing on Owens vs. Rhodes aired.

Naomi defeated Liv Morgan [10:21]

Boy, it sure does feel like Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are going to be the next in line for those WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, doesn’t it? That’s fine and all, but what about the other end of the equation? At what point does Jade Cargill get re-inserted into the Naomi/Belair circle? And when do we find out about the attacker? All of this feels like it will develop sooner than later, but this viewer is starting to get at least a tiny bit impatient. In the meantime, this was a mildly surprising result and a well-worked match on both ends. Morgan was just one of the biggest champions in the company. Now she’s losing in the second-to-third hour of SmackDown in a match with little stakes. Perhaps there is a plan. There’s always a plan. Right?

The women locked up to begin things. Morgan got the best of it at first, but Naomi came back with an arm-drag and a head-scissors takedown. Morgan rolled to the outside. Back inside the ring, Naomi kicked Morgan a handful of times. Naomi then hit her split splash for a two count. Naomi landed a vertical suplex for a two count. Raquel hopped up on the apron to distract Naomi and Morgan too advantage of that with a backstabber for a two count. The show went to a break.

Back to the show, Morgan pinned Naomi, got a two count and then worked a chin-lock. Naomi Stunned Morgan to even things out. Naomi kicked Morgan in the head and followed up with a clothesline and back elbow. Naomi ran Morgan’s face into the second turnbuckle and went to the top. From there, Naomi landed a cross-body for a two count. Morgan ultimately came back with a running knee and a Codebreaker from the top for a near-fall.

Naomi hit a Rear View out of nowhere and went for the split-legged moonsault, but Raquel distracted Naomi. Even so, Morgan and Naomi traded pin attempts in the wake of the distraction and Naomi got the best of it, rolling Morgan up for the win. After the match, Raquel attacked Belair and Naomi. Morgan joined in on the fun and Raquel powerbombed Morgan onto both Naomi and Belair.

**********

– A video recapping the Fatu vs. Strowman match from SNME aired.

Andrade defeated The Miz [10:02]

The expected outcome in a match that would have gone too long if this didn’t involve a commercial break. I’m a fan of the back elbow being a finisher for Andrade, so here’s hoping that sticks around. Speaking of “here’s hoping,” here’s hoping Andrade gets somewhat of a kickstart in the wake of WrestleMania season. The Melo/Andrade program was filled with fireworks but both guys haven’t really found a safe place to land since then. Facing The Miz in a throwaway third hour of SmackDown proves as much on Andrade’s side. Here’s hoping he gets back to something meaningful sooner than later.

The two locked up and Miz hit an arm-drag before posing. A lock-up happened again and Andrade got the best of that one. The Miz actually landed a flying head-scissors and the crowd cheered as the action spilled outside. Andrade followed it up with a springboard moonsault on Miz and the show went to a commercial break at about the two-minute mark.

Back from the break and Miz was in control, giving Andrade some Miz Kicks. Andrade popped up and chopped the hell out of Miz. From there, Andrade hit a Dragon-Screw Leg Whip and a flying elbow before firing up the crowd. Andrade then landed the double-knees onto Miz in a corner. Andrade booted Miz in the face, but Miz came back with a tilt-a-whirl DDT for a nice near-fall. Miz clotheslined Andrade in a corner and went to the top. but Andrade cut him off. With the two on the top, Andrade pulled off a top rope Spanish Fly for a good near-fall.

“This is awesome!” chants broke out (let’s not get carried away, friends). Andrade missed a moonsault attempt and the two traded rollup attempts, but nothing came of it. Andrade then hit his spinning back elbow and that, surprisingly enough, was good enough to get Andrade the win.

**********

– Priest ran into Escobar backstage. Priest wondered why Escobar was even talking to him in the first place. Escobar told Priest he’d see him around. R-Truth appeared and told Priest they were at Raw. Priest told Truth to never change and turned into LA Knight. Nakamura was standing in the shadows as Knight and Priest talked to each other. Truth hopped in and said “Welcome to Raw!” to both Knight and Priest.

– Tiffany Stratton was shown walking and she ran into Zelina Vega, who said she had her eyes on Tiffy’s title. Tiffy talked down to Vega and it turns out Stratton is going to talk to Cole and McAfee next.

The Tiffany Stratton segment

Nia Jax is working overtime these days between SNME and SmackDown. Good for her. I have to think this means the story isn’t over between Stratton and Jax, no matter how Saturday night turns out. Tiffany, for her part, needs to decide if she wants to be a proper heel or a proper babyface. She heel’d on Vega backstage and then sold like a babyface after Jax attacked her in the ring. We all feel like it’s going one way, but the more WWE denies it, the more unnatural – and more frustrating – her entire presentation feels.

McAfee and Cole were in the ring and Cole introduced Stratton, who made her entrance. Cole asked Tiffy how her life has changed since she won the WWE Women’s Championship. Tiffy said she has always been championship material. Stratton said now everybody knows she’s championship material. McAfee said everybody wants what she has and McAfee listed off wrestlers who might win the Royal Rumble, including Nia Jax. Tiffy said it doesn’t matter who wins because it will always be Tiffy Time.

As Tiffy was talking, Candice LeRae’s music hit and LeRae walked out with a microphone. LeRae called Tiffy pathetic and said Tiffy didn’t deserve to even say Nia’s name. LeRae said Tiffy betrayed both Jax and LeRae. The crowd started the “WHAT?” treatment as LeRae stepped into the ring and called Tiffy jealous. LeRae told Tiffy to enjoy what little bit of Tiffy Time she has left. LeRae said she has entered the Rumble. Tiffy backed LeRae into a corner and Jax tried to attack Tiffy, but Tiffy moved and Jax splashed LeRae. Jax rebounded quickly, and hit a leg drop and her finisher on Tiffy. Jax stood tall to end the segment.

**********

– The commentary team ran down the card for the Royal Rumble.

LA Knight & Damian Priest defeated Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga [14:44]

A good-enough main event for the Royal Rumble go-home show, but “good-enough” isn’t by much. It’s no secret that SmackDown has lost its luster over the last few months and with Raw On Netflix now the shiny new thing, it was clear that SmackDown was going to be given the short end of the stick. To see it come this early is a little disheartening. You have one of your four (probably three?) biggest shows of the year tomorrow night and your main event is a throwaway tag that has no real implications for anything significant in the immediate future? Or, well, probably more accurate: No Big Time Stars in the last 10 minutes of TV leading up to A Very Important PLE? No Cody? No Roman? No Punk? Not even Owens? Switch out the Monday and Friday shows and you’d have something. Tonight, though? Not so much.

Knight and Priest jumpstarted the match and ran into the ring to attack the heels. Fatu was kicked to the outside and Tonga and Priest turned out to be the legal men. Priest got the best of him and tagged in Knight. Still, Tonga came back, corner Knight and tagged in Fatu. Knight landed a neck-breaker on Fatu and stomped a mudhole in him. Knight then ran into a knee from Fatu, but Knight came back with another neck-breaker.

Priest tagged in and worked over Fatu until Tonga distracted Priest and Fatu capitalized with a hip attack. Tonga tagged in and took some punishment from Tonga. Fatu tagged in and worked Priest’s neck. Priest came back and threw Fatu to the outside. Knight tagged in and Knight went after Fatu, complete with his top-rope elbow. Out of nowhere, Fatu landed a leaping elbow on Knight to settle things down. The show then went to its final commercial break.

The show returned and Fatu went for a hip attack on Knight, but Knight moved. From there, Knight back-suplexed Fatu and ultimately got the hot tag to Priest, who came in and cleaned house. Priest hit a Flapjack on Tonga and fired up the crowd. Priest sent Tonga flying over the commentary table and then planted Fatu on said table. Back inside the ring, Priest walked the top rope, ala Undertaker, and hit a cross-body for a near-fall that the referee kind of/sort of gave away before Tonga kicked out.

Priest set up for a Razor’s Edge, but Tonga countered into a sleeper hold. Priest tried to fire up, but it didn’t really work at first. Eventually, it worked and Priest got out of it. Tonga landed the Hanging DDT on Priest inside the ring and Knight tackled Fatu over into the timekeeper’s area. “This is awesome!” chants broke out. Tonga ran at Priest, but Priest caught him and eventually clotheslined the hell out of Tonga. Priest then hit South Of Heaven on Tonga for the win.

After the match, Fatu ran into the ring and attacked Priest, complete with super-kick, pop-up Samoan Drop and a moonsault. The show barely made it off air before fitting all of this in. Everything ended with a shot of Fatu scowling.

Women’s US title rematch booked for next week’s WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A Women’s United States Championship rematch is one of four matches announced for the Friday, January 31 WWE SmackDown.

Women’s US Champion Chelsea Green will defend her title against Michin in a rematch of the US title tournament finals from last month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event on next week’s SmackDown. Michin and B-Fab defeated Green and Piper Niven on this week’s episode in tag team action.

Speaking of tag team action, an eight-man tag has also been announced for next week, with DIY and Pretty Deadly facing Motor City Machine Guns and Los Garza.

Jimmy Uso will go one-on-one with Carmelo Hayes on next week’s SmackDown after a backstage interaction between the two this week spilled into a physical angle ahead of Friday’s SmackDown main event.

Also announced for next week, Liv Morgan will take on Naomi.

The announced lineup for the Friday, January 31 WWE SmackDown, the go-home show for next Saturday’s Royal Rumble PLE:

  • Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green defends against Michin
  • DIY & Pretty Deadly (Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. Motor City Machine Guns & Los Garza (Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Berto & Angel)
  • Jimmy Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes
  • Liv Morgan vs. Naomi

WWE SmackDown live results: Two title matches, Tiffany Stratton appears

Posted on by Colin McGuire

WWE is at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, tonight for the second SmackDown of 2025.

Both the men’s and women’s United States Championships will be on the line on the three-hour show. After dropping the men’s U.S. title to Shinsuke Nakamura at last November’s Survivor Series, LA Knight gets his rematch.

In another rematch, Chelsea Green defends the women’s U.S. title against Michin. Green defeated Michin in a tournament final at last month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event to become the inaugural champion. This is her first title defense.

Also set for tonight, new WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton will appear. Stratton will address her betrayal of Nia Jax from last week when she finally cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase to become champion. The cash-in happened after Stratton helped Jax defeat Naomi in last week’s main event.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 PM Eastern time.

**********

– Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone into the show as outdoor scenes of Portland, Oregon aired. Wade Barrett was Tessitore’s broadcast partner and the two stood at ringside. Footage of Nakamura and Tiffany Stratton from earlier today aired. Paul Heyman was shown making his way to the ring for the opening segment. A video recap of Raw then aired.

The Paul Heyman/Cody Rhodes segment

This was good. And for the second week in a row, I don’t know why they don’t advertise these types of things beforehand. A Paul Heyman/Cody Rhodes segment would have been noteworthy and maybe even drew some more eyeballs to the show; is there a reason we can’t know this is going to happen ahead of time? Anyway, Roman entering the Royal Rumble is mildly intriguing because that notion isn’t one that’s been talked about much when it comes to all the fantasy booking scenarios involving Cody, Roman, about a dozen other people and WrestleMania. Heyman put Cody over pretty well here – to the extent that it looked like Cody was genuinely choking up for a second. The Owens touch was nice because everybody has been whining about The Rock and Cody’s interaction on Monday and someone needed to say it out loud. Also, and finally, did that final sequence mean Cody vs. Fatu is on the horizon? Lots of stuff here to open the show. I like it.

Paul Heyman walked into the ring and did the “My name …” bit. Heyman said he was excited to be there and announced that there is only one reigning, defending undisputed Tribal Chief of the WWE Universe and the entire Island of Relevancy and that Tribal Chief is Roman Reigns. The crowd cheered and “OTC!” chants broke out. Heyman said Reigns authorized Heyman to tell everyone what Roman intends to accomplish next. Heyman said he wanted to share the news with one man in particular – and that man is Cody Rhodes. Cody’s music hit and Cody’s entrance began.

Cody and Heyman shook hands once Cody entered the ring. Heyman said Cody deserved the response he received from the crowd and Cody has done something few have ever done, which is earn the respect of Roman Reigns. Heyman talk about how great of a champion Cody has been. Because Cody has been a great champion, Reigns told Heyman to go out there and tell Cody that Roman wants his title back. Heyman said Reigns wanted Cody to know how he intends to get his title back. Heyman declared that Roman Reigns will be in the Royal Rumble this year to earn his way into a match against Cody for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Heyman then asked Cody what he wanted to talk about, which was funny.

The crowd chanted Cody’s name as Cody fetched a microphone for himself. Before Cody could speak, Kevin Owens’s voice was heard and it turned out that Owens was in the crowd with a microphone. Owens said just when he thought it couldn’t get worse, it did get worse because Cody went and shook hands with The Rock on Monday. Owens brought up how Heyman just mentioned how Roman Reigns wants his title back. Owens said he should have let the Bloodline rip Roman to shreds. Owens kept rambling and Cody ran out of the ring and brawled with Owens in the crowd.

With Heyman alone in the ring, Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu showed up. It looked like they were going to attack Heyman, but Jimmy Uso’s music hit and Jimmy ran out for the save. Jimmy grabbed a chair and hit Fatu and Tonga with it, but all it did was wake Fatu up. Fatu hit Jimmy with a flying elbow and the two worked Jimmy over. Fatu kicked a referee in the face, which made the rest of the referees scared to enter the ring. Cody made his way back through the crowd and towards the ring. Cody threw Tonga out of the ring and Fatu and Cody faced off. Cody clotheslined Fatu over the top and to the outside. Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– Fatu and Tonga were shown being thrown out of the building by officials. Fatu fought back and started yelling at them. LA Knight showed up and threw Fatu out of the building himself, saying he has a title to win later. So … um … oh no, LA Knight?

Chelsea Green defeated Michin to retain the Women’s United States Championship [8:42]

I was surprised they went back to this match so quickly, but I’m also happy that it doesn’t appear as though Green and Michin’s story is over, considering the holding of the tights and the post-match developments. In some ways, I feel like these two could work together through the Royal Rumble and it would still be entertaining each week. Green is impossible not to like and she has great, worn-in ring chemistry with Michin, so their matches rarely disappoint. As such, this match didn’t disappoint. Are we in for Dumpster Match Part Two? Or is there another stip out there with which these two could have fun?

Green went for a kick and Michin moved. Michin then held control of the match early, complete with a dropkick and a pin attempt. Michin stretched Green over the top rope, but it wasn’t long before Green fought back and threw Michin to the outside. Green threw Michin into the crowd barrier, but Michin made it back into the ring to beat a count out. Green kept her offense up as the show went to a commercial break.

Back from break, Green had the upper hand and worked a chin-lock. Michin got out of it via a back suplex. Michin landed a shotgun dropkick and danced before hitting a Cannonball on Green in a corner for a two-count. Michin went to threw Green, but Green countered by planting Michin face-first. Green went to the top, but missed a dropkick and Michin took control with a running knee. Michin went on the apron and kicked Piper Niven in the face. Michin then went to the top and hit a cross-body, but Green rolled through and held Michin’s tights to get the win.

After the match, Michin tried to attack Green, but Niven interfered and hit a Senton on Michin, allowing Green to get away.

**********

– Footage from last week’s tag title match aired. Motor City Machine Guns were shown complaining to Nick Aldis earlier today. Pretty Deadly, A-Town Down Under and Los Garza were in the shot, too. Aldis told everyone to shut up. Pretty Deadly and Los Garza will face each other while MCMG and A-Town Down Under will square off with the winners potentially wrestling each other for a shot at the tag titles.

Los Garza (Angel & Humberto) defeated Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) [8:56]

So this is why SmackDown went to three hours, eh? Give some folks some TV time and grant the viewing audience that Los Garza vs Pretty Deadly bout they’ve been craving for months now? Cool. This match was just kind of there despite everyone’s efforts to heat up this mini feud last week. My biggest problem? Since when did Los Garza or anyone in Legado Del Fantasma start working as babyfaces? The crowd cheered them here (or at least crowd sounds, wherever they did or did not come from, cheered them here), but I can’t really figure out why they’d do that other than they played the role of Not Pretty Deadly. But even then – even then! – wouldn’t Pretty Deadly be better babyfaces in this scenario because of their silly, comedic musical skits that have popped up through the weeks? My head is spinning. Either way, the match was harmless.

Los Garza jumpstarted the match and Humberto hit a suicide dive on Wilson on the outside. Back inside the ring, Humberto hit a standing moonsault for a two-count. Angel tagged in and the two hit Wilson with a double super-kick for a two-count. Humberto tagged in and landed a dropkick for a two-count. Prince got a blind tag and dragged Humberto over the top and to the outside via a gnarly neck-breaker. The show went to a commercial break.

Back from break, Humberto was doing his best to turn things around against Prince, but couldn’t do so. Wilson then tagged in and missed a splash immediately, which allowed Humerto to get the hot tag to Angel, who fired up and landed a cross-body from the top rope for a two-count. Angel did the take-his-pants-off spot, which hasn’t been shown on WWE TV in ages. He threw the pants at Wilson and kicked him for a two-count. Prince reasserted himself and planted Angel while the referee was distracted. With the ref still distracted, Santos Escobar crotched Prince. From there, Los Garza hit their finisher on Prince for the win.

**********

LA Knight defeated Shinsuske Nakamura via DQ [14:06]

This was much better than their Survivor Series match and it would have been even better if we got a clean finish out of it, but after Knight went and gave an f-word when it wasn’t his turn to give an f-word (to, in a censored way, quote “The Wire”) with Fatu earlier in the show, you could see this finish coming from a million miles away. I hope Nakamura and Knight get to run it back at some point (I still think Knight gets that belt back sooner than later) because this proved that they could go deep and it could work. I’m as entertained by Knight as anybody, but he isn’t typically considered as one of the best in-ring fellas in the game. Here, though, he went into deep waters and it worked. Good job from both guys.

The match started slow with neither wrestler getting the upper hand for long. Nakamura eventually got control and hit a running knee on Knight, who was draped over the ring apron. Knight tried to fight back, but Nakamura cut him off and went to work on Knight’s knee. Knight found himself on the outside of the ring and ultimately clotheslined Nakamura and sent him to the floor. Knight followed that up with a baseball slide and proceeded to repeatedly pound Nakamura’s head on the commentary table. Back inside the ring, Knight clotheslined Nakamura over the top to the outside again. Nakamura ran Knight into the ring post twice and the show went to a picture-in-picture break.

The show returned and the two traded blows until Knight took over and slammed Nakamura before hitting an elbow for a two-count. Knight lifted Nakamura, but Nakamura worked his way out of it. Nakamura pulled the turnbuckle pad off the second rope and followed it up with a sliding German Suplex. With Nakamura on the top, Knight ran up the ropes and super-plexed Nakamura for a good near-fall. Knight sunk in a weird version of a reverse Boston Crab (surely, Excalibur knows the name of the move), but Nakamura made it to the ropes for a break.

Nakamura went for an arm-bar, but Knight rolled Nakamura up for a two-count. Nakamura popped up and kicked Knight. Knight went for a BFT, but Nakamura countered with a back elbow. Nakamura followed that up with the Kinshasha, but Knight got his leg on the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Nakamura put Knight’s head on the exposed turnbuckle, but Knight moved and Nakamura ran into the exposed turnbuckle. Knight then hit the BFT but Tonga and Fatu showed up and attacked Knight to end the match.

Fatu hit all his greatest hits on Knight until Cody and Jimmy ran back out. This time, Cody was dressed in wrestling attire. They double super-kicked Fatu and Fatu and Tonga retreated through the crowd. Cody grabbed a mic and yelled for Nick Aldis to make a match between Cody and Jimmy and Fatu and Tonga. Aldis made the match.

**********

Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) defeated A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) [12:06]

A solid match, and a much better tag match than the other tag bout on this show earlier. MCMG seem to be kind of/sort of finally clicking in WWE Land, and I hope whatever that is continues to grow. Meanwhile, Theory and Waller looked pretty good holding their own against the veteran former tag champs. In fact, Waller and Theory were given a lot of offense here and they made the most of it, which doesn’t always happen in these scenarios. Does this mean we get Los Garza vs. MCMG soon? Or does MCMG skip the line and head right back to #DIY?

Shelley and Waller began the match. Waller had the upper hand and Theory tagged in. Theory threw Shelley chest-first into a corner and followed it up with a clothesline. Sabin tagged in and gave MCMG control briefly until Waller tagged in and hit a series of knees to Sabin’s head. Waller then landed a spinning right hand for a two-count. Waller then went to work on Sabin’s arm. Sabin ran the ropes and Shelley bling-tagged himself in. MCMG kicked and clotheslined Waller over the top rope. Sabin went for a splash, but Theory tripped Sabin. From there, Waller hit a rolling Flatliner on Shelley inside the ring for a two-count. The show then went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Waller and Theory stayed on top of Shelley. Theory worked a chin-lock on Shelley. Waller tagged in, but Shelley ran Theory into Waller and super-kicked Theory. Shelley rolled and tagged Sabin, who landed a series of punches on Waller. Sabin went to the second rope and hit a missile dropkick on Waller. Shelley tagged in and the two landed stereo baseball slides on Theory and Waller. MCMG followed that up with Sabin’s suicide dive through the top and second ropes.

Inside the ring, Shelley tagged in Sabin and while Waller ran the ropes, Theory tagged himself in. The action spilled outside and Sabin ran at Waller, but Theory cut Sabin off with an elbow. Waller tagged in and the heels hit a double punch to Sabin’s head for a two-count. Shelley eventually tagged in as things broke down and all four wrestlers were down. Sabin tagged in and took Waller out. Shelley and Sabin singled Theory out and hit Skull & Bones on Theory for the win.

**********

– Ciampa and Gargano were shown upset backstage. They ran into Pretty Deadly, who asked #DIY why they didn’t help them out earlier. Gargano said Pretty Deadly will get their title match eventually and Pretty Deadly need to trust them. Apollo Crews walked into the scene and if they were dumb enough to believe #DIY, they’ll deserve everything coming their way.

– Nia Jax and Candice LeRae were talking in the locker room. Jax wondered what Tiffany Stratton would say later. Jax then walked to the ring and said she was going to congratulate Stratton herself.

The Tiffy Time segment

Wow. And speaking of not advertising things that should have been advertised … . My goodness. A Fatal Four-Way for a shot at Stratton seems like a thing they could have announced ahead of time, but again, what do I know? Nothing. That’s the answer. Nothing. Anyway, everyone here showed good fire, most of whom was Jax, who really seemed really pissed and sold it really well. Bayley and Naomi, meanwhile, had good logic. And Tiffy is settling in nice into her spot as a sort of pesky tweener champion (make her an official babyface already!). This upcoming four-way should be fun.

Stratton came out to a big positive reception from the crowd. Byron Saxton was in the ring and reminded Stratton that she became the new WWE Women’s Champion last week. Saxton congratulated Stratton and Stratton yelled “It’s Tiffy Time!” She also called it a “tiffy-turn-of-events.” Stratton then recapped her run so far on the main roster and said she is better than “your favorites.” The crowd cheered her. Saxton started talking about Jax bullying Stratton, but Stratton cut off Saxton. Stratton said she got JAx to trust her and Jax thought Stratton was just a dumb blonde and Jax let her guard down. As a result, Stratton said, she stole Jax’s most prized possession. Stratton yelled to put respect on her name and to tell her what time it is.

On cue, Jax’s music hit and Jax walked out with a microphone. Jax looked angry. Jax called Stratton and “ungrateful little s-@#.” Jax said she could kill Stratton. Jax said Stratton would be nothing without Jax because Jax made Stratton. Jax said it took Stratton long enough to take advantage of her. Jax walked onto the ring apron and then into the ring. The crowd chanted “Tiffy Time” and Jax said “Time’s up,” before telling Stratton to give Jax her title back or Jax said she’d take it back. Out of nowhere, Bayley’s music hit and Bayley walked out with a microphone.

Bayley told Jax to shut the hell up and told Stratton she always thought Stratton was stupid. Bayley recalled how Jax took Stratton under her wing and Stratton still outsmarted Jax. Bayley stepped into the ring and said the only reason Jax had her title was because Jax had Stratton’s help. Bayley said it was only fitting that Bayley takes Stratton’s title from her. Naomi’s music then hit and Naomi walked out with a microphone and Bianca Belair.

Naomi said everyone knew Naomi had Jax beat last week. Naomi said if it wasn’t for Stratton, Naomi would be holding two titles. Naomi said Jax has to see her first before going after Stratton. Jax said nobody cares about Naomi. Jax attacked Belair and Naomi. As Naomi, Bayley, Belair and Jax were fighting, Stratton hit the Prettiest Moonsault on everyone and left them lying as she walked away with her title.

Aldis showed up with a microphone and said he had an idea. Aldis announced that there will be a Fatal Four-Way right now to determine who will be the No. 1 contender for Stratton’s title.

**********

Bayley defeated Nia Jax, Naomi & Bianca Belair to become the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Women’s Championship [17:16]

An unexpected outcome, but a welcome outcome nonetheless. Bayley and Stratton should have a quietly very good-to-great match and I’m looking forward to that. I was convinced Jax would win to get her rematch, but that next beat in the Jax/Stratton program will clearly come at a later date. I’m a fan of this being the longest match on the show and even more a fan of how much space these women were seemingly given when it comes to putting this match together. It was almost like an AEW match – move after move after move after move with bouts of little-to-no-selling until the match reset itself a couple times. Lots of fun stuff in here and maybe – just maybe – this will win Match Of The Night honors after it’s all said and done.

Naomi and Belair teamed up on Jax early until Jax tried to suplex both at the same time and barely got them over. Bayley returned to the action and pounded on Jax until Jax threw Bayley away. The babyfaces went after Jax, but Jax pushed them all away. Naomi, Bayley and Belair stared each other down and Jax pulled Belair to the outside. Bayley and Naomi then locked up inside the ring and Naomi got the best of it early until Bayley came back and the two traded pin attempts. Bayley was pulled to the outside by Jax and Jax threw Bayley into the crowd barrier.

Inside the ring, Naomi landed a chin-breaker on Jax. Naomi leapt at Jax, but Jax caught her and slammed her for a two-count. Belair tried to lift Jax, but Jax stopped her. In all, it turned into a dropkick from Belair into Jax. Belair pounded on Jax in a corner. Jax powerbombed Belair, but Bayley broke up a pin attempt. Bayley suplexed Jax and went to the top, but Jax cut Bayley off. Jax lifted Bayley for a Samoan Drop, but Naomi and Belair ran in and slammed Jax, who slammed Bayley, and all four wrestlers were down. The show then went to a commercial break.

Back from break, Jax slammed Naomi, but Belair and Bayley broke up a pin attempt. Bayley and Belair took turns punching Jax. Bayley and Belair sent Jax to the outside and then went after each other. Bayley rolled up Belair for a two-count. Bayley rolled Belair up again, but Jax broke that up. Naomi returned to the action and kicked Jax before landing a Russian Leg Sweep. Naomi hit a Split-Legged Moonsault on Jax for a near-fall.

Bayley came form the top rope and hit an elbow drop on Jax for a two-count. Belair then came off the top and hit a 450 splash on Jax, but Bayley broke that pin attempt up. The babyfaces tried to pin Jax at the same time and it didn’t work. LeRae then walked down to the ring and Naomi and Belair worked some double-team moves on Bayley. That left Naomi and Belair alone to fight each other. Instead of going at it, they went at Bayley and Jax on the outside. Jax caught Naomi and ran her into the ring apron.

Jax returned to the ring and was the recipient of a shoulder-block from Belair. Bayley then hit Bayley-To-Belly on Belair, btu Naomi broke it up. Naomi hit a Rear Vew on Bayley, but Jax broke that up. Jax dropped Naomi and Belair broke up that pin attempt. The match reset again with all four wrestlers down in the middle of the ring. Belair planted Bayley and hit a moonsault on her for a two-count. Belair lifted Bayley for a KOD, but LeRae broke it up by pulling on Belair’s braid. Belair then accidentally hit Naomi with the braid.

Jax and Belair took each other over the commentary table. Inside the ring, Bayley hit the Rose Plant on Naomi and that was good enough for the win.

**********

– Cody and Jimmy were shown talking backstage and Cody said he knew Roman would want his title back so all was good. Cody walked away and Carmelo Hayes walked up to Jimmy and half-threatened Jimmy. Jimmy talked about how Melo shoots nothing but bricks and then half-yeeted.

– Bayley was walking backstage and ran into Byron Saxton, who said Bayley’s match against Stratton will take place next week. Bayley said she’s grown up in this business and she pointed out that Stratton has never beaten Bayley. Also set for next week, MCMG will take on Los Garza. Solo Sikoa is set to return to SmackDown next week as well.

– Jacob Fatu was yelling while walking backstage and towards the ring with Tonga. Fatu’s tone has shifted from crazed Solo Sikoa follower to a more serious approach and it’s great.

Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu defeated Cody Rhodes & Jimmy Uso [13:18]

I love it. I love Fatu getting the win, even if that means it was because Cody was taken out of the match. Keep that version of The Bloodline strong, even after Solo’s loss and let’s get some heat for the eventual Solo vs. Jacob showdown. If Jimmy and Cody would have won, this would have felt like a regular dark match that was designed to send the live crowd home happy; instead, we further the strength of Fatu – and even Tonga, to a degree. Really good booking here, at least in terms of WWE (yes, I know you hate WWE, but be reasonable). On the other hand, that weird final spot with the makeshift spear that Cody just kind of leaned into felt a little odd. But we got to where we needed to go. A very good way to end an unusually better-than-solid SmackDown these days. Let’s see how next week goes.

Cody and Tonga started the match and Cody dropped Tonga. Cody went to Tonga’s arm and tagged in Jimmy, who went to the top and came down on Tonga’s left arm. Tonga fired up and beat Jimmy into a corner. Fatu tagged in and Fatu went to work on Jimmy. Fatu landed his pop-up Samoan Drop on Jimmy and the show went to a PIP commercial break.

The show returned and Tonga tagged in to dropkick Cody and work Jimmy’s leg and yell odd things. Fatu tagged in and landed a Senton on Jimmy after hitting Cody off the apron. Fatu landed a hip attack on Jimmy. He did that two times over. After the second time, Fatu got a two-count out of it. Fatu placed Jimmy on the top rope and screamed “I love you Solo!” Jimmy then fought back and knocked Fatu off the ropes. Jimmy eventually hit a spinning splash on Fatu and Cody received the hot tag.

Cody snap-powerslammed Tonga, who also tagged in. Tonga received a Disaster Kick. Cody lifted Tonga, but Tonga got out of it. Fatu and Tonga were on the outside and Cody landed a suicide dive on both heels. Back in the ring, Cody did the Dusty punches/elbow on Tonga for a two-count. Cody set up for a CrossRhodes on Tonga, but Tonga countered into a DDT for a two-count. Cody lifted Tonga and perched on on the top while Jimmy tagged in. Cody and Jimmy did a variation of the Power And Glory finisher, but Fatu broke things up. As a response, Cody hit a Cody Cutter on Fatu and Jimmy sent Fatu over the commentary desk.

Kevin Owens walked down the aisle. Cody saw him and Cody and KO brawled to the back. Inside the ring, Jimmy hit a spear on Tonga and went to the top and hit the Uso Splash, but Fatu pulled Jimmy to the outside. Fatu then tagged in and slammed Jimmy’s head on the commentary table before rolling himi back into the ring. Fatu hit an Impaler and his moonsault and that got him the win.

Meanwhile, Owens and Cody brawled back into the arena and onto traveling equipment. Owens set up for a powerbomb, but instead the two traded punches. From there, Cody speared Owens and the two went through two tables in the crowd. Both guys sold pain and that’s how the show went off the air.

Natalya to challenge for WWE Speed Women’s title

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With a victory over Michin, Natalya has earned a shot at the WWE Speed Women’s Championship.

A new episode of Speed premiered today with Natalya and Michin colliding in the last match of a number one contender’s tournament. Michin went for Eat Defeat near the end of the bout, but Natalya was able to block it. Natalya tried for an O’Connor Roll that Michin was able to kick out of. A roll-up then got Natalya the pinfall victory with 46 seconds remaining of the three-minute time limit.

Natalya will challenge Candice LeRae for the WWE Speed Women’s Championship on the show next Wednesday (January 8) at noon Eastern time. It will be the first title defense LeRae has made since becoming the inaugural champion in October.

During the contender’s tournament, Natalya had two victories over B-Fab leading into this match against Michin. She defeated B-Fab in the first round, then there was a rematch in the second round when Zelina Vega — Natalya’s originally scheduled opponent — had to be pulled from the tournament due to injury.

The Natalya vs. Michin match was taped at SmackDown last Friday. In a brief post-match promo, Natalya declared that this is her time.

Natalya is a member of the WWE Raw roster and recently took part in the Women’s Intercontinental title tournament, losing in the opening round.

Michin advances to next round of WWE Speed women’s tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

She came up just short in the Women’s United States title tournament, but Michin is still determined to win championship gold.

Michin defeated Katana Chance on WWE Speed today to advance in the show’s ongoing number one contender’s tournament. After avoiding a 450 attempt from Chance, Michin connected with Eat Defeat and got the victory with 51 seconds remaining of the three-minute time limit.

In the next round, Michin will face either Zelina Vega or Natalya with the winner earning a shot against Candice LeRae for the WWE Speed Women’s Championship. It will be the first title defense LeRae has made since becoming the inaugural champion this October.

The Vega vs. Natalya match is airing on Speed next week.

Michin had been competing in this tournament and the Women’s United States title tournament simultaneously, but the latter concluded at Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend with Chelsea Green defeating Michin to become the first-ever Women’s U.S. Champion.

Wrestling Weekly: The return of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

This Saturday marks the return of WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event — a show which will see the very first United States Women’s Champion crowned.

On today’s Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I make our match predictions and also take a look at AEW’s Continental Classic tournament.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Michin advances in WWE Speed women’s tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Either Zelina Vega, Natalya, Katana Chance, or Michin will be the first wrestler to challenge Candice LeRae for the WWE Speed Women’s Championship.

The last first-round match in the ongoing number one contender’s tournament aired on Speed this week with Michin defeating Ivy Nile. After Nile avoided her first attempt at Eat Defeat, Michin connected with the move and pinned Nile with 22 seconds remaining of the three-minute time limit. A kick to the jaw, a cannonball in the corner, and Eat Defeat got the win for Michin in the last stretch of the match.

Next Wednesday (December 18), the second round of the tournament begins with Vega vs. Natalya premiering on X/Twitter at noon Eastern time.

Chance vs. Michin is the other second-round matchup. The tournament winner will get their shot against LeRae in the coming weeks.

Michin is also competing in WWE’s tournament to determine the first-ever Women’s United States Champion. She’s facing Tiffany Stratton in a semifinal match on SmackDown this Friday. In a promo after defeating Nile, Michin said she sees double gold in her future with the U.S. and Speed title belts.

Michin advances to WWE Women’s United States title tournament semifinals

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The semifinals for the Women’s United States title tournament is nearly set.

Michin advanced on Friday, defeating Piper Niven and Lash Legend in a three-way match. The finish saw Chelsea Green come out in an attempt to help tag team partner Niven. However B-Fab, who was mocked by the team recently, came out and attacked Green. The distraction allowed Legend to hit her Lash Extension finish on Niven, but Michin quickly countered with a senton to score the win.

Next week’s SmackDown will determine Michin’s next opponent. In the final opening round match of the tournament, Naomi will face Tiffany Stratton and Elektra Lopez.

Legend originally wasn’t scheduled to compete in the tournament, as Jade Cargill was originally part of the triple threat match. However, Cargill was found unconscious on last week’s SmackDown after being thrown into a windshield. Michin and Niven’s opponent instead was promoted as a mystery competitor.

The finals of the tournament will take place at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14 in Uniondale, New York.

Michin vs. Piper Niven added to WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Before her dumpster match against Chelsea Green, Michin is set to go one-on-one with Green’s tag team partner.

Michin vs. Green in a dumpster match is taking place next Friday on the October 4 edition of SmackDown. On tonight’s episode of the show, Michin will face off against Piper Niven. It comes after an angle where Niven attacked Michin with a trash can during an interview on The SmackDown LowDown last week.

Michin owns a victory over Niven from the September 13 episode of SmackDown, but she was laid out by Green and Niven after the match. A distraction by Niven had helped Green defeat Michin one week before that.

SmackDown is being held at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City tonight. Here’s what’s been announced for the show:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, September 27) —

  • Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline appear
  • Number one contender’s match: Bayley vs. Naomi (winner challenges Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship at Bad Blood)
  • Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes (Andrade leads series 3-2)
  • Michin vs. Piper Niven

Chelsea Green vs. Michin dumpster match official for October 4 WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The rivalry between Chelsea Green and Michin will reach its apex with a dumpster match on the October 4 WWE SmackDown.

After teasing the bout last week, WWE officially announced Green vs. Michin in a dumpster match for the Friday, October 4 SmackDown during this week’s episode.

Green was featured in a comedy vignette on this week’s SmackDown, with her preparation for the bout consisting of dumpster diving. The commentary team followed up with the official match announcement:

The October 4 SmackDown is the go-home show for the Bad Blood PLE set for Saturday, October 5.

The announced lineups for the next two WWE SmackDown episodes:

WWE SmackDown, Friday, September 27:

  • Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes (Andrade leads series 3-2)
  • Number one contender’s match, winner faces Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship at Bad Blood: Bayley vs. Naomi

WWE SmackDown, Friday, October 4:

  • Dumpster match: Chelsea Green vs. Michin

WWE teases dumpster match between Chelsea Green and Michin

Posted on by Ian Carey

Michin could have an opportunity to throw Chelsea Green in the trash soon.

A dumpster match between the two was seemingly set up during last night’s edition of The SmackDown LowDown. Green was being interviewed on the show, pleased with herself for having given Michin an UnPrettyHer onto a trash can during SmackDown. Vickie Guerrero interrupted and suggested a dumpster match to settle the rivalry.

“Excuse me! Chelsea, I loved the way you handled that trash can,” Guerrero said. “I’m thinking maybe you and Michin should have a dumpster match!”

“No, you don’t even go here why would I have a dumpster match, Vickie? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Green responded.

SmackDown General Manager then entered the scene and said he liked Vickie’s idea.

“Hi Chelsea, Vickie may no longer work here but I do and I happen to think a dumpster match between you and Michin is a fantastic idea,” he said before leaving the scene with Guerrero.

Despite no date being announced for the match yet, Green said she is unable to make it.

“No. I can’t make it. I won’t be there,” she said before storming off.

WWE has yet to make the match official.

Opening segment, new match announced for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On the road to SummerSlam, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will kick off SmackDown tonight.

WWE has officially confirmed that Rhodes will defend his title against Solo Sikoa at SummerSlam on Saturday, August 3. Tonight, Rhodes will address Sikoa in the opening segment of SmackDown.

“We’re kicking things off here in Omaha, Nebraska with the American Nightmare — the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes,” SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced. “I don’t know what he wants to talk about specifically, but I’ll bet that WWE title match with Solo Sikoa at SummerSlam is one of the things on the agenda. As for the rest? Well, we’ll find out together.”

To set up the SummerSlam title bout, Sikoa pinned Rhodes in a six-man tag match in the main event of Money in the Bank. Last week’s SmackDown ended with The Bloodline putting Randy Orton through the announce table after he tried to save Rhodes from a beatdown. Sikoa forced Rhodes to watch on as Orton was laid out.

WWE has also announced that Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin will take place on SmackDown tonight. Stratton, who holds the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase, was in Nia Jax’s corner when Jax defeated Michin last Friday. Jax is challenging Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.

Here’s the updated SmackDown lineup for tonight:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, July 19) —

  • Contract signing for United States Champion Logan Paul vs. LA Knight at SummerSlam
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade
  • Michin vs. Tiffany Stratton
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes kicks off the episode

Michin & Kelani Jordan qualify for WWE NXT Battleground ladder match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The final two wrestlers have qualified for the NXT Women’s North American title ladder match.

Michin and Kelani Jordan both won qualifying matches on NXT to advance to the Battleground premium live event next Sunday, where they will go against Fallon Henley, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca, and Lash Legend to determine the first-ever champion.

The show opened with Ava and Sexxy Red revealing the physical NXT North American Women’s Championship belt. As Red was holding the title, Tatum Paxley entered the ring and attempted to take the title away. Michin came out for the save and the two had their qualifying match, with Michin winning after eat defeat.

Later in the show, Jordan defeated Wren Sinclair to advance following a split-legged moonsault. Fallon Henley, who was on commentary, smirked at Jordan after the match.

Here is the updated lineup for Battleground:

  • NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi defends against Joe Coffey and Wes Lee
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez vs. Jordynne Grace
  • Ladder match to crown first-ever NXT Women’s North American Champion: Sol Ruca vs. Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker vs. Fallon Henley vs. Michin vs. Kelani Jordan
  • NXT Underground: Shayna Baszler vs. Lola Vice
  • NXT Tag Team titles: Nathan Frazer & Axiom defend against The OC (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
  • Sexxy Red to host

Michin vs. Arianna Grace added to WWE NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two new matches have been added to NXT.

Michin will take on Arianna Grace, while Shayna Baszler will face Karmen Petrovic following the end of last week’s NXT Underground match.

Last Tuesday’s main event saw Lola Vice defeat Natalya thanks to interference by Baszler. The finish of the match had Baszler choke out Petrovic on the outside. Natalya was distracted long enough for Vice to take her down with strikes until the referee stopped the match.

Michin and Ariana Grace got involved with one another after both made their claim to become the first-ever NXT Women’s North American Champion. Both are expected to become part of the combine that takes place on Tuesday’s show that will determine qualifying matches for the upcoming ladder match at NXT Battleground that will crown the first champion.

The announced lineup for the Tuesday, May 7 WWE NXT:

  • NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez defends against Chelsea Green
  • Wes Lee vs. Josh Briggs
  • Meta-Four hosts Supernova Sessions with NXT Champion Trick Williams
  • Combine to decide qualifying matches for the NXT Women’s North American Championship ladder match
  • Michin vs. Arianna Grace
  • Shayna Baszler vs. Karmen Petrovic 

Street Profits, New Catch Republic appear at WWE NXT Spring Breakin’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Main roster stars continued to make an impact during the second night of NXT Spring Breakin’.

Prior to their NXT Tag Team title match tonight, Axiom and Nathan Frazer met The Street Profits, who told the team their match against AOP was going to hurt tonight, but they had an opportunity to show the world that they belonged.

The end of the title match saw Karrion Kross and Scarlett of the Final Testament get involved, grabbing Axiom as he was on the top rope. They were booted out of the ringside area by the referee. The distraction allowed New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) to attack Rezar. Frazer then superkicked Akam and Axiom rolled him up for the victory.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1785484836301340698\

Michin also appeared during the second night of Spring Breakin’, making her claim for the new NXT Women’s North American Championship. A combine will take place next week to determine 12 participants for the upcoming qualifying matches. The six that win those matches will advance to the ladder match at NXT Battleground which will crown the first champion.

More main roster stars competed at NXT Spring Breakin’. Oba Femi defeated Ivar to retain the NXT North American title, while The OC (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) defeated Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe. In the main event, Lola Vice defeated Natalya in an NXT Underground match thanks to interference from Shayna Baszler, who seconded Vice.