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Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa on WWE SmackDown.
Credit: WWE.com
WWE SmackDown’s go-home show for the WWE Royal Rumble advertised Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa and Karrion Kross vs. Rey Mysterio. WWE also advertised semifinal action in its ongoing tag team tournament as IMPERIUM battles Legado del Fantasma while Drew McIntyre and Sheamus vs. Hit Row.
Sadly, McIntyre and Sheamus are no longer allowed to go by their previous moniker of The Banger Bros, as WWE just found out that this could be associated with a popular adult entertainment company.
Last week’s broadcast of SmackDown drew 2.257 million viewers.
WWE SmackDown Results | January 27, 2023
- Rey Mysterio def. Karrion Kross
- Lacey Evans def. Jasmine Allure
- Braun Strowman and Ricochet def. Hit Row
- IMPERIUM def. Legado del Fantasma
- Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa Battle to a No Contest
WWE SmackDown Ratings
- January 20, 2023 | 2.257 million
- January 13, 2023 | 2.326 million
- January 6, 2023 | 2.257 million
- December 30, 2022 | 2.679 million
- December 23, 2022 | 2.376 million
- WWE SmackDown Venue: Sames Auto Arena (Laredo, Tx.)
- WWE SmackDown Tickets Distributed: 7,191
- Available Tickets: 111
WWE Royal Rumble 2023: Cody or Sami? | PWB
WWE SmackDown Winners and Match Card
Brock Lesnar Enters the Royal Rumble
Sami Zayn snuck around outside of the arena to quickly thank Jey Uso, as if Roman Reigns wasn’t going to see this television footage.
It’s overblown how much WWE allows talent to go from brand to brand. Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory and even NXT’s The New Day felt like fresh faces on SmackDown.
Brock Lesnar laid out Bobby Lashley and entered himself into the Royal Rumble. Given all the surprises WWE has given away—between the Triple H Era, major Royal Rumble entrants like Cody Rhodes and Lesnar and Raw XXX—the surprises tomorrow must be great.
Rey Mysterio def. Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross looked comfortable working a lucha-style match against Rey Mysterio. But it wasn’t the best sign for Karrion Kross that he lost a quick match against Rey Mysterio.
There’s a lot of debate as to whom should win the Royal Rumble, but after losing clean to Rey Mysterio, I can assure you it won’t be Karrion Kross.
Lacey Evans def. Jasmine Allure
Based on her gear, I thought Lacey Evans’ opponent was Aliyah until her name was announced.
Lacey Evans can enter the Royal Rumble at least three times given all the gimmicks she has been repackaged. WWE really hasn’t used the “Three Faces of Foley” rule since it was first used in 1998.
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After a career filled with starts and stops, Lacey Evans’ momentum will immediately be stunted when she’s yeeted out of the Women’s Royal Rumble match tomorrow.
Braun Strowman and Ricochet def. Hit Row
This was supposed to be the Banger Bros against Hit Row in a tournament semifinal, however the Banger Bros were jumped from behind by the Viking Raiders. As for the tournament? The Banger bros were forced to pull out.
Hit Row matches allow Michael Cole to work out his roast jokes like how Top Dolla is more of a flopper than a flipper and how he can’t fly anywhere. The sweet irony was Michael Cole was screwing up and tripping over his words all night, but sadly Top Dolla isn’t allowed to make a diss track about it.
LA Knight Calls Out Bray Wyatt
Fans popped for Bray Wyatt’s vintage “Live in Fear” theme song, but then out came LA Knight.
LA Knight is quietly getting over during a feud designed to feature Bray Wyatt. Fans were doing the “yeah” chant and you could even hear chants of “LA Knight.” LA Knight continues to play his character perfectly, but not as a scaredy-cat babyface or heel. LA Knight isn’t too intimidated by Bray Wyatt to joke about it and roast how ridiculous it all is.
IMPERIUM def. Legado del Fantasma
IMPERIUM and Legado del Fantasma worked their asses off in this match and eventually got some of the crowd to embrace it.
This was a very good technical wrestling match between four wrestlers whom I care nothing about. The Dave Meltzer special.
This was a great recovery for IMPERIUM after being on the wrong side of a legends segment at Raw XXX.
Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa Battle to a No Contest
Roman Reigns said he doesn’t want to see Sami Zayn until Saturday. If Roman Reigns is in New York filming Jimmy Fallon, doesn’t that mean Sami Zayn should be able to saunter around on SmackDown with impunity?
Sami Zayn showed up to save Solo Sikoa from a loss to Kevin Owens. The announce team reiterated Roman Reigns doesn’t want to see Sami Zayn anywhere, but a) Jey Uso asked Zayn to help Solo Sikoa and b) Roman Reigns is in New York! If he doesn’t want to see Sami Zayn, just watch Yellowstone until then.
Given how much both Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa are protected, this was a predictable no contest.
