Posted in SmackDown

WWE SmackDown Live Results – January 2, 2018

   January 2, 2018

WWE SmackDown Live
January 2, 2018
Amway Center
Orlando, Florida

You can follow us on Twitter @PWTranscripts 

Transcription by Josh Lopez

AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon In-Ring Segment: 

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first SmackDown Live of 2018. More importantly, welcome to the house that, AJ Styles built. It’s a new year and there are new beginnings. There’s a lot of WWE Superstars who have made New Year’s Resolutions to win the Royal Rumble Match. Styles made a few resolutions of his own. He will take the title to WrestleMania and walk out of the main event with the title still around his waist.

With Shane and Sami getting involved last week, he won’t point fingers. Styles second resolution is to beat Sami Zayn, tonight. Will Kevin Owens  be allowed to be at ringside with Sami Zayn? Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon makes their way to the ring. What’s up Orlando? Shane had the best intentions last week when he came to the ring to eject Sami Zayn from the ringside area. Would we rather see a match won by the wrestler’s abilities than by distraction? Shane apologizes to Styles.

Recently, Shane has been accused of having a personal vendetta against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. As much as he has a legitimate beef with them, Bryan has a strange kinship with The Kevin and Sami Show. Why would Bryan let Sami Zayn come to ringside? That decision still baffles Shane. Is Bryan turning the Yes Movement into the Yep Movement? Bryan, Shane and Kevin Owens will be at ringside during the Styles/Zayn match. Kicking 2018 off with a bang. YES! YES! YES! 

First Match: The Usos (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable For The WWE SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship 

Jimmy Uso and Benjamin will start things off. Benjamin knocks Jey off the ring apron. Benjamin drives Jimmy back first into the turnbuckles. Jimmy punches Gable. Benjamin connects with an Avalanche Belly to Belly Suplex. Gable follows that with a MoonSault for a two count. Gable wraps Jimmy’s left leg around the middle rope. Gable delivers a Dragon Screw Leg Whip. Gable with the lateral press for a two count. Gable tags in Benjamin. Benjamin dishes out multiple forearm shivers in the corner.

Benjamin with a Running Knee Strike to the injured leg of Jimmy Uso. Benjamin applies a Single Leg Boston Crab. Benjamin and Gable are cutting the ring in half. Gable applies a knee bar. Jimmy kicks Gable in the back. Benjamin and Gable drops Jimmy with Stereo Jumping Knee Lifts for a two count. Gable is grounding Jimmy in the center of the ring.

Coming out of the commercial break, Jimmy decks Gable with an Enzuigiri. Jimmy makes the hot tag to Jey. Jey lowers the rope which sends Benjamin crashing to the outside. Jey takes out a Benjamin with a Flying Pascada. Jey hip tosses Gable out of the ring. Jey hits Gable with The Flying Crossbody Block. Benjamin drags Jey out of the ring. Benjamin whips Jey back first across the ringside barricade. Jimmy goes for a Suicide Dive, but Benjamin counters with a Knee Strike. Benjamin and Gable plants Jimmy with The Diving Clothesline/PowerBomb Combination to pickup the “victory”.

Looking at the replay, it was obvious that Jimmy  Uso was not the legal man. Referee Ryan Tran has decided to restart the match. Jey delivers his lightning quick offense to Benjamin. Jey connects with a Samoan Drop. Jey goes for a Running Stinkface, but Gable drags Benjamin out of the way. Gable with a Rolling Kick to Jimmy. Jey responds with a Haymaker that knocks Gable off the ring apron. Benjamin rolls Jey over for a two count. Benjamin hits The SpineBuster. Jimmy SuperKicks Gable in mid-air. Jey fights out of the PowerBomb Position. The Usos brings the SuperKick Party to Benjamin. Jey lands The Uso Splash to pickup the victory. 

Winner: Still WWE SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, The Usos via Pinfall 

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn Backstage Interview: 

Second Match: The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Breezango 

Rowan attacks Fandango before the bell rings. Harper slaps Rowan in the face. Rowan runs through Breeze with a Body Avalanche. Harper follows that with a Big Boot. The Bludgeon Brothers tosses Breezango out of the ring. The Bludgeon Brothers are brawling with The Ascension. Harper knocks Viktor off the ring apron. The Bludgeon Brothers plants Viktor with The Double Crucifix PowerBomb.

Match Results: No-Contest 

Third Match: Xavier Woods w/The New Day vs. Aiden English w/Rusev In A First Round Match In The Vacated WWE United States Championship Tournament 

Collar and Elbow Tie Up. English applies a side headlock. English drops Woods with a shoulder tackle. Woods leapfrogs over English. English goes for a Back Body Drop, but Woods lands back on his feet. Woods ducks a clothesline from English. Woods slides under English. Woods decks English with a Discus Forearm Smash for a one count. Woods tosses English out of the ring. Woods misses on a SlingShot Knee Drop.

Woods with a thrust kick to the midsection of English. Woods goes for The Honor Roll, but English ducks out of the way. English bounces Woods head on the steel ring post. English rolls Woods back into the ring. English with the lateral press for a two count. English kicks Woods in the back. English transitions into a ground and pound attack.

Following a snap mare takeover, English applies a rear chin lock. Woods gets back to a vertical base. Woods lands a deep arm-drag. Woods SuperKicks English. Woods delivers multiple knife edge chops. English kicks in the Woods. Woods responds with a Modified Lumbar Check for a two count. English rolls Woods over for a two count. English connects with a SitOut PowerBomb for a two count. English goes for an Avalanche PileDriver, but Woods counters with a Back Body Drop. Woods lands a Flying Elbow Drop to pickup the victory.

Winner: Xavier Woods via Pinfall 

Fourth Match: The Welcoming Committee w/Lana vs. The Riott Squad in a 6-Woman Tag Team Match 

Morgan and Natalya will start things off. Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Natalya with a side headlock takeover to Morgan. Morgan responds with a Head Scissors Leg Lock. Morgan applies a side headlock. Morgan uses her athleticism to fight out of the leg lock from Natalya. Morgan ducks a clothesline from Natalya. Natalya connects with a Discus Lariat for a two count. Natalya goes for a SharpShooter, but Morgan blocks it. Morgan rolls herself out of the ring.

Morgan and Nataly are trading back and forth shots. Ruby tags herself in. The Riott Squad drives Natalya head to the canvas. Natalya tags in Carmella. Carmella is moon walking in the center of the ring. Carmella with a Tilt-A-Whirl Head Scissors TakeOver. Carmella dropkicks Ruby. Carmella creates distance with a back elbow strike. Carmella takes a swing at Sarah Logan. Ruby with a STO to Carmella.

Ruby tags in Logan. Coming out of the commercial break, Logan applies a rear chin lock. Logan knocks Natalya off the ring apron. Carmella rolls Logan over for a two count. Tamina uppercuts Logan. Tamina follows that with a clothesline. Tamina SuperKicks Ruby. Tamina connects with a Samoan Drop. Morgan knocks Tamina off the top turnbuckle. Logan delivers the Hail Mary to pickup the victory.

Winner: The Riott Squad via Pinfall 

Fifth Match: AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn w/Kevin Owens 

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon are also watching the match from the ringside area. Styles clotheslines Zayn before the bell rings. Styles is ramming his shoulders into the midsection of Zayn. Styles bounces Zayn head on the top turnbuckle. Styles with a Vertical Suplex for a one count. Zayn responds with multiple haymakers. Styles delivers two knife edge chops. Zayn connects with a Back Body Drop for a two count. Styles and Zayn are trading back and forth shots. Styles leapfrogs over Zayn. Styles dropkicks Zayn. Zayn is regaining his composure on the outside. Shane and Bryan are trying to calm down Owens.

Styles rolls Zayn back into the ring. Zayn kicks Styles in the chest. Zayn with a Fisherman’s Brain Buster for a two count.  Coming out of a commercial break, Zayn has Styles in a rear chin lock. Styles gets back to a vertical base. Styles and Zayn are in a middle of a forearm exchange in the center of the ring. Styles delivers The Phenomenal Blitz to Zayn. Styles follows that with a Running Forearm Smash. Styles with a Corner Clothesline to Zayn. Styles connects with a PumpHandle GutBuster for a two count.

Styles goes for The Ushigoroshi, but Zayn blocks it.  Styles has Zayn perched on the top turnbuckle. Styles with The Ushigoroshi for a two count. Styles goes for The Styles Clash, but Zayn counters with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Zayn goes for The Helluva Kick, but Styles counters with a Calf Crusher. Zayn crawls to the bottom rope to create separation. Following another forearm exchange, Styles decks Zayn with a Pele Kick. Zayn launches Styles to the ring apron.

Styles goes for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Zayn ducks out of the way. Styles inadvertently knocks referee Mike Chioda out of the ring. Shane shoves Owens. Bryan ejects Owens and Shane from the ringside area. Styles knocks Owens off the ring apron. Zayn lands The Helluva Kick to pickup the victory. After the match, Styles tells Shane and Bryan to stop arguing like children. At The Royal Rumble, it will be AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in a Handicap Match For The WWE Championship.

Winner: Sami Zayn via Pinfall 

Check out Episode 86 of The Josh Lopez Wrestling Podcast 

Author: Josh Lopez