Posted in SmackDown

WWE SmackDown Live Results (1/1/19): John Cena Returns

   January 2, 2019
WWE SmackDown Live Results (1/1/19)

WWE SmackDown Live
January 1, 2019
PPG Paints Arena
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Transcription by Josh Lopez 

The New Day’s New Year Celebration 

First Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe in a Fatal Five Way Qualifying Match

Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Joe backs Hardy into the turnbuckles. Joe with a flurry of left jabs. Joe drops Hardy with a forearm smash. Joe repeatedly kicks the left hamstring of Hardy. Joe applies a knee bar. Hardy crawls to the bottom rope to create separation. Joe blasts Hardy with a knife edge chop. Joe continues to toy around with Hardy. Hardy drives Joe leg first into the steel ring post. Joe fights out of The Figure Four Leg Lock.

Joe removes the hood of the announce table. Joe is mauling Hardy in the corner. Joe talks smack to Hardy. Hardy delivers a series of haymakers. Joe drops Hardy with a back elbow strike for a two count. Joe with clubbing palm strikes. Hardy decks Joe with a back Elbow Smash. Hardy goes for The Whisper In The Wind, but Joe blocks it. Joe gets Hardy tied in the tree of woe. Joe with a Sliding Dropkick for a two count.

Joe applies the cravate. Joe reverses out of the irish whip from Hardy. Hardy with an Inverted Atomic Drop. Hardy follows that with a Basement Dropkick. Hardy connects with The Twist Of Fate. Hardy lands The Swanton Bomb. Joe heads to the outside. Hardy goes for a Wrecking Ball Dropkick, but Joe ducks out of the way. Joe locks in The Coquina Clutch. Hardy gets back in the ring at the count of nine. Joe goes back to The Coquina Clutch which forces Hardy to pass out.

Winner: Samoa Joe via Submission 

AJ Styles, Mr. McMahon and Shane McMahon Backstage Segment: 

Rusev, Lana, and Shinsuke Nakamura In-Ring Segment: 

Rusev is asked about his victory last week. It was the greatest Rusev Day of them all. Rusev is asked how will his reign as champion differ from Shinsuke Nakamura’s. He takes pride in the US Championship and his title reign will be long and luscious, like his beard. Rusev will defend his title against any opponent with honor and strength, along with his animal magnetism.

He will do it while smelling like a bacon flavored cinnamon bun. This is his pledge and he pledges allegiance to the United States Championship. Rusev starts a Rusev Day USA chant. Nakamura attacks Rusev from behind. Lana applies a sleeper hold. Rusev inadvertently drops Lana with The Machka Kick. Rusev checks on Lana. Nakamura with a Flying Knee Strike. Nakamura follows that with The Kinshasa.

Second Match: Sonya Deville w/Mandy Rose vs. Naomi 

Naomi is livid because Rose is wearing a Day One Ish Tank Top. Deville attacks Naomi from behind. Naomi with rapid fire forearm smashes. Naomi kicks Deville in the chest. Rose is running interference. Deville rolls Naomi over for a two count. Naomi dropkicks Deville. Naomi with a Sliding Slap. Naomi takes a swing at Rose. Deville drops Naomi with a Sliding Knee Strike for a two count. Deville applies the cobra clutch. Naomi with a SpringBoard Enzuigiri. Rose informed Naomi that she send Jimmy Uso a provocative picture. Deville with a Running Knee Strike. Deville plants Naomi with The Hellevator to pickup the victory.

Winner: Sonya Deville via Pinfall 

– We get comments from Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Mustafa Ali regarding tonight’s Fatal Five Way Match.

John Cena, Becky Lynch, Zelina Vega and Andrade Cien Almas In-Ring Segment: 

The crowd is all over the place but it is good to feel that energy. New Year’s is a great time to look ahead and also to look back.  He bought a ticket to WrestleMania and probably shouldn’t have had those beers before his match with The Undertaker. His personal life was shown on television. He wrote a children’s book. He spent six months in China. He also thinks his hairstyle is a good thing. Cena can float like a butterfly and sting like a bumblebee. We need to ask one question. Why is he here? He doesn’t have an exact reason yet. The great thing is that in 30 seconds some man is going to come out and call him a broken down Hollywood wannabe who should leave as fast as Nikki Bella left him.

The MAN, Becky Lynch comes out to interrupt Cena. How does it feel that Cena was expecting a man to come out, but he didn’t expect THE MAN to come out. Cena felt like he was back where he belonged, but it is not that simple. Becky was not aiming to pass Charlotte on the posters and billboards, she was looking to pass John Cena. He personifies everything this company stands for. It’s time for someone to take over his spot and it’s her. If Cena has a problem with that, Nikki Bella won’t be the only woman to drop him this year. Andrade Cien Almas comes out to the stage with his business partner, Zelina Vega.

Vega hates to interrupt this testosterone battle between the two men in the ring. You are both former champions. The key word is former, past tense, old news. The McMahons promised a fresh start with new faces. The year just started and all they see is an older face in John Cena and in Becky Lynch, she sees a broken face. That didn’t really heal up did it?  Vega is the business manager to El Idolo, the future of SmackDown Live. The year 2019 will be the year of tranquilo.Cena challenges Almas and Vega to a mixed tag team match.

Third Match: John Cena & Becky Lynch vs. Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega 

Becky and Vega will start things off. Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Becky applies a side headlock. Becky drops Vega with a shoulder tackle. Becky mocks Cena. Becky dropkicks Vega. Becky talks smack to Almas. Becky poses for the crowd. Vega tags in Almas. Almas tells Cena to bring it. Becky violently tags in Cena. Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Almas applies a side headlock. Tranquilo Pose. Cena is not impressed.

Cena signals for the test of strength. Almas goes back to the side headlock. Cena reverses the hold. Cena transitions into a wrist lock. Almas kicks Cena in the gut. Almas with a straight right hand. Almas is fixated with the side headlock. Almas repeatedly stomps on Cena’s chest. Almas with a ShotGun Meteora for a two count. Almas stomps on Cena’s back. Cena’s hair is all over the place like a mid-life crisis.

Almas with a Double MoonSault for a two count. Almas applies an arm-bar. Almas and Vega are cutting the ring in half. Almas transitions into a corner mount. Almas stands on Cena’s shoulders. Almas goes for a ShotGun Meteora, but Cena ducks out of the way. Cena makes the hot tag to Becky. Becky bodyslams Vega. Becky with a Spinning Back Kick. Becky follows that with a Flying Shoulder Tackle. Becky repeatedly stomps on Vega’s chest. Becky uppercuts Vega.

Becky hits The BexPloder. Becky with a Missile Dropkick for a two count. Almas pulls Vega out of harms way. Cena with Two Shoulder Tackles. Cena ducks a clothesline from Almas. Cena with a Spinning Side Slam. Cena delivers The Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena connects with The Attitude Adjustment. Cena drops Almas with The Lightning Fist. Becky dumps Cena out of the ring. Vega rolls Becky over for a two count. Becky locks in The Dis-Arm-Her which forces Vega to tap out. After the match, Becky gives Cena the you can’t see me hand gesture.

Winner: John Cena & Becky Lynch via Submission 

The Miz & Shane McMahon Backstage Segment: 

Triple H, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Carmella Backstage Segment: 

Fourth Match: AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali in a Fatal Five Way Match. The Winner Will Battle WWE Champion Daniel Bryan At The Royal Rumble PPV 

Ali starts teeing off on Joe. Joe dumps Ali chest first on the canvas. Styles is throwing haymakers at Joe. Styles with a Step Up Enzuigiri. Styles bounces Mysterio’s head on the top turnbuckle pad. Styles with a Tilt-A-Whirl BackBreaker. Styles attacks the left shoulder of Orton. Styles blasts Orton with a knife edge chop. Ali pulls Styles out of the ring. Styles drives Ali face first into the steel ring post. Styles rolls Ali back into the ring. Orton knocks Styles off the ring apron. Orton goes for The IEDDT, but Ali counters with an Apron Enzuigiri. Ali with a Roll Through X-Factor for a two count. Daniel Bryan is watching the match from the backstage area. Joe throws Ali out of the ring.

Mysterio with a Flying Seated Senton. Styles kicks Mysterio in the gut. Styles whips Mysterio back and chest first across the turnbuckles. Styles with a clubbing blow to Mysterio’s back. Mysterio kicks Styles in the chest. Mysterio with a Hurricanrana. Orton PowerSlams Mysterio. Ali dropkicks Orton. Joe responds with an Over Head Belly to Belly Suplex. Styles decks Joe with a Back Elbow Smash. Styles with a MoonSault Reverse DDT for a two count. Orton repeatedly stomps on Styles chest. Mysterio is throwing forearms at Orton. Orton uppercuts Mysterio. Styles delivers The Phenomenal Blitz. Styles kicks Mysterio in the gut. Styles clotheslines Orton over the top rope.

Styles with a Sliding Dropkick to Joe. Ali thrust kicks the midsection of Styles. Styles reverses out of the irish whip from Ali. Ali launches Styles to the ring apron. Styles with a Forearm Smash. Orton dumps Styles back first on the apron. Joe follows that with a Uranage Slam through the announce table. Ali lands a SomerSault Plancha. Mysterio with a Flying Seated Senton. Mysterio shakes hands with Ali. Standing Switch Exchange. Ali goes for an O’Connor Roll, but Mysterio holds onto the ropes. Mysterio goes for a Tilt-A-Whirl HeadScissors TakeOver, but Ali lands back on his feet.

Mysterio kicks Ali in the gut. Mysterio slides under Ali. Mysterio with a Hurricanrana. Mysterio drops Ali with a Forearm Smash. Ali responds with an Avalanche Spanish Fly for a two count. Joe with Muay Thai Knee Strikes. Ali side steps Joe into the turnbuckles. Ali with a Tornado DDT. Ali goes for The 054, but Joe ducks out of the way. Joe locks in The Coquina Clutch. Mysterio with Two 619’s. Orton pulls Mysterio off the ring apron. Orton connects with The RKO for a two count. Mysterio with a Step Up Enzuigiri. Mysterio follows that with another 619. Joe goes for a PowerBomb, but Mysterio counters with a Hurricanrana on the floor. Styles lands a SpringBoard 450 Splash to pickup the victory.

Winner: AJ Styles via Pinfall 

Author: Josh Lopez