WWE SmackDown Results 2/9/24
Spectrum Center
Charlotte, North Carolina

You can follow me on Twitter @TheHootsPodcast

Commentators: (Corey Graves & Wade Barrett) 

Ring Announcer: Mike Rome

Transcription by Josh Lopez

Triple H, Nick Aldis, Adam Pearce and Drew McIntyre Segment 

Triple H: I got to tell you, that sure feels like we’re on the road to WrestleMania. But before we get to that, welcome to SmackDown. Last night, it was an incredible kickoff event to get us on that road to the grandest stage of them all. But the fact is, somewhere along the way last night, we took a hard left turn, and now that road is on fire. But I can tell you this, it feels really good. But I came out here because I wanted to clear up one thing. I wanted to clear up a couple of things from last night, because I felt like coming out of Las Vegas, and we were flying over here, it felt like there was some confusion in the air. Maybe some people don’t know their role. So, I wanted to come out here, I don’t know, just set the record straight, because I felt there were people who went out there and tried to insert their authority when they really don’t have any. Because here’s the thing, I really don’t care where you sit. There’s one thing that’s abundantly clear, whether people like them or they don’t like them, the answers come from one place and one place only. And right now, you are looking at him. So, let me just say this, the main event of WrestleMania 40, the biggest WrestleMania of all-time, Roman Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship, in the main event against Cody Rhodes. Now, there’s some people back there, that decision will disappoint them, maybe they won’t like that decision. But here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter if you don’t like that decision. So, with that said, welcome to the road to WrestleMania.

Nick Aldis: Ladies and gentlemen, now that the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania has been decided, we are going to shift our attention to Seth Rollins, and the World Heavyweight Championship. After extensive discussions all week, we have collectively agreed that Seth Rollins challenger at WrestleMania will be determined in Perth, Australia, February 24th, in the Elimination Chamber. And we kick things off tonight with a series of matches to determine the participants in that match. And to reiterate the fact that WWE Management is a united front, I will take this opportunity to hand this over to my esteemed colleague, the General Manager of Raw, Mr. Adam Pearce.

Adam Pearce:  Thank you, Nicholas. Ladies and gentlemen, if you could direct your attention to that tron, and the twelve superstars who will compete for an opportunity to step inside the Elimination Chamber in Perth. Randy Orton, Bronson Reed, Kevin Owens, Logan Paul, AJ Styles, The Miz, Bobby Lashley, Ivar, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Dominik Mysterio, and LA Knight. Ladies and gentlemen, twelve superstars, six matches over three events. And it kicks off, right now with our first contest pitting AJ Styles against this man, Drew McIntyre.

Drew McIntyre: I just wanted to take a moment to tell everybody, thank you. Thank you for showing me, to proving to me with your wallets, you feel the same way as I do about CM Punk. This shirt shot straight up the charts. It’s selling more than Punk’s actual shirts, which is hilarious. So, DM Hunk, is going to make you a promise. Punk will not get one penny of the profits. Also, people have been thanking me for last night. Everybody is happy that Cody chose Roman Reigns. Remember when he won the Rumble, and he was thinking about fulfilling that promise, he was toying with our emotions, he was playing games. On Monday, I was trying to reason with him, he wouldn’t answer. I reason with him, physically, and then what happened last night? He is going to finish the story. You’re welcome. So, I saved WrestleMania, I took out Punk, Cody is going to finish the story, what is the last thing? Save the World Title. And all I have to do is go through the top superstars of WWE, win the Elimination Chamber, and I will finally have my moment at WrestleMania. And I will give you a champion you could be proud of. I will give you a champion that’s best for business.

First Match: Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles In The Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match 

LA Knight joins the commentary team for this match. Styles dropkicks the left knee of McIntyre. Styles repeatedly kicks the left hamstring of McIntyre. McIntyre blocks a boot from Styles. McIntyre launches Styles to the corner. McIntyre drops Styles with a heavy chop. McIntyre with a straight right hand. McIntyre goes for a Vertical Suplex, but Styles counters with a knee strike. Styles with a hamstring kick. Styles unloads two knife edge chops. McIntyre reverses out of the irish whip from Styles. Styles decks McIntyre with a back elbow smash. McIntyre catches Styles in mid-air. McIntyre with The Vertical Suplex. Chop Exchange. McIntyre reverses out of the irish whip from Styles. McIntyre with a Tilt-A-Whirl BackBreaker for a two count. McIntyre applies a chin bar. McIntyre drives his knee into the midsection of Styles. McIntyre punches Styles in the back. Styles dropkicks McIntyre. Styles delivers a chop block.

McIntyre shoves Styles towards the corner. Styles kicks McIntyre in the face. McIntyre chops Styles to the floor. McIntyre launches Styles into the timekeeper’s area. McIntyre has complete control of the match during the commercial break. Second Chop Exchange. McIntyre whips Styles across the ring. Styles ducks a clothesline from McIntyre. McIntyre goes for a Tilt-A-Whirl BackBreaker, but Styles counters with a Spinning DDT. Styles delivers The Phenomenal Blitz. Styles with another hamstring kick. Styles with a Falling Lariat. Styles follows that with a Sliding Forearm Smash. McIntyre denies The Styles Clash. McIntyre drives Styles back first into the turnbuckles. McIntyre is mauling Styles in the corner. McIntyre goes for The Avalanche White Noise, but Styles counters with The SitOut PowerBomb for a two count.

McIntyre fights out of the fireman’s carry position. McIntyre hits The Future Shock DDT. McIntyre pops back on his feet. McIntyre starts favoring his left knee. Styles avoids The Claymore. Styles applies The Calf Crusher. McIntyre grabs the bottom rope which forces the break. McIntyre launches Styles over the top rope. Styles with a leaping forearm smash. McIntyre negates The Phenomenal Forearm. McIntyre HeadButts Styles off the ring apron. Styles with a Step Up Enzuigiri. McIntyre launches Styles over the announce table. Styles refuses to take a water bottle from Knight. McIntyre shoves Styles into Knight. Styles kicks the right hamstring of McIntyre. Styles goes for the inside cradle, but the referee is distracted by Knight. Styles blasts Knight off the apron. McIntyre connects with The Claymore to pickup the victory.

Winner: Drew McIntyre via Pinfall 

– Kayla Braxton had a backstage interview with Sami Zayn. With everything going on how does Sami feel about his chances going to WrestleMania and challenging Seth Rollins? Nothing is certain in WWE, especially during WrestleMania season. It’s an emotional time. He was in the main event last year, now he sees that window closing. He doesn’t have time to be emotional. What’s in front of him tonight is qualifying match against one of the greatest performers of all-time, Randy Orton. It’s not an easy path, but it’s a path, so he will take it.

– Pretty Deadly Vignette.

Second Match: Bianca BelAir vs. Mia Yim In The Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

BelAir ducks a clothesline from Yim. BelAir goes for The KOD, but Yim lands back on her feet. Yim with a deep arm-drag. Yim with a Spinning Heel Kick. Yim follows that with a Spinning Back Kick. Yim drops BelAir with an Overhead Kick for a one count. Yim blasts BelAir with The PK for a one count. BelAir regroups on the outside. Yim with The Wrecking Ball Dropkick. Yim delivers another PK. Yim has complete control of the match during the commercial break. Yim sends BelAir shoulder first into the steel ring post. Forearm Exchange. Yim ducks a clothesline from BelAir. Yim teep kicks BelAir towards the ropes. Yim SuperKicks BelAir. Yim dropkicks BelAir.

Yim with a Running NeckBreaker. Yim goes for a Running Cannonball Strike, but BelAir ducks out of the way. BelAir side steps Yim into the turnbuckles. BelAir with a Pendulum BackBreaker. Yim blocks The Handspring MoonSault. BelAir nails Yim with The Spinebuster for a two count. BelAir stares at the WrestleMania sign. BelAir slams Yim’s head on the top turnbuckle pad. BelAir with clubbing shoulder blocks. BelAir transitions into a corner mount. Yim drives BelAir face first into the top of the steel ring post. Yim with The SuperPlex for a two count. BelAir denies Eat Defeat. BelAir goes for The KOD, but Yim lands back on her feet. Yim connects with Eat Defeat, but BelAir’s momentum takes her to the outside. Yim rolls BelAir back into the ring. BelAir negates The Styles Clash. BelAir plants Yim with The KOD to pickup the victory.

Winner: Bianca BelAir via Pinfall 

– We see Triple H having a conversation with Bron Breakker. Bron seeks advice as far as which brand, he should choose. Paul Heyman interrupts the conversation. Hunter wants to know what Heyman wants. He’ll give Hunter his space, but he’ll back next week with The Tribal Chief and The Rock. Hunter says that he’s looking forward to it.

Bayley & Dakota Kai Segment 

Bayley: Alright, you guys made me feel a little bit better about coming out here. I’ll be honest, I have been having a hard time trying to put the words together, figuring out what I wanted to say with what happened last week, because there is a big part of me that doesn’t want to believe that it happened at all. And before I heard you guys chanting my name, maybe some of you thought that I had it coming. I’ll take it. Hey, maybe I had it coming, who knows. But whether you like me or not, it sounds like we’re cool now. That’s because you guys have been on this journey with me. You stuck with me all of these years. And you know what’s in here, you know how I feel about this, you know how hard I worked for this. Damage CTRL meant everything to me. Thank you. They were my family. You guys saw how many times I put Damage CTRL before myself. Over and over again, I gave and I gave, I didn’t ask anything in return. And all they did was take from me. So, I thought, you know, after winning the Royal Rumble, maybe they would be happy for me, and I would come back, and everything would be fine, but that didn’t happen. Every time I came to the back, they were laughing every time I turned around. Every time I walked into the room; they would stop talking. I’m not an idiot. I have been in this position far too many times to not have learned my lesson. And at WrestleMania, Iyo is going to learn the hard way.

Dakota Kai: Bayley, dude, I’ve been trying to text you all week. Are you ghosting me? Are we not on a friendship level anymore? What are you talking about?

Bayley: What are you talking about? Where the hell were you last week?

Dakota Kai: You know that I’m so close to being cleared, I had to meet with the doctor last week. I didn’t know all of that was going to go down, I didn’t.

Bayley: Cut the crap, Dakota. Every time I walked to the back, you were right alongside Kairi, Asuka, and Iyo, and you were right there laughing with them. You were right there, and you were trying to calm me down every single time. No, you knew what was going on the entire time.

Dakota Kai: Look, okay, hear me out for one second, alright? I was put in a real tough spot. I was, but I always believed in Damage CTRL. I always believed in what you created. And Iyo did, too. Up until Kairi and Asuka showed up, she did, okay. And I know you have some weird history with Kairi, and I thought that everything would be okay, but once they got into Iyo’s head, the rest was history. You knew what happened.

Bayley: Then why didn’t you tell me?

Dakota Kai: Look, I wanted to, I really did. I just didn’t know how to. Look, I miss the three of us, alright. You, me and, Iyo, we were sisters. OG Damage CTRL. It felt like we could do no wrong because we always had each other. And you have always been a mentor to me. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Honestly, I didn’t know how to tell you, because it seemed to be that your plan was working, right. Kabuki Warriors won the tag titles. You won the Royal Rumble, that’s all you. We were so close to having it all, I thought the situation with Kairi and Asuka would blow over, but it didn’t.

Bayley: Fine. Well, we’re here right now. Where do you stand? What is it going to be now?

Damage CTRL walks down to the ring. Dakota Kai attacks Damage CTRL with a steel chair. But for a moment it looked like Dakota was targeting Bayley.

– Kayla Braxton had a backstage interview with Randy Orton. With all of his past success at WrestleMania, how determined is he to get his spot, starting tonight with his match with Sami Zayn? It’s not a given that everybody will be on WrestleMania. He missed last year’s WrestleMania, watching it at home. But he learned a valuable lesson. It’s about patience. As far as Roman Reigns is concerned, he can sit back and wait. But his road to WrestleMania has taken a slight detour. If everything goes his way, he moves to the Elimination Chamber. There will be one constant, the most destructive letters in the industry, RKO.

– Bobby Lashley, B-Fab and The Street Profits have unfinished business with The Final Testament. Lashley will be fighting Bronson Reed in the Chamber Qualifying Match on Raw. He will win the Elimination Chamber and make WrestleMania, All Mighty.

Third Match: DIY vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate. The Winners Will Battle The Judgment Day For The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships At The Elimination Chamber

Johnny Gargano and Tyler Bate will start things off. Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Bate applies a side headlock. Gargano blocks the side heel kick. Tip Up by Gargano. Rollup Exchange. Leg Sweep Exchange. That leads us to a quick standoff in the center of the ring. Strong lockup. Gargano grabs a side headlock. Dunne tags himself in. Bate whips Gargano across the ring. Bate drops down on the canvas. Bate leapfrogs over Gargano. Dunne clotheslines Gargano. Dunne starts bending the left elbow of Gargano. Gargano tags in Ciampa. Gargano drops down on the canvas. Ciampa scores the elbow knockdown. Dunne dumps Ciampa out of the ring. Ciampa avoids The Apron MoonSault. Ciampa rocks Dunne with a forearm smash. Gargano lands The Suicide Dive. Ciampa with a Running Knee Strike to Dunne. DIY Pose.

DIY has complete control of the match during the commercial break. Forever Clotheslines. Ciampa blocks a boot from Bate. Bate with a knee lift. Ciampa catches Bate in mid-air. Ciampa drops Bate with The Reverse DDT for a two count. Ciampa tags in Gargano. Dunne pulls Bate off Ciampa’s shoulders. Ciampa with a forearm smash. Bate uppercuts Ciampa. Gargano with The Rolling Elbow. Gargano dodges The Step Up Enzuigiri from Dunne. Pump Kick/ Reverse Hurricanrana Combination. Bate responds with a pair of boots. Gargano with The Rebound Lariat. Gargano goes for The One Final Beat, but Bate blocks it. Bate delivers The Airplane/Giant Swing Combination. Bate dumps Gargano on Ciampa’s chest. Bate tags in Dunne. Double Enzuigiri to Ciampa. Dunne tags in Bate. BSS goes for The Double Tyler Driver #97, but Gargano counters with a Double Hurricanrana. Gargano with a Step Enzuigiri. Dunne stomps on Gargano’s fingers. Gargano avoids The Roundhouse Kick.

Gargano with a Rolling Head Kick. Bate delivers Bop and Bang. Ciampa tags himself in. Bate goes for The Handspring Lariat, but Ciampa counters with a Pump Knee Strike. Gargano turns a Suicide Dive into a Tornado DDT on the floor. Ciampa hits The Project Ciampa for a two count. Ciampa is lighting up Bate’s chest. Ciampa and Bate are trading back and forth shots. Ciampa kicks Bate in the face. Ciampa with a Running Knee Strike. Ciampa tags in Gargano. Dunne snaps Ciampa’s fingers. Gargano SuperKicks Dunne. Ciampa blasts Dunne off the apron with a Pump Knee Strike. Bate with a Handspring Double Lariat. Gargano denies The Tyler Driver #97. Bate goes for Bop and Bang, but Gargano counters with a SuperKick. Bate tags in Dunne. Bate launches Gargano over the top rope. Bate lands The Stage Dive. Gargano goes for The Slingshot Spear, but Dunne counters with a forearm smash. Dunne connects with The Bitter End to pickup the victory.

Winner: Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate via Pinfall

– Byron Saxton had a backstage interview with Dominik Mysterio. Dom says that he’s going to shoot his shot by winning the Elimination Chamber and walking out of WrestleMania the World Heavyweight Champion, alongside Mami who will wipe the floor with Nia Jax and have similar success in Philly. We find out that Kevin Owens will be Dominik’s opponent for the Chamber Qualifying Match next week. Owens is going to dedicate his victory to the greatest luchador in history, Rey Mysterio. R-Truth mistakes Owens as The Miz.

– Logan Paul interrupts a conversation Nick Aldis was having with Adam Pearce. Logan wants to know who his next challenger will be. Qualifying matches are for unqualified people. He’s beyond qualified. He gloats about his drawing ability. Why would he want to fight for free in Utah? He should be getting The Rock treatment. Logan accepts this predicament, but he will win the Elimination Chamber, and after he beats Seth Rollins in their rematch at WrestleMania, he will be walking out as a double champion. Aldis reminds Logan that he’s on his show. Logan will be facing The Miz next week.

– More chamber qualifying matches were announced for next week as Tiffany Stratton will battle Shotzi. Plus, Naomi collides with Zelina Vega. On Raw, LA Knight faces Ivar.

Fourth Match: Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn In The Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match 

Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Orton applies a side headlock. Zayn whips Orton across the ring. Orton drops Zayn with a shoulder tackle. Zayn regroups in the corner. Strong lockup. Orton grabs a side headlock. Zayn drops down on the canvas. Zayn leapfrogs over Orton. Zayn launches Orton over the top rope. Zayn is playing mind games with Orton. Stalemate in the corner. Orton turns Zayn over. Orton with a gut punch. Orton transitions into a corner mount. Zayn dumps Orton face first on the top turnbuckle pad. Corner Mount Exchange. Orton uppercuts Zayn to the floor. Orton goes for the irish whip, but Zayn counters with a MoonSault off the ringside barricade. Orton scores a liver punch. Orton rolls Zayn back into the ring. Zayn goes for The Suicide Dive, but Orton counters with a forearm smash. Orton slams Zayn’s head on the announce table.

Orton goes for a Belly to Back Suplex, but Zayn lands back on his feet. Zayn punches Orton in the back. Zayn with a Belly to Back Suplex into the announce table. Zayn poses for the crowd. Orton regains control of the match during the commercial break. Orton puts Zayn on the top turnbuckle. Orton and Zayn are trading back and forth shots. Zayn drops Orton with The Tornado DDT for a two count. Zayn ascends to the top turnbuckle. Haymaker Exchange. Orton with clubbing blows to Zayn’s back. Orton with The SuperPlex. Orton follows that with two haymakers. Zayn drives Orton back first into the turnbuckles. Zayn with repeated shoulder blocks.

Orton explodes out of the corner with two clotheslines. Orton ducks a clothesline from Zayn. Orton Powerslams Zayn. Orton goes for The Draping DDT, but Zayn counters with a Back Body Drop to the floor. Zayn lands The Suicide Dive. Orton punches Zayn in the ribs. Orton with a Belly to Back Suplex on the announce table. Orton hits The Draping DDT. Orton goes for The RKO, but Zayn rolls him over for a two count. Zayn delivers The Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Orton reverses out of the irish whip from Zayn. Zayn springboards off the ropes. Orton connects with The RKO to pickup the victory. After the match, Orton has a standoff with Drew McIntyre as the show goes off the air.

Winner: Randy Orton via Pinfall 

Checkout Episode 399 of The Hoots Podcast