WWE SmackDown Live Results (January 26, 2024): New champions crowned, NXT stars invade SmackDown, The Bloodline saga continues

Check out the results for WWE SmackDown right here.

Nick Khan issues major statement to WWE Superstars after Vince McMahon's resignation minutes after SmackDown starts - Reports

Vince McMahon resigns following allegations by ex-WWE staffer - Reports

31-year-old female star joins Santos Escobar's faction in stunning debut on SmackDown

Major distraction allows Santos Escobar to pick up surprising win on WWE SmackDown

Major title change takes place on WWE SmackDown

That'll do it for Sportskeeda's coverage of Friday Night SmackDown. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we cover the 2024 Royal Rumble.

Randy Orton sees Jimmy Uso in the ring and Jimmy tries to run but Orton catches him. Randy hits the rope draped DDT on the former tag team champion to a massive pop. AJ then goes for a Phenomenal Forearm but Orton was ready. Randy goes for the same DDT on AJ and hits it!

Orton then coils for the RKO and hits one on Styles! The crowd erupts with cheers as The Viper gets loud "Randy" chants. Orton celebrates ahead of the 2024 Royal Rumble. But no! While Orton is celebrating, LA Knight hits the BFT out of nowhere to close the show!

AJ and Jimmy Uso appear to have a stand off and Jimmy offers Styles a chair to take Knight out. AJ thinks about it and picks the chair up. Loud "Randy" chants. Solo screams at AJ to take care of Knight or Sikoa will take care of AJ. This leads to AJ taking the chair to both Jimmy and Solo!

Randy Orton's music then hits and The Viper runs down to the ring. Orton rushes in and knocks AJ back to the floor. He then slams Jimmy Uso. Solo drags Orton to the floor and attempts to put him through a table but Orton counters and Randy drops Sikoa on the table.

LA Knight charges with his running knee in the corner and knocks Jimmy Uso off of the apron. Solo goes for a Spike, but Knight hits a DDT. Knight then sends Solo to the floor and hits a dropkick through the ropes. From there, The Megastar slams Solo into the announce table repeatedly. Next, he hits a stiff running knee.

Then out of nowhere AJ Styles shows up with a Phenomenal Forearm off of the barricade and the referee calls for the bell!

LA Knight defeats Solo Sikoa via disqualification

Once SmackDown returns from the break, Knight is trying to knock down Solo with shoulder blocks and various strikes only to be thrown across the ring with a vicious Samoan Drop. He levels Knight with a clothesline and goes for another Samoan Drop, but Knight slides down. Solo charges but eats a boot. From there, LA Knight hits a bulldog off of the second rope.

Knight begins firing up hitting big "YEAH" punches and jabs. Solo doesn't fall over but a huge clothesline does the trick. He hits a variant of a Russian leg sweep and then "YEAH!" stomps in the corner.

LA Knight continues to attack Solo's hand, slamming it against the ring post repeatedly. He is clearly trying to injure the hand. Knight tries to slingshot into the ring, but a distraction from Jimmy Uso allows for Solo Sikoa to strike Knight in mid-air.

With Solo now in control, we again go to commercial break.

Back from break and LA Knight is in the ring. Solo Sikoa's great music then plays as he makes his way to the ring. He is joined by Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman.

Solo Sikoa vs. LA Knight

The two men brawl immediately, but Knight doing anything he can to knock Solo off of his feet. He does, even stomping Solo's hand. He then slams Sikoa's hand against the announce table and the steel steps.

The commentary team go over the 2024 Royal Rumble card next. Then Eladio is shown talking to Kayla Braxton backstage. He says Randy Orton is going to win at The Royal Rumble when The Bloodline show up. Solo intimidates Eladio, who says he was wrong.

From there, LA Knight's music hits. He is battling Solo Sikoa next in the main event of the evening. Next, we go to a WWE Shop ad.

Post-match, Grayson Waller and Austin Theory attacked Carmelo when NXT's Trick Williams showed up! The crowd loudly chants "Whoop That Trick" and Trick saved his friend. The two still have some issues from NXT, but the crowd loves seeing Williams. The commentary team then plug NXT Vengeance Day and NXT on Tuesday.

Back from break and Austin Theory is going toe-to-toe with Carmelo Hayes. Hayes hits a very unique DDT and then a tilt-a-whirl facebuster for the nearfall! He goes to the ropes, but Waller creates a distraction. Theory then slams Hayes off the ropes and hits a really innovative move. Both men can bust out some really unique offense.

The move only earned a two-count, however. Austin is taunting the crowd and Carmelo, lifting him up for A-Town Down, but Hayes gets down. He knocks Grayson off of the apron and Theory picks up a cheap pin using the ropes.

Austin Theory defeats Carmelo Hayes via pinfall

Carmelo hits a few big chops on Austin, but Theory gets the upper hand and gloats. It didn't last long, however, as Carmelo hit his springboard strike and Theory rolls to the floor. Hayes tries to follow, only to get laid out by Grayson Waller. WWE then goes to commercial break.

After the commercial, we see LA Knight getting ready for his main event backstage. We then highlight the issues between Kevin Owens and Logan Paul, including the two fighting at the WWE Performance Center. Carmelo Hayes makes his way out for his match with Austin Theory.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory

This is a rematch after the two had a match a few weeks ago that went south following a botched move, leading to the referee calling for it to end early. Now the former NXT Champion clashes with the former United States Champion. Austin starts things off by pushing Melo. Carmelo hits several big strikes and a dropkick to answer it.

Backstage, Jimmy Uso appears to draw his number. He says yeet, but once he sees the number, Jimmy says "no yeet". He clearly isn't happy with his draw.

Up next, Austin Theory makes his way to the ring alongside Grayson Waller. He'll be battling Carmelo Hayes after the break.

Bobby says Karrion lied by saying they're not fighting tonight. The Street Profits then rush out of the ring to attack The Final Testament. Lashley attempted to do the same, but Scarlett distracted and attacked Bobby. This allowed Kross to take him out. AOP then brutalize The Street Profits in the middle of the ring.

Lashley runs in to fight back, but all three men beat Bobby down. Kross hits The Kross Hammer and the group walk away proud of what they did. Lashley looks on in the ring in a rage.

Interestingly, AOP, Kross, and Ellering stay in the aisle way and Scarlett goes to the ring. Lashley calls Kross a coward. Ford then calls the group scared.

Paul then takes the microphone. He says there is no fear in Karrion Kross. Kross says Paul is speaking the truth. Karrion says that he sees frustration and desperation in Bobby and The Street Profits. The fans "what" him and he tells them to shut up to loud boos. Kross says Lashley isn't in control. Karrion then says Lashley and The Street Profits aren't getting their fight tonight.

Back from break and Bayley shows up to pick her number and runs into Bianca Belair. Bianca says she's going to become a two-time Royal Rumble winner. Bayley then draws her number and doesn't look thrilled with whatever she drew.

Back in the ring, Lashley re-introduces his faction. He puts over The Street Profits and himself as the crowd loudly chants for Bobby. Lashley says he didn't come here to play, the people came for a fight so Lashley and The Street Profits are going to bring it. He then calls out The Final Testament.

The group then make their way to the ring with a new theme song, but similar to Kross' solo entrance.

Next up, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits make their way out to the ring. They will be having a face-to-face confrontation with The Final Testament next. The group includes Karrion Kross, The Authors of Pain, Scarlett, and Paul Ellering. We then go to commercial break.

Damage CTRL celebrates together with a lot of pyro. The announcers then hype up if Bayley can continue the prophecy and win the Rumble.

Backstage, Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, and Jimmy Uso are talking. Paul says Solo hasn't yet fixed the problem that Roman requested. Solo leaves and Paul Heyman suggests Jimmy Uso enters the Royal Rumble, wins, and defeats Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. From there, Paul suggests Jimmy could become the true Tribal Heir and next in line if he makes that happen.

Katana and Kayden hit their Keg Stand finisher but Kairi breaks it up at the very last second. This match is very good! Katana tags Kayden back in and the two go for the After Party but Kairi is back up. Katana hits a crossbody on Chance. Kairi then hits an Alabama Slam on Chance on the announce table.

In the ring, Kayden almost picks up a win but Asuka kicks out. She delivers a big kick and tags in Kairi. Asuka and Kairi then hit a reverse DDT and Insane Elbow combination for the three! New champions!

The Kabuki Warriors defeat Kayden Carter and Katana Chance via pinfall

That match was great.

Kayden hits a combination dropkick and splash on the floor, then a running boot in the ring to Asuka. Carter hits a springboard leg drop for a two count and this is really fun. Asuka tags out and The Kabuki Warriors hit a double team, but Katana breaks things up before the match could end. Kairi hits her with a back fist and then hits Kayden with one too.

From there, Kairi climbs to the top for the Insane Elbow. Carter puts her feet up, however, and Kairi is in pain. She tags out to Asuka who runs in. Asuka goes for a kick but misses and Carter hits a variation of Bray Wyatt's finisher. She then tags in Katana.

Back from break and The Kabuki Warriors are double teaming Katana Chance. They hit several strikes for a near fall before Asuka knocked Kayden off of the apron. Katana begins fighting back, which leads to Asuka crashing to the floor. Katana goes to her corner for a tag, but Kayden is still down. Kairi runs in but Katana sends her flying.

Chance goes again but Kayden is still down. Asuka locks in an ankle lock but Katana counters and Kayden is up and tags in! Carter then hits a dive off of the top to the floor on both Kabuki Warriors!

Kairi Sane tries to cheat but Katana hits both women with armdrags. Katana and Kayden hit double dropkicks and Katana then dives from the ring to the floor on both women! She only grazed Asuka, but it looked good enough for sure.

From there, we go to a commercial.

Back from break and R-Truth is with Ava and Nick Aldis. Truth pulls his number and is confused at what it means. He then calls Aldis "Adam" and "Mr. Pearce". Truth then says Pearce's hair grew fast.. when it is Nick Aldis. Next, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance make their way to the ring.

The Kabuki Warriors vs. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance

This should be good. We got the big-time in-ring introductions and Asuka starts off with Kayden. Carter hits a running dropkick right away and gets a quick two-count. She follows it up with a dropkick and tags in Katana who hit a flurry of moves.

An incredible video package airs for Bayley as she talks about her motivations to win the Royal Rumble and creating Damage CTRL. She also noted Kairi Sane moved from Japan to be part of the group. Bayley finishes the package saying "it's not a story, it's destiny". That was great.

From there, The Kabuki Warrior's music hits and all five members of Damage CTRL make their way to the ring. Bayley attempts to go ringside, but IYO SKY holds her back. IYO, Bayley, and Dakota stay by the entranceway.

A WWE Women's Tag Team Titles match is next.

During the break, news broke online that Vince McMahon has quit WWE and TKO. Wow.

Back from the commercial, Nick Aldis is shown backstage. NXT's Ava shows up and Aldis congratulates her on becoming the youngest General Manager in WWE. Bobby Lashley then appears with The Street Profits and pulls his number for the Royal Rumble. Legado del Fantasma then arrives with Elektra Lopez and has a stand off with the trio before Santos pulls a number.

Michael Cole then reveals all three WWE brands will be represented in the Royal Rumble Matches.

Backstage, AJ Styles is walking around furious and Jimmy Uso approaches him. He proposes The Bloodline and AJ work together to take care of LA Knight. He walks away as The O.C. arrives. Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Michin ask what it was all about and AJ says not to worry about it and storms off. The tension continues.

Out of nowhere, Elektra Lopez shows up and attacks Zelina Vega! The NXT star provides a distraction and Santos pins Carlito. Elektra Lopez has re-joined Legado del Fantasma!

Santos Escobar defeats Carlito via pinfall

Elektra Lopez is now on the main roster, it seems. That's great news!

Carlito fights back, however, and soon hits a few big strikes. This includes a beautiful dropkick. Carlito lifts Santos up for a suplex but turns it into a twisting neckbreaker. After that, he whips Escobar into the buckle. While Santos tries to fight back, he gets leveled with a spinebuster. A big knee lift and a clothesline from Carlito has him fired up, but Humberto jumps on the apron and distracts the referee while Angel pulls down the ropes.

This leads to a fight between Legado and the LWO! Humberto, Angel, Joaquin, and Cruz, go crazy with Del Toro hitting a massive swanton!

Back from break and Santos has Carlito in a hold, but the former champion begins fighting back. Escobar clubs him down, however and picks up a two-count. Santos rips up Carlito's shirt and even takes off the tape on Carlito's body. Loud "Santos sucks" chants as Escobar uses the ropes to further attack Carlito's arm.

Escobar then hits double knees in the corner and a second rope Frankensteiner for the two count! Carlito nearly lost there. Santos attacks the arm again, putting in a hold as the crowd begins to fire Carlito up. The former champion climbs to his feet and delivers body shots only for Escobar to pull Carlito to the mat by his hair.

Santos suckers Carlito into the corner and slams him into the middle buckle. Santos tries to dive onto Carlito but Carlito catches him. Angel and Humberto distract the powerful former champion, allowing Santos to get back into the ring and this time successfully hit the dive. We then go to commercial break.

Back from break and the LWO is still in the ring. Legado del Fantasma's music then hits as Santos Escobar, Angel, and Humberto make their way to the ring. Angel and Humberto are wearing fancy suits.

Santos Escobar vs. Carlito

This should be a good one. The two men begin brawling right away, with Carlito getting the early upper hand. Santos fights back with chops, but Carlito has the size and power advantage. Carlito slams Escobar's head against the turnbuckles and levels him with a chop. Santos tries fighting back but runs into a Vader-style body attack.

Next, we see a clip of Santos Escobar injuring Carlito several months ago. The former Intercontinental Champion then makes his way to the ring next. Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde come out with Carlito. He will be battling Santos Escobar after the break. From there, we see an ad for Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul.

LA Knight is incredibly over, wow. He tells AJ to quit his whining and says he doesn't even want to fight Solo. Knight says its convenient that of the four men in the title match at the Rumble, only Knight has a match. He claims Paul Heyman lobbied to make it happen because he's Roman's biggest threat.

Knight then says he's going to beat Solo up and mocked the viral video of Sikoa dancing. He goes on to say he'll walk over everybody in the match to become champion. He storms out and AJ kicks Orton in the ring! This includes a Pele Kick that levels The Viper.

Orton says he will stop The Bloodline with the three most destructive letters in Sports Entertainment: RKO. AJ Styles' music then hits and he comes out with a microphone. AJ accuses Orton of looking past The Phenomenal One. He says Nick Aldis forgot about him too, as he was supposed to wrestle Solo Sikoa tonight, but LA Knight got the match instead.

AJ then addresses his history with Randy. He says after Orton RKO'd him on SmackDown last week, Randy has a receipt coming. AJ then says he'll be the one stepping over Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and LA Knight. Before he could finish the final syllables, Knight's music hit to a huge pop.

Eladio and Randy pose before The Viper takes a microphone He says he bets nobody expected them to be friends. From there, Randy addresses The Bloodline. He says like them or not, they've had a hell of a run. Orton then says the main reason is because Roman Reigns has been world champion for nearly 1,300 days. Orton calls it unfathomable and virtually unheard of.

He says nobody can stop The Bloodline.. except for him. He also says he's going to become a 15-time world champion at the Royal Rumble.

Eladio Carrion appears out of nowhere, a massive and well known musician who has a song dedicated to Randy Orton. He welcomes the crowd to SmackDown and then introduces Randy Orton to huge applause from the audience.

SmackDown tonight kicks off with Michael Cole welcoming us. He replaces Kevin Patrick who was released this past week. We then see The Kabuki Warriors, Kayden Carter, and Katana Chance arriving earlier. We also see The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Paul Heyman backstage. This could mean no Roman Reigns on tonight's show.

We then transition to a video package recapping last week's show.

Hey everyone, welcome to Sportskeeda's live coverage of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. This is the final show before the 2024 Royal Rumble.

The following has been announced for tonight's show:

- LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa.
- The Kabuki Warriors vs. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.
- Carlito vs. Santos Escobar.
- Austin Theory vs. Carmelo Hayes.
- A confrontation between Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits and The Final Testament.