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We got a great Christman Special Episode of WWE SmackDown tonight with some great matches and the announcement of a huge triple-threat match that will determine Roman Reigns' next challenger.
- Michin, Zelina Vega, Bianca Belair, and Shotzi def. Damage CTRL
- Dragon Lee def. Butch to retain the NXT North American Championship
- Kevin Owens def. Carmelo Hayes
- Santos Escobar def. Bobby Lashley
- AJ Styles def. Solo Sikoa via DQ
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AJ Styles kicked off SmackDown and said that Randy Orton and LA Knight might want to face Roman Reigns at the 2024 Royal Rumble, but he was first in line to take on the Tribal Chief.
LA Knight made his way to the ring and said that he wasn't there to argue since, no matter what, he would be the first to take on Roman.
Randy Orton came out and reminded the others that Roman had put him on the shelf for 18 months, and he wanted his revenge.
Knight noted that Roman took AJ and Randy out, but he was still standing after his match against Reigns, which meant he was bulletproof and better than the other two.
Nick Aldis showed up and said that the only way to fix this was for AJ, Knight, and Orton to face each other in a triple-threat match at SmackDown New Year's Revolution, with the winner going on to face Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble.
The trio agreed before Styles said that there would be trouble if anyone interfered in his match against Solo Sikoa tonight.
WWE SmackDown Results (December 22, 2023): Damage CTRL vs. Zelina Vega, Michin, Bianca Belair, & Shotzi
Both teams rushed the ring as the match began, and Bayley broke up a vertical suplex from Bianca early on. Shotzi unwrapped a steel chair, but Bayley stole it from her and set it up in the corner before Shotzi got a big dive.
Sane and Asuka found candy cane-themed Kendo Sticks and beat Vega and Michin with them before Belair and Shotzi attacked them.
Bayley and SKY brought a table in and hit Belair and Shotzi with it as the match continued.
Dakota Kai threw a pie at Zelina's face before Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre showed up from inside some of the gift-wrapped boxes and attacked Asuka and Sane. Belair hit the KOD on Bayley before SKY came in with a moonsault.
IYO was taken down with the Eat Defeat before Michin hit her with a senton through a table and picked up the win.
Result: Michin, Zelina Vega, Bianca Belair, and Shotzi def. Damage CTRL
Grade: B+
Dragon Lee (c) vs. Butch - NXT North American Championship match on WWE SmackDown
Butch got the X-Plex early on before taking a big Rana from the champ. Lee got a dropkick in the corner, but Butch reversed the powerbomb and hit the Tyler Driver '97 as an homage to Tyler Bate.
Lee got a big sit-out powerbomb for a near fall before Butch went for the finger snap on the ropes. Butch took the double stomp in the corner before Lee hit the Destroyer off a counter and followed up with Operation Dragon for the win.
Result: Dragon Lee def. Butch to retain the NXT North American Championship
Grade: B
Roman Reigns was backstage and told Nick Aldis that the triple threat match was a good idea, but he should have let Reigns know first. In response, the General Manager took a dig at the champ.
Kevin Owens vs. Carmelo Hayes - United States Championship Tournament on WWE SmackDown
Hayes got a big takedown early on, and the two headed outside before Owens sent him into the steel steps outside. Melo took a big suplex for a near fall before countering a big move but missed the springboard forearm.
Melo headed up top, but the leg drop was countered before KO hit the powerbomb for another near fall. KO hit the Swanton Bomb and the Stunner before picking up the win.
Result: Kevin Owens def. Carmelo Hayes
Grade: B-
Michin and the O.C. were backstage, and AJ ignored them as we headed for the next match. It looks like the Original Club is no longer a faction, at least when it comes to AJ Styles.
Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar - United States Championship Tournament on WWE SmackDown
Escobar was being tossed around in the ring early on by the former WWE Champion before the match headed outside, and Santos tossed Lashley into the steel steps.
The Street Profits helped Lashley back into the ring as the match continued.
Lashley took some kicks in the corner but came back with some big moves while it looked like he was having trouble with his knee.
Two masked individuals attacked the Street Profits at ringside, and the distraction allowed Santos to pick up the win with a rollup.
Result: Santos Escobar def. Bobby Lashley
It turned out that the masked guys were Angelo Garza and Humberto Carrillo, who made their return to SmackDown.
Grade: C
Butch was being mocked by The Pretty Deadly backstage, and he attacked the duo before Nick Aldis came in and said that if he wanted to fight them so badly, he should find a tag partner and face the team at SmackDown New Year's Revolution.
AJ Styles vs. Solo Sikoa on WWE SmackDown
AJ was sent into the corner before he came back with some big chops but was taken down with a lariat. Styles came back with a big forearm before getting a springboard moonsault for a near fall.
Solo came back with a sudden Samoan Drop before AJ dodged the second and hit a Pele Kick. AJ hit the Phenomenal Forearm and was about to finish the match before Roman Reigns came in and attacked AJ. The referee rang the bell to end the match.
Result: AJ Styles def. Solo Sikoa via DQ
Roman was about to hit AJ with a Samoan Drop, but AJ got out of it before Solo came back, and the Bloodline took Styles down together. Randy Orton and then Jimmy Uso joined the brawl, and so did LA Knight.
Knight got some big strikes and took out Roman and Solo before he and Randy cleared the ring. As soon as the Bloodline was gone, AJ started yelling at the others for interfering.
A brawl broke out between Randy, AJ, And Knight before Knight took the other two into either corner for some big kicks. Randy came back with a strike on Knight, and the brawl continued as SmackDown went off the air.
Grade: B+
