The first Smackdown of 2016 and the first set to air on USA Network in the United States kicks off with John Cena coming to the ring to his usual reception.
The new announce team is Jerry “The King” Lawler, Byron Saxton and newcomer Mauro Ranallo. He declares that he wants a rematch with United States Champion Alberto Del Rio after the League of Nations involvement tainted their match on Raw.
Predictably, Del Rio turns down his request.
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It can be expected that these two will hook up again for the U.S. title down the road, but it’s hard to say when. With Seth Rollins and Randy Orton both out for a while with injury, the main event scene will clearly need Cena, but Brock Lesnar’s return next Monday should alleviate that need.
Kalisto def. Alberto Del Rio (non-title match)
This was a great match, which has become what we expect from Kalisto. This could put him in line for a title shot sometime soon, which is interesting given Cena stated demands for the belt.
Perhaps the victory was only to give Kalisto a boost heading into the Royal Rumble, but the young luchador has shown he can put on a show as a singles competitor. He’s a prime candidate to be the next top Royal Rumble performer, capable of working the same kind of magic as Shawn Michaels and Kofi Kingston.
Next up is Miz TV, but The Miz gets interrupted by the New Day. WWE’s Tag Team Champions cut a promo on Chris Jericho, but Dolph Ziggler, Goldust, R-Truth and Neville inexplicably come out separately to cut New Day off.
This is making for an intriguing way to lead into the Royal Rumble, with various groupings of Superstars coming out together to get involved in matches. It doesn’t seem these four are any sort of long-term group, but it’s a fairly transparent effort to remind us that these guys are still options.
Also, Jericho’s surprise return is intriguing because the last time we saw him, he came off very heelish when he partnered with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose in a loss to the Wyatts.
Further, it will be fun to see what matches he works leading up to the event and if he and Ambrose interact in some way after they butted heads following the loss.
Dolph Ziggler/Goldust/R-Truth/Neville def. New Day/The Miz
Ziggler got a chance to stand tall after the victory, which is a pleasant change from Monday.
Obviously, the Social Outcasts needed to get a win of some kind, but it was unfortunate that Ziggler took the loss to Heath Slater. Ziggler is legitimately one of the top talents in the WWE if not the wrestling business, and it’s a shame to see him job for jobbers.
Also, only time will tell what the plans are for the new group, which includes Slater, Curtis Axel, Adam Rose and Bo Dallas.
Charlotte w/ Ric Flair def. Becky Lynch (Divas Championship Match)
“The Dirtiest Player in the Game” interferes on his daughter’s behalf to help Charlotte hold on to her title.
Charlotte was fairly bland as a wholesome babyface, but she’s really starting to tell a story as a heel. This angle between her and Lynch has been surprisingly entertaining, and it could really help add depth to the Divas division, which is something that has been lacking for years.
Lynch is a great performer, and when she’s included in the group of contenders with Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Paige, Naomi and the Bellas – that creates great Divas competition.
Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose double count-out (Intercontinental Championship Match)
These two have done some great work lately, and it continues as Ambrose and Owens brawl around the arena for a double count-out.
It’s easy to see why the WWE went to this well when they did because Ambrose and Owens have done an excellent job of showing us how much they dislike each other in their altercations. Their matches and interactions are compelling, and it’s a shame that one of them will come away from this feud without a belt.
The main question is how Ambrose and Del Rio will be used at the Royal Rumble now that the Rumble match is for Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship.
Logically, this would mean that both of those men would have spots in the Rumble and would want to focus on that opportunity, but the card will also need other matches, and both champions will have feuds for the next few weeks.
No word on where Reigns was for this event, but he’s worked a lot of dates in the last year or so. This is also the second TV program in as many weeks that didn’t include the Wyatts, as Bray and Co. missed last week’s Raw because they were booked for a house show instead.
