A special episode of WWE SmackDown's New Year's Revolution brand promised to determine the No. 1 contender for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman tried to make sure that didn't happen.
Friday night featured a triple threat match between AJ Styles, LA Knight and Randy Orton. Each man had a bone to pick with The Bloodline but none were willing to wait their turn. The match was to determine who would challenge Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Reigns and company had other ideas.
This week's episode also crowned a challenger for Logan Paul's United States Championship, featured a defense of the WWE Women's Title and the return of a long-absent team.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Vancouver's Rogers Arena.
Bloodline Sabotage Main Event But It Backfires
Reigns and Heyman arrived at the top of the show and were asked about The Rock's subtle callout on Monday Night Raw. They laughed at the question and left. Later in the show, Heyman faced all of Reigns' potential rivals, from triple threat main event competitors to CM Punk and The Rock. Heyman proclaimed that none of them could compete with the undisputed champion.
AJ Styles vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton ends in a no contest following interference from The Bloodline. The announcer table was tested early and passed its security check. Orton dropped Knight twice and Styles once on the table. Styles made the second attempt and gave Orton a taste of his own medicine. Styles was firmly in control in the midsection. He primarily targeted Knight while shutting down Orton's interference. Knight countered an RKO in the BFT and won the match, but Styles physically blocked the referee's hand from counting three. Styles scored a near fall with a springboard 450 that appeared to bust Knight open. Orton's moment came after he countered the Phenomenal Forearm into an RKO, but Knight pulled the referee out of the ring at the last moment.
The Bloodline stormed the ring, eliminating all three men and forcing a no contest. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis sat at ringside and informed Heyman that Reigns would defend his title against Styles, Knight and Orton in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble.
It was a stacked episode of SmackDown but surprisingly lacked substance from its main players. There were no really engaging promotions. Even Heyman's was a little below standard. Reigns, Orton, Knight and Styles were barely seen or heard from until the main event. Speaking of headliners, the match itself was solid but the ending was deflating. It is always unusual for a no disqualification match to end without a winner. Booking a fatal four-way match is a welcome surprise and heightens the simmering tension between Reigns and Aldis. Good stuff there. Category B
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Kevin Owens def. Santos Escobar via fallen after hitting a stunner. Owens won a tournament to determine United States Champion Paul's challenger at the Royal Rumble. Owens punched Paul after the match.
- Karrion Kross and the returning authors of Pain have joined forces to feature Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. AOP and Paul Ellering have not been seen in WWE since 2020. Lashley declared his entrance into the Royal Rumble moments before the assault.
- WWE Women's Championship – Iyo Sky (c) def. Michin via pinfall after landing his iconic moonsault to retain his title.
- Butch and Tyler Bate def. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) via pinfall following a Tyler Driver double. Bate was Butch's surprise partner.
- Ashante Adonis asked SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis for an opportunity. Aldis said he believed in Adonis and had things on his mind.