WWE: Smackdown
January 14, 2016
Lafayette, LA
Cajundome

The current WWE champions are as follows:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns (12/14/2015)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: Dean Ambrose (12/13/2015)
WWE United States Champion: Kalisto (1/11/2016)
WWE Tag Team Champions: The New Day (8/23/2015)
WWE Divas Champion: Charlotte (9/20/2015)

Your hosts are Mauro Ranallo, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton.

TRIPLE MAIN EVENT TONIGHT!

Renee Young is awaiting her man – I MEAN – the WWE Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose to arrive at the Cajundome because he wants to address the WWE Universe about something. Next thing we know, a little black truck squeals into the parking lot. Dean Ambrose gets out the passenger side and the truck peels out. I guess when your nickname is “The Lunatic Fringe”, having a driver’s license would either be hard for you to get or since you’re on the fringe, you want to live off the grid. I don’t know. I’m getting WAY too deep into this. Ambrose tells Renee that he suggests Kevin Owens meet in the ring – RIGHT NOW.

And away we go.

Dean Ambrose asks for a drum roll in the hopes that Kevin Owens would appear to face him, but no dice. The big announcement is that Dean Ambrose as the IC champ is challenging Kevin Owens to a LAST MAN STANDING match at the Royal Rumble. While Owens doesn’t appear, Sheamus does. Ambrose busted Sheamus open this past Monday night on Raw so they have unfinished business. Sheamus doesn’t like his fights interrupted and threatens to put a mark on Ambrose’s head that will never go away. Of course, Ambrose is fine with Sheamus coming down to the ring and finishing their fight. Before Sheamus heads down, Kevin Owens comes out the tunnel and walks and talks towards the ring. Long story short, he accepts the challenge to the Last Man Standing match. He feels Dean Ambrose won’t make it out of the Royal Rumble PPV as the IC champ. In fact, he feels Dean Ambrose won’t make it out of the Royal Rumble PPV – period. STRONG WORDS. Sheamus and Owens start to close in on Ambrose, but Neville – Dean’s tag partner for their main event match – comes down and helps clean house for a big standoff to close out this segment.

• Tables Match: The Dudley Boyz vs. Erick Rowan & Luke Harper (w/Braun Strowman)
  

Rowan and Harper dump out D-Von and isolate Bubba Ray to start. He comes back and slams Harper for the WASSUP flying headbutt from D-Von. NOW GET THE TABLES. Rowan and Harper make sure nothing happens with the tables this quickly as D-Von gets wiped out with a superkick from Harper while Rowan nails Bubba Ray with a standing spinning heel kick. Commercials! When we return, Bubba Ray saves D-Von from a double suplex through a table. He blasts Harper with a Uranage. Together, the Dudley Boyz shoulderblock Rowan down. Reverse 3D to Harper! D-Von and Harper head to the floor while Bubba Ray and Rowan are brawling inside the ring. D-Von looks to splash Harper through a table from the top rope, but Strowman distracts as Rowan nails D-Von. Strowman slides a kendo stick in the ring, but Bubba Ray gets the stick away from Rowan. He abuses Rowan and knocks him to the floor. Strowman corner charges Bubba Ray, but misses and runs his shoulder into the post. Bubba Ray avoids a charge down on the floor by Rowan causing him to fall into the steps. Ouch. Meanwhile, D-Von fights off a superplex and shoves Harper down through the table for the win. (5:06 shown) Afterwards, Strowman takes down both Dudley Boyz. They won the battle, but lose the war as it were. The Wyatt Family scheme and carry out their plan of throwing D-Von through TWO tables – each one leaned up in opposite corners. For Bubba Ray’s efforts, he gets a DOUBLE CHOKESLAM off the announce table through two more tables. This felt like the time the New Age Outlaws and DX tried to take out the Legion of Doom. Bray Wyatt laughs in approval of what he’s seeing over the PA system. *½

They take us back to Monday Night Raw when Kalisto upset Alberto Del Rio and captured the WWE U.S. title. A real 1-2-3 Kid versus Razor Ramon moment, I suppose.

JoJo meets with the new U.S. champ Kalisto backstage. Smaller guys like Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio gave him the hope that he can succeed in the land of the giants. All he needed was one opportunity and he showed he could be a champion in WWE. Enjoy it while it lasts, mi amigo.

• Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, Adam Rose & Curtis Axel vs. Goldust, Damien Sandow, Zack Ryder & Jack Swagger
  

No entrances for anybody. So it’s basically the JOB Squad versus the JOB Squad? Oh that’s right, they are called *social outcasts* now. Whatevs. Heath Slater ducks out on Sandow and Bo Dallas talks his team into doing a victory lap. That’s cool until they end up on the wrong side of the ring. Slater gets pulled back into the ring by Sandow. Tag to Goldust, he ten-count corner punches on Slater, but Axel distracts him and Slater nails Goldust with a leg lariat. Axel tags in and lands a big dropkick he’s very proud of doing. Rose tags in and disrespects Goldust, so he runs into a powerslam. Hot tag to Swagger, he goes for the Swagger Bomb on Bo Dallas. Bo gets his feet up to block only for Swagger to catch him in the PATRIOT LOCK. Axel shoves Swagger off the hold and Zack Ryder tags into the match. I was wondering if he would get any time. He’s a house of fire on Bo Dallas nailing a missile dropkick and the jumping elbow over in the corner. He lands the Broski Boot (he really needs to reinvent himself) for 1-2-NO! In the heel corner, Slater punches Ryder and poses on the apron while Bo Dallas uses him to deliver the BO DOG for the win. (3:41) Lawler thinks this might be the start of something good for the Social Outcasts even though all they did was beat a totally random thrown together team. Fun for what it was though. Everybody got some time to show off some of their spots. *½

Update on John Cena’s rotator cuff surgery is shown.

There’s a RAW highlight video showing the One versus All main event. Details on what went down can be found elsewhere. I don’t do Raw.

Renee Young introduces the former WWE U.S. champ Alberto Del Rio for a quick word before his rematch with the current US champ Kalisto. He doesn’t care if the people cheer for him or not. Esta noche, he will crush the mosquito Kalisto and take back his championship.

• WWE U.S. Champion Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio
  

Ugh, I hate that this ring announcer chick is just a Lillian Garcia clone. Not to be embarrassed again, Del Rio is ALL OVER Kalisto to start. He even tries to rip off the mask by putting him up in a precarious position on the top rope. About three minutes in, ADR hits the double knees armbreaker by bringing Kalisto down from the top rope to really take this match into the next gear. That gets two. Kalisto rolls to the floor and gets his bad arm slammed on the steps a bunch. Back inside, Del Rio rips on the arm and runs Kalisto’s shoulder into the post. He gets in a few hope spots, but nothing Del Rio can’t handle. Commercials! When we return, Bad News Barrett has joined us at ringside to support the challenger. Del Rio sets Kalisto up in the tree of woe and looks for the double stomp, but Kalisto gets a leg free and kicks at Del Rio. He pulls himself up to hold onto the top rope and headscissors Del Rio down to the mat! Kalisto hits La Silla, but Del Rio slam dunks the Springboard Corkscrew Bodyblock. Low Superkick to Kalisto gets 1-2-NO! Cross Armbreaker gets countered to the Hurracanrana by Kalisto for 1-2-NO! Corkscrew Bodyblock connects! Headscissors Faceslam gets two as well. Del Rio gets fired up again and drops Kalisto on his bad shoulder. Kalisto finds a way to land a roundhouse kick. He looks for the SALIDA DEL SOL, but Barrett distracts the champ and Kalisto finds himself in the CROSS ARMBREAKER. YES. Kalisto eventually finds the ropes though. Del Rio charges him and flies through the ropes as he’s been known to do in the past. Kalisto goes for a tope suicida when Barrett pulls Del Rio out of harm’s way causing Kalisto to crash and burn on that bad shoulder. Awesome. It’s academic as Del Rio rolls Kalisto into the ring and applies the CROSS ARMBREAKER for the immediate tapout to regain his United States championship. (11:33 shown) Very fun match here. Shades of Del Rio’s matches with Rey Mysterio from 2010. Del Rio is just the man right now. I love it. ***½

They air Sting’s WWE Hall of Fame inductee video.

While Becky Lynch is with Renee Young backstage, highlights are shown of what has gone down between Becky Lynch and the WWE Divas champ Charlotte as of late. Becky suggests she gets a Divas title shot at the Royal Rumble for a good old fashioned Lass Kicking.

• Becky Lynch vs. Brie Bella (w/Alicia Fox)
  

Brie goes after Becky’s neck to begin things here. She unloads with some kicks in the corner calling out to the crowd. Becky yanks her into the corner and mounts a comeback with a bunch of clotheslines. Springboard kick and an exploder suplex gets two. Before you know it, Becky has Brie in the DISARM-HER for the tapout. (2:34) What if Becky ever wrestles a man? Would the hold be called the Disarm-Him? Quick little squash to get Becky over.

• Dean Ambrose & Neville vs. Kevin Owens & Sheamus
  

Sheamus gets owned to start by the good guys. Once Ambrose knocks Sheamus to the floor, he nails Owens and wipes him out with a pescado. Sheamus blindsides Ambrose and that takes us into commercial. When we come back, Ambrose is stuck on the wrong side of town. Ambrose tries hitting the tornado DDT on Owens, but Owen shoves him away only to fall victim to the CM Punk swinging neckbreaker routine. Tag to Neville, he springboard dropkicks Owens and lands a step-up enziguri. Dead Lift German Suplex? Nope. Owens elbows him back and tags Sheamus. He walks right into a superkick, but avoids a Shooting Star Press. Back to Owens, he takes over and talks trash at Ranallo for some reason. Sheamus works a chinlock on Neville for a bit. Owens comes in and delivers a release German suplex. He charges Neville in the corner, but Neville moves and manages the release German suplex of his own. HOT TAG TO AMBROSE! He jab chops Sheamus in the corner and lands the Tornado DDT. Flying elbow on Sheamus gets two. Owens breaks up the pin and boots Ambrose in the head when he tries the McGuinness Clothesline. White Noise to Ambrose! Cover, 1-2-NO! Tag to Owens, the POP-UP POWERBOMB to Ambrose is countered to a headscissors. McGuinness Clothesline connects! Owens rolls out and takes the tope suicida. Sheamus comes over though and runs Ambrose into the steps a few times. Owens grabs a piece of the announce table and attacks Ambrose for the DQ. (9:18 shown) Weak finish for sure. Sheamus and Owens are discussing who will powerbomb Ambrose through the announce table when Neville does a crazy plancha to wipe them both out. Ambrose then takes Owens into the ring and delivers DIRTY DEEDS to set up the RED ARROW from Neville. So I guess after putting each other through tables and making one another bleed, this is what we’ve come to? Hmpfh. **½

Until next time, so long for now.