On February 9, SmackDown was aired live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. It featured the fallout of the WrestleMania press conference that happened last night. We saw the build of the Elimination Chamber. Opponents were decided for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships. Let’s discuss everything that happened on Friday Night SmackDown.
Triple H addressed the WrestleMania Press Conference
Triple H opened SmackDown. He walked down to the ring where Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce were present already.
Triple H welcomed fans to the show and said it was a great kickoff last night, and they are on the Road to WrestleMania.
Triple H made one thing clear: he makes decisions here. He said that the main event of WrestleMania will be Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns. The crowd gave a great reaction.
Nick Aldis talked about Seth Rollins and said his opponent would be decided at the Elimination Chamber.
Adam Pearce named 12 Superstars who will compete in qualifying matches in the upcoming weeks to determine the participants of the Elimination Chamber match.
These 12 superstars include AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Ivar, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, Logan Paul, LA Knight, Dominik Mysterio, The Miz, and Bronson Reed.
The first match would be AJ Styles vs Drew McIntyre.
Drew McIntyre came out. He thanked fans for buying his new merch ridiculing CM Punk. McIntyre was happy about Royal Rumble winner, Cody choosing Roman and focused on his path to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.
Grades: A
Analysis: It was a brilliant segment to kick off SmackDown. Triple H reminding everyone of his power and place was awesome.
Singles Match
AJ Styles vs. Drew McIntyre
LA Knight arrived before the match and joined the commentary team. Both Drew and Styles exchanged chops in the beginning.
AJ delivered a tornado DDT and a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. Drew came back with a Future Shock DDT.
Styles applied the Calf Crusher, but Drew escaped. McIntyre sent Styles out of the ring, and he fell in front of Knight.
Drew pushed AJ into Knight as the water bottle spilled onto Styles.
Knight came to ring the apron later, distracting Styles. This allowed McIntyre to deliver a Claymore for the win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Grades: B
Analysis: Drew McIntyre is in the Elimination Chamber match. Styles and Knight have their problems.
Elimination Chamber Qualifier Match
Bianca Belair vs. Michin
It was the women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying match for Perth Australia. Bianca went for the KOD early on, but Michin escaped.
Michin hit Belair with a swinging neckbreaker. The EST replied with a backbreaker of her own.
Michin landed a suplex from the middle rope for the nearfall.
Ultimately, Belair escaped the Styles Clash and delivered KOD for the win.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Grades: B-
Analysis: It was a decent match. Bianca has qualified for the Elimination Chamber. Michin looked great in that match.
Backstage: Bron Breakker was with Triple H. Paul Heyman arrived, and Bron left. Heyman told Triple H he will be back alongside Roman Reigns and The Rock next week.
Damage CTRL Story Continues
Bayley made her entrance and arrived in the ring. She said that she didn’t want to believe what happened last week, but it happened.
Fans chanted, “Bayley” and “You Deserve It”. She thanked them and warned Iyo about WrestleMania.
Dakota Kai came out. She told Bayley that Asuka and Kairi Sane were controlling Iyo Sky.
Dakota thanked Bayley for being a mentor while Bayley questioned Kai about her loyalties.
Iyo, Asuka, and Sane shortly arrived. Dakota took a chair and swung it towards them. They all retrieved.
Bayley and Kai were in the ring to close out this segment.
Grades: A-
Analysis: This is an excellent story, but some other stories overshadow it. Kai has aligned herself with Bayley, with three Japanese stars on the other end.
No 1. Contenders Tag Team Match
DIY vs. Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne
It was a number one contenders match for the Undisputed Tag Team Titles.
The match started at a quick pace with reversals and clotheslines. Ciampa landed an Inverted DDT on Bate for a nearfall.
Bate and Dunne had some offense for a bit. Ciampadelivered a backbreaker powerbomb to Tyler for a two-count.
Gargano delivered a superkick. Tyler laid out Ciampa at ringside with a suicide dive.
In the ring, Pete Dunne won with the Bitter End on Johnny Gargano.
Winners: Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne
Grades: B+
Analysis: It was a fun little match. Bate and Dunne will now face Finn Balor and Damian Priest at the Elimination Chamber.
Backstage: Dominik made his intentions clear to win the Chamber match and go onto WrestleMania.
He aimed to be the World Heavyweight Champion to match titles with Rhea Ripley.
Kevin Owens will be his opponent next week. KO promised to give him the worst beatdown of his life.
Logan Paul was unhappy about the qualifying match and reached out to Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce.
He demanded to be treated like The Rock. Logan claimed to win the Chamber match and walk out of WrestleMania as a double champion.
Aldis told him the Miz would be his opponent next week.
Elimination Chamber Qualifier Match
Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn
The main event match was another qualifying match for Elimination Chamber.
In the beginning, there were punches and right hands. Sami landed a beautiful looking moonsault on Orton from the barricade.
Later, Zayn blocked Orton’s slam and slammed The Viper onto the announcer’s table. Back in the ring, Randy delivered the snap powerslam.
Sami landed a suicide dive to the outside. Randy slammed him on the commentary desk. Back on the apron, Orton delivered the hanging DDT.
Orton went for the RKO, but Zayn countered it with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Orton got the win with RKO.
Randy was celebrating in the ring as Drew McIntyre arrived. Both came face-to-face to close out the show.
Winner: Randy Orton
Grades: B
Analysis: A good main event match to close out the show. Having Randy face Sami in the qualifying match was not the right call. Both of them deserved a spot in the Elimination Chamber match.
It was a good overall show. However the Rock, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes were not on the show, which felt like a complete mess after an excellent press conference last night. The hype surrounding the Elimination Chamber match has begun.
