Our WWE SmackDown results for tonight include Rey Fenix battling Trick Williams, Jade Cargill defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Jordynne Grace, Nia Jax and Lash Legend challenging for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, Elimination Chamber qualifying matches continue with Alexa Bliss taking on Giulia and Zelina, and Cody Rhodes clashing with Jacob Fatu and Sami Zayn. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
WWE SmackDown Card:
- Rey Fenix vs. Trick Williams
- WWE Women’s Championship Match: Jade Cargill vs. Jordynne Grace
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend
- Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Giulia vs. Zelina
- Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu vs. Sami Zayn
WWE SmackDown Results:
It’s Tiffy Time!
Former WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton puts herself over for having the best rookie year ever. Stratton feels like the WWE Women’s Championship misses her. Nia Jax and Lash Legend interrupt. Legend and Jax tell Stratton she got lucky. Stratton asks Jax why she is so obsessed with her.
Legend says Jax is going to beat Stratton in the Chamber faster than you can say, “Tiffy Time.” Jax says they should save her the embarrassment and take care of Stratton tonight. The Women’s Tag Team Champions RHIYO interrupt. Rhea Ripley says they will dominate everyone in the Chamber until it comes down to SKY and her. But first, they are going to take out Legend and Jax tonight.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend
SKY attacks Jax as soon as the bell rings. Jax tosses SKY around. SKY fires back with a basement dropkick. Ripley tags in and blasts Jax with a running knee. A dropkick from Ripley sends Jax out of the ring. Legend charges in and gets tossed to the floor. SKY floors Legend and Jax with an Asai moonsault. SKY goes up top and gets cut off by Jax. Jax crushes SKY with a Samoan drop.
After the break, Jax cuts SKY off while she’s uptop. Ripley saves SKY by powerbombing Jax off the top. SKY follows that with the Over the Moonsault. Legend breaks up the pun by pushing Ripley into the pile. The fight spills out of the ring. The referee disqualifies both teams after they refuse to stop brawling.
No Contest
After the match, the brawl continues. Jax and Legend set up a table. Legend lays Ripley on the table. Jax goes up top. Ripley rolls off the table. SKY spears Jax off the apron through the table. Legend spears Ripley through the barricade.
Grade: B
Hard-hitting match with a crazy ending. Can’t wait to see these two teams go at it again.
He Don’t Miss
United States Champion Carmelo Hayes says he’s going to qualify for the Elimination Chamber and he’s going to win, because he doesn’t miss. There isn’t going to be an open challenge tonight. Tonight, Hayes says he’s going to keep a promise and defend against Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov comes to the ring. Solo Sikoa and The MFTs walk to the ring. Sikoa says he is next up, and Dragunov goes to the back of the line. Dragunov notes that Sikoa’s family abandoned him last week.
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Sikoa tells Dragunov to shut up. Dragunov challenges the MFTs to a tag match. Hayes adds that he planned on leaving with his title, but he’ll gladly leave with two. Sikoa sends in the MFTs. The MFTs beatdown Hayes and Dragunov. Matt Cardona and Apollo Crews hit the ring and gets taken down. Shinsuke Nakamura‘s music hits, and he turns the tide. Nakamura and Co. clear the ring. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis walks out on the ramp and books a ten-man tag match.
Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov, Apollo Crews, Matt Cardona, and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The MFTs
The MFTs are in control early. Dragunov gets the tag and fires up. Dragunov is sent out of the ring. While the referee is distracted, Tama floors Dragunov with a lariat. After the break, Hayes manages to get the tag. Hayes is a house of fire and takes a nearfall after La Mistica. Everyone lands a big move. Talla double chokeslams Hayes and Dragunov. Crews and Cardona almost get taken out by Talla.
Nakamura makes the save with a running knee. After a series of reversals, Dragunov lands the H-Bomb on Dragunov. Hayes drops Sikoa with the First 48. Sikoa is stunned. Hayes goes up top for his finish. Hayes gets pushed off the top by Mateo into a Samoan Spike by Sikoa. Dragunov surprises Sikoa with a flying headbutt. Tama rolls in and slices Hayes with the Cut Throat. Tama pins Hayes.
Winners- The MFTs
After the match, the Wyatt Sicks appear in the crowd and stare at the MFTs menacingly.
Grade: B-
Surprisingly fun ten-man tag. These matches are usually just giant trainwrecks, but this one was fast-paced and told a cohesive story. The fact that the mid-card and tag divisions are interacting is so nice to see. Things don’t happen in a vacuum; just because Tama is a tag champ doesn’t mean he can’t have eyes for the US champ or interact with him.
Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Giulia vs. Zelina
Everyone attempts a quick pin. No one can get the early advantage. After a series of everyone getting their finish reversed, Bliss gets dumped out of the ring by Giulia. Giulia suplexes Vega. Before Vega can get to her feet, Giulia crushes her with a OG curb stomp. Bliss catches Giulia with a senton off the apron. Vega surprises Bliss with a meteora off the apron. Vega surprises Bliss with a meteora off the apron. After the break, Zelina runs into a Sister Abigail DDT from Bliss. Bliss pins Zelina.
Winner- Alexa Bliss
Grade: C
This one had the slowest fast start this writer has ever seen. The action picked up towards the end, but the winner of this one was never in doubt once the participants were announced.
Rey Fenix vs. Trick Williams
Williams is in control early after a shoulder block. Fenix fires back with a flying elbow strike. Williams catches Fenix in the air and send shim into the corner. Fenix and Williams trade strikes. Missile dropkick by Fenix. Fenix charges in and eats a Trick Kick. Williams works over Fenix. After the break, Fenix lands a flurry of chops. Williams floors Fenix with a lariat. Pimp slap by Williams. Williams sends Fenix into the ropes. Fenix does a rope feint and lands a spin kick.
Animal kick by Fenix. Adios Amigo by Fenix. Williams kicks at two. Crossbody followed by a frog splash by Fenix! Williams manages to kick out at 2.9. Williams tries to retreat outside the ring. Fenix lands a dive. After a battle up top, Fenix crushes Williams with a double stomp! Kick out by Williams! Fenix misses a dive, but lands on his feet. After a series of reversals, Williams turns Fenix inside out with a Trick Shot for the win!
Winner- Trick Williams
Grade: B+
This match was great. Williams played the prefect heel to Fenix’s firey babyface. Fenix was electric when Williams wasn’t dominating. Williams and Fenix played to the size difference here in everything they did. Williams had to pound Fenix into mush to build to Fenix’s high-flying comeback. Williams, using Fenix’s own momentum to deliver a higher impact Trick Shot, was a genius move. Fenix is great, but Williams is a star.
WWE Women’s Championship Match: Jade Cargill vs. Jordynne Grace
Cargill and Grace slam into each other. Neither woman will go down. Cargill counters a suplex from Grace with one of her own. Grace gets plucked out of the air. Grace locks Cargill in a sleeper. Cargill tries to fall back to break the hold. Grace holds on. Cargill rolls out of the ring and drives Grace into the ring post to break the hold. Cargill tries a chop, but Grace ducks. Cargill slams her arm into the ring post. ArmDT by Grace. Cargill manages to back body drop Grace on the barricade. Grace falls into the timekeeper’s area.
Cargil steals a chicken nugget from Dominik Mysterio at ringside and has a staredown with Liv Morgan. After the break, Jade flips out of a powerbomb and lands a spinebuster. Grace manages to kick out. Grace tries a bunch of pins and counters a slam into one of her own. Cargill kicks at two. Grace and Cargill trade strikes. Grace flips out of a burning hammer and lands her patented pump kick. Cargill lands a one-armed Jaded for the win!
Winner and STILL WWE Women’s Champion, Jade Cargill!
After the match, Cargill steps up to Morgan and tells her that if Morgan challenges Cargill at WrestleMania, that’s her @$$.
Grade: B-
Having Dom out there distracted from the match, but this was still a good one. Cargill looked great out there with Grace. It’s a shame that we got to see Grace lose yet another title match, but hopefully the SmackDown crowd doesn’t watch NXT.
Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu vs. Sami Zayn
After a three-way brawl, Zayn clears the ring. Zayn lands a dive. After the break, Fatu is in control and lands a running moonsault for a near fall. Zayn eats a pop-up Samoan drop. Rhodes breaks up the pin. After the break, Rhodes and Zayn double superplex Fatu off the top. Rhodes and Zayn trade strikes. Zayn surprises Rhodes with an exploder into the corner. Fatu breaks up Zayn’s Helluva kick with a superkick. Zayn reverses the Cody Cutter into a Blue Thunder Bomb!
Rhodes kicks out! Fatu attacks Rhodes from behind. Fatu crushes Zayn in the corner. Zayn misses a surprise Helluva Kick. Fatu tries a frog splash, but Zayn gets his knees up! Zayn rolls Fatu into a pin. Fatu kicks out. Rhodes hits a Cody Cutter out of nowhere. Fatu tosses Rhodes out of the ring and hits a Mighty Moonsault on Zayn. As Fatu pins Zayn, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre teleports into the ring and blasts Fatu with a Claymore!
McIntyre powerbombs Fatu through the commentary desk. McIntyre drops Rhodes with a Claymore. McIntyre drags Zayn on top of Rhodes. McIntyre starts to walk away. Rhodes kicks out! McIntyre rolls back in and attacks Rhodes. Zayn destroys McIntyre with a Helluva Kick! Rhodes takes advantage and obliterates Zayn with a nasty Crossroads for the win!
Winner- Cody Rhodes
Grade: B-
Solid main event with tons of shenanigans. The false finish with McIntyre helping Zayn was brilliantly done. This writer and the entire crowd bit on that one. Rhodes was the favorite going into this, but that Zayn false finishes and Fatu’s Mighty Moonsault false finish help make this one way more exciting than it had any business being. Triple threat matches are extremely difficult to keep interesting. This one didn’t have nonsensical periods of one person magically disappearing for minutes at a time. Everything made sense. This was a good piece of business.
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