WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 13
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Sami Zayn will look to solve WWE’s Kevin Owens problem Friday night.Credit: WWE.com
Can Sami Zayn solve Roman Reigns’ Kevin Owens problem?
It is the question that hung over the latest episode of WWE SmackDown, the most prominent topic of the night as The Honorary Uce and WWE’s resident Prizefighter squared off in a blockbuster main event.
The WWE Universe and The Tribal Chief himself found out the answer to that question on the same night that Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship against the seemingly unstoppable Braun Strowman.
Match Card
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- Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
- Intercontinental Championship Match: Braun Strowman vs. Gunther
Intercontinental Championship Match: Braun Strowman vs. Gunther
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Credit: WWE.com
On paper, Braun Strowman appeared to be the toughest test to date for WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther. In reality, he also was.
Strowman overcame a damaged left shoulder to put up a fight against The Ring General and score a few near-falls on him. The alert Gunther, though, recovered and brought Strowman out of the corner and drove him to the mat with a powerbomb for the hard-fought victory.
This was one of Strowman’s best performances, undoubtedly fueled by his hometown crowd in Green Bay. He was motivated, matched Gunther’s intensity, and did not look out of place working with one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet. Like him or not, he was excellent here and showed flashes of the Strowman that won fans over way back in 2017 and had them thinking he was one of the faces of WWE’s future.
Gunther continued his hot streak, adding another banger of a match while cementing himself as one of the top in-ring performers of his generation. His run with the IC title has done wonders for that particular championship and, perhaps more importantly, helped with solidifying his connection with the audience.
Result
Gunther defeated Strowman to retain
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Michael Cole told the viewers of the boots Braun Strowman wore, in conjunction with the Green Bay Packers and in honor of a young man lost in the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade attack.
Green Bay Packers @packers
Braun Strowman teamed up with the #Packers to create custom boots to honor a young fan who was a victim in the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy.
He’ll wear the boots this Friday on @WWE #SmackDown in Green Bay & auction them off to benefit those affected.@Adamscherr99 pic.twitter.com/4GPbKA11O0
- Gunther targeted the previously injured shoulder of Strowman, which he first damaged two weeks earlier.
- Strowman powered out of an armbar submission, sparking his comeback.
- Backstage, Paul Heyman informed Sami Zayn that Roman Reigns wants him to go it alone against Kevin Owens in the night’s main event.
Karrion Kross Puts Rey Mysterio to Sleep
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Credit: WWE.com
Rey Mysterio attempted to discuss the heartache he experienced over the holidays and his ongoing rivalry with his son, Dominik.
Instead, he was interrupted by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. The former taunted the future Hall of Famer, criticizing him as a father. It eventually sparked a fire in Mysterio, who attacked but fell victim to interference by Scarlett and the Kross Jacket from his new foe.
This was a solid promo segment in that it established Kross as the new big bad for Mysterio to overcome while putting his other feud, with Dominik, at the forefront even without the second-generation wrestler not around.
Kross really needed this program. The feud with Drew McIntyre was solid but petered out by the time the two clashed at Crown Jewel. Against someone as beloved as Mysterio, Kross can establish himself as a top-tier bad guy, a role Triple H has clearly seen him in dating back to his days in NXT.
Grade
B
Top Moments
- “You need goals or else, I’m not sure how you would peel your old ass out of bed,” Kross said of Mysterio.
- “Who do you hate more: your son or yourself, for failing to raise Dominik to be just like you?”
- Mysterio tried a 619 but Scarlett tripped him up, allowing Kross to apply the Kross Jacket.
- “I’ve been waiting for this for over 10 years to get you!” Kross said as he put Mysterio to sleep.
- Backstage, Liv Morgan slapped Raquel Rodriguez to set up a match between the two babyfaces for later in the show.
Tegan Nox vs. Xia Li
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Credit: WWE.com
Xia Li defeated Tegan Nix as part of a Gauntlet Match prior to the holidays. Despite that, Li claimed she was sick and tired of seeing others jump her in line. Friday, she looked to defeat Nox for the second week in a row.
History did not repeat itself, though, as Nox overcame Li’s ferocity to score the victory.
The match was nondescript, but that can be attributed to the lack of time it received. Nox looked good in her limited appearance and she definitely needed the win. A super talented individual whose work in NXT, with and against Dakota Kai, spoke for itself.
Li received a mini push following her return to television but took a step back here.
As Triple H continues to establish himself creatively, one of the biggest unsolved puzzles is the SmackDown women’s division, which of the talented individuals he sees as the top stars and where each woman fits in.
Hopefully, he figures it out relatively quickly because it feels very much like it is on a treadmill from a booking perspective.
Result
Nox defeated Li
Grade
C
Top Moments
- The crowd was surprisingly behind Nox as she fought out of a sleeper, especially considering how inconsistently the Welsh native has been utilized since her return.
Bray Wyatt Promo
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Credit: WWE.com
Just how far did Uncle Howdy’s attack on Bray Wyatt last week push the former WWE champion?
Enough to awaken in him the dark passenger he has attempted to fend off since his return. There was the brown rocking chair, callbacks to his time with the Wyatt Family and a familiar warning issued to his Royal Rumble opponent, LA Knight: run.
This was very interesting in that things appear to be picking up rather quickly. After weeks of segments that did little to advance his story, the Wyatt saga has ramped things up significantly, thanks in large part to the emergence of Uncle Howdy and the effect he has had on The Eater of Worlds.
Knight is going to get swallowed up and beaten decisively at the Rumble but it will be most interesting to see to what fiendish depths Wyatt sinks as a result of Howdy’s influence.
Fightful Wrestling @Fightful
The Fiend appeared during the QR code.#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/zUBYYc3t3k
See what I did there?
Grade
A
Top Moments
- “Green Bay…we’re here.”
- “Sometimes, all it takes is a little push in the right direction to remind you who you really are.”
- “I am the color red in a world of black and white.”
- “I am The Eater of Worlds. I am Uncle Howdy. I am him.”
- “I know who I am, but who are you?”
- “When the lights go out, you should run.”
- Backstage, Sami Zayn confronted Kevin Owens. “Are you happy?” Zayn asked his best friend. “Roman Reigns is the one putting you in this position, using you so he never has to come to work,” Owens retorted, trying to talk some sense into Zayn.
Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez
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Credit: WWE.com
Liv Morgan’s determination to prove she can eliminate opponents and win the Royal Rumble, despite a perceived size disadvantage, led her to a showdown with Raquel Rodriguez.
The ferocious Morgan took the fight to Rodriguez, unfazed by her larger opponent, and appeared poised to splash her through a table at ringside. Unfortunately, Morgan’s overzealousness cost her as Rodriguez rolled off the table, swatted her out of the air and delivered a Chingona Bomb for the win.
Much was made out of Morgan requesting the No. 1 spot in the Royal Rumble but it still has not been confirmed that she actually will enter the match at that number.
The match was a nice advertisement for the idea of a smaller competitor overcoming a larger opponent in that particular match, and it continued Morgan’s downward descent since losing the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
It would be nice, though, if there was any indication that we (or the creative team for that matter) knew where it was ultimately heading.
While that may be uncertain, one thing is not: Triple H loves Rodriguez and clearly sees her as a major part of the women’s division’s future, as evidenced by how heavily she has been pushed.
Result
Rodriguez defeated Morgan
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- “I’m not sure how to describe her but…she’s different,” Cole said of Morgan in a somewhat humorous line.
- Morgan clotheslined Rodriguez over the top rope and to the floor, putting over the idea that she can do the same in the Royal Rumble.
- Morgan produced a table, seemingly ready to do the same to Rodriguez that she had done to Sonya Deville and Ronda Rousey in the past.
- Backstage, Sonya Deville attempted to convince Adam Pearce to give her a SmackDown Women’s Championship match with Charlotte Flair. When he refused, she vowed to get herself a rematch with The Queen.
- After the break, Deville and Flair brawled backstage until Pearce and security arrived to break them up.
