Posted on 2/15/125 by Bob Magee
Vic Joseph replaced Joe Tessitore tonight on commentary,
joining Wade Barrett. Man, Corey Graves can’t catch a break.
– Recap of last week’s show, focusing on the main event tag
math and the return of Solo Sikoa.
Cody Rhodes Interview. Cody Rhodes came out to talk
Elimination Chamber and who his opponent at WrestleMania 41
might be. There was already a light chant for CM Punk coing
in the crowd before Rhodes started polling the crowd about
potential opponents, based on who is already in the Chamber.
Logan Paul got boos. CM Punk (Cody’s good friend,
apparently) got cheers. Drew McIntyre got boos. John Cena
got cheers. Cody said it won’t be Solo Sioka, which brought
out Drew McIntyre for some reason.
Drew was sad because Cody didn’t put enough emphasis on
Drew’s name. Drew ran down his résumé, which includes two
Elimination Chamber wins and three world titles and a nearly
year long stint in 3MB (okay, I added the last one). Drew is
also one of the few men that has pinned Cody since he’s
returned to WWE, and Cody hasn’t forgotten.
This brought out Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga. The crowd was
crazy into Fatu, who is “all gas no breaks” tonight. He’ll
run through Damian Priest & Braun Strowman, then the
Elimination Chamber, and bring the WWE title back to his
family. Drew suggested DC wanted to see him fight Jacob… but
he’s already got a spot in the Chamber, so he’s leaving
Jacob Fatu to Cody. Cody is alright with that. All Jacob has
to do is win tonight, and win in the Chamber, and he can get
a title shot.
Just then, Solo Sioka arrived in his car. Fatu has family
business to discuss with Sioka. Cody will let Fatu get the
first word with Sioka, but he promised to get in the last.
– Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu were looking for Solo Sikoa in
the back.
– Wade Barrett talked with Trish Stratus (who was in the
front row) about the Elimination Chamber.
Namoi (w/ Bianca Belair) defeated Chelsea Green (w/ Piper
Niven) for a spot in the Women’s Elimination Chamber (8:27)
Namoi hit a meteora for a near fall. Green dropped to the
floor, and caught Naomi with a pump kick when she followed
her to the outside.
After a long commercial break (during which Green controlled
the bout), Naomi hit Green with a crossbody off the top.
Naomi hit a bulldog and a scissor kick to get a near fall.
Naomi hit an ugly heat seeker, but missed a split legged
moonsault. Green hit an ugly Rough Rider for a near fall.
Green dropped Naomi with a backstabber for a near fall.
Green tried to come off the top with an Unprettier, but
Naomi slipped out and caught Green with a kick out of the
corner. Naomi then hit the split-legged moonsault for the
pinfall. Naomi advanced to the Chamber. Half the match took
place in the picture-in-picture.
– Sami Zayn sent in a video from home about being laid out
by Kevin Owens’ package piledriver. Zayn thought friendship
meant being concerned when your friend is laid out on the
floor. Zayn believes Owens definition of friendship is
pushing Cody off a ladder to help Owens win a match. Zayn
doesn’t know when he’ll be cleared, but when he is Sami and
Kevin Owens are going to go at it again.
– WWE 2025 Hall of Famer Michelle McCool was shown teaching
aspiring wrestlers finishers like the triangle choke in a
preview for the new A&E Series “LFG.”
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
defeated Los Garza (Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo)
We got about a minute of action before the show cut to a
commercial. After the break, Sabin got the hot tag and got a
near fall on Carrillo with a cradle. A dropkick off the top
from Sabin into a flatliner got a near fall. Garza held
Shelley in a powerslam while Carrillo put Sabin on Garza’s
shoulders, then Carrillo sprung off the ropes with a
springboard kick. Carrillo went for a moonsault but ate
Shelley’s boots. After a planch on the floor, Sabin and
Shelley hit the Skull n Bones on Carrillo and got the
pinfall. The three minutes of the match after the break was
“all moves.”
– Damien Priest introduced himself to the Smackdown audience
via a vignette.
– WrestleMania in Vegas is 64 days away!
– Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga found Solo Sikoa, dressed in all
white. Sikoa owned up to letting the family down by losing
the ula fala to Roman Reigns. Sikoa seemingly threw his
support behind Jacob Fatu in the chamber. “I love you,
Jacob.” The crowd reaction told me that’s not probably not a
good thing for Jacob Fatu.
Shinsuke Nakamura Interview. Nakamura got the “What?”
treatment from the crowd while he bemoaned his lack of
competition for the US Championship. It doesn’t take long
for LA Knight to respond (By the way, I loved Knight’s
mental health shout-out last week). Knight cut a great promo
on his way to the ring about all the ways he’s been screwed
over on his way back to a US Title match. Then The Miz
showed up. Miz called the crowd “not smart” and “basic” and
was about to deem himself the only worthy contender. But
Knight cut off Miz before he can go into his “list all my
accomplishments” promo. Knight suggested Miz start his own
farewell tour, and the crowd agrees. Miz started mock crying
(and mocking Knight’s mental health shout-out). Knight said
Miz and Drew McIntyre are running “neck and neck” as the
biggest “crybaby b!tches.” Miz called his shot for the US
Title. Knight’s response: “Dude, you suck.” Actually he said
a lot more but that was the best line. Knight went for the
BFT, but Miz escaped. Nick Aldis came out and made Miz v.
Knight for TONIGHT, and man this was a lot of talking for a
contender’s match for a secondary title.
LA Knight defeated The Miz, ostensibly for a shot at the US
Championship (10:14 aired)
We joined the match in progress after a commercial, and
Knight caught Miz with a powerslam for a near fall. Nakamura
was still lurking around ringside. Miz took control with all
his best kicks and chinlocks. And what looked like a poor
man’s version of the hammer and tong elbows the Blackpool
Combat Club used. Knight backdropped Miz to the floor, then
followed him out with a sliding dropkick. Knight smashed
Miz’s head into the announcer’s table. Nakamura distracted
Knight, and Miz took control by sending Knight into the ring
stairs.
After another commercial, Knight hit a neckbreaker, followed
up with a snap powerslam, and landed a big elbow for a near
fall. Miz tripped Knight up on the middle turnbuckle, and
hit an avalanche clothesline and flatliner out of the corner
for his own near fall. Miz went for the Skull Crushing
Finale, but Knight dropped out of it into a cradle for a
near fall. Miz hit a DDT for a near fall. Knight ran into a
boot from Miz, but then hit the BFT out of nowhere. Knight
then hit an elbow off the top rope (springing from the
middle rope) for the pinfall.
After the match, Knight and Nakamura had a staredown while
Nakamura held up his US Title Belt.
– Alexa Bliss wished Nia Jax luck in her Women’s Title match
later tonight. Also there was some Wyatt video
interference/hidden message during their brief backstage
segment.
– In the back, Miz got an offer for some training from
Andrade. Then Carmelo Hayes showed up to say how no one
respects “us” (he and Miz), but walked away from Miz’s offer
to form a tag team.
Carmelo Hayes defeated R-Truth (2:20)
This was set up by a segment backstage where Hayes
apologized for showing “Tozawa that I’m ‘him.'” “No you’re
not. You’re Carmelo. Tozawa’s Tozawa.”
Hayes jumped Truth to start, and cut off his John Cena-
inspired comeback with a superkick. Hayes escaped a Attitude
Adjustment from Truth, then came off the top with a scissor
kick to get the pinfall.
– Highlights from the Eagles Super Bowl victory parade were
shown to give WWE the opportunity to sell those WWE/NFL
Championship belts.
– The Street Profits still want the smoke. But they’re being
all dark and angry about it. This is followed by DIY and
Pretty Deadly chatting in advance of their WWE Tag Team
Championship match next week. This all seems to be building
to some kind of 18-way tag team title cluster at
WrestleMania.
– Kevin Owens sent in a promo shot in his car. Sure, Sami’s
neck is hurt, but Kevin is feeling real pain. And he’s
wearing a Bret Hart jacket! Owens promised to show Sami real
pain in Canada. Cleared or not, Kevin Owens challenged Zayn
to come find him at Elimination Chamber.
– Charlotte Flair settled into a seat backstage to watch the
next match.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Nia Jax (w/ Candice LeRae) by
disqualification to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
(16:59)
Charlotte watched the match from the back, looking at the
television from a non-ridiculous angle.
Jax ragdolled Stratton to start. Stratton cartwheeled out of
a toss, but got caught with a pop-up headbutt for a near
fall. Jax tried a hip attack against the ringpost, but
Stratton escaped and hit a handspring elbow. Jax dropped
Stratton with a Samoan Drop for a near fall. Slam and
legdrop from Jax get another near fall. Jax went for the hip
attack against the ringpost for a second time and did not
miss, then dropped an elbow for a near fall.
After a commercial, Stratton fought her way out of a
chinlock. Stratton and Jax went for some kind of powerbomb
into a sunset flip spot, but it went very badly. At least no
one landed on their head. Jax caught Stratton going for a
second handspring elbow and just dumped her, then dropped a
leg on her ribs for another near fall. Jax put Stratton on
her shoulders for a super Samoan Drop, but Stratton slipped
free, tripped up Jax, and came off the top with a double
stomp for a near fall.
Stratton went to the top, but Jax tripped her up, setting up
a super Samoan Drop for a near fall. Jax dropped a leg off
the middle rope for another near fall as Charlotte watched
on from backstage.
After another commercial break, Stratton hit a moonsault to
the floor on Jax. Stratton is getting huge babyface
reactions here. Back in the ring, Stratton hit a swanton
bomb for two. Stratton tried to pick up Jax for a Samoan
Drop, but fell under Jax’s weight. Jax went for the Banzai
Drop, but Stratton got out of the way in another clumsily
spot. Stratton went for the prettiest moonsault ever, but
LaRae ran in to cause a disqualification. LaRae got a chair,
but Trish Stratus ran in to make the save. Stratus got
squashed by an avalanche from Jax. Jax then leveled Stratton
with another legdrop as a gaggle of officials (and Jason
Jordan) broke up the attack.
As Jax and LaRae went to the back, Charlotte Flair came out.
Stratton was laid out in the ring and Flair took a mic and a
seat in the ring. “The Queen chooses YOU! I’ll see you at
WrestleMania.” Tiffany Stratton v. Charlotte Flair is
official for WrestleMania.
A Development in the “Jade Situation.” Nick Aldis brought in
the Women’s Tag Team Champions, Bianca Belair and Naomi, to
show a video, shot on a cellphone and sent in anonymously.
This will shed some light on who attacked Jade Cargill. But
all the video showed was Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
walking around near where Jade Cargill was being placed into
an ambulance. This definitively proves (to Naomi and Bianca,
anyway) that Morgan and Rodriguez were responsible. Although
I gotta say it looked like Naomi was a little nervous while
the video was getting queued up. Naomi and Bianca are now
headed to Raw to confront Morgan and Rodriguez.
– Backstage, Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton agree to
team up against Nia Jax and Candice LaRae at Elimination
Chamber. “It’ll be Tiffy and Trishy Time!”
– Drew McIntyre gave Jimmy Uso some advice about his
terrible career, but at least he married up, right? Uso gave
McIntyre a superkick for his troubles.
– Backstage, Braun Strowman shouted about being a world
champion five years ago, but nobody remembers. Yeah, we all
want to forget those terrible empty arena shows, Braun.
Next week on Smackdown: DIY v. Pretty Deadly for the Tag
Team Titles and Jimmy Uso v. Drew McIntyre.
Damian Priest pinned Braun Strowman in a Triple Threat Match
also featuring Jacob Fatu to advance to a spot in the
Elimination Chamber (16:15)
Wade Barrett did his own version of “this match makes me
glad I retired” like Gorilla Monsoon used to. Strowman hit
Fatu with a boot to start. Priest and Fatu knocked Strowman
to the floor with a double shoulderblock. This left Priest
and Fatu one on one for a bit. Fatu hit Priest with a
running elbow. While Fatu and Priest were brawling, Strowman
ran in with a crossbody, then sent both Fatu and Priest to
the floor with clotheslines.
After a long split-screen break, Strowman pulled Fatu out of
the ring and threw him against the dasher boards. Fatu sent
Strowman into the ring steps, then went back into the ring
to deal with Priest. Priest stunned Fatu with an elbow
strike and took him down with a spinning heel kick. Priest
knocked Strowman off the apron after a superkick. Priest
tried for an old-school ropewalk on Fatu, but Strowman
caught Priest with a choke, and Fatu pulled Priest into a
Samoan Drop. Fatu hit a swanton bomb on Priest for a near
fall.
Fatu went for another Samoan Drop, but Priest escaped. Fatu
hit a superkick, then set up Priest for a superplex.
Strowman ran in and they did the stacker-superplex powerbomb
spot, and USA had to censor “Holy Sh!t” chants from the
fans.
Strowman hit Fatu with clotheslines and a massive back
bodydrop. Fatu dropped to the floor, where Priest gave him a
flatliner against the commentator’s table. Strowman pounced
Priest over the table, then chokeslammed Fatu on the table
and is that table made out of the New Japan tables because
after all that it didn’t break.
Back in the ring, Fatu retook control on Strowman, hitting
him with a series of hip attacks against the turnbuckles.
Fatu procured a chair (which the crowd cheered for). Fatu
wrapped the chair around Strowman’s neck for another hip
attack, but Strowman caught him with a boot (Fatu slowed up
noticably to set up the boot). Strowman wrapped the chair
around Fatu’s neck, but before he could crush him, Solo
Sioka came up out of nowhere to catch Strowman with a Samoan
Spike! Sioka was in all-black, sneaking in to help like he
used to for Roman Reigns.
This brought out Cody Rhodes to cut off Sioka. Tama Tonga
showed up to rescue Sioka and Sioka accidentally took out
TONGA with another Samona Spike. Fatu jumped out of the ring
to get in Sioka’s face about hitting Tonga. This gave Priest
the opportunity to clothesline Fatu into the Timekeeper’s
area and out of the match. Rhodes hit Sioka with a Cross
Rhodes on the floor. Back in the ring, Strowman went for a
powerslam on Priest, but slide out and hit the South of
Heaven on Strowman to get the pinfall. Damien Priest
advances to the Elimination Chamber.
After the match, Cody and Damien shook hands and gazed into
the WrestleMania sign.
Seems like Sioka and Jacob Fatu are heading to a
WrestleMania match. And this show would have probably been
better at two hours. Felt like a lot of filler.