Tonight’s post-Elimination Chamber edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown up with a look at last Saturday’s big main event from Montreal. We also see what Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens had to say on Monday Night Raw. We’re now live from backstage at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana as Kayla Braxton welcomes us. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso walks by and she asks if he’s spoken with his brother, Jey Uso.
Jimmy says he hasn’t spoken with his brother, but he’s called and texted, and left messages, and told him he can meet him in the ring later tonight to get anything off his chest. Jimmy walks off. We’re now live from arena, Michael Cole welcomes us and he’s joined at ringside by Wade Barrett.
Here The WWE Friday Night SmackDown Full Results
– Imperium defeated Braun Strowman, Ricochet and Madcap Moss via pinfall. After the match, Imperium stands tall. GUNTHER faces Drew McIntyre and raises the title in the air. Drew prepares to rush the ring but he’s attacked from behind by The Viking Raiders. Sheamaus runs down to even the odds but Ivar takes him down with a lariat.
Brain Strowman runs over and crashes into The Vikings to save Sheamus. Ricochet then runs the ring and leaps out, taking Erik and Ivar down. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre then knock The Viking Raiders over the barrier into the crowd. Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet and Braun Strowman regroup in the ring and hit the corners to pose as fans cheer them on.
– Kayla at backstage with Rey Mysterio. He says tonight he will make sure he puts an end to Karrion Kross once and for all. Santos Escobar walks up. He says there’s one thing Legado del Fantasma values and that’s respect. Santos had the honor of receiving a mask from the legendary Mysterio earlier this month and now he wants to show the fans how much he respects Rey. They speak some in Spanish and Rey says that’s a mutual feeling.
Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley show up now. Dominik says it’s pathetic how Santos keeps sucking up to the great Rey Mysterio. Dominik says Kross will teach Rey some respect tonight. Santos says Dominik needs to learn respect for his father, or Santos will teach him. Dominik says in prison, those who didn’t back up their words got dealt with. Rey shakes his head and Santos laughs. Santos turns back around but not Rhea is in his face, waving at him. They wish Rey good luck. Rhea blows a kiss at Santos and taunts him, then they leave. Rey is stressed out but Santos tells him to don’t let that bother him because he knows who he is. Rey asks how could it not bother him, that’s his son. Rey walks off and Santos shakes his head.
– Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman are at backstage. Jimmy talks to Solo and says everything has been crazy since the Royal Rumble. He says a few weeks go when he and Jey Uso defended their titles, he knew Jey would be there for him, for us. But since Montreal, he doesn’t know because it feels different. Jimmy thinks Jey may be spooked over this whole Sami Zayn thing. Heyman says if that’s the case, Solo should stay back with him tonight and Jimmy can handle Jey face to face, man to man, twin to twin, Uso to Uso, personally. Jimmy says yeah.
– LA Knight makes his way to the ring. Knight says let me talk to you. He says this is the season and everyone is talking about how they want a WrestleMania moment, but Knight didn’t come here for WrestleMania moments, he came here to make money and win titles, by being the best and how doe she do that? By going to WrestleMania. Yeah, he says as he points up at the sign. Knight says here’s the twist – he’s not the one who will be having a WrestleMania moment because you can’t have a LA WrestleMania without LA Knight, and what that means is… he’s going to give WrestleMania a LA Knight moment. Yeah.
The music interrupts and here comes The New Day – Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston. Kofi says Knight doesn’t understand how this works. He says LA has only been on the roster for two months so who is he to be demanding things? Knight calls them The Nerd Day and knocks them for playing too many video games. Knight hypes himself up. Woods says being nerds has made them a lot of money. Woods knocks Knight for his fake leather vest. He says WrestleMania moments are earned, not handed out, case in point – KofiMania.
Knight doesn’t care about their paths, he’s a creator of circumstances. Knight goes on and asks how KofiMania worked out for him. The New Day is in the ring now. Kofi reminds Knight how he won the WWE Title and says he was fighting in the ring and behind-the-scenes, but he’s not going to wait for the chance to shut Knight up in Evansville tonight. Knight laughs. Fans chant for The New Day. Knight asks if that was a challenge. Kofi asks if LA is dumb. Woods tells Adam Pearce to go ahead and send a referee out here.
– Kofi Kingston defeated LA Knight via pinfall after Xavier Woods interference. After the match, Kofi stands tall and The New Day continues celebrating now.
– Tonight’s Progressive Match Flo looks at how Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Royal Rumble and then challenged SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair for WrestleMania 39. We also see their recent sitdown interviews. Still to come, Flair and Ripley will face-off.
– SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair makes her way to the ring as the announcers hype her WrestleMania 39 title defense against Rhea Ripley. Flair says she knows Ripley likes to run her mouth on Raw, so she can’t wait to hear what Ripley says to her face. Flair calls Ripley out but she’s not coming. Flair smells hesitation. She asks if Ripley is scared after remembering the last time they were in the ring together.
Dominik Mysterio comes out to boos. Dominik isn’t going to let Flair run down his mami. Flair knocks him and tells him to go get Ripley and tell her to face her like a real woman instead of hiding behind a boy toy. Dominik is in the ring now. He says Flair sounds jealous and bitter because she knows Ripley is the hottest thing in WWE right now, and no other woman has entered the Royal Rumble at #1 and won it all. Flair smiles and Dominik says she’s beautiful, she should smile more. He goes on about how Ripley is dominant and strong, so strong she almost breaks his back when she hugs him, and when she… Flair interrupts.
Charlotte Flair says she has a real Latino man at home who calls her mami, referring to AEW’s Andrade El Idolo, and his accent is much thicker. Fans pop. Dominik brings up some of the similarities he has with Flair being generational Superstars. Fans boo. Dominik just knows his father was worse, and that really messed him up. He says when Ripley wins at WrestleMania, Flair will know her dad was right – she’s just not good enough. Flair says unlike Dominik, she loves her dad and he’s 74 tomorrow, so happy early birthday. Fans “Wooo!” again.
Charlotte Flair says her dad can still go and if he was here, he’d kick Dominik’s butt but since he’s not here… Flair steps to Dominik as fans pop. Dominik backs away. The music interrupts and here comes Rhea Ripley. She marches to the ring and faces off with Flair, laughing at her. Dominik pulls Ripley away and they exit the ring. Flair picks up the title belt and raises it in the air. Ripley rushes back in and gets in Flair’s face. They have a few words and taunt each other as Dominik gets Ripley to exit the ring again, while Flair keeps the title in the air.
– Michael Cole shows us how Natalya and Shayna Baszler had words on Twitter. Baszler issued a challenge but Natalya had to check and see if doctors would clear her to compete.
– We see footage from earlier today with Natalya talking to Adam Pearce in the trainer’s room. Pearce said tonight’s match against Shayna Baszler is totally up to her, and she said she wants to do it. Pearce advised Natalya to watch her back because wherever Baszler goes, Ronda Rousey is also there. Tegan Nox is seen listening in the background. She says she’s seen what Rousey and Natalya have been doing to Natalya, so if it means anything, she will have Natalya’s back tonight. Natalya thanks her and says that means a lot. Pearce then made this match official.
– Shayna Baszler defeated Natalya via pinfall. After the match, Baszler charges to knock Nox off the apron and back to the floor. Rousey comes in and barks orders as fans boo. Nox rushes in and takes Rousey down. Nox goes for Baszler but she retreats to the floor. Rousey says Nox is done next week. Rousey rants about Nox and Natalya as Baszler holds her back on the entrance-way.
– Cole plugs WrestleMania 39 and shows us the Joker parody promo with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
– It’s time for Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Funhouse but this is a much wackier and crazier version, all over the place. A red light suddenly covers the Funhouse and we hear someone say “lie for me!” now. We see someone playing with action figures of WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker and possibly a Wyatt figure. Wyatt is seen backstage in a production area now, laughing at last week’s promo where he warned the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. We then see Lashley’s RAW promo and it’s being mocked somewhat.
Bray Wyatt welcomes us to Funhouse News now, and he’s joined by Ramblin’ Rabbit. Wyatt says it’s not OK here. He talks about some dragon, with seven horns and ten crowns, but says more importantly, who opened the door? He says it’s time for the weather now and it looks like a blacked-out Uncle Howdy briefly does the weather but not really.
Bray Wyatt appears as some sort of game show host now, and “Can You Keep a Secret” is the name of the show. Can you keep a secret? A voice-over continues to make different references to “can you keep a secret?” now – the Channel 6 line-up is only shows called “Can You Keep a Secret.” We go back to the Funhouse front door and there’s several graphics flashing outside of the door. Wyatt appears somewhere wearing his black mask now. He says, if I told you a story, could you keep a secret? That ends the segment.
– Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman are at backstage again. Jimmy says he really needs to work things out with Jey Uso tonight. Heyman says he hopes they do because he just received a text message from Roman Reigns, which he shows to Jimmy. Reigns says he will be here live next week and he wants Jimmy to handle Jey tonight because if not, Reigns will handle Jey next week, for Jimmy, and personally. Heyman walks off. Jimmy is stressed.
Bablu