WWE SmackDown Results: Retirement teases, return hints; massive Bloodline betrayal of Roman Reigns?
LA Knight kicked off the Absolute Best of WWE SmackDown recap episode and said that 2023 was his year before mentioning the many returns from this year, like John Cena, The Rock, Randy Orton, and CM Punk.
Jackie Redmond and Corey Graves took over SmackDown, and we got our first match recap of the night.
#5. John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa from Crown Jewel 2023
This was the first big match from Solo Sikoa, and it was also memorable for John Cena since he may retire after this.
Cena put up a great fight but was wiped out with a series of Samoan Spikes. We got a promo from Cena, who initially teased his retirement. However, he clarified that he was happy to be back and signed off with 'until the next round,' hinting that he wasn't done yet.
We got a promo from Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits on SmackDown, and they said that they want more in 2024 and will start by beating Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo.
#4. The Usos vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed Tag Team Team Titles from WrestleMania 39
We got a recap of the tag team title match from WrestleMania, where Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens put up a great fight against The Usos.
We saw Sami kick out of a 1D and a Helluva kick before tagging in Kevin. Owens kicked out the double splashes before Sami hit Jey with a trio of Helluva kicks and won.
In a backstage interview on SmackDown, KO said that he was sad to see his time with Sami Zayn come to an end before hyping up his upcoming match with Santos Escobar.
We got a recap of CM Punk's return while Austin Theory and Grayson Waller showed up in a short SmackDown promo to discuss their goal of securing gold in the WWE.
We got a recap of the Rock's return, where he came in and helped Pat McAfee take down Austin Theory.
Bianca Belair was in an interview and said that she wasn't done with Damage CTRL yet. She also noted that Michin might defeat Rhea Ripley and teased her upcoming reality show.
#3. The Women's WarGames match from Survivor Series 2023
This was one of the most brutal matches of the year, and we got a highlight reel with some high-flying action. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, and Shotzi won after a long fight.
Bayley and Damage CTRL were in a backstage promo and said 2024 would be their year.
We got a video tribute to honor Bray Wyatt's career. It was a tragic loss for the WWE Universe this year.
Nick Aldis showed up and hyped SmackDown New Year's Revolution before Pretty Deadly walked into his office and wanted a tag team title match. The General Manager denied their request, and the duo threatened him and walked away.
#2. Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul for the United States Title at Crown Jewel 2023
Paul got some big moves on the WWE Legend before he was sent outside and took a big dive from Rey.
Rey was about to end the match when we got the interruption from Logan's friend and Santos Escobar with the brass knuckles leading to the upset title change.
We got some talk about the future of Roman Reigns' title run and even got a highlight reel of the last few week's events involving the Bloodline, Randy Orton, LA Knight, and now AJ Styles.
Paul Heyman walked into the SmackDown set and answered 'yes' to some random questions about Roman's title defense. He said that he was concerned for the Day 1 title match and when asked about Solo being named the Tribal Heir, he called Jimmy Uso.
Jimmy showed up on a video call on WWE SmackDown and said that there was no animosity within the Bloodline and that he wouldn't turn on Roman Reigns anytime soon.
#1. Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 39
Roman was sent through an announce desk relatively early on and Cody had the advantage before Solo Sikoa came in and attacked him. Solo was ejected from ringside before Roman got the advantage with the Superman Punch.
Cody kicked out of a spear and was about to finish the match when Solo returned in a black hoodie and hit the Samoan Spike on Cody in the corner, letting Roman win.
With that, we wrap up another year of WWE Television. We wish you all a Happy New Year!