WWE SmackDown Results: The Rock teases WrestleMania match; 5-time champ betrayed; released star re-signed
We got a great episode of WWE SmackDown tonight with some great matches while some big stars were handed WWE contracts by Nick Aldis.
A top star was betrayed by her teammates, and Cody Rhodes showed up to talk about his WrestleMania challenge before The Rock returned!
- Kevin Owens def. Austin Theory
- Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate def. LWO, The Pretty Deadly & Legado del Fantasma
- Tiffany Stratton def. Michin
Logan Paul kicked off SmackDown and bragged about his DQ win over Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble. He said KO knocked him out, but Logan still won the match.
KO said it was a moral victory for him and that he enjoyed knocking him out with the knuckles.
Paul replied that the brass knuckles had been a distraction and that he had taken the bait, letting Logan pick up the win.
KO wanted a rematch, but Paul said it was impossible. The two got some trash-talking in before we headed for the night's first match.
WWE SmackDown Results (February 2, 2024): Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory
KO got a bit of a takedown and hit a senton early on, followed by a cannonball in the corner for a near fall. Logan was on commentary and said that KO was washed up before Theory dropped Owens on the apron off a big counter.
Logan passed brass knuckles to Theory off a distraction from Grayson Waller, but KO got a superkick on Austin before taking the knuckles and knocking out Waller on the apron. He knocked Theory out before hiding the weapon from the referee and picking up the win.
Result: Kevin Owens def. Austin Theory
Grade: B
Naomi and Tiffany Stratton were both given SmackDown contracts, and Stratton said she would be stepping up to the toughest on the roster before slapping Michin and running away.
Logan Paul walked up to Nick Aldis backstage and said he wanted a challenger tonight since the fans were calling him a part-timer.
Santos Escobar was at a mob-style meeting with Legado Del Fantasma and said he wanted them to take down the LWO.
LWO vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. The Pretty Deadly vs. Legado del Fantasma on WWE SmackDown
Bate and Prince were in the ring before the match devolved into a free-for-all, and the Legado and the Deadly teamed up against the two other duos. Bate and Dunne helped Wilde and Del Toro take Legado and the Deadly out with a big assisted dive from the apron.
Back in the ring, Wilson got a near fall on Dunne before Bate came in with the airplane spin. Legado broke up the following pin before Elektra Lopez ran distraction, but Zelina ran in and took her out with a Meteora.
Dunne snapped Wilson's fingers before Bate came in and got the win off the Tyler Driver 97.
Result: Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate def. LWO, The Pretty Deadly & Legado del Fantasma
Grade: B+
Bayley overheard Damage CTRL mocking her in the locker room and saying she was done.
Damage CTRL headed to the ring next, and IYO SKY and the others were seen laughing at Bayley behind her back.
Bayley hinted at realizing that her friends were not on her side before telling her team that she knew that they were mocking her.
Bayley confronted IYO before Asuka and Kairi attacked her from behind. The Role Model picked up a pipe from under the ring and beat Asuka and Kairi with it before IYO fled the ring.
Bayley said that she would see IYO at WrestleMania before SmackDown moved on. With that, we have our first WrestleMania title match set in stone.
The Final Testament was set to face Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits. Lashley locked in the Full Nelson/Hurt Lock on Kross before the match started, but Scarlett came in and tried to break it up.
B-Fab rushed the ring sporting red hair and attacked Scarlett before The Final Testament escaped, and the match was called off.
Bron Breakker was also handed a SmackDown contract but chose to hold off on signing with the brand title next week since he wanted to see what RAW had to offer. Aldis and Pearce also wanted to sign Jade Cargill before we headed for a break.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin on WWE SmackDown
Stratton made her SmackDown debut tonight and got some big moves on Michin to kick off the match before taking a big clothesline and a dropkick. Michin hit a neckbreaker and a modified codebreaker in the corner.
Stratton got a massive Alabama Slam for a near fall before hitting a rolling uranage. Stratton hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever before picking up the win.
Result: Tiffany Stratton def. Michin
Grade: C
Roman Reigns and the Bloodline were out next and fired shots at Seth Rollins, making fun of him for his injuries. Reigns said he works 10 times less than Rollins but still made 10 times more money than him.
Roman added that Rhodes could challenge the number 2 guy in the industry, referring to Rollins, or face number 1 again, referring to himself.
Cody Rhodes made his entrance and asked to speak with Roman alone. Jimmy and Solo left the ring before Cody pondered over what 'finishing the story' meant to him.
Cody said that Roman's title was the one that was given to his dad, Dusty, and then taken away shortly after. Rhodes said he wanted the Universal Title but added, 'Not at WrestleMania.' The Rock made his entrance and got into the ring before Cody left.
The Rock stared Roman down in the ring, teasing a WrestleMania challenge before SmackDown went off the air.