Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Smackdown Live results for January 17, 2017. The show featured the first ever Smackdown women’s cage match, the return of Jerry Lawler, and a big announcement from Shane McMahon.
Be back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of Smackdown column.
WWE Smackdown Live Results:
— The show opened with Shane McMahon announcing that the Elimination Chamber would return to the Road to WrestleMania in February, where the WWE Championship will be defended in the traditional Chamber match, with that winner defending the Smackdown world title at WrestleMania 33. AJ Styles came out and took exception, followed by John Cena, who Styles wouldn’t let talk. The Miz then came out and staked his claim to the main event. John Cena got everyone riled up and Shane made a non-title match between Styles and Miz.
1. AJ Styles NC The Miz. John Cena sat in on commentary for this match. Styles finally tossed The Miz into Cena at the announce table, and Cena tossed Miz into the barricade, then Styles attacked Cena and the referee threw the match out. It seemed like The Miz should have gotten the disqualification victory, but no official decision was announced. After the match, Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on both Styles and Miz and posed with the WWE Championship belt.
— Nikki Bella came to the ring and called out Natalya. Natalya went to the merchandise booth in the arena and bemoaned her own lack of merchandise, then ran down Nikki and started removing Nikki’s merchandise from the booth. Nikki ran through the crowd and attacked Natalya at the booth, and they brawled until security pulled them apart.
2. Dean Ambrose defeated Randy Orton. This was a non-title match. Orton was on the verge of victory when Luke Harper tried to get involved. Bray Wyatt stopped Harper from interfering, but Orton got distracted in the process. Ambrose then rolled up Orton for the pin.
— After the match, Harper and Orton started fighting. Wyatt tried to break up the fight, and when Harper pressed the issue, Wyatt hit him, seemingly siding with Orton. Harper left in anger.
— Jerry Lawler returned to host a “King’s Court” segment. His guest was Dolph Ziggler. Lawler pressed him for information on why Ziggler seems to be heading down the wrong path. Ziggler didn’t have anything to say and threatened to leave without speaking until Lawler called him back. Dolph showed old footage of him beating up Lawler and took credit for Lawler’s heart attack. He said he knows Lawler blames Ziggler for his heart attack, and threatened to finish what he started. Lawler asked Dolph how it feels to know he will always be a loser. Ziggler superkicked him and left. JBL went into the ring to check on Ziggler.
3. Smackdown Women’s Championship Steel Cage Match: Alexa Bliss (c) defeated Becky Lynch. Becky Lynch had the Dis-Arm-Her locked in when La Luchadora appeared in the cage and attacked her. Bliss hit a DDT to get the pinfall and retain.
— After the match, Bliss and La Luchadora continued the attack on Lynch, but Lunch fought them both off and pulled off La Luchadora’s mask to reveal Mickie James. Bliss and James laid out Lynch and James raised Bliss’ arm in victory to end the show.
