Here are your quick and dirty, editorial-free WWE Smackdown Live results for January 23, 2018. The show featured WWE Champion AJ Styles taking on his Royal Rumble opponents Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in back-to-back matches, as well as Shinsuke Nakamura taking on Baron Corbin.
Be back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of Smackdown Live column.
WWE Smackdown Live Results:
– The show opened with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens saying they are WWE’s future, not the old people we saw on Raw. AJ Styles interrupts, and is challenged to face Zayn and Owens in the same night, in back-to-back matches. Daniel Bryan made it official.
1. Chad Gable defeated Jey Uso. Gable pinned Uso after a “Chaos Theory” German suplex.
2. Naomi defeated Liv Morgan. Naomi pinned Morgan with a sunset flip. After the match, an impromptu battle royal like the one we saw on Raw happened, which ended with Becky Lynch trying to toss Naomi over the top rope. Charlotte appeared and wished the winner of the upcoming women’s Royal Rumble luck.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Baron Corbin by disqualification when Randy Orton appeared “from out of nowhere” and hit an RKO on Nakamura. After the bell, Orton hit an RKO on Corbin.
4. Bobby Roode, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston defeated Jinder Mahal, Rusev and Aiden English. Woods pinned English after a spinebuster from Roode and a springboard elbow.
5. AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens. Before the match, Shane McMahon announced that if Zayn or Owens interfere in each other’s matches, they’ll be fired on the spot. Styles won by submission with a Calf Crusher in about a minute. After the match, Zayn attacked Styles.
6. Sami Zayn defeated AJ Styles. Styles attacked Owens during the match, while he was being wheeled away injured on a gurney. Zayn pinned Styles after a Helluva Kick and a Blue Thunder Bomb.
