– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown opens up with a video package for the non-title main event with Randy Orton vs. WWE Champion John Cena.
– We’re live from Seattle with Mauro Ranallo, JBL, David Otunga and Tom Phillips.
– We go right to the ring and out comes SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan to a big home state pop and “yes!” chant
Fans chant Bryan’s name and he says it’s good to be home. Bryan mentions how he was forced to retire the last time he was here. Bryan says the last year hasn’t exactly been easy but he wants to talk about being grateful. He’s grateful for being the SmackDown General Manager, for being able to come to Seattle and give fans the best show possible. Fans chant “yes!” again. Bryan is also grateful that soon, very soon, he’s going to be a dad. Bryan is interrupted by the music as The Miz makes his way out with Maryse.
Fans boo Miz as he takes the mic. Miz mocks Bryan for having to retire. Miz suggests Bryan become something his talents are suited for – a stay-at-home dad. Miz wonders why Bryan is even here. Miz pokes at him for not being able to wrestle and wonders why he’s even in the ring. Bryan says not being able to wrestle never stopped Miz from getting in the ring. Fans do the “yes!” chant again. Miz says Bryan doesn’t respect him. Fans chant Bryan’s name again. Miz says Bryan can’t even wrestle anymore but he can and at Elimination Chamber… the Bryan chants shut Miz up for a few seconds. Miz says he has a mic and can be louder than anyone in the crowd. Bryan says Miz just challenged the crowd. The heat continues before another “yes!” chant starts. The music interrupts and out comes Baron Corbin.
Corbin says Miz needs to learn when to shut up – he talked too much on commentary last week and he won’t shut up now. Miz says people listen when he talks. Miz says he and Corbin could help each other at Elimination Chamber and then let the best man win at the end. Corbin says or he could take Miz out right now, that way he doesn’t have to hear Miz’s mouth when he becomes WWE Champion. Miz asks Bryan is going to let Corbin talk to him like that. Bryan mocks Miz. The music interrupts and out comes WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose next.
Ambrose comes out cracking jokes on Miz and Corbin. He says Corbin stole the motorcycle sound from his entrance theme. Ambrose hypes the Chamber and says some bad decisions will be made inside but he’s walking out with two titles and if they aren’t careful, they might not walk out at all. AJ Styles is out next to interrupt. The war of words continues until Bryan tells everyone to relax. Bryan makes a Fatal 4 Way that will begin next. Everyone gets ready as we go to commercial.
Fatal 4 Way: Baron Corbin vs. The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles
Back from the break and The Miz tries to talk Corbin into working with him. The ring empties and comes down to Ambrose and Corbin going at it. Ambrose ducks a clothesline and goes for a crossbody but Corbin catches him. Ambrose ends up dumping Corbin to the floor on his feet. Ambrose comes in but Ambrose takes him down and unloads. Ambrose sends him out. Styles comes in and goes at it with Ambrose next. Ambrose counters a Styles Clash. Miz gets knocked off the apron.
AJ goes for a Phenomenal Forearm but Ambrose drops him over the top rope. Corbin takes Ambrose out on the floor. Corbin with more offense as he brings it back in the ring. Corbin works over Styles and Miz. Ambrose comes from behind on Corbin. Corbin runs into a ring post. Miz ends up dropping Styles with a DDT for a 2 count. Miz mocks Bryan before hitting the “yes!” kicks on Styles and Ambrose. Fans do the “no!” chant as he kicks. Miz drops Styles but Ambrose ducks and rolls him up for 2. AJ rolls Ambrose up for 2. Several more pin attempts in a row. Styles, Ambrose and Miz face off as fans cheer. More back and forth. Corbin and Ambrose both go down with clotheslines as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Miz takes Ambrose up for a superplex. AJ climbs up to assist. Corbin comes over for a Tower of Doom. Corbin covers Miz for a 2 count. Corbin covers Styles for a 2 count. Miz with kicks in the corner to Corbin now. Miz hits the corner dropkick on Styles. He goes for another on Corbin but Corbin catches him in Deep Six for a 2 count. AJ drops Corbin with a pele kick. AJ with a forearm to the face for a 2 count.
Miz blocks a Styles Clash. Miz drops AJ with the running knee for a 2 count. Ambrose comes in with a running clothesline. Ambrose hits a neckbreaker on AJ. AJ hits a running bulldog – clothesline combo on AJ and Miz. Ambrose runs the ropes and dives out onto Corbin, sending his back into the announce table. Styles comes off the apron but Ambrose sends him into the barrier. Ambrose crotches Miz on the barrier. Ambrose sends Corbin into the ring post and brings it back into the ring. Ambrose with the top rope elbow on Corbin for a 2 count as AJ breaks it. AJ blocks Dirty Deeds and ducks the Lunatic Lariat. AJ with the moonsault into a reverse DDT on Ambrose but Miz breaks the pin.
Miz goes for the Skull Crushing Finale but AJ counters. AJ hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Miz. Maryse pulls Miz to safety as AJ goes for the win. Corbin takes advantage of the distraction and hits End of Days on AJ for the win.
Winner: Baron Corbin
– After the match, Corbin stands tall as we get hype for the Chamber match on Sunday. Corbin stands tall over AJ as his music plays.
– The announcers plug the WWE Network. Still to come, a dual contract signing with Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch and Mickie James. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Luke Harper is backstage. He says Randy Orton stole his family and he’s a liar. Harper has seen the snake in the grass far too long but he knows how to fix it. Harper says cutting the head off the viper is too easy, he wants to hurt Orton. He wants Orton to feel pain. Harper says Orton will be eliminated at Elimination Chamber.
– We go to Tom Phillips at ringside. He’s got Natalya and Nikki Bella via satellite. They’re being kept separate because of how heated their feud is. Tom asks if they can become friends after this is over. Nikki says the Nattie she knew and loved is dead to her. Natalya says they were never friends and Nikki doesn’t have friends, she has followers and an army of people that work with her to make her look good. Natalya says they will have their work cut out for them after Sunday because there’s no amount of makeup to hide what she will do to her at Elimination Chamber. Natalya goes on and Nikki cuts her off. Nikki says Natalya is becoming the crazy cat lady. She says Natalya used to have respect around here but she’s just bitter now. Natalya fires back and says Nikki will be on the shelf after Sunday with her pregnant sister, and will realize that she’ll never have her own baby. They go on and on until Natalya says John Cena would probably be with her if she wasn’t married. Nikki walks out.
– Still to come, Cena vs. Orton and Ziggler vs. Crews. Back to commercial.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews
Back from the break and out comes Dolph Ziggler while Apollo Crews waits.
Back and forth to start. Ziggler cranks up for an early superkick but Crews rolls him up for the quick win.
Winner: Apollo Crews
– After the match, Ziggler immediately drops Crews when his music starts to hit. Ziggler goes out of the ring and brings a steel chair back in. Ziggler smacks Crews with the chair while he’s down. Ziggler raises the chair again when Kalisto’s music hits and out he comes. Kalisto unloads on Ziggler and goes for Salida del Sol but gets crotched on the top rope. Ziggler grabs the chair and smacks Kalisto in the back while he’s crotched on the top. Ziggler with another chair shot to Crews. Ziggler walks out.
– Still to come, the first-ever dual contract signing. Otunga leads us to a Black History Month video on Rosa Parks.
– Back from the break and Daniel Bryan approaches Ziggler backstage. Ziggler says he’s leaving and goes on to brag about how he can take Crews and Kalisto on at the same time, and beat them. Bryan makes Ziggler vs. Crews and Kalisto in a Handicap Match for Elimination Chamber.
– We go to the ring and Renee Young is hosting the first-ever dual contract signing for Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James vs. Becky Lynch at Elimination Chamber. Mickie and the SmackDown Women’s Champion are out first, followed by Becky Lynch and then Naomi.
Mickie cuts Renee off early on to put herself and Bliss over. Mickie says she has more experience than everyone in the ring combined. Mickie knocks Renee for doing a “journalist cosplay thing” and dismisses her from the ring. Mickie talks about how the division was built on her success, accusing Becky of trying to erase her past and take credit for the women’s revolution. Mickie says she has waited for 7 long years. That’s 7 years of rage that’s built up inside of her, to come back and get the credit she deserves. Mickie says on Sunday she’s going to prove she created the women’s revolution and prove she created Becky. She says without Mickie James there would be no Becky Lynch and this Sunday, it’s all going to come to an end. She says the re-invention of Mickie James starts with the destruction of Becky Lynch. Mickie signs her contract and has words with Becky.
Becky says no one is trying to erase Mickie’s accomplishments. She respected Mickie until she came back and teamed with a troll to steal her title. Becky says Mickie walked away when WWE got too tough for her, then she came back and expected everyone to make room for her and the big chip on her shoulder. Becky says she keeps walking through when things get tough and she’s going to walk through Mickie on Sunday. She tells Mickie to bring her 7 years of rage because she’s bringing a lifetime of fire. Becky says she’s going to slap Mickie back into the past. Becky signs the contract. Bliss calls Becky low class and says she needs to respect Mickie. Bliss says the only thing running through Becky’s veins is cheap, orange hair dye. Bliss says as long as the title is on her shoulder, the division is hers. Bliss signs her contract.
Bliss apologizes and says she totally forgot Naomi was even here but it’s OK because she will beat her on Sunday. Naomi says Bliss hasn’t forgotten about her like she hasn’t forgotten about the two recent pins. Naomi threatens to snatch Bliss bald. Naomi says they’re just a few months away from WrestleMania 33, which is in her hometown of Orlando, Florida this year. Naomi says there’s no way she’s going to let anyone take her dream of sliding down the WrestleMania aisle as SmackDown Women’s Champion. Naomi tells Bliss she better get ready and signs the contract. Ready to feel the glow… Naomi nails Bliss and a fight breaks out. Becky and Mickie brawl over the table and to the mat. Naomi tosses Bliss to the floor. Becky gets the upperhand on Mickie and puts her on the floor. Naomi runs the ropes and dives onto both of them. Becky and Naomi roll their opponents back into the ring but they retreat. Naomi’s music hits as she stands tall with Becky.
– Still to come, Cena vs. Orton. We see SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha headed to the ring. Back to commercial.
American Alpha, Breezango, Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Usos, The Ascension and The Vaudevillains
Back from the break and out come SmackDown Tag Team Champions Chad Gable and Jason Jordan while the other teams wait in the ring. Jimmy Uso starts off with Gable. Uso argues with Aiden English as he comes in. Gable rolls him up for a close 2 count. Gable goes at it with English now. English turns it around and chokes Gable on the ropes as the referee warns him.
English keeps control but wastes time and shows off, missing a senton. Gable turns it around and tags Jordan in. They unload on English and hit dropkicks. Simon Gotch runs in but they dropkick him too. Tyler Breeze tags himself in. The champs have words with him. The Vaudevillains drop Alpha from behind. Breeze and Fandango assist American Alpha but they have more words as we go to commercial with fans chanting for Rhyno.
Back from the break and The Usos are double teaming Heath Slater. Viktor tags himself in and keeps Slater down. Konnor ends up coming in for the double team to run Slater over. English tags himself in, leading to words between The Ascension and The Vaudevillains. Viktor shoves English. Slater finally tags in Rhyno. He unloads on Viktor. Rhyno with a big spinebuster for a 2 count as Konnor comes in. A big brawl breaks out with all teams getting involved.
The Usos take out Breezango but Alpha dump them to the floor. The Vaudevillains take suplexes from Gable and Jordan. They stand tall before Jordan launches Gable out of the ring onto everyone else. Viktor comes in with a big uppercut. Rhyno prepares for a Gore on Viktor but Konnor runs in. Rhyno hits the Gore on Konnor. Viktor takes advantage and gets the pin on Rhyno.
Winners: The Ascension, The Usos and The Vaudevillains
– After the match, Konnor and Viktor stand tall as their music hits.
– The announcers plug David Otunga’s appearance on tomorrow’s Criminal Minds episode on CBS.
– Still to come, Cena vs. Orton. Back to commercial.
– The announcers talk The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express going into the WWE Hall of Fame and lead us to a video package for the Elimination Chamber match on Sunday.
John Cena vs. Randy Orton
We go to the ring and out comes WWE Champion John Cena for tonight’s non-title main event. Greg Hamilton makes the introduction. Randy Orton is out next with Bray Wyatt. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and the bell rings as Wyatt looks on from his rocking chair at ringside. We get the dueling chants for Cena before they lock up. They lock up and Orton takes Cena down with a headlock. Back and forth early on. Cena goes for an early Attitude Adjustment but Orton counters. Orton keeps control and works Cena into the corner. Orton with an uppercut and a big right hand for a 2 count. More dueling chants for Cena. Orton sends Cena out of the ring at Wyatt’s feet.
Orton follows and nails a big right hand to the face in front of Wyatt. Orton sends Cena into the steel steps and Wyatt eats it up. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Orton blocks a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena blocks the RKO. Orton blocks the Attitude Adjustment and drops Cena for a 2 count. Cena blocks the second rope draping DDT and dumps Orton over the top rope. Cena follows and slams Orton’s head into the steel steps. Cena goes for an AA on top of the announce table but Orton counters and slams Cena on top of the table.
Orton rolls Cena back in and goes to work. Cena fights back and they trade shots. Cena sends Orton to the mat and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena grabs Orton for the AA and nails it for a close 2 count. Orton comes back and hits a super draping DDT from the corner. Wyatt looks on from his chair and laughs as Orton stands tall and prepares for the RKO. Cena gets up and Orton hits it but Cena kicks out at 2. Cena blocks another RKO. Orton counters the AA. Orton gets sent into the referee and he goes down. Cena applies the STF and Orton taps, knowing there is no referee. Bray hits the ring and unloads on Cena. They double team Cena as fans boo. Cena blocks a Sister Abigail and clotheslines Orton. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail on Cena. Luke Harper runs down and faces off with Bray as fans do the “yes!” chant.
Harper levels Bray with the discus clothesline. Harper kicks Wyatt out of the ring. Harper turns around and blocks the RKO from Orton. Cena steps in and hits the AA on Orton as Harper leaves. The referee recovers and counts the pin.
Winner: John Cena
– After the match, Cena looks on at the other Superstars outside of the ring. Cena grabs his title and stands tall as we go to replays. SmackDown goes off the air with Cena celebrating as we get more hype for the Elimination Chamber on Sunday.
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