Full Credit: Buck Woodward, pwinsider.com
Smackdown for January 27th opened with a recap of how John Bradshaw Layfield and Kurt Angle tricked Big Show last week, and left him laying. Backstage, Angle and JBL, and their respective groups, bragged about how they made sure Big Show would not be at the Royal Rumble. They talked about joining forces again to get rid of some more of their enemies. Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak and Orlando Jordan would team tonight against Rey Mysterio, Booker T and Eddie Guerrero.
Eddie Guerrero, Booker T & Rey Mysterio vs. Orlando Jordan, Mark Jindrak & Luther Reigns. Jindrak started out with Booker T, who knocked him down with a clothesline and slammed Jindrak to set up a Guerrero slingshot somersault senton. Rey tagged in and hit a springboard dropkick for two. Jindrak mounted a comeback and tagged in Orlando, who worked over Rey in a corner. Rey ducked a clothesline and hit a springboard bodypress for two, then tagged in Guerrero, who got taken down by a series of punches by Jordan. Guerrero backdropped Jordan, then lifted him for a Booker T side kick. Jindrak and Reigns ran in, and a brawl broke out. Eddie was tossed to the floor. Booker missed a sidekick and crotched himself on the top rope, and Jindrak punched him to the floor. Rey was trapped by all three opponents, and Jordan press slammed Rey over the top rope and into Guerrero on the floor as they went to break.
Back from the commercial, Jordan was working over Booker with a chinlock. Booker elbowed out and hit the Bookend, then tagged Mysterio. Mysterio hit Jordan with a springboard senton and a quebrada moonsault for a two count, then dropkicked him in a corner. Mysterio went for a bronco buster, but Jindrak pulled Jordan out of the way. Reigns tagged in and hit a double underhook suplex. Jordan tagged in and went to the top rope, but Reigns made him climb a different corner for an elbow. Jordan and Reigns argued, and it allowed Rey to grab a cradle on Jordan for a two count. Jordan hit Rey with a side slam for a two count, as Guerrero broke it up. Luther tagged in and threw Rey into his corner, then tagged Jindrak. Jindrak put Rey in a chinlock, but Guerrero ran in to break it up with an eye rake. Jindrak hit Rey with a left hand, but Booker broke up the pin. Jordan tagged in, but Rey rolled him up on a backdrop attempt for a two count. Jordan worked on Mysterio with an armbar, but Rey kicked out of it. Jordan stopped Rey from tagging out and tagged in Jindrak. Jindrak and Reigns took turns working over Rey, until Jordan accidentally hit Reigns. The two argued again, but still kept Rey from tagging out. Rey mounted a comeback, avoiding all three opponents and making a hot tag to Eddie Guerrero, who started cleaning house. Booker joined in, and all six men were going at it. Rey gave Jindrak 619, Booker followed with an ax kick, and Eddie Guerrero finished off Jindrak with a frog splash at the fifteen minute mark, while Booker and Rey kept Reigns and Jordan out of the ring. Winners: Eddie Guerrero, Booker T & Rey Mysterio.
Post-match, Reigns and Jordan argued while Jindrak was laid out. Reigns knocked Jordan to the mat, bringing out the Bashams, who got in the face of Reigns. Kurt Angle came out, and Angle slapped Danny Basham. Angle & Reigns and the Bashams were shoving each other, and JBL was heading to the ring, as they went to commercial.
Back from the break, JBL was telling Angle to control his men (although Jindrak was still laid out from the frog splash). Angle blamed Jordan for losing the six-man match. JBL brought up the WWE Title, and he and Angle began arguing over who would win at the Royal Rumble. Angle said he would win the title, and JBL said Angle was a liar, just like Bill Clinton (they were in Arkansas). JBL said Angle would never win the title again. Smackdown General Manager Theodore R. Long came out, and announced that he had spoken with the Big Show, and that Show would be at the Rumble on Sunday night. Long made a non-title “Last Man Standing” match between JBL and Angle for later tonight. JBL and Angle argued as Long left.
The Steve Austin-WWE Films press conference package from Raw was shown. Then we had a commercial.
A video package on the Undertaker-Heidenreich feud was shown.
John Cena came to the ring for his match. Then we had another commercial.
U.S. Champion John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki, with Hiroko. Cena stomped Kenzo down in a corner as the bell rang, and kicked him through the ropes and to the floor. Cena rammed Suzuki back first into the ring post. Cena rammed Suzuki twice into the announce table, further working on the back. Cena put on Michael Cole’s headset and said that “Cena looks unstoppable tonight”. Back in the ring, Cena hit a fisherman’s suplex and worked over Suzuki on the ropes, choking him for four counts. Kenzo raked Cena’s eyes and hit a chop to the throat to finally go on offense. Suzuki hit some chops, then whipped Cena hard into a corner. Cena came back with his own chops, then hit a flying shoulderblock. Cena hit a back suplex into a side powerbomb, then did the “You can’t see me” gesture. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle fistdrop, then pumped up his sneakers. Cena hit the FU and got the pin at the five minute mark. Winner: John Cena.
Michael Cole interviewed John Cena in the ring after the match. Cena talked about the momentum he had now, and promised he would win the Royal Rumble and go on to main event Wrestlemania.
Backstage, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio were talking in Spanish and laughing. Booker T entered and wanted to know what they were talking about. Eddie said they were just talking about how well they work as a team. Booker reminded Eddie that he cost them the tag belts last week. Eddie admitted he screwed up last week. Eddie said if the three of them worked together, they could win the Royal Rumble, and then he could main event Wrestlemania. Rey and Booker stared at Eddie, then cracked up laughing. Rey, Booker and Eddie continued to joke about the Rumble, but admitted that it was going to be every man for himself, and all three felt they would be the winner.
Heidenreich came to the ring to read a poem. Heidenreich stopped reading to rip up a cardboard casket (complete with Heidenreich picture) that a fan had at ringside. The poem was about facing his fear of caskets at the Royal Rumble, and he was foaming at the mouth (literally) as he read it. The fans chanted “Rest In Peace”.
Backstage, Kurt Angle knocked on Theodore R. Long’s door. Long came out, and Angle said he wanted tonight’s match changed, saying he might get hurt before his WWE Title match at the Rumble. Long asked if he was scared, and Angle said he could beat JBL in ten seconds. Long dismissed Angle, saying the match was on.
Paul London vs. Shannon Moore vs. Sho Funaki vs. Spike Dudley. This was a Royal Rumble qualifying match. Only Funaki got entrance music, as all the others were already in the ring. They all started going for covers and rollups at the start. Spike tossed Moore out of the ring, and gave London a reverse atomic drop, but Funaki grabbed him in a backslide for two. Spike gave Funaki a back suplex. London kicked Spike for a two count. Spike put London in a half crab after he missed an enzugiri. Moore and Funaki broke it up. Funaki and Spike clotheslined each other. London backdropped Moore to the ring apron, and Moore went to the top rope, but London kicked him and went for a superplex, which Funaki broke up. Funaki flipped London to the floor. Funaki went to slam Spike, but Spike floated over. Spike hit a headbutt to Funaki’s gut. Moore gave Spike a blockbuster for a two count. Spike knocked Moore to the floor, and Funaki gave Spike a reverse tornado DDT. Moore pulled Funaki out of the ring, then went to the top rope, where London met him. They battled on the ropes, and London knocked Moore off the ropes and to the floor, where he landed on Funaki. London then gave Spike a 450 splash for the pin at the four minute mark. Winner: Paul London.
JBL and Amy Weber were heading to Theodore R. Long’s office. Carlito Caribbean Cool wanted to talk to JBL, but Layfield said he had something to do. JBL came to Long’s door, and Theodore came out, saying he had someone in his office. JBL started complaining about the Last Man Standing match, and Long went back into his office and closed the door in JBL’s face. Carlito told JBL that Long was wrong to do that, and got JBL to sign his petition to get ring of Long as General Manager.
A commercial for Metallica’s “Some Kind Of Monster” DVD set was shown. This was one of the highlights of the show for me.
Backstage, Amy Weber tried to get all the Divas to join together against Theodore R. Long. The topic of discussion turned to Joy Giovanni, with Weber ripping on her. Joy, of course, walked in on this, and splashed a yogurt drink all over Weber, saying she needed an “image consultant” now.
Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler discussed the Raw half of the Royal Rumble card, and Michael Cole & Tazz hyped the Smackdown half.
John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Kurt Angle, Last Man Standing match. The WWE Title was not on the line in this match. JBL was accompanied by Orlando Jordan and the Bashams, while Angle was accompanied by Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak. Both sides began trash talking as they went to break.
Back from the commercial, Angle was working on JBL’s arm, but JBL slugged out of it. Angle took JBL back to the mat and applied a side headlock. JBL hit a shoulderblock and dropped an elbow, then went for a cover, but there are no pins in this match. JBL went to a headlock, hit a shoulderblock, but got caught in an Angle armdrag. JBL used a forearm to escape the armbar, then chopped and punched Angle in a corner. Angle hit a back elbow, then jumped off the second rope, but JBL caught him and hit a fallaway slam. Angle was down for a six count. JBL stomped Angle back down, then delivered a top rope superplex. Both men were down, with JBL up at seven, and Angle up at nine. JBL missed the Clothesline From Hell, and Angle put him in an ankle lock. JBL tapped, but there were no submissions in the match. The Bashams tripped Angle to break the hold, leading to a brawl outside the ring. The referee ordered all of the seconds away from the ring. Everyone left, as they went to break.
Back from commercial, it was just Angle and JBL, with the two brawling on the outside of the ring. JBL got the better of the fight, and went to powerbomb Angle on the floor, but Angle backdropped him. Angle went for an Angle Slam, but JBL floated out of it and shoved Angle into the ringsteps. JBL threw Angle into the ringpost, and Angle was down for a nine count. Back in the ring, JBL hit a clothesline in a corner, but missed a second attempt and Angle hit eight German suplexes in a row, never releasing his waistlock on JBL. JBL was up at nine, and Angle jumped on his back with a rear naked choke. The referee checked JBL’s arm, and it dropped three times. The referee made Angle release the hold, and counted JBL down. JBL was up at nine, barely, and Angle went for a guillotine choke, but JBL shoved him to the mat. Both men got to their feet, and JBL powerbombed Angle. Angle was up at nine, and JBL whipped Angle hard into the turnbuckles twice. Angle hit an Angle Slam, and JBL got up at nine. Angle went for a German suplex, but JBL hooked the ropes to block it, then gave Angle the Clothesline From Hell. Angle got up at nine. JBL went for a chair but missed when he swung it, and Angle hit a German suplex. Angle picked up the chair, and JBL kicked it. The chair bounced off Angle’s head and hit JBL. Both men were down for a ten count, so the match was ruled a draw at the twenty minute mark.
Backstage, Theodore R. Long thanked someone off camera for coming up with the idea for the match. The shot widened to reveal The Big Show. Big Show told JBL and Angle that he would be at the Royal Rumble, and he would be the next WWE Champion.
