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SmackDown Stars Honor Jay Briscoe | WWE SD x AEW Recap

Wrestling
Colin Tessier Jan 21, 2023 2:28AM

Here is your fight size update for WWE Friday Night SmackDown and AEW Rampage on Friday, January 20.

WWE SmackDown

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- Throughout the show, SmackDown stars paid tribute to the late Jay Briscoe. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar), Valhalla, and Kevin Owens wore arm-bands that paid tribute to Jay. Top Dolla referenced The Briscoes in a WWE Digital Exclusive. On commentary, Michael Cole sent his condolences to the Briscoe family.

- Before his match, LA Knight sent a message to Bray Wyatt and vowed to beat him at WWE Royal Rumble. He then defeated local competitor Mike Jones. The camera panned to the video screen as the Firefly Funhouse returned. Wyatt welcomed everyone back to the Firefly Funhouse. He said he couldn't wait to have fun with his friends. Ramblin' Rabbit asked Wyatt if they could invite Knight to the Funhouse. He then said Wyatt he was worried about the Pitch Black Match. Wyatt said you should be scared of the dark, as that's when the monsters come out. Uncle Howdy interrupted and said, "I told you so." He stated that "all you needed was a little push." Wyatt told Knight that he opened the door, and whatever comes through it is his problem.

- Drew McIntyre and Sheamus faced the Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) in a first-round match in the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contenders Tournament. Despite a distraction from Valhalla, Sheamus and McIntyre still emerged victorious.

- Thanks to a distraction from B-Fab, Hit Row (Top Dolla & Ashante "Thee" Adonis) defeated Los Lotharios (Angel & Humberto) to advance to the next round of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contender's Tournament.

- The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) battled Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) in another tournament match. In the end, Kaiser and Vinci scored the victory in a hard-hitting contest.

- The first round of the SmackDown Tag Title Contender's Tournament concluded with a fourth match, where Legado Del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Cruz Del Toro) defeated Maximum Male Models (ma.çé & mån.sôör) to advance.

- Karrion Kross sent a heated message to Rey Mysterio ahead of their match next week and looked forward to the Royal Rumble Match.

- The Bloodline arrived, and Sami Zayn was all smiles, but Roman Reigns ignored his request for a fist bump. Zayn asked Reigns about it later, and the champion told him to tell him what was really on his mind. Zayn admitted that he felt slighted when The Usos cost him his match last week. He noted that, for a second, he felt like The Bloodline was using him. Reigns fired back and told Zayn to leave his locker room.

- Raquel Rodriguez, Braun Strowman, Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega and other stars declared for the WWE Royal Rumble.

- SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair came to the ring and called out Sonya Deville. She came to the ring and stated that she's a star. Deville noted that it took six people to pull them apart last week. Flair agreed that Deville is a star, but she wondered why Sonya thought she was more special than everyone else. Flair told Sonya that she's entitled and arrogant. She told Deville to focus on winning the Royal Rumble, but she'd be willing to fight her. Deville turned her down, but she said she would take the match if Flair put her title on the line. Adam Pearce came to the stage, and Deville capitalized by dropping Flair with a cheap shot.

- Paul Heyman told Roman Reigns he supported his vision and suggested that he should consider having Sami Zayn "in the castle", rather than having him on the outside. Heyman then told Zayn that "The Tribal Chief" that he wanted to see him. Reigns then apologized to Zayn and gave him the fist bump he wanted.

- Kevin Owens charged the ring and attacked The Bloodline when he was scheduled to sign the contract for his title match with Roman Reigns. He caught Reigns with a Stunner and slammed him through a table.

- A video package highlighted Lacey Evans' looming return and her usage of the Cobra Clutch.

- Another video package showcased the history of WWE Raw.

- In a WWE Digital Exclusive, Hit Row (Ashante "Thee" Adonis & Top Dolla) discussed their win and looked ahead to their semifinal bout next week.

- In a WWE Digital Exclusive, Imperium (Ludwig Kasier & Giovanni Vinci) vowed to win their semifinal match next week.

- In a WWE Digital Exclusive, the Maximum Male Models (ma.çé & mån.sôör) stated that, despite their loss, they were still determined to have a successful year.

- Zach Gowen was spotted at ringside.

- Catch up on our coverage of WWE SmackDown here.

AEW Rampage

- Ortiz spoke with Tony Schiavone about what has been going on between Eddie Kingston. He noted that Kingston was about to hit Julia Hart with a chair, and that's a line you don't cross. He called Kingston out. Kingston came to the ring, and Ortiz got in his face. He questioned Eddie's actions and said he knows his parents raised him better than that. He said that Homicide would call Kingston a fake tough guy. Kingston hit him with a chair and walked away.

- Brian Cage defeated Willie Mack in a hard-fought match.

- In the main event, Daniel Garcia clashed with Action Andretti. At the end of a competitive match, Andretti scored the victory.

- "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry took on Ethan Page, who was accompanied to the ring by Ethan Page, Isiah Kassidy & Stokely Hathway. Page took the fight to Perry, who countered with his impressive athleticism. Page argued with Kassidy early on, and he also got into a disagreement with Hardy. Page and Hardy continued to clash throughout the bout. In the end, Page pulled on Hardy's hair, and Hardy pushed him off, which led to Perry pinning Page. After the match, Hathaway and Page blamed Hardy for the loss. Page then challenged HOOK and Perry to a tag team match on AEW Dynamite.

- In a promo, TNT Champion Darby Allin discussed his recent title defenses. He vowed to fight until the wheels fall off, and he sets his sights on the House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Julia Hart). He stated that he wants to prove he can beat every member, so he challenged Matthews to a match on Dynamite.

- TBS Champion Jade Cargill and Leila Grey scored a dominant win over Jaida & Jordyn Vanity.

- Catch up on our coverage of AEW Rampage here. For a full review of both WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage, check out our post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.

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