Date: 12/19	7:00 PM
Views: 440

This week's SmackDown Live is the first SmackDown since Clash of Champions 2017 on Dec. 17, 2017! Press F5 or refresh for more updates during the show.

Smackdown opens with a recap of Zayn/Owens vs. Orton/Nakamura, and then Daniel Bryan comes to the ring. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Smackdown Live! Now before we get into what happened at Clash of Champions, first I'd like to talk about the announcement from Raw last night. On Sunday, January 28th, WWE will present the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble Match! It's gonna be huge, it's gonna be awesome, and it will be a turning point in WWE history. Now, we also have a great show for you tonight, because in the main event, we will have Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Jinder Mahal, facing off against Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles!"

Shane McMahon comes out. "Well Daniel, hello. How's everybody doing tonight? What's up, Newark? So Daniel, yes, unprecidented, January 28th, first-ever Women's Royal Rumble, going to be amazing. But that's January 28th, let's go back to a pay per view that just happened, this past Sunday, Clash of Champions, where you and I were both the special guest referees. Everything was going, everything was in motion, everything was transpiring just right when Randy Orton hit Sami Zayn with the most beautiful RKO ever. And I counted one, I was smiling, I counted two, and I was ready to count three, because I knew that when I did, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens would be gone from WWE. But before I could count to three, you landed on me. I could've counted to 50."

"Shane, that was an accident, you know that."

"I know that now. But then, Sami Zayn regained his faculties, he rolled Randy Orton up, I counted one, I counted two, I saw Randy's shoulders go up, and all I thought of was what Kevin Owens did to my father, what Sami Zayn took from me when he saved Kevin Owens from his fate, and that both of them cost Team Blue at Survivor Series. So my hand did not come down for three, it stayed at two. I even went back to my side of the ring. But then Sami rolled up Randy again, and you lept to my side of the ring, and you counted, quickly I might add, one, two, three. That's what was going through my head, what was going through yours?"

"I did what I did to save you from yourself."

"With all due respect, I don't need protection from you."

"With all due respect, yes you do. You eat, sleep, and breathe Smackdown Live, and that passion can sometimes turn you into a hothead. I didn't just protect you from yourself, I protected an idea. Our idea, a shared idea, the land of opportunity. Opportunity for everybody. Not just people you like. You may not like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but they deserve the same opportunity everyone else does."

"After everything that went down, I can understand that you have empathy. But let me just warn you, once those two are done playing with your empathetic heart strings, they will turn on you. And from a professional standpoint, don't show favouritism toward them, because it will come back to bite you in the rear."

"From a business standpoint, everybody. Are you saying I should've done what was best for business? I've heard those words before, I've fought against those words. If you have a different vision, that's your prerogative, but if you want to fire someone, fire me. Because I don't want to see Shane O-Mac turn into Mr. McMahon."

"Well Daniel, I respect you implicitly, I trust you, good luck with the show tonight."

Shane walks off awkwardly.

Match One: Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin (non-title)

Gable and Jimmy start off, lockup, Gable with a rear waistlock, takedown, Uso with a punch, Jey in, avalanche, punch, punch in the corner, whip, Gable sells hard, Jimmy in, punches, Jey in, more punches, whip, shoulder tackle, Gable sells hard, rolls to the floor, commercial.

Back on air, Shelton has Jimmy in the ring, trading punches, Shelton with a whip, Jimmy with a rollup, Gable with a boot, Jimmy with a rollup for two, Shelton with a back suplex, blocked, Jimmy hits an enziguri, double tag, Jey with a clothesline, another, spin kick to the gut, punch, Samoan Drop, blocked, both men leapfrog a few times, Jey with a Samoan Drop, running ass attack, tosses Benjamin to the floor, Jimmy with a suicide dive, blocked by a knee, Jey with a punch to Shelton, Gable with a rollup for two, Jey with a superkick, goes up top, Shelton leaps up, Jey with punches, Superfly Splash to Gable blocked by knees, rollup for two as Jimmy breaks the count, superkick, blocked, Gable reverses into a rolling German, Shelton with a knee strike to Jey, tags in, Gable with a rolling German, Shelton sets Jey up for a powerbomb, Gable in, adds a top rope clothesline for three.

Winners: Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin

After a commercial, Charlotte comes out to comment on the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble.

"This past Sunday, at Clash of Champions, I retained my Smackdown Women's Championship in a Lumberjack Match against Natalya. Now if you know me, you know that nothing makes me happier than carrying this championship around my shoulder. Except last night, Stephanie McMahon announced the first women's Royal Rumble match. This is unprecedented. There's nothing we can't do! But you know who helped us all? You did. You took to your socials, you chanted in the arenas, you made management step up and listen, and you changed the game for all of us. So congratulations to all the women in the back, and all the Smackdown Women's Division. So whoever wins that match, I will be waiting to defend my championship at Wrestlemania."

Naomi comes out. "Congrats on your title defense, champ!"

"Thanks, Glow!"

"But that's not the only reason I'm out here. I'm also out here to announce that I will be the first member of the Smackdown Roster to declare my entry in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match! And queen, I'll see you at Wrestlemania."

"Wrestlemania it is."

The Riot Squad come out.

Naomi: "Hold up, hold up. Well, if it isn't the three stooges who won't be entering the Royal Rumble match. You know why? Because the Royal Rumble isn't about sneak attacks, it's about every woman for herself, and surviving the numbers game. Charlotte and I have survived everything you chickenheads have thrown at us. So how about any two of you step in the ring with the two of us, and we can teach you how to rumble, baby."

Match Two: Women's Champion Charlotte and Naomi vs. Sarah Logan and Ruby Riot

Match begins during commercial, back on air Charlotte is chopping Logan, Logan with punches, Riot in, leg wrench, kick to the leg, Logan in, tackle, stomps to the leg, wrenches the leg, elbows to the leg, Ruby in, kick to the leg, Charlotte with an elbow, Ruby with a punch, Logan in, stomp to the leg, tosses the knee into the mat, goes for it again, Charlotte lands on her feet, chop, Naomi in, forearms to the face, arm wrench, roundhouse kick to the head, punch to Riot, Logan rolls her up for one, Naomi with a front flip kick, Beautiful Disaster for two as Riot breaks the count, she and Charlotte brawl to the floor, Liv Morgan tries to interfere, Naomi tosses Logan into Morgan, Rear View for three.

Winners: Naomi and Charlotte

The New Day are backstage dressed in Christmas costumes and handing out pancakes. They hype their new shirt until Rusev and English walk in dressed as Santa and a snowman. Rusev hypes up his shirt instead. Then he says everyone is on the naughty list. English sings "O Rusev Day" challenging them to a match, then Rusev stomps a pancake. Big E accepts the challenge.

Dolph Ziggler comes out for his US Championship celebration. "I told you so. I told you so! And anyone, anyone wondering why is Dolph in the United States Title match, why? This, this is why! You think me being in the United States Title match and me walking out as the United States Champion was out of nowhere, then you haven't been paying attention the last twelve years. For the last twelve years, I've walked in to work, faced every challenge in front of me, and a few that weren't, and faced them all! Some might be the biggest or the baddest, or the most charismatic, but not me. I'm just the best. If you don't believe me, this isn't even my first one, this is the start of my second United States Championship reign. Watch. (clip of him winning the title from Kofi Kingston at Capitol Punishment 2011, followed by slide show of him winning it last night) Oh, you think that's it? I'm just getting started tonight. Oh, I know it's real convenient to forget about it, but I'm also a five-time Intercontinental Champion, watch. (clips of him winning the IC Title all five times) Oh, I'm not even done. I know there's some kind of accolade that I'm forgetting off the top of my head. Oh, right, I won Money in the Bank, cashed in successfully, and became World Heavyweight Champion! It was right down the road, I'm sure some of you were there, pretending you were a part of it. (clip of Dolph winning Money in the Bank, and then cashing it it) I am one of the most decorated Superstars in WWE history, and night after night, year after year, I proved it to myself, to you, and to the rest of the world, and year after year, I go unappreciated! You're not worthy. You're not worthy of my presence! None of you are! You don't deserve me. You want something? You want something to remember me by?"

He lays down the title in the middle of the ring, drops the mic, and walks off.

Backstage, Daniel Bryan is on the phone, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn walk in. They give him champagne, he says he didn't do it for them, and he doesn't drink. They talk about how Randy Orton screwed him over in 2013-14, and how Shane's trying to do it to them now, but they got the last laugh. Bryan says if they don't stop gloating, he may fire them himself.

Match Three: The New Day vs. Aiden English and Rusev

They're all still in costume.

Kofi and Aiden start off, lockup, Kofi with an arm wrench, Aiden with an arm drag, Rusev in, Kofi ducks a clothesline, rolls to the floor screaming "You can't catch me!" (he's dressed as the gingerbread man), Rusev gives chase, Aiden runs in the ring, Kofi with a dropkick, tosses Rusev to the floor, they grab Rusev's Santa bag, pull out a bunch of shirts, throw them to the crowd, pull out a pair of Rusev's underwear, Rusev and Aiden clothesline them from behind, commercial.

Back on air, Rusev is standing on Kofi's head in the ropes, Kofi with punches, Rusev with a clothesline for two, tosses Kofi to the corner, avalanche, blocked with a boot, Kofi follows up with a Tornado DDT, double tag, Woods with a pair of clotheslines, kick, drop toehold, running stomp in the ropes, boot, Honour Roll, reversed into a fireman's carry spinebuster for two as Kofi breaks the count, Rusev tosses Woods to the floor, English clears the announce table, Rusev sets the plate of pancakes on the table, English pulls whipped cream out of Rusev's bag, puts it all over the pancakes, Rusev adds in a cherry, English goes to toss Woods into the pancakes, blocked, Kofi with a top rope crossbody to Rusev, double flapjack into the flapjacks (see what they did there?) for English, Woods rolls him into the ring, kick, goes up top, elbow drop for three.

Winners: The New Day

Main Event: Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Jinder Mahal

Orton and Jinder start off, Orton punches Owens and Zayn, boot to Jinder, an all-out brawl breaks out, the good guys take it, roll out to the floor, Owens and Zayn are tossed into the barricade, Orton back suplexes Jinder into the announce table, rolls him into the ring, punches, stomps, RKO, blocked, clothesline for one, Shinsuke in, boot to the gut, Zayn in, stomps, Jinder with a punch, Zayn with an arm wrench, armbar, arm wrench, Nakamura rolls through, armbar, tosses him to the floor, knee to the gut, knee drop, AJ in, stomp, suplex, blocked, Zayn with knees, suplex, blocked, AJ with a rear waistlock, reversed, Zayn with a trip, AJ with a hurricanrana, toss to the corner, Orton in, stomp, exploder suplex into the ropes for two, Jinder in, punches, whip, boot, elbow, knee drop, Owens in, stomps, commercial.

Back on air, Owens elbows his way out of an Orton chinlock, punches, tosses Orton into the corner, charges, Orton tosses him into the ring post, tosses Zayn to the floor, AJ in, off the ropes, Jinder pulls them open and AJ hits the floor, Owens beats him down on the floor, rolls him into the ring, stomps, foot choke, punches, Zayn in, whip, clothesline for two, Jinder in, stomp, punch to the back of the head, knee drops, leg choke, toss to the corner, shoulder tackles, AJ with a DDT, Shinsuke in, Zayn in, Shinsuke ducks a pair of clotheslines, hits a running boot, kicks to Owens, kicks to Jinder, roundhouse kicks to Zayn, knees, toss to the corner, foot choke, sets him up in the corner, knee for two, spin kick for two, Zayn goes for a clothesline, reversed into a cross arm breaker, Zayn blocks the hold, Owens with a running senton, Orton tosses Owens to the floor, Jinder DDTs Orton, AJ with a Pele kick to Jinder, suicide dive to Owens, Shinsuke calls for a Kinshasa, one of the Singhs punches him, the ref ejects them (instead of calling for a DQ for some reason), RKO to Jinder, hangman's DDT to both Singhs, Phenomenal Forearm to Owens, Kinshasa to Zayn for three.

Winners: Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton and AJ Styles

Smackdown goes off the air with the winners celebrating.