SmackDown opens
with Paige coming to the ring.
She introduces SmackDown Women's Champion Becky
Lynch
Becky takes the mic and fans start chanting her name. Becky says any time is too much time away when you're the hottest thing in the industry. Becky talks about how she wanted to fight at Survivor Series but she was stopped. She goes on and says she's done watching because she's putting herself back in the game. Becky still wants to face RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey now that she can. She calls out Charlotte Flair to the ring.
We see highlights of Flair's match with Ronda
Rousey as she heads to the ring. Becky says Charlotte came pretty close to
giving Ronda the beating she would have, but had it been Becky, Rousey would
not have been standing the next day. She also says it took Flair channeling her
to find her aggression. Charlotte says she was just being herself.
Becky calls Charlotte a bootleg who went from
copying her old man to copying The Man. Flair says Nia must have knocked her
silly and Lynch is just riding her coattails. They almost get into a fight but
Paige keeps them apart. The GM books Flair vs. Lynch at TLC in a TLC match.
Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Zelina Vega and The IIconics come out on the stage
and Rose speaks for the group by saying they are insulted.
Naomi, Asuka, Carmella and Lana come out, too.
Becky says she will knock all of their heads off if they want some. Paige books
a Battle Royal with every woman on the roster. The winner will be added to the
TLC match.
The Usos vs. The Bar
The Usos won
AJ Styles responds to Daniel Bryan
Styles says he is more upset about how he lost
the title than actually losing it and shows a clip of Bryan turning heel and
attacking him after their match. He says he knows what it's like to want
something bad enough to cheat, but the attack after the match is what he can't
take. He calls out Bryan because he doesn't want to wait until TLC, but he
knows Bryan is not in the building.
Styles says he never missed a day while he was
champion and rips Bryan for not being at the show tonight or this past week's
house shows.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
Nakamura attacks Rusev before their match can
begin. He hits a couple of Kinshasas before the officials make him leave so they can check on Rusev.
No Contest!
The SmackDown roster is on the stage to welcome Jeff Hardy as he celebrates 20 years as a WWE Superstar.
Jeff thanks the WWE Universe for being by his
side for 20 years through the highs and lows. Samoa Joe's music hits and he
comes out to interrupt.
Joe says the video package was great but Jeff
probably doesn't remember most of it. Joe says seeing Jeff's career be
celebrated makes him sick because he has let everyone down time and time again. Hardy says Joe won't
rain on his parade and he challenges Joe to get in the ring. Joe walks off and
laughs.
Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
Kofi Kingston won
Randy Orton is out after the break and he has the mask he stole from Rey Mysterio last week like a trophy. He says people have described his actions a lot of ways, but he would call them euphoric. Orton doesn't care about the history of masks in lucha libre and he did what he did to embarrass Rey. It doesn't take long for Mysterio to come out, but he has a neck brace on his neck. He meets Orton in the aisle and they start brawling. Orton takes control and whips him into the barricade a few times. Rey hits a few kicks to the leg and the 619 when they get into the ring.
Mysterio grabs a chair but Orton hits him with a
DDT before he can use it. Randy puts the chair to Rey's neck and rams it into
the steel steps. Several officials and producers come out to help as we head to
a break.
Women's Battle Royal
Asuka won and earns a spot in the TLC match.
The show ends with Asuka posing while Charlotte and Becky look on from
ringside.
Rating 80/80: Awesome show and matches as we look onto WWE TLC.