[WWE intro music plays]
[John Cena] Then…
[Flair] Woo!
-[glass shatters] -[The Rock] If you smell…
-[bell tolls] -[Cena] Now…
-♪ The King of Kings ♪ -♪ You can't see me ♪
[Cena] Forever.
[crowd cheering]
Together.
[music fades]
[Michael Cole] Will history be made tonight?
You are looking live at the PPG Paints Arena
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This is Friday Night SmackDown on Fox, sponsored by Progressive,
a triple threat of protection with home, auto, and more.
-["Bring the Fire" by def rebel playing] -[crowd cheers]
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, it's Fight Night!
-[effects popping] -[cheering]
[Cole] Tonight, Sheamus will team with Butch
to try to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles.
That is because of the news from this past Monday
that Drew McIntyre "The Scottish Warrior"
is medically disqualified from competing here tonight.
And what a night it's going to be here in the hometown of WWE Hall of Famer,
the Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle.
He celebrates his birthday tonight on Friday Night SmackDown.
[Wade Barrett] Yes, indeed. And SmackDown World Cup winner Ricochet
is on a collision course with "The General" Gunther.
They will meet face-to-face in the ring tonight
for the Intercontinental Championship contract signing.
[Cole] The Brawling Brutes, who have had issues with The Bloodline
for months now,
would love to take the prized Tag Team Titles from the brothers Uso.
["Done With That" by CFO$ playing]
[Cole] 509 record-setting days
as the Undisputed Tag Team Champions,
accompanied by Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa.
This past Monday night on Raw,
The Usos were scheduled to take on Riddle and Elias.
However, The Bloodline took out Elias before the show,
which changed the complexion of the Tag Team Championship match.
Riddle would have backup, however. Kevin Owens,
The Bloodline's enemy, would join Riddle
for the Tag Team Championship match.
And in the beginning, Riddle would pull out all the stops.
[crowd cheering]
But in the end, thanks to Sami Zayn and company,
The Usos would deliver a 1D,
retaining the Tag Team Titles.
Kevin Owens would chase The Usos and Sami Zayn out of the arena.
But then Solo Sikoa, paying homage to his late great uncle, Umaga,
with a Samoan Spike, would rip apart Riddle.
[Wade] What a sickening attack it was. Completely defenseless, Matt Riddle. Oh!
Neck-snapping moment.
Solo Sikoa doing what he does best,
serving the damage, then moving on.
[Cole] The Bloodline sending Riddle to the hospital.
Riddle suffered significant trauma to the trachea,
a loss of his voice, difficulty breathing,
and he expects to be out of action six weeks as he recovers.
[bell rings]
[Samantha Irvin] The following contest scheduled for one fall
is for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
[crowd cheering]
Introducing the challengers,
accompanied to the ring by Ridge Holland,
Butch and Sheamus, The Brawling Brutes.
[scattered booing]
And their opponents,
accompanied to the ring by Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa,
they are the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions,
-Jimmy and Jey, The Usos. -[crowd shouts] Usos!
[Cole] Wade Barrett, The Usos continue to make history at every turn.
[Wade] My word. History before our eyes. Get this, Cole.
This is the first team in over 20 years
to defend WWE Tag Championships
on both Raw and SmackDown in the same calendar week.
[Cole] Can The Usos retain tonight against Sheamus and Butch…
[bell rings]
…for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles?
Jimmy Uso will start things off against "The Celtic Warrior" Sheamus.
Sheamus, of course, a multi-time Tag Team Champion in his career.
A very confident Jimmy Uso to start things off.
Let's not forget Ridge Holland
is outside the ring for The Brawling Brutes,
and of course, "The Enforcer," Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn,
the self-proclaimed Usologist at ringside as well.
[Wade] He's got a lot of AKAs at this point, hasn't he, Cole?
[Cole] Indeed, but he's paid off in dividends for The Usos.
Nice headlock takedown by Sheamus.
What do Sheamus and Butch have to do, Wade,
to do what has been impossible
for a year and a half now to knock off The Usos?
[Wade] I'm not sure anybody has the answer for that.
That is the reason why The Usos have this record.
And to be honest with you, at this point,
The Bloodline look stronger and more cohesive
than they ever have in history. Perhaps.
[Cole] Wait a minute. Don't we pay you to be an analyst?
[Wade] They pay me to talk and not have you cut me off constantly.
Perhaps what they need, though, Cole, is a miracle.
We've seen it before.
Ricochet is a man capable of pulling off that miracle.
Let's see if Sheamus and Butch can do the same.
[Cole] Obviously, for The Usos, it's much different
preparing for Sheamus and McIntyre as it is for Sheamus and Butch.
[Barrett] Completely different proposition in Butch.
You've got the power and attrition of Sheamus.
You would get something similar from McIntyre,
but you've now got the combined effects
of the endurance and technical nuance of Butch.
[Cole] Oh! Both men went for hip tosses.
And Sheamus followed up with a clothesline.
[Wade] That's some of the attrition I was just mentioning there, Cole.
[Cole] And Sheamus, with Jimmy Uso--
Rolling senton by Sheamus quickly into the tag to Butch.
Once a Tag Team Champion as well.
Sheamus now with a double team by Butch.
Oh, and a rolling senton right into the midsection.
And double knees from Butch to follow things up.
[Wade] Here's the issue. Often when you get a tag partner taken out,
and you get an emergency partner like Butch,
there's no real chemistry between the duo,
but obviously, with Sheamus and Butch knowing each other
incredibly well, they've clicked instantly.
[Cole] Now "Main Event" Jey Uso in off the tag.
Jey Uso and Butch, of course.
Cover now by Uso to retain and a kickout.
Of course, Butch and Jey Uso,
the two men who started and lasted the longest in the WarGames match
a couple of weeks ago.
The Bloodline, of course, would go on to win
to knock off the Brutes, McIntyre, and Owens, thanks to Sami Zayn.
And Butch now fighting out of the corner.
Butch with a basement dropkick.
Such a frenetic style for Butch.
It's got to be so difficult to slow him down in the ring.
-[Wade] Well, you mentioned WarGames… -[Cole] Tag.
[Wade] Let's not forget The Usos effectively cost Butch--
[both] Oh!
[Cole] Double-team, the Tag Champs in control.
Zayn loves it.
Can the Brutes get back in this for the Tag Team Titles?
[Cole] No tag team in WWE history
has held the titles longer than The Usos, 509 days.
Can Butch and Sheamus make history tonight by knocking off Jimmy and Jey
as we kick off SmackDown with a Tag Team Championship match?
Butch fingertips away from making a tag,
but Jey Uso sending Butch face-first into the corner.
[Wade] We talked about the endurance of Butch a little earlier.
He's going gonna need all of that to conquer The Usos at this point.
[Cole] Talk about whiplash.
Wade, one word always comes to mind when I watch The Usos operate,
and that is "confidence."
Extremely confident in everything they do in the ring.
Off the backbreaker. Oh, off the top rope.
Cover to retain.
Jimmy Uso on Butch, who's able to kick at two.
[Wade] Talk about confidence. The Bloodline are really in El Dorado.
Take another look at this execution by Jimmy Uso.
This is where every sports entertainer on the planet
wants to find himself:
completely dominating all aspects of this industry.
How can you not feel confident when you are this damn good?
[Cole] The Brutes can't be confident about anything right now,
-as you see Ridge trying to will on Butch. -[Sami] I'm not doing nothing!
Can't yell at me. I'm not doing nothing.
[Cole] Butch trying to fight back.
[Wade] There ain't no quit in Butch, I'll promise you that much.
[Cole] Not quite sure what Sami Zayn was barking about out here, but…
Butch now trying to make it to the corner. Can he make a tag to Sheamus?
Jimmy Uso dragging Butch back.
Butch with a step-up enzuigiri, creates some space.
Tag made. Here comes Jey Uso.
Butch trying to drag his body, and what a great move.
-[Wade] Brilliant. -[Cole] They've been great Tag Champs.
Official Dan Engler with his hands full tonight.
[Wade] Sheamus completely losing all composure at this point.
Part of the psychological warfare waged by The Bloodline. Highly effective.
[Cole] Think about what The Bloodline has put Sheamus through.
I mean, they blew his elbow out, cost him a month of his career.
[Wade] The question is why do you keep going after The Bloodline
if you continue to fail and you continue to pay the price, as Sheamus has felt,
and as now Drew McIntyre has felt from his time in WarGames?
[Cole] Wade, listen, I mean…. Oh, and Butch now looking to rally.
You know Sheamus better than anybody because he's a tough SOB, right?
[Wade] I wish I could talk some sense into him at times.
[Cole] Release German by Butch, and now Butch with another opportunity.
Butch trying to fire up now
with the Undisputed Tag Team Titles up for grabs.
Tag made. Here comes Sheamus and here comes Jimmy Uso.
And Sheamus,
perhaps the most physical Superstar in all of WWE.
[Wade] The confidence of Jimmy and Jey Uso
starting to ebb away when you're faced with big Shemo.
[Cole] Jimmy missed wildly. Sheamus, up and down he goes.
The Brutes said earlier today that it's gonna be a good night for a fight.
And Sheamus promised that this match would be a banger.
[Wade] Oh man. It's chest-concaving time, Cole.
[Cole] Now Butch getting involved.
[crowd cheering]
And The Brawling Brutes
are looking for 20 Beats of the Bodhrán!
[crowd counts] …five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
-eleven, twelve… -[Cole] And even more.
[crowd continues counting]
[Cole] Butch just won't stop.
How does he have so much energy?
[Wade] I'm gonna say Jey got the worst of that one by some distance.
[Cole] Could this be the night for the Brutes to make history?
And Butch wiping out Jey Uso.
Meanwhile, roll up by Jimmy on Sheamus, trying to retain.
Sheamus able to kick.
[yelling]
Oh, into the post, the shoulder of The Celtic Warrior.
[Wade] Man, I felt that one.
That's a shoulder separator any day of the week.
[Cole] Ring-vibrating move as Jimmy goes up to the top rope.
Sheamus will meet him there.
[Wade] Sheamus' bones, made of tungsten.
[Cole] Jam-packed crowd tonight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
[Cole] Home of the rough and tough Penguins,
but I say Sheamus is tougher than the whole team.
From the second rope, Sheamus.
White Noise.
Can Sheamus capitalize to win the titles?
And a kickout.
Tag Team Title Match continues.
[Cole] And we are back live on Friday Night SmackDown.
This has indeed been a "banger," to use the words of The Brawling Brutes
for the Undisputed Tag Team Titles.
The Usos at 509 days and counting,
defending against Butch and Sheamus…
And the Master of Joint Manipulation trying to break the fingers of Jey Uso.
[Wade] Just when Jey Uso got the upper hand, once again,
Butch spinning things around in an instant.
[Cole] Butch off the top rope, lands on his feet, able to roll through.
Jey Uso ducked underneath, and wow, what a neckbreaker.
-Jey Uso into the cover, hook of the leg… -One! Two!
Oh, and Sheamus breaking things up.
[Wade] He had no choice. Had to get involved in that one.
[Cole] Now Jimmy Uso runs into Sheamus as well.
And a kick right to the midsection,
dropping Sheamus to his knees on the apron.
[Wade] Knocking the stuffing out of Shemo, but instantly straight back.
-How the hell does he do it? -[Cole] Now White Noise on the apron.
Jey Uso wiping out Sheamus.
[Wade] Kamikaze-style Jey Uso.
But don't turn your back on Butch.
[Cole] An argument can be made that Jey Uso
has been the MVP of The Bloodline.
[Wade] There's five MVPs in The Bloodline.
[Cole] Butch, moonsault, takes out The Usos.
Butch wisely understands the champions have the advantage.
Pinfall or submission, only way to take the gold off The Usos.
Butch, second rope.
Tornado DDT, standing Uso up on his head.
Cover by Butch for the titles to win, to make history!
And a kickout at two, and the relief on the face of Sami Zayn.
[Wade] Man, Butch so close to grabbing his first slice of gold here on SmackDown.
The aerial abilities, the brutality,
just a millisecond away from taking
the Undisputed Tag Championships from The Usos.
[Cole] Butch is fired up. Ridge trying to will on his partner.
Butch stomping right on the fingers of Jey Uso.
Follows it up with a kick to the ear. Jey is stunned.
-[shouting] -Butch launched out, lands on the apron.
[Wade] Desperation from Jey Uso, but it is just enough.
[Cole] Tag. Jimmy now legal, and The Usos double-team on Butch.
Jimmy Uso now the legal man.
They're going to call for the One & Done, I believe.
This is the big-time One & Done, but no.
Sheamus pulling Jey out of the ring and into the barricade.
[Wade] The momentum's starting to slide back in the direction of the Brutes.
[Cole] Butch looking for the sunset flip, and now with a big powerbomb
for the win, to win the Tag Team Titles.
And a kickout!
How close for the Brutes!
[Wade] Man, how much do you have to do to take out The Usos?
What the hell's it gonna take?
[Cole] What an opportunity for Butch there.
Not able to get it done, the kickout by The Usos.
What a way to kick off Friday Night SmackDown.
Tag made now to Sheamus.
The Celtic Warrior legal.
Double-team coming from the Brutes.
Oh, and look at that!
A Razor's Edge into a neckbreaker,
and now breaking things up, Jey Uso.
Two-count. Two-count.
[Wade] Just perfection in timing from The Usos,
as we've come to expect.
This level of offense…
Nobody, I repeat, nobody on planet Earth could kick out of that.
That was the gold heading home with The Brawling Brutes if not for Jey Uso.
[Cole] An electric atmosphere here tonight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
at the PPG Paints Arena.
It is for the Undisputed Tag Team Titles.
The Usos, 500-plus days as champion,
The Brutes trying to take the gold.
And Jimmy and Sheamus exchanging blows.
-[both groaning] -[Cole] Tag.
And Butch now with Jimmy tied up. Sheamus--
Now Sami Zayn is in the ring. Sami is in the ring.
Ridge Holland, though, makes him pay.
[Wade] Not a moment too soon from big Ridgey.
[Cole] Off the distraction.
Miss with the heel kick.
Sheamus with a running knee, for the gold to win the Tag Team Titles
and make history tonight, and a kickout again.
[Wade] That was Sheamus going for the Brogue Kick.
He didn't get full extension, thus the kickout from Jey--
Oh, hang on.
[Cole] Meanwhile, right here in front of us,
Ridge Holland and "The Enforcer" Solo Sikoa
going after one another as things start to break out at ringside.
Solo with a Spinning Solo on Ridge into the timekeeper's area.
[Wade] Emotionless, remorseless, ice-cold Solo.
[Cole] And now Sheamus with an opportunity to hit the Brogue Kick flush,
and perhaps take the tag team gold.
Jey Uso struggling to make it back to his feet.
Sheamus has him in his sights.
Went for the Brogue Kick, but a superkick.
Tag made. Butch is legal.
[Wade] Instinctive shot from Jey, but he's on jelly legs right now.
This is Butch's for the taking.
[Cole] Step-up enzuigiri by Butch again. Jimmy Uso. Tag made.
I'm not sure Butch realizes that Jimmy made the tag.
Ducks underneath.
1D by The Usos.
-One & done! -[crowd] One! Two! Three!
[bell rings]
["Done With That" playing]
[Irvin] Here are your winners,
and still
the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions,
The Usos!
[Cole] Wade, 509 days and counting.
[Wade] Somebody give The Usos a week on the beach
'cause, damn, they deserve it. But hats off once again.
Sami Zayn instrumental in that victory,
preventing Sheamus from getting involved and breaking up that final pin.
[Cole] Great point. Sami Zayn created the chaos.
When things broke down, The Usos were able to take advantage to hit the 1D.
And their historic run as Tag Team Champions continues.
[crowd cheers]
-[Braun] Kurt? -Hey, Braun.
-How are you doing? Good to see you. -You too.
-Happy birthday. How's everything? -Good. I want you to meet somebody.
This is fellow Olympian and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.
How are you doing, man? You're down at the PC, right?
-Yes, I am. -Awesome. Congratulations on that.
But don't take too long.
We could use you on SmackDown when you're ready, brother.
You can get these hands if you want 'em.
When I get out of there, you'll be the first one I come see.
Confidence. I love it, my man. Nice to meet you.
-Kurt, good seeing you, brother. -Thank you.
-Thank you, brother. -Y'all have a good night.
-Thank you. All right, man. -Good to see you.
[Cole] Indeed, we are in Kurt Angle's hometown of Pittsburgh tonight,
the WWE Hall of Famer, the first gold medalist in WWE history.
We celebrate legendary Kurt Angle, his birthday tonight.
[Wade] Man, I love a good party, Cole. You know that.
I got my best suit on, and I'm ready for a knees-up.
["Welcome to LA" by def rebel playing]
[Cole] You've been talking about that new suit all day.
[Wade] Very expensive, Cole.
[Irvin] Please welcome LA Knight.
[Wade] Talking about expensive.
[Cole] For weeks, LA Knight has been embroiled in a bitter war of words
with Bray Wyatt that has since grown into strange attacks and skirmishes.
The question is who is behind the blitz of LA Knight?
Knight demands justice: live, next on SmackDown.
[distorted sounds]
[Cole] SmackDown is in Pittsburgh tonight, home, of course,
to the Penguins, who play in this building,
Pittsburgh Pirates play across the street. Just down the road,
of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tonight, we host Friday Night SmackDown.
Pittsburgh's own Kurt Angle will be here later on tonight.
But we have breaking news now, ladies and gentlemen.
You can see him,
the greatest of all time, the 16-time World Champion.
John Cena is back as first reported today by Variety.
Cena will be on SmackDown for the first time in over a year
three weeks from tonight, December 30th, in Tampa.
SmackDown with John Cena on Fox.
[Wade] Oh man. An old friend of ours, Cole.
Cannot wait for the return of John Cena.
[Cole] I don't think he'd consider you a friend.
Nonetheless, in the ring, LA Knight.
["Welcome to LA" playing]
[music fades out]
[crowd booing]
[booing continues]
I don't recall asking you. I'm talking now, so let me talk to you.
[crowd boos]
Bray Wyatt…
-[crowd cheering] -[chuckles]
Figures you puppets would do that.
Bray Wyatt, it's obvious I've struck a nerve in you.
It's obvious I've even struck fear in you.
[crowd booing]
Let's go ahead and think about that for one second, because week after week,
I get blindsided and then you say to everybody, "I didn't do it."
"Well, actually, if I did do it, there'd be none of him left."
Right? Wrong.
I'm calling your bluff
because every single time you put me down…
guess what?
Here I am.
And you know how I know it was you?
Why don't I go ahead and show you?
Take a look at this footage right here.
[indistinct conversation]
We got to move this. Get it out of here.
Get this stuff off. Get this stuff off.
Move! Get it off. Come on! Come on!
We got to help him. Come on.
All right. All right. That's enough. This ain't a snuff film.
You see what happened there, right?
Now, out of context, that could be anybody. Right?
But let's go ahead and look at what happened right before that.
What did happen?
Excuse me, LA Knight.
Are you in such a hurry because you're afraid of Bray Wyatt?
Who's afraid? Who just apologized to who out there?
Look, do you just hang around when you're done working?
No, I don't think you do.
What is that?
What is that? You see that?
Uh… Is that one of Bray's toys?
Oh, I think it is.
All right, I tell you what, why don't we go on to the next?
I think it was a week after that. I'm stuck behind a cage.
Let's take a look at that real quick.
-…out of here. -[grunting] Get it off me!
-Help! -Get some help.
Go ahead. Take a look right there. No, not that fat head right there.
I mean that mask in the background.
Another one of Bray's toys.
Now, Bray Wyatt, I already told you what you can do with your puppets.
I'll tell you exactly what you can do with your little mask.
[sinister music plays]
-It doesn't take… -[man 1] Do it.
[voices overlapping]
[man 2] What type of man are you?
[woman] Do it.
[man 2] What are you waiting for?
-[man 1] Do it. -[man 2] Don't you want to be respected?
-[woman] Don't you want to be respected? -[man 1] Do it.
To be feared?
He deserves to be punished.
-[woman] He deserves to be punished. -[man 1] Punished.
-Do it. Do it now. -Do it now.
Do it now.
-[woman] He deserves… -He deserves to suffer.
-[woman] Do it now. -[man 2] He deserves to suffer.
The door is closing.
[intermittent shouts, cheers]
If you need any more evidence,
you'd have to be a cross-eyed halfwit to not tell that was him.
If nobody else is gonna do anything about it, I tell you what, Bray.
I'll come back there and do something about it myself.
I'll come back and find you right now. Yeah.
[crowd cheering]
[Wade] Listen, Cole. I don't know if this is a good idea.
I am as big a fan of LA Knight as anybody on the planet,
but right now, he is meddling with forces that he doesn't understand.
I applaud him for standing up for himself, but how smart is it?
Nonetheless, WWE fans got to know LA Knight, of course, at NXT.
Speaking of NXT, going back out on the road, February 4,
NXT Vengeance Day in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Tickets will be available a week from tonight next Friday
for NXT Vengeance Day in February in Charlotte.
Ladies and gentlemen, some of you may have seen this on social media
earlier today, but we have breaking news.
It happened in the parking lot. A heinous assault.
Let's go out to our Cathy Kelley.
Legado Del Fantasma, The Viking Raiders have been
absolutely annihilating every tag team since their return.
Does that give you any apprehension going into tonight's match?
Cathy? Really? That's your question?
Legado Del Fantasma… [speaks Spanish]
-Legado Del Fantasma… -[woman screaming]
-Help, please. Help! Help, help! -Help! Help!
-[screams continue] -Help! You guys, help!
Get someone down here. Help!
Hey, come on. We need medical right now. Let's go. Help.
So dumb.
Now, Shayna, Ronda, inside the ring, you two are a dangerous force,
but have you taken it too far outside of the ring?
What exactly are you implying, huh?
All you saw was Shotzi crying in pain on the ground.
Like she does every week.
She could have fell for all you know.
Or, or, or… maybe she's just like Raquel and Nattie
and she's just unlucky.
Yeah, or they're fragile.
Um, why don't you tell the china shop the bulls are coming?
That's kind of a scary little…
-Little… -But I can't deny you guys.
You guys do make a great team.
I mean, you've broken Nattie's nose, Raquel's elbow, and now Shotzi's hand.
You guys have pretty much beaten everyone…
Mmm…
…except us.
I guess the, uh, the china shop is open, right?
-Very, very, very open. -Yeah, wide open.
-And we're ready for business. -Yeah.
You know what they say.
You mess with the bull, you get the horns.
They don't understand metaphors. Let's go.
I don't mind horns. I think we'll be okay.
[chuckles]
[Cole] Shayna and Ronda actually feigning any knowledge of the assault on Shotzi.
[Wade] You should go up to them and question them face-to-face.
See how much of a tough guy you really are, Michael Cole.
[bell rings]
[Irvin] The following contest is a tag team match
scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first,
accompanied to the ring by Zelina Vega and Santos Escobar,
representing Legado Del Fantasma,
the team of Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde.
[Cole] A family business that they say is growing into an empire,
a group that claims it has no peers, Legado Del Fantasma.
And tonight, Friday Night SmackDown on Fox is sponsored by Progressive Insurance.
For a job you'll love, visit Progressive.
Legado Del Fantasma in action here tonight on Friday Night SmackDown
against the Viking Raiders.
The return of the Viking Raiders
has put the entire tag team division on notice.
Valhalla awaits.
Tag team action, live, next on Fox.
[Wade] For the first time since The Bloodline's
historic victory in WarGames,
831 days as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion,
the powerhouse, "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns
returns to SmackDown next week live in Chicago.
[Cole] Live tonight in Pittsburgh in the ring,
Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, Legado Del Fantasma,
Santos Escobar at ringside, and with us on commentary,
-Zelina Vega. Welcome, Zelina. -Thank you.
Of course I know you're happy to have me back, aren't you?
-Indeed. -The best.
[Cole] Tag team action now here on Friday Night SmackDown.
We'll show them. Do it face-to-face. Oh yeah, come on. Come on!
["Vicious" by def rebel playing]
[woman] Valhalla is here.
[Irvin] And their opponents, accompanied to the ring by Valhalla,
at a combined weight of 590 pounds,
Erik and Ivar, The Viking Raiders.
[Cole] What a force Erik and Ivar and Valhalla
have become here on Friday Night SmackDown.
They've been dominating things over the past month.
I wanna take you back to last month,
and what a return by The Viking Raiders.
Hit Row getting set for a matchup against Legado Del Fantasma,
the arrival of Valhalla,
and the attack from behind by Erik and Ivar,
pillaging and plundering.
Valhalla doing the same.
Then after that massive splash by Ivar, The Ragnarok.
The Viking Raiders showing what they are capable of,
Valhalla as well.
With Zelina Vega here on commentary, after just watching that, are you scared?
[Vega] Are we scared? Please.
Anybody who gets a beatdown from LDF, it's the worst day of their lives,
but for us it's just a regular Friday, so no, we're not afraid of anybody.
[Cole] Tag team action set to get underway.
Interesting outfit, Zelina, here tonight.
[Wade] Come on. Zelina's out here cosplaying as Aaliyah, Cole.
-[bell rings] -Why don't you get with the times.
[Cole] You couldn't even name an Aaliyah song.
[Wade] I absolutely could, uh…
"Pick yourself up and try again," Michael Cole.
-[Vega] There you go. -[Wade] Boom.
-I'm down with it. -[Vega] Icons only.
Very impressive, as the Viking Raiders have been,
and this is Erik starting things off against Joaquin Wilde.
[Wade] Viking Raiders just on a mission from the gods right now,
and the mission appears to be
raid the entire tag team division here on SmackDown.
[Cole] Oh. Zelina, what type of strategy do you employ
coming in against the Raiders tonight?
Do you really think I would give away any of my strategies?
Are you kidding me? Are you forgetting that I'm Hall of Fame-worthy
manager of the-- Hello?
[Cole] I don't really think they'd be able to hear you if you told us.
They're actually in the match.
-[Vega] I'm talking to you. -[Cole] Okay, got it.
[Wade] Behave yourself, Cole. Jeez. Listen, Zelina,
I've got to compliment your essence,
because you smell of luscious marshmallows.
[Cole] Oh my God, would you stop?
-Would you please stop? -[Vega] I know.
[Cole] You read that on Twitter earlier today.
She sent it out on social media.
That's how you knew about it, so don't try to pretend.
-[Vega] He pays attention. -[Wade] It's my new pickup line.
[Vega] He pays attention, unlike you, clearly.
[Cole] Erik with a shoulder to the midsection of Joaquin Wilde.
Viking Raiders.
-Oh, look at that, great move by Wilde. -[Vega] There we go. Oh God.
[Cole] Great move by Erik. Just plowing his way through Wilde.
[Vega] You're not making this any better, Cole, seriously.
-["Best of the Best" by def rebel playing] -[Cole] Ooh.
Well, this is a surprise.
[Vega] What is she doing here?
[Cole] Well, she's carrying a chair,
so obviously she's probably gonna come out and watch the match.
[Vega] She ain't coming over here.
[Cole] B-Fab and Hit Row have had their own issues
with The Viking Raiders, and Legado Del Fantasma.
[Wade] Getting some real glamour out here tonight, Cole.
[Vega] Please, she's not on my level if she tried.
[Cole] Whoa, right here in front of us.
Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis taking out Escobar.
Taking out Del Toro.
The bell rings, this matchup will not…
[Wade] Oh, let me tell you,
Hit Row have been taking too many beatings lately,
people acting like they sweep through it.
[Cole] Oh, Top Dolla with a chair to the spine of Ivar.
[Wade] Hit Row ain't sweep for nothing.
[Cole] Ashante and Top Dolla getting some payback here tonight.
[Wade] Don't play Hit Row for fools. Uh-oh.
[Cole] Look at Valhalla.
[Vega] Why aren't the refs doing their job? What is happening?
[Cole] Valhalla going after-- The match is over.
It was just thrown out because of the chaos here,
and now B-Fab's in the ring with a kick to the face of Valhalla, taking her out.
[Wade] Viking Priestess wanted a piece of the--
[Vega] This is ridiculous. What are you doing? No!
[Cole] Oh, Valhalla just thrown right through Zelina Vega
by B-Fab who makes a statement tonight.
-Get out of here. -What you mean, "Get down"?
You get down.
[Cole] I'm not quite sure how smart that was by Mr. Wilde.
[Wade] Straight into the strongest man on the roster.
[Cole] Top Dolla picking him out of the air.
Oh goodness!
-What's wrong with you, huh? -What happened?
What happened?
What happened to you?
[Wade] Hit Row setting the record straight tonight on SmackDown.
["Hit Row" theme plays]
[Cole] B-Fab, Top Dolla, Ashante "Thee" Adonis
saying don't forget about us.
Making Legado Del Fantasma and The Viking Raiders pay tonight.
[speaking indistinctly]
[crowd booing]
Hey, now. I'm waiting for you.
[speaking indistinctly]
What is this crap?
Oh man, not here.
[loud thud]
-[Knight] Whah! -[crowd cheers, fades]
[Cole] We are back on Friday Night SmackDown on Fox.
We're in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tonight,
and that is the home of the man on the left, the WWE Hall of Famer,
the first ever Olympic gold medalist in WWE history, Kurt Angle.
[rock rendition of "Happy Birthday" playing]
[crowd cheers]
[Cole] What a reunion.
[Wade] And still to come tonight, join us as we celebrate the birthday
of the Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle,
right here in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.
[Cole] You even bought a new suit for the occasion.
["It's About to Go Down" playing]
♪ One and only ♪
[Cole] Time for the highlight of the night.
♪ It's about to go down ♪
♪ Uh-huh, let's go! ♪
[crowd cheering]
[Irvin] Please welcome the winner of the SmackDown World Cup on Fox,
Ricochet!
[Cole] He's the Number One Contender for the Intercontinental Championship.
Ricochet. Let's take you back
to the exciting finals of the SmackDown World Cup.
Here's our Progressive Match Flo.
[man] Match Flo is sponsored by Progressive,
a triple threat of protection with home, auto, and more.
[Irvin] The following is the finals for the SmackDown World Cup
on Fox.
[Cole] Santos Escobar versus Ricochet
for an opportunity to win the SmackDown World Cup,
and perhaps the Intercontinental Championship.
[bell rings]
["Challenge Accepted" by Alibi playing]
[Cole] Yeah, see ya. Goodbye. And Zelina sent packing as well.
Now we're gonna have a one-on-one match.
["Challenge Accepted" continues]
♪ Gotta win ♪
♪ You gotta win ♪
♪ Bring it in… ♪
-[crowd] One! Two! Three! -[bell rings]
[Cole] Ricochet wins the SmackDown World Cup.
Reality now sets in.
Ricochet, Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
[Cole] And there is the SmackDown World Cup.
Ricochet winning the inaugural tournament in that great matchup last week.
It don't stop right here. It don't stop right here.
This is just the beginning.
[Wade] What a few weeks it has been for Ricochet
after a relatively quiet second half of 2022…
But all good things must come to an end.
["Sacred" by def rebel playing]
[Irvin] Please welcome Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci,
and the Intercontinental Champion, Gunther,
Imperium!
[Cole] As we get set to sign the contract for next week's championship match,
Friday Night SmackDown on Fox is sponsored by Progressive.
Next week in Chicago, on Friday Night SmackDown,
Ricochet finally gets the rematch that he was never able to have
when Gunther took the Intercontinental Title from him
back in June.
It is Ricochet versus Gunther
for the Intercontinental Championship,
live, next week on Fox.
WWE official Adam Pearce in the ring.
Set to moderate this contract signing.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, if you please, take a seat.
Welcome to the official contract signing
for the Intercontinental Championship match
taking place next week on SmackDown.
As we have discussed, this contract will make the…
["New Day" by Big Prof & Jared Allstar playing]
[crowd cheers]
[Cole] Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are here.
-Come on. [indistinct] -Wow. Wow.
-Now, hold on, hold on, hold on. -Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Adam, we are so incredibly sorry
for interrupting all this, but your boys, the…
[all] New Day.
…wanted to make sure that we got a front-row seat
to look at all this happening right here.
Yeah, we know how these contract signings normally go, right?
Eventually, Gunther is gonna get mad
and he's gonna have that Gunther face on.
-[Woods] Resting Gunther face, we call it. -Mm-hmm.
Then, when Gunther gets mad,
the rest of Imperi-yuck is gonna get mad too.
And when Gunther and Imperi-yuck all get mad,
they're all gonna try and jump our boy, Ricochet,
-and, oh, no, we cannot have that. -Mm-mm.
So we could've just stood in the back listening to what was going on,
and that actually helped us obtain a shot
at the NXT Tag Team Championships tomorrow night at NXT Deadline.
-Uh-oh, Deadline. -[crowd cheers]
So check it out on Peacock, 8:00 PM Eastern.
Check out when your boys become Triple Crown Champions,
-but I digress. -Triple Crown!
We wanted to come out and make sure that we were by Ricochet's side
because we wanna watch him sign this contract
and we want to be here on the just-in-case that anybody
from Imperium has a problem with that
because then we can engage in fisticuffs
and put a whooping on all three of y'all right here tonight in Pittsburgh.
[crowd cheers]
You don't really think that's going to happen, do you?
Every time.
-That's one way to go. -Not every single time?
Have you ever watched wrestling?
[crowd laughs]
Good point.
-You wanna go first? -Go ahead, bro.
Hold on, wait a minute.
Not yet, wait, hold on.
[crowd chanting] New Day rocks!
Ricochet, I want you to remember something.
I am the one who took that title off you.
I've beaten you twice,
proving that you're not worthy of being the Intercontinental Champion.
[crowd] What?
-Trust me when I say this. -[crowd] What?
Come next week, I'm gonna beat you again,
and I'm gonna do it in the worst way possible.
There's nothing that can save you from that.
The difference between us and you and your two goofs…
is we respect this great sport.
-We are professional wrestlers. -[crowd] What?
-We are not performers. -[crowd] What?
[Ricochet splutters] Did you guys… Did you just hear what I heard?
Because… Wait, did you just say that you guys have a problem, uh, performing?
-Ooh! -[Pearce] That's what he said.
-Wow. -That's what I heard.
Imperium can't perform?
[together] Imperium can't perform?
[crowd chanting] Imperium can't perform. Imperium can't perform.
Y'all got problems, man.
There's pills for that. Wait, wait, wait, so--
But seriously, let's take your personal issues
and let's push them to the side, Gunther,
because next week, listen, next week, you are in for the fight of your life
because Ricochet, see, Ricochet doesn't quit.
I will not give up.
Everybody next week will bear witness to Ricochet
taking that Intercontinental Championship that you hold over your shoulder.
Who do you think you are, huh?
-Come on, you think you're ready? -I'm ready!
-Next week, that will be mine. -I can see where this is going.
Can we get a crew in here and get rid of the furniture, please?
Oh!
[Cole] Well, that's one way to do it.
To hell with the crew, give me a referee.
-This match is official. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Oh, and a brawl's underway, but we're gonna have a tag team match,
a six-man tag team match as soon as we can clear the furniture
and we get a referee out here.
[Wade] Certainly haven't had a bell yet, and I've got to tell you, Cole,
I take umbrage with The New Day coming out here uninvited
and mocking Imperium. What the hell is this?
[Cole] Well, they sent Imperium scattering for now.
[crowd cheers]
Hey, you got to like their philosophy, right?
Things are probably gonna break down anyway.
[Wade] Only because New Day came out here.
-That's the reason it broke down. -[Cole] Everybody flying!
New Day and Ricochet fired up.
Imperium knocked down.
-Referee Charles Robinson is in the ring. -Let's go!
[Wade] Here's a prediction for you, Cole.
New Day are about to bitterly regret
their decision in walking out this evening.
[crowd chants] New Day rocks!
[Cole] Again, look at the high-flying Ricochet
along with Kofi and Xavier Woods of The New Day.
[Wade] I'll tell you what, it is a smart move of Ricochet's
to buddy up with The New Day. He needs all the friends he can get
if he's gonna neutralize the numbers game of Imperium
heading into next week's huge Intercontinental Championship match.
[Cole] Yeah, so a six-man tag team match.
The Imperium against The New Day and Ricochet.
Last week, of course,
Kofi Kingston was in the ring with the Intercontinental Champion,
Gunther, here on SmackDown. What a takedown by Kaiser.
Ricochet, though, landed on his feet. Can you believe that?
[Wade] If it was anyone but Ricochet, I wouldn't believe it,
but this guy's capable of miracles.
[overlapping shouts]
Let's go!
[Cole] Ricochet cannot wait for next week.
In Corey Graves' After the Bell podcast this week, Ricochet said,
"I've proven I can beat bigger men."
"I've beaten McIntyre and Lashley and Corbin and Braun Strowman over the years."
"I can take out Gunther next week for the Intercontinental Title."
Very confident Ricochet.
Cover now by Xavier Woods, and a kickout by Ludwig Kaiser.
[Wade] I'll tell you what. New Day must be out of their damn minds
putting themself in danger against Imperium tonight
when they have a huge NXT Tag Championship tomorrow night at NXT Deadline…
-[Cole] A kickout. -…versus the champs, Pretty Deadly.
Why would you risk tweaking something tonight?
New Day!
[Cole] That's what New Day's all about. They love to fight.
One of the longest-reigning Tag Team Champions ever.
Would love to add the NXT Tag Titles to their résumé.
Whipped into the corner. Xavier Woods with a boot to the face.
Rolls through, the honor roll.
[Wade] You know what?
It looks like the plan was in here because Imperium
have been completely caught unawares by this one.
-[Cole] Tag. -One-way traffic until now.
[Cole] Nice deep arm drag by Giovanni Vinci.
[shouting, groaning]
[Cole] And Woods into the corner.
Vinci with a shot to the chest.
Imperium, smashmouth, in-your-face style.
[Wade] Tried to warn you, Woods.
[grunts]
[Cole] Imperium has taken over. This six-man tag team match continues.
[Cole] Also, tomorrow night at NXT Deadline on Peacock
at eight o'clock Eastern, the team in this matchup, The New Day,
who team with Ricochet against the Imperium,
will have an opportunity at the NXT Tag Team Titles
against Pretty Deadly tomorrow night.
[Wade] Yes, Pretty Deadly must be sat at home right now
laughing their English arses off
because Imperium are simply softening up their opponents tomorrow night,
making their job so much easier.
Yes, boy!
[Cole] Xavier Woods trying to battle back
and make a tag to either Ricochet or Kofi Kingston.
[Wade] The problem is, Giovanni Vinci pound-for-pound
the strongest man in WWE.
[Cole] Woods rolls through, looking for the honor roll again.
Vinci, though, with a backbreaker, knee to the spine,
and Imperium in control.
[Wade] I will say this, if I were Gunther and Ricochet
I would personally stay out of this matchup as much as possible.
Let your partners assume all of the risk
before next week's huge Intercontinental Championship matchup.
[Cole] Xavier Woods in deep trouble. You see the official checking on him.
You're right, Wade, there might not be much left for Pretty Deadly tomorrow night
if Imperium continues to hammer away at Xavier Woods like this.
[Wade] Oh!
[screaming]
[Wade] You just got to admire the brute force of Gunther.
One! Two!
[Cole] Cover, and again, Woods at two able to kick out.
The Intercontinental Champion next week defends against Ricochet
here on SmackDown live in Chicago.
[Barrett] A man fallen at the feet of Gunther
and Gunther "The General" hasn't even broken sweat.
That is how you run things.
[Cole] Look at Gunther…
I should say Ludwig Kaiser just wearing down Xavier Woods.
What makes Kaiser so dangerous?
[Wade] It's an ice-cold efficiency with a streamlined presentation,
and add to that the sheer hatred he has for the theatrics and the "clowns"
as he terms them in The New Day.
Imperium simply three men
incapable of grasping the concept of humor.
[Cole] "The mat is sacred," as they say.
It's about wrestling, not entertainment in their mind,
and that's why they have such an issue with The New Day.
[Wade] They're repulsed by the shenanigans and the nonsense
that New Day continually deliver.
Let's be clear, New Day can fight with the best of them.
That side of things they admire.
However, it's the clownery
that they wanna extinguish from this industry.
[Cole] How much does Woods have left?
He desperately has to make a tag to his partner Kofi Kingston.
Kaiser systematically just picking Woods apart.
[Wade] Woods didn't need to be out here tonight, neither did Kingston.
That is the problem with having friends in this industry.
They become liabilities,
and this is where you find yourself on the wrong side of the tracks,
three on one with Imperium.
[crowd chanting indistinctly]
[Cole] The Kofi chants from the WWE fans here in Pittsburgh.
Can Woods get to his partner?
-[loud slap] -Oh, did you hear that?
-[Wade] Felt it, mate. -[Cole] Kofi felt it as well.
You saw him, Kofi was taken aback after that chop by Kaiser.
[Wade] Rippled my diaphragm too.
God knows what it did to that of Xavier Woods.
[Cole] Woods, though, has a ton of fight in him.
Former King of the Ring.
New Day, of course, 13-time Tag Team Champions.
[Wade] All great stuff in his history. He can barely stand up right now.
Needs something in the worst way here.
[Cole] Oh, missile dropkick by Woods, and now he's got an opening, Wade.
[Wade] Has to take it. He is really on his last legs.
-Kofi Kingston fresh. -[Cole] Tag!
Here comes the former WWE Champion.
Kofi Kingston taking it to Imperium.
[Wade] A man who was won it all in this industry.
[Cole] Kingston lands on his feet.
Remember, last week, Wade, Kofi Kingston declared himself
for the 2023 Royal Rumble match.
Oh, and the highflyer with a lateral press.
Off the high crossbody, but Vinci able to kick out.
[Wade] The unorthodox style of Kofi Kingston
-beginning to pay dividends once again. -[crowd] New Day!
[Cole] Boom Drop by Kofi.
[crowd cheering]
-[crowd chanting for New Day] -And Kingston closing in on a victory,
perhaps, looking for Trouble in Paradise.
Meanwhile, Kaiser on the apron trying to get involved.
Kofi missed with Trouble in Paradise. Vinci, kick to the midsection.
What a move by Kofi! How quick is Kingston?
[Wade] Speed of body, speed of mind. Kingston's got it all.
[Cole] And Kaiser again gets involved.
[Wade] What Kingston doesn't have is eyes in the back of his--
[Cole] Oh, what an uppercut!
What a collision.
And now Kofi Kingston sent flying over the announce table.
Imperium laughing about it.
Kingston's in trouble.
[murmurs indistinctly]
[Cole] We are back live on Friday Night SmackDown.
This impromptu six-man tag team matchup,
between the Imperium and Ricochet and The New Day.
And Kaiser in control now of Kofi Kingston.
Imperium taking control before the commercial break.
Kofi desperately trying to make it to his partners.
[Wade] Kofi Kingston battered and bruised here.
He's got more lives than Baker Mayfield
and he needs every single one of them
because the hammering he's received at the hands and feet of Imperium.
Oh, this might be it.
[Cole] Big back body drop by Kofi Kingston. And…
Can he now make it to his partners in the corner?
Ricochet is there.
[Wade] You buy yourself a chance against Imperium, you better take it.
Kingston inches away now.
[Cole] Tag to Gunther, tag to Ricochet.
A little preview of next week.
The Intercontinental Champion, Gunther, the Number One Contender, Ricochet.
Here we go, and Ricochet unloading on the champ.
Oh, what a chop.
[Wade] That's easy for The General.
[Cole] And a boot right to the face.
[shouts indistinctly]
For Gunther, an opportunity to send a message…
-before next week. -[indistinct shouts]
[Cole] Ah, step-up enzuigiri stuns Gunther.
And running knee by Ricochet.
Now the rights and left by Ricochet.
He's got the champ covered up on the ropes,
trying to create some space.
What a right hand, and Ricochet throwing hands.
[Wade] This is a very different Ricochet to the one we've seen in the past.
He might get disqualified here.
[Cole] Referee Charles Robinson telling Ricochet, "Calm down a bit."
Gunther went for the big boot. Ricochet, Matrix-like move,
caught Gunther on the other side.
[Wade] Tell you what, last week's SmackDown World Cup win
was the best performance of Ricochet's career.
[Cole] Looking to top that next week, but that chop floors Ricochet.
That's one way to stop the speed.
Uh-oh, is it enough for the win to pin the champion?
Almost had him, kick at two.
[Wade] Nice use of Gunther's power and energy against him,
using his momentum to get the pinfall.
Look at the speed, the quickness, the reactions of Ricochet.
How do you counter that?
[Cole] Xavier Woods back up on the apron.
Ricochet looking to make a tag. Gunther in his corner as well.
He makes a tag to Vinci, and Xavier Woods back in this matchup.
[Wade] After the beating he took earlier tonight,
how the hell he's swinging again is beyond me.
[Cole] Tornado DDT, tag made to Kingston.
And now The New Day looking to put away Imperium,
could be Midnight Hour time.
Oh, and Kingston saw Kaiser coming and wiped him out.
[Wade] Gave Giovanni Vinci a chance to recover
and take control once again.
[Cole] Now Vinci turns his attention to Kofi Kingston
to deliver one for the SOS. Countered by Vinci.
That rolling senton. Tagged by Kaiser.
Moonsault by Vinci.
[Wade] Beautiful from the Italian Stallion himself.
Now the sour faced German's getting in on the act.
[Cole] But Kofi Kingston able to take out Vinci.
And now Ricochet.
Oh my goodness!
Ricochet, the highflyer, taking out Gunther.
[Wade] Nobody is safe in any position in the ring when Ricochet's in town.
[Cole] Xavier Woods running through Imperium.
Trouble in Paradise by Kingston.
[Wade] Straight to the temple.
[Cole] Tag to Ricochet.
From the top rope.
Talk about building momentum toward next week.
-Cover by Ricochet on Kaiser. -[crowd] One! Two! Three!
-[Cole] And the win! -[bell rings]
[Irvin] Here are your winners,
the team of The New Day and Ricochet.
[Cole] So tomorrow night,
New Day gets Pretty Deadly for the NXT Tag Team Titles at NXT Deadline.
And then next week, in Chicago,
can Ricochet hit this on the Intercontinental Champion,
Gunther?
[Wade] And recapture what was formally his,
that Intercontinental gold.
I'll tell you this, Cole, nobody, I repeat nobody on the roster
could possibly have an answer for a offense like that.
If, and it's a big if…
Ricochet can connect next week against Gunther.
[Cole] Ricochet claims he is on a "whole new wavelength."
Will that be enough for Ricochet to pull off the upset?
The World Cup is just the beginning. I don't care how big you are.
I won't give up. I don't give up. I don't quit. I don't stop.
Hit me once, hit me twice, I don't care, bro.
[rock rendition of "Happy Birthday" playing]
We should be on the list.
[crowd booing]
I don't see you here.
Oh, Kurt probably put it on there under "Master" Gable.
He likes to play games like that all the time, check that out.
No. You're still not on the list, I'm sorry.
Mr. 4.0?
What's going on, young blood? How you doing?
What's up, fam? How you doing, dawg?
Do you have two, to does what it do, with the prophets of the street?
-Hey. -[both laugh]
Whoo-hoo-ah-ah!
-Thank you. -What the hell was…?
Can I be your plus one?
Hey, how do you do?
Check that again, man.
[Cole] I'm actually surprised you were invited.
[Wade] Of course I'm invited. I'm the party guy around here.
[Cole] Kurt Angle, his birthday celebration,
live in his hometown of Pittsburgh tonight.
[Cole] Royal Rumble is sponsored by Cricket.
With fast and powerful nationwide 5G coverage,
you can stress less and smile more.
And by the official WWE Credit One Visa card.
If you want to show off your WWE pride every time you pay,
visit UltimateWWECard.com to see if you pre-qualify now.
Terms apply.
-The office for The Bloodline! -Here we go, dawg.
-I am in awe of you boys, seriously. -Two title defenses in one week.
-I'm feeling Ucey. -Are you feeling Ucey?
-Oh my God, look how Ucey he is. -You see it.
-Jey, are you feeling Ucey? -Man, I'm Ucey-juicy man.
-Oh my God. Even Jey is feeling Ucey. -Come one, let's do it.
-Hey, yo. You know what I'm thinking? -What?
Get a little food, a little rafizi to the heezy.
-Do you know what I'm saying? -You paying?
-Solo, are you hungry? -Look at him, he's starving. Let's go.
-Let's get going. Let's go. Here we go. -All right. Let's do it.
-Yeet. Rafizi to the heezy. -Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Hey, we'll meet up with you.
Hy, hey, hey, you know The Tribal Chief is coming next week, right?
Yeah.
So it might be a good idea, bro,
if you go trim the hair or the beard a little bit,
take a number three here.
Trim my hair. What are you…? Why? What are you talking about?
Sam, man, after WarGames and how you been leveling up every week,
I think next week in Chicago, man,
it's gonna be real, real, real big night for you, Uce.
Yeet?
Yeah. Yeet.
Trim it up.
[Cole] The head of The Bloodline, Roman Reigns,
is live in Chicago on SmackDown next week,
and I think Sami should clean himself up a little bit.
Hang on. Who are you to question anyone's style?
You could do with a makeover yourself. Look at my new suit.
Well, in three weeks from tonight in Tampa,
you know what I'm gonna be wearing?
-What? -Jorts.
-[Wade] Ha! With those legs? -[Cole] You know why?
Because the breaking news from Variety earlier today.
It is the return of the 16-time World Champion John Cena
to Friday Night SmackDown three weeks from tonight,
December 30th, in Tampa.
Wade, it is John's first time in over a year on SmackDown.
[Wade] Unreal. Just texted him. He hasn't replied for some reason.
I really wanna know what he's going to get up to,
but I cannot wait for the return of John Cena.
[indistinct]
[crowd cheers]
Hey, you can't be in here.
Get security, please.
I need security to Medical.
Rey, relax. It's not like that.
Listen, I heard about your predicament.
I wanted to come see you as soon as I could.
This whole situation with your son, Dominik, the falling out.
I mean, this is pretty heartbreaking. You must… you must be in hell.
-Yeah, I am. -Yeah.
But you know what? You demonstrated restraint.
That's got to count for something.
You turn the other cheek, then you turn the other page,
you come to SmackDown for a new beginning…
and then, you know, this happens.
[sighs] Did you know Scarlett is from Romania?
Life can be pretty rough for some people over there,
especially as a kid growing up.
She told me this story. I could never get it out of my head.
I want to share it with you right now.
When she was a little kid, her family had this thoroughbred horse
who was a champion.
Now eventually, over time,
the horse couldn't run as fast as it used to,
it couldn't jump as high as it used to,
but the family needed it.
So they strapped a cart to it, and it became a workhorse…
and eventually, over time, it couldn't even drag the cart.
She never forgot the look in this thing's eyes,
this broken look when it realized it was totally useless.
Rey, it's always a sad thing
to see when it gets to the point
when you have to put an animal out of its misery.
Is there a problem here?
No. No problem at all.
Look at the time, Rey.
Ticktock.
[Cole] Things do not bode well for Rey Mysterio.
["Watch Me" by def rebel playing]
[bell rings]
[Irvin] The following contest is a tag team match
scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first, from Elmwood Park, New Jersey,
Liv Morgan!
[Cole] Liv Morgan, the former SmackDown Women's Champion.
["Blue Marvel" by def rebel playing]
[Irvin] And her tag team partner, from the Welsh Valley,
Tegan Nox.
[Cole] Liv Morgan's new ally. As they get set for tag team action,
here's a closer look at the girl with the Shiniest Wizard, Tegan Nox.
[Nox] In all honesty, I'm lucky to even be here right now.
Days after I signed my WWE contract, I tore my ACL.
When I was finally able to get back in the ring over a year later,
I tore it again,
but I would never give up on myself.
I've been through it all.
Enormous setbacks, crushing disappointments, betrayals.
But I never gave up, and I kept fighting.
-[Cole] It's Tegan Nox. -[Wade] The Welsh Firecracker herself.
[Cole] Tegan Nox is back, coming to the aid of Liv Morgan.
[Nox] That's why I helped Liv last week.
I've known Liv since the first day at the PC,
and she's just like me.
Someone who takes nothing for granted,
and is willing to do whatever it takes to be champion.
[Cole] Of course, the PC being the Performance Center in Orlando
where all of our young Superstars train to get to this moment,
to get to the stage of Friday Night SmackDown.
Coming up next, big moment for the new tag team
of Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox.
Can they knock off Ronda and Shayna?
It's live next on Friday Night SmackDown.
[dramatic music plays]
Tens of thousands of Marines have began their outstanding service
to our country on the very footprints you are standing.
You will carry on that proud tradition.
-Do you understand? -Aye, ma'am.
[Evans] Most people choose comfort.
They make the safe choice.
Take the easy way.
Avoid pain at all costs.
-[indistinct shouts] -This training would break them.
[man] Go, go, go, go, go!
[Evans] Within minutes they would be crying for their mama…
or crawling back to the safety of their couch.
[man] Everybody, double time!
Not you. You embrace the suck.
You choose the hard way.
-You welcome the pain. -[group shouts] Oorah!
[Cole] Friday Night SmackDown on Fox is sponsored by Progressive Insurance.
For a job you'll love, visit Progressive.
Liv Morgan, Tegan Nox in the ring, set for tag team action.
["Bad Reputation" playing]
[Irvin] And their opponents, the team of Shayna Baszler
and the SmackDown Women's Champion,
"The Baddest Woman on the Planet,"
"Rowdy" Ronda Rousey.
[Cole] Ronda Rousey made her in-ring debut at WWE
with Kurt Angle at WrestleMania.
Speaking of Kurt Angle, he's here tonight. Still to come,
the birthday celebration of the WWE Hall of Famer.
Meanwhile, Wade, Ronda and Shayna running roughshod
over the women's division here on Friday Night SmackDown.
Raquel Rodriguez, broken elbow, Natalya, broken nose.
And now it has been confirmed,
Shotzi has a broken hand
following an attack by, well, let's just say it,
it was Rousey and Baszler who attacked her in the parking lot earlier tonight.
[Wade] Occam's razor would suggest that you're 100% right there,
but let's face it, when it comes to the SmackDown women's division,
with Rousey and Baszler, the bulls are on parade.
And this does not spell good happening for the team of Liv Morgan
and the returning "Welsh Wonder" Tegan Nox.
[Cole] Wade, this is an important matchup,
because the winner of this match maybe, somewhere down the road,
finds themselves in position
for a Tag Team Championship match against Damage CTRL.
[Wade] Yeah, quite the opportunities abound,
but right now, someone like Tegan Nox
must be hugely concerned about her own well-being in there
with someone as dangerous as Shayna Baszler.
[Cole] The Submission Magician,
as Tegan Nox tries to work her way out of this.
Shayna Baszler said earlier this week
that "if I break all my toys, I'll have nothing left to play with."
[Wade] I'll tell you this from my own career,
we all hated in the locker room
when we got matched up against anyone with a reputation for injuring opponents.
I will always take an L, no problem,
but six months on the shelf and surgery, no, thank you.
That is a crime against people's careers.
[Cole] Tegan Nox, we learned a lot more about her a little bit ago.
Talk about facing adversity and fighting back from it,
that's what Tegan Nox has done.
[Wade] I'll tell you, she's had a hell of an arduous journey
to get here to SmackDown.
Multiple nasty knee injuries, potential career-enders.
This is a tough girl. This is a fighter.
Grew up playing rugby in her native Wales.
Lot of respect for Tegan Nox.
[Cole] Also played soccer as well.
The World Cup had some exciting games today.
I think I'm turning into a soccer fan, Wade.
[Wade] I knew you would. It took a little while.
I got you off your native baseball.
-Football, by the way-- -[Cole] Oh!
[Wade] There we go. That was a bit of a Pelé kick almost
right there to the temple of Tegan Nox coming crashing down hard.
[Cole] Tegan trying to make a tag to Liv Morgan.
Here comes the SmackDown Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey…
who doesn't give a damn about anyone or what anyone thinks about her.
[Wade] This duo has developed a complete disregard for human suffering.
[Cole] Look at her mocking Morgan.
Remember, a long rivalry between those two over the SmackDown Women's Title.
Roll up. All started all the way back when Liv won Money in the Bank
and then cashed it on Ronda.
[Wade] The kind of behavior from Ronda and Baszler
is when they truly believe they are several levels
above any of the competition.
[Cole] So far, they have been, Wade, right?
I mean, ever since Ronda Rousey has got Shayna Baszler back into the killer mode,
they've been pretty much unstoppable.
[Wade] Absolutely. Listen, Ronda has steered Baszler
-to levels of callousness… -[Cole] Oh my goodness.
…nobody with a soul can comprehend, and right now,
Tegan Nox once again nursing that leg,
needing a tag to Liv Morgan in the worst way.
-[Cole] Baszler makes the tag. -[Wade] There it is.
[Cole] Here comes Morgan as well.
Morgan and Baszler now go at it in this tag team matchup.
Morgan with a dropkick.
[Wade] We've seen a lot of extreme work of late from Baszler and Rousey,
but Liv Morgan herself has taken a turn to the extreme herself.
[Cole] Ever since losing the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Morgan, second rope.
Missile dropkick… floors Baszler.
-[yelling] -Kip-up by Morgan.
[Barrett] Fired up and enjoying it is Liv Morgan.
[Cole] While stomping right into the back of Baszler.
[Wade] Full control there.
[Cole] Cover by Morgan for the win in this tag team matchup,
and a kickout.
[Wade] For the first time the smile has been wiped off the face of Ronda Rousey,
but it's plastered all over the face of Liv Morgan.
[Cole] Ronda knows Morgan well, knows what she's capable of.
Ah, nice German suplex by Baszler.
Both women down, center of the ring.
[indistinct shouts]
Ronda still trash-talking, wants a tag from Shayna.
-Meanwhile, Raquel Rodriguez. -I don't care.
[Cole] Raquel's got a broken elbow.
She's not even medically cleared to be out here.
That's what Adam Pearce and the officials are trying to explain to her.
[overlapping shouts]
You are not cleared to enter the ring right now.
-Let me at her. -No, I cannot.
[Cole] You saw a little look of concern on the face of Rousey.
Meanwhile, Shayna looking for a Kirifuda Clutch.
Morgan able to create space.
Tegan Nox with the Shining Wizard.
-[Wade] Boom! Right on the money too. -[Cole] Cover by Morgan.
One! Two! Three!
Morgan and Nox knocked off Rousey and Baszler
thanks to the Raquel distraction.
[Irvin] Here are your winners,
the team of Tegan Nox and Liv Morgan!
[Cole] Well, that's one way for Raquel to get a little bit of a payback.
[Wade] It was a smash-and-grab raid. Hats off to Raquel,
but you've got to think there may well be consequences
from Rousey and Baszler.
They won't take this one well at all.
[Cole] Morgan and Tegan with a big win tonight.
Hey. I've always wanted to sing…
"You suck. You suck. You suck. You…"
-It's time for the celebration. -You sure you don't want me to come with?
No, stay here. Enjoy yourself.
-I got this. -Okay.
Turn it up, baby. Turn it up.
[Cole] Wade, it's true, it's true.
It's time, it's time
for the birthday celebration of the WWE Hall of Famer.
Kurt Angle next on SmackDown.
[Cole] For the first time since The Bloodline's
historic victory in WarGames,
the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns,
returns to Friday Night SmackDown.
I hope Sami Zayn's getting his makeover
because The Head of the Table is back live in Chicago next Friday night.
[Wade] As we saw earlier tonight,
the contracts are signed, sealed, and delivered.
The clock's ticking.
SmackDown World Cup winner Ricochet gets his opportunity
at Gunther's Intercontinental Championship right here next week.
[Cole] WWE official Adam Pearce works fast.
Based on their victory moments ago,
Liv Morgan, Tegan Nox have an opportunity
to take on Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai of Damage CTRL
for the Tag Titles live next week.
[Wade] No allies, only enemies.
Hit Row, Viking Raiders, and Legado Del Fantasma want to fight?
Well, let's get it on.
Triple Threat tag action next week on SmackDown.
[Cole] Live in Chicago.
["Medal" by Jim Johnston playing]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] You suck! You suck!
You suck! You suck! You suck!
[effects popping]
[crowd cheering]
[Irvin] Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist,
Pittsburgh's own Kurt Angle!
[Cole] You know, Kurt Angle tweeted earlier today
that when you wake up and you're unsure what to wear to your own birthday party,
so if you're Kurt Angle, you wear the red, white, and blue,
and you bring your gold medal.
[Wade] He looks damn good too. It's true, it's true.
Thank you.
Thank you, Pittsburgh.
[crowd cheers]
And I want to thank you for this birthday celebration.
["Shoooosh" by def rebel playing]
-[Cole] I guess-- -Shoosh!
So you're telling me every clown in Pittsburgh
gets an invite to your birthday party,
and Alpha Academy doesn't make it on the list?
[crowd booing]
Now, I know it's not because of the dress code,
because we wore our formal wear tonight.
I even had Otis wear a tie.
You know how hard it is to get a tie on a guy with no neck?
Oh, I know what it is.
You didn't want to get upstaged at your own party
by a real Olympic hero.
[crowd booing]
You didn't want Chad Gable coming into your house
and outshining you.
Well, that's just petty, Kurt, and pettiness sucks.
[crowd booing]
Oh, oh, oh, for once…
for once I'm gonna admit, though, I have to agree with these people.
They're right, and this is the only time I'm gonna say this,
you're right every time they say, "Kurt, you suck."
[crowd booing]
Shoosh!
[booing continues]
And yet here they are.
They still come out to celebrate you, but, Kurt,
I see you for what you've really become.
You got no integrity, you lost your intensity.
And, Kurt, if you wanna keep a shred of the intelligence
that you have left, you're gonna get the hell out of our ring.
Because believe me when I say this celebration is over,
and Otis is going to eat your birthday cake.
[crowd chattering]
[crowd chants] Eat the cake! Eat the cake! Eat the cake!
And if you don't,
you might just end up with another broken freaking neck.
Thank you.
Now be gone, Kurt.
Be gone, please. Otis, help yourself.
How does it taste, Otis?
-How does it taste? -So creamy.
Oh. Hey, Kurt, I'm eating your gold medal.
[chuckles] It tastes so good, Kurt.
Oh, it tastes like disappointment and salty tears that you cried.
I'm eating your gold metal.
I tell you what, if you're gonna eat all that cake,
you're gonna need a lot of milk.
[crowd cheers]
["Medal" by Jim Johnston playing]
[Cole] What on earth?
That's Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist and…
Wade…
is that a milk truck?
[Wade] Yeah, from the 1940s.
[Cole] Kurt Angle and Gable Steveson are throwing milk at the Alpha Academy.
The Alpha Academy better moo-ve.
There's milk flying everywhere.
Wade, it's like the Milky Way out here.
[Wade] This is udder-ly ridiculous, Cole. I didn't sign up for this.
[Cole] Wade, I'm lactose intolerant.
Oh my God. Shades of 2001 and The Alliance.
[Wade] My new suit, Cole!
[Cole] Angle milking this for all it's worth.
This is udder-ly hilarious.
Spoiled Chad and spoiled milk.
[Wade] My new suit's ruined, Cole.
[Cole] Kurt Angle milking this opportunity.
The Academy are cow-wards.
This was an udder failure.
[crowd chattering excitedly]
[crowd roars]
[Cole] This is legen-dairy.
What a night on Friday Night MilkDown.
[crowd chanting] You suck! You suck! You suck! n't sign up for this.