January 14, 2016
Episode 856
(taped January 12, 2016)
City: Lafayette, LA
Venue: Cajundome
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler
Ring Announcer: Eden Stiles
Intro Video
“Black and Blue” by CFO$
Backstage
Renee Young is outside Cajundome waiting on Dean Ambrose. Ambrose has a statement, but he wants to say it to Owens’ face, so he heads to the ring.
Ring Area
Ambrose asks for a drum roll for his statement, but something is missing. He calls for Kevin Owens to join him in the ring. Owens doesn’t come out so Ambrose goes ahead. He challenges Owens to a Last Man Standing match.
Sheamus comes out. Sheamus says Ambrose looks like a little kid. And that he’s starting to annoy him. Ambrose lives in a fantasy. He also says that he and Ambrose have a fight to finish. Ambrose is okay with that.
Ambrose finally comes out. He’s out there to let Ambrose know that it doesn’t matter what kind of matc:h they have at the Rumble, so he accepts the challenge. Owens and Sheamus attack. Neville comes out to help Ambrose and the good guys stand tall in the ring.
** Okay as far as opening segments go. The banter between Sheamus and Ambrose wasn’t great, but when is Sheamus ever great on the mic? **
Match 1
Tables Match
Dudley Boyz vs The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper & Erik Rowan w/ Braun Strowman)
(referee: Charles Robinson)
Rowan and Harper appear in the ring behind the Dudleys and attack first. They toss D-Von to the floor and double-team Bubba. Bubba lifts Rowan to the floor and back-drops and slams Harper. Harper then gets hit with What’s Up. Tables are called for. The Dudleys set up a table in the ring but Harper and Rowan kick them. Both the Dudleys are down.
-commercial-
The Wyatts are in control. They go to double suplex D-Von but Bubba moves the tale out of the way. The Dudleys come back and hit a double team neckbreaker on Harper. Harper and D-Von fight on the outside while Bubba and Rowan clothesline each other on the ring.
D-Von sets Harper up on a table on the floor and goes to the top rope, but Strowman stands in his way. That gives Rowan the opportunity to attack D-Von. Strowman gets a kendo stick, but Bubba grabs it and uses it on Rowan. Bubba occupies both Rowan and Strowman as D-Von and Harper fight on the turnbuckles. Harper goes fr a suplex, but D-Von fights it off. Harper winds up on the ring steps. Bubba runs towards Harper and pushes him off the steps and through the table on the floor.
Result: Bubba sends Harper through a table for the win
Time: 4:59 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
An okay match. It was mostly just brawling and didn’t have a lot of standout moments, but it’s a short tables match on Smackdown so what do you expect? It was good to see the Dudleys finally get something positive out of this feud with the Wyatt Family.
Ring Area
Strowman attacks the Dudleys from behind as they celebrate. The Wyatts set up tables in two corners of the ring. Strowman Throws D-Von through both of them in succession. Harper and Rowan set up two tables on the floor and double chokeslam Bubba through them.
** If it was that easy, why not just have Strowman help them out during the match? It was a tables match so there was no DQ. I guess without Bray Wyatt to lead them the rest of the Family doesn’t plan very well. **
Backstage
Jojo welcomes Kalisto. Kalisto says that he once lost hope when he was training to wrestle, but seeing Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio inspired him.
Match 2
Goldust & Zack Ryder & Jack Swagger & Damien Sandow vs Social Outcasts
(referee: Rod Zapata)
Slater and Sandow start. Slater is in a little trouble until Axel distracts Goldust allowing the Outcasts to use some quick tags to control the match. Goldust hits a scoop powerslam on Rose and both men are down. Both men tag.
Swagger dominates Dallas as they come in. Axel comes into the ring and the match starts to break down a little. Ryder tags in and nearly pins Dallas with a Broski Boot. Bo Dallas then hits a Bo-Dog on Ryder (accidentally knocking Slater off the apron) for the win.
Result: Dallas pins Ryder after a Bo-Dog
Time: 3:41
Match Thoughts
This was a very, very fast paced match. It seemed like they wanted to get in as much as possible in the time they were given. Amazingly, all eight wrestlers did something in the match. It wasn’t great since the action was so fast there wasn’t any time to process what was happening, but it was pretty fun for what it was. And it was good to see Damien Sandow (that makes two times this week with his appearance on the stage at the beginning of RAW).
Video
Recap of RAW with the One vs All match and Lesnar destroying everyone.
Backstage
Renee Young asks Del Rio if the WWE Universe affects him. He says, “no.”
Match 3
US Title Match
Kalisto (US Champ) vs Alberto Del Rio
(referee: Darrick Moore)
Del Rio immediately attacks Kalisto with strikes and a belly to back suplex. Del Rio is angry. Del Rio sets Kalisto up on the top turnbuckle and pulls at his mask. Kalisto fights him off and hits a top rope dropkick. Del Rio responds with a clothesline.
Del Rio runs towards Kalisto but gets caught in a hurricanrana and is driven into the ring post. Kalisto goes up top but Del Rio catches him and pulls him off the ropes and drives both knees into Kalisto’s arm. Del Rio goes for the cover but Kalisto escapes to the floor.
Del Rio drives Kalisto’s arm into the ring steps repeatedly. He rolls Kalisto into the ring and goes for an armbar. Kalisto tries to come back but takes a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker from Del Rio. Del Rio drives Kalisto into the ring post. Kalisto hits a cross body from the second rope and a flying head scissors but gets driven into the ring post again. Kalisto falls to the floor.
-commercial-
Del Rio hammerlocks Kalisto’s arm and suplexes him in the ring. Del Rio has Kalisto in the tree of woe as King Barrett appears at ringside. Del Rio goes to the top for his stomp maneuver, but Kalisto catches him in a head scissors. Kalisto hits a springboard stage dive but misses a corkscrew cross body. Del Rio kicks Kalisto in the head but only gets a 2 count.
Kalisto hits a hurricanrana and gets a 2 count. Kalisto follows up with a springboard corkscrew cross body and a kneeling head scissors. Kalisto gets a very close 2 count.
When both men get up Del Rio Wrings Kalisto’s arm and send him to the mat. Del Rio slaps Kalisto, but Kalisto hits a chinbreaker. Kalisto kicks Del Rio in the head. Kalisto goes for Salida Del Sol but Barrett distracts him allowing Del Rio to get the cross armbreaker. Kalisto is in it for a long time before getting to the ropes.
Del Rio misses an attack at the ropes and falls to the floor. Kalisto dives but Barrett pulls Del Rio out of the way. Kalisto crashes hard onto the floor. Del Rio rolls him back into the ring and puts on the cross armbreaker. Kalisto taps immediately.
Result: Alberto Del Rio wins via submission with the cross armbreaker to become a 2 time US Champ
Time: 11:32 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Del Rio wrestled a little more aggressively this time. There were some really good near falls and Kalisto really looked like he took a lot of punishment. Really well done. I think they could really turn Kalisto into the constant underdog that they wanted with Mysterio but never really got because no one really believed he would lose all that much.
Video
Sting’s Hall of Fame video.
Backstage
Renee Young shows Becky Lynch video of her being attacked by Charlotte after their match. Becky was shocked, but she doesn’t stay down. She is shown footage from RAW where she attacked Charlotte. Becky proposes a match at the Royal Rumble.
** I like how Lawler seems to be acting like more of a heel lately. Maybe I’m just noticing it more, but he was really playing the opposite side of Saxton’s blind babyface support. He pointed out the fact that Becky used the tights to beat Charlotte and that she attacked Charlotte out of nowhere. Saxton said it was “retribution” which is a garbage argument if you’re claiming to be a good guy. **
Match 4
Brie Bella w/ Alicia Fox vs Becky Lynch
(referee: John Cone)
Brie kicks Becky’s leg and starts the attack. Brie hits a dropkick from the second rope and goes for a quick cover. Becky tries to fight back but gets slammed to the mat. Brie lays kicks to Becky but gets driven into the turnbuckles.
Becky lands some strikes and kicks. She hits an exploder out of the corner on Brie. Brie kicks Becky’s leg again, but Becky manages to apply Disarm-Her for the win.
Result: Becky Lynch wins via submission with Disarm-Her
Time: 2:34
Match Thoughts
Short match with not much to it. I kind of expected to see Charlotte, but it didn’t happen. This match didn’t help or hurt either competitor.
Match 5
Sheamus & Kevin Owens vs Neville & Dean Ambrose (IC Champ)
(referee: Chad Patton)
Sheamus and Neville start. Neville hits a flying head scissors and tags in Ambrose. Ambrose gets the better of Sheamus, sending him to the floor. He sends Owens to the floor too and dives out after him. Sheamus attacks Ambrose from behind and Ambrose gets double teamed as we head to a break.
-commercial-
Owens is in control of Ambrose in the ring. Owens and Sheamus use some tags to isolate Ambrose. Ambrose fights back and hits a neckbreaker on Owens. Neville tags in and kicks Owens. Neville goes for a suplex but Owens escapes and tags Sheamus. Neville superkicks Sheamus and goes up top, but he misses Sheamus and gets attacked by Owens. Owens and Sheamus isolate Neville.
Neville is in trouble. Owens hits a release German suplex and goes for a cannon ball but misses. Neville hits a German suplex of his own and tags Ambrose. Sheamus tags in as well and get dominated by Ambrose. Ambrose hits a tornado DDT and a diving elbow. Owens breaks up the cover. Ambrose bounces into the ropes but takes a kick from Owens and White Noise from Sheamus. 2 count by Sheamus.
Owens tags in and goes for the pop-up powerbomb, but he takes a lariat from Ambrose instead. Owens goes to the floor and Ambrose dives onto him. Outside the ring, Owens and Sheamus attack Ambrose with the ring steps and part of the announce table prompting the ref to call for the bell.
Result: Ambrose and Neville win via DQ
Time: 9:52 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. Some nice sequences like the exchange of powerbombs between Neville and Owens.
Ring Area
Sheamus and Owens set up the tringside area to put Ambrose through the announce table, but Neville dives over the ropes for the save. Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds in the ring on Owens and Neville hits Red Arrow on him. Owens rolls to the floor as Ambrose and Neville stand tall.
Show Impressions
I liked the show. The US Title match was a highlight and brought the rest of the show up with it. I like that the Dudleys finally got a win on the Wyatt Family because that seems to be rare. I also liked that the Social Outcasts won even though that match was almost too fast. I also like how Neville got a little measure of revenge on Owens. All that is stuff that doesn’t really seem to happen on RAW very much.
I also like how Lawler was playing up his heel commentator persona. I guess since Byron Saxton is so extreme in his approval of everything that the babyfaces do, to the point of being illogical about about it, Lawler has to play the other side to add some balance. On this show he was laughing at Kalisto getting beat up and talking about how much he doesn’t like short people, and he pointed out how Becky Lynch was kind of a jerk to Charlotte. I like that side of The King.
Match of the Night
US Title Match
Another good match between these two. There was a good build up to the end with the work Del Rio did on Kalisto’s arm, and Kalisto really seemed like he took some serious punishment. The near falls toward the end were really good and engaging.