SmackDown Results and Recap: Almas Famous

The January 15, 2019 episode of WWE SmackDown LIVE escalated the rivalries between Rey Mysterio/Andrade and Becky Lynch/Asuka, while also teasing the arrival of several NXT Superstars.

The episode opens with Becky Lynch arriving at the venue and being asked if she’s ready for Asuka. Lynch replies that she’ll answer that in the ring, but she stops on her way there to take a sip of a concoction of blended steak, eggs, and The New Day’s pancakes made by Otis Dozovic of Heavy Machinery. This causes Xavier Woods to declare, “That’s The Man!”

In the arena, Lynch outlines to the supportive crowd why she should be the SmackDown Women’s Champion again. She says others say she’s all hype, but she delivers every single time. However, she claims Asuka actually is all hype, proven by how she fell out of the championship scene after Charlotte Flair—who Lynch has now beaten many times—defeated her at WrestleMania 34. This draws “The Empress of Tomorrow” to the ring. Interrupted by chants of “What?” from the audience, Asuka tells the disagreeing Lynch that she is all talk, all hype, “like little bee, but not sting.”

Before Lynch can respond, The IIconics enter the arena to insult both champion and challenger and, just for good measure, declare that they’ll become the first Women’s Tag Team Champions. After a commercial break, this confrontation escalates to a match between Lynch and Peyton Royce while Asuka watches from ringside—and we see NXT star Lacey Evans watching from backstage.

Asuka won’t let Lynch have the figurative last word when she defeats Royce though, and she herself then has a match against Billie Kay. She applies a parody of the Dis-Arm-Her on Kay while making eye contact with Lynch before tapping the Australian out with the Asuka Lock.

Lynch and Asuka face off in the ring after that, and some of the audience starts chanting for them to fight, but the women are interrupted by an unscheduled, aggressive AJ Styles. The SmackDown announcers question why Styles is there as he circles the ring, walks through the audience, ascends the stairs, poses at the top, and then exits the arena.

After a commercial break, we see him at the concessions stand, where he tells bystanders that the hot dogs are on him, in a sharp contrast from Daniel Bryan’s behavior at the concessions stand last week. Bryan attacks Styles out of nowhere and they fight amongst the condiments.

Samoa Joe also has a statement to make this week, during his scheduled match against Mustafa Ali. Joe quickly uses his size to his advantage and knocks Ali out by throwing him into the ringpost. But then he keeps going back for more even when the match is called off. Backstage, later in the show, Joe says that was a message to every other man in the Royal Rumble, which he promises he will win.

Ahead of his second singles match against Rey Mysterio, Andrade (with no more “Cien” and “Almas” as of this week) says that when he pinned Mysterio to win a tag team match, it showed that he is the future. His manager Zelina Vega turned this into a promo about how Andrade’s future includes winning the Royal Rumble and winning the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania.

Mysterio and Andrade’s match this week is longer and even better than their first, one that wouldn’t feel out of place on a pay-per-view. Both experienced luchadors have each other scouted, with Andrade having the size advantage and Mysterio with his well-known creativity. They both make the match even harder-hitting outside the ring, as Andrade starts with a brutal powerbomb to Mysterio on the floor, and Mysterio later sends Andrade off the apron with a hurricanrana. Both men nearly pin the other multiple times.

Interference from Vega ends up being the game-changer. She distracts the referee while Mysterio sets up for a move from the top turnbuckle, giving Andrade the opportunity to yank Mysterio down. “El Idolo” is soon able to pin his idol again, this time in a one-on-one match.

Another very personal feud escalates outside the ring this week when Mandy Rose takes her targeting of Naomi to the next level. It starts when Jimmy Uso shows his brother Jey a gift he believes is from his wife, with a card reading “I’ve been a naughty girl and I need you to lock me up in the Uso Penitentiary.” He’s excited about this until he realizes the card is signed by Mandy Rose, and she’s included a key to her hotel room. He tells Jey he doesn’t know what to do about this.

Sonya Deville is also thrown by Mandy Rose’s tactics, looking uncomfortable with what she calls a “scandalous” decision. Rose says that anything that will make Naomi’s life more miserable—even destroying her marriage—is worth it.

Later in the show, Jimmy Uso goes to Mandy Rose’s hotel room, where she awaits him in a bathrobe. She removes the robe to reveal lingerie that actually covers more skin than her normal ring gear. Jimmy tells Rose that “this right here needs to stop,” right before a photographer runs in to snap pictures of the segment, which is already being filmed. Rose mocks Jimmy for thinking she wanted him and delivers a truly unhinged speech against Naomi, declaring, “This isn’t about you. This is about your wife. I despise your wife… she will never look like this. She will never be as hot as me,” and says these photos will destroy her life.

Jimmy, looking unfazed for a guy whose marriage was just destroyed, leaves the hotel room… to reveal Naomi was waiting outside the whole time. She enters and attacks Rose, who eventually gets the better of the encounter. This is followed by a recap of the announcement of the Women’s Tag Team Championships.

The show’s main event is the continuation of the developing tag team relationship between Shane McMahon and The Miz. The Miz enters the ring and announces he’s throwing “The Best Birthday Bash in the World” for his tag team partner. “The A-Lister” gifts Shane a pair of Air Jordan 33s and a video montage of Shane’s WrestleMania moments, replacing The Miz to win the WWE World Cup, and their union as a tag team. Shane is moved by the video and even thanks the Miz for opening up about his relationship with his father on an earlier episode. He reveals that his childhood dream was to be a WWE Tag Team Champion, and the Miz promises Shane that his dream will come true at the Royal Rumble.

Despite Shane’s protests, The Miz gets the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday,” only for the song to be interrupted by The Bar. Sheamus calls The Miz pathetic, Cesaro mocks Shane for his relationship with his dad, and they declare to destroy them at the Royal Rumble.

However, The Miz and Shane are ready to take on The Bar right now, and we return from a commercial break to find a match in progress. Most of the match is between Sheamus and The Miz, with Sheamus mostly dominating. But when Cesaro gets on the apron to interfere on his partner’s behalf, Shane knocks him off, sending him through a table. This distraction allows The Miz to roll Sheamus up and win the match for his team.

Sheamus starts to attack The Miz after this embarrassing loss, but Shane saves him. After a Skull Crushing Finale by The Miz, Shane delivers a coast-to-coast dropkick to Sheamus, sending a cake held by The Miz into his face. The Miz and Shane McMahon celebrate their friendship and victory, holding high the Best in the World trophy.