Daniel Bryan is backstage getting ready to bite into an apple when The Miz and Maryse walk in complaining about not having a private locker room for themselves. He told the “supporting characters” in the locker room to clear out, but they refused. Miz talks about how his star power pays their salaries. Miz asks what Bryan is going to do to make this right. Bryan says he could block off a stall in the public restroom. Miz and Maryse fake laugh. Bryan, thinking they’re actually laughing, joins in until he realizes they’ve stopped laughing. Bryan says he’s going to give Miz a rematch for the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose. Miz wants to do one better and make it a No DQ match. Bryan says he only wants that so Maryse can interfere, so he declines. Bryan then mentions since Miz pays for the salaries of all the superstars, they’ll be ringside to make it a Lumberjack Match. Miz is not pleased and leaves with his wife while Bryan takes a bite of his apple.
– We go back to Randy Orton explaining why he joined the Wyatt Family in October. We then see what happened when The Wyatts lost the tag titles. We then see what happened last week when Dean Ambrose used Luke Harper’s actions to help him beat Randy Orton.
Luke Harper vs. Randy Orton
They lock up and go around the ring. Harper with a clean break and then they lock up again. Orton with a clean break as well. Harper has some words for Orton and then it is forearm time. Orton with a back elbow and Harper goes to the floor. Harper with a thrust kick when Orton goes to the floor. Harper with a palm thrust to the head as Wyatt stares ahead. Wyatt with a European uppercut and then he Irish whips Orton but Orton with a clothesline out of the corner. Orton with another clothesline and he ducks a clothesline from Harper. Orton misses the power slam when Harper holds on to the ropes.
Orton sends Harper to the apron and then he hits the IEDDT. Orton twists to the mat for an RKO but Harper is able to recover. Orton punches Harper and he hits a back drop driver onto the ringside barrier. Orton slams Harper’s head onto the announce table and then he hits a back drop driver onto the announce table. Harper with a boot to Orton and that gets Wyatt to rise from his chair.
Wyatt picks up Orton and rolls him into the ring. Wyatt stands over Harper and sends him into the ring. We go to commercial.
We are back and Harper with a reverse chin lock as he looks to Bray for approval. Harper with a slam and Harper goes to the apron and up top. Orton punches Harper to stop him. Orton with more punches and he climbs the turnbuckles to set for and hit a superplex. Orton gets a near fall. Harper with kicks but Orton with a European uppercut and a power slam for a near fall. Harper with a back elbow and Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Harper gestures to Wyatt and he sets for the discus clothesline but Orton tries for an RKO but Harper with a rollup. Harper with a super kick for a near fall.
Harper circles Orton and then he picks Harper up for a power bomb. Harper points to Wyatt and then Orton is able to escape and he gets a near fall with a rollup. Orton hits an RKO when Harper goes for the discus clothesline. Orton gets the three count.
Winner: Randy Orton
After the match, The Wyatt Family music hits as Bray enters the ring. He grabs Harper and kisses him on the head before dropping him with Sister Abigail. Wyatt and Orton leave together as Harper looks on from the ring.
– We take a look back at the end of Smackdown when Alexa Bliss retained her Women’s Title and the Smackdown return of Mickie James.
– Mickie James walks in the back as we go to commercial.
In the Arena:
We are back and Renee Young is in the ring and she introduces Mickie James. Renee says it has been seven years since Mickie returned to a WWE ring, but why La Luchadora?
Mickie says she won her first WWE Championship when she beat WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus at Wrestlemania. She says she is a five time WWE Women’s Champion and former Divas Champion.
Renee says Mickie has one of the most impressive resumes in WWE history, but Renee mentions that Mickie did not answer the question.
Mickie says she answered the question. She might have been away but she watched WWE. Becky and the women of the ‘revolution’ act like they were the first athletes. All of her sacrifices meant nothing. They would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for Alexa Bliss.
Renee asks Mickie to explain her alliance and asks if Alexa is part of the ‘revolution’.
Mickie says that Alexa has been fighting this since day one. Alexa remembered everything about Mickie. Mickie says she has a lot of respect for Alexa because if it wasn’t for Alexa, she wouldn’t be here.
She says that Becky remembers to say she is the first women picked. She says the hell with the revolution, this is the first step of the Reinvention of Mickie James.
Becky Lynch’s music plays and Becky attacks Mickie and punches her. Mickie escapes through the crowd and then Alexa with a forearm to Becky from the crowd. Alexa rolls Becky into the ring and Mickie with a spinning back heel kick. Alexa walks over Becky and goes up top for Twisted Bliss. Mickie tells Becky she should have learned this lesson from Alexa, always be one step ahead. We go to commercial.
– We are back and Tom Phillips reminds us of Carmella taking James Ellsworth on a shopping spree so he looks better.
Carmella says he will be ‘G’ed up from the feet up’. James is worried about the cost of the clothing. He talks about a fur coat, but Carmella wants him to worry about pants first. James asks to see the finest pajama bottoms. James goes through some outfits and Carmella compares him to Sami Zayn. Then he puts on some women’s clothes. After a few failures, Carmella says it is time for her to dress James.
Battle Royal for a spot in the Royal Rumble
Aiden English, Simon Gotch, Konnor, Viktor, Curt Hawkins, Mojo Rawley, Rhyno, Heath Slater, Fandango, and Tyler Breeze
Baron Corbin comes to the announce table to do commentary for the battle royal that will be on after another commercial.
Back from the break and Rhyno sends Slater over the top rope but he stays on the apron. English and Gotch charge at Rhyno and Slater but they move and Gotch and English are eliminated. Hawkins with forearms to Rawley but Rawley puts Hawkins on the turnbuckles and punches him off the turnbuckles to eliminate him. Konnor attacks Rawley while Vicktor works over Slater. Fandango goes after Rhyno and Breeze joins in. Slater and Viktor fight by the ropes and Viktor is eliminated. Viktor grabs the leg and Konnor with a running shoulder to eliminate Slater.
Rhyno and Konnor wtih punches while Breeze and Fandango go after Rhyno and Konnor. Rawley comes over and he eliminates Rhyno and Konnor. Rawley punches Breeze and Fandango. Fandango and Breeze gain control. Rawley with a kick to Breeze and then he sends Fandango the apron. Breeze sends Rawley to the apron. Breeze accidentally super kicks Fandango off the apron to eliminate him. Rawley with a back body drop to eliminate Breeze.
Winner: Mojo Rawley
– We see Nikki Bella interviewed earlier in the day and she is asked about whether her relationship with John Cena is the reason for her success. Nikki says maybe it is destiny, but John had nothing to do with her success.
Natalya shows up and says she does not see her face on any of these trucks. Nikki swings at Natalya but misses. Natalya sends Nikki into the truck. We go to commercial.
In the Arena:
We are back and WWE Champion AJ Styles makes his way to the ring.
AJ says before he calls out John Cena, and he will, he says he has to get something off his chest. As the WWE Champion, he would not have to deal with things like this, but he wants to know what people think about the Royal Rumble poster. AJ says John Cena is in the front, but where is AJ Styles on the poster. We see AJ in the back of the graphic. AJ says Shane is really showing his champion some respect. On Monday morning… AJ tells John Cena to get out here right now.
John Cena comes out to the ring.
AJ says everyone has heard enough of Cena’s rah rah speeches. AJ says he has heard enough. Monday morning, he turns on the television and he sees John on the Today Show. What do I hear and see? We see footage.from his appearance where AJ is referred to as “Guy from Atlanta” by the co-hosts.
AJ says he is just a guy from Atlanta? AJ says he is the Phenomenal AJ Styles. He is the champ that runs the camp. He is the man who has been holding down Smackdown Live since you have been gone. AJ says nobody missed John. . . nobody. AJ tells John to look at him when he is talking to him. He didn’t just take John’s place. He is the face that replaced you.
He asks John if it gets to him. AJ says he is the man on Smackdown, not John. He knows it eats John up because John knows that AJ is the better man in it. AJ says he knows it because John always comes up with an excuse. AJ doesn’t play fair. He wasn’t ready to come back from his injury. AJ says he has an excuse for John. He says it is John. You are the only excuse left. You are a sorry excuse for a wrestler.
AJ says it is cute that John has a new shirt. AJ wants to know what does he have to do to get and earn respect around here? Maybe he will get respect when he beats John at the Royal Rumble. He has fought for everything in the WWE. He is not settling for an inch. He is taking a foot and putting it in your ass.
John says the champ is a little tense. He is complaining that he is not getting respect. He is complaining because the world does not know how phenomenal you are? John says he has come to this ring and thousands of people tell him that he sucks and you are the one complaining about the lack of respect. You say that John Cena gets handed everything. You are going to try as hard, but it won’t be your fault when you fail. You are talking about respect. You have been hot for six months, but John says he has been holding this place down for a decade.
You call him a bad wrestler because he did not toil on the indie scene? John says he wasn’t built for the indie scene. He was built for the WWE and the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. John says AJ is not on his level or the level below him. John says he gets more done in a day than AJ has in his career.
John tells AJ to photoshop your photo over his face. John says he only cares about Sunday. John says AJ is not a guy from Atlanta, he is just a guy. He is a guy who is holding the title because John is letting him. John says you are just like everyone else who hates John but acts just like him. He says you are just a guy who will find out on Sunday that there is only John Cena and he says he is a bad bad man and his time is now.
– Dolph Ziggler and Kalisto walk in the back as we go to commercial.
Kalisto vs. Dolph Ziggler
Kalisto avoids a clothesline and Ziggler with kicks and punches. Ziggler with a neck breaker for a near fall. Ziggler misses a clothesline and Kalisto with a back flip and clothesline. Kalisto with a springboard move but Ziggler with a super kick for the three count.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
After the match, Ziggler looks around and he goes to the floor and gets a chair. JBL gets up and gets ready to confront Ziggler, but Apollo Crews attacks Ziggler from behind. Crews grabs the chair and tries to hit Ziggler with it, but he misses and hits the ring post. We go to commercial.
Natalya vs. Naomi
Natalya does not come out and we see Nikki attacking Natalya in the back until referees have to pull Nikki off Natalya.
Naomi takes a mic and she says it is not going down like that tonight. Naomi says she came back to Smackdown because this is the land of opportunity. She is here to land her opportunity. She is not leaving until someone from the back comes out.
Alexa Bliss comes out and she tells Naomi to calm down. She is not out here to answer a challenge from a nobody. You haven’t been on television in three months. Who are you? The better question is who do you think you are.
Naomi says she will show Alexa who she is. She tells Alexa to come into the ring and she will make Alexa look like Mr. Clean. Naomi says she is the next Women’s champion.
Alexa enters the ring and leaves just as fast. She tells Naomi to say hello to obscurity. Back to commercial.
Backstage:
We are back and Dean Ambrose is walking in the back and he is asked about his strategy in his title match tonight. Dean says anything can happen with the Lumberjacks. He is going to go with his instincts and that is how he is going to win the Royal Rumble. He is going to break Miz’ nose and pound him into the mat.
Lumberjack Match for the WWE Intercontinental Title: The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose
We go to the ring and out comes The Miz with Maryse. The SmackDown Superstar start surrounding the ring as we go to commercial break.
Back from the break and they announced a six woman tag match at the Royal Rumble: Naomi, Nikki Bella, and Becky Lynch will face Mickie James, Natalya, and Alexa Bliss.
Ambrose with a kick and he sends Miz over the top rope but he lands on the apron. Miz comes back into the ring and Dean is sent to the floor but he gets back into the ring before the lumberjacks can help. Ambrose with a punch and kicks. Ambrose misses a cross body and rolls to the floor. Ambrose gets in a few shots on the lumberjacks and Miz kicks Ambrose when he gets back into the ring. Miz punches Ambrose. Ambrose with a rollup and kick but Miz escapes a double underhook DDT.
Miz goes to the floor but he gets back in. Miz is sent to the floor again and the lumberjacks brawl while half attack Miz. Ambrose gets a near fall. We go to commercial.
We are back and Miz goes for a superplex but Ambrose blocks it and sends Miz to the mat. Miz with a punch and Ambrose falls into the ropes and the lumberjacks pull Miz out of the ring instead of him bouncing off the ropes. Miz misses a boot when Ambrose gets back into the ring and Ambrose gets a near fall. Ambrose is sent to the floor and the lumberjacks take their time going after Ambrose.
Miz with a DDT and he gets a near fall. Miz mocks Daniel Bryan and does the Kicks of Yes. Miz misses a round kick and Ambrose gets a near fall with a rollup. Ambrose with jabs and punches. Miz sends Ambrose to the floor and Ambrose fights off the lumberjacks. Baron pulls Ambrose off the apron and then Ambrose sends Baron into the ring post. Ambrose drops Miz on the top rope and then Ambrose goes up top and hits an elbow to the chest for a near fall.
Ambrose with forearms and then he clotheslines Miz over the top rope to the floor. Ambrose with a suicide dive and he punches Miz on the announce table. Half the lumberjacks go after Miz while the other half go after Ambrose. Maryse grabs Ambrose’s leg and Miz with the flying knee for a near fall.
Miz sets for the running drop kick and he hits it. Miz with a second one that connects. Miz is sent over the top rope to the floor and Miz tries to go over the ringside barrier but they keep Miz in the ringside area. Ambrose goes up top and he hits an elbow drop to the pile and it is a domino effect.
Miz with an O’Connor Roll for a near fall. Ambrose wtih a rollup for a near fall. Ambrose does the rebound clothesline and Baron Corbin breaks up the cover. The referee lets everyone get in the ring. Corbin is the last non participant ot leave the ring. Miz with a rollup for a near fall. Ambrose with the double underhook DDT for the three count.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
We go to credits.
