Kevin Owens and John Cena stood tall (Picture: WWE)
John Cena and Kevin Owens won the final WWE match of 2022 and they could have caused some cracks in The Bloodline.
The WWE legend turned Hollywood star teamed up with KO in the SmackDown main event to face off against Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns, and the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion won’t be happy with the result.
The match means Cena has wrestled at least once every year since his debut in 2002 and while he certainly went for a safer ‘greatest hits’ style performance, that can perhaps be forgiven with his acting career in full flow.
Surprisingly, his comeback wasn’t necessarily the big story of the night or even the bout itself, with Owens and Zayn taking centre stage after some tense moments amid the Tribal Chief’s group.
Earlier in the night, Paul Heyman planted the seeds of division by slyly warning the Honorary Uce about a potential backlash over the way fans are chanting his name when The Bloodline are on screen.
Although Reigns insisted he didn’t mind, there were flickers of envy and anger as the crowd cheered for Zayn, KO and Cena above the Head of the Table himself.
The bout itself may not have had as much Cena as some might have hoped, but it hit all the right notes as Owens pinned Zayn, putting a loss on Reigns’ record despite him not being involved in the final decision.
It was also great to see Cena back in the ring, hitting his signature moves and wearing his heart on his sleeve as he thanked the fans for letting him do this for the past 20 years.
Charlotte Flair returns, Uncle Howdy attacks Bray Wyatt and Ricochet accidentally cracks GUNTHER
The show set the tone early as it opened with a bang with Bray Wyatt coming out to address last week’s attack on a poor cameraman, but his apology was cut short by LA Knight.
The brash star – who was on fire here – ended up challenging Wyatt for the Royal Rumble, and the former world champion accepted before a sinister warning played out on screen.
Someone who appeared to be Uncle Howdy then made a creepy entrance before hitting Wyatt with a Sister Abigail out of nowhere, leaving the fans – and Knight – totally stunned.
As the opening match between Sheamus and Soli Sikoa was getting underway, Michael Cole took the opportunity to pay a poignant tribute to the late, great Don West.
He said: ‘I would like to offer my condolences here tonight to wrestling commentator Don West’s family. Don passed away earlier today, a man who made a true impact on the wrestling business. Godspeed to Mr. West.’
The match itself was as physical as you’d expect between the two heavyweights, who battered each other in the name of entertainment.
The Celtic Warrior’s Brawling Brutes allies Butch and Ridge Holland got involved in a scrap with The Usos at ringside before Sheamus flew from the top to the outside to take out Jimmy and Jey.
Sikoa picked up the win with a Samoan Spike, and while he and his brothers put a chair round Sheamus’ neck, he couldn’t deliver the same Hip Attack which took out Matt Riddle before Drew McIntyre returned to make the save.
Ronda Rousey and Raquel Rodriguez weren’t to be outdone, delivering a fantastic match with the SmackDown Women’s Title on the line.
The crowd were firmly behind the challenger as she delivered another gutsy performance with an ‘injured’ arm, while Shayna Baszler proved to be the difference maker.
Charlotte Flair returned to win the title (Picture: WWE)
There was some drama to come though as Charlotte Flair made her shocking return with new gear and theme, quickly laying down a challenge for the champ.
She accepted, and 40 seconds later pinned Rousey to become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion in a genuinely surprising and brilliant twist.
Braun Strowman attempted to ruin Imperium’s celebration for Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and was brewing for a brawl, quickly fighting off Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser before taking the fight to the Ring General.
GUNTHER was able to sidestep the Strowman Express, sending the heavyweight through the ringside barricade as beat him down in the ring despite the best efforts of officials.
Ricochet ran down to make the save, chasing everyone off with a steel chair and even getting an inadvertent shot in on GUNTHER which reportedly left him busted open.
WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
WWE SmackDown results and grades – December 30, 2022
SmackDown Women’s Title: Charlotte Flair beat Ronda Rousey (c) after Rousey defeated Raquel Rodriguez (A for the entire segment)
Kevin Owens and John Cena beat Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns (A-)
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MORE : Who is Uncle Howdy? WWE fans think Edge or Bo Dallas are behind Bray Wyatt attack on SmackDown
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What a wild show!
