WWE SmackDown Results and Grades 29 Jan 2021: Braun Strowman makes a shocking return just before the Royal Rumble

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

WWE SmackDown Results and Grades: The final SmackDown before the 2021 Royal Rumble was upon us and WWE had confirmed that Bianca Belair and Bayley would meet in the ring.

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens would also meet in a segment but we start this WWE SmackDown results and grades piece with two other top stars trading shots.

Bryan brings up the Rumble

Daniel Bryan started off SmackDown and spoke about how he wanted to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania since he didn’t know how many years he had left in him.

He also spoke about Alpha Academy before AJ Styles cut him off. Styles wanted to face Bryan and pushed his rival to the floor before Bryan accepted the clash for later in the evening.

Grade B

Styles was here thanks to the weird brand to brand invitational and while the pair did speak well, it wasn’t anything new or great.

Bryan vs Styles should be fun though and it was interesting to hear Bryan say he doesn’t have many WrestleMania moments left in him.

Bayley vs Belair

Bayley spoke to Kayla Braxton about being better than Bayley and was ready to win the Royal Rumble. The Role Model dominated early but made fun of her rival’s hair.

That got Belair charged up as she went on a rampage and got the win thanks to the KOD. The EST of WWE then spoke with Braxton on the ramp and was happy with the win as Bayley looked on.

Belair beats Bayley

Grade B

Bayley and Belair put on another great show and this seems to be the perfect rivalry for the EST of WWE to get used to the bigger nights on SmackDown.

It will be interesting to see what is next for her but WWE could continue this rivalry for a little longer.

Corbin vs Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio and King Corbin clash again and it was the younger Mysterio who attacked the King from behind before he could head to the ring.

Corbin took over afterwords as Rey Mysterio was on commentary duty. Dominik tried his best to get the win but it was Corbin who was the better man on the night.

Afterwards, he tried to attack Rey too but the veteran outsmarted Corbin and sent him crashing into the steel post.

Corbin beats Dominik

Grade C

This is getting tiring now with nothing new being shared in this rivalry. The match was decent but this is WWE stretching a done story and hopefully, they realise this fast.

Reigns vs Owens

Sasha Banks was provided some wine by Reginald but it was sent back to Carmella by The Boss.

The Miz and John Morrison clashed with Big E regarding the Royal Rumble entry numbers. Sami Zayn also tried to get back with Shinsuke Nakamura but that didn’t take place too.

Kevin Owens then spoke about how he would win on Sunday while Paul Heyman didn’t want Roman Reigns to waste his time speaking on someone like KO.

However, Reigns became irate as KO continued to speak and the Tribal Chief even brought up KO’s father and called his family fools.

Owens lost his head as the insults continued by Reigns just turned off the camera. KO wanted a piece of Reigns and was keen on having a fight now.

Grade A

This was an incredible segment as both stars did their bit on the microphone. Reigns getting under the skin of KO was incredible too and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top at the Rumble.

Bryan vs Styles

Cesaro was on the commentary team as he explained how he could win the Rumble. There was a lot of madness in this clash as Big E attacked Sami Zayn while Styles and Bryan wrestled.

Zayn then attacked Bryan to cause a DQ before Shinsuke Nakamura came out to make the save. Cesaro and Nakamura almost fought too.

Bryan beats Styles

Grade B

WWE announced a six-man tag with E, Nakamura and Bryan on one side taking on Styles, Cesaro and Zayn on the other.

The finish for the one-on-one match wasn’t all that great but it was expected given that so many people were near the ring.

Six-man tag

The match started off well before Big E took control later on. The Miz and John Morrison attacked E causing the DQ before Otis came out and attacked Miz and Morrison.

This became a 5-on-4 tag match with Miz and Morrison teaming up with the heels as Sonya Deville made the decision.

The man advantage for the heels worked well as they isolated Bryan. However, it turned into a 5-on-5 with Sheamus coming out of nowhere and getting the hot tag in.

The match descended into chaos with almost every star hitting their finisher before Sheamus got the win. He couldn’t celebrate much as The Miz and Morrison attacked him before Braun Strowman made his return to WWE.

He cleared the ring by taking out the heels before destroying Cesaro and standing tall ahead of the Rumble.

Sheamus, Bryan, E, Nakamura and Otis win

Grade B

It was fun seeing such a big match as WWE prepared for the Rumble. However, the Sheamus surprise wasn’t needed. He could have come earlier to get the win and help his team.

The Strowman reveal, however, was great. He is perfect for the Rumble and looked to be in the shape of his life. It will be interesting to see what he does next but WWE certainly made sure that people are interested in the Rumble.

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