WWE SmackDown recap and reactions: The Royal Rumble Go-home show

The latest episode of WWE SmackDown came our way live from Kansas City, Missouri. And the show featured the final push for the Royal Rumble event.

With this in mind, the main event segment featured Universal champion Roman Reigns and title contender Seth Rollins. And the two had an interesting back-and-forth.

Rollins gloated about being the one to break up The Shield, while Reigns admitted he has never really forgiven his ‘brother’ for that act of betrayal.

What was confusing about the segment, however, was the fact that it flew against the face of what was being presented recently.

“What about the time I took a steel chair to your back and changed the game forever?”#SmackDown @WWERollins @WWERomanReigns pic.twitter.com/mfzPNHL58Y

— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2022

In the last few weeks, Rollins has been shown as the clever one who got cheered. In a feud of two heels, he was the de-facto babyface.

However this week, Reigns showed a lot of emotion and even let go of the whole ‘Tribal Chief’ schtick. He seemed genuinely bothered by Rollins’ taunts.

This led to him even trying to attack ‘The Messiah’ but miss his shot as the show came to a close. Interesting stuff all around.

On one hand, it seems a decent way to show they’re both equally sympathetic and have also changed a lot since then. On the other, it reeks of lazy writing to some degree.

Let’s check out how the rest of the show went.

WWE SmackDown – full results

• Sasha Banks is back! And she’s going to be in the Royal Rumble match. This return would have probably been cooler if they saved it for the event, but it’s still a big plus for WWE. And for Banks herself.
• Sheamus and Ridge Holland beat Ricochet and Cesaro in a decent tag team match. This was fine for what it was.
• Naomi got a big win over Sonya Deville, and it was one that popped the live crowd too. The feud doesn’t seem over by a long shot though; Deville will enter the Rumble match to again try and prevent Naomi from shining.
• Sami Zayn did a live podcast with Jinder Mahal and Shanky. In it, he also reminded everyone he hates Jonny Knoxville. Mahal and Shanky then faced Intercontinental champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick BOOGS in a tag match. BOOGS won the match for his team by pinning Shanky.
• Big E and Kofi Kingston beat Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin in a tag match. Again, this was fine for what it was.

In the wake of their tag team victory on #SmackDown, @WWEBigE and @TrueKofi discuss how close they are and how they will use that to make sure they are successful in the #RoyalRumble Match on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/28QjT2BgJK

— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2022

The show was decent but not can’t-miss, which is a shame given it’s a go-home show.

Grade: C