Friday Night SmackDown aired on Syfy this week from inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Considering that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, passion is a key element of this business, and that was certainly seen tonight as all the women we saw had some goal in mind. Whether it was securing a title or qualifying for this year’s Elimination Chamber match, the ladies of Team Blue are red hot and on an upward swing in momentum.
Tiffany Stratton kicked off the show for the Dallas crowd. Three months ago, she lost the WWE Women’s Championship after a rookie year most women would dream of having, which is why she decided to qualify for the women’s Elimination Chamber, not because she asked, not because she got lucky, but because when she says she’s going to do something, she does it. Five women are walking into the Chamber hoping to get a match at WrestleMania, but she doesn’t just walk in hoping, she walks in expecting to win. And based on what she’s seen the past couple of months, she feels like the WWE Women’s Championship misses her.
Nia Jax and Lash Legend interrupted her, already in ring gear. Jax said that she would love to say it’s good to see her face again, but she knows Jax is not a liar. Legend agrees, because they keep it real around here, and the truth is, Stratton got lucky last week.
Stratton questions why Jax is still so obsessed with her, seeing she’s got herself a little replacement in Legend, who responds by calling her “Bitter Betty”, warning her to calm down before she lashes out on her. The reality is, she is the upgrade, and after tonight when they beat Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, Jax is going to win her Elimination Chamber qualifying match next week. After that, Jax and Stratton will be locked up in the chamber and will pin her faster than she can say “It’s Tiffy Time!”
Jax decides that her and Legend should save Stratton the embarrassment and take care of her tonight, but Rhea Ripley’s music interruptions to cheers from the crowd, happily surprising Tiffany who leaves the ring. Ripley warns Nia and Lash not to get ahead of themselves, because neither of them are going to be walking out of the Elimination Chamber let alone walking out of a golden opportunity to go to WrestleMania. Why? Because she is there, and soon, IYO will too, and they’re going to do what they do best, and that’s work together until they are the last two standing. But first, RhIYO needs to beat the crap out of the two for thinking that they’re going to be walking out of Dallas with the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
The match began with Jax messing around with SKY, who quickly reversed it with some rapid-fire attacks of her own, and showcasing her effective teamwork with Ripley by sending both Jax and Legend out of the ring early on. Jax did hit a Samoan drop on SKY, which turned the tables for her and Legend throughout the commercial break as they took advantage of their size and power difference (and in Jax’s case, humorously giving The Genius of the Sky an embarrassing stinkface).
The show did return with SKY being able to outmaneuver Jax and Legend, finally tagging in Rhea, who fought off the heel team with her quick thinking and lucha-style offense. Unfortunately, a pin attempt led to Jax kicking out at 2, but with a forceful powerbomb from Ripley to Jax putting her out, a moonsault from SKY was stopped by Legend, who had gotten back into the ring and pushed Ripley just in time for referee Charles Robinson to only make it to a two count. An angry Lash then took IYO out of the ring and slammed her into the ring apron, the ring post, and even the commentary desk, as “This is awesome!” chants became audible.
Rhea would intervene and dropkick Lash, and since The Boujee Bully was not the legal competitor for her team, the match was immediately stopped. That wouldn’t stop both teams from continuing to brawl though, and Legend pulled out a Slim Jim-branded table, intending to put Ripley on it, but Ripley got up and fought her as SKY instead dropkicked Jax into hitting the table. Legend speared Ripley into the timekeepers area, prompting other referees to finally rush out and come to their aid.
Zelina appeared in a vignette with Aleister Black. After Black addressed Randy Orton, Vega shifted gears to mention her opponents tonight – Alexa Bliss and Giulia. The only two in her way of qualifying for the women’s Elimination Chamber, Vega singled out The Beautiful Madness as holding “her title”, the Women’s United States Championship, and Bliss as holding on to a “fragile friendship” with her tag team partner Charlotte Flair. She can’t help but wonder how much she can poke and play, until those “porcelain egos” finally break. Alexa Bliss got in her head a long time ago; she knows who Bliss is. Tonight, she makes sure she goes into Elimination Chamber, and tonight, change will come.
After a recap was shown of the women’s Royal Rumble match from two weeks ago showing Alexa Bliss being eliminated and Charlotte Flair’s dismay over accidentally causing it, Bliss was seen backstage with an upset look on her face as Flair said hi and wanted to apologize to her about what happened at the Royal Rumble. Bliss said that Nia eliminated her, not Flair, and she agrees, feeling that Nia ruins everything – but she’s not going to ruin today, because today is Galentine’s Day (Bliss said “Friday the 13th”), and Flair thought of her by gifting her a bouquet of black roses, as well as a picture of herself with a signing that reads “To Blisster, my bestie… love you as big as the sky!”
Bliss feels that Flair doesn’t have to do this, as the Royal Rumble rules are that it is every woman for herself, and Flair gets it, since Elimination Chamber is the exact same way. Flair also wants to “woo” Bliss by giving her the best present of all, being ringside for her Elimination Chamber qualifying match against Zelina and Giulia.
The triple threat Elimination Chamber qualifying match started with each woman trying to pin each other during the match’s first half. Things remained rather back-and-forth after the commercial break, with each woman continuing to try and get the upper hand, which notably frustrated Zelina, who screamed when Giulia kicked out of pin at 2 late in the match.
As Zelina and Giulia continued to beat each other to the point that The Beautiful Madness was down on the mat, Alexa tried Twisted Bliss, which backfired when Giulia put her knees up to block the move’s impact. Bliss even tried Sister Abigail on Zelina, which Giulia stopped by kneeing her. Giulia’s attempt at a Northern lights bomb on Bliss was stopped via a shove from Zelina. Kiana James tried to interfere, but was punched out by Zelina, who was about to go for a dropkick before she was stopped right in her tracks by Bliss hitting a Sister Abigail, this time finally winning the match. The two celebrated the win afterwards, and it seems like their friendship is finally back on track.
Bliss now joins fellow Tiffany Stratton and Rhea Ripley as three of the six competitors in the Elimination Chamber qualifying match. One more woman from SmackDown will be determined via next week’s match involving Charlotte, Kiana, and Nia, while Raw still needs two more women in the running, with this Monday’s qualifying match involving Bayley, Asuka, and the newly rechristened Nattie.
Tiffany Stratton was walking around backstage when she ran into Jordynne Grace, who welcomed her back to SmackDown. The Center of the Universe said that things are a little different around here and as much as she wants to beat Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship, she wouldn’t mind if Grace won. Grace promises her that when she wins, she wouldn’t mind seeing Stratton at WrestleMania.
Grace walks away but Stratton runs into Chelsea Green, now in a wheelchair after the foot injury she sustained last week. With Alba Fyre carrying Green, the leader of the Secret Hervice told Stratton to think long and hard about the consequences of her actions, because her foot that was once beautiful is now grotesque, all because in her mind, “selfish little Tacky Time” had to make her return and take what she felt was her spot in the Elimination Chamber – but you know what, jealousy is a disease and Stratton is riddled with it. Fyre buts in by stating that they demand an apology and better yet, compensation. Stratton has the final word, however, stating that if Chelsea wanted an apology, all she had to do was step up and ask… but wait, she can’t. While Stratton walks away, that comment stuck with Green, offending her so much that she had Fyre wheel her off elsewhere in the arena.
Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY were backstage, still hurt from the match earlier. SKY speaks in Japanese, with Ripley responding that they’ll get back at Nia and Lash, but right now SKY needs to worry about her Elimination Chamber qualifying match. An extremely upset Giulia walked into the shot, also screaming in Japanese. Ripley asked if someone was a little sad they didn’t win their qualifying match, but Kiana James responded by suggesting to The Eradicator to not speak to her client that way. SKY however, brings up that she pinned Giulia last week – maybe she’ll do it again and take her Women’s United States title? That only further provokes the champ and James restrains Giulia as she keeps screaming off into the distance.
Rhea and IYO go from a look of amusement to a look of concern as they instantly locked eyes with Jade Cargill, who simply looked at them and walked away.
A video package aired featuring footage of Jordynne Grace training in a gym, as the recent addition to the Team Blue women’s roster narrated the segment. Talking about her life and career, she says that it has been filled with doubters, critics, and pessimists all saying she’d never amount to anything, so she got to work. Grace pushed herself harder than she thought possible, winning bodybuilding championships, broke powerlifting world records, and made history dominating the Knockouts division over in TNA. As the segment switched to clips from her recent matches, Grace says that every impossibility that she has overcome has prepared her for this moment.
The Women’s Championship match was the last women’s match of the night. As Mark Nash was in the midst of announcing both competitors, Liv Morgan’s music interrupted him, with her and Raquel Rodriguez plus Dominik Mysterio walking out. Morgan says Cargill reaching 100 days as Women’s Champion is a big deal, before Mysterio that he privately arranged for a special Valentine’s Day date just for them. Calling him “the greatest boyfriend of all time”, she says he knows she loves dinner and a show, so they are going to sit back and relax as her potential WrestleMania opponents tear each other apart. The dinner even includes Dominik’s favorite, chicken nuggets, and an alcoholic beverage with a cutout of his face on it.
The actual match started and from the outset, Grace was ready to overpower Cargill as much as she could, although Cargill was able to least get a suplex in. The Storm was able to send Grace against the ring post, but Grace ducked out of the way, causing Cargill to hit her left arm. Cargill did get the upper hand for a moment during commercials, kicking at Grace repeatedly and hitting a fallaway slam.
The show returned with Grace fighting back, with the two hitting spinebusters on each other. Cargill kicked out of a driver attempt, but would finish off the match by reversing a torture rack attempt with a punt kick and Jaded to retain her title. Cargill then warned Morgan afterwards in case she challenges her at WrestleMania.
Candice LeRae tried to comfort Johnny Gargano backstage, still in a depressed mood; just as last week, the Motor City Machine Guns and Fraxiom could do nothing but laugh at Gargano’s misfortune. The Poison Pixie wants him to forget about Axiom’s mask, but Gargano claims he has nothing left, with Tomasso Ciampa gone and leaving him without a partner, no friends, and no title. Still choosing to lay on a box, LeRae wheeled her husband out, promising to fix this.
Lastly, Jordynne Grace was seen in a brief highlight reel visiting the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, with fellow SmackDown stars Carmelo Hayes and Matt Cardona.
Friday Night SmackDown will air next week on Syfy from inside the Amerant Bank Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Here is what’s set to take place:
- Triple Threat Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Nia Jax vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Kiana James
As always, make sure to share to share your thoughts on this week’s episode of SmackDown in the comments below.