WWE SmackDown Results 2/9 - Triple H Appears, Number One Contenders Match And More
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results for "WWE SmackDown" on February 9, 2024, coming to you live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina!
Cody Rhodes had yet to make his decision about whether he would face Seth "Freakin" Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship or Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship after emerging victorious in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble last month. That was, until last night, when he officially chose "The Tribal Chief" during the WrestleMania 40 Kickoff Show. He later not only encountered Reigns, but his cousin The Rock as well (who he had initially been willing to let challenge Reigns instead of himself) leading to a physical altercation between "The American Nightmare" and the latter man. In light of such, WWE CCO Triple H will be appearing on tonight's show.
Damian Priest and Finn Balor's next challengers for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship will be determined tonight, as #DIY goes head-to-head with Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne with the winning team receiving their match at WWE's Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event later this month on February 24. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa beat Imperium, New Day, and The Creed Brothers on Monday to secure their spot in tonight's match while Bate and Dunne defeated Pretty Deadly, Legado del Fantasma, and LWO this past Friday.
Speaking of Elimination Chamber, the second participant in the Women's Elimination Chamber will be determined as Bianca Belair collides with Michin in a Qualifier Match. The winner will join Becky Lynch and four other competitors who have yet to be revealed.
Damage CTRL officially imploded last week after Bayley caught Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Women's World Champion IYO SKY talking about her behind her back and decided to challenge SKY for her title at WrestleMania, leading to a physical brawl. Tonight, she has something on her mind to share.
Additionally, Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, Randy Orton, LA Knight, and the aforementioned Rhodes are all advertised to be in town tonight per WWE's event page.
We are live! Wade Barrett and Corey Graves greet audiences at home before throwing it to a video of what happened during the WrestleMania 40 Kickoff Show yesterday.
Triple H then makes his way down to the ring. Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are already waiting inside.
We Hear From Triple H
Triple H welcomes fans to "SmackDown", and says the WrestleMania 40 Kickoff Show was a grand way to kick off the WrestleMania season despite things going off road. He says he came out to clear up a couple of things. He says he felt like there was some confusion in the air flying out of Las Vegas, and says some people don't know their role. He says people went out and tried to insert their authority when they have none, and says he doesn't care where someone sits because the answers come from him. He then declares that Roman Reigns will indeed defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes.Triple H says certain people in the back will be disappointed by that decision, but it doesn't matter if they don't like that decision. He then welcomes fans to the Road to WrestleMania.
Aldis steps forward and addresses Seth "Freakin" Rollins' World Heavyweight Championship opponent at WrestleMania 40. He announces that the winner of the Men's Elimination Chamber match will face him before Pearce announces that Randy Orton, Bronson Reed, Kevin Owens, Logan Paul, AJ Styles, The Miz, Bobby Lashley, Ivar, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Dominik Mysterio, and LA Knight will face one another in a series of six qualifier matches to determine who competes in the chamber. He then announces that McIntyre will be facing Styles up next, the former of which runs his mouth about CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and WrestleMania 40 as he makes his way down to the ring.
Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles in a Men's Elimination Chamber Qualifier Match
LA Knight joins the announce desk as the bell rings and McIntyre sends Styles crashing into the corner. He lands a chop, but Styles responds with a kick on his thigh and a pair of chops of his own. He looks to land a crossbody out of the corner, but McIntyre catches him and delivers a Brainbuster. He delivers a couple more chops, but Styles responds with several of his own. McIntyre lands a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then delivers a knee to his midsection.
Styles connects with a dropkick and goes after McIntyre's knee, then sits himself on the top turnbuckle. McIntyre pushes him out of the ring and sends him crashing over the barricade near the timekeeper's area. He then looks up at the WrestleMania sign.
Back from the break, Styles delivers a Tornado DDT to McIntyre. He fires off strikes on McIntyre, then delivers a sliding clothesline and a flying right hand. McIntyre gets Styles up on his shoulders and ascends to the middle rope, but Styles pulls him off and lands a powerbomb. He then gets McIntyre up on his shoulders, but McIntyre escapes and executes the Futureshock DDT. He sets up for the Claymore Kick, but Styles ducks out of the way and locks in the Calf Crusher. McIntyre crawls over to the bottom rope to break the hold.
Styles delivers a forearm from the apron, then sets up for the Phenomenal Forearm. McIntyre knocks him to the outside, but Styles manages to land a Pele Kick. He tosses Styles over the announce desk, and Knight offers Styles some water by tipping it on the edge of the announce desk. Styles gets in Knight's face, and McIntyre takes advantage. He sends Styles crashing into McIntyre. Knight looks to get involved as Styles rolls up McIntyre, but the referee is distracted by Knight and doesn't see the pinfall. Styles clocks Knight, opening the door for McIntyre to deliver the Claymore Kick for the win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Back from the break, we head over to a video of Elton Prince hyping up a sad Kit Wilson after a quick hello from Queen Elizabeth in the clouds.
Back at ringside, Bianca Belair makes her way down. Michin follows.
Bianca Belair vs. Michin in a Women's Elimination Chamber Qualifier Match
The bell rings and Belair gets Michin up on her shoulders looking for a KOD. Michin escapes and delivers a pair of kicks to her head, then delivers two more. Belair lands on the outside, and Michin delivers a kick from the apron.
Back from the break, Belair is sent colliding into the ring post. The pair go back and forth with forearms, but Michin lands a boot on Belair's jaw. She follows it up with a neckbreaker and looks for a cannonball, but Belair sees her coming and rolls out of the way. She then lands a backbreaker and looks for a springboard moonsault, but Michin gets her knees up. Belair stops herself before she can land on top of them, then sends Michin crashing into the top turnbuckle face first and fires off a few shoulders on her midsection. She rains down right hands on her.
Michin manages to land a superplex on Belair and follows it up with Eat Defeat. Belair is sent crashing out of the ring, but Michin gets her back in. Michin then looks to hit a move, but Belair counters into a back body drop and follows it up with the KOD for the win.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Back from the break, we see Bron Breakker meet with Triple H. Triple H tells Breakker he's proud of him and it's awesome to see how he's developed his craft. Breakker asks Triple H on advice for making his decision as to sign with "Raw" or "SmackDown", but before he can answer, Paul Heyman interrupts and says he'll be back next week with Roman Reigns and The Rock after seeing that Triple H isn't in much of a mood to talk.
Back at ringside, Bayley makes her way down.
We Hear From Bayley
Bayley says she's had a tough time coming up with what to say about the Damage CTRL split last week, and while she initially thought that some might've said she had it coming, it sounds like the fans are cool with her. She says fans have been on this journey with her and stood by her side. She says they know her heart and passion for the business.
Bayley says Damage CTRL meant everything to her, and says they were her family. She says she put the stable before herself time and time again, but they simply took from her and continuously laughed at her and stopped talking when she would enter a room. She says she's been in this spot to know better, and tells IYO SKY she'll learn that the hard way.
Dakota Kai marches down to the ring, demanding to know why Bayley hasn't been answering her texts. Bayley asks her where she was last week, and Kai says she was with her doctors. She says she didn't know what Sane, Asuka, and SKY were going to do last week, and Bayley was adamant that she did. Kai says she was put in a tough spot, but she always believed in Damage CTRL and what Bayley created. She says SKY did too until Sane and Asuka came along, and says while she initially thought everything would be okay, they got into SKY's head. Bayley questions why Kai didn't tell her about what they were saying, and Kai says she didn't know how to. She says she misses her, Bayley, and SKY together, and says Bayley has always been like a mentor to her. She says she wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for Bayley, and says she thought everything would just blow over.
Bayley asks Kai where she stands, but before Kai can answer, SKY's music hits and she makes her way down to the ring alongside Sane and Asuka.
Kai slides out of the ring as Asuka, Sane, and SKY surround the ring. Kai enters the ring with a chair once again, and hits all three ropes where Sane, Asuka, and SKY are standing to scare them off. She drops the chair, and stands in the ring side by side with Bayley. Bayley then kicks the chair away from Kai.
Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne then make their way down to the ring. #DIY follows.
#DIY vs. Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne in a Number One Contenders Match For The Undisputed Tag Team Championship
Bate and Gargano begin the action. The bell rings and the two take turns pinning one another. Dunne tags in and levels Gargano, but Ciampa tags in and levels Dunne with a back elbow. Dunne and Ciampa end up on the outside, and Dunne finds himself on top of the announce desk. Gargano levels Bate with a tope suicida before Ciampa delivers a running knee to Dunne's head.
Back from the break, Ciampa delivers a clothesline each to Dunne and Bate in the corner. He then levels both men with a double clothesline and lands a reverse DDT on Bate. Gargano tags in and Ciampa gets Bate up on his shoulders, but Dunne provides him with a hand. #DIY then double team on Dunne, and Gargano delivers a springboard clothesline to Bate that turns him inside out.
Bate then delivers the Airplane Spin on Gargano while simultaneously executing The Swing on Ciampa. He sends Gargano crashing on top of Ciampa when he plants him before Ciampa tags in and rocks Bate with a knee. Ciampa lands Project Ciampa, then connects with a boot on Bate's jaw and a running knee to the side of his head. Gargano sets up and #DIY sets up for Meeting In The Middle, but Dunne snaps Ciampa's fingers to prevent them from landing their finisher. Dunne gets leveled on the outside, and Bate delivers a modified rebound clothesline. Gargano levels Bate with a boot on his jaw, then goes flying to level Ciampa on the outside. Back in the ring, the now legal Dunne catches Gargano with a right hand and follows it up with The Bitter End for the win.
Winners (and new Number One Contenders): Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne
After the match, Dunne, Bate, and #DIY fist bump one another as a sign of respect.
Back from the break, Sami Zayn makes his way down to the ring. Randy Orton follows.
Sami Zayn vs. Randy Orton in a Men's Elimination Chamber Qualifier Match
The bell rings and the two lock up. Orton lands a shoulder tackle on Zayn, but Zayn manages to dump Orton out of the ring. Orton gets back inside, and the two lock up. Orton fires off right hands on Zayn, but Zayn reverses and rains down several of his own. Orton then lands more right hands on Zayn before landing an uppercut that sends him crashing out of the ring. Zayn lands a moonsault on Orton off the barricade, but Orton delivers a right hand to his midsection and gets him back in the ring. Zayn looks to fly, but Orton catches him with a right hand. Zayn then sends Orton crashing on top of the announce desk.
Back from the break, Zayn and Orton exchange right hands on the top rope. Orton lands a superplex and fires off right hands on Zayn's head, but Zayn responds with several shoulders to his midsection. Orton executes a scoop powerslam and sets up for a hanging DDT, but Zayn dumps Orton out of the ring and lands a tope suicida. Orton plants Zayn on top of the announce desk, then lands a hanging DDT. He sets up for the RKO, but Zayn rolls him up. Orton kicks out, and Zayn lands a Blue Thunder Bomb. He goes for a pin, but Orton kicks out. Zayn then flies off the ropes, but Orton catches him with a RKO for the win.
Winner: Randy Orton
After the match, Drew McIntyre appears in the ring. He stares down Orton as the show goes off the air.