WWE SmackDown Results Coverage, Reactions & Highlights For February 2, 2024

It’s Friday night and you know what that means! WWE SmackDown will go down tonight and Ringside News has got you covered with live play-by-play results coverage for the January 26, 2024 episode.

WWE SmackDown will start this week at 8:00 PM EST as always, match-by-match highlights and results from the show will take place on this very page. Feel free to leave any reactions in the comment section below. You can check out the lineup below.

WWE SmackDown Lineup (2/2/2024):

• Cody Rhodes appearance
• Roman Reigns to continue his Road to WrestleMania 40 after the Royal Rumble
• Bayley makes her decision regarding which Champion she’ll challenge at WrestleMania 40
• Logan Paul’s first appearance since controversial Royal Rumble match

WWE SmackDown Results (2/2/2024):

The program commences with the Bloodline making their way backstage.

A recap of the Royal Rumble is presented.

We witness Cody Rhodes and his peculiar dog walking backstage, followed by footage of Damage CTRL inspecting the arena earlier today.

Logan Paul makes his grand entrance.

Corey Graves introduces his new commentary partner for Friday Nights, Wade Barrett.

Paul takes the microphone and pleads with the Alabama crowd not to treat him poorly, admitting that he doesn’t want to be there any more than they want him to be. He candidly confesses to underestimating Kevin Owens, stating that at first glance, Owens may look like an angry donut, but during their match, Owens pushed him to his limits, even more so than Floyd Mayweather did. Owens nearly knocked him out, and yet Paul lost, while Owens remains the champion. Paul acknowledges Owens as one of the toughest competitors on the roster and playfully bestows upon himself various nicknames, including “Beast From the East” (with a humorous nod to Bam Bam Bigelow’s ghost) and “Best in the West.”

Enter Kevin Owens.

Owens expresses that while becoming the United States Champion would be a great accomplishment, it felt even more satisfying to pummel Logan Paul. He now demands another shot at the title. Paul contends that the brass knuckles incident was a setup, but this is Owens’ sole opportunity for a title shot, emphasizing that he had outsmarted Owens.

Owens steps closer to Paul, and Paul remarks on Owens’ unpleasant odor. Owens humorously retorts that he bathed in cologne before arriving, but Paul reiterates that Owens won’t receive another title shot.

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller make their entrance, taking us into a commercial break.

Austin Theory vs. Kevin Owens

In the match between Austin Theory and Kevin Owens, Logan Paul provides commentary.

The action kicks off with a waistlock, but it quickly transitions into a standing switch. Owens retaliates with a back elbow, locking Theory in a side headlock. Theory manages to block a shot from Owens and sends him off the ropes. As Owens returns, Theory executes a leapfrog followed by a powerful arm drag, smoothly transitioning into an armbar. Owens fights to break free, whipping Theory, but Theory reverses it, sending Owens into the turnbuckles. He follows up with a rolling thunder dropkick that Owens manages to block, but Theory still connects with a big senton. Theory goes for the cannonball, coming incredibly close to a victory!

As the action intensifies, Theory executes a back body drop, sending Owens crashing onto the apron. Owens is down and out, leading to a break in the action.

After returning from the commercial break, Kevin Owens manages to create some separation from Austin Theory with a powerful lariat. He follows up with some left-hand chops and backs Theory into the corner, unleashing a series of headbutts. Owens then whips Theory into the corner and successfully connects with a tornado DDT, demonstrating his resilience.

Austin Theory, determined to regain control, puts Owens into the turnbuckles and executes a rolling thunder blockbuster, coming agonizingly close to victory!

The match rages on, with both wrestlers battling in the turnbuckles. Theory manages to take Owens down with a backbreaker rack powerbomb but fails to secure the win.

In a dramatic turn of events, Logan Paul passes Austin Theory a pair of brass knuckles. Owens counters with a superkick, then uses the knuckles to knock out Grayson Waller. He follows it up with a right hand to Theory, while Logan Paul engages in a heated exchange with referee Jessika Carr.

Kevin Owens claims the victory by pinfall with a loaded punch, securing the win.

Following this, a recap of Naomi’s return in the women’s Royal Rumble is shown. She exits General Manager Nick Aldis’ office with a signed contract and celebrates with Shotzi Blackheart, Mia Yim, and Bianca Belair outside the office.

Tiffany Stratton soon emerges with her own signed contract and confronts the celebration, ultimately slapping Mia Yim. Nick Aldis intervenes to break up the altercation, and Mia Yim requests a match.

Next up, Pretty Deadly makes their entrance, and we head into a break.

The match that follows is a Tag Team Qualifying Match, featuring British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate), Latino World Order (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde), Legado del Fantasma (Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo), and Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson).

As we return from the commercial break, a Legado del Fantasma vignette begins. Santos Escobar officially welcomes Elektra Lopez back into the fold and declares their mission to eradicate Rey Mysterio’s Latino World Order. He raises a toast in honor of honor and loyalty, setting the tone for their upcoming battles.

British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. Latino World Order (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Legado del Fantasma (Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) (WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Tournament Semifinals)

In the matchup, it’s Elton Prince and Tyler Bate who kick things off. The commentary team explains that there will be another four-way match on Monday, and the winners from both matches will later face each other to determine the #1 contender for the tag team titles at Elimination Chamber.

Pete Dunne tags in, targeting Elton Prince’s hand with a stomp and an arm wringer. Elton Prince manages to counter with an elbow strike before tagging in Joaquin Wilde.

The action becomes chaotic as all four teams get involved, resulting in a stalemate between British Strong Style and the Latino World Order. Heel teams break up the stalemate, and the babyfaces unite to deliver an impressive assisted-slingshot dive, creating a viral moment before a commercial break.

Upon returning from the break, Elton Prince has Joaquin Wilde grounded with a reverse chinlock. Wilde fights to break free and eventually manages to tag in Pete Dunne. Dunne enters the ring with a series of running enzuigiris to all opponents. He proceeds to stomp on Elton Prince’s hands, skillfully landing on his feet after a German suplex. The Bruiserweight is on fire, taking out everyone in his path.

Kit Wilson executes a codebreaker, prompting Tyler Bate to make his entrance. Bate performs his signature “Bop and Bang” move, followed by an airplane spin. The action escalates into a display of “everybody do something cool.” Elektra Lopez tries to interfere, but Zelina Vega evens the odds, and the Latino World Order dives onto Legado del Fantasma in triplicate.

Kit Wilson attempts a schoolboy pin, but it doesn’t succeed. Pete Dunne then focuses on Wilson’s fingers and tags in Tyler Bate. British Strong Style secures the victory by pinfall with a double Tyler Driver ’97 on Kit Wilson, solidifying their win in this thrilling matchup.

As we return from the commercial break, a video package featuring Seth Rollins plays, where he questions Cody Rhodes about the kind of champion he aspires to become.

Next up, Damage CTRL makes their entrance, with Dakota Kai notably absent.

Bayley takes the microphone and shares her thoughts with the audience. She acknowledges that she has accomplished nearly everything there is to achieve when it comes to WrestleMania. However, this year holds special significance because she recognizes that she didn’t reach this point on her own. Bayley admits to experiencing ups and downs, more downs than she’d like to admit, but throughout her journey, she had her girls by her side.

Bayley emphasizes that Damage CTRL is not just the best women’s faction; they are family. Although the Japanese members of the faction chuckle during her speech, Bayley gives them a stern look before continuing. She reveals that to prove she is the best, she must face the best, which brings her to Rhea Ripley.

However, Bayley also contemplates a different path, one that becomes deeply personal and involves proving the doubters wrong. She hints at the idea that sometimes the people you thought were your friends, directing a meaningful look toward Damage CTRL, need to be proven wrong.

Bayley questions if they’re done laughing, revealing that she understands a bit of Japanese and is aware of all the ways they talk behind her back. She expresses her desire for Damage CTRL to be the best and reach the top at WrestleMania. Her speech culminates with a tearful plea to IYO and the Kabuki Warriors, asking what went wrong.

Suddenly, the Kabuki Warriors launch an attack and start assaulting Bayley. They put the boots to her, but Bayley manages to grab an iron pipe and fights them off. There’s a tense standoff with IYO, and SKY appears to have second thoughts, but eventually, they retreat to the floor with Asuka and Kairi Sane. Bayley regains control of the situation, clutching the microphone and declaring that she will face IYO at WrestleMania.

With this intense segment, the show heads into another commercial break.

(Akam, Karrion Kross, & Rezar) vs. the Pride (Angelo Dawkins, Bobby Lashley, & Montez Ford)

The match begins with a recap of the previous segment featuring the attack on Bayley by the Kabuki Warriors and IYO SKY.

The Final Testament and Bobby Lashley and his associates are set to engage in a battle, but chaos ensues even before the match begins. The Street Profits manage to send the Authors of Pain packing and topple them over on the outside of the ring. Bobby Lashley delivers a forearm strike to Kross, followed by a powerful spinebuster. The Hurt Lock submission hold is blocked when Scarlett Bordeaux jumps on Lashley’s back, and B-Fab makes the save. Bobby Lashley attempts to bounce off the ropes for a spear, but the match never officially starts as referee DA Brewer fails to restore order due to the ongoing chaos.

In a backstage segment, Nick Aldis is seen trying to sign Bron Breakker when Adam Pearce intervenes and advises Aldis not to sign anything until they can have a conversation on Monday. This decision frustrates Nick Aldis, and Bron Breakker states that he will take some time to consider his options before leaving.

Following this, Jade Cargill enters the scene, and Nick Aldis instructs Adam Pearce to leave, allowing them to have a private conversation. Pearce takes a parting shot before departing.

Tiffany Stratton makes her entrance, and the show heads into another commercial break.

After the commercial break, the commentary team hypes up next week’s show, building anticipation.

“Michin” Mia Yim vs. Tiffany Stratton

Tiffany Stratton initially gains control, but the action is interrupted as we head into a commercial break.

Upon returning from the break, Mia Yim gains momentum, delivering a running hip attack and a dropkick, earning a near fall. She whips Tiffany Stratton across the ring and continues her comeback with a thrust kick, dropkick, and a running neckbreaker.

Mia sets Tiffany up in the turnbuckles and executes a hanging Codebreaker, but Tiffany manages to get her foot on the ropes to break the pin. Tiffany Stratton counters with a big Alabama Slam, coming extremely close to victory.

She follows it up with a float-over slam, rolling solebutt, falling gamengiri, and then shoves Mia Yim into the corner. Tiffany performs a fireman’s carry into the Finlay Roll, and subsequently, she executes a triple jump maneuver.

Tiffany Stratton secures the win by pinfall with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.

Following the match, we see Cody Rhodes walking backstage as the show heads into another commercial break.

Roman Reigns, accompanied by Paul Heyman, “Big” Jim Uso, and Solo Sikoa, makes his grand entrance. Roman demands recognition and addresses some statements made by Seth Rollins on Monday. Seth questioned if Roman wanted “THE” title, implying that he needed to think about it. Roman counters by reminding everyone that he has defeated every competitor for that title, making them all “number twos” in comparison. He also ridicules Seth for claiming to be “the guy,” highlighting that Seth’s past choices and injuries don’t align with that image. Roman points out that despite working less than Seth, he still earns significantly more money. He polls the crowd, asking if they want Seth Rollins’ money or the Tribal Chief’s money. Roman asserts that he won’t beg for the match but offers Cody Rhodes the opportunity to face him at WrestleMania or challenge the number two contender.

Cody Rhodes then enters the arena, and the show heads into another commercial break.

Upon returning from the break, Cody Rhodes takes the microphone and asks the audience in Birmingham, Alabama, and Roman Reigns what they want to discuss. He admits that he envisioned their conversation to be more private and politely requests Roman to allow them to have the ring to themselves. Roman waves off the Bloodline, granting Cody his request.

Cody mentions that he has consulted with friends, family, and legends throughout the week and believes that he had Roman spooked. He disagrees with Seth Rollins’ assertion that the Universal Championship is a “Hollywood” title, emphasizing its historical significance. Cody questions Roman about what “finishing the story” truly means, asking if it involves taking the title or everything that Roman claims as his own.

Cody believes Roman is moving the goalposts because he doesn’t want just the title; he wants everything. Cody declares that he’s coming for Roman but not at WrestleMania. He alludes to seeking counsel from someone who knows Roman very well.

Enter Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

The Rock shakes hands with Cody, and they share a hug as Cody takes his leave. The Rock and Roman Reigns stand face to face in silence, creating an intense moment as the show comes to a close.