WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Dec. 22
AJ Styles returned to the squared circle in the main event of Friday's WWE SmackDown, battling Solo Sikoa in the conclusion of a feud that started this past September when The Tribal Heir put The Phenomenal One out of action.
That match headlined a special holiday edition of the show that also saw the semifinals of the United States Title Tournament, a Holiday Havoc match featuring eight top women's division competitors, and a defense by NXT North American Champion Dragon Lee.
What went down, who emerged victoriously, and what did it mean for the brand's top feuds and Superstars?
Find out with this recap of the latest episode.
Match Card
1 of 8Announced in advance of the December 22 show were:
- AJ Styles vs. Solo Sikoa
- United States Title Tournament Semifinal: Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar
- United States Title Tournament Semifinal: Kevin Owens vs. Carmelo Hayes
- NXT North American Championship Match: Dragon Lee vs. Butch
- Holiday Havoc 8-Woman Tag Team Match: Shotzi, Mia Yim, Bianca Belair, and Zelina Vega vs. Bayley, Kairi Sane, Iyo Sky, and Asuka
Everybody Wants Roman Reigns
2 of 8AJ Styles, LA Knight, and Randy Orton kicked off SmackDown this week with a three-way promo that saw each competitor express their desire to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis interrupted and announced a Triple Threat Match for next week's special "New Year's Revolution" episode, with the winner challenging The Tribal Chief at Royal Rumble.
The crowd was majorly behind Knight, a testament to the connection he has forged with the fans, and this was a great way to bring three top contenders together to bring stakes to next Friday's year-end broadcast.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Styles calling Knight out for stepping over him and taking advantage of The Phenomenal One's injuries to get a title opportunity is a nice bit of logic that has not always been a part of the WWE Creative process and a testament to Triple H's attention to detail.
- Styles is rocking all black like it's 2012 TNA Wrestling all over again.
- WWE dusting off New Year's Revolution as a special themed edition of SmackDown is a great use of its trademarks.
Holiday Havoc Tag Match
3 of 8Damage CTRL's Bayley, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky battled Shotzi, Michin, Bianca Belair, and Zelina Vega in a Holiday Havoc match.
It was the same wild, chaotic, holiday-themed street fight we have seen countless times over the years, with some nice story development, including Bayley again saving the match for her partners multiple times and the re-emergence of Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre as threats to the heels.
The finish saw Michin pin Sky, suggesting the first lady of The OC may be next in line for a championship opportunity.
If that is the case, and Fyre and Dawn combat the Kabuki Warriors, fans may very well be in for a big treat to start 2024, thanks to fresh and intriguing new match-ups.
Result
Michin, Belair, Vega, and Shotzi defeated Damage CTRL
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "Holiday Havoc" looked eerily similar to "Miracle on 34th Street Fight."
- Poor Vega, sick for both of her matches during the tapings for this week's show, caught the pumpkin pie and Asuka's blue mist to the face. Not a great night for her.
- The return of Dawn and Fyre is more than welcome and instantly bolsters a women's division in need of freshening up to avoid repetitive match-ups.
NXT North American Championship Match: Dragon Lee vs. Butch
4 of 8Dragon Lee continued his strong end to 2023, successfully defending the NXT North American Championship against Butch in yet another strong, showcase match for the young star.
He sold, mounted the comeback, and showed toughness by "popping his finger back in place" before managing to best the Bruiserweight for the win.
Frustration continues to mount and should result in more character development for the Brit while Lee continues to get over merely by being good at what he does. It's simple booking that should benefit both competitors in the long run.
Result
Lee defeated Butch to retain
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Butch is gradually taking on the mannerisms, facial expressions, and body language of Pete Dunne, perhaps signaling a return to form for the former NXT UK Champion.
- Lee is connecting with audiences, simply by being a damn good, hard-working pro wrestling. It's a simple formula and it's working wonders for him.
- Backstage, Roman Reigns met Nick Aldis for the first time and warned him that everything goes through him so the next time the GM wants to announce a match, he should run it by the Tribal Chief first. Aldis scoffed and even suggested that Solo Sikoa took care of John Cena in a way that even Reigns did not. A good back-and-forth.
United States Title Tournament Semifinal: Kevin Owens vs. Carmelo Hayes
5 of 8With a date in the United States Title Tournament finals at stake, Kevin Owens battled NXT's Carmelo Hayes in the first of two semifinal round bout.
A good, hard-fought match concluded with the more experienced competitor advancing as Owens earned the pinfall victory.
There will be plenty of fans who argue that Hayes should have won here but he was not harmed in the slightest by the loss and if nothing else, proved he can hang with one of the most celebrated in the company.
Owens and reigning US champion Logan Paul teased a feud a few weeks back so the idea that The Prizefighter won here to advance to the finals, just one victory away from getting his hands on The Maverick, is not a particularly surprising one.
Result
Owens defeated Hayes
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Hayes shared the ring with a former Universal champion in this one and never once looked out of his element. He is not a star in the making, he is a star now.
- Corey Graves did a fantastic job of relating Hayes to Owens by reminding the viewer that KO previously jumped to the main roster and looked to make a name for himself by beating John Cena.
United States Title Tournament Semifinal: Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar
6 of 8Santos Escobar advanced to the finals of the United States Title Tournament Friday, defeating Bobby Lashley in an upset, thanks to the interference of the returning Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo.
The former Los Lotharios hopped the guardrail and attacked the Street Profits, providing a distraction that Escobar capitalized on with a schoolboy rollup for the win.
The match was primarily Escobar selling early before seizing an opening and working over his opponent until the teased Lashley comeback that ended in controversy. It was fine for what it was and built more heat for Escobar, which was the goal form the beginning.
A successful segment of the show, even if the match itself was not quite as good as the talent involved would suggest, thanks in large part to the rather busy finish.
Result
Escobar defeated Lashley
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Lashley ragdolled Escobar heading into the break but the artist formerly known as El Hijo del Fantasma delivered a dropkick to the face, driving him into the steel steps.
- The schoolboy rollup is the worst. Move, finish...everything. It is used entirely too much in WWE.
AJ Styles vs. Solo Sikoa
7 of 8The AJ Styles we saw a week ago, who clocked LA Knight and appeared to tease a new side of himself based on his demeanor and wardrobe, was nowhere to be found in the night's main event.
Instead, the marquee bout on Friday's show was a mostly one-sided squash that saw Sikoa overwhelm and overpower The Phenomenal One for the majority of the contest. Styles fought his way back into the match but it was in the same manner we have seen him battle back in matches for years now.
Roman Reigns attacked, cutting off his comeback, and leading to the arrival of Randy Orton. When Jimmy Uso joined the fray and The Bloodline got the best of the babyfaces, LA Knight made the save and cleared the ring.
A brawl between the three top contenders wrapped up this week's show.
Result
Styles defeated Sikoa via disqualification
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Kudos to Styles for competing in the black denim jeans your aunt buys right off the display at Boscovs because she doesn't know it's not 1993 anymore.
- Sikoa dominated. This was a very one-sided match for a large portion of it.
- Style did not do much to put over this new side of himself. Outside of the dad denim, there was nothing about this one that differentiated this Styles performance from any other.
Overall Grade
8 of 8The test of any holiday-themed show is whether anything of note actually happened to make it worth watching. In this case, the answer was "yes."
Not only did we have the revelation of New Year's Revolution in two weeks on SmackDown, but we also know that the main event of that blockbuster episode will see Orton, Styles and Knight battle for the right to challenge Reigns at Royal Rumble.
We saw the semifinal round of the US Title Tournament, had the returns of Isla Dawn, Alba Fyre, Humberto Carrillo, and Angel Garza, and received another ominous warning from Karrion Kross.
Things happened. This was a meaningful broadcast that set up an even bigger show in two weeks. That the booking was mostly solid across the board only helps to elevate it grade.
Grade: B
