WWE SmackDown Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for January 31

American Alpha’s Open Challenge

Our next segment of the evening involves the reigning SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, American Alpha. They call out any tag team which will accept their challenge, and the Ascension, Usos, Breezango, Vaudevillians, and the duo of Heath Slater and Rhyno all come to the ring. It isn’t long before a brawl breaks out between all the teams, and a commercial break interrupts the compelling action.

Once the commercial break is over, the cameras cut to the ring and show that the brawl has basically settled down. The only two teams left in the ring are American Alpha and Heath Slater & Rhyno. This likely foreshadows an upcoming encounter between the two teams, with the tag titles likely being up for grabs. All in all, this was an interesting segment which helps to provide spotlight to SmackDown Live’s tag division. It’s nice to see Slater and Rhyno still working as a unit, as their tag team was one of the Blue Brand’s more compelling stories of 2016.

After the brawl concluded, highlights were shown of the two separate altercations between Natalya and Nikki Bella from last week. The cameras then cut to the backstage area, where Daniel Bryan was shown conversing with Natalya. Fearful for her safety, Natalya had security guards by her side, and they were put on alert as Nikki Bella arrived on the scene. Bryan reveals that he summoned Nikki so that he could make an announcement regarding the two women. He books the two of them in a match for Elimination Chamber, and Natalya storms off in anger.