WWE SmackDown Results, Highlights, And Grades For January 8, 2019

The Usos vs. The Bar

The Usos have been as impressive as ever in the ring, but they just haven’t been able to get that SmackDown Tag Team Championship opportunity despite their wins. Sheamus found it difficult to get the upper hand early, so Jimmy Uso switched in for Jey once Cesaro tagged in to keep the hard-hitting action going.

Cesaro’s power was no match for Jimmy’s quickness, as the latter sent The Swiss Cyborg flying with a hurricanrana before The Bar regrouped to the outside.

When the two came back in the ring, Jimmy slapped the taste out of Cesaro’s mouth before Jey started to lose some ground upon tagging in, with The Bar moving to isolate him in the corner. Sheamus and Cesaro then blatantly cheated to keep Jey grounded, maintaining a strong advantage going into the break.

Jey valiantly attempted to fight free of Sheamus and Cesaro, but a rolling senton and elbow drop nearly sent The Usos packing with a tough loss. Sheamus tagged back in to start laying in heavy strikes on the mid-section of Jey, with the crowd roaring for The Usos to come back.

Jimmy tagged in red-hot to meet Cesaro, showing off his awe-inspiring agility and clattering Cesaro with a thunderous Samoan Drop. Fired-up, Jimmy called for a big move, hitting his hip attack in the corner for a two-count.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1082822358296014849

Moments later, Jey saved Jimmy with a superkick to Sheamus, and he later sent Cesaro flying into the WWE Universe following Jimmy’s big dive to the outside. Jimmy went to close the match on Cesaro with a crossbody, but Cesaro somehow kicked out at the last second.

Sheamus tagged back in and so did Jey, who came agonizingly close to a “W” after hitting a superkick of his own. And once again, The Usos and The Bar are working their magic!

During the break, Cesaro hit a massive uppercut and started flying around the ring, hitting another uppercut for a nearfall that led to a double-team move with Sheamus for one more nearfall. Following the break, Cesaro swung Jey around before locking in the Sharpshooter in the center of the ring, barely getting to the bottom rope. Sheamus cheated by sneaking in a knee shot, but Jey barely kicked out, causing Sheamus to scream in disbelief.

Jey scrambled to the top rope, only to be hit with another knee from Sheamus, who went for a huge move off the middle rope, but Jey fought out of it. Cesaro wisely tagged in and went for a move off the top rope, but Jey countered into a superkick that had the crowd all kinds of fired up for Jimmy’s tag in.

Cesaro grabbed onto Jey’s leg to prevent the tag, and just then, Mandy Rose’s music hit. She started twirling her hair, begging Jimmy for attention and then insinuated that Jimmy slept with her. The Bar took advantage of the distraction, with Cesaro hitting The Neutralizer for the win.

Afterwards, The Miz came in to show Greg Hamilton how it’s done, announcing The Bar’s successful title defense. So why is here to butter them up? Does he hope Cesaro and Sheamus will be pleased and grant him and Shane McMahon a title opportunity?

Well, yes. Yes, he does. He wants a title shot at the Royal Rumble PPV, reasoning that he and Shane are the one team The Bar haven’t dominated yet.

The Bar’s response? A swift Brogue Kick. And an acceptance!

We also saw Naomi try to take on Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose in a brawl, but Absolution quickly gained the upper hand due to the numbers advantage before Jimmy broke it up.

Grade: A, Mandy Rose HAD to do it, huh? But that was another awesome match between The Bar and The Usos! I highly recommend watching this one.