WWE SmackDown Results, Highlights, And Grades For January 29, 2019

Becky Lynch showed up on Raw last night to confront Ronda Rousey ahead of their WrestleMania 35 clash, but what will The Man do tonight on her show, WWE SmackDown?

There’s no doubt that Becky Lynch had the biggest night at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View, shining in a WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Asuka before winning the Women’s Rumble as an injured Lana’s replacement. Becky eliminated Charlotte Flair last to create her road to WrestleMania, and, as we saw last night, Ronda Rousey had better watch out.

Lynch will once again take center stage on SmackDown tonight. However, Asuka did tap her out with Cattle Mutilation on Sunday night, so she should be a considered a big winner in her own right. Asuka’s challenger for WrestleMania will become clearer over the coming months, and it will be interesting to see what she does tonight, too.

The Miz and Shane McMahon will surely celebrate in style after defeating Sheamus and Cesaro for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Rumble. Miz’s dad certainly looked proud of his son after the win, but the two will likely be put on notice during their celebration by one of SmackDown Live’s many fearsome tag teams.

Though it was Royal Rumble standout Mustafa Ali who eliminated Shinsuke Nakamura, the new United States Champion will face R-Truth tonight. I have a sneaking suspicion someone else, perhaps even Rusev, will make their presence known to Nakamura at some point on the show.

Daniel Bryan joined forces with Erick Rowan, who helped The Planet’s Champion retain the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View against AJ Styles. This is an intriguing tandem, and I am definitely here for an environmentalist cult dominating WWE SmackDown, taking Vince McMahon for polluting the earth as he hoards the wealth in his ivory tower.

Rowan and Harper may still be an item, so it’s possible Bryan has both halves of the Bludgeon Brothers on his side…but we’ll have to wait until Harper is cleared and ready to return from an apparent hand injury.

The post-Rumble episode was a strong show, and SmackDown Live figures to be even better with Andrade, The Man, The Planet’s Champion, The Empress, The Queen, Lana, Rusev, Naomi, Mandy Rose, and Shinsuke Nakamura potentially playing roles this week.

Check back here at 8 p.m. ET for live highlights, grades, and results for tonight’s show, which airs on the USA Network.