WWE Smackdown results: Daniel Bryan wins on return to in-ring action

Daniel Bryan was victorious in his return to action on Smackdown and will need to be again next week if he is to stay in the Royal Rumble match.

Bryan, wrestling for the first time since May after recovering from neck surgery, teamed up with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns on Thursday evening to defeat Kane, Big Show and Seth Rollins after The Authority had interfered in his initial singles match with Kane.

But moments after the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion downed Kane with a running knee, Triple H announced that he must conquer The Devil's Favourite Demon on Smackdown’s next edition or he will be removed from the 30-man Royal Rumble.

Bad News Barrett is a confirmed Royal Rumble entrant but had to focus on defending his Intercontinental Title against Sin Cara on Smackdown, which he did successfully after clocking the masked Mexican with the Bull Hammer.

WWE: Late Night - Smackdown

Rollins, meanwhile, who will fight John Cena and Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Royal Rumble, threatened to Curb Stomp Paul Heyman.

The Aerialist became angered that with Lesnar absent he could not cash in his Money in the Bank contract there and then and vowed to take out his frustrations on Heyman, though the former ECW architect managed to talk his way out of trouble.

Elsewhere, Natalya bested Nikki Bella after Paige blasted the Divas Champion while the referee’s back was turned.

Plus, The Miz threw Damien Mizdow in the way of Jey Uso’s superkick so that he could crack the Samoan-American with a Skull-Crushing Finale and secure victory for himself, Mizdow and Alicia Fox against The Usos and Naomi in a mixed tag-team encounter.

Royal Rumble booking details

WWE Royal Rumble will be shown at 1am on Sunday, January 25 (Mon) on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 743) and on Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 752).

WWE Royal Rumble will be repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 743) BUT NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 752) until 9pm on Saturday, January 31.

Repeats showing will last for three hours, with the final showing BEGINNING at 9pm on Saturday, January 31.

The event is priced at £19.95 for UK customers, €24.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland.

Viewers can call 08442 410 888 from Tuesday, January 13 to book WWE Royal Rumble. (There may be an additional charge for telephone bookings).

You will be able book WWE Royal Rumble online from Tuesday, January 13 by visiting this link: https://my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/

You can also order WWE Royal Rumble at a later date by pressing the Box Office button on your remote. Select 'sports & events' and follow the on-screen instructions.

Cable customers should contact their local cable operator.