WWE SmackDown: Randy Orton RKOs Samoa Joe to make Royal Rumble statement
Wednesday 23 January 2019 11:59, UK
Randy Orton made a major Royal Rumble statement with a trademark RKO out of nowhere on Samoa Joe in the final moment of Tuesday night's SmackDown.
Rey Mysterio was about to score the decisive pin following a 619 on Andrade after another epic contest between the two, this one played out under 'two out of three falls' rules.
WWE Late Night Smackdown
But before Mysterio could make the cover, Joe plucked him off the ring apron and sent him flying with a vicious powerbomb.
Microphone in hand, Joe proceeded to remind the audience that he had promised to make a statement, before ending up on the receiving end of one from the Apex Predator himself.
Orton has not featured on SmackDown since December 29 and so his sudden arrival came as something of a shock, but as a competitor with a strong Rumble record he now goes into that match with major momentum.
Flair sparks Lynch-Asuka brawl
Things were largely cordial between Becky Lynch and Asuka as they met in the ring for a tete-a-tete ahead of their Royal Rumble match for the SmackDown championship.
But things took a turn for the worse when Charlotte Flair - the favourite to win the women's Rumble - arrived to remind both that she held wins over them and to claim she has been the star of the division for the past four years.
With Lynch distracted by such a not-so-humble brag, Asuke seized the chance to blast her from behind, leading to a scuffle between the two which spilled over to the ringside area and was only stopped when several officials arrived on the scene.
Styles misses chance to down Bryan
AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan also showed their unwillingness to wait until Sunday night with a similar set-to - which also included a dash of Vince McMahon.
The WWE chairman was on hand to mediate a head-to-head between WWE champion Bryan and his Rumble challenger Styles, but the former refused to enter the ring, instead delivering a scathing promo on McMahon himself.
Styles took the fight to Bryan and went up for his Phenomenal Forearm, only for Bryan to put McMahon in the way, providing enough hesitation from AJ to allow him to hit his running knee strike before making a sharp exit with the title belt.
