WWE Smackdown Results
January 9, 2018
Report by Mike Killam for ProWrestling.com

WWE Champion AJ Styles kicks off the night for a sit-down interview with Renee Young. He is asked whether or not Daniel Bryan booking him in a handicap match at the Royal Rumble is totally fair. Styles admits that he has a chance to lose the WWE title at the Rumble, but says his strategy is the same as it always is – come out swining, kick them both in the face and walk out still the WWE Champion.

Renee won’t let him off the hook and pushes the question, asking Styles once again if he feels that Bryan is playing favoritism with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The champion gets frustrated and says that no, the decision wasn’t fair, but that’s life and life is rarely fair. He says he’ll fight Owens and Zayn one-on-one, in the same night if he to, but at the same time just doesn’t seem like good booking to him. Styles says he doesn’t understand what’s going on with the three of them or Shane McMahon, but he’s sick of being caught up in everyone else’s business.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn make their way out to interrupt the champion, and have to shout over loud “AJ Styles” chants from the crowd. Owens goes on a long rant and claims that Styles has literally zero chance at the Royal Rumble and declares that he and his best friend will be the first ever co-WWE Champions in company history.

Shane McMahon is out next and says that he’s completely baffled that Daniel Bryan would make the decision to keep Owens and Zayn in the title picture despite all they’ve done. Shane says he stands by Bryan’s decision to have the title match at the Rumble, for now, but he wants it be very clear that he’s not happy about it. All that being said, since we’re talking about handicap matches tonight it’ll be Owens and Zayn teaming against Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles later on in tonight’s main event.

RUBY RIOT vs. BECKY LYNCH

Naomi came out to ringside to support Becky Lynch, followed by Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and the other two members of the Riott Squad. It’s announced that Becky will officially enter the women’s Royal Rumble match.

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