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WWE

With the 2019 Royal Rumble event just five days away from us now, SmackDown Live on Tuesday night in Wichita, Kansas, served as the final television offering before one of the biggest shows of the year. The Road to WrestleMania is beginning, and the blue brand put forth another solid effort as we begin this journey. 

We got some extra physicality on Tuesday between the competitors for the SmackDown women's championship this Sunday, and the chairman Vince McMahon himself made his presence felt within the current feud over the WWE championship. And to cap it all off, we were blessed by yet another amazing showcase from Andrade and Rey Mysterio -- which had an unexpected finish. 

Keep on reading below for our full recap of the Royal Rumble go-home SmackDown Live that took place on Tuesday.

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Vince McMahon moderates Styles-Bryan

The chairman made his way out first as he was set to preside over the final confrontation between WWE champion Daniel Bryan and challenger AJ Styles. Bryan circled the ring, with McMahon telling him to get in. Bryan refused, however, saying that he was not falling into the trap of getting in the ring with the sociopath Styles. The champion said that as Styles was on his tirade last week, he had visions of an impotent and illiterate future with Styles as the champion. Styles uses his power for fame and money, while Bryan uses his for the greater good. Bryan again reiterated that he's not the people's champion like Styles, rather he's the planet's champion. 

Styles called out Bryan by saying that he must've taken a plane to get to the arena just like he did, which makes him, you guessed it -- fickle. The former champion said Bryan is afraid to step into the ring just as he's afraid to face him on Sunday at the Royal Rumble. As Bryan was about to take another turn on the mic, McMahon lashed out, said he was tired of this and told his champ to get in the ring again. Bryan said of course he doesn't want to listen to him because he and the baby boomer generation are what's wrong with this world. He's created an environment for someone like Styles to become a champion. McMahon lost it again, telling Bryan, "Damnit, I'm not gonna tell you again. Get in the ring." Styles told McMahon that he wanted a face-to-face, but it doesn't necessarily have to happen in the ring. Styles flew from the ring and began taking Bryan apart. As he was going for the Phenomenal Forearm, though, Bryan used McMahon as a shield, stopping Styles in the process. Distracted, Styles ate the running knee from Bryan, then the champion fled up the ramp. 

I very well may be in the minority here, but the brief inclusion of McMahon into this feud really did nothing to amp up any excitement for this WWE championship match on Sunday. These two will put on a fantastic showing in the ring, without a doubt, but this has seemed like simply a time-killing affair before Styles and Bryan break off into their respective WrestleMania feuds with Bryan holding onto the championship to further his heel run. Plus, McMahon really didn't add much to the feud here aside from simply screaming at Bryan twice because he was annoyed. Grade: C-

Becky Lynch and Asuka brawl

"The Man" herself, Becky Lynch, kickstarted the go-home edition of SmackDown on Tuesday night. Lynch said it wasn't that long ago that no one paid attention to her, but now, everyone seems to have an opinion. When it comes to it, the only thing she cares about is main-eventing WrestleMania, and she'll slap anyone's head to get there. That journey begins Sunday at the Royal Rumble. While the former champion is impressed with Asuka's career thus far, she's never beaten her for that SmackDown women's title.  SmackDown women's champion Asuka stopped Lynch in her tracks right there and made her way to the ring. The champ held the title in Lynch's face and taunted her in Japanese. 

Charlotte Flair didn't take long to crash the festivities. Standing in the aisle, Flair said nothing is gonna be more exciting than when she wins the Royal Rumble on Sunday. Flair then mentioned that when she does win, she'll have her options between either the Raw or SmackDown women's champion. Asuka then pounced, attacking Lynch from behind. Officials tried to break the two women up but they battled around the ring, with Lynch tossing Asuka over the announce table. Lynch finished off Asuka by climbing atop the table and laying out the champion with a flying forearm. They cut backstage after commercial, and the two were still brawling with one another as the officials pried them apart again. 

Asuka vs. Lynch on Sunday has all the makings of coming away with match of the night honors, and the build has been done rather well to this home stretch here. These are two legit badasses who just want to tear each other apart, and we got a taste of that here with the scuffling both at ringside and in the back. It was also wise to throw Flair in the mix, a favorite to win the Rumble match this weekend, to remind both women that no matter who gets the victory, she'll be waiting -- if she passes on challenging for the Raw women's title, that is. We have a lot of questions surrounding the entire women's division at the moment, but we're on our way to getting some answers in a few days. Solid start to the go-home show with this segment. Grade: B+

What else happened on SmackDown?

  • Mandy Rose def. Naomi via pinfall: Of course, Sonya Deville came into play here. As Naomi was distracted by Deville grabbing her legs on the apron, Rose swooped in and slammed her head into the ring post. From there, Rose rolled her into the ring for the pin. Jimmy Uso was out to console his wife afterwards. 
  • Cesaro def. The Miz via pinfall: With some help from Sheamus on the outside, Cesaro put Miz away with the Gotch Neutralizer. After the bout, the tag team champions beat down their challengers for this Sunday, throwing Shane McMahon through Miz who was laid out on the announce table. 
  • Samoa Joe def. Mustafa Ali via submission: Earlier in the show, they utilized one of those absolutely incredible promos Ali used to deliver on 205 Live, hood over his head and in the streets running down the obstacle he has in front of him (more of these, please!). Ali couldn't get the job done on Tuesday, however, as Joe was able to knock him off the top rope while attempting the 054 splash and lock in the Coquina Clutch for the victory. 
  • Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio (2-out-of-3 falls) ended in a no contest: it was announced at the beginning of SmackDown that Zelina Vega was banned from ringside. Andrade was on the board first in this one, laying out Mysterio with a jaw-dropping sit-out powerbomb from the top rope before scoring the pin. Shortly after, though, Mysterio evened things up after connecting with another picture-perfect Canadian Destroyer and getting the 1-2-3. The third and final fall never saw a definitive conclusion. As Mysterio was aiming for the victory, Samoa Joe emerged, powerbombing him on the apron and slapping on the Coquina Clutch in the ring. As Joe was stating his Royal Rumble case on the mic, Randy Orton appeared out of nowhere (literally) and dropped him with an RKO to end the show. Prior to the inconclusive finish, Andrade and Mysterio tore the house down once again, and now, the door is certainly open for one more showdown -- hopefully on a much grander stage down the line.