Thanks to Andrew Carroll, Azim Suleman and David (@sportbayou) for the following WWE SmackDown spoilers from tonight’s tapings in Austin, Texas:
* Michael Cole and Byron Saxton came out to a decent pop. Jerry Lawler got a huge pop.
* Daniel Bryan kicks off the show and introduces Ryback, Dolph Ziggler and Erick Rowan. The “fired” WWE Superstars return to a big pop. Rowan spoke and got the “what?” treatment. They’re interrupted by The Authority, minus Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. It’s announced that the three Superstars can get into the Royal Rumble main event if they win their matches tonight – Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett, Ryback vs. Rusev and Rowan vs. Luke Harper.
* Ziggler vs. Barrett in a non-title match is up first. Ziggler gets the win with a Zig Zag and earns his spot in the Royal Rumble match.
* Renee Young interviewed Roman Reigns about the Royal Rumble match. One correspondent said it actually wasn’t awful and another said Reigns is looking more confident on the mic.
* Ryback defeated Rusev by count out after what was said to be a good match. Ryback earns his spot in the Rumble main event. After the match, Rusev attacked and beat on Ryback but Ryback turned it around. Rusev avoided a Shellshocked attempt and retreated to the back.
* Brie Bella defeated Naomi in a short match. Nikki Bella was at ringside while Paige and Natalya were on commentary.
* Luke Harper defeated Erick Rowan after a missed top rope splash. Rowan does not qualify for the Royal Rumble.
* Backstage segment with The Miz and Damien Sandow, who are announced for the Rumble. There’s dissension between the two. Miz talks down at Sandow for the X-Pac segment on RAW.
* Kane vs. Daniel Bryan in a No DQ match is up next. Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble come out with Kane. Kane ended up tapping out but the referee didn’t call it for some reason. Mercury and Noble interfere. Bryan cleans house but kicks out of a chokeslam. Bryan comes back and gets the win, keeping his spot in the Royal Rumble. Big Show comes out and attacks Bryan. This leads to a huge brawl with the entire locker room coming out. The Superstars left standing after that brawl were Ziggler, Reigns, Bryan, Ryback, Big Show, Kane and Dean Ambrose. SmackDown ends with just the babyfaces standing tall.
