WWE Smackdown results: Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins take their rivalry to new heights in the milestone 800th episode

As Smackdown hit 800, Ziggler sent out a statement of intent but the battle between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt threatens to steal the show

Dolph Ziggler managed to see off the challenge of Seth Rollins (Getty Images)

Roman Reigns stormed through the crowd to square off against Fandango in his first match since September after a long injury lay-off. The “New and improved” Fandango gave Reigns a run for his money with a series of aggressive strikes but it was not enough to keep the powerhouse down.

Reigns managed to regain his momentum and land the Superman Punch before wrapping up with a Spear. The returnee celebrated his victory as the commentators highlighted that he will now be setting his eyes on The Big Show who he had an altercation with on Raw.

Dean Ambrose strutted down to the ring to thunderous ovation from the fans following his vicious battle with Bray Wyatt at TLC. Ambrose said that the two put each other through hell on Sunday and that he loved every single second of it because even though he lost he saw that Wyatt is scared to death of him. Wyatt appeared on the Titantron and said that the only reason that Ambrose is breathing right now is because he enjoys the game they’re playing and that it will all soon burn down.

Dean Ambrose was locked in a war of words with Bray Wyatt (WWE.com)

The Miz, Damien Mizdow and Luke Harper teamed up to take on The Usos and Erick Rowan in a six-man tag match. The fans called out for Mizdow early on but as soon as he tagged in, he was tagged back out by Miz to disappoint the crowd. The Usos delivered a double Superkick to Miz before diving through the ropes onto Harper outside. The twins signalled to Rowan to climb to the top rope and the heavyweight responded by delivering a Superfly Splash onto Miz to win the match.

Ryback approached the ramp to take on Seth Rollins but was halted before he made it to the ring due to an attack from behind at the hands of Rusev. “The Big Russian” stomped Ryback before delivering a side kick on the chin to knock him off the stage. Lana walked over to join her client and handed him his US Championship before the duo raised their hands while the fans chanted USA.

Rollins was left standing in the ring as the audience drew their attention to “Mr Money in the Bank” with a chorus of “You Sold Out”. Rollins bragged about how he defeated John Cena in the steel cage on Raw and is glad that Ryback got attacked as he deserves a day off after what he’s been through. The former Authority member asked Joey Mercury to get the limousine ready but Dolph Ziggler walked out to the stage to talk about how he pinned Rollins to put his faction out of power. Ziggler concluded that he’s going to get his ringwear on as he will beat Rollins later in a match because that’s what’s best for business.

Rusev superkicks Ryback off the stage (WWE.com)

Naomi took on Nikki Bella in a match for the Divas Championship while Brie looked on at ringside to support her sister. The two knocked each other to the floor and as they attempted to find their feet, Miz walked down to support his new business associate. Nikki threw Naomi to the outside where Miz was standing and as “The A-Lister” offered words encouragement, Jimmy Uso ran down to attack him due to interfering with his wife’s business. The distraction caused Naomi to get rolled up for the pin and lose out on the all-important gold. The former Funkadactyl stared at her partner with anger as Jimmy looked on with displeasure.

Kane made quick work of Adam Rose following his attack on the Bunny on Monday Night. “The Big Red Monster” Chokeslammed Rose as The Exotic Express watched with distraught. Kane wasn’t finished with his rampage as he dragged Bunny into the ring and delivered his second Tombstone of the week. Both Rose and Bunny laid knocked out in the ring while Kane paraded to the back with glee.

The main event saw Rollins take on Ziggler following their spat earlier in the night, the two made their way out for the bout as Michael Cole highlighted that it was the 800th episode of Smackdown. The pairing used their matching agility to outmanoeuvre each other throughout the match but Ziggler finally got the upper hand with an X-Factor from the top rope onto Rollins.

“The Architect” however used Mercury to distract the referee as Jamie Noble punched Ziggler as he went for the Zig Zag. The referee however noticed that the security were causing a nuisance and sent them backstage. The whole affair backfired on Rollins as he was too distracted and Ziggler was able to pounce with the Zig Zag for the win.

The show closed with Ziggler dodging an attack from the security and he celebrated with his Intercontinental Championship. An IC title rivalry could be on the cards for the duo with the title being escalated again as the second most elite in the business and the rare appearances of WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. Monday’s Raw will shed light on the brewing rivalry as Cena will also be looking to get revenge on Rollins.

Results

Roman Reigns defeated Fandango

The Usos and Erick Rowan defeated The Miz, Damien Mizdow, and Luke Harper

Nikki Bella defeated Naomi to retain the Divas Championship

Kane defeated Adam Rose

Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins