Kevin Owens

Perhaps WWE should consider moving SmackDown to Sunday nights.

Friday's edition of the show averaged 3.336 million viewers in the overnight ratings, according to Showbuzz Daily. SmackDown likely got a boost by hitting the airwaves immediately following Fox's broadcast of the New Orleans Saints' 52-33 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Wrestling Inc's Raj Giri noted the rating was the best for WWE's blue brand since its debut episode on Fox in October.

Booking a massive WWE Universal Championship match to open SmackDown didn't hurt in terms of building an audience.

Roman Reigns put the title on the line inside a steel cage against Kevin Owens in a rematch from TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Reigns once again walked away as the champion after Jey Uso handcuffed Owens to the cage.

That wasn't the only championship bout on Christmas. Big E dethroned Sami Zayn to become an intercontinental champion for the second time. 

Because this was a Lumberjack match, Zayn didn't have anywhere to hide and couldn't run away in the face of adversity. As the lumberjacks brawled on the outside, Zayn attempted to sneak away, only to be caught on the entrance ramp.

Charlotte Flair and Asuka didn't have very long to savor their win at TLC before they faced their first challenge as tag team champions. They fended off the pair of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair and Carmella and Bayley to successfully complete their first title defense.

In the only other clash during SmackDown, Daniel Bryan bested Uso in a singles encounter.

Kevin Owens was once again unable to overcome the numbers game as Roman Reigns successfully defended the WWE Universal Championship Friday night on SmackDown. 

Owens and Reigns opened the show and provided fans with an entertaining match on Christmas Day:

Just like he did at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs last Sunday, Jey Uso played a pivotal role in the outcome. Uso handcuffed Owens to the cage, making it impossible for the challenger to exit the structure. That allowed Reigns to walk down the ring steps and to the floor without much resistance.

A steel cage is supposed to keep unwanted intruders out, but Uso's actions showed how smart wrestlers can still find a way to make their presence felt from the outside.

Beating Reigns in a one-on-one encounter is difficult enough on its own. The champion is nearly unbeatable with Uso by his side.

All Owens has to show for his effort is a pair of heartbreaking defeats.

Ratings were down for Friday night's episode of SmackDown as expected since the show aired on FS1 rather than Fox because of the Pac-12 Championship Game between Oregon and USC.

According to Showbuzz Daily, SmackDown averaged 1.030 million viewers during its two-hour broadcast on FS1. That was down from last week's viewership of 2.206 million.

This week's SmackDown featured the final build before Sunday's TLC pay-per-view, including a main event segment featuring universal champion Roman Reigns and challenger Kevin Owens, who will square off in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match on Sunday.

The common thread throughout the show was Reigns having Jey Uso attack KO in order to prevent him from making it to TLC.

Despite that, Owens confronted Reigns to end the show. While KO initially got the jump on Uso, Uso and Reigns eventually overwhelmed Owens.

Reigns and Uso then buried Owens under tables, ladders and chairs, but once they got backstage, Owens emerged and declared he would beat Reigns at TLC "or die trying."

SmackDown also built to the SmackDown Women's Championship match between titleholder Sasha Banks and challenger Carmella. "The Untouchable" Carmella cut a strong promo about why she believed she would beat The Boss at TLC.

Banks interrupted and attacked Carmella, as well as her sommelier when he attempted to step in. Mella got the upper hand for the second week in a row, however, when she hit Sasha with a bottle of champagne.

Also on SmackDown, The Street Profits beat Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, Bayley defeated Bianca Belair after raking The EST's eyes, Otis beat Shinsuke Nakamura and The Riott Squad defeated Billie Kay and Tamina.

Next week's SmackDown will return to Fox, and it will feature fallout from Sunday's TLC pay-per-view event.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW. 

Styles Not Pleased With Third-Party Ban

WWE's ban on its performers doing third-party work—most notably on their Twitch channels—drew overwhelmingly negative reviews when it was announced. Wrestlers complained and even outright defied the order, which played a large part in the firing of Zelina Vega.

One by one, however, WWE's biggest stars shuttered their accounts and toed the company line. That doesn't mean they were happy about it. 

AJ Styles openly discussed his displeasure in an interview on Inside the Ropes.

"I was already streaming and doing my thing," Styles said. "But it was during my time off, and not while working. So, they [WWE] examined [the situation]. I wasn't happy about [the ban], no one really was. But, it is what it is. I'll handle it the way that I have to. I'm a team player, [Vince McMahon] is the captain. I'll follow his lead as far as Vince is concerned."

Styles, Xavier Woods and Sasha Banks were among the talents to meet with McMahon in an attempt to change his mind.

Make no mistake: WWE's Twitch ban was one of the most unfathomable decisions in company history, one that continues to defy logic on how these employees can still be considered independent contractors. While WWE is in the process of setting up its own Twitch where talent can appear, it's understandable why stars have been open about speaking out against the ban.

Sting Advertised for AEW New Year's Smash

The latest promotional tweet for the New Year's Smash Dynamite special features Sting, ostensibly guaranteeing The Icon will make an appearance on the two-week event.

Sting's ultimate purpose in AEW is yet to be hashed out, though he's consistently interacted with Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin. It's expected that he will eventually compete inside the ring, but AEW is smartly keeping the 61-year-old limited at this point.

Perhaps we'll get a better understanding of what's to come when Sting makes his splash (heh) heading into 2021.

Reigns, Owens Set for Cage Match Rematch on SmackDown

Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens aren't finished with one another just yet.

WWE announced the two will have a rematch Friday on SmackDown after Jey Uso interfered in their TLC match Sunday.

Because no one has ever interfered in a cage match before. 

Kidding. Sort of.

This is one of those ideas that is theoretically great—Owens and Reigns have great in-ring chemistry and had one of the best TLC matches in history, even with Uso's interference—but needs longer to cook. Had WWE been more patient, Owens vs. Reigns in a cage could have been a tantalizing Royal Rumble main event.

Both competitors could have taken a week off to deal with the wounds of their TLC match before the build, but as it stands we're getting a repeat of the same match on free television five days after we last saw it. The match will be great; the build should just be better. 

Roman Reigns beat Kevin Owens in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at the WWE TLC pay-per-view Sunday to retain the Universal Championship.

As expected, Jey Uso made his presence felt. KO had his hands on the title before Uso intervened to prevent the challenger from pulling the belt down.

Uso's attack bought Reigns enough time to recover. As Owens again attempted to retrieve the belt, The Tribal Chief scaled the ladder and delivered a low blow. He then applied a guillotine choke from atop the ladder.

After throwing KO down to the mat, Reigns was able to earn the victory.

Owens said he would throw everything he had at Reigns, and that's exactly what he did. Both stars absorbed a ton of punishment over the course of the match.

While Reigns has been dominant since returning to WWE at SummerSlam in August, KO showed no fear in standing up to him in the weeks leading up to TLC, which is what led to their match becoming official.

It started when Owens came to Daniel Bryan's aid after Uso attacked him backstage on Nov. 27. Uso's actions were a result of Reigns challenging him to prove he was worthy of being part of his family, and his cousin responded by targeting multiple Superstars that night.

Owens and Uso then faced each other in the main event of that SmackDown, and Jey attacked his rival with a steel chair. KO was able to gain the upper hand, though, by hitting him with a Stunner and then turning the chair on his opponent.

During the assault, Owens defiantly yelled into the camera at Reigns, who was watching on a monitor backstage. He even pulled a chair up to the announce table and declared himself the "head of the table," which was a direct shot at The Tribal Chief.

The following week, KO interrupted a Reigns promo and challenged him to a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the Universal Championship at TLC, and the titleholder accepted.

Later that night, Owens linked up with Otis to face Reigns and Uso in a tag team match. The Tribal Chief didn't show up until the middle of the contest, but it didn't take him long to make his presence felt.

Despite not being the legal man, Reigns entered the ring and put KO in a guillotine choke. When he refused to break the hold, the referee disqualified him and Uso, giving Owens and Otis the victory.

Reigns then attacked both Owens and Uso with a steel chair after the match to assert his dominance and make it clear he was ready for whatever challenge KO intended to throw his way.

While Reigns and Owens have an extensive history with each other, all of their previous singles matches came with The Big Dog as the babyface and KO as the heel.

The roles were reversed Sunday, and it made for an intriguing bout, as did the fact that both men tend to excel in a hardcore environment.

They did precisely that Sunday, but it was Reigns who prevailed and continues to impose his will on the entire SmackDown roster.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).