This week's SmackDown was the final show before one of the more entertaining premium live events of the year. A show that will be full of surprises didn't have any of those surprises spoiled on Friday, other than to confirm that Brock Lesnar is officially in. The show featured two semifinal tag team tournament matches, the return of Lacey Evans and a main event match between Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa, which of course, included Sami Zayn against strict orders from Roman Reigns.

There was a lot packed into these two hours. Here are your winners and losers from SmackDown, January 27, 2023:

Loser: Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross

A match that had been built up for quite some time, these two finally met in the ring and it was underwhelming. Perhaps they should be permitted a bit of a pass because the time was rushed and they'll undoubtedly bump into each other again in the Royal Rumble, but Kross got rolled up for the loss, making his promise to end Rey Msyterio's run in WWE little more than empty threats. This match needed more and Kross needs a win. And, by win, I don't mean a literal victory. A win at this point would be a solid match, a decent showing, or a pinfall in a feud that the company has taken time to try and build.

Expect this one to continue for a bit because there's no way at all Kross lets this go after what happened on Friday night. Perhaps this would have been better served to take place at the Rumble, but even then, who knows how much time these two would have been given.

Loser: Lacey Evans' Return

WWE seems to have found a character that has potential for Evans, but she failed to take advantage of her reintroduction or really hammer home the new gimmick. This is the type of character that should be ruthless and punishing. Instead, Evans spent a lot of time walking around the ring and showboating against an inferior opponent she should have put away with ease.

Evans cut a promo after the match, officially announcing her entry into the Royal Rumble. She's not going to win, but the hope here is that she gets the chance to eliminate some people because a quick out is going to hurt her new push. She's probably the one person who can't afford to be ineffective.

Winner: Brock Lesnar Declares Himself For The Royal Rumble

A fun little segment that featured a few people from Raw and SmackDown built up some of the participants in the Rumble through a promo that started with Austin Theory and ended with Brock Lesnar telling Lashley he'd see him Saturday night in the 30-man match. Lashley and Lesnar are definitely going to run into one another, and likely eliminate each other. That's one of the only ways to have both get ousted and protected at the same time. Otherwise, Lesnar becomes an immediate favorite to win.

But, having him in the match adds more intrigue to it. That's never a bad thing.

Loser: Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. Hit Row

There was not much wrong with this match, other than that there wasn't anything overly impressive and it wasn't supposed to happen. The semifinal was to be Drew McIntyre and Sheamus vs. Hit Row, but after an attack by The Viking Raiders, McIntyre and Sheamus were too blinded by rage to even participate in the bout. They chased the Raiders to the back and Adam Pearce was forced to find a replacement.

There were numerous issues with the way this was delivered. First, that Strowman and Ricochet just so happened to be ready to go as replacements and Pearce already seemed to have them picked out defies all logic. The Viking Raider attack was meant to look improvised and as such, it should have taken a segment or two to find a replacement team. Second, that Strowman and Ricochet ultimately got a bye into the semifinal is also silly. Even Wade Barrett pointed out how dumb it was that Pearce said Hit Row couldn't have a bye into the finals because Sheamus and McIntyre chose to abandon their match. That he would allow another team to participate and win their way into the final without first earning their way into the semifinal was a massive plot hole.

Winner: LA Knight

LA Knight came down to the ring in the original Bray Wyatt outfit with his theme music and a tiny little lantern. He mocked Wyatt and called himself the star of Raw 30. It's clear the fans are into Knight and want to play along as he utters his catchphrases, but he shuts them down at every opportunity. The charisma that oozes out of him is undeniable and he's a mashup of Steve Austin, The Rock, and Ric Flair. It's only a matter of time before he's a huge star.

Wyatt showed up in the rocking chair and teased the debut (or return) of a character during the Pitch Black Match at the Rumble. It's not clear if WWE is going to tie everything together, but they should at least deliver on the build-up that Wyatt is going to pull out something special. Uncle Howdy appeared in the stands and waived under an ominous blue light.

WWE still hasn't explained what's going on with Wyatt and until they do, he'll continue to get barely passing grades in these winners and losers features.

Winner: Imperium vs. Legado del Fantasma

The winner of this match was predictable, but it was still the most entertaining match of the night. Imperium is headed for tag team prominence and there is a good chance they'll win the tournament and face the Usos. They are solid in the ring, they look like a credible tag team and they get respect after each and every match, finding ways to put a nice little winning streak together.

Winner: Kevins Takes Out Solo Sikoa And Makes Sami Zayn Look Foolish

It was inevitable that Sami Zayn would show his face at SmackDown despite being told not to come. When The Usos got tossed from the arena, Jey made a call to have Sami watch Solo's back. The downside here was that this was really the first time Sikoa looked like he was going to lose a match. The upside is that Sami's involvement and inability to help Sikoa or put Owens down will lead to trouble with Roman Reigns. Will Sami blame Jey for calling him? Or, will he take one for Jey who stood up for him during Raw 30?

This match was solid. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. What made this a winner was that the storyline of Sami and K.O. just keeps on getting better. They haven't missed in anything they've done. Fans will certainly be wondering how Zayn gets involved at Saturday's pay-per-view.

TheSportster Podcast has returned! Check out latest episodes of the show where Jim Parsons and Norman Quarrinton cover the latest news and events happening in the worlds of WWE, AEW and more!