JIM ROSS AS SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE

Jim Ross was the special guest referee tonight in the dark main event after the WWE SmackDown tapings in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The match saw Rey Mysterio and WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston defeat Alberto Del Rio and Kane.

After the match, Ross and Del Rio got into it. Mysterio and Kofi snuck up from behind and Ross pushed Del Rio over them to end the show.

SMACKDOWN SPOILERS 1/21

* Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel open SmackDown. Teddy Long comes out, says he’s in charge and disses the RAW General Manager. Alberto Del Rio comes out and says it’s his show and his destiny is to win the Royal Rumble.

* Alberto Del Rio defeats R-Truth by submission. During the match they cut backstage and we see Teddy Long laid out as everyone checks on him. Teddy is taken away on a stretcher and drove away in an ambulance.

* Beth Phoenix defeated Layla.

* Rey Mysterio is shown walking backstage.

* Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler walk up to the new Nexus. Nexus says they had nothing to do with the attack on Teddy Long and offer to help out. Vickie wants them to take out Edge for Dolph Ziggler.

* Rey Mysterio beat Cody Rhodes with the 619.

* Josh Matthews talks about Teddy Long backstage but gets interrupted by The Miz and Alex Riley.

* Jim Ross comes out for an interview in his home state to a huge ovation from the crowd. Fellow OK native Jack Swagger comes out but rips the state.

* Jack Swagger defeats Kofi Kingston in an amateur wrestling bout. After the match they brawl and Kofi kicks Swagger in the head to end it.

* Drew McIntyre defeats Trent Baretta. McIntyre tries to shake his hand after the match but Trent declines it. McIntyre attacks him and Kelly Kelly comes out to check on Trent, pissing Drew off.

* The Miz comes out and talks about beating Randy Orton up on RAW. Edge interrupts him and they cut promos on each other. Edge spears Riley off the apron. Miz and Edge have a staredown to end it.

* Edge vs. Justin Gabriel is up next. Dolph Ziggler is on commentary. Barrett, Slater and Ezekiel all got involved at the end of a good match. Edge fought them off but Jackson clotheslined him, allowing Gabriel to get the win.

They all enter the ring after the match and attack Edge.

* Dolph Ziggler comes out next and goes to attack Edge but Kofi Kingston and Edge make the save. SmackDown ends.

MATCHES SKIPPED ON RAW

Maryse vs. Natalya and the WWE Tag Team Title match between The Usos vs. Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella on last night’s RAW were the matches bumped from the January 10th RAW due to time constraints.

BROTHER RAY TALKS ABOUT RETURNING TO WWE, JOHN CENA

TNA star Brother Ray spoke with Alex Marvez of Scrippsnews.com earlier this month and had the following to say about one of the reasons Team 3D chose not to return to WWE:
“We made a lot of money, learned a lot of stuff and are very appreciative of everything we got in WWE. But if we go back, what tag teams are we going to work with? They could have thrown together some guys, but it would never have been like with those we worked with, like the Hardys, Edge and Christian, the Acolytes and Too Cool. One thing Devon and I are big on is never taking a step backward.”
Ray also commented on John Cena:
“At the end of the day, our business is about storytelling. Take the No. 1 guy in the business today — John Cena. How many moves does he have? Five? But you know what all five of those moves are. It’s his character that’s very well developed and has intriguing storylines. That’s why people buy into him emotionally.”

WHY 40 MAN IN THIS YEAR'S ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH

WWE made the decision to have 40 Superstars in this year’s Royal Rumble match because there was a feeling that they didn’t have a lot of momentum going into this year’s event. They’re hoping that the 40-man announcement will make the event feel more special and generate more interest.

WWE CHANGED LAST NIGHT'S RAW SCRIPT

For what it’s worth, WWE apparently changed the script a bit after last night’s Maryse vs. Natalya match from what was originally planned. As we saw, after the match Maryse went to ringside and started raising hell to Michael Cole.

It sounds like WWE had planned for Maryse to just pout in a corner until Ted DiBiase came out to continue the angle and issue the top rope challenge. WWE actually posted the news of Mark Henry being Ted’s opponent minutes before it aired on TV. WWE’s RAW report reads like this:

“In the wake of her loss, Maryse demonstrated her frustration by pouting in a corner. She was soon joined by her boyfriend Ted DiBiase, who bore the brunt of her anger. After the bombastic blond blamed DiBiase’s losing streak for her own poor performance, The “Fortunate Son” threw out an Over-the-Top Rope Challenge for any Superstar on the roster. Unfortunately for him, Mark Henry answered the call.”

21 ROYAL RUMBLE PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED

The following 21 WWE Superstars have been announced by WWE.com as competitors in the first-ever 40-Man Royal Rumble Match, which takes place Jan. 30 in Boston.

* Alberto Del Rio
* CM Punk
* Cody Rhodes
* Daniel Bryan
* Darren Young
* David Hart Smith
* David Otunga
* Husky Harris
* John Cena
* John Morrison
* Mark Henry
* Michael McGillicutty
* Primo
* R-Truth
* Rey Mysterio
* Sheamus
* Ted DiBiase
* Tyson Kidd
* William Regal
* Yoshi Tatsu
* Zack Ryder