Jan. 24 (UPI) -- WWE Champion AJ Styles continued his feud against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on Smackdown Live Tuesday, just days before his match against the duo at the Royal Rumble.
Owens and Zayn kicked off the show and guaranteed that they will defeat Styles for his title on Sunday and become the first-ever co-WWE Champions.
The Phenomenal One, feeling confident, accepted a challenge from the best friends and agreed to face Owens and Zayn in back-to-back singles matches that night.
The double main event was preceded by Smackdown Live commissioner Shane McMahon declaring that if either Owens or Zayn interfered in either of their matches, that they would be fired on the spot.
Styles then took on Owens first and attempted to defeat The Prizefighter as quickly as possibly. The match ended after the champion was able to apply his Calf Crusher submission maneuver onto Owens who tapped out immediately.
Zayn then entered the ring in order to stop Styles from applying the Calf Crusher. Zayn would continuously beat down Styles before their match officially started in order to gain an early advantage.
The final match was more competitive between Styles and Zayn as Owens was being attended to by WWE personnel outside the ring having injured his ankle. Styles, in the middle of match, took time to attack Owens and flip over a stretcher that he was placed on.
The distraction was enough for Zayn to nail his rival with a Helluva Kick followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb to gain the victory. Zayn and a limping Owens then celebrated their victory together over a defeated Styles.
Styles defends his WWE Championship against Owens and Zayn in a Handicap Match Sunday at the Royal Rumble.
Other moments from Smackdown Live included Chad Gable defeating Jey Uso; Naomi defeating Liv Morgan; Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin ending in a no-contest after Randy Orton arrived to deliver two RKO's; and Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of The New Day teaming up with United States Champion Bobby Roode to defeat Jinder Mahal, Rusev and Aiden English.
