December 16th 2022. Allstate Arena. Chicago, Illinois. SmackDown. It was fated to come back here. To the venue where it began. The rivalry between Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox. The new tandem of Nox and Liv Morgan challenged WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Kai and IYO SKY. For Tegan, this was the long-awaited tag team title match she and many fans felt was earned last year following a succession of victories over the champions at the time.

It's been a good two weeks for Nox and Morgan since joining forces. A mixed few weeks for Damage CTRL so this was a must win for The Ladies. I chronicle both Dakota's Tale and Tegan's Tale. This one has me torn. I will try to be... unbiased for once. May the best team win.

Morgan and Kai began the match for their respective teams. Liv sent Kai to the Sparkles and Shiny corner with a dropkick. A reverse splash. Morgan tagged in Nox and whipped her to the corner where Tegan struck Kai with an uppercut. They traded strikes until Kai stung Nox with the scorpion kick. SKY tagged in. Nox grabbed control back, dropping SKY with a sitout gourdbuster. Morgan tagged in, leading to a double team suplex on IYO. Liv followed with a snapmare but felt a Kai kick to her back when she hit the ropes running for some offense.

Dakota lured Morgan to the floor, reaching under the ring for a kendo stick to lure Liv into using it. Olivia has been... prone to using weapons in recent months. Morgan pushed Kai out of the way and went after her with the stick. Nox calmed Liv down, not wanting to risk disqualification. SKY and Kai were on the floor after Liv and Nox delivered some corner uppercuts. Liv went for a baseball slide, however Kai moved out of the way. But it was a ploy for Morgan to distract the champions so Nox could bring down Kai and SKY with a crossbody from the top rope.

Damage CTRL would assume control during the commercial break. Nox fired back on Kai with a sunset flip but Dakota cut her pin attempt off with a standing King's Coup. IYO tagged in. The Ladies continued their offensive attack with a double team succession: Pump kick from Kai, trip by SKY, Kai with an axe kick and finally the basement dropkick from SKY. Tegan and IYO battled back and forth with Nox coming out for the better, driving SKY to the canvas with a brutal headbutt. Hot tags were made to Morgan and Kai.

Liv hit a pump kick, enzuigiri, charging uppercut and knee strike in the corner. She continued the attack hitting Kai with a missile dropkick off the top. Kai whipped Morgan to the Damage corner during Liv's springboard codebreaker attempt. Morgan caught IYO with a blow but Kai snuck up on Liv with the Kaio-Kick! IYO tagged in. A double powerbomb planted Morgan to the canvas. Only a save from Nox on SKY's cover saved Liv and Tegan from certain defeat.

Dakota lifted Nox on her shoulders and delivered Go to Kick. I confess, I'm kind of enjoying watching my two favorites beat the piss out of each other. It's like a twisted show of sisterly affection... or maybe not. Back to the action. Morgan tossed Kai over the top rope to the floor. IYO got struck with a codebreaker. Nox tagged in. Morgan used her as a springboard, taking SKY down with another codebreaker. Nox followed with The Shiniest Wizard. But Kai broke the pin attempt with a basement dropkick.

Morgan tossed Kai -- whose elbow was gushing blood -- to the apron. Kai tried to bring her down with a grab of the head but Morgan fought her off with an elbow strike. With Kai staggered on the apron, Liv charged forward and dived over the top rope, mashing Dakota back first to the floor with a sunset powerbomb. There was no respite for Liv who immediately got struck down with a shotgun dropkick from SKY. Call it a night for Liv and Dakota. Back in the ring, Nox caught SKY in the corner with an uppercut, kick to the chin and cannonball.

Nox went for another Shiniest Wizard only for IYO to cut her off with a Shotei that sent Tegan to the floor. IYO wanted a springboard Asai moonsault but Nox cut her off with a rope shake that sent SKY through the ropes back into the ring the hard way. Bayley's emotions got the best of her so she got close to Nox who retaliated, tossing her over the barricade. BAM! Someone in a black hoodie whacked Tegan with a kick. SKY put Nox back in the ring and finished her off with the graceful, beautifully vicious Over the Moonsault to retain the titles for Damage CTRL by pin.

It was a valiant fight by Nox and Morgan but it remains Damage CTRL's kingdom. The Ladies still on top. Tegan fan is a bit sad. Dakota fan a bit too because what was a competitive match between two teams will be tainted according to some due to the interference. But you know, I call BS on anyone tainting that victory. Nox and Morgan took advantage of outside interference last week. Kai and SKY did here. Fair is fair. The better team won last week and again this week. That is what I will chronicle. That is exactly what it was.

Sign me up for Nox and Morgan versus Kai & SKY II. But first, Nox has some business to handle with that lady in the hoodie who revealed herself during a WWE Digital Exclusive to be Xia Li. Why did Xia do what she did? Time will tell. Is Xia an ally of Damage CTRL? Xia once had an alliance in NXT with the mysterious Mei Ying who some believe was a past life of Kai's former partner Wendy Choo. But that may just be an Urban Legend. Really, there is no proof of that. Just as there is no proof so far Xia Li is an ally of Damage CTRL.

Damage CTRL got a much needed win which gives Bayley momentum heading into her match against Becky Lynch on the December 19th 2022 episode of Monday Night RAW. Tegan Nox will see action next week too when she competes on SmackDown in a Gauntlet Match to decide the number one contender for Ronda Rousey's SmackDown Women's Championship. The opponents will be Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler, Emma, Xia Li, Sonya Deville and Liv Morgan.

I still hope Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox can someday mend their relationship. Probably won't happen soon but I keep hope they eventually will. I know a lot of you do too. So, is it still vengeful and personal between Kai and Nox? Or did returning to the scene of the vicious deed at least bury the ghosts of the past changing their rivalry status to violently professional? Perspectives will vary. Only time will tell for sure. For now, I think everyone can just agree December 16th 2022 was a good night of fighting.

Additional Information | WWE Women's Tag Team Champions IYO SKY & Dakota Kai defeated Tegan Nox & Liv Morgan (14:48) to retain the titles on the December 16th 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown from Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.