The Bloodline kick-off the show, Sami Zayn VS Sheamus
Friday Night SmackDown kicked off with Sami Zayn’s music. This was due to both him having a matchup coming up but also as a sign of recognition from the rest of the Bloodline. Sami wanted to praise the Usos before Jimmy told him that all the praise should go to him. After they said some stuff, Jimmy Uso went to do his usual handshake with Sami but this time, Jey joined in too showcasing how much their friendship has grown. Sheamus’ music then hit before the Brutes stormed down to the ring claiming it was fight night. This then led into the opening match of the night between Sami Zayn and Sheamus. This was a solid match that got a lot of time meaning both men were able to get their bits in. Sheamus hit a big knee at one point whilst Sami hit the blue thunder bomb for two close near-falls. In the end, the Brawling Brutes and the Usos brawled outside the ring and it was pretty even until Solo Sikoa got involved and destroyed the two British Boys. Then, whilst the referee was distracted, Jey Uso super kicked Sheamus which allowed Sami Zayn to pick up the roll-up victory. Overall, this was solid stuff. Sami got a big win whilst Jey Uso showed that his opinion on Sami Zayn really has changed.
Grade: B
Lots of Backstage stuff, Shayna Baszler VS Emma
A pre-taped video then aired showcasing Legado Del Fantasma looking like stars. Santos Escobar then cut a promo about how he is going to win the SmackDown World Cup for Mexico before Zelina Vega said that Santos is then coming for the Intercontinental Championship. This was really good. Kofi Kingston was then being interviewed by Megan Morant before Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci came up to him. They laughed at him before Kofi challenged a member of Imperium to a singles match as Xavier Woods wasn’t there tonight. That was a mistake as the Ring General walked into the shot and accepted the challenge. Kofi even laughed about Gunther coming out of nowhere which was pretty funny. It was then time for another one of Bray Wyatt’s promos. Wyatt told everyone that it wasn’t him who attacked LA Knight before he made it crystal clear that if he had been the one who attacked him, there would be nothing left of the Megastar. That’s a threat!
After Shayna Baszler came out, Emma was backstage worrying about her match before Madcap Moss came up to her. He reminded Emma that she was a massive part in the Women’s evolution before Emma said “thanks Riddick”. That was a nice touch. The match then happened and it was pretty short as Shayna dominated mostly before she locked in the Kirifuda Clutch to get the win. After the match, Shayna was about to break Emma’s arm before Shotzi ran down to make the save. However, she wasn’t very good at this as she then received a beating before Baszler went to break her arm. However, this didn’t happen as Raquel Rodriguez’s music hit and Baszler was then forced to retreat due to it being 3-on-1. I liked that this made Baszler look like a badass, but it made Emma and more importantly Shotzi look a bit crap. Emma hasn’t looked good since her return to WWE and the less said about how rubbish Shotzi has looked the past week the better. Raquel did have an awesome looking arm brace though.
Grade: C
Kofi Kingston VS Gunther
A video aired showcasing Lacey Evans in a military training camp. It’s nice to know she’s still in the fold but I just can’t see her getting this army character over. We then got a video where Ricochet was talking about what winning the SmackDown World Cup means to him. This felt like something out of Rocky; it was great! We were then back into in-ring action as the New Day’s Kofi Kingston went one-on-one with Imperium’s Gunther. At one point in the match, Braun Strowman’s music hit and he dealt with Kaiser and Vinci meaning Gunther was left all on his own against Kingston. Kofi was in his element here, the underdog who no-one expects to win fighting against a beast of a champion that no-one has been able to beat. Kofi even kicked out of the Intercontinental Champions Trademark Powerbomb which was a surprise, but this just allowed Gunther to debut his new finishing move called “The Last Symphony” to get the win. Another strong showing from Gunther as Intercontinental Champion.
Grade: B-
Tegan Nox returns to WWE!
The Bloodline were ready to go out for dinner before Jimmy Uso sent Solo Sikoa with Sami Zayn to get the car to protect the Honorary Uce. Jimmy then asked Jey if he had ever asked Sami why he lied to his face before Jey said that he wasn’t really bothered by it. Sheamus then attacked them with a shillelagh before he warned the brothers that both him and Drew McIntyre are coming for their tag team championships. Cool. Damage Control then came out and Bayley was clearly not happy that she was in Buffalo. She then talked about how Damage CTRL were in War Games for a combined 95 minutes and 19 seconds which is pretty mental really. Bayley then said that the SmackDown Women’s roster is rubbish (star power wise absolutely) before Liv Morgan came out and decided to fight all 3 of them on behalf of the SmackDown Women’s roster. She got a bit of offense in but the numbers advantage was just too much until “Chicane Boys” hit and Tegan Nox came running out to make the save. Nox helped a bit, but the big equaliser was Liv Morgan who used a kendo stick to take out the tag team champions before Tegan hit the “Shiniest Wizard” to leave Bayley laying. I’m really happy to see Tegan Nox back in WWE. She is one of my all-time favourites in the Women’s division and arguably in all of WWE. This return will hopefully be the start of a great run for girl with the shiniest wizard and it’s just cool to see her again given the fact she hasn’t really done anything of note in the past 2 years. Also, KAI VS NOX!
Grade: B+
SmackDown World Cup Final: Ricochet VS Santos Escobar
After a couple of eerie segments (Karrion Kross playing with cards and Uncle Howdy talking), it was time for the final of the SmackDown World Cup as USA’s Ricochet took on Mexico’s Santos Escobar. Early on in the match, the referee threw out Joaquin Wilde, Cruz del Toro and Zelina Vega meaning if Escobar was going to win, he would have to do it himself. What followed this was an amazing matchup fitting of a World Cup final. Ricochet went and hit this suicide dive that looked great, but it was then beaten by Santos Escobar’s one later on in the match. Outside the ring, Ricochet and Escobar both managed to balance themselves on the barricade before Escobar hit a hurricanrana which sent the One and Only crashing onto the floor. Back in the ring, the Emperor of Lucha Libre went to do this again from the top rope but this time, Ricochet landed on his feet in one of the coolest WWE moments of the entire year. Santos then made him pay by hitting a poisonrana onto Ricochet meaning the Ultimate Midcard Champion landed on his neck. In the end though, Ricochet got the ultimate payback by hitting the poisonrana of the top rope before he wrecked Santos with some ridiculous kicks. He then went to the top rope and hit his iconic 630 Senton to get the win. After the Ali Ricochet match from the first round, I thought nothing was going to come close to that in this tournament but arguably, this match wasn’t just close, it was better! Ricochet proved that he is an incredible, incredible talent and in my opinion, he is the greatest highflyer that I have ever seen. As for Santos, he showed the main roster fans what every NXT fan knows and that is that Santos Escobar is one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers ever. After the match, Ricochet held the World Cup trophy up high before pyro went off highlighting just how big a deal this was. Gunther then came out to stare down with his next challenger; their match will take place in Chicago in 2 weeks time. Could Ricochet win, why not!
