Friday Night SmackDown Review: 23/09

The Bloodline kick off SmackDown

Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, The Usos, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn all came out to kick off Friday Night SmackDown. Reigns did his normal acknowledge me stick whilst Paul Heyman put over both the Usos and Solo Sikoa. Roman Reigns asked Solo Sikoa to acknowledge him as well and the former North American Champion did what he wished. Then, Sami Zayn wanted to thank the Bloodline for including him in the family before Roman Reigns told him he never wants to see him wear the Bloodline shirt ever again. Why, because he’s got him a new one. Sami was so delighted whilst Jey was feeling the opposite way. Sami even hugged Roman Reigns to end the segment. This was good, all 6 of these did very well in their role.

Grade: B+

Liv Morgan VS Lacey Evans, backstage segments

Lacey Evans spent most of her match with Liv Morgan trash talking the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Lacey Evans kept saying that Morgan couldn’t be extreme which riled up the champ. Liv Morgan ended up winning the match after hitting the Codebreaker and the ObLIVion. What matters most about this was the post-match angle. Liv attacked Lacey with a kendo stick before jumping off the ring post and hitting Lacey Evans with a senton through a table. A part of me didn’t like this, a part of me did. Overall, it was fine.

Grade: C+

Hit Row were backstage in their lounge when the Street Profits joined them before they predicted who was going to win the matches. There were multiple of these throughout the night, and they weren’t very good. Then, Madcap Moss and Ricochet bad mouthed Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa destroyed them. I really like this. Sami can afford to be a bit cockier and more arrogant as he has some backup now, particularly from Solo Sikoa anyway. We then saw an incredible video package showcasing the Usos legendary title run. They are now 50 days away from beaten the New Day’s record as the longest reigning tag team champions in WWE history.

The New Day VS Maximum Male Models, Braun Strowman VS Otis

After the commercial break, it was time for a tag team match between the New Day and the Maximum Male Models. This match was more angle than action though as the whole point of this was to continue to build Max Dupri leaving the group. During the match, Maxxine decided to grab a camera and take pictures of her clients. Max wasn’t happy with this, and this ended up resulting in the New Day getting the victory with the BackWoods. After the match, Max had a go at them and through his jacket onto the ring apron. LA Knight incoming? After this, another backstage segment took place in the Hit Row lounge. Los Lotharios attempted to join in the party, but they were rejected. Seeing Shinsuke Nakamura in this segment was pretty depressing. It was then time for Braun Strowman VS Otis! This match was actually pretty solid. Otis hit the Vader Bomb for a near fall and in the end, Braun won with a very impressive powerbomb. The point of this was to make Braun look like a beast and that is exactly what happened. A big positive though was that Otis looked the best he has looked for a long time. Overall, this was very good for the role it was in.

Grade: C- for New Day VS MMM, B for Strowman VS Otis

Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross, Dakota Kai VS Raquel Rodriguez

After the Brawling Brutes talked about how they were going to become the new Undisputed Tag Team Champions, Drew McIntyre came out and announced that he would be facing Karrion Kross at Extreme Rules, in a Strap Match. After this, Kross attempted to attack him from behind, but Drew fought him off. However, Scarlett’s interference ended up being the Scottish Warrior’s Downfall. First, she threw a fire ball into his face, something Drew’s good friend Keith Lee knows all about before hitting McIntyre with a low blow. Karrion then locked Drew in the Kross Jacket to once again stand tall. This was all pretty good.

Grade: B

After this match, Damage Control’s Dakota Kai took on an old friend and rival Raquel Rodriguez. Sadly, this wasn’t very good. The match was very short and there was so much stuff happening on the outside that I didn’t really even take in the fact that Raquel won the match. Bayley and SKY both tried to distract the former NXT Women’s Champion, but Shotzi came out to her aid which was when Raquel beat Dakota with a roll-up. They brawled after the match and in the end, the good guys stood tall. A shame as Rodriguez VS Kai could have been really special if done right.

Grade: D

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships: The Usos VS The Brawling Brutes

For the third and final time, we went back to the Hit Row lounge where Los Lotharios were back and attacked the singers. All three of these segments were rubbish. Something that wasn’t rubbish however, was the Tag Team Championship match between the Usos and the Brawling Brutes. We knew that the Usos were going to retain but that didn’t matter as the match itself was superb. The Usos are the best tag team in the world without a doubt and this is the best that Butch and Holland have looked together in their entire WWE tender (NXT and the main roster). Add in the brilliance of Sami Zayn’s reactions on the outside, plus Sheamus and Solo Sikoa who can literally beat anyone up if they want, created an overall brilliant dynamic. Butch went for a springboard move and got met with a double Super-Kick but somehow, the Bruiserweight kicked out. The deciding factor ended up being Imperium as Vinci, Kaiser and Gunther all took out Sheamus. This distracted Holland and Butch and the Usos took full advantage by hitting a couple of superkicks and the 1D to get the win. This protected the Brawling Brutes and builds Sheamus VS Gunther 2 whilst also making the Usos look incredible. A fantastic way to end SmackDown.

Grade: A