This was a good episode of Friday Night Smackdown. The matches were decent but the real highlights of this show were the storylines. Uncle Howdy made a physical appearance and John Cena will team up with Kevin Owens to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on the last SmackDown of 2022. Thus, Cena will continue his streak of having a match on SmackDown for +20 years in a row. There isn't really a segment that stands out as a lowlight but if I had to pick one I’d say it was the women’s tag match. This is because it’s unclear where the story will go next. The match rating the overall is down because none of the matches reached the 4.25 threshold. The IC match was great but the ending seemed a little sudden. Show structure loses points because most of the top segments were weighted towards the middle and not necessarily a build-up to the end. The atmosphere loses points because not every segment had top-notch crowd noise. Storytelling was great for the most part but a few didn't move stories along a lot. Production was good but there wasn’t really a theme to build on.
Tonight on Friday Night SmackDown: Roman Reigns returns to SmackDown. What does the Bloodline have next? Damage Control defends the Women’s Tag Titles against Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox. Will the champs retain the titles? A triple threat match to determine the next challenger for the Usos. Who will emerge victorious from the trio of the Viking Raiders, Hit Row, and Legado Del Fantasma? And Gunther defends the Intercontinental Championship against Ricochet.
GOOD Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox vs Damage Control for the Women’s Tag Team Championships:
Morgan tried to use a kendo stick after a kick from the not-legal Dakota Kai, but Tegan Nox prevented her from using it. Later, a running kick preceded a tandem powerbomb by Iyo Sky and Kai. interference played a role in the finish, as Bayley and then an unknown person in a hoodie attacked Tegan Knox. A moonsault from Sky and the champs retained.
Results: Damage by Pinfall via Moonsault
Matt Cookson Name WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
The Usos discussed what was going to happen to Sami Zayn tonight. Jey thinks Zayn will become an official member of the Bloodline but Jimmy isn’t convinced.
GREAT LA Knight:
LA Knight clearly isn’t impressed by Bray Wyatt’s return, calling his attacks cowardly and his promos boring. Bray Wyatt came to the ring and told Knight he was wrong in thinking Wyatt was behind the attacks. Uncle Howdy then came to the ring, implying either he and Wyatt aren’t the same person or that someone is impersonating Howdy. Nevertheless, Wyatt and Howdy laughed maniacally while a perturbed LA Knight looked on.
Matt Cookson Name WR Star Rating – 4 stars
GREAT Ricochet vs Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship:
Adam Pearce wanted to make sure there would be no funny business and evicted the rest of Imperium from ringside. Gunther targeted Ricochet’s leg early on in an effort to limit his opponent’s athleticism. This didn’t work, as Ricochet was still able to outmaneuver the Ring General. During the match, Wade Barrett revealed that it was Xia Li who interfered in the women’s tag match. Meanwhile, Gunther put Ricochet in a Boston Crab several times. Several times it looked like Gunther was overpowering Ricochet, but Ricochet kept fighting back, nearly getting the pin after a moonsault from the corner. Finally, Gunther picked up the victory after The Last Symphony, his new finisher. After the match, Imperium tried to continue the assault on Ricochet but Braun Strowman saved him.
Results: Gunther by Pinfall via The Last Symphony
Matt Cookson Name WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
Jey Uso vouched for Sami Zayn to officially join the Bloodline to Roman Reigns. Then, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns pitched a tag match to Adam Pearce: Roman and Sami Zayn against Kevin Owens and a partner of his choosing.
GOOD Legado Del Fantasma vs The Viking Raiders vs Hit Row:
LFG showed the best teamwork to start, jumping from the corner onto the other two teams. Later, Erik and Ivar showed some creativity with a lariat followed by a German Suplex. Then, Top Dolla tried to jump over the top rope but it didn’t go well. There’s a reason big men don’t attempt those. B-Fab, Zelena Vega, and Valhalla all brawled with each other. Finally, Hit Row picked up the win after pinning Ivar.
Results: Hit Row by Pinfall
Matt Cookson Name WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Despite her injury, Raquel Rodriguez intends to enter the gauntlet match to become Ronda Rousey’s next challenger. Then Rousey and Shayna Baszler attacked Raquel.
GREAT The Bloodline:
Roman Reigns said that Kevin Owens continues to be a problem for the Bloodline, telling Sami Zayn about the tag match with Owens. Zayn then said that Owens is a cancer and he used to be Owens’ only friend. Finally, John Cena came on the big screen and announced he would be Kevin Owens’ partner on the last SmackDown of the year.
Matt Cookson Name WR Star Rating – 3.5
Overall…
This was a good episode of Friday Night Smackdown. The matches were decent but the real highlights of this show were the storylines. Uncle Howdy made a physical appearance and John Cena will team up with Kevin Owens to take on Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn on the last SmackDown of 2022. Thus, Cena will continue his streak of having a match on SmackDown for +20 years in a row. There isn’t really a segment that stands out as a lowlight but if I had to pick one I’d say it was the women’s tag match. This is because it’s unclear where the story will go next. The match rating the overall is down because none of the matches reached the 4.25 threshold. The IC match was great but the ending seemed a little sudden. Show structure loses points because most of the top segments were weighted towards the middle and not necessarily a build-up to the end. The atmosphere loses points because not every segment had top-notch crowd noise. Storytelling was great for the most part but a few didn’t move stories along a lot. Production was good but there wasn’t really a theme to build on.
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.75/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.5/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
