This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The show got off to a hot start with another banger from Sheamus and Butch losing to the Usos and ended with an amazing throwback to milkomania. Those were some of the highlights of the evening. The lowlight was easily the tag match in which Ronda Rousey was defeated by Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox. the match rating for this episode was hurt by this as well as none of the matches being 4 stars or above. The show structure was good but the tag match at the end disrupted the flow. The crowd was consistently loud throughout and of course, production quality was high. The storylines were advanced but some of them continue to move slowly.
Tonight on Friday Night Smackdown: Sheamus and Butch challenge The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships. Will the Brawling Brutes end the Usos title reign? We get a birthday celebration for WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle! What will be in store for Angle on his birthday?
GREAT Sheamus and Butch vs The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Titles:
The Usos showed some creativity early by hitting a One D but dropping Butch onto the top rope instead of the floor. After getting a hot tag, Sheamus and Butch gave the Usos thirty beats of the Irish Drum. Later, Sheamus hit Jimmy Uso with White Noise on the side of the ring. In the end, the Usos won on a One-D while Sami Zayn prevented Sheamus from getting in the ring to break the pin.
Results: The Usos by Pinfall via One-D
First and Last Name WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
Braun Strowman greeted Kurt Angle and Gable Steveson as they entered the arena.
GOOD LA Knight:
Knight showed some clips of him getting attacked with Bray Wyatt masks in the background. Then, Uncle Howdy interrupted by saying that LA Knight deserves to be punished. LA Knight finished up by saying he would punish Wyatt for the attacks.
First and Last Name WR Star Rating – 3.25 stars
Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox confronted Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey backstage.
Otis and Chad Gable are denied entry to Kurt Angle’s birthday party.
NO CONTEST Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde vs The Viking Raiders:
Hit Row interrupted the match and laid waste to both teams.
Backstage, LA Knight is caught in a dark locker room with a masked figure.
GREAT Ricochet and Gunther sign the contract for their title match
The New Day joined Ricochet in the ring to serve as his backup. Woods and Kingston started making a lot of performance jokes about Imperium. The two trios started fighting as is custom for contract signings. Adam Pierce turned this into a trio tag team match. During the match, Imperium used their teamwork to wear down Xavier Woods. Kofi Kingston eventually got his way into the match and started dominating Giovanni Vinci. In the end, Imperium was defeated after taking Trouble in Paradise and a 450 Splash.
Results: Ricochet and The New Day by Win Method via 450 Splash
First and Last Name WR Star Rating – 3.5 stars
Karrion Kross told Rey Mysterio an allegory about a horse that needed to be put out of its misery. Implying that Mysterio is in the same position in his career.
AVERAGE Liv Morgan and Tegan Knox vs Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler:
Rousey mocked Liv Morgan’s entrance and had her vintage blue tongue. This match didn’t last long, as Raquel Rodriguez came to the ring, which distracted Ronda. This allowed Morgan and Nox to double-team Baszler and pick up the win.
Results: Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox by Pinfall
First and Last Name WR Star Rating – 2.25 Stars
AMAZING Kurt Angle:
Angle’s birthday celebration was immediately interrupted by Alpha Academy. Chad Gable called himself the real Olympic hero and kicked Angle out of the ring, as Otis ate the birthday cake. As he walked away, Kurt Angle told Alpha Academy they needed some milk with their cake. This was the cue for Gable Steveson to come to the ring with a milk truck and milkomania was re-enacted.
First and Last Name WR Star Rating – 4 stars
Overall…
This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The show got off to a hot start with another banger from Sheamus and Butch losing to the Usos and ended with an amazing throwback to milkomania, this time Kurt Angle had help from Gable Steveson. Those were some of the highlights of the evening. The lowlight was easily the tag match in which Ronda Rousey was defeated by Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox. the match rating for this episode was hurt by this as well as none of the matches being 4 stars or above. The show structure was good but the tag match at the end disrupted the flow. The crowd was consistently loud throughout and of course, production quality was high. The storylines were advanced but some of them continue to move slowly.
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3.25/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
