This was a decent episode of Friday Night SmackDown that featured some decent matches. The highlight of the night was the match between Santos Escobar because the match was good and further developed the feud between Judgement Day and the Latino World Order. While it’s great to have Shinsuke back, the match itself wasn't anything special, and it therefore the lowlight.
The match score loses points because a few of the matches were average and none reached the level of amazing. Show structure was good but some of the above average segments slowed it down. The atmosphere was good but not amazing. Storytelling was good but some of the matches did not have a ton of story to them. Production level was high but there wasn't a theme that made this episode stand out.
On tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown: Shinsuke Nakamura returns to WWE for the first time in months. How will he fare in his return match? Xavier Woods steps into the ring with LA Knight. How will the UpUpDownDown host fare against the megastar? And Santos Escobar faces Damian Priest in one on one action.
GOOD Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn:
Addressing the uncertainty that comes with the WWE Draft, Owens and Zayn know for sure that they will be ready to defend the titles. Owens specifically mentioned the Usos wanting a rematch, who felt their ears burning and made their entrance. The Usos told the champions they were as dangerous as ever and that Zayn will betray KO like how he betrayed the Bloodline. As the Usos and Solo Siko surrounded the ring, Matt Riddle came to the aid of the undisputed tag team champions.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
Adam Pearce told a referee it will be Solo Sikoa and Matt Riddle in tonight’s main event.
GOOD Xavier Woods vs LA Knight:
With a hot crowd right off the bat, Xavier Woods was in control with some high-flying offense. While he gained momentum heading into the commercial break, LA Knight looked frustrated after Woods kicked out of a neck breaker. Balanced on the top rope, LA Knight got double-stomped by Woods. Knight was then kicked out of a leg drop. The finish came after Knight tried to pin Woods by grabbing the shorts for leverage but the ref saw it. What the ref didn’t see was Xavier Woods doing the same thing to pick up the win.
Results: Xavier Woods by Pinfall via Rollup
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
After interrupting Imperium with his trombone, Gunther offered Xavier Woods a title match.
GREAT Damian Priest vs Santos Escobar:
Damian Priest offered no apology for his assault on Bad Bunny. The LWO responded by attacking Judgment Day before the match started. Once the match got started, Priest dropped Escobar with a well-placed punch outside the ring. Santos Escobar did get in some offense but Priest quickly took back control. Later, Escobar nearly got the pinfall victory after a moonsault but Priest kicked out. Chaos ensued when Judgement Day interfered in the match leading to a brawl with the LWO. While Zelena Vega and co got in their licks, Priest hit Escobar with South of Heaven to pick up the win. After the match, Rey Mysterio saved the LWO from further damage.
Results: Damian Priest by Pinfall via South of Heaven
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars
Solo SIkoa assured Paul Heyman and the Usos he’s got his match with Riddle under control.
ABOVE AVERAGE Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez:
Morgan and Rodriguez started by hyping each other up before they were interrupted by Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green. After whining about their lack of opportunity, the champions offered Deville and Green a title match. Rodriguez and Morgan then attacked the challengers, chasing them out of the ring.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.75 Stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Shinsuke Nakamura vs Madcap Moss (w/Emma):
Madcap Moss came out with his hair on fire and had Nakamura reeling. However, Nakamura quickly battled back and finished off Moss with a Kinshasa. After the match, Emma goaded Moss to attack Nakamura but the king of strong style fought it off.
Results: Shinsuke Nakamura by Pinfall via Kinshasa
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.75 Stars
The Viking Raiders attacked Ricochet and Braun Strowman backstage.
GREAT Matt Riddle (w/Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens) vs Solo Sikoa (w/the Usos and Paul Heyman):
Before the match started, Paul Heyman announced the Usos will have a chance Riddle went the submission route early on, weakening the enforcer with various holds including a sleeper hold and an arm bar. The Usos attempted to interfere, leading to the referee ejecting them along with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. This didn’t stop the Usos from wandering back into the arena where they promptly fought with the tag team champions. This distracted Riddle, opening the door for Sikoa to finish him off with a Samoan Spike. Sikoa mauled Riddle after the match and put him through the announcer’s table.
Results: Solo Sikoa by Pinfall via Samoan Spike
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.5 Stars
Overall…
This was a decent episode of Friday Night SmackDown that featured some decent matches. The highlight of the night was the match between Santos Escobar because the match was good and further developed the feud between Judgement Day and the Latino World Order. While it’s great to have Shinsuke back, the match itself wasn’t anything special, and it therefore the lowlight.
The match score loses points because a few of the matches were average and none reached the level of amazing. Show structure was good but some of the above average segments slowed it down. The atmosphere was good but not amazing. Storytelling was good but some of the matches did not have a ton of story to them. Production level was high but there wasn’t a theme that made this episode stand out.
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.75/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.5/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating. 3/5 Stars
Photo Credit: WWE
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
