This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown: the matches were pretty good and several storylines were developed. The best part of the show was the revelation of LA Knight as John Cena’s partner at Fastlane. The low point was the Grayson Waller Effect. Fine for what it was but nothing special.
The US Championship match was great but most of the other matches were nothing special. The show structure was good, culminating in the Cena segment, but the title match could have been in a better spot. A couple of storylines were advanced but nothing amazing. The production was high quality but no theme to the show.
On tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown: John Cena returns to confront the Bloodline after last week’s beatdown. Does he have a tag team partner in mind or will it be a handicap match? Rey Mysterio defends the United States Championship against fellow LWO member Santos Escobar. Who comes out on top? Charlotte Flair takes on Bayley. Who emerges victorious in the latest edition of their rivalry? And Bobby Lashley is the latest guest on the Grayson Waller Effect.
ABOVE AVERAGE Paul Heyman and the Bloodline:
Heyman said John Cena was not at the arena because of travel issues and AJ Styles was in the hospital. Jimmy Uso took the mic and said the real reason Cena wasn’t there was fear. Then, Karl Anderson attacked Uso, looking to avenge the injuries to Styles.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.75 Stars
SQUASH – Jimmy Uso quickly defeated Karl Anderson, although Anderson got in some offense. After the match, Anderson tried to fight back but Jimmy and Solo Sikoa overwhelmed him. As he walked out, Michin slapped Jimmy Uso. Embarrassed, Jimmy got physical with anyone who looked at him backstage.
Santos Escobar said it was a dream come true for him to face Rey Mysterio for a championship.
ABOVE AVERAGE Bobby Lashley on the Grayson Waller Effect:
Lashley said he made a mistake in taking the Street Profits under his wing. Waller responded that he and Austin Theory could replace the Profits as Lashley’s mentees, which Lashley declined. The Street Profits then came to the ring to plead their case with the Almighty and were told they needed to prove themselves.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.5 Stars
ABOVE AVERAGE Austin Theory vs Cameron Grimes:
Theory had the advantage early on, but he inspired some passion in Grimes with some trash talk. Grimes was in control as he took the fight outside the ring, but Grayson Waller came in with a distraction to assist his partner. Theory used this to take down Cameron Grimes, hitting A-Town Down for the win.
Results: Austin Theory by Pinfall via A-Town Down
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 2.5 Stars
GREAT Rey Mysterio (champion) vs Santos Escobar for the United States Championship:
These two know each other well inside and outside the ring, so neither man took an easy advantage. After a crossbody outside the ring, Mysterio had an opportunity to win via countout but he pushed his friend back into the ring. Later, Mysterio had a 619 set up but Escobar broke up the attempt with a superkick. He followed that up with a suicide dive. A torture rack into a backbreaker nearly resulted in a title change but Mysterio kicked out. In the finish, Rey Mysterio countered Escobar’s finisher and rolled him up to retain the US Title. After the match, the Street Profits attacked both competitors. Then, Bobby Lashley came to the ring and applauded the Profits. Joquin WIlde and Cruz Del Toro tried to assist their LWO friends but were unsuccessful.
Results: Rey Mysterio by Pinfall
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
Rey Mysterio and the LWO challenged Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits to a match at Payback.
Just before the Flair-Bayley match, John Cena is shown pulling up to the arena with the contract in his hands.
A video package showing Elton Prince continues to make progress in his recovery from a shoulder injury.
GOOD Charlotte Flair vs Bayley:
Before the match, Flair told Bayley she is nothing more than a stepping stone. Bayley came out swinging with help from Iyo Sky. After a distraction from Sky, Bayley hit the Queen with an elbow drop to the back. Despite this early momentum, the Role Model was unable to overcome the Queen. After the match, Damage Control tried to attack Flair but Asuka came to the rescue. After a promo in Japanese, Bayley signed Iyo Sky up to defend her title in a triple-threat match with Asuka and Charlotte Flair.
Results: Charlotte Flair by Pinfall via Spear
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.25 Stars
GREAT John Cena calls out the Bloodline:
Cena lamented the fact that as of speaking, he had no tag partner for his match with the Bloodline. He told the excited fans that partner or no partner, he will face the Bloodline at Fastlane. The Bloodline came to the ring, telling Cena he won’t make it to Fastlane. As Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso beat down Cena, the sixteen-time world champion was rescued by…LA Knight! After fending off the Bloodline, Knight signed the contract and became Cena’s partner.
Matt Cookson WR Star Rating – 3.75 Stars
Overall…
This was a good episode of Friday Night SmackDown: the matches were pretty good and several storylines were developed. The best part of the show was the revelation of LA Knight as John Cena’s partner at Fastlane. The low point was the Grayson Waller Effect. Fine for what it was but nothing special.
The US Championship match was great but most of the other matches were nothing special. The show structure was good, culminating in the Cena segment, but the title match could have been in a better spot. The crowd was pretty good but nothing special. A couple of storylines were advanced but nothing amazing. The production was high quality but no theme to the show.
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:
