Tonight’s episode of WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN is presented from PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Follow along here for results of all the matches and noteworthy moments and keep refreshing for updates. Be sure to chat it up in the comments below and tell us your thoughts while watching this episode!
-
The show opens with the first-round matchup in the women’s tag team title tournament. Raquel Rodriguez is teaming with Aaliyah to take on Xia Li and Shotzi. Raquel and Aaliyah out first. Xia Li comes out without those visual effects from a few weeks back, followed by her partner Shotzi. Also to note – Sonya Deville and Natalya, another contender for the women’s tag titles, are at ringside to scout the match-up. Shotzi showed some heel tendencies in trying to score an early pinfall, but Rodriguez demonstrates her strength to power out. We got to break as the action spills outside…
-
These women have decent chemistry and the match isn’t resonating with the crowd, but it’s very solid action. This a very good opener. Shotzi and Xia keep cutting the ring in half and isolating Aaliyah. Raquel gets the hot tag and runs wild – fall-away slams left, right, and center. Shotzi and Xia use some double-team actions to take advantage, but Rodriguez scores a one-armed powerbomb for the win. Aaliyah and Raquel work an excellent “Shawn/Diesel” gimmick and this was a fun opener. Rodriguez and Aaliyah are moving on to round 2.
-
A promo package for the upcoming title fight between Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns is next. We recap SummerSlam, Roman talks more about his unprecedented title run, and we see Drew confronting Roman from SmackDown last week before Karrion Kross returned to interrupt things.
-
A Karrion Kross pre-taped segment is next. Kross and Scarlett are in a darkened room, and give Kross credit here – the promo has some generic language but he’s going for it and really selling the promo. Talks about being the “broken toy, cast out of paradise” while Drew and Roman were the “chosen ones.” So he bided his time, and prepared, and how he’s going to show the Bloodline “the new timeline.” He reiterates his “tick tock” catchphrase before turning to a monitor showing McIntyre’s entrance. Which brings us to….
-
McIntyre enters the arena (without his sword!) as we cut to commercial. As we come back from break, Drew’s in-ring promo is interrupted by Scarlett, and that leads to a distraction where The Usos take advantage and beat down McIntyre. That’s how we go to commercial as SmackDown rolls on…
-
We see a pre-taped promo package for the upcoming Intercontinental Championship match. The belt’s lineage is hyped before we go to Shinsuke in the locker room, warming up for his match. Shinsuke says that Gunther should “come onnnnn!”
-
The Viking Raiders make their entrance next but they’re jumped by “Kendo” Kofi Kingston in the aisle. Kofi gives it his all and takes the fight to them before the shields and the numbers game catch up and Kofi gets beaten down. The refs break up the skirmish and check on Kofi as we go to commercial.
-
Sami Zayn is walking backstage and comes up to knock on Roman Reigns’ door. The Usos answer. Sami begins an apology but Drew comes outta nowhere and absolutely decimates the tag team champs. Drew is relentless and wrecks both Usos, leaving them laying in the hallway outside Reigns’ dressing room.
-
Hit Row is back! Ashante Thee Adonis, Top Dolla, and B-Fab (serving as manager/valet for the match) make their way to the ring! McAfee and Cole hype up these superstars as they make their return after a lengthy absence. The newly-returned tag specialists absolutely squash some enhancement talent in their return bout, while Cole talks up their return as putting the tag division on notice.
-
The group cut a promo in the ring to re-introduce themselves to the crowd and cut a couple of catchphrases.
-
SmackDown pauses for a serious moment to pay respects to the recently departed “Judo” Gene Lebell. From there, we move on to a recap of last week’s gauntlet match to name the number one contender for the Women’s Championship. The contract signing between Shayna Baszler and the Women’s Champion, Liv Morgan is up next.
-
Gunther is approached backstage while Ludwig Kaiser is hyping him up. He tells Shinsuke Nakamura that he is going to face the strength of the “Ring General!”
-
Out of nowhere, Ronda Rousey comes through the crowd, hops the barricade, and is in the ring to cut a promo. The crowd is pretty hot to see her. Ronda dumps a bag of money on the table and says that even though she was fined, she decided to double it. As she does this, a host of security come to escort her out. Ronda said that she was going to leave on her own, but if security wants to do something about that… Ronda smokes a female security guard before the rest of the crew escort her to the back. On the ramp, she runs into Shayna, who’s out next to sign the contract for her upcoming title fight vs. Liv Morgan. Baszler tries to talk sense to Rousey about how things are done here before Rousey asks, “what happened to you? You used to be a killer.”
-
Shayna calls out Liv for the contract signing, promising to ruin the Women’s Champion. Liv makes her way to the ring and promises that the Queen of Spades won’t beat her, and calls her a “bootleg Ronda Rousey.” And Liv would know because she beat the “real deal” twice. After Liv signs the contract, Baszler grabs her injured arm and wrenches on it. Baszler is tossing Liv around the ring now, backing her down into a corner and continuing to work the arm. Morgan manages to reverse into a bulldog out of the corner and through the signing table. She grabs the title belt and stands tall over Shayna to end the segment. Crowd reaction here was very mixed for both women.
-
The Usos catch up to Sami Zayn backstage and wonder why he took off when Drew blindsided them earlier. Sami tries to say that he was going to get security, but the Usos aren’t having it. They warn him again about revoking his “uce” status before deciding to go call out Drew in the ring. We cut to break…
-
Recap of the WrestleMania Launch Party from last night at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
-
The Usos hit the ring and call out Drew for a tag match, right here, right now. They tell Drew to find a partner and come get this work. Drew shows up solo and the match begins, two on one. Drew starts off the match valiantly enough but it’s two on one so the Usos take the advantage. Drew is facing the wrong end of a beatdown when Madcap Moss is out to even the odds! Moss is a house of fire, taking out the Usos and evening the odds as McIntyre’s seeming tag team partner. The two faces clear the ring as we cut to a break….
-
Back from break, things have evened out in the match. McIntyre takes the hot tag and works over Jimmy. He handles both Usos as the crowd fires up, but here’s Sami Zayn to distract from a Claymore. The Usos take advantage to hit a splash, but McIntyre kicks out! Zayn keeps trying to encourage the Usos while Moss recovers outside. But now here’s Moss – dragging Jey outside as the Usos were setting up for the 1D. McIntyre with the Glasgow Kiss on Jimmy and then nails a Claymore for the pinfall win! McIntyre and Moss take down the Undisputed Tag Team champions! Post-match, Jey Uso seeks revenge but Drew fights him off. As he goes to Claymore Jey, Sami pushes Jey out to the way and eats the Scotsman’s finisher. Drew and Moss hold the ring as the heels beat feet back up the aisle….
-
Maximum Male Models are shown backstage, watering themselves down as a photoshoot is taking place. Angel Garza and Humberto pop up, talking about how if the group is serious, they ought to sign them. Max Dupri speaks directly into Garza’s neck, asking him who he thinks he is. Garza and Humberto work themselves over to Maxine and say that they were talking to her, and if she’s interested, then give them a call. That is followed by Cole and McAfee hyping the upcoming title fight for the Intercontinental Championship between Nakamura and Gunter. A pre-taped highlight package takes us to break….
-
Kayla Braxton interviews Ricochet backstage. We recap Corbin vs Ricochet and how Corbin’s obsession with McAfee led to Ricochet’s pinfall victory over the “bum ass Corbin.” Ricochet talks about being more locked in than he has in a long time. Ricochet doesn’t care which man wins the IC title match coming up because he….WHAM! Blindsided by Corbin! This feud is going to continue as Corbin reminds Ricochet that “they’re just getting started.”
-
We get a pre-taped package for Nikita Lyons and Zoey Stark taking part in the women’s tag title tournament. They introduce themselves to anyone who might not know them, and promise to win the women’s tag titles. Next week, the Viking Raiders are going to hold a “Viking Funeral” for the New Day. That leads us to….
-
Nakamura and Gunther make their entrances next as we head to our main event for the Intercontinental Championship. The bell rings and we hear the introductions. They’re giving this a proper title fight feel. Both men get full introductions: hometown, weight, all the works. We got to break as the IC title bout takes place next!
-
The match starts off with some good back and forth. Neither man gains an advantage at the start, but Gunther’s strength takes over and as he begins working Nakamura’s back in a Boston crab submission, we head to break. Very enjoyable so far. Shinsuke was using head games and body language to provoke Gunther in the early stages…we’ll see if the Ring General makes a mistake in the later stages of the match. We go to break….
-
Huge German suplex as we’re back to live action and Cole hypes the damage Nakamura did to the right arm of the IC Champion during the interlude. Gunther is back in control, goes to the top rope for a big splash, but the King of Strong Style counters into a wonderful triangle choke! Gunther has to power out into a modified power bomb to break the hold. Both men are going back and forth – strikes left, right, and center as Strong Style and the strength of Gunther go one on one. Gunther counters a Kinshasa into a wicked clothesline but only gets a two-count after turning Nakamura inside out with that move. Absolutely WICKED lariat there. Nakamura reverses a sleeper by driving the IC champ back into the corner and wrenching the injured right arm over his shoulder, before Gunther drives a dropkick right into Nakamura’s back. A powerbomb puts away the challenger, 1-2-3, and Gunther retains the Intercontinental Title. That match was physical as physical gets. Gunther looking like a real badass as the show goes off the air with the Ring General posing with the title alongside Ludwig Kaiser.
What did you think of this episode of SmackDown? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
If using any of the above content, please credit the author with a h/t to ewrestlingnews.com
