Friday Night Smackdown – Mar 3rd 2023: Results & Review
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown, right here on Nerdly. Let’s see what went down on the show!
Match #1: Rhea Ripley def. Liv Morgan
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After trash-talking SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair throughout her hard-fought matchup against Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley hit the earth-shattering Riptide on her opponent before making Liv tap out to the extremely innovative Inverted Cloverleaf.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Dominik Mysterio def Santos Escobar
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
When Dominik Mysterio pulled out brass knuckles in his match against Santos Escobar, it distracted the official long enough for Rhea Ripley to hit Escobar with the Riptide on the ringside floor. This paved the way for Dominik to pick up the win with the Frog Splash. When The Judgment Day pair ripped up Rey Myserio’s mask that was gifted to Santos, The Legendary Luchador emerged to put a stop to it. Once again, he refused to battle his son, though, allowing Dominik to hit him with a sneak attack from behind.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Shayna Baszler def. Tegan Nox
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite not being medically cleared following a backstage altercation, Ronda Rousey was at ringside to see Shayna Baszler punish Tegan Nox’s arm and make her opponent tap out to the armbar in a brutal display of dominance.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Solo Sikoa def. Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With the help of Jimmy Uso at ringside, Solo Sikoa overcame Sami Zayn with the Samoan Spike. When Jimmy and Solo looked to follow Roman Reigns’ order to end Zayn in the aftermath, however, Uso took too long and allowed The Master Strategist time to launch a counteroffensive before getting out of dodge.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Another week, another average episode of Smackdown. The opening promo between Cody and Roman was great but it was just that, a promo. The wrestling on this week’s show was both underwhelming and in short supply. I get it, the WWE are building stories for Wrestlemania but, right now, that’s coming at the expense of the great wrestling we had on this show in recent months (aka when Triple H took over). Not to be a conspiracy theorist but those that say the returned Vince McMahon has Triple H’s ear seems more and more likely given shows like this.
