Friday Night Smackdown – Jul 21st 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 this week’s episode!
Match #1: Fatal Four-Way – Rey Mysterio def. LA Knight, Sheamus and Cameron Grime
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
For a chance to face Santos Escobar in the final of the United States Title Invitational Tournament, LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus and Cameron Grimes took part in a Fatal 4-Way Match. The pace was frenetic with all four Superstars pulling out the stops with the two veterans in Sheamus and Rey Mysterio hitting Knight and Grimes with the 10 Beats of the Bodhran. In a wild moment, all four Superstars came crashing down to Earth in a jaw-dropping Tower of Doom catastrophe. In the closing stages, Mysterio sent Grimes straight near where Austin Theory was sitting, which enraged the U.S. Champion, who accused Mysterio of doing it on purpose. Just as Mysterio hit a double 619 on Sheamus and Grimes and looked set to win the match, Theory stopped The Master of the 619 from completing the pinfall, sending him into the ring steps. Mysterio’s fellow LWO member Escobar emerged from the backstage area to stop Theory from inflicting further damage. After each competitor hit their own finishing move on each other, Mysterio managed to stand tall, executing a vicious hurricanrana on Grimes to win the match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Charlotte Flair def. IYO SKY
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Charlotte Flair’s road to SummerSlam hit a bump as she took on Ms. Money in the Bank IYO SKY, with Bayley cheering for her Damage CTRL teammate while providing guest commentary. Flair’s strength kept the wily SKY at bay, but The Genius of the Sky executed a powerbomb after Bayley distracted The Queen. After an ominous message from Shotzi that played on the TitanTron, Bayley ditched her teammate. Despite being sans Bayley, SKY gave it her all to Flair. Flair eventually landed Natural Selection out of desperation to win the match. After the match, WWE Women’s Champion Asuka left The Queen reeling on the mat.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Santos Escobar def. Austin Theory
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Enraged over Austin Theory’s attempt to sabotage Rey Mysterio’s win in the Fatal 4-Way Match earlier, Santos Escobar took on the braggadocios U.S. Champion in a non-title match. As Escobar won the previous week’s Fatal 4-Way, the match could potentially be a preview of a future U.S. Title match between the two. Escobar looked good against the champion as well, taking down Theory with elbow strikes and hurricanranas. A beautifully executed modified suplex from Theory nearly put Escobar away for good, but the LWO member kept himself alive. Escobar’s might proved to be too much as he put Theory down with the Phantom Driver to win the huge non-title match.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: NXT North American Championship – Dominik Mysterio def. Butch
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In Dominik Mysterio’s first NXT North American Title defense since defeating Wes Lee on NXT this past Tuesday, “Dirty” Dom took on The Brawling Brutes’ Butch. Butch abused Dom right from the start, using joint manipulation to maim the champion’s hands. Just as Mysterio was about to hit Butch with a chain, Butch’s teammate Ridge Holland came to the rescue to continue the match. Pretty Deadly made their way down to the ringside area with Kit Wilson pushing Elton Prince in a wheelchair, owing to Prince’s injured shoulder. Butch and Holland would run off Pretty Deadly, but the distraction allowed Ripley to take out Butch, giving Mysterio the chance to win the match and retain his title.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Well we got two good matches this week – both “involving” Santos Escobar. One, the fatal four-way in which guys battled to face Escobar and then an actual match featuring the wrestler. The other matches on the card? Meh… I can’t believe we got such a bad main event match and in the only other match on the show, Iyo Sky got dragged down by a lacklustre Charlotte Flair. Yes, you read that right, the only other match on the show! This was a four match show. FOUR! Jesus. Talk about a total waste of time. Literally. Stick to the clips for this week folks!
