Friday Night Smackdown – April 10th 2020: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Peter Pan’s got a small dinky. Braun “F— The Poor Wrestlers” Strowman is the new Universal Champion, so that happened. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does in the role, but I also hope a bunch of indy wrestlers show-up and steal his money, so he can have his chance to feel their pain during the whole COVID-19 crisis. Oh, Braun said “screw you” to any indy wrestler trying to make a buck/avoid having to quit the sport during the lay-off. Yeah…what an idiot. Okay, let’s have some damn fun.
Match #1: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross def. The Kabuki Warriors – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a massive WrestleMania rematch, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defended their newly won WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles against The Kabuki Warriors. In yet another hard-hitting affair, Asuka & Kairi Sane put the pressure on the new champions from the jump. Bliss & Cross fought back though, as Cross dropped The Kabuki Warriors with a crossbody off the announcer’s table, and Bliss leveled the challengers with a breathtaking Twisted Bliss from the top rope to the floor. In the clutch, Sane attempted to stay in the fight, but Cross stuck with a swinging neck breaker for the win.
My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This was purdy gooooooooooood! I would’ve gone with Asuka/Sane getting the straps back, because there’s still money to be made with Bliss/Cross chasing the belts. The action here was very energetic, if a bit slow a bit more often than you might think. This could’ve used a few more minutes and a more exciting finale, but it got the job done and made the champs look strong.
Match #2: Dolph Ziggler def. Tucker
My Opinion: 2.8 out of 5 – The WWE didn’t even include a recap of this on their website. Who did Dolph piss off? Well, this was alright, if only because Dolph bumped so hard it looked like he was kicking his own ass from bell to bell. If this match was any indication, then Dolph kicking his own ass might be enough to put asses in seats (or count as a snuff video). Tucker looked good here and gave Dolph a lot of room to beat the s— out of himself.
Match #3: The Forgotten Sons def. The Lucha House Party
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler of The Forgotten Sons looked to make a massive name for themselves on the blue brand by thwarting the established team of The Lucha House Party. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado came out with their usual dynamic style, keeping The Forgotten Sons off kilter early and often. However, in the pivotal moments, Cutler and Blake planted Metalik for a decisively impressive victory on Friday Night SmackDown.
My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5 – This match was all about Blake performing like a house of fire. KHP did great here, but Blake really worked hard to make this debut some-thing worth seeing. The match itself was decent, but the pace kept it all from slowing to a crawl. Two completely different disciplines of fighting came together to set the stage for what could become a very reliable pairing for the year. All in all, both teams made fine impression in a solid match.
Match #4: Sheamus def. Cal Bloom
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Sheamus returned to the blue brand in rare form, taking on Cal Bloom. Continuing to look as impressive and dominant as ever, Sheamus leveled Bloom with the Brogue Kick for a decisive victory. The Celtic Warrior did not celebrate his victory for long though, as he seemed less than pleased that the commentators were already quickly pivoting to conversation about Jeff Hardy.
My Opinion: 1.5 out of 5 – Dumb ol’ donkeys…marshmallows ain’t for datin’! Oh, this was a filthy stinkin’ squash match!
Match #5: (Main Event) Braun Strowman def. Shinsuke Nakamura
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Braun Strowman’s first SmackDown as Universal Champion proved to be beyond memorable. After being ambushed by Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro earlier in the night, Strowman took on Nakamura in non-title action in the main event. With Cesaro in his corner, Nakamura aimed to make a major statement five days after WrestleMania. However, Strowman overcame all odds, putting Nakamura away with the Running Powerslam.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This turned out fine. Braun beat the Asian guy to death, which is usually how Vince does these things when the wrestlers isn’t white. Nothing out of the ordinary happened here and the wrestling was the greatest hits of Braun’s white album, so to speak. Okay, that’s that.
News Of The Night:
- Sheamus and Jeff Hardy are being teased for a feud.
- Elias wants to be Mr. Money In The Bank.
- Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville are united in ending the Otis/Mandy Rose couple (especially after seeing the pair on a work-out date with bananas).
- Triple H will have a 25th anniversary celebration in two weeks.
- Dana Brooke and Carmella will challenge for the Women’s Tag Titles in the future.
- The Miz fights Big E and Jey Uso in a Triple Threat Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, next week.
- Sasha Banks fights Tamina, next week.
- Daniel Bryan fights Cesaro, next week.
- Naomi fights Dana Brooke, next week.
Final Verdict: 2.6/5
I’m bored. Do you wanna play “Squeeze The Peasel”? Why was this show so dull? Why not make the main event longer and for the Universal Title? Eh, don’t lick anybody.