Friday Night Smackdown – April 20th 2022: Results & Review
Well, we (and by that I mean “I”) have been giving chances to Raw, NXT and the occasional Lvl Up episode but not Smackdown. That changes now, with this review of this past Friday’s episode of Smackdown. It will be interesting to see how this one fares… Let’s get to it.
Match #1: Steel Cage Match – Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After repeatedly dodging Drew McIntyre in their matches over the past several weeks, Sami Zayn had nowhere to run in a Steel Cage Match against The Scottish Warrior. Inside the unforgiving steel, McIntyre took The Master Strategist from the top of the cage and sent him crashing down to the canvas with an earth-shattering Superplex before finishing him off with the Claymore Kick.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Intercontinental Title Match – Ricochet def. Shanky
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Despite Jinder Mahal tripping up Ricochet on the top rope when the official was distracted, The One and Only managed to counter Shanky’s follow up attack to pick up the quick pin and successfully defend his Intercontinental Championship. When The Modern Day Maharaja berated his gigantic cohort after the bell, Shanky shouted a defiant “No!” and left Mahal in the ring alone.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Raquel Rodriguez def. Cat Cardoza
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although she was attacked by her opponent Cat Cardoza prior to the bell, the ultra-powerful Raquel Rodriguez quickly rebounded to make a dominant SmackDown debut that culminated with her earth-shattering Chingona Bomb.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Naomi def. Shayna Baszler
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Although one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Naomi caught Shayna Baszler off balance and sent her crashing into the second turnbuckle en route to a quick pinfall, the defeated Submission Magician and her partner Natalya unleashed a vicious post-match attack on both The Glow and her partner Sasha Banks. This onslaught gave The B.O.A.T and Baszler painful momentum heading into the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match in two weeks.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Xavier Woods def. Ridge Holland
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Ridge Holland failed in his quest for payback against Xavier Woods for his lost friend Butch. In the final moments of the explosive matchup, Xavier hit his opponent with Backwoods out of nowhere for the second time for the victory.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #6: Sheamus def. Kofi Kingston
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Ridge Holland came up short against Xavier Woods, a frustrated Sheamus challenged Kofi Kingston to an impromptu showdown. In the height of the action, The Celtic Warrior caught Kingston with a vicious kick as Kofi was coming off the top rope before closing the door on his fellow former WWE Champion with the Brogue Kick. After the bell, Ridge put the exclamation point on the victory by attacking Woods and putting him through a table.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Ronda Rousey def. Shotzi in the Beat the Clock “I Quit” Challenge Match; Charlotte Flair failed to def. Aliyah in less time than Rousey’s win
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the first of two Beat the Clock “I Quit” Challenge matches designed to test Ronda Rousey and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. In a battle to see who could make her opponent give up in a shorter amount of time, The Baddest Woman on the Planet made Shotzi say “I quit!” with the ankle lock in 1 minute and 41 seconds into the match. In the second of two Beat the Clock “I Quit” Challenge matches, Flair locked in the Figure Eight on Aliyah, but was too late to win in less time than The Rowdy One had. Humiliated, The Opportunity took her frustration out on timekeeper Drew Gulak by attacking him with the ring bell.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Apart from the opening match this was a collection of just below average matches that did nothing to excite. And the main event was a huge letdown… I can’t believe Ridge Holland is still getting high-profile matches. He doesn’t seem to be making any progress at all, works stiff and looks, even to someone inexperienced like me, like he’s not safe in the ring. Nice to see Raquel Rodriguez (aka Raquel Gonzalez) being booked like a beast however. The women’s division needs someone like that now they fired the likes of Nia Jax IMHO
