Friday Night Smackdown – July 22nd 2022: Results & Review
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown, right here on Nerdly. This is the first of a new era for WWE following the retirement of Vince McMahon… Of course we won’t see changes straight away but let’s see what happened this week.
Match #1: Ludwig Kaiser def. Shinsuke Nakamura
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Two weeks after Ludwig Kaiser was left with bruises on his chest from Gunther’s vicious chops due to his loss against The King of Strong Style, Kaiser battled Nakamura once more. Nakamura kept control in the early going before Kaiser took advantage of his surroundings, sending Nakamura into the ring steps outside. Nakamura regained the upper hand until Gunther got involved, striking Nakamura while the referee’s back was turned, which gave Kaiser the chance to snatch the victory. After the match, Kaiser was chuffed about his victory until Gunther chopped him down again, berating him for needing The Ring General’s help.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: The Viking Raiders def. Jinder Mahal and Shanky (Count-out)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After weeks of being left bruised and battered by The Viking Raiders, Jinder Mahal and Shanky sought some payback, facing off against the plundering duo. With The New Day providing commentary at ringside, chaos ran abound. Using his surroundings, Erik took advantage of The New Day’s presence chucking Mahal into them in the closing stages of the match. This allowed Erik to sneak back in the ring, earning The Viking Raiders a count-out victory.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Raquel Rodriguez def. Sonya Deville
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Sonya Deville may have stuck her foot in it a bit too far this time. After she criticized WWE Official Adam Pearce for how he runs the show, Pearce sanctioned a match between her and the rising young Superstar Raquel Rodriguez. In a feisty contest, Deville viciously slammed Rodriguez’s head onto the turnbuckles. Deville seemed to suffer an arm injury, which enabled Rodriguez to finish her off with a Tejana Bomb.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: The Street Profits & Madcap Moss def. The Usos & Theory (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After Madcap Moss had saved The Street Profits from a beatdown by The Usos and Theory earlier in the night, the six men went to battle. At one point, Montez Ford taunted Theory with the Money in the Bank briefcase. The spectacular match ended in a disqualification when Theory struck Madcap Moss with his Money in the Bank briefcase.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Four matches on a two-hour show. Not good is it? Though to be fair to WWE, there was reportedly a scramble to re-write the show after Brock Lesnar walked out of the show (later returning) after hearing of Vince’s retirement. Whatever the issues, having only four matches into an episode and then packing the rest of the time with promos is not the way to go… But I’m guessing it will be a long time until we get what the future of WWE looks like and will have to put up with more of this filler for now. Wonder what Summerslam is going to look like this year?
