Friday Night Smackdown – Aug 12th 2022: Results & Review
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown, right here on Nerdly. We’ve got more of Triple H’s reimagining of WWE this week, so let’s see what went down…
Match #1: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament – Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah def. Shotzi & Xia Li
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament kicked off on the SmackDown side of the bracket with an all-out barn burner. Fellow competitors in the tournament, Natalya and Sonya Deville, had an up-close look at the action, which backfired when both teams attacked them. Rodriguez showcased her dominance that has been on display the past few weeks on SmackDown and wrapped up the win with Tejana Bomb on Xia Li, ensuring her and Aliyah would progress to semifinals.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Hit Row def. Brendon Scott & Trevor Irvin
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Hit Row made their triumphant return on Friday night, dispatching Brendon Scott and Trevor Irvin. Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Top Dolla, accompanied by B-Fab, looked great in their return with Top Dolla showcasing his brute strength by picking up Scott and Irvin at the same time. Hit Row dispatched their foes with the Heavy Hitter and received a deafening ovation from the WWE Universe when they addressed the fans after the match. How will they fit into the new landscape of SmackDown?
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #3: Drew McIntyre & Madcap Moss def. The Usos
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After The Usos were ambushed backstage by Drew McIntyre in retaliation for their attack on McIntyre earlier in the evening, Jimmy and Jey challenged The Scottish Warrior to find a tag team partner to face them in an impromptu tag team match. Initially without a partner, McIntyre valiantly fought alone against The Usos until Madcap Moss came to the aid of The Scottish Warrior. With Moss at his side, McIntyre sent The Usos scrambling. Late in the match, Sami Zayn jumped into the ring and caused a distraction, leading to a Superkick and a Splash onto McIntyre from The Usos, but McIntyre somehow kicked out. Despite Zayn’s meddling, McIntyre delivered a Glasgow Kiss and performed a Claymore on Jimmy, earning the victory for himself and Moss. After the match, McIntyre called for a Claymore on Jey, but The Master Strategist pushed Jey out of the way took the full force of McIntyre’s boot for The Usos.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Intercontinental Championship Match – Gunther def. Shinsuke Nakamura
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a battle befitting the prestigiousness of the Intercontinental Championship, Gunther faced off with Shinsuke Nakamura. Gunther had the early advantage, snapping in the Boston crab on The King of Strong Style, but Gunther’s early onslaught was countered by an impressive armbar by Nakamura. Gunther regained advantage by delivering a pair of brutal Chops that echoed through the PNC Arena. Gunther looked to retain by executing a big splash from the top rope, but Nakamura locked in a triangle. Nakamura’s counter backfired, however, as Gunther executed a vicious superplex to get out of the triangle. Nakamura kept up his assault on Gunther’s arm, signaling for the Kinshasa late in the match. Before Nakamura could connect, Gunther clobbered Nakamura with a wicked clothesline, leading to “This is Awesome” chants by the WWE Universe. The Ring General’s tactics paid off, and he won the match with a dropkick and a Powerbomb to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
My Score: 4 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Hit Row, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Top Dolla and B-Fab, returned to the WWE following their prior release.
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
The last two matches of the night weren’t enough to save this episode of Smackdown from mediocrity. As for the return of Hit Row, I appreciate the trio getting their jobs back but… I honestly think that the faction really misses out having the charismatic Swerve Strickland as part of their ranks. Hopefully, they can overcome that by bringing some of their own charisma to the fore. As for the main event, good god, if we could have stuff like this every week from the WWE I think everyone would be on cloud 9. Seriously.
