Friday Night Smackdown – Nov 18th 2022: 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 the show!
Match #1: Ricochet def. Mustafa Ali
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The first round of the SmackDown World Cup on FOX Tournament continued as two of the biggest high-flyers in Mustafa Ali and Ricochet battled on the ground and in the air. Ali, already nursing injuries stemming from the beatdown he suffered at the hands of Bobby Lashley on Monday Night Raw, clearly was not at 100 percent but still took the fight to Ricochet. Top-rope offense, including a backstabber and a superplex, put Ricochet in complete control, and it continued with a Michinoku driver on the outside of the ring. A valiant Ali nearly caught Ricochet with a 450 splash, but Ricochet rolled out of the way and finished off Ali with a shooting star press.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Karrion Kross def. Madcap Moss
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Still feeling the effect of a devastating Kross Jacket three weeks ago, Madcap Moss squared off against Karrion Kross in a hard-hitting affair. A fired up Moss used his amazing athleticism to throw Kross off, but every time Moss built up momentum, Scarlett intervened and allowed Kross to regain control. Once Kross synched in the Kross Jacket, Moss did everything he could to break it, but Kross proved to be too powerful and eventually put Moss to sleep.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Shotzi def. Shayna Baszler
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After winning the Six-Pack Challenge last week and earning a SmackDown Women’s Championship opportunity against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series, Shotzi was back in action on Friday night, taking on Ronda’s close friend, Shayna Baszler. Shotzi used quick strikes and her unorthodox style to gain the early advantage. However, Rousey’s ringside presence bothered Shotzi. Raquel Rodriguez came down to the ring to help her former tag team partner, and Shotzi put away Baszler with a rollup.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #4: Braun Strowman and The New Day def. Imperium
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Before the match, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston battled Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser as Braun Strowman and the Intercontinental Champion Gunther watched. After the bell, Strowman tagged in and began to run roughshod through Imperium, knocking down Vinci and Kaiser and even stumbling Gunther. The New Day tagged in and made their presence felt as their tandem offense finished off Kaiser while Strowman’s mere presence scared Gunther from making the save.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: Butch def. Sami Zayn
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final first-round matchup of the SmackDown World Cup on FOX Tournament, Butch and Sami Zayn clashed in what was a precursor to the Men’s WarGames Match at Survivor Series with Butch representing The Brawling Brutes and Zayn representing The Bloodline. With Sheamus, Drew McIntyre and Ridge Holland ringside in Butch’s corner, Zayn’s corner featured Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos as well as Solo Sikoa. Inside the ring, Butch used his aggressive attack and a Bitter End to defeat Zayn, but order completely broke down as every man entered the ring and began to brawl. As The Brutes gained the advantage, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns arrived and laid waste to Holland, Butch, McIntyre and eventually Sheamus. As Reigns looked for his signature spear on Sheamus, Kevin Owens returned and revealed himself to be The Brutes’ fifth man! Owens evened the odds and delivered a Stunner to Reigns, leaving The Brutes standing tall as SmackDown concluded.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This felt like something of a holding episode, that essentially existed just to promote Survivor Series and more importantly the War Games match. Ricochet and Mustapha Ali delivered a great opener but the rest of the show just cruised along until the main event revealed the final line-up for War Games… A line-up that should have come to no surprise to anyone – the idea of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens being on the opposite sides of a match was, honestly, inevitable.
