Friday Night Smackdown – Dec 9th 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: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship – The Usos def. Sheamus & Butch
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
As Drew McIntyre was not medically cleared, Butch took his place, teaming with his Brawling Brutes brother to try and gain some gold for the trio. The Usos took advantage early, effectively cutting off Butch from his tag partner. As the match progressed, the Brutes regained the momentum and combined to hit The Usos with ten Beats of the Bodhran. Once Sheamus was done, Butch kept going, hitting more than 15 beats. With the momentum fully shifted, Sheamus nearly ended the match with a huge White Noise from the second rope. Butch continued to hammer the heart of Sami Zayn, who was ringside, hitting a moonsault from the top-rope to the outside as well as a thunderous sit-out powerbomb that garnered a super close two-count. The drama ramped up on the outside as well, as Solo Sikoa hit Ridge Holland with a momentous Spinning Solo, taking him out of the contest. In the end, The Usos capitalized on the chaos and hit Butch with the 1D, continuing their legendary reign.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Ricochet & The New Day def. Imperium
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The New Day interrupted the Contract Signing as soon as it started, correctly predicting that the signing would devolve into chaos, so they decided to skip to the chase. Thus, this Six-Man Tag Team Match was born. Imperium wore down The New Day and Ricochet, dictating the style they wanted at the start. Kofi Kingston tried to get his team back into the fray but was met with a tantalizing trio attack from Imperium, who sent him flying into the announce area to take him out. With the match winding down, Ricochet and Gunther finally stepped into the ring to face each other, a preview of next week’s Intercontinental Championship showdown. Gunther attempted a Big Boot but Ricochet ducked in a ‘Matrix-like” manoeuvre. The match would then break down with all six competitors hitting superb moves, including a Trouble in Paradise from Kingston to Kaiser. A huge Shooting Star Press from Ricochet sealed the victory for his team.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Liv Morgan & Tegan Nox def. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After her enormous return last week on SmackDown, Tegan Nox teamed with Liv Morgan to take on SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler in her first match back. Nox looked like she hadn’t missed a beat, taking advantage of Baszler before Rousey joined the fray, snapping an Ankle Lock on Nox. Whilst the match progressed, Raquel Rodriguez came down to the ring. Her addition made Baszler lose her focus as Nox hit her with the Shiniest Wizard to win her first match back.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This week’s show weirdly felt like a Vince-era throwback, what with the Kurt Angle milk truck and more promos/angles than matches. An oddly downward-trending show compared to what has been happening on Smackdown recently. The men;’s tag matches were great but unfortunately the crowd wasn’t behind the women’s tag main event and that hurt the match a lot! Better luck next week WWE.
