Friday Night Smackdown – Mar 31st 2023: 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, the last stop on the Road to Wrestlemania!
Match #1: Fatal 4-Way Match – Ricochet def. Montez Ford, Chad Gable and Erik
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Twenty-four hours before their respective tag teams will clash in a WrestleMania Showcase Match, Ricochet, Montez Ford, Chad Gable and Erik stepped into the square circle in Fatal 4-Way Match. When bedlam took over, Ford leaped off the top rope and came crashing down onto Gable. But as the impact caused Montez to momentarily recoup, Ricochet seized the moment and picked up the win with the 450 Splash.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal – Winner: Bobby Lashley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
On the Eve of WrestleMania, Bobby Lashley achieved another incredible milestone by outlasting a ring full of determined Superstars and winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Moments after LA Knight and Braun Strowman were eliminated by the dominant Bronson Reed to leave the final two competitors in the squared circle, The All Mighty dug deep and outfought Bronson before hurling him over the top rope to claim the covered Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Fatal 4-Way Match – Raquel Rodriguez def. Natalya, Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Prior to Sunday’s WrestleMania Showcase Match, Raquel Rodriguez dropped a charging Shayna Baszler with powerful boot before blasting Sonya Deville with the Tejana Bomb for the three-count. The huge victory earned Rodriguez and Liv Morgan valuable momentum heading into the high-stakes Women’s Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match at The Show of Shows.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Drew McIntyre & Sheamus def. Imperium
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Prior to their Intercontinental Title Triple Threat Match against Gunther on WrestleMania Sunday, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus reluctantly joined forces against The Ring General’s cohorts, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Throughout the matchup, both McIntyre and Sheamus attempted to show up the other. This included McIntyre tagging himself into the match as Sheamus was about to hit a Brogue Kick for the possible victory. Then, Sheamus returned the favor and tagged himself into the matchup as McIntyre was setting up for the Claymore Kick to presumably end the contest himself. As the teammates once again began to argue, Imperium used this distraction to knock them into each other and send McIntyre out of the ring. Nevertheless, Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick on Vinci. Seconds later, McIntyre reentered the ring and blasted Kaiser with the Claymore Kick, and The Celtic Warrior picked up the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
News of the Night:
- Rey Mysterio re-formed the new Latino World Order (LWO) with Legado del Fantasma
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Not exactly a great last show before Wrestlemania but then no one wants to do anything crazy before the biggest WWE event of the year. Most of the matches featured talent not at the “biggest show of the year” in multi-man and multi-women matches – which at least means everyone got to work this week?! Thankfully, and like many shows in recent weeks, it was the opening and closing promos featuring the Bloodline feuds that bolstered this one!
