Friday Night Smackdown – May 5th 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… Oh, and no, I’m not including the draft results in this one!
Match #1: The O.C. def. The Viking Raiders
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With AJ Styles looking on, The O.C. took on The Viking Raiders. Due to being drafted to separate brands, the two teams collided in what could be the last time. Karl Anderson took out a new move, putting Ivar down with the “Brother Me Softly”, as coined by Styles. Ivar flew from up high, colliding with Luke Gallows with an awesome top rope splash. Valhalla proved to be a factor in the match, distracting Gallows before Michin took her out. The O.C. then hit the Magic Killer on Ivar to get the “tres” count.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: The Street Profits def. Imperium
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Imperium looked to gain a tag team division victory without the Intercontinental Champion Gunther present. Imperium started off hot, disabling Montez Ford, hitting multiple impact moves. Ford was able to rally back, hitting the From the Heavens to capture the victory.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Karrion Kross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In what could be The King of Strong Style’s last match on SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura took on Karrion Kross. Nakamura brought the heat early, channeling The Beach Boys with Good Vibrations in the corner. Nakamura kept up the onslaught, finally leveling Kross with the Kinshasa to gain what could be his final victory on SmackDown.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega def. Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Competing in front of her family and in Puerto Rico for the first time, Zelina Vega teamed with fellow LWO member Rey Mysterio to take on The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio and SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. With just one night to go before Vega’s clash with Ripley for the SmackDown Women’s Title at WWE Backlash, there was a lot on the line in this Mixed Tag Team Match. Vega took it to Ripley before “Mami” tagged in Dominik, erupting the WWE Universe into a chorus of boos. As Vega was about to tag in The Master of the 619, Dominik appeared to stop Rey from receiving the tag. Vega was eventually able to tag in Rey who hit a huge cross body on Dominik, with the roar of the crowd buoying Rey’s every move. Rey managed to hit the 619 on his son but couldn’t secure the victory as Dominik managed to evade the finishing blow. Domink attempted the Three Amigos but it backfired, leading to Rey Mysterio utilizing a small package to gain the victory.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Well this was a thing… This week’s show felt like an episode treading water before a PPV and not a go-home show. OK, so we got a few storyline builds and more of the LWO/Judgment Day stuff, which seems to be WWE’s “B” story to anything Bloodline related. To be fair, the audience sounded like thy were REALLY into the action, which helped keep the show going beyond the in-ring work. Thankfully.
