Friday Night Smackdown – June 2nd 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 this week!
Match #1: Austin Theory & Pretty Deadly def. The Brawling Brutes
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Brawling Brutes left SmackDown in a fit of rage after the team of United States Champion & Pretty Deadly outsmarted and defeated them in six-man tag team action. Sheamus seemingly had the match won after a devastating Brogue Kick to Theory, but Pretty Deadly snatched the United States Champion out of the ring before the referee could finish his three count. Later on, Ridge Holland was in position to win the match, but when the referee had his back turned, Elton Prince & Kit Wilson wisely switched places and the confusion allowed them to hit Spilled Milk and stun the Brutes.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: The O.C. def. Hit Row
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson didn’t appreciate the diss track handed down by Hit Row, and The O.C. responded in kind by soundly defeating Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis in tag team action. Hit Row looked strong early on, but a spinebuster by Anderson onto Adonis spelled the beginning of the end as they would isolate him and hit the Magic Killer to pick up the win.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Zelina Vega def. Lacey Evans
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
LWO’s Zelina Vega became the first female Superstar to qualify for Money in the Bank after defeating Lacey Evans thanks to her signature Code Red.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: LA Knight def. Montez Ford
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
LA Knight became the next male Superstar to punch their ticket to Money in the Bank as he pinned Montez Ford to earn the honor. Early on the athleticism of Ford looked to be too much to overcome, but one stiff jab by Knight grounded the high-flying Ford. As they battled throughout the match, both Superstars found themselves perched on the top rope, and a subsequent splash by Ford was countered by Knight. The loud-mouthed Knight wisely rolled Ford up, but he also grabbed a handful of the ropes and pinned the Street Profits star.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2/5
And there you have it, another Smackdown that matches last week’s in sheer ineptitude. Far, far, too many promos and talking head segments – so much so that we only got five, yes FIVE(!), matches on a two-hour show. The opener and closing were passable, with the latter marked by LA Knight almost, ALMOST killing himself with a flip off the ropes – his head only just clears the mat at the end. Any closer and he’d have a broken neck! We did get the introduction of a new, and totally expected, belt for Roman Reigns; essentially resetting the WWE to two belts on two champs because woe betide that Roman drops one belt and doesn’t stay a dominant champ – proving that Roman is nothing without a title (or two) and the WWE have written themselves into a corner. Who dethrones Reigns? There’s no one that feels of the same calibre as the Tribal Chief on the main roster right now aside from Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins… and Rollins already has a belt!
