19th Jun2023

Friday Night Smackdown – June 16th 2023: Results & Review

by Phil Wheat

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: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title No. 1 Contenders’ Gauntlet Match – Winners: Pretty Deadly

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

It was Fight Night x 5 to kick off SmackDown, as a No. 1 Contenders’ Gauntlet Match put an Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title opportunity on the line. The Brawling Brutes got things rolling, as a quick tag teed up Sheamus for a decisive Brogue Kick set the tone with a defeat of The Street Profits. The O.C. stormed the ring with fury, but when Karl Anderson let down his guard, The Celtic Warrior connected with the second victorious Brogue Kick in a row. The next two victories would come in rapid succession, as a winded Sheamus tagged in Ridge Holland who overpowered LWO. Hit Row would crash the scene, but the only smash hit that was delivered was a third Brogue Kick from Sheamus that took out Top Dolla. Pretty Deadly would be the final team to enter, as they looked to spoil a wire-to-wire performance by The Brawling Brutes. Sheamus showed off his marathon abilities, as he hit another stride in minute 20 of The Brawling Brutes run, as he stacked up both Elton Prince & Kit Wilson for to double up his 10 Beats of the Bodhran. A surprise tag by Prince caught The Celtic Warrior off guard, and the snack of a Superstar hit a leg drop off the top rope to steal the win and clinch Pretty Deadly their title opportunity.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: Zelina Vega def. IYO SKY

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Before going to war in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Zelina Vega and IYO SKY faced off looking to build momentum towards London. Bayley’s attempted interference distracting the ref from counting her Damage CTRL running mate’s pin. The ensuing argument opened the door for Vega to hit a 619 and make an important statement before Money in the Bank.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #3: Karrion Kross & Scarlett def. AJ Styles & Michin

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Last week Scarlett’s powder attack on AJ Styles put The O.C. on the clock, as the sands of time counted down for a Mixed Tag Team Match. The sadistic duo were up to their usual tricks, as Scarlett spilled the action to the outside and a Kross Jacket and face-first plant of The Phenomenal One allowed Kross to earn the three-count.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #4: Santos Escobar def. LA Knight

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Rey Mysterio entered the ring ready to sing the praises of his protégé Santos Escobar, but LA Knight wasted no time grabbing that spotlight right back. The two future Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match combatants would throw down in a back-and-forth affair that ultimately ended with Escobar reversing a roll-up on LA Knight for the win. The outspoken Superstar would take out his frustrations after the match and lay out his future opponent.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 2.5/5

This week’s Smackdown certainly was something… The matches fell flat, some of their own accord (the Iyo Sky/Zelina Vega match felt more like an extended promo than a real match) and some because of the cutaways mid-match, thanks to the terrible placement of ads in the US! Honestly. the entier thing felt like it was filler to get us to the tremendous Bloodline segment that closed the show. Which feels like something of a broken record now – how many episodes of Smackdown have been made by the Bloodline stuff? Where the hell does Smackdown go when this stuff ends? Because it will end, eventually…

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