Friday Night Smackdown – Jul 7th 2023: Results & Review
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown, right here on Nerdly. This week’s show is set to feature the “Trial of Roman Reigns”, so let’s see what went down on this international episode!
Match #1: United States Championship – Austin Theory def. Sheamus
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With the help of Kit Wilson and Elton Prince, Austin Theory escaped a brutal matchup with Sheamus and retained the United States Championship. Theory kept The Celtic Warrior off-balance early and even mocked the former WWE Champion on several occasions, including hitting him with 10 Beats of the Bodhran. Just when Sheamus held all the momentum, Pretty Deadly appeared, which forced The Brawling Brutes to come to ringside as well. Sheamus looked poised to win with a Brogue Kick, but it hit Wilson instead, and Theory managed to roll up Sheamus and grab his tights to steal the victory.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: AJ Styles def. Karrion Kross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles took down the imposing Karrion Kross, and it was Michin that proved to be the equalizer in the matchup. Kross imposed his will on Styles, hitting him with a Krosshammer, but Styles continued to battle. Styles looked for the Phenomenal Forearm after finally downing Kross, but Scarlett attempted to knock him off the apron, only for Michin to neutralize her and allow Styles to hit his signature move and pick up the win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Edge def. Grayson Waller
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After disrespectful comments earlier in the night from Grayson Waller on “The Grayson Waller Effect,” Edge taught The Arrogant Aussie a lesson in respect as The Rated-R Superstar Speared his way to a victory on SmackDown. Despite the crowd’s deafening disapproval of him, Waller proved more than formidable, as he knocked Edge around the ring, including hitting an impressive tornado DDT from off the top rope. The veteran savviness of The Rated-R Superstar proved to be the difference, as he targeted Waller’s ribs for most of the match, making his match-ending Spear that much more impactful.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2/5
Thirty minutes of Roman Reigns/The Bloodline stuff and only three actual matches on this show? That’s beyond a joke. Seriously. OK, so the matches were good (well two of them anyway) but come on… having only three wrestling matches on a two-hour episode is, honestly, ridiculous. Having so few matches really drags the overall score of this one down. Sorry!
