Friday Night Smackdown – Dec 8th 2023: Results & Review
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown, a Tribute to the Troops special, right here on Nerdly. Let’s see what went down on this week’s episode!
Match #1: U.S. Title Tournament – Santos Escobar def. Dragon Lee
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee renewed their Survivor Series: WarGames hostilities, this time in the First Round of the United States Championship Tournament and in front of NXT North American Champion “Dirty” Dominik Mystero, who Lee faces on Saturday at NXT Deadline. After an immense back-and-forth battle, the result was the same as Chicago, with Escobar capitalizing on a Phantom Driver.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: U.S. Title Tournament – Bobby Lashley def. Karrion Kross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With Brad Nessler providing guest commentary, former U.S. Army Sergeant Bobby Lashley took apart Karrion Kross to advance in the U.S. Title Tournament. Despite Kross putting in a strong effort against The All Mighty, Lashley garnered the win after a devastating Spear.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Asuka def. Charlotte Flair
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With a 6-5-2 record against The Empress of Tomorrow, The Queen of WWE looked to improve that mark but was hampered by Bayley, who had been left backstage before this match. Asuka thought she would have her teammates with her, but Bianca Belair, Shotzi, Michin and Zelina Vega took them out prior to the bout. With Asuka locked in the Figure-Eight Leglock by Charlotte, Bayley helped The Empress of Tomorrow lock up the win with a rollup.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Randy Orton & LA Knight def. Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Bound by a shared goal and a common enemy, Randy Orton and LA Knight teamed to take on Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. The tension between Orton and Knight resulted in a rocky start, as The Viper was adamant that he didn’t need saving from The Bloodline last week. As Knight looked ready to hit Jimmy with the BFT, The Viper struck instead with the RKO to earn the win for the team.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This week’s Smackdown opened strong with a great match between Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee, and closed just as strongly with the tag team main event. Everything else was pretty standard, and average, stuff for Smackdown. Overall not a great “Tribute to the Troops” show.