‘Friday Night Smackdown’ Review (May 17th 2024)
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 this week’s show!
Match #1: Queen of the Ring Quarterfinal Match – Bianca Belair def. Tiffany Stratton
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The EST took on The Center of the Universe in a magnificent showdown for the chance to move on in the Queen of the Ring Tournament. Bianca Belair seemed to have tweaked her knee in the early going but found the resolve to fight through the pain. Stratton locked on to Belair’s injured knee, using The EST’s braids to take Belair down before sending her crashing knee first into the ring steps. Belair tried for the KOD but Stratton was able to evade it as Belair’s knees gave out. Stratton used her wits to her advantage, distracting the referee long enough to rake Belair’s eyes but Belair bounced back. Lifting Stratton from the top-rope, Belair struck with the KOD, earning her place in the Queen of the Ring semifinals.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: King of the Ring Quarterfinal Match – Tama Tonga def. LA Knight
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The son of past King of the Ring winner Haku, Tama Tonga, looked to continue his unbeaten streak on SmackDown but had a huge roadblock in the form of The Megastar, LA Knight. Knight, unfortunately, needed to have two extra set of eyes as Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa, who were ringside, kept dividing The Megastar’s attention. As Knight looked to end things with The BFT, Loa saved Tonga from the devastating move. With Knight’s attention diverted, Tonga struck with a reverse STO to win the match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Queen of the Ring Quarterfinal Match – Nia Jax def. Jade Cargill (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With Jade Cargill’s daughter seated at ringside, Nia Jax beat up on Cargill before Jax told Cargill’s daughter: “your mom sucks!” As the animosity reached a fever point, the two brawled to the timekeeper’s area where Jax tried to use a steel chair on Cargill. Cargill, however, stopped Jax in her tracks, taking the steel chair and then using it herself, smacking Jax with the hard steel. Unfortunately for Cargill, however, this was in full view of the referee, who had no choice but to disqualify Cargill, leaving Jax the winner to move on face Bianca Belair next week.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: #DIY def. Legado del Fantasma
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions Grayson Waller and Austin Theory providing guest commentary, #DIY took on Legado del Fantasma in a clash to potentially face the champions down the line. Angel and Berto proved a tough nut to crack, hitting the Garza Special that nearly put Tommaso Ciampa away for good. Elektra Lopez, who was ringside for Legado del Fantasma got pulled into a trap by #DIY, causing her and Santos Escobar to be ejected from ringside. This commotion allowed Johnny Gargano and Ciampa to connect with Meeting in the Middle, scoring the big tag team victory.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #5: King of the Ring Tournament Quarterfinal Match – Randy Orton def. Carmelo Hayes
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Viper has officially met HIM. Or rather, Carmelo Hayes met the three most destructive letters in all of WWE: RKO. Orton tried to use his honorary tag team partner in the announce table but Hayes was able to avoid the slam only momentarily before The Viper dropped Hayes onto the unforgiving wood, not once but thrice. Orton’s knee became a problem for The Viper, however, an injury that Hayes quickly tried to take advantage of with a Punt Kick attempt that failed to hit the mark. As Hayes looked to leap through the air, Orton caught him with the RKO, enabling The Viper to move on to the King of the Ring semifinals for a date with Tama Tonga.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
Another week of Smackdown and another focus on wrestling rather than promos etc. as is per your typical WWE show. OK, so the wrestling was of variable quality but at least there WAS a focus on wrestling which, like last, week’s episode, really appealed to me much more than the pre-tournament episodes of Smackdown!
