‘Friday Night Smackdown’ Review (Jul 26th 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: LA Knight def. Santos Escobar
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final moments of SmackDown’s opening matchup, LA Knight sent United States Champion Logan Paul flying off the apron to thwart his interference attempt before overcoming Santos Escobar with BFT. Seconds after the bell, however, Paul and The Emperor of Lucha Libre unleashed a beatdown on Knight and dropped the No. 1 Contender just eight days before their United States Title Match at SummerSlam.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: WWE Tag Team Championship Number One Contenders Gauntlet Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
- Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews def. Legado del Fantasma – Apollo Crews escaped a Wing Clipper attempt by Angel and set up Baron Corbin to hit End of Days to post the first win in the Gauntlet Match.
- The Street Profits def. Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews – Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins used excellent tag team precision to pin Apollo Crews with Revelation for the second Gauntlet Match elimination.
- The Street Profits def. Pretty Deadly – With Elton Prince hoisted on Angelo Dawkins’ shoulders, Montez Ford delivered the Blockbuster for the three-count.
- The Street Profits def. The O.C. – As Montez Ford tripped a charging Karl Anderson on the opposite side of the ring, Angelo Dawkins rolled up Luke Gallows for the quick pinfall that allowed them to move to the final showdown of the Gauntlet Match.
- The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga) def. The Street Profits – In a chaotic battle, Jacob Fatu flipped from the top rope onto Montez Ford for the victory that earned The Bloodline a WWE Tag Team Title Match against #DIY.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Tiffany Stratton & Nia Jax def. Bayley & Michin
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Prior to their tag team match, Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax launched a pre-match attack on Michin. Despite the devastation, the match went on as scheduled. Tiffany nailed WWE Women’s Champion Bayley with the Money in the Bank briefcase and paved the way for Nia Jax to pick up the win over the titleholder with the Annihilator just one week before she challenges Bayley for the WWE Women’s Title at SummerSlam.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Another week, another weak episode of Smackdown. And this one had even LESS matches than last week’s wrestling-lite show! OK, so one match was an extended gauntlet match but who’s enjoying a three-match show that runs 2 hours? Not me that’s for sure. So that’s two weeks of “okay” episodes and a show that, right now, feels like it’s just treading water waiting for something to happen… A switch of networks perhaps?
