‘WWE Smackdown’ Review (Sep 20th 2024)
Welcome to this review of this past Friday’s episode of Smackdown, right here on Nerdly. Let’s see what went down on this week’s show, which was the second week on the blue brand’s new home, USA Network!
Match #1: United States Championship – LA Knight def. Andrade
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In a back-and-forth showdown, LA Knight successfully defended his United States Championship when he hit the BFT in his first-ever singles matchup against Andrade.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Apollo Crews def. Giovanni Vinci
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Two weeks after Giovanni Vinci suffered an embarrassing debut loss in less than 10 seconds against Apollo Crews, SmackDown’s newest Superstar failed to right the wrongs of his tarnished SmackDown reemergence when his opponent humiliated him by scoring another quick pinfall out of nowhere.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: Tornado Tag Team Match – Bayley & Naomi def. Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
In the final moments of a Tornado Tag Team Match to determine the No. 1 Contender to the WWE Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton accidentally hit a Swanton Bomb on her partner Nia Jax. Moments later, both Bayley and Naomi appeared to pin the titleholder, leaving the question of who earned the right to challenge The Irrestsitable Force at WWE Bad Blood.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Kevin Owens & The Street Profits vs. The Bloodline (No Contest)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
When The Bloodline took out #DIY before they could team with Kevin Owens in a Six-Man Tag Team main event, The Street Profits emerged to help KO even the odds on a pre-match brawl and replaced Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. When order broke down in the subsequent match, the official was forced to call for the bell. The Bloodline then unleashed post-match bedlam on The Street Profits, the reemerging #DIY and Owens, until Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes came to KO’s aid. Cody blistered The Bloodline with chair strikes, dropped Jacob Fatu with an emphatic Cody Cutter and shook hands with and hugged Owens as SmackDown concluded.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Two weeks into USA’s run with Smackdown and nothing, absolutely nothing, has changed, I was hoping for something more to the move than a crappy new log and an obtuse new theme song. But no, we’re getting the same weak matches, dull storytelling and an entire show held together by any story that connects to Roman Reigns and the Bloodline. We’ll try again next week.
