‘Friday Night Smackdown’ Review (Mar 15th 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: Legado del Fantasma def. The LWO
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Angel and Berto are one step closer to realizing their WrestleMania dreams as they defeated Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in a WrestleMania XL Tag Team Championship Qualifying Match. Angel and Berto brought the fight right to The LWO, including throwing Del Toro off the top rope in exhilarating fashion. Del Toro fought hard and tagged in the high-flying Wilde, a move that turned the tide for a short time. Legado del Fantasma were able to isolate Wilde in the ring before hitting him with a stunning press slam into a kick right to the stomach, winning them the match.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Randy Orton def. Grayson Waller
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With United States Champion Logan Paul sitting in on commentary, Randy Orton dispatched Grayson Waller before receiving some big WrestleMania news. Waller showed a lot of heart, but Orton was his vintage Viper self as he dropped The Aussie Icon on the announce table multiple times before hitting his signature DDT. After delivering a DDT to Austin Theory, Orton hit an RKO out of nowhere on Waller, giving him the win.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #3: Santos Escobar def. Dragon Lee
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Legado del Fantasma picked up their second major victory of the evening as Santos Escobar defeated Dragon Lee. Lee started the match with a bang as he hit an amazing splash over the top rope, but Escobar weathered the early storm and took control. Despite Lee’s best efforts, Escobar hit a Phantom Driver to secure the victory, but after the match, he was confronted by Rey Mysterio, who challenged him to a match on next week’s SmackDown!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: New Catch Republic def. Pretty Deadly
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate of New Catch Republic dominated Elton Prince and Kit Wilson of Pretty Deadly to win the WrestleMania XL Tag Team Championship Qualifying Match, setting up a match with Legado del Fantasma for a spot at WrestleMania 40. Dunne used his intense offense to keep Pretty Deadly off guard, and Bate lived up to his moniker as The Big Strong Boi as the duo hit a Burning Hammer to punch their ticket to the finals of the SmackDown side of the bracket.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Bayley def. Dakota Kai (DQ)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The match between 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Bayley and her former friend and Damage CTRL teammate Dakota Kai ended in a disqualification when WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY punched Bayley. The Role Model was in firm control of the match, but an angered SKY had seen enough and attacked her WrestleMania XL opponent.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
An OK show this week but that’s all it was, okay… There was nothing here that was remarkable or outstanding; and opening with a, frankly, stupid segment featuring The Rock didn’t do anything but get this episode off on the wrong foot. The tag matches were certainly the highlight but, unfortunately, both felt like retreads of stuff we’d seen before and done better. The main event was essentially an extended promo for Wrestlemania too, which didn’t help this show either.
