‘Friday Night Smackdown’ Review (Apr 5th 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: 2024 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal – WINNER: “Big” Bronson Reed
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
“Big” Bronson Reed etched his name in history as he won the 2024 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in thrilling fashion. Omos looked like the early favorite as he tossed out Kit Wilson, prompting Elton Prince to voluntarily eliminate himself to join his Pretty Deadly partner and avoid the wrath of The Nigerian Giant. As the field dwindled, Ricochet was poised to take control, but he was shockingly eliminated by JD McDonagh, who was then promptly superkicked over the top rope by Akira Tozawa. Tozawa, Reed, Ivar and Otis were the final four Superstars, and the Aussie giant stood tall after eliminating the Viking Raider.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Elektra Lopez def. Zelina Vega
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The red-hot rivalry between The LWO and Legado del Fantasma added another chapter when Elektra Lopez stunned Zelina Vega. Moments before the match began, Dragon Lee was found injured in the backstage area, and it left Vega emotional before her major matchup. Vega seemingly had the match won, but “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio interfered, allowing Lopez to hit Elektra Shock to win the bout for her group.
My Score: 1.5 out of 5
Match #3: New Catch Republic def. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne picked up an enormous win heading into WrestleMania XL as they knocked off Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Both teams will meet in the Six-Pack Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, but the duos clashed on the final SmackDown before their championship opportunity. New Catch Republic isolated The Aussie Icon and hit a Birming-Hammer to secure their victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa (No-Contest)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Jey Uso battled his younger brother Solo Sikoa in a hard-hitting, emotional matchup, but it did not see a winner as Jimmy Uso interfered and forced a no-contest. Jey Uso looked strong, nailing several superkicks and a spear, sparking huge “YEET!” chants in Philadelphia, but the mood changed when his twin arrived. Uso and Sikoa attacked their brother, but Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins came to the rescue and whipped their Bloodline enemies with The American Nightmare’s weight belt.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
Well that was a thing. Obviously, the focus at this point is clearly on Wrestlemania – we even got a women’s match that existed solely to further a storyline that is set to explode at the show of shows. I don’t really get the point of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal these days – it seems to exist just to give someone a “title” and a kudos beyond a belt, something that the MitB title is almost getting to these days too. Ultimately this was a completely skippable episode of Smackdown, especially given how much wrestling was on this past weekend!
