‘Friday Night Smackdown’ Review (Apr 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, which was a WWE Draft special – light on wrestling, heavy on talking!
Match #1: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee def. Legado del Fantasma
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The LWO scored another victory over Legado del Fantasma when Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee defeated Angel and Berto in tag team action. The fast-paced matchup favored the Hall of Famer and the newcomer as a 619 and Project Dragon on Garza solidified the big-time victory. After the match, Santos Escobar revealed that it was Carlito that attacked Lee before WrestleMania before the Caribbean Superstar attacked his former LWO teammates.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Bron Breakker def. Cedric Alexander
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
It took mere moments for Bron Breakker to destroy Cedric Alexander. After one counter from Alexander, Alexander bounced off the ropes but found himself in the way of a rib-cracking Spear.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton (No Contest)
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The matchup between Tiffany Stratton and Naomi ended without a winner as newly minted SmackDown Superstar Nia Jax makes her presence felt by attacking WWE Women’s Champion Bayley and Naomi. As Naomi and Stratton battled inside the ring, Jax shocked the WWE Universe by launching a sneak attack on the champion and Naomi, prompting the match to be called off. Stratton took advantage of the chaos by hitting her Prettiest Moonsault Ever on both Naomi and Bayley, sending a message that she belongs at the top.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: Cody Rhodes def. Carmelo Hayes
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Carmelo Hayes made a splash in his first night as a SmackDown Superstar as he battled Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in non-title action. Hayes not only showed off his incredible offense with a springboard reverse DDT and a First 48, but he withstood several major blows from The American Nightmare including a Cody Cutter. After countering a Nothing But Net leg drop, Rhodes locked on and hit a Cross Rhodes to give himself the victory, albeit not without a major fight from the rookie.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
We all know that Draft episodes aren’t exactly the best episodes of WWE television but this was particularly bad. Why? Well, the matches were remarkably average AND we got that massive, and frankly terrible, botch in the main event. Seriously, that was embarrassing for all involved. The other three matches on the card were OK, for what they were – and it’s a real shame that opener didn’t get more time as it was headed somewhere good. But alas, it was not to be. And in another WTF moment in this week’s show… Why the hell was the ever-awesome Cedric Alexander fed to Bron Breakker in a squash match,. he deserves a LOT better than that!
