WWE Friday Night Smackdown 8/11/2023

WWE Friday Night Smackdown 8/11/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-842023.html

Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Asuka uses the ropes to get out of an armlock and Flair tries to cartwheel out of one. They trade forearms and Flair shoulders her over. Flair backrolls and Asuka basement dropkicks her. Asuka hits kicks then Flair kicks her in the head.

Flair kicks her through the ropes and is pulled off the top rope. Asuka 2nd rope dropkicks her then sliding kicks her. We go to break and return with Flair hitting a plancha on Asuka.  Flair top rope crossbodies her then hits chops. Flair hits a fallaway slam and kips up. Flair then forward cartwheels into a lariat for 2. Flair hits a nice spear then goes for the figure eight. Damage Control comes out and Flair is cradled by Asuka for 2. Asuka high kicks her then takes a face kick.

Bayley gets on the apron and Flair goes after her. Asuka codebreakers her then Iyo gets on the apron and springboard dropkicks both. The match is then thrown out. Damage Control beat up the girls.

Well, what we got of this was okay for the women but not super clean. They matched up well together and were athletic out there. Flair and Asuka are then both thrown shoulder first into the post and Iyo poses with Bayley. Dakota Kai says to give it up for Iyo Sky after.

We get a video package from the Roman/Jey Uso match at Summerslam and an Austin Theory/Santos Escobar package.

Santos Escobar is interviewed. He speaks in Spanish and said he feels confident tonight against Theory. He says he has his number. Theory then jumps him and throws him into a box. Theory then backdrops him on the box and pounds on him. The refs then come to break it up but Theory slams a box lid on Santos' leg. The LWO makes the save for Santos.

We get a package on Karrion Kross. He says his plan has always been to destroy the plan. He says he will show AJ Styles the importance of brotherhood and said he is nothing without his disciples. He says, "soon, you'll see".

Santos Escobar is getting ice on his leg in the back.

Karrion Kross vs AJ Styles

Kross runs at AJ and AJ hits a nice dropkick. AJ backbreakers him then indian deathlocks him. Kross hits punches then backdrops him. Kross hits a corner lariat and a stiff spinning forearm in the corner. Kross overhead suplexes him.

AJ takes a euro while sitting up top then AJ slips out and lariats him over the top. AJ is caught off the apron and takes an F-U onto the announcer's table. We go to break and return. AJ's making a comeback with a big lariat then a forearm. AJ jumping lariats him in the corner. AJ comes off the top and is put in a sleeper. AJ uses the buckles to roll back on him then 2nd rope moonsaults him (botching the reverse ddt spot). They then botch something else for 2.

AJ hits Kawada kicks then does a springboard 450 for 2 as Scarlett puts Kross's leg on the ropes. Michin goes after him and is forearmed. Kross nails AJ from behind then release backdrops him. AJ enzugiri's him and Scarlett gets on the apron. Michin pulls Scarlett off and throws her over the announcer's table. AJ pele kicks Kross then hits a styles clash for the win.

There were two botches here and the outside shenanigans didn't add much to this. We really didn't get to see a lot of this due to the break and it seemed to be on the shorter end of things anyway. The crowd still liked it.

Edge comes out and we go to break.

The interviewer wants an update on Santos Escobar's condition. Austin Theory interrupts. He says Santos is like toilet paper, every time you look at him, he falls apart. Rey Mysterio comes out and says Escobar is going to make it. Austin mockingly says he was concerned about it. Rey then has to be held back.

We go back to Edge in the ring. Edge said he needed an excuse to get up here and says he wants a match in Toronto next week with Sheamus. He says Sheamus is the reason he is still here. He says Sheamus lit the fire under his butt. Edge said he and Sheamus went bike riding and he thought Sheamus would fall, but Edge ended up falling. Edge said people saw that and said, "why can't he wrestle then?". Edge then said, "maybe I can". Edge said Sheamus stayed at his house and became part of his extended family in helping him return. Edge said him and Sheamus got in the ring everyday and then Edge realized he was ready. Edge then brings out The Brawling Brutes and Sheamus.

The Brutes get in the ring. Sheamus says "what a Canadian" to Edge and asks if the crowd wants to see the footage of him and Edge working out. We see them riding bikes and we see Edge fall and get hurt. Edge then says he has something for him too and shows a picture of Sheamus riding a little girls bike. Sheamus said Edge told him he would burn that photo and Sheamus asks for the photo to be taken down.

Sheamus talks about going up to wrestlers at Raw years ago and said everyone gave him the cold shoulder except for Edge. Sheamus said Edge gave him time and he bought him beer. He said he then knew that Edge was a world class act. Sheamus said it's astonishing that they never wrestled (they did but not in a straight singles match). Sheamus said he wouldn't be here without Edge either. Edge again asks him to wrestle next week and have some scotch after. Sheamus says swap the scotch for Guiness and he has a deal. Sheamus tells Edge to hope he didn't make a mistake.

It was a nice little segment but would have been better if we knew more about the friendship between these two earlier.  Nobody really associates the two with each other.

We see clips of LA Knight beating up The Miz on Raw.

They say happy 70th birthday to Hulk Hogan.

LA Knight vs Top Dolla

Dolla rushes him and misses then LA hits punches. Ashante trips up LA then Dolla shoulders him over. Ashante punches LA then Dolla foot chokes LA. LA flips out of a move and hits punches. LA then comes off the 2nd rope with a bulldog. LA nails Ashante on the ropes then elbow drops Dolla. LA then hits blunt force trauma and wins it.

It was a short squash and similar to the Ashante/LA match a few weeks ago.

LA gets on the mic after but really doesn't say anything.

Adam Pearce goes up to Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar. Adam asks Santos if he's ready to go and he's "technically cleared". Rey then helps him walk.

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits are in the back drinking champagne. Bobby said it's a celebration of life, the future and possibilities. He said he sees some untapped potential and they celebrate beating up The OC and The Brawling Brutes. Dawkins said the job still isn't finished though. Bobby says championship gold is waiting for them to take and Ford says the sky is the limit.  

 

Santos Escobar is limping out and has his leg taped up. Theory chop blocks him and the LWO quickly come out with Adam Pearce to help him. Theory gets on the mic and says he has to apologize that we all don't get to experience Austin Theory live. He says he can't defend the title tonight because Santos is too weak. Theory asks for Santos to be counted out. Adam Pearce grabs the mic and said he promised a title match and they will deliver it. Adam says Theory will defend against Rey Mysterio.

WWE United States Title - Austin Theory (c) vs Rey Mysterio

Rey slides right in and hits leg kicks and a kick to the face. Theory rolls outside then Rey hits a hurricanrana off the apron onto him. We go to break and return. Theory goes for a side slam but Rey headscissors him out of it into the buckles. Rey hits la silla off the top then crossbodies him off the ropes for 2.

Rey springboard moonsaults but is caught. He pushes theory into the buckles. Rey is put on Theory's shoulders and he sunset bombs him into the buckles. Theory kicks him then Rey step up enzugiri's him. Rey 619's him in the back then dropkicks him in the back. Theory blocks his 619 then Theory's back gives out. Theory goes into the ropes again and takes a 619. Rey then springboard splashes and wins it.

This was very quick and rushed. It kind of fits what they were doing with this being a surprise impromptu match, but it's still true. The little we did see of this looked good.

 

 

Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa head to the ring. It took 5 minutes between them entering the ramp and Roman actually saying something. Thank God I don't watch this live. Roman asks for Calgary to acknowledge him. Roman asks Paul where Jimmy Uso is. Paul said he doesn't know where Jimmy is but he did talk to Jimmy this morning. Jimmy Uso then shows up at ringside.

Roman tells him not to worry about the crowd as they mean nothing. Roman tells him he owes him one and tells him to name his price. He offers a car, a yacht or a jet. Jimmy says he doesn't want nothing from him. Jimmy said what he did had nothing to do with him.

Jey Uso comes out and takes the mic from Jimmy. Jey says he's not throwing 37 years down the drain and asked why he did it. Jimmy said he did what he did because he loves him. Roman laughs at this. Jimmy said he betrayed Jey because he was afraid to lose him. Jimmy said if Jey beat Roman, he would become tribal chief and he would lose him. He said what would happen to the Uso's? He said he would have inherited some kind of power that makes Jey like Roman. He said it would make him corrupted like Roman and said he would not be able to live if he let him become an egotistical, lying @sshole like Roman Reigns.

Jimmy said he was afraid he would leave him. He said if he leaves him or doesn't want to talk again, that's fine. He said he loves him. He then tells him to give it to him if he wants to kick his face off. Jey shakes his head no then Jimmy walks out of the ring. Roman laughs and said "I told you so". He said Jey will mess this up because he's a hot head and he's stupid. Roman said this is only about one thing and says, "Acknowledge me". Jey cuts him off with a superkick. Solo nails Jey from behind. Jey superkicks Solo then Roman superman punches Jey. Roman goes to spear Jey but is superkicked. Jey then spears him.

Jey tells Jimmy to hold up and tells him to come. He goes to hug Jimmy and superkicks him. Jey says to the camera that's he out of the Bloodline, he's out of Smackdown and he's out of WWE. He then high fives someone in the crowd and leaves walks up through the stands.

The segment was silly. There's a lot of ways to keep Jey from turning into Roman without costing him the match. It's just pretty weak reasoning. They also didn't explain why Jimmy basically helped out Roman if he thinks so little of him. Jey  quitting is obviously a temporary thing and we'll have to see where that goes. I thought for sure they'd set up some kind of Jimmy vs Jey match here.

Overall thoughts: The main event angle was silly and didn't make much sense. Edge's segment with Sheamus was good but it could have been better. Rey winning the title worked somewhat. If you were looking for a lot of in-ring work, there wasn't a lot of it here. A lot of time as wasted on the show and I didn't think that much of the show overall.