WWE Friday Night Smackdown 8/25/2023

WWE Friday Night Smackdown 8/25/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-8182023.html

Everyone comes out in memorial for Terry Funk and Bray Wyatt. Erick Redbeard also returned to come out. Michael Cole talks about both of them passing away and said we will celebrate their lives. They do a 10 bell salute and do a long video for Bray. The crowd sings "he's got the whole world in his hands" for Bray and they show his rocking chair in the spotlight. We then get a smaller video for Terry that mostly had tweets after the break. I was pretty bummed about Terry's death. I met him once and he treated me like I was his best friend. He could not have been nicer and was definitely one of the GOATS of wrestling.

Rey Mysterio vs Grayson Waller

Waller pushes him over and does some dips. Rey rolls and armdrags him. Rey then mocks Waller's dips. Rey nails Waller then is knee'd in the gut. Waller shoulders Rey over then headlock takeovers him. Rey headscissors him over then hits another one on the ropes.

Rey goes for a springboard and is kicked down to the floor. Waller slides out and then takes a hurricanrana into the rails outside. We go to break and return. Rey's hitting punches. Waller kind of goes up and over him in the corner but comes down with a double stomp on him. It wasn't clean and kind of looked like a botch, though the idea was cool.

Waller hits mounted punches then 2nd rope froggy bows him for 2. Waller leg lariats him then throws him hard into the buckles. Rey hurricanrana's him into the post then hits a top rope la silla. Rey then springboard crossbodies him. Rey hits a satellite ddt.

Waller jumps over his back and flips into an unprettier. Waller forearms him in the back of the neck then is lariated. Rey sentons him and has him set up for the 619 but Austin Theory's music hits. Waller rolls up Rey whil he is distracted and then they collide in mid-air with crossbodies.

Santos Escobar jumps Theory from behind then gets clipped. Rey slides out and baseball slides Theory. Waller then slides out and lariats Rey on the floor. Waller nails Escobar then rolls in. Rey hits a 619 then Theory grabs his foot in full view of the ref. Rey hits a springboard splash and wins it.

Good opener here. The two matched up well and it was a fast paced affair.

We see a clip of the Wyatt Family's first video then get more tweets about him.

We see clips of Zelina Vega beating Iyo Sky 2 months ago then we see Vega beating her 3 weeks ago with a code red.

Damage CTRL are interviewed. Bayley says Vega's wins over Iyo were flukes and she just got lucky. Bayley says Iyo is a one in a lifetime talent and talks about her accomplishments. Bayley says we are in Iyo's era and we should buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Women's Title - Iyo Sky vs Zelina Vega

Vega's wearing bunny ears and headphones with puerto rico colors. We go to break and return. We see more clips of Bray Wyatt.

They lock up and Iyo wristlocks her. Vega flips out of it then Iyo cartwheels over her. Vega armdrags her and Iyo begs off. Vega ends up going throat first over the 2nd rope then Iyo stomps her back. Iyo slams her for 2 then Vega rolls her up and kicks her off of it.

Vega is slammed off the 2nd rope then Iyo chinlocks her. Iyo misses a corner splash then has her head banged off the buckle. Vega lariats her then does a hammerlock legsweep ddt.  Vega 2nd rope meteora's her for 2. Iyo springboard dropkicks her then Vega turns her slam into a ddt.

Iyo powerbombs her then Vega hits a code red. Iyo rolls out of the ring and Vega is thrown into the steps outside. Iyo meteora's her in the corner then top rope moonsaults her. Iyo then picks up the win.

There was nothing wrong with this one. Everyone hit their spots clean and they kept this one moving.

Cody Rhodes is walking around in the back and he's going to pay tribute to Terry Funk next. We get more tweets about Bray.

Cody Rhodes comes out to pay tribute to Terry Funk. He said he first met him when Terry was calling his dad an egg sucking dog. He says Terry and Bray Wyatt were both cowboys. He says Terry was in wrestling for 50 years and constantly changed. We get a video on Terry. Cody says Terry was hardcore and says the next tag match is a Terry Funk Hardcore Match.

Terry Funk Hardcore Match - The Brawling Brutes vs The Street Profits

They charge at each other to start and go outside. Ridge goes into the steps and Butch pulls on Ford's mouth and ear. Ford shoulders over Butch then Butch hits nice dropkicks on both opponents. Dawkins throws Butch out then Ridge spinning facelocks Ford. Ridge hits a ddt on him then Dawkins twisting double underhook neckbreakers him. Butch takes the SP's on 1v2 then is double flapjacked. Ridge is beat up 2v1 in the corner.

Butch top rope moonsaults both SP's the Ridge puts Buch on his shoulders and spins him around, hitting boots in the SP's faces. They compare this to Terry Funk's way of using the ladder. Ridge shoulders over Dawkins hard on the floor then takes a back body drop on the floor. Butch knees Dawkins off the apron then Ford does a tope con hilo onto Butch. Bobby Lashley comes out.

We go to break and return. Ridge powerslams Ford and Lashley is watching outside. Butch and Ridge hit stereo chest clubs. Ridge corner splashes Ford then lifts him so Butch can jump and powerbomb him. Dawkins shoulders Butch outside. Dawkins flying back elbows Ridge and twisting splashes him in the corner. Ridge is on Dawkins' shoulders then Ford hits a high top rope blockbuster for 2.

Butch step up enugiri's Ford then Ford enzugiri's him. Ridge hits a nice clothesline on Ford. Ridge 2nd rope superplexes Dawkins then Ford hits a top rope frogsplash on Ridge. Butch breaks the pin and all 4 guys are down. Butch gets a table outside and runs into Lashley while pulling it out. Lashley and Butch stare down.

Butch gets forearmed on the apron and goes down. Ridge does a ddt + water wheel drop at the same time. Butch snaps Dawkins' fingers then Lashley pushes Butch off the top. Lashley spears Butch on the floor. Ridge then takes a sky high + neckbreaker combo through the table and Ford grab the win.

This was a fun match. The two matched up well. We didn't get much hardcore stuff and certainly no blood here though. Ridge had some sloppy moments here and seemed to be off balance.

We see Firefly Funhouse clips and more tweets about Bray.

We get clips of Tozawa vs Miz with Miz and LA Knight exchanging words. Tozawa later upset Miz and LA hit a blunt force trauma on Miz. LA then throws Miz a tissue.

We see TMZ Sports going up to Miz. Miz calls LA a fad and says he's a Vanilla Ice or Napster. He promises to get him if he keeps disrespecting him. 

LA Knight comes out and gets on the mic. He says tonight is about Bray Wyatt. He says sometimes your greatest foes are your greatest helpers. LA said his feud with Bray got him ready for anything. He says he knows the fans can feel the spirit of Bray Wyatt in this building. The crowd chants "Thank You, Bray" and he says he echoes that. LA then starts talking about The Miz. He says Miz says the same thing every time. He says he has too much base in his voice and talks in a higher pitch like Miz. He says Miz was always a fad, even when he has a stunt double. He said Miz was a background star even when we had the title to Cena and Rock. He says he will go to TMZ and show him whose game it is. LA tells him to run the next time he sees him.

We get more clips of Bray Wyatt.

LA Knight vs Finn Balor

Finn gut kicks him and side headlocks him. LA shoulders him over then chases him around the ring. Finn tries to catch him with a forearm coming in the ring but LA avoids it. LA bangs Finn's head off the announcer's table then slingshot shoulders him. Finn pulls LA off the buckles and he bounces down.

We go to break and see another Bray clip then return. LA neckbreakers him then hits shots. LA hits a ddt for 2. LA pops him up and pushes him down then boots him for 2. Finn russian legsweeps him then hits a slingblade. LA lariats him out of the corner. Finn double stomps him then shotgun dropkicks him in the corner. Finn takes a nice powerslam from LA.

LA elbow drops him then jumps up to the top rope and superplexes him. LA hits a blunt force trauma and wins it.

I was surprised and happy to see LA get the win. It was a shorter face and was really over before it got started. It was fine but far from anything memorable.

The lights go out, lightning strikes then we see Bray's lantern lit up in the ring.

Overall thoughts: Tribute shows are always different. It's hard to rate these without coming off poorly and it just was what it was. WWE had a lot on their plate here and did a nice job paying tribute to Terry and Bray.