Join 411’s Live WWE Smackdown Coverage

Keep Refreshing For The Latest Results

Hello everyone, we’re still on the road to WrestleMania and it’s time for another episode of WWE Smackdown. Tonight there will be some Bloodline business. On Monday Jey Uso made his choice, beating the crap out of Sami Zayn after a truly glorious fake out to realign with his family in the Bloodline and the fallout from that will be present tonight. Roman Reigns isn’t advertised for the show, but he could very well be here to welcome Jey back into the fold. On the other side of the WrestleMania main event scene it seems like Cody Rhodes has been trying to help mend fences between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and while the reunion of Owens and Sami is something of a foregone conclusion they’ve still got time to build to that emotional moment. On the in ring side of things we’ve got Braun Strowman and Ricochet teaming up to take on the Viking Raiders before all of them are shoved unceremoniously into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. More importantly we’ll crown a new challenger for Intercontinental champion Gunther with a 5-Way match as Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Xavier Woods replacing the injured Kofi Kingston, Karrion Kross, and LA Knight. Drew seems like the obvious choice, they’ve still got Imperium leaning heel and while I’m never going to complain about Gunther vs. Sheamus it might be nice to see a newer matchup. the dark horse in that match is actually LA Knight, he’s very over and if you want to start moving Imperium more towards the face side of things than Knight makes a lot of sense. There’s also the growing issue between Bray Wyatt and Bobby Lashley (seriously, who’s responsible for this) that will probably continue to grow, Poochie’s overdue for more screen time I suppose, with the injury to Ronda Rousey it seems Shayna Baszler might be left out in the cold, and there’s a few other undercard talent that don’t yet have a direction for Mania while we’re rapidly running out of time for them to find some. Anyway that’s the preamble, let’s get to the action. Oh, and don’t forget to change your clocks this weekend. Lousy antiquated practice.

First is a recap of the Bloodline drama resulting in Jey rejoining the Bloodline from Monday. That pop for Jey hugging Sami, then the heat from his kick, just so good.

At the arena the Usos arrive together and are greeted by Paul Heyman. Jey wants to know where Roman is, Paul hugs him and says Roman is proud of him as is Paul. Well when Paul finds out where Roman is, tell him that Jey is here. Kayla wanders up and asks Jey about Monday, Jey says he’ll say everything he needs to say in the ring tonight. Jimmy wants to know why Cody Rhodes is up in Bloodline business. Jey’s demeanor here was interesting, the relationship between Jey and Roman might still be strained or nearly broken despite him siding with his brother.

Full video intro then commentary welcome us to the show.

First, our 5 man match for a shot to get the crap chopped out of you by Gunther at WrestleMania.

Match #1 – Fatal 5-Way Match: Drew McIntyre vs. LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett vs. Sheamus

Woods jumps Knight, Kross then ejects Woods. Sheamus and Drew are staring each other down, now the heels fight them but Drew and Sheamus clear house then stare off again. Again Kross and Knight stop them from throwing hands and everyone winds up outside the ring as we head to break.

We come back to Kross and Knight working over Woods in the corner. Drew tries to get involved but Kross cuts him off then kicks him out of the ring. Sheamus pulls Knight out of the ring and we’ve got more ringside brawling. Knight slams Drew into the ring post then heads back into the ring with Woods. Kross and Knight keep teaming up on Woods and hit a double flapjack. Drew is back in the frame and works on Kross and Knight with strikes but Knight cuts him off then he and Kross hit a double suplex on Drew. Sheamus has climbed the ropes though and takes out Knight with a flying clothesline. Sheamus starts running wild with strikes, Kross blocks a Future Shock DDT and catches Drew in a single leg Boston Crab while Knight takes out Sheamus with a neckbreaker but Kross abandons his hold to break up the pin. That’s enough of their alliance and Knight drops Kross with a punch. That annoys Kross as Woods starts to fire up with strikes on Knight. Woods hits the ropes and lands a rolling elbow to Knight then a clothesline for Kross as well. Baseball slide from Woods to Drew on the outside then a super kick for Sheamus. Woods keeps on rolling, hits a diving DDT on Kross then a fireman’s carry double knee gutbuster to Knight. Now Woods heads up top, rope walk elbow drop but everyone jumps on the resulting pin to break it up. Now Imperium show up on the entrance stage, just watching the match as we head to break.

Kross is stomping on Drew as we come back. Drew is in the tree of woe, Knight then jumps up on Kross looking for a superplex but that just sets up Drew for a spider German suplex to drop both of them. Drew glares at Kross and starts firing up on him with clotheslines. Belly to belly throw for Knight then a neckbreaker for Kross and Drew is rolling. Knight counters a Future Shock DDT and lands a clothesline but Sheamus heads into the ring and starts running wild. Sheamus grabs Woods on the apron and goes Bodhran beating to the count of 10, then 10 for Kross as well, then decides Knight needs some as well and he takes 10 blows. Now Sheamus points at the sign, then wants a Brogue Kick but Drew just headbutts Knight out of the ring then starts arguing with Sheamus. Woods flies into a Brogue Kick, for no reason, then Knight takes a Claymore from Drew and we get the predictable double pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Sheamus and Drew McIntyre won

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Predictable outcome, and honestly not that compelling a journey. This ate time but never really felt compelling.

Post match the crowd chant “Triple Threat” because they know what’s up as the refs confer and try to sort things out.

In the back Kayla interviews Paul Heyman, she asks about Jey’s decision and Heyman doesn’t answer but instead brings up Cody Rhodes. Cody is getting involved in Bloodline business, and that’s family. For nearly 1,000 days Roman Reigns has been the champion, and every new challenger Roman asks Heyman for his advice. Do they lie and manipulate someone so that they’re broken by lies and deception before the match starts? Or do they use the truth? The truth is the Bloodline cannot be stopped when they’re aligned. Cody is a nightmare for Roman stylistically, and Heyman has asked Roman what they should be doing about lies or truth. Well Roman says the most evil thing they could do is smash Cody with the truth. The truth about Cody is that his past will weigh him down so much that when they reach WrestleMania he’ll already be beaten. At that point the only story Cody will have is picking his shoulders off the mat after losing, then pick the time and place to truthfully acknowledge Roman Reigns. Dang Heyman is still so good at this.

After this break we’ll be told the first inductee into this year’s Hall of Fame.

Post break we get a recap of the finish from the opening match, then in the back Drew and Sheamus continue arguing leading to Butch and Ridge Holland intervening and pulling Sheamus away.

Our first Hall of Fame inductee for 2023 is Rey Mysterio. I mean, I’m not going to complain as Rey is awesome but we know this is just for Dominik to do something stupid at the ceremony right?

Back at the venue Rey comes out to accept some adulation from the crowd. Rey heads into the ring and gets a mic but there are some very loud “You deserve it” chants to stop him from talking right away. Eventually he tries to talk but he’s cut off by the Judgement Day. Dominik calls this pathetic, and proceeds to just repeat all the same stuff he’s said for months now. Dominik says he’s ashamed to be Rey’s son. Santos Escobar and the rest of Legado del Fantasma are here to even the numbers, and takes the mic from Rey. Santos isn’t about to let go of what happened last week, there’s supposed to be a match later but Santos wants it right now. Time for a tag team match playa, after this break.

Post break we get a recap of Dominik Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar last week.

Match #2 – Trios Match: Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Cruz del Toro, and Joquin Wilde) w/ Zelina Vega and Rey Mysterio vs. Judgement Day (Damien Priest, Finn Balor, and Dominik Mysterio) w/ Rhea Ripley

We join the match in progress as Balor lands a dropkick on Cruz. Priest tags in for some slow moving control segments. Dom tags in and goes for the Three Amigos suplexes, the crowd does not care enough to boo, and he doesn’t hit the third instead tagging in Balor. Cruz takes out Balor with a hurricanrana then tags in Escobar. Escobar lands a knee and tags in Wilde, a lot of rapid tags from LDF now as they isolate Balor. Eventually Wilde hits a running splash for a 2 count. Balor pulls Wilde off the ropes and tags in Priest. More control stuff from Priest, and can I just say Wade on commentary about Dom is utterly insufferable. Now Judgement Day with quick tags to keep Wilde isolated as we head to break.

Escobar lands a leg drop on Balor as we come back, then Balor avoids a Phantom Driver and hits a Nightmare on Helms Street to drop both men. Dom tags in, eats a kick from Escobar then Cruz tags in. Cruz hits a standing Spanish Fly on Dom and Priest has to break up the pin. Some misdirection from Cruz then he dropkicks Priest out of the ring to set up Escobar and Cruz hitting suicide dives. Zelina tries to attack Ripley, that goes poorly. Dom hits a baseball slide on Rey, Rey gets upset and this sets up Priest hitting a kick on Cruz so Dom can get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Judgement Day won

Rating: 1.5 stars
Thoughts: Boring, overlong, predictable, and mostly designed to kill air time. Nothing of value here.

Fake boos for Dom as he gets a mic, Dom wants to talk to Rey one on one and sends the rest of Judgement Day out of the ring. Rey does head into the ring, Dom asks why Rey is going into the Hall of Fame when all he deserves is one for deadbeat dads. Someone get this guy new material please. Dom says he should have been Eddie’s son. Rey still refuses to hit Dom, but avoids a cheap shot attempt leading to Dom whining. Are they really this hard up for interesting content that we’re just running this on every show now?

In the back Ricochet and Braun Strowman prepare for their match.

As we head to break we get our next movie parody, this is Miz and Maryse playing off of Top Gun. Better than the Titanic one at least.

In the back Charlotte Flair finds Adam Pearce. Poochie wants a match, any match, tonight. Pearce can definitely find something for Poochie, because we all need to be wondering what’s up with Poochie at all times.

Back to the ring, here come Braun Strowman and Ricochet.

Match #3 – Tag Team Match: Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) w/ Valhalla

Erik and Ricochet start things off, they fight over a side headlock for a bit before Ricochet avoids a clothesline and hits a hurricanrana. Knee from Erik and he tags in Ivar. Ricochet tries another side headlock but Ivar shoves him off then starts clubbing him. Ricochet quickens the pace and avoids a splash then tags in Braun. Braun clotheslines both Erik and Ivar out of the ring to set up Ricochet for an assisted dive that almost clears both of the Raiders and sends us to break.

Erik floors Ricochet as we come back from break. Ivar tags in and they abuse Ricochet for a bit then Erik tags back in and they take turns tossing Ricochet into knee strikes. Erik grabs a modified neck crank, Ricochet fights up to his feet and they trade elbows for a bit before Erik crushes Ricochet with a right hand. Ivar sneaks around to grab Braun and set up Erik knocking him off the apron to allow Ivar to hit the low crossbody against the barricade to Braun. Ricochet tries for a Small Package but Erik stalls the motion. Now Ricochet starts a minor comeback including a Frankensteiner onto Erik but Erik hits a knee then a vicious Liger Bomb for a 2 count. Erik calls on Ricochet for strikes, but Ricochet is able to drop him with a springboard moonsault and both men are down. Braun returns to his corner and gets the hot tag, now Braun runs wild for a bit on Ivar then dropkicks him out of the ring. Now Braun is set up for his running shoulder blocks on the outside, one for Ivar that sends him into the ring but Erik avoids Braun with the help of Valhalla and Braun wipes out over the announce table. Ricochet had been tagged in before that, he goes up top but Ivar avoids the 450 splash then intercepts Ricochet with a wheel kick. Ivar goes up top now, flying fridge splash from Ivar connects and that’ll get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Viking Raiders won

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Perfectly average match, there’s decent chemistry here between all four men as well and I wouldn’t really hate a rematch at some point. The Vikings needed this win badly too.

In the back Imperium talk with Adam Pearce, Gunther wanted his next worthy title challenger, and reminds Pearce that challenger is singular not plural. Gunther runs down Pearce’s management style, and Pearce has a solution for him. Next week Drew vs. Sheamus for the IC title shot at Mania. Gunther promises to be watching that.

Back to the ring, here comes Charlotte Flair and she’ll be in action after this break.

Post break here comes Shotzi to wrestle Charlotte.

Match #4: Charlotte Flair vs. Shotzi

Shotzi offers a handshake, and they slap hands then fist bump. Charlotte grabs a side headlock, then lands a shoulder block to silence. Some rope running and a few timing issues then a slow motion head scissors from Shotzi. They fumble around before Charlotte hits a mat return, then another one. Shotzi runs into a big boot, Charlotte goes for a leg attack but here comes Rhea Ripley to disrupt things. Shotzi misses a kick then eats a German suplex. Ripley observes from ringside as we head to break.

Charlotte is climbing the ropes as we come back, Shotzi climbs up there with her and hits a second rope hurricanrana for a 2 count. Still no reaction from the crowd as we can hear Shotzi call a spot. Charlotte avoids a move then boots Shotzi to the floor and misses a pescado only to eat a head kick from Shotzi. Shotzi back in the ring but when she tries to dive she runs into an elbow. Back in the ring Shotzi lands an knee but Charlotte fires up with chops then hits a fall away slam. Spear from Charlotte then the Figure 8 and that’ll do it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Charlotte Flair won

Rating: 1.5 stars
Thoughts: What a rough start this thing had, they pulled it together by the end but the crowd was dead for this one. Probably should have been more of a squash but for some reason this episode is stretching everything out.

Post match Ripley gets in the ring with a mic, and Charlotte has one as well. Charlotte wants to know what Ripley has to say. Ripley was reminded tonight about why she chose Charlotte, and tells Charlotte to wipe off the smug look on her face. I’m not sure that’s possible with all that surgery. Ripley is going to take the one thing Charlotte feels is important. A lot of “What” treatment for Ripley. Charlotte says Ripley can be proud of her improvement but Charlotte has improved every day of her life, and you can love her or hate her for that but it’s true. She wants it more, and loses her place in the script before remembering that she’ll outwork anyone and takes this business seriously. Ripley might rip apart anyone in front of her, except Charlotte. I’m not sure that did either of them any favors.

In the back Jimmy and Jey walk, they’ll talk after this break.

Post break here come the Usos. Another recap of Jey and Sami from the end of RAW. Back to live and both Jimmy and Jey have mics. Jimmy says the Bloodline is back together and here in Pittsburgh. Jey knows we want to know why he kicked Sami in the head, why’d he’d betray Sami like that. He’s struggling a bit with the emotions, then asks us what we’d do in his place. What would we do if one of your family members is in trouble? Jey did it because he had to. He didn’t want to, but he had no choice because Jimmy is blood, his twin and his brother, not Sami. And neither is anyone in the crowd. You want to blame Jey? We don’t know what he goes through, we watch on TV and see their greatness, not the struggle. The person Jey blames is Sami Zayn. He wasn’t about to let his brother get clipped for Sami. Sami’s too selfish, all he had to do was fall in line. But Sami doesn’t know anything about that, because Sami isn’t blood and never will be. Jimmy says with that Sami problem out of the way they need to deal with Cody Rhodes. He’s about to go on but “Wrestling has more than one royal family” and here comes Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody has a mic and talks on the entrance ramp. He says if you’re going to talk about him you should talk directly to him. Cody doesn’t answer to Roman, he answers to the fans, and it sounds like they don’t want to hear talk, they’d rather see a fight. Jimmy invites him down and they plan to put Cody on the shelf, but here comes Sami Zayn through the crowd to jump on Jey setting up Cody to join the fight. We’ve got a brawl as Sami and Jimmy fight on the announce table and Cody takes Jey into the crowd. All four men wind up brawling in the crowd, then back to the ringside area. Eventually Cody and Sami stand tall to end the episode.