wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 10.27.23
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Well everyone, it’s another Friday evening and that means it’s time for another episode of WWE Smackdown. Tonight we’ve got the contract signing for Roman Reigns and LA Knight, and Roman’s presence means that things of actual value will happen which will be a nice change of pace after last weeks offering. John Cena is trying to get his first WWE win in a really, really long time and to that end will probably engage in some kind of tag team match at Crown Jewel because everyone loves Sweet Sweet Saudi Blood Money. My current hunch is Cena teaming with Jey Uso against lesser Uso and Solo Sikoa, but whatever the specific plan is they need to get a move on because that event is next Saturday. Bianca Belair returned last week, and since Damage Control is responsible for her kayfabe injury one has to imagine she’s going to take aim at them and in particular WWE women’s champion Iyo Sky. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are hinting at their return, not sure if it’ll be tonight but they’re set to return and want the tag team titles. Kevin Owens needs something to do, we’re still waiting on the actual character from new Smackdown GM Nick Aldis, and we do know Rey Mysterio will team with Santos Escobar to take on the Street Profits. Fair warning, they’re taping next weeks show right after this one because of the proximity to the Saudi card and these double shot cards usually have one of the episodes fall kind of flat. Could be this one, could be next week, or we might get really lucky and they’re both good. The only way to find out is to watch, so let’s get to the action.
First commentary confirms a report from earlier today, John Cena will be in action at Crown Jewel and will go one on one with da Undertaka, wait, sorry, Solo Sikoa. Force of habit there.
Roman Reigns begins his entrance with Paul Heyman in tow as the table is set up in the ring. As Roman is posing with his belt on the stage the music of LA Knight hits to his usual huge pop and Knight struts past Roman and to the ring. Nick Aldis is in the ring to host things. Loud “LA Knight” chants as Roman does eventually get to the ring, but after Heyman moves a chair to the head of the table Knight sits in it before Roman gets in the ring. Knight gets a mic and asks if Roman is going to take all night or not, because it’s time to sign and lose that title. Aldis tries to settle things by playing with the crowd as Roman sits at the side of the table. Roman gets a mic from Heyman, Aldis keeps yapping but Knight says we all know why we’re here so let him talk to us. Knight signs and then passes the contract to Roman. Heyman tosses the pen away and goes for his own which he hands to Roman. Roman with a “hey idiot” and it’s not directed to the fans, he’s talking to Knight. He thinks Knight must be stupid to just sign like that, then asks Knight if he’s ever even had a real contract signing. Or has he even had a title match in WWE? All that means Knight has no clue what he’s doing right now, but don’t worry, Roman will go easy on him for his first time. Nice and gentle, right sweetheart. The pen doesn’t work though and Heyman finds one that does, then Roman does sign as the crowd chants “Roman’s scared”. Aldis collects the contract, and says that concludes his responsibilities and wishes them both luck. Knight says he’s currently the head of the table and wants Roman to acknowledge him. Roman sits back down with that dangerous smile. Knight says Roman is right about his lack of experience, and he thinks it’s sweet of him to go gentle. He wants that because it means Roman’s already beat. This might be his first time, but after only one year he’s sitting at the head of this table about to take Roman’s title, he’s climbed so fast Roman wont even know what hit him and after Crown Jewel Roman will be left befuddled as Knight leaves with his title. This might be Knight’s first time, but he only needs one time. Roman took forever to get here doing suffering succotash while Knight only took one year and now everyone knows who’s game this is. There’s nothing Roman can do about Knight’s ascension, which isn’t an insult it’s just a fact of life. He can’t stop this gravy train, he can’t stop being the man they call the megastar with everyone saying LA Knight, yea- but Roman interrupts by throwing the table onto Knight. Punches from Roman then he posts Knight and they head out of the ring where Roman gets another table. Knight rolls back into the ring and Roman puts the table in the ring. Roman sets up the table but Knight is able to fight back with punches and stomps in the corner. Jannetty Uso shows up to save Roman but Roman heads out while Heyman tells Jimmy to get Knight. Knight is able to avoid a superkick and back suplex Jimmy through the table and stand tall. OK, Knight actually getting under Roman’s skin was pretty darn good and those two seem to have pretty good chemistry.
At some point tonight Bianca Belair will be doing something. Up after this break Carlito will replace Rey Mysterio in the tag team match, but we do get Santos Escobar and Carlito’s entrance before the commercial break.
Post break the Street Profits have new music, probably a good call for them as heels.
Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Carlito and Santos Escobar vs. Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) w/ Bobby Lashley
Escobar and Dawkins start, Dawkins grabs a side headlock right away. Shoulder block from Dawkins then some rope running from both men before Escobar lands a dropkick. Carlito tags in and starts laying in punches. Kick from Dawkins but then he runs into a standing avalanche from Carlito. Bobby distracts Carlito and that allows Dawkins to attack from behind then lay in shots in the corner. Back elbow from Carlito then a dropkick. Ford gets low bridged then Carlito wants to dive and is able to hit one onto both Dawkins and Ford as we head to break.
Ford is working a rest hold on Escobar as we come back. Escobar fights free but Ford is able to kick him then hit a running splash but Carlito breaks the pin. In the back we see Rey watching TV at an odd angle. Ford grabs a Camel Clutch but Escobar gets free and lands body blows then fights out of the corner only for Ford to drop him with an enziguri. Another rest hold from Ford, Escobar fights free with elbows but when he tries to tag out Ford levels him with a clothesline. Dawkins tags in and Escobar takes a double flapjack. Some corner offense from Dawkins but then Escobar catches him coming in with a jumping knee strike and both men are down. Double hot tag but it’s Carlito who gets to run wild on both Profits for a bit. Spinebuster to Ford gets a 2 count, then Carlito wants the Backstabber but Ford counters into a Victory Roll for 2. Carlito with a kick then a swinging neckbreaker but Dawkins breaks up the pin. Escobar disposes of Dawkins and tags in, as we see Logan Paul jump Rey in the back, all of which distracts Carlito and Escobar. Escobar sends Carlito to help Rey. Double knees from Escobar but he misses a dive and winds up in a two on one situation. Dawkins with a blind tag and they catch Escobar with the Revelation to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: The Street Profits won in 11:52
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Solid stuff here, not the biggest fan of the slight overbooking at the end but the Profits needed a win and this does keep the LWO from taking a loss that’s too clean. Generally the work is good, Carlito is still pretty mobile and he’s surprisingly big in there opposite Dawkins and Ford.
We see Roman in his locker room in the back, Paul Heyman explains the custom WWE title belts that each NFL team has. Heyman will give a Green Bay Packers one to Knight because it’s the closest either Knight or the Packers will get to being champion. Jimmy Uso flops onto the couch, he got examined by the trainers. Roman asks what happened out there, Jimmy equivocates and Roman’s patience with him is visibly diminishing. He tells Jimmy to handle Knight tonight. Roman tells Heyman to make Jimmy vs. Knight for tonight and Heyman goes to find Aldis.
Cathy catches Logan walking in the back and he most or less ignores her then walks off but runs into Kevin Owens. He doesn’t like Owens’ shirt and walks off. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller walk up and babble, Owens promises to punch them both with one punch but some agents break things up. Theory and Waller stand side by side conveniently for Owens to hit them both with one punch.
Kayla interviews Dragon Lee, he’s happy to be on Smackdown but this is interrupted by Cedric Alexander. Cedric says Lee reminds him of himself years ago, his competitive fire is ignited by Lee and wants a match tonight. Lee accepts. The mic was never Cedric’s strength, but that match could be darn good.
Back to the ring, here’s Shotzi. We get a recap of Nick Aldis talking with Shotzi when Chelsea Green and Piper Niven interrupt and ultimately we get Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green. That match will be up after this break.
Post break here comes Chelsea Green.
Match #2: Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green w/ Piper Niven
Green with a quick dropkick but can’t follow up as Shotzi catches her with a Victory Roll for 2. Some corner attacks from Green but she runs into a boot then Shotzi with a hanging reverse head scissors. Shotzi up top but Green rolls out of the ring so Shotzi just hits a cannonball onto the floor. Back in the ring Green catches Shotzi on the second rope with sort of a Russian leg sweep for a 2 count. Green with a low dropkick and another 2 count. Clothesline from Green but then she gets sent to the apron and Shotzi lands a head kick. They head up top and Shotzi tries a superplex but Green headbutts her then hits an avalanche gordbuster then a top rope dropkick. Green is very pleased with herself but a lazy cover allows Shotzi to counter into a crucifix and get the 3 count.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Shotzi won in 3:17
Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: Too short to go much higher with the rating and I’m not the biggest fan of tag team champs losing singles matches for no discernable reason.
After this break we’ll do something involving John Cena.
We come back to WWE patting themselves on the back about booking international shows.
John Cena then heads to the ring. Cena has a mic and plays with the crowd for a bit. We’re just one week away from Crown Jewel and he can feel the energy, but for him the energy is a little different. Tonight things are serious, he’s had a lot of serious moments in his career but he hasn’t felt this way since he was almost fired 20 years ago. He had to dig deep in that moment, and now for 20 years he’s shared this with the fans. They’ve given to each other for all that time, the fans have supported him when he needed it, and perhaps most important they’ve given him respect. As someone who lived through the massive wave of Cena backlash it’s crazy to see. Crown Jewel feels serious to him because he’s worried about losing the support and respect of the fans, which hasn’t been an issue for him for these 20 years. The crowd gets loud and supportive which Cena is kind enough to sell. He appreciates that but we can’t ignore the math, but the crowd interrupts with a “you still got it” chant, but he asks “what if I don’t?” We can’t ignore that he hasn’t delivered in a long time and if he loses the crowd connection then he’ll lose the ability and desire to wrestle, and he doesn’t want to lose any of that. The only thing left for him right now is to win at Crown Jewel. WWE uses “must see” all the time, and while they’re not entirely wrong it’s doubly true about Crown Jewel because it’s not just must see, for Cena it’s a “must win”. He knows how hard he worked to earn the respect of the fans, and it’s going to take guts to stand here and promise a win, but it’s time to deliver. Paul Heyman interrupts and heads to the ring while introducing himself. He might be the Wise Man to Roman Reigns, but he’s not out here in that capacity. He’s out here with no hustle, loyalty to anything but the truth, but definitely with respect. The crowd is booing Heyman and he says he deserves that, but not tonight, then asks for permission to enter the ring. Cena allows it and Heyman is here to offer a handshake. Cena considers then shakes, boy there’s history between these two. Heyman thanks Cena for the house, and for 21 years of sold out arenas based on his name. He brings up that he drafted John Cena to Smackdown 21 years ago when Vince gave him a draft choice from OVW. Heyman respects Cena, he raised his kids to be more like Cena than like Heyman. But at SummerSlam Roman proved that Cena is not the greatest of all time in the ring anymore, but as long as Cena can pick up a mic he’s the greatest at communicating to the crowd. The crowd will boo Heyman out of the arena, but they’ll do anything with Cena, will follow him anywhere on the mic. Cena could have stayed on top like that for a long time, just like Heyman has been around forever, until he pissed off the Bloodline. Roman might bust your ribs but Cena’s had busted ribs before, but if Solo hits Cena with that Samoan Spike, then Cena can’t talk anymore. They could take that dangerous weapon away from Cena at Crown Jewel. Solo takes away Cena’s voice, and then the Bloodline has taken Cena away from the fans. Cena is out here bearing his heart to the fans about needing to win, but here before the one match that Cena must win, he can’t win. That’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler. Here’s Solo from behind to attack Cena and start laying in punches. Spinning Solo connects, then he wants the Samoan Spike and hits it to leave Cena lying on the mat. The chemistry between Cena and Heyman all those year ago when Heyman was GM of Smackdown was great back then and it’s still great now.
In the back LA Knight talks. The Bloodline should be careful about who they’re pissing off, Jimmy got thrown through a table for his troubles tonight and later tonight he promises to grab Jimmy’s pig tails and ride him around the ring until Jimmy tells his Tribal Chief that this is LA Knight’s game. . . yeah!
Back to the ring, here comes Dragon Lee and he’ll be up against Cedric Alexander after this break.
Post break here comes Cedric Alexander.
Match #3: Dragon Lee vs. Cedric Alexander
They trade go behinds then Cedric with an arm wringer, Lee escapes then hits a running hurricanrana but Cedric flips free then Lee returns the favor on a head scissors and we get a double dropkick spot into a stand off. They tie up, Cedric tries another arm wringer and transitions it to a takedown. Lee fights up and hits a takedown then tries to work the leg of Cedric. Back up and into the ropes, Cedric hits an arm drag and looks to work the arm now. Lee counters into his own arm wringer, but Cedric fights free with a chop. Lee is happy to chop with Cedric and they trade them for a bit before Cedric lands a kick and then sends Lee to the apron. Knee from Cedric then he heads to the apron but runs into a jumping knee strike, only for Lee to charge at Cedric and run into an STO on the apron and both men are down on the floor as we head to break.
Lee and Cedric trade chops as we come back, Lee lands a knee strike but runs at Cedric and gets caught in a high angle Michinoku Driver for a 2 count. Lee fights back with a kick from the apron but Cedric with an uppercut as they head to the top rope. Lee knocks Cedric into a tree of woe then hits a double stomp and both men are down. Cedric lands a back elbow but his clothesline is countered into a sick Liger Bomb for a near fall. Lee counters a second Michinoku Driver into a Victory Roll and they trade near falls before Lee lands a knee to the back. Running Shiranui from Lee connects and gets the 3 count.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Dragon Lee won in 8:11
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: I think the commercial break hurt this one, the action was pretty good but the lack of flow hurt as well. Still, Lee is building momentum in general and this was a solid enough showcase.
Post match Cedric and Lee shake hands.
Video recap of Charlotte Flair vs. Iyo Sky from last week and the return of Bianca Belair after her vacation time. After that Belair heads to the ring. In the back Damage Control watches TV at a weird angle, and after this break Belair will talk.
Post break, Bianca Belair does have a mic and wants to talk. She’s excited to be back, and for the last two months she’s been replaying the attack from Damage Control and getting ready to come back. Naturally we get a video replay. Belair says that’s still hard to watch, getting taken out just two weeks after losing her title on a MITB cash in. That was the first time she was out, she’s been at home with just her thoughts. All she’s been thinking about is making Damage Control pay, she always gets up after getting knocked down but this time she couldn’t let it go. Vengeance consumed her for the first time in her life, and it motivated her to get back here and come up with a plan. She talked with Nick Aldis, and at Crown Jewel Belair gets a rematch for the title against Iyo Sky. But that’s not all, next week she’ll take out Bayley and promises to take out everyone in Damage Control and get her title back. I’ve wanted something of a character shift from Belair and this is a decent start in that direction though parts of what she does still feel super programmed, she felt a little rusty on the mic and the crowd wasn’t necessarily there with her for every step. But all in all a decent reintroduction after her well earned vacation, hopefully she can actually do something with the new angle for her character instead of just go through the motions every time.
Jimmy Uso heads to the ring, our main event will be up after this break.
Post break commentary tells us what’s up for next week, which again will be taped right after this event. Bianca Belair vs. Bayley, the weigh ins between Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul, and possibly more.
Here comes LA Knight for our main event.
Match #4: Jimmy Uso vs. LA Knight
Some trash talk from both men, then they tie up. Jimmy with a side headlock then a shoulder block to drop Knight. Another tie up, they fight into the corner then Knight starts landing punches. Back elbow from Knight then a suplex for a 2 count and Knight grabs the arm of Jimmy. More arm work from Knight but Jimmy fights free with a headbutt. Kick and a clothesline from Knight then a dropkick to the knee and a low dropkick to the head. Jimmy sends Knight to the apron but Knight with a shoulder block then a Sunset Backstabber. Back to the apron now and Jimmy looks for a suplex on the apron and hits it as we head to break.
Knight is fighting out of a headlock as we come back, then he lands a shoulder block and a Sunset Flip for 2 but Jimmy lays him out with an uppercut after that. Pretty loud “Jey is better” chant from the crowd, and that’s nothing but true. Jimmy wants a hip attack and hits it. Another hip attack attempt from Jimmy but this time Knight intercepts him with a clothesline. They trade punches for a bit thing Jimmy posts Knight. Knight fires up with some chops then an inverted DDT. More punches from Knight then a running body block. Russian leg sweep from Knight then a DDT but all that only gets 2. Corner stomps from Knight then Jimmy rolls out of the ring but Knight follows him and bounces him off of the announcers table several times. Back into the ring Knight goes up top but misses a flying nothing then Jimmy lands a Samoan drop for 2. Now Jimmy goes up top but Knight climbs up there with him and looks for a superplex, Jimmy shoves him down and hits a Splash for a near fall. Jimmy goes back up for another one but Knight crotches him and climbs up there, Jimmy shoves him down so Knight runs over and jumps up to hit the superplex. Blunt Force Trauma connects and we’re done.
OFFICIAL RESULT: LA Knight won in 13:32
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Jimmy isn’t Jey, especially in the connective tissue of a singles match. But despite that limitation this worked out pretty well, Knight’s connection with the crowd is pretty darn real and Jimmy is perfectly capable if not all that special in the singles arena. With some more connective material between spots and maybe no commercial break this might have cracked 3.5 stars.
Roman runs down to attack Knight, but Knight avoids a Spear and floors Roman with Blunt Force Trauma and Knight stands tall as the episode ends.
