wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 12.30.22
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Well everyone, it’s here. The final WWE event of 2022, with the new year itself just around the corner. We’ve got a potentially decent card here tonight, Ronda Rousey defends her title against Raquel Rodriguez, Solo Sikoa takes on Sheamus as Sheamus looks for some revenge on Sikoa, and there’s a few other irons in the fire such as Karrion Kross setting his sights on Rey Mysterio and Braun Strowman looking to get a shot at Gunther. But the big draw here is the main event, a tag team match when Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns teams with Sami Zayn to take on Kevin Owens and John Cena. This match will mean that John Cena has had at least one match for WWE every year for 2 decades. Owens is being positioned to get a shot at Roman for the Royal Rumble event so we’ll keep an eye on that, plus Sami Zayn is going to fall out of favor with the Bloodline sooner or later so we might get the seeds of that planted here. Anyway that’s the preamble, so let’s get to the action.
Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcome us to the show.
Bray Wyatt’s deaths head moth sign shows up, and here comes Bray himself. Bray has a mic, and he introduces himself, again I’ve got serious Alcoholics Anonymous vibes from these intros. He doesn’t think of himself as a good man, and he thinks back on all the horrible things he’s done and doesn’t regret much of it. But last week he did something he does regret, he attacked a camera man who didn’t deserve it. Bray is still in the half blue and red light. LA Knight interrupts this, he wants to talk to us. Knight talks while walking on the stage. Knight claims he’s mind gaming Bray, and wants to know what happened to Bray. He claims Bray couldn’t finish a sentence and took it out on the camera man. Knight isn’t concerned with that, he’s concerned about Bray paying a goon to dress as Uncle Howdy. He says Bray is still responsible and it’s time to pay the check. He says Bray used to be something, used to be a force, but now week after week Bray proves himself a broken down loser, yeah! But Knight has the medicine, the Royal Rumble is coming up and since it’ll be Knights first he wants to make is special. He’s going to do that by putting Bray out of his misery. Bray calls Knight a little idiot. Who does Knight think he’s talking to? Bray’s been patient this whole time, he could have ended this at any point, but he thinks Knight is right. Maybe it’s time he reminds Knight and everyone else just how cruel he can be. We’re talking Royal Rumble yeah? Bray accepts, and tosses the mic at Knight. Uncle Howdy video cuts in, reminding us to revel in what we are, to embrace the darkness. Knight and Bray half square off, but here comes Uncle Howdy again with some creepy music. Howdy stalks to the ring, takes off his hat but still in darkness so we can’t see his face. He’s wearing wrestling boots though. Howdy gets into the ring, wearing the devil mask, and stares down Knight, then turns to face Bray. Howdy then stands beside Bray before turning and dropping him with Sister Abigail. Knight bails wondering what’s going as Howdy slithers out of the ring and dons his hat again before heading to the back. OK, I can dig it. Bray’s set to get in the ring again, and there’s still some intrigue going around Howdy, and Knight is coming off really well in all of this.
We see Sami Zayn walking in the back, he heads to the Bloodline office and talks with Paul Heyman. Heyman reminds us of what Sami said last week on Smackdown, and he says Roman appreciates the passion of Sami. Heyman just brings up that the crowd chanting “Sami” while he’s next to Roman isn’t the right optic. Sami wants to know if Roman had an issue, Heyman says life on the Island of Relevance is about staying ahead of Roman’s needs, then lets Sami into the locker room to send us to break.
Post break, here comes Sheamus for his match with Solo Sikoa.
Match #1: Sheamus w/ Butch and Ridge Holland vs. Solo Sikoa w/ The Usos (Jimmy and Jey)
Michael Cole with a call out to the late Don West as the match begins. Sheamus grabs a side headlock but can’t knock of Solo with a shoulder block. Arm work now from Sheamus, Solo fights free and they trade shoulder blocks but neither man goes down. Right hand from Solo then some body shots. Clothesline from Solo drops Sheamus. Sheamus fights back now with strikes in the corner then clotheslines Solo out of the ring. Solo is pissed and grabs a chair, and everyone squares off as we head to break.
Solo is in control as we come back, Sheamus tries to fight back but runs into a Samoan drop. Solo goes for a hip attack but Sheamus intercepts with a clothesline and both men are down. Sheamus fires up with strikes, then hits a tilt a whirl slam. Solo rolls to the apron, Sheamus starts beating the Bodhran and gets up to about 15. Sheamus sets for the Brogue Kick, but runs into a super kick though he bounces off the ropes and hits a knee strike for a 2 count. Solo lands a headbutt, then Sheamus drops him with an Irish Curse backbreaker. Cloverleaf from Sheamus, but Solo’s already under the ropes and we wind up with some awkward adjustments to avoid the ref looking like a total tool. Jey distracts the ref so Jimmy can pull Solo under the ropes. Next Jimmy and Jey abuse Butch and Ridge, which sets up Sheamus to dive onto them from the top rope. Solo posts Sheamus on the floor, then hits a uranage on the apron. Back in the ring, Solo with the Samoan Spike to get the 3 count.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Solo Sikoa won
Rating: 3 stars
I’d like a rematch here without the shenanigans and commercial break, these two had fun beating the crap out of each other.
Post match the Usos jump Sheamus, they set up Sheamus for a chair assisted hip attack in the corner, but here comes Drew McIntyre to save Sheamus. Drew looks pissed, he lays out Jey with a boot, then a headbutt to Jimmy before squaring up with Solo. Drew ejects Solo with a clothesline, then Claymores Jimmy darn near out of his shoes and the Bloodline powder as the Brutes have recovered.
Up next is a video recap of the path of annoyance and injury Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey have been leaving as well as Raquel Rodriguez winning the Gauntlet match last week to earn her title shot tonight.
After this break, we’ll get that title match between Ronda Rousey and Raquel Rodriguez.
Post match, here comes Raquel Rodriguez for our next match.
Match #2 – Smackdown Women’s Title Match: (c) Ronda Rousey w/ Shayna Baszler vs. Raquel Rodriguez
They tie up, and Raquel tosses Ronda away. Another tie up, this time Ronda gets things to a corner and tries to attack the arm but Raquel shoves her away again. Ronda goes to strikes, then lands a slap. Raquel isn’t happy and runs over Ronda a few times before hitting a spinning powerslam for a 2 count. Ronda struggles to bail, but eventually does so and she tries to talk with Baszler but here’s Raquel with a strike and she sends Ronda back into the ring. Raquel tosses Ronda around then hits a corner splash, and another one but Ronda slumps away from a charging Raquel and Raquel posts herself as we head to break.
Ronda is in control as we come back. Raquel tries to fight back with punches, but Ronda cuts her off and lands a spike elbow. Ronda catches a kick and hits a modified fisherman’s suplex. Kimura from Ronda, but Raquel powers up to counter with a Samoan drop. Raquel fires up with clotheslines including one with the left arm that drops Ronda but hurts the arm of Raquel. Ronda counters a spinning slam with an armbar, Raquel fights to keep the arm from extending and is able to fight free then grabs a Texas Cloverleaf. Now Ronda counters that into an Ankle Lock, Raquel is able to kick her free then catches a charging Ronda with a flapjack. Raquel wants a Tejana Bomb, but Ronda counters into an armbar and they fall onto the apron, where Raquel powers through and slams Ronda onto the apron with a modified Tejana Bomb to send us to break.
We come back to Raquel hitting a suplex on Ronda for a near fall. Ronda snaps Raquel down by the arm then grabs another Kimura. Raquel is able to sit up and roll through, pulling Ronda up for the Scott Hall special, the fall away slam. Ronda avoids a Tejana Bomb and grabs a sleeper hold, she’s talking trash to the fans while locking down the choke. Raquel fades, but powers up and is able to slam free. Big boot from Raquel, then she takes out Baszler and hits a twisting Vader Bomb but Baszler puts Ronda’s foot under the ropes. The ref sees Baszler, but doesn’t eject her. Raquel sets Ronda on the top rope and lands some strikes but Ronda kicks at her bad arm. They head up to the second rope, Ronda fights and locks in the armbar while they’re on the ropes. They fall to the mat but Ronda holds the armbar as they land and Raquel has to tap out.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Ronda Rousey retained the title
Rating: 3 stars
Would have been 3.5 stars without a few timing issues. That said Ronda and Raquel have some obvious chemistry.
Post match Ronda has a mic, but she’s cut off by a returning Charlotte Flair. God help us all. Charlotte has a mic as she gets in the ring, and Ronda mocks her rehabbing and wonders how Charlotte’s arm is feeling. Charlotte challenges Ronda for a match tonight. Ronda considers, Baszler tries to talk her out of this but Ronda says she’s feeling spicy. Baszler continues trying to talk sense to Ronda but Ronda wants to wrestle apparently.
Match #3 – Smackdown Women’s Title Match: (c) Ronda Rousey w/ Shayna Baszler vs. Charlotte Flair
Charlotte with a big boot, near fall. Charlotte boots Baszler, then tries a Spear on Ronda but Ronda counters into an armbar, Charlotte rolls through and grabs the tights on a roll up to get the 3 count.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Charlotte Flair won the title
Rating: DUD
Ugh, just ugh, Poochie gets a ton of pyro while commentary tries to pretend this was some kind of epic moment.
In the back the Bloodline talk. Sami Zayn talks with Roman and wants to make sure they’re cool after the crowd chanted for Sami. Roman says it doesn’t bother him, and says Sami was so locked in last week that everyone was drawn to him and predicts they’re going to have a great night. Well, we might have found the cracks in this alliance as Roman looks a little less than pleased as we head to break.
Post break, a recap of Poochie returning and winning the title.
Next, a video recap of Dominick Mysterio trying to crash Christmas at the grandparents, and Dominick proves he’s a terrible actor by claiming fear of jail with all the line delivery of an elementary school play.
In the back Hit Row and New Day make jokes about Top Dollah failing his jump last week. Madcap Moss gets in a joke as well. Ricochet says they learned that it’s not as easy as Ricochet makes it look. This seems to have annoyed Dollah who shoves some people and asks if he’s a joke to them. Well, yes, yes you are.
Back to the ring and here comes Imperium, they’ll be active in some capacity after this break.
We get a recap of our opening segment, and I really dig that Uncle Howdy music the more I listen to it. We get an update, Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight will be a Pitch Black Match. No idea what the means, but the Mtn Dew people seem happy to sponsor it.
Back to the ring and Ludwig Kaiser has a mic. Kaiser says 2022 was the year of the Ring General. Giovanni Vinci calls Gunther the most dominant Intercontinental champion in history, but don’t take their word for it let’s just look at the men who’ve tried. We get a recap of Gunther’s title reign with highlights of his darn good matches against Nakamura, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, and Ricochet. Gunther has a mic as well, but Braun Strowman cuts him off before he can speak. Braun stalks to the ring and gets his own mic, and says he couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t part of Gunther’s little package which means Gunther hasn’t beaten him. Maybe there isn’t a man who beat Gunther, but what about a monster. Gunther just drops his mic and looks to leave, Braun picks a fight and starts going after all of Imperium. Braun ejects Kaiser and Vinci, then blocks a Gunther chop and lands a clothesline. Gunther rolls out of the ring, and Braun then runs around the ringside area wiping out Kaiser and Vinci but Gunther avoids him and Gunther takes out the barricade. Gunther with a chair now and starts laying into Braun. Kaiser and Vinci are here as well and they smash Braun into the ring steps. Back in the ring now Gunther attacks the arm of Braun and locks in a version of Nigel McGuinness’s London Dungeon while Kaiser and Vinci keep refs and officials out of the way. Here comes Ricochet with a chair to chase off Imperium, he swings the chair and clearly hits Gunther when he wasn’t supposed to as the chair edge hit Gunther in the back of the head.
In the back the Bloodline walk, their match is up after this break.
Post break Kevin Owens comes out, then here comes John Cena. Cena speaks to the camera on the stage and thanks everyone for letting him do this for 20 years. Cena’s got a very obvious bald spot going. Then here comes Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, and our main event match will start after this break.
Match #4 – Tag Team Match: Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn w/ Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) vs. Kevin Owens and John Cena
Post break and Owens starts off with Sami. Sami calls on Owens, then grabs a side headlock and lands a clothesline before posing. Roman approves. Owens tries a Stunner but settles for punches then a back elbow and senton before he stares down Roman. Sami snaps Owens over the top rope and tries a suplex but Owens counters and dumps Sami into the ropes. Owens calls on Sami, telling him he’s embarrassing himself in front of Roman, and mocks his slightly bloody nose. The crowd is with Sami, but Roman puts his hand out for a tag and Sami tags him in wishing Owens luck. Roman takes his time getting into the ring as the crowd calls for Cena. Roman tells Owens to tag out, Owens reaches for the tag but Roman levels him with a clothesline. Stomps from Roman and he hits a uranage for a 2 count. That sends us to break.
We come back to Owens fighting off Sami but he’s caught in a half nelson suplex, then Owens bounces up and lands a clothesline to put both men down. Cena wants the hot tag, but here’s Roman to pull him off the apron and slam him into the barricade. Sami follows up with a Helluva kick on the floor. Back in the ring Sami lines up a Helluva kick on Owens but Owens intercepts him with a super kick and both men are down again. There’s no one for Owens to tag though, so he lands another super kick then a pop up powerbomb on Sami and Roman has to break up the pin. Roman drags Sami into their corner and tags himself in. Roman sets for the Superman punch but Owens avoids it and lands a super kick. Owens up top, Frog Splash gets a 2 count. Roman counters a pop up powerbomb with a Superman punch, then wants the Spear but Owens dives out of the way and Roman posts himself. Cena is back up and wants the tag, as does Sami. We audibly hear Cena and the ref calling the timing out, that’s just embarrassing. Both men tag out and Cena runs wild on Sami with his usual moves to a big reaction. Cena taunts in Roman and hits him with a Blue Thunder bomb to set up a tag to Owens and we get a double Five Knuckle Shuffle as the ref audibly calls the time again. Cena with an Attitude Adjustment to Roman, Owens with a Stunner to Sami and gets the pin.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Kevin Owens and John Cena won
Rating: 3 stars
That was a lot of fun, would have been higher rating without the obvious production flubs. There’s a visible mouse on the left eye of Owens, not sure what caused that but the swelling is visible and getting worse as he and Cena celebrate to end the episode.
