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WWE SmackDown after Crown Jewel opened with another title defense for The Usos this week. Jimmy and Jey took on arch-rivals New Day in an Undisputed Tag Team Championship match on Friday night.
The SmackDown World Cup also kicked off on this week’s episode. Shinsuke Nakamura took on Santos Escobar in the first match of the tournament. Meanwhile, Braun Strowman tore through Jinder Mahal in his match. He progressed to the semi-finals with ease.
Bray Wyatt approached LA Knight backstage and head-butted him after a war of words. Fans will have to wait to see if the men will kick off a rivalry soon.
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A top tag team also returned with a new member on SmackDown. Meanwhile, the brand crowned the next challenger for Ronda Rousey’s women’s championship.
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The creative team booked a solid show right after Crown Jewel. It helped build towards the upcoming Survivor Series WarGames. Check out the five things WWE SmackDown got right this week.
#5. The New Day and The Usos put on a blockbuster match to kick off WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown kicked off with the Undisputed Tag Team Championship match between New Day and The Usos. The two sides made early tags and hit some signature moves to get the action going.
The heels isolated Kofi Kingston for some time and ensured Xavier Woods could not get the tag whenever Kofi found an opening. Woods finally got the tag and went after the champion with some good moves.
He hit GTS for a near fall and kept the pressure on the champs. Kingston also hit the SOS for a near fall as the action picked up. The brothers hit double superkicks on New Day before getting a double splash on Woods for an incredible near fall. Kofi countered the 1D and sent Jey Uso into the steel steps outside before planting him with the Midnight Hour but failing to get the win.
New Day kept the champions under check and countered some of their best moves. Woods was taken out with a superkick outside the ring before The Usos hit Kofi with a 1D from the top rope for the win.
Roman Reigns looked pleased with his cousin’s win as the segment ended. It was another epic contest between two of the greatest tag teams in WWE’s history. They delivered a top-notch performance that set the tone for the night.
It was unfortunate to see New Day pick up a clean loss right away, but they helped elevate The Usos further. SmackDown did well to give the brothers a top title defense just before Survivor Series WarGames.
#4. Santos Escobar won big to progress in the World Cup
The first match of the WWE SmackDown World Cup saw Santos Escobar and Shinsuke Nakamura compete in the ring. They represented their respective countries, Mexico and Japan, in the contest.
The Artist started strong and hit a few big moves to keep Escobar on the mat. The former NXT North American Champion returned with some smooth moves of his own and locked Nakamura in a single-leg crab.
Nakamura fought out and hit a suplex for a near fall. Escobar did not let go of the control of the contest as he fired back with some good moves. Legado Del Fantasma helped Escobar avoid the Kinshasa from The Artist by dragging him out of the ring.
Constant distractions allowed Escobar to plant Nakamura with the Phantom Driver for a huge win. It was arguably one of the biggest wins of Escobar’s career as he overcame one of the faces of SmackDown on Friday night.
Both men put on a good show, and Santos Escobar suddenly appeared as one of the favorites to win the World Cup by taking out Nakamura. It looks like the creative team wants to keep the tournament a little unpredictable, just like the actual event.
#3. Shotzi became Ronda Rousey’s next challenger for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
A six-pack challenge was booked for WWE SmackDown to determine Ronda Rousey’s next challenger. A brawl broke out between the six women right after the bell.
Liv Morgan targeted Sonya Deville, while Xia Li tried to take down Raquel Rodriguez by sending her into the ring post. Deville threw Morgan into the steel steps but did not slow down the former SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Shotzi fought off Lacey Evans and tried to stay in control of the contest. Meanwhile, Rodriguez punished Li with power moves in the ring and nearly took her down for the three-count.
Rodriguez set up a table, but Liv took her and Deville down with a dive in the biggest spot of the match. Shotzi took advantage of the situation and hit her finisher on Lacey to become Ronda Rousey’s next challenger.
Rousey will probably retain her title whenever she meets Shotzi in the ring. However, it’s good to see her get an opportunity to take on the SmackDown Women’s Champion in a singles match. Hopefully, she would hit some offense before being taken down by The Baddest Woman on the Planet.
#2. The Viking Raiders returned to take out two top factions
Hit Row and Legado Del Fantasma took to the ring for their match on WWE SmackDown. Before the two teams could get down to business, the Viking Raiders returned with Sarah Logan and attacked both teams.
They ran through Hit Row and Legado Del Fantasma before hitting Top Dolla with a double powerbomb. Logan took out B-Fab with a headbutt as the returning superstars stood tall to end the segment.
It’s great to see The Viking Raiders return (once again) and strengthen the tag team division. Thankfully, Erik and Ivar are back to take down the two top factions rather than compete against local competitors again.
The creative team changed the game by introducing a new team in the rivalry between Hit Row and Legado. The winner of the rivalry will probably take on The Bloodline in the coming months.
#1. The Bloodline met their opponents for Survivor Series WarGames on WWE SmackDown
Roman Reigns and The Usos came out for the final segment on WWE SmackDown. Paul Heyman worked up the crowd and boasted about Reigns and The Usos’ recent victories at Crown Jewel 2022.
Reigns took the mic and wanted to say something to his cousins. However, The Brawling Brutes interrupted The Tribal Chief. Butch and Ridge Holland were not alone as Sheamus returned to SmackDown and joined them.
They wasted no time attacking the heels and were soon joined by Drew McIntyre, who was looking to target Roman Reigns again. Roman and Sheamus squared off as SmackDown ended.
WWE has had to produce a few premium live events within a few weeks. However, Triple H and his team are doing well at keeping the rivalries fresh and interesting.
Sheamus’ return will help the brand build the biggest match for Survivor Series WarGames. It will be interesting to see who joins The Brawling Brutes and McIntyre against The Bloodline.
WWE could keep it all a secret and reveal Kevin Owens as the surprise final member of the babyface team at WarGames to get a massive pop from the crowd. It will be a great way to get Owens and Sami Zayn face-to-face again.
