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The first episode of WWE SmackDown after the 2023 Royal Rumble was expected to be a big one. Sami Zayn betrayed The Bloodline at Royal Rumble, and fans wanted to see how Roman Reigns would react to the betrayal on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Braun Strowman and Ricochet were scheduled to compete against Imperium in the final of the SmackDown Tag Team Tournament. An Elimination Chamber Qualifier match was set to determine who would enter the steel structure from SmackDown for the RAW Women’s Championship.
The show also had some backstage segments that built towards future matches and rivalries. It will help give fans big matches at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 39.
Check out the five things WWE SmackDown got right on this week’s show.
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#5. Braun Strowman and Ricochet rolled over Imperium to become The Usos’ challengers
Braun Strowman and Ricochet took on Imperium in the final match of the SmackDown Tag Team Tournament. Ludwig Kaiser dominated Ricochet early after Giovanni Vinci ran a distraction.
The Monster of All Monsters took him out at ringside before the two members of Imperium leveled him with a dive. Ricochet kept fighting for his team and hit a few good moves on Vinci. GUNTHER and The One and Only got into an argument at ringside, and The Ring General pushed him to the floor. This prompted the referee to eject the Intercontinental Champion from the ringside.
The babyfaces went on a rally, and Strowman hit the Monster Bomb on Kaiser before Ricochet hit a Swanton Bomb off his shoulders to pick up the win for his team.
The match was fast and fun, and it was good to see Strowman and Ricochet pick up the win. While Imperium is the more established team, WWE should save them for a bigger match when they can actually win the titles.
Right now, the focus is on The Usos’ implosion and how Jey and Jimmy will come together to defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
#4. Charlotte Flair retained her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sonya Deville
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair appeared backstage and said that she would defeat Rhea Ripley once again at WrestleMania 39. Sonya Deville interrupted her and said that she would take the title off her before WrestleMania to face Ripley at The Show of Shows.
The two superstars faced off for the title soon after on SmackDown, and Flair took control of the contest. Deville pulled Flair down by her hair and tried to keep the pressure on the champion for some time.
The former WWE authority figure hit a big boot before the champion fought back with a few power moves. Deville blocked a moonsault by getting her knees up, but The Queen did not stay down for long.
She locked in the Figure Eight leg lock on Deville and made her tap out to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
There were a few botches and awkward moments in the match, but the two superstars did well to give fans an entertaining match. The company will look to build Flair as a force again before she faces off against Ripley at WrestleMania 39.
#3. The Viking Raiders scored an important win
The Brawling Brutes took on The Viking Raiders in a tag team match on WWE SmackDown. Butch kicked off the match for his team before Ridge Holland came in and punished Erik with a vertical suplex.
The Brawling Brutes hit tandem chops to The Viking Raiders just like Sheamus before Valhalla ran a distraction. Butch was sent into the barricades, and the heels looked to get the upper hand.
They couldn’t control the match for long as Holland hit the heels with suplexes and kept the pressure on for some time. Ivar hit him with an Alabama Slam and a big boot before The Viking Raiders connected with Ragnarok for the win.
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre attacked Erik and Ivar after the match and threw them around the arena before the segment ended. The rivalry between the two teams is just getting started.
WWE has done well to build The Viking Raiders while protecting Sheamus and McIntyre for a bigger match heading into WrestleMania 39. They are two of SmackDown’s best veterans.
#2. Natalya qualified for the Elimination Chamber match
Rhea Ripley won the 2023 Royal Rumble and chose SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair as her opponent for WrestleMania 39. Her decision allowed WWE to book an Elimination Chamber match to determine RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair’s opponent for the show.
An Elimination Chamber Qualifier was held on WWE SmackDown, where Shotzi, Shayna Baszler, Natalya, and Zelina Vega competed for a spot in the match.
Everyone targeted Baszler early and threw her out of the ring before going after each other. Natalya and Vega traded moves before Baszler came back and took everyone out with some vicious strikes.
Shotzi tried to take down the former NXT Women’s Champion, but she locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on Natalya. The Queen of Harts fought out and took her down before getting the Sharpshooter on Vega for the win.
The victory will give a veteran like Natalya work with some of the newer stars in the Elimination Chamber match. While Baszler could have pushed ahead, it would have been difficult to take her out of the equation in the match without denting her value.
#1. Sami Zayn came after Roman Reigns before receiving a beatdown on WWE SmackDown
Roman Reigns arrived early on WWE SmackDown and was shown talking to Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa backstage. He wanted the two to stay strong and work as a family before sending them out to look for Jey Uso.
Meanwhile, The Tribal Chief took to the ring as fans chanted Sami Zayn’s name. Reigns said he would rather talk about Cody Rhodes but was forced to answer the fans.
Reigns was attacked by a man in a hoodie who revealed himself to be none other than Zayn. He unloaded on his former Tribal Chief and took him down with a big Spear. Reigns fled the ring while Zayn took the mic and said he never wanted anything from Roman until now and was coming for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Jimmy and Solo returned and took down Zayn with some big strikes. They set up a chair around The Master Strategist’s neck in the corner. Reigns returned to the ring and blamed Zayn for breaking up his family and accepted his challenge for a match at Elimination Chamber.
This has been the best storyline in WWE for a while, and the segment on Friday night put Zayn over big time. The match between the two stars will be emotional and have a few twists and turns. It will make things even more entertaining for fans.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
