WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Analysis for June 23
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Two sets of women's tag team titles were unified Friday night on SmackDown as Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler battled Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre in a high-stakes headliner.
That history-making showdown was only one part of a jam-packed episode that promised the latest in The Bloodline saga and a battle for Bayley's spot in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Find out what went down Friday night inside the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisana with this recap, including live analysis and grades, of the June 23 Fox broadcast.
Match Card
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- The beginning of The Bloodline civil war
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match Spot on the Line: Shotzi vs. Bayley
- Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin
- Women's Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler vs. NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
- Butch vs. Santos Escobar vs. LA Knight
- Charlotte Flair vs. Lacey Evans
- The Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly
- Rey Mysterio vs. LA Knight
Announced in advance for Friday's show were:
Then...
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com @SeanRossSappSmackdown got Vinced tonight. A lot of changes.
Changes included the cancelling of Shotzi vs. Bayley, Grimes vs. Corbin and the three-way match. In their place were:
The Bloodline Civil War Kicked Off The Show
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- "Jey, to me, it sounds like you made the absolute perfect choice," Jimmy told his brother.
- "Where you messed up, uce: you disrespected me and my brother," Jey told Reigns.
- "What we can't forgive is the ones on the outside of the house," Jey said in regards to Heyman and his role in The Bloodline.
- "Solo Sikoa, Roman Reigns...welcome to the Uso Penitentiary!" the Usos said in unison, sending a warning to their brother and cousin.
On the heels of a betrayal of Roman Reigns three years in the making, The Usos kicked off Friday's episode of SmackDown by setting up The Bloodline Civil War match against The Tribal Chief and Solo Sikoa at Money in the Bank on July 1.
After recapping the events that led to their actions a week ago, Jimmy and Jey reminded their cousin and brother that they are the best tag team in wrestling before welcoming them to The Uso Penitentiary, a welcome return to form after three years of playing backup to The Head of the Table.
This was the perfect followup to last week's social media-rocking angle.
The Usos were confident, showed the appropriate attention on the mic and shined a light on Paul Heyman as the real catalyst for Reigns' heel turn. Expect the Special Counsel to play a large role in whatever direction The Bloodline storyline takes through Money in the Bank and, ultimately, into WrestleMania 40.
A great start to the show.
Grade
A
Top Moments
Rey Mysterio vs. LA Knight
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- Michael Cole curiously mentioned that his broadcast partner, Wade Barrett, helped Mysterio pick out his outfit. It went nowhere, but was an interesting addition to commentary if nothing else.
- Knight narrowly countered a wheelbarrow bulldog and delivered BFT for the win.
- Escobar made the save after the match, chased Knight off and stared him down before checking on his Hall of Fame mentor.
Originally advertised as LA Knight vs. Butch vs. Santos Escobar earlier Friday afternoon.
A week after losing to Escobar, Knight battled his mentor, the legendary Rey Mysterio, in singles competition.
This week things turned out much better for the loudmouthed villain as he scored a surprisingly clean victory over the Hall of Famer with his Blunt Force Trauma finisher.
The match never really kicked into the next gear, with both veteran competitors appearing to be on different pages at times, particularly down the stretch and leading to the finish, something that adversely affected the overall grade for the segment.
Still, Knight scored a quality win over a guy with a ton of credibility and respect, something that bodes well for him as he looks toward Money in the Bank on July 1 from London's O2 Arena.
Escobar defending the honor of Mysterio after the match keeps his budding rivalry with Knight alive, too, even if it is only until the aforementioned premium live event.
Result
Knight defeated Mysterio
Grade
C+
Top Moments
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Unification Match
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- Backstage, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman arrived and the former delivered a devastating Samoan Spike to Ridge Holland. After the commercial break, an enraged Sheamus entered the arena and issued a challenge to Sikoa for later tonight.
- Rodriguez sat ringside to watch the high stakes match.
- Baszler's interference cut off Fyre and Dawn's early onslaught.
- Fyre fended off Rousey, wiped her out at ringside with a tope suicida and...her and Dawn still lost as the heels scored stereo tapouts.
- After the match, Morgan returned, joining Rodriguez in a tense staredown of the newly unified champions.
Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler predictably defeated Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn to unify the WWE and NXT women's tag titles Friday but did so, quite unpredictably, in a competitive match that highlighted the relatively new main roster callups while still ensuring the former mixed martial artists etched their names in the history books.
As important as that match may have been, what came after was equally so for the future of the tag division.
Liv Morgan returned and, alongside partner Raquel Rodriguez, made clear their intentions to challenge for the titles they never actually lost.
If reigniting the rivalry between Morgan and Rousey, in the middle of a star-studded feud, helps elevate the the tag titles in any meaningful way, so be it.
A better than-expected match, a notable return and the setup for the next big feud in women's tag wrestling helped elevate the entire segment.
Result
Rousey and Baszler defeated Dawn and Fyre to unify the titles
Grade
B
Top Moments
The Grayson Waller Effect with Pretty Deadly; Tag Team Action Ensues
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- "What's so confusing about a team that has won WWE championships before? What's so confusing about a team that has unified WWE championships even?" Prince asked, frustrated by the dismissal of Pretty Deadly as contenders.
- The Street Profits interrupted and set up a tag match with the heels.
- "Don't remove the male bra-let!" Barrett exclaimed as Ford ripped off Prince's top attire.
- Prince rolled Dawkins up and with some added leverage, scored the win.
A mostly unnecessary Grayson Waller Effect featuring Pretty Deadly gave way to a tag team match against The Street Profits and it became abundantly clear, in both the promo segment and in-ring action, that Elton Prince and Kit Wilson were absolutely ready for the main roster.
Great characters and equally strong in-ring competitors, they have managed to hang with stars with considerable main roster experience.
They will face their strongest test to date next week in London when they challenge Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. On the heels of a victory over Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins Friday night, the flamboyant villains have momentum on their side and, if it was not for the champions' considerable stature in WWE, they would be a candidate to win the gold.
As it is now, they are a team with a ton of promise and potential to be the centerpiece of the tag division for the foreseeable future.
Result
Pretty Deadly defeated The Street Profits
Grade
B
Top Moments
Charlotte Flair vs. Lacey Evans
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- Asuka jumped Flair after the match, pummeling her and leaving her lying before making her way up the ramp.
Charlotte will challenge Asuka for the WWE Women's Championship next week from London but Friday night, rekindled a rivalry that dated back years and she squared off with Lacey Evans.
She easily defeated her opponent with the Figure Eight but immediately felt the wrath of The Empress of Tomorrow, who attacked and left The Queen writhing in pain to close out the segment, uber impressed by her own actions.
The match between Flair and Asuka is bound to be great. We have seen that particular match-up before and it always has been. One can only hope, though, that the outcome is not the same as it was at their now-infamous WrestleMania 34 match, where Flair ended Asuka's 914-day reign as champion.
Especially considering Asuka just won the title at Night of Champions.
The incoming Flair-Bianca Belair program would understandably create that nervousness on the part of Asuka fans who have seen her shoved to the background on more than one occasion in the past.
As the for the segment as a whole, it was relatively uneventful and did little to drum up excitement for a match that many are on edge about.
Result
Flair defeated Evans
Grade
C
Top Moments
Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa
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- Sikoa delivered a Samoan Drop to Sheamus on the arena floor to halt the former WWE champion's momentum and seize control of the bout.
- Sikoa countered a Brogue Kick with a superkick, only for Sheamus to rock him with a jumping knee on the rebound. Chants of "this is awesome" spilled from the stands.
- Sheamus attempted the Celtic Cross but his injured back gave out, allowing Sikoa to deliver a Samoan Spike and follow with a uranage on the announce table.
- The heel delivered a running hip attack that drove Sheamus through the timekeeper's position. As Sikoa threatened further damage, The Usos hit the ring and took down their brother with a barrage of superkicks.
The product of the heel's unprovoked backstage attack on Ridge Holland, the main event of Friday's show saw the unstoppable Solo Sikoa battle Sheamus in physical main event.
The match continued The Celtic Warrior's hot streak of strong in-ring showings while Sikoa continued his growth and evolution as an in-ring competitor by working alongside one of the best WWE has to offer.
The finish may not have been the most inspired, and Sheamus probably did not need protecting to that extent, but it did set up The Usos returning to the ring and standing tall for the second consecutive week.
Hopefully, this is not all to set up the heels getting the win in London because if that is the case, the entire story is for naught.
Result
No contest (referee stoppage)
Grade
B
Top Moments
Overall Grade
8 of 8
This week's show did an admirable job of looking toward next week's episode and, on a grander scale, the Money in the Bank premium live event. The in-ring action, particularly in the form of the tag team matches and the main event, was solid and there was a noteworthy return in the form of Liv Morgan.
With that said, it is clear there were changes made to the script that negated several segments of television that occurred last week with no explanation for the advertised matches not occurring.
Simply pretending something did not happen because someone else flexed their authority and made major creative changes is insulting to the viewer's intelligence and exactly the sort of thing that frustrated fans and turned them off of WWE prior to Triple H's rise to power last summer.
Hopefully, this was an anomaly because disjointed creative at a time when the company is hot and fans are tuning out to television and live events is not something it needs.
Overall Grade: B-
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2023-06-24 02:03:52Z
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