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WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before SNME XXXVIII
Welcome to Zazi TV's live coverage of WWE SmackDown before this weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event.
The three-hour episode had a lot of time to fill, but WWE only advertised a couple of segments for the show before it began, so a lot of what we saw was a surprise.
Here is a look at what WWE hyped before the show:
- LA Knight vs. Tama Tonga
- Motor City Machine Guns vs. Pretty Deadly
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's SmackDown.
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Pretty Deadly
1 OF 8
SmackDown started with Cody Rhodes coming to the ring for an interview with Joe Tessitore. He talked about his match against Owens at this week's Saturday Night's Main Event.
The segment ended without interruption or attack, so we moved right onto the tag match with the team of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley taking on Kit Wilson and Elton Prince.
While Pretty Deadly is not known as a powerhouse team, both men are deceptively big, and when you see them next to two guys the size of Sabin and Shelley, they look like beasts.
MCMG used speed and agility while Wilson and Prince used their size advantage to overpower their opponents whenever possible.
Pretty Deadly got in a lot of offense and almost won with a double-team bulldog maneuver that looked great, but MCMG made a comeback and scored the win with Skull and Crossbones.
This was a fun and well-paced match. Pretty Deadly looked better than they have in quite some time in the ring.
Result: MCMG defeated Pretty Deadly
Notable Moments and Observations
- Rhodes did a great job putting KO over in his interview. He called him a once-in-a-generation talent, which is true.
- The way Sabin hit the ring post looked brutal.
- The bulldog move Pretty Deadly used should be their finisher.
B-fab and Michin vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
2 OF 8
Owens came to the ring and cut a promo about everybody sucking up to Rhodes, but Jimmy Uso came out and ended up attacking him to shut him up.
After a break, Carmelo Hayes was shown complaining to Nick Aldis about his match being canceled, so the GM offered him a new opponent who was just drafted to SmackDown. Hayes said he would wait to see who it was before accepting.
Up next was a tag match with B-Fab and Michin taking on Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. Green was Michin's main focus throughout the match since they have been in a feud for several weeks, but Niven and B-Fab weren't left out.
This ended up being a pretty short match that ended with Michin getting the pin on Green. There wasn't much here to like or criticize, so it was basically filler until the next singles match in this feud.
Result: B-Fab and Michin defeated Green and Niven
Notable Moments and Observations
- The video package for Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu was awesome.
- Owens antagonizing Matthew McConaughey was hilarious.
- Barrett made a big deal out of how long B-Fab's legs are, which is fair because they are pretty long due to her height.
- Damian Preist was the talent Aldis drafted that Hayes was booked to face later in the show.
Jax, LeRae and Morgan vs. Ripley, Naomi and Belair
3 OF 8
Tiffany Stratton came out to give a promo that was quickly interrupted by Rhea Ripley. They were soon joined by Nia Jax and Candice LeRae, who were followed by Naomi and Bianca Belair, who were followed by Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. It was basically just everyone saying they would win the Royal Rumble.
When we returned from a break, Jax, LeRae and Morgan were taking on Belair, Naomi and Ripley in a six-woman match.
This was the usual WWE-style setup for a multi-person match. Everyone had a little time on defense and everyone spent a little time selling for somebody else.
The bout lasted through a break into the next segment, so the women were on screen for a long time between the match and the talking segment.
While most of what we saw looked good on a technical level, there was no sense of urgency in this match. It felt like they were just going through the motions at times instead of the chaotic feel we expect from a match with this many people in and out of the ring.
It didn't really pick up until the final couple of minutes when Ripley got the hot tag and started taking out everyone, but in the end, Morgan stole the win by pinning Belair.
Result: Jax, LeRae and Morgan defeated Ripley, Belair and Naomi
Notable Moments and Observations
- The video package for Charlotte Flair's return was good but it's hard to tell if WWE wants her to be a babyface of heel when she returns.
- Jax popped the crowd by trading insults with a fan.
- Morgan getting the win was a good call because it feels like she has had the least to do in recent weeks.
Apollo Crews vs. Johnny Gargano
4 OF 8
Apollo Crews and Johnny Gargano had a singles match this week after Crews insulted DIY backstage in a previous segment.
Crews hasn't been on TV much since his team with the former Baron Corbin was disbanded following his release, so it was nice to see him get some ring time this week.
He and Gargano are both capable performers who can work at a brisk pace and wrestle multiple styles, so we got a little bit of everything in this bout.
Even though Tommaso Ciampa interfered, Crews was able to get the pin with a rollup in what is easily the most surprising result of the night.
This was a fun little sprint, but if they had more time, it would have stolen the show.
Result: Crews defeated Gargano
Notable Moments and Observations
- Crews hitting a gorilla press slam followed by a moonsault is a perfect combo for him because it combines his strength and agility.
- Ciampa's running knee outside the ring looked great.
Tama Tonga vs. LA Knight
5 OF 8
The next match was one of the two WWE advertised before the show took place. Knight took on Tonga, but Fatu was at Tama's side.
Knight gave a quick promo before the match to mock his opponents before they began fighting. This wasn't a match about trading technical submissions and counters. They were throwing fists as soon as they made contact.
The fight spilled out of the ring almost immediately and saw both men use the barricade to inflict some punishment.
This was a hard-fought contest that sold the aggression their characters feel for each other. Fatu remained an intimidating presence at ringside but he almost looked unimpressed with Knight instead of his usual shade of anger.
He almost cost Knight the match but his distraction failed. The Megastar hit the BFT for the pin and the win. Strowman came out to even the odds when Fatu attacked Knight after the match.
Result: Knight defeated Tonga
Notable Moments and Observations
- Tonga opted to work shirtless instead of using his usual gear this week. He's in really good shape so it's surprising he doesn't do it more often.
- Tonga's walk across the barricade to hit a clothesline was cool but he looked a little unsure of himself.
- Watching Fatu manhandle someone will never stop being entertaining.
Damian Priest vs. Carmelo Hayes
6 OF 8
Hayes and Priest were booked into a singles match by Aldis during an earlier segment. Melo tried to look confident while also looking a little scared of his opponent.
The Archer of Infamy had the upper hand early, but Hayes took control at ringside as the show went to a break.
They paced this match a little slower than expected, but they did it in a way that made sense. Every big move felt more important instead of things only being sold for a split second.
Hayes came close a couple of times, but Priest wasn't about to lose his SmackDown debut. He picked up the win with South of Heaven.
Result: Priest defeated Hayes
Notable Moments and Observations
- Austin Theory and Grayson Waller were told they were drafted to Raw in a backstage segment.
- Hayes sold the chokeslam well.
Kevin Owens vs. Jimmy Uso
7 OF 8
This week's main event saw Jimmy Uso and Owens do battle after getting into a fight earlier in the evening. Uso was Hayes' planned opponent, so that is why he ended up facing Priest.
Hayes felt insulted by Uso during a moment backstage and attacked him during his entrance. Officials broke it up, so Jimmy continued his way to the ring.
The Prize Fighter had the upper hand for a few minutes and talked a lot of trash to both his opponent and the crowd.
These two know each other well and are veteran performers, so it would almost be hard for them to have a bad match, but that doesn't mean this was a Match of the Year candidate either.
They had a nice back-and-forth encounter with a few standout moments, especially in the second half. Owens hit the Popup Powerbomb for the win and Rhodes showed up shortly after to initiate a brawl.
Result: Owens defeated Uso
Notable Moments and Observations
- The camera caught a shot of Hayes following Uso before his entrance. It was hard to tell if it was planned or not.
- KO wore a Naomi shirt to the ring. Owens said Jimmy shouldn't be mad since he would get some of the money from the shirt.
- Owens is really good at taking the knees to the back during a senton. He always sells it like the most painful thing in the world.
The Final Word
8 OF 8
Three hours of SmackDown is already starting to feel like a bad decision on WWE's part, but it's hard to complain about getting more of a thing you enjoy sometimes.
This week's show had a lot of decent matches, but the tag match between Pretty Deadly and MCMG was the best by a small margin.
While SNME was mentioned several times, it doesn't feel nearly as important as the last one, so WWE is clearly already thinking past it to the Royal Rumble next weekend.
WWE is a well-oiled machine with a near-flawless production and presentation, but sometimes it rests on its laurels a bit too much. It hasn't felt like very many episodes of any WWE show have been must-see TV lately, so hopefully that changes as WrestleMania season heats up.
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