WWE Friday Night SmackDown Review: 06/11
Sami Zayn Starts the Show, Tama Tonga VS Shinsuke Nakamura
The final Friday Night SmackDown ahead of Crown Jewel kicked off with Sami Zayn coming down to the ring, still demanding the respect that he deserves as the Undisputed WWE Champion! A furious Jimmy Uso would quickly interrupt, with Jimmy asking Sami what happened to him, as instead of helping The Bloodline against the 946 on Monday, Sami was more interested in dropping Roman Reigns with a Helluva Kick! Zayn made it clear that he’s just simply doing what he has to do, something Jimmy should understand given the fact that he was always the one who pulled the trigger first! Uso would then try to scare Zayn by telling the WWE Champion that Reigns’ full focus has now turned to his Crown Jewel opponent following what happened on Raw, but instead of looking worried, Sami smiled, as this is all he’s wanted from the beginning! Just as Zayn was about to leave, the 946 showed up, with Sami doing nothing as Royce Keys, Carmelo Hayes, Cruz Montana, and OTM beat the crap out of Big Jim! Montana and Melo looked insane here! I’m glad that we got a segment between Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso; it made sense for that to happen, and once again, Sami is on a roll! Also, the 946 are cool!
Grade: B
Rey Fenix seemed very disappointed in Sami Zayn backstage, with Sami telling Johnny Gargano to take care of him, before it was time for the opening match of the night as Shinsuke Nakamura faced Tama Tonga! I feel like I’ve seen these two wrestle a ton on SmackDown; they’ve been feuding/involved in a storyline together since Solo Sikoa was the leader of MFT! I enjoy Haku’s presence on the outside; he kept scaring off Kyoki with his staff, as the crazy Kyoki went after Tama Tonga! Eventually, Shinsuke Nakamura would take advantage of this, nailing Tama Tonga with a Kinshasa to get the win, as this feud must continue!
Grade: C+
Gunther Calls Out Finn Balor, Michin and B-Fab VS Fatal Influence: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
CM Punk has clearly had enough of being in the same conversation as Kevin Owens, with Punk hoping to end it in tonight’s Main Event! An angry Gunther was then out next, as The Ring General was not happy with how last week went down! Gunther made it clear that he wasn’t scared of “The Demon” last week, with Gunther not at all impressed that Finn Balor decided to paint his face just to appease Danhausen! Gunther would then call out Balor, with The Prince answering the call, as Finn made it clear that it was him last week who put The Ring General through the announce table! A brawl would then quickly break out, with Gunther eventually escaping! I’m kind of disappointed that this match isn’t taking place at Crown Jewel; I feel like that would’ve made sense!
Grade: C+
After they had to deal with Byron Saxton, Fatal Influence looked to recapture the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships off of Michin and B-Fab! Not only are both of these teams Heels, but the crowd doesn’t really care about them anyway, so they were pretty flat! Also, this match never had a proper ending, with Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley taking care of Jacy Jayne and Jade Cargill before they attacked the rest of the women in the ring to cause the DQ! Bayley would then run down to get her hands on Cargill’s crew after what went down on Monday, whilst Charlotte Flair would then finally return to send the Heels packing! WarGames?!
Grade: C
Chelsea Green and Liv Morgan Come Face-to-Face, Damian Priest VS Nathan Frazer
Kevin Owens once again proved his brilliance by questioning why CM Punk would get an NXT Championship opportunity, before Charlotte Flair seemingly confirmed that we will be getting that WarGames match! Nick Aldis was then in the ring next as he welcomed out Chelsea Green to praise his Champion ahead of her match at Crown Jewel! Aldis told Chelsea that he’s proud of the fact that she’s representing SmackDown against Liv Morgan for the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship, but Green continues to overthink and underestimate herself! Right now, Chelsea can’t see herself in the same conversation as the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, or Bianca Belair, with her not feeling like a real Champion! However, she will feel as such if she can beat Liv in Saudi Arabia! This would then bring out the Women’s World Champion, with Liv Morgan calling Chelsea a “Charity Case”, not a Champion! Everything is set up for Chelsea Green to win the Women’s Crown Jewel Championship today, but I’m still not convinced that we’re going to see it!
Grade: C+
After Trick Williams made some comments about Damian Priest, Damian Priest made his way down to the ring to go one-on-one with Nathan Frazer! Whilst this match didn’t last very long, I thought it was a good match, with Frazer taking a couple of good bumps! Speaking of bumps, Priest sent Frazer crashing over the announce table with a Razor’s Edge, resulting in the referee having to call for the bell as Nathan was unable to continue! Axiom would then try and get a few shots in on Damian, but DP took care of him with ease! If Damian Priest’s new gimmick is going to see him win matches via referee stoppage, I would appreciate the uniqueness of that!
Grade: C+
CM Punk VS Kevin Owens: No Holds Barred
And in the Main Event of this week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown, CM Punk and Kevin Owens went to war in a No Holds Barred Match! This match would’ve happened at Crown Jewel had that show not been taking place in Saudi Arabia, but if I’m being honest, it might’ve been for the best that it took place on SmackDown! Like, this match ruled! There were so many intense moments, whether that be brawls through the crowd or multiple insane spots! Punk would land back-first onto the steel steps, with Owens later doing the same onto a pile of steel chairs! Punk would then deliver a cool elbow drop to Kevin through the announce table, whilst KO would then get one back after he delivered an insane Fisherman Suplex to The Best in the World from the apron to the floor (through multiple tables)! In the closing stages, CM Punk would deliver a second GTS, only for Kevin Owens to nail Punk in the face with a steel chain to get the win! I’m happy that KO won here; that was the correct choice!
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